what i'm reading

I'm reading a wonderful book that I feel I should share with everyone who is looking for a great fall read. Katharine Weber's "Triangle" is one of those books that you just want to press into everyone's hands. I loved her "The Little Women" for its clever play on "Little Women," but mostly I loved the way her writing feels like drinking great tea or an excellent wine. Something to do with the palate. Her writing is something you want to just savor. You don't want it to end. Her characters just feel so present. This book in particular seems to take her writing to a more urgent level. Grounding the book in the experience of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 creates this fabulous opportunity to meld history, unreliable narrators, and the way we choose to read our histories and those of the people we love. I won't say more because I don't want to hype this to the point where people come to me and say, "Why were you raving about this?" (ie: my love for Mary Gaitskill's "Veronica" is not shared by all, but don't listen to Gifford's opinion. Listen to me!), but I'll say this. My roommate finished it in a number of subway rides and someone stopped me in the elevator today to say how much she and her friend enjoyed the book.