Interesting Times - a Wednesday List of the Things that I Read

• A Quiet Adjustment - Benjamin Markovits

Apparently a sequel, I did not know this until I Googled it just before. Byron and Annabella Milbanke torturing one another, fairly pompously written. Three things:

1. Byron, what an asshole
2. Annabella, what a pain in the ass
3. Marriage in the 19th century - how appalling

• Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister - Gregory Maguire

My flatmate was reading this, I swiped it from under her nose and read it over the weekend. It's by the same guy who wrote Wicked (which became a Broadway musical). You would lose nothing by reading this.

• Gang leader for a day - Sudhir Venkatesh

Apparently this grew out of an essay in Freakonomics which I haven't read. Truth be told, haven't finished it yet. I feel confident in my recommendation: fascinating.

• Margherita Dolce Vita - Stefano Benni

Italian magic realism - part fable, part dystopic prediction and part morality story. All fabulous.

• Noodle Pillows - Peta Mathias

Favourite Peta book thus far: she travels in Vietnam and eats and eats and meets awesome people (beautiful country/beautiful people). She eats all the pho. I want to go to Vietnam and eat all the pho.

• A Clash of Kings - George RR Martin

Why have you not yet read any of the Game of Thrones series? Are you not crazy?

I love reading in my new house the mostest. I've already fallen asleep on the couch twice (count the times!). The Boy took a photo; I don't know if I like that.