This book hits all my quadrants, so to speak: college students, New England, Classics majors, and un-ironic Bacchanalia that somehow manages never to feel smutty. The weather is turning cooler (at least in Michigan), and all I can think about are apples and pumpkins, so now is the time to get your hands on The Secret History, a novel meant to be read fireside, wrapped in Pendelton wools and Aran sweaters, with a steaming mug of grog or hot toddy in hand (I'd give you a recipe but I'm a spoiled jerk who married someone incredibly good at mixing drinks, so I just shout "Toddy, please!" like a woman with a butler and it magically appears in front of me). Many people loved Tartt's more recent novel The Goldfinch; even more people hated it -- I still haven't read it and probably won't get around to it anytime soon -- BUT! -- either way, don't let that stop you from The Secret History, which is incredible and is probably the real reason why she won the Pulitzer Prize.

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books.

Where else to begin this week but with Vanity Fair's very splashy take-down of Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, "It's Tartt -- but is it Art?" Yeeesh. The author Evgenia Peretz ponders the popularity of Tartt's third novel which recently won the Pulitzer Prize amid some negative reviews by heavyweight literary critics like James Wood. I'm not really sure why this is of interest to anyone, because the reading public usually ignores critical reviews and once a book becomes sufficiently buzzworthy, it takes off. And everyone knows that sometimes awards are doled out as reparations for an author's better earlier work being ignored, which seems likely in this case. None of this changes my intention to read The Goldfinch and make my own assessment, nor does it change my love for Tartt's first novel The Secret History, which I will continue to wholeheartedly recommend.

A new blog debuted this week, which I really really adore. I have been a follower of The Terrier and Lobster page for a long time now, so I was delighted when its creator announced a new blog dedicated to books. In keeping with her style, the focus is largely on design and fashion, and is plenty whimsical.

Finally, the 2014 PEN Literary Awards shortlist has been announced, and includes one of my favorite novels of the year, Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi, as if further proof was needed of my un-erring wisdom in all things book-related.