My new crush

It's nothing new to those who know me (or, let's be honest, anybody that's spent more than 10 seconds with me) that I'm a bit of a book dork. I have a hard time not peppering conversations with "Oooh -- I just read this book about..." or "I once read a book about just what you're talking about" or "I demand that you read this book right now so I have someone with whom I can talk about it." So, it should come as no surprise that I occasionally develop slight author crushes. When I grab a book by an author I'm currently in the throes of crush-ness with, I feel a giddy anticipation: Will I like this book enough to stay hooked on this author? Will we have fun together? Will I get it? Does my hair look okay?

I've developed a few of these over the years. Nick Hornby always amuses me with his wit and insights and is probably one of my longest-lasting author crushes. My latest, though, is Geraldine Brooks. When she starts writing, this woman can do no wrong. Our flirtation started with People of the Book, which I read last fall when it was nominated for the Big Read. She lured me in further with A Year of Wonders, a surprisingly uplifting novel about the plague (yes, I did just put the words "uplifting" and "plague" in the same sentence). Of course, there's also the Pulitzer Prize-winning March, the story of the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. (I'm still waiting to get my hands on that one.)

I will say, though, I'm not jealous about my crushes. I like to spread the word. So, if you've not yet read any Geraldine Brooks, what are you waiting for?