Read Across America Day: Not Just for Kids

While Read Across America Day (March 2) celebrates Dr. Seuss by encouraging children to read, grown-ups are also in need of motivation to pick up a book.  According to a 2010 Rasmussen Reports national survey, only 58 percent of American adults said they had recently read a book for pleasure, down from 69 percent in 2006.  The easiest way to get back into the reading habit?  Visiting your local library, where knowledgeable librarians can point you to gems such as these:

• “The Green Angel” by Alice Hoffman

Green has lost everything. An epic fire has taken her parents and covered her beloved garden with ashes. This beautifully-written, fairytale-like story follows Green as she grieves for her family and begins healing.

• “Starship Troopers” by Robert A. Heinlein

Originally written over half a century ago, yet taking place in the future, this book has killer alien insects, mobile exoskeleton combat suits, political theory, and social commentary all wrapped in one. What's not to like?

• “Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain” by Portia De Rossi

This moving story of the pain of anorexia and bulimia is told with such brutal honesty and clarity of feeling that the author seems to be reliving the fear and uncertainty that her disease caused as she tells her tale. Portia de Rossi, who we know from the television shows “Arrested Development” and “Better off Ted,” displays great bravery to tell her story so openly.

• “Palace of Illusions: A Novel” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Based upon the famous Indian epic, The Mahabharata, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel is written from the viewpoint of the leading female protagonist, Draupadi/Panchali. Divakaruni did not change the original, story but offered a fascinating new twist with fabulous results.

• “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein

Written from the viewpoint of a dog named Enzo, this unique concept is amusing and entertaining, while maintaining a heartwarming core.  Any reader, not just dog lovers, will find themselves unable to put it down.