Today is the fourth Tuesday of the month, which means that 5 Minutes for Books is hosting their monthly What’s On Your Nightstand? carnival. Click the graphic if you want to see what others are reading or if you’d like to participate.

So, what am I reading these days? Well, in addition to the gobs of catalogs that I’m perusing, as I try to come up with some good stocking stuffer ideas for Christmas, I’m reading The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer. It’s a fast-paced action/mystery-type book involving the age-old story of Cain and Abel; the 1930′s story of Jerry Siegel, who created Superman; and a modern-day father and son who’ve been reunited after a decades-long separation brought about by a family tragedy.

Whew!

I can’t judge yet whether I’ll love this book or not. But I can tell you this: it is one of those books that I picked up and — suddenly, it seemed — I was on page 100. The premise pulled me in, the action was nonstop, and I had trouble closing the book to go to sleep. I just kept turning pages.

Which leads me to something I’ve been thinking about for a while.

[Note: if you just stopped by to see what I was reading, feel free to stop right here. I won't be offended in the least!]

Not too long ago, I read a blog post in which the writer claimed that “literary fiction” is objectively better than fast-paced “genre fiction.” He claimed that because sentences are more carefully crafted, because metaphors are used to great effect, because the prose practically sings with beauty, and because the writing forces a reader to slow down and think, literary fiction is by necessity better than fiction that does not have beautiful sentences, poetic imagery, and well-used literary devices.

Do you agree with that?

The book I’m reading now is pure genre — there’s action, there’s suspense, there’s mystery, but there’s no singing prose. However, that’s okay with me.

Sometimes, I just want to be entertained with suspense and thrills, and I honestly think that a striking metaphor or other literary device would just be a distraction. The writing needs to be simple and concrete (though still well-done) in order to keep the focus on the rollicking ride.

Other times, I want to read a book with a slower pace that resonates and stirs and makes me say, “Wow! That was a beautifully-crafted paragraph.”

I don’t know, I guess I just think there’s a place for pure, fun storytelling, and a place for striking metaphors and resonating words. And I think, in general, it’s more a matter of personal preference than “objective value.”

Thoughts, opinions?

I’m participating with the gang over at 5 Minutes for Books again today, where they’re asking the question, What’s on Your Nightstand? I’m not taking the question literally this time around, so you won’t get a picture of my nightstand. (Trust me, though, you don’t really want to see a picture of it today. Let’s just say that many of the surfaces around here could use some sprucing up.)

But I will tell you about three books that I’m either reading now or have recently finished.

First up, I’m reading through The Mysterious Benedict Society with C., my 9-year-old. We’re moving slowly — we often only have 10-15 minutes each evening to read together — but we’re reading it aloud together nonetheless. When I first suggested to C. that we read this book, he gave me a skeptical look and asked what it was about. I read him the back-cover blurb and told him that I had read a review of it at another blog and it sounded great. He wasn’t convinced. “Sounds boring.”

Well, when we stopped for the first night, because it was bedtime, he asked if we could please, please read a little more. Yep, he was hooked. And honestly, so was I. This book is well-written and pulls the reader in right from the start. We’re only about 100 pages in so far, but can’t wait to find out what happens to the gifted children who’ve been recruited for a very dangerous, but very important, mission. Check out Carrie’s blog for a thorough (though non-spoilery) review of The Mysterious Benedict Society. C. and I highly recommend it, and will most likely be reading the sequel next.

In my personal fiction reading, I’m about 3/4′s of the way through The Dead Whisper On. My opinion of this book? It’s weird. Dead people whispering to living people. But then you wonder, is it really a dead person whispering? And there’s some bizarre human-like creature called a golem that is made of clay and apparently cannot be destroyed. Like I said, weird. I’ll finish it — I’m intrigued enough to wonder how everything is going to turn out. But it’s still weird.

Before I wrap things up, I have to mention the last fiction book I read: The Host. The Host is about aliens taking over the world, and one alien / host body combination in particular.

(I know what you’re thinking now: Katrina only reads strange books about aliens and dead people. Not true. Usually, you can find me reading boring old mysteries about non-alien living people and non-whispering dead people.)

I picked up The Host after seeing it highly recommended by my friends Jennifer and Lisa. They were right on target; The Host was a fantastic book. Once I got past the halfway point, I almost couldn’t put it down. And once I finally finished it, I couldn’t start another fiction book for the next five days, because I wasn’t ready to move on. Whenever I do that, you know I loved the book. (Oh, and I cried quite a bit toward the end of the book, even though I recently told you I hardly ever cry over fiction anymore.)

The author’s website tags the book as “Science fiction for people who don’t like science fiction” and I think that’s very accurate. I don’t mind some science fiction now and then, but when you’re reading The Host, you’re not even thinking about genre — you just want to know what’s going to happen to the characters you’ve grown so attached to.

Suspenseful, engaging, action-packed, The Host was my favorite novel so far this year. I did a little digging and discovered a rumor that the author, Stephanie Meyer, is working on a sequel to it. You can bet I’ll be pre-ordering that one.

So that’s what I’m reading. What about you? Click over to 5 Minutes for Books to read about more nightstands, or link up your own post.

Shameless Plug: The Fall Into Reading 2008 challenge will be getting underway here at Callapidder Days beginning September 22nd. All you have to do to participate is set some reading goals for the fall and then work toward them along with the rest of us. Check back September 8th for all the details!

The gang over at 5 Minutes for Books is hosting a new monthly carnival called What’s on Your Nightstand?, an opportunity for us to chat about what we’re currently reading. Click the graphic to get more details, and then join in the fun!

So, what’s on my nightstand? Here you go:

My current fiction read is The Cure, by Athol Dickson. My friend, Jennifer, sent me this book, and it looked intriguing. To be honest, though, the beginning of this book? A little slow. Now keep in mind, I’m a girl who likes action, suspense, thrillers. So any time a book starts off with too much of an introspective slant, I am tempted to quit. But usually, I persevere. Because it feels wrong to not finish a fiction book…unless it’s really bad.

I persevered with The Cure, and I can honestly say, now that I only have about 1/4 of the book to go, the pace certainly picked up. Exciting things started happening, a hefty dose of mystery was introduced, and I found myself wondering how things would turn out for the characters. I would definitely read another book by Dickson and am thinking of making it Winter Haven, which Lisa reviewed here.

My current nonfiction read is Journaling as a Spiritual Practice. InterVarsity Press sent me this book out of the blue, and I jumped right in. I am not a faithful journaler, but this book is tempting me to start up again. The author’s focus is on how journaling can help us recognize God’s work in and around us, but she also talks quite a bit about faith in general and the Christian life. My favorite quote so far?

“Christian faith admits that the worst things, the things we are most afraid of, could indeed happen to us, but they are nothing to be afraid of. Our courage rises because we know…our lives — no matter what happens to us — belong to God. We know and believe God is with us in and through it all.” [p. 46]

Finally, my current Bible study is Premium Roast with Ruth. I’ve mentioned the Coffee Cup Bible Study series by Sandra Glahn before, and I really can’t say enough good things about them. They’re super-portable, doable, deep (but not overwhelming), and I learn so much from them.

True confession: I’ve also been picking up Writing Motherhood and Looking for God, and reading bits and pieces of them as well. I can’t help it — I’m always “reading” multiple nonfiction books…even if I never actually complete them. But since I’m not completely committed to these books right now, I didn’t include them in the official list or picture.

So what’s on your nightstand? Write a post and sign up at 5 Minutes for Books. Inquiring minds want to know!