Shantaram

Upon first examination, "Shantaram" looks a bit daunting. It's over 900 pages and its about an escaped Australian convict who ends up in Bombay and spends the next several years hiding out there. I swear, you won't even feel these pages go by. This is a page turner...it's got everything - smuggling, gunrunning, Indian everyday life and culture, slums, the mafia, prison, etc. Everytime things would start to go okay for this novel's narrator, something horrible would happen to him and I found myself wondering if he'd make it out of situation okay even though he clearly did because the guy eventually served out his time and got a book deal. (This is a novel but is based on the real life experiences of the author, Gregory David Roberts.). So - awesome read everybody. Pick it up!

Jenn Simpson

In case you were wondering, this is what I'd look like if I was on the Simpsons.

Pretty cute, huh?

(You can all feel free to leave a comment on how cute I am in real life, too. You know you want to.)