I love to read and there’s never a day that I’m not in the midst of reading a book. Except today. But that’s because I was up until 6 a.m. finishing The Art Forger, by B.A. Shapiro. It’s rare that a book keeps me up all night, but this one did. It was excellent, in my opinion. Without giving anything away, I can tell you that it is about what the title says it’s about.

I can also tell you that it is fascinating, educational (but not in a dry way), mysterious, and character- and incident-driven. The protagonist is an artist with an intriguing past, artfully revealed little by little, and her evolving present is just as engrossing. I’ve read books where you are forced to go back and forth between the past and the present and different perspectives, and the flow becomes disappointingly disrupted. That doesn’t happen here. This author has a gift for segueing from one time or person to another.

Another book I read awhile ago was The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins. Today I saw the movie based on the book and it was spellbinding. There were moments in the story that were so tense that the audience collectively held its breath. I remember thinking, when I finished the book, that it was okay. It was better than the book it was compared to, Gone Girl (by Gillian Flynn), though, because while Gone Girl was remarkable for being so dark and unpredictable, the characters were sociopaths. The characters in The Girl on the Train—while far from ordinary—were relatable. And Emily Blunt was fabulous. Long story-short: See The Girl on the Train and read The Art Forger (if you haven’t already; both books were best sellers and people are turning out in droves for the movie). You will thank me. I accept gift cards.

I usually try to make my readers laugh, at least once, when I compose a post. I apologize for not even trying this time. I guess artsy-fartsy me isn’t especially funny. I’ll make sure to limit her appearances in this blog.