Good reads for chilly nights

Nights are getting a bit chilly here in Georgia. A good excuse to curl up with a book and a cup of coffee. (Like I need a good excuse, right?)

What I'm reading right now: The Moviegoer by Walker Percy. I stayed up late reading it last night and woke up this morning with his lovely, literary voice in my head. Not literary in the stuffy sense, okay? Literary is not a dirty word. The protagonist seems to be searching for God in some rather unlikely places while he deals with a cousin on the verge of a breakdown. It's set in New Orleans, decades ago. I think it's going to be one of those books that keeps me thinking about it for weeks after I've read the last page.

What I read before that: Scoop by Rene Gutteridge. It's a funny story about a girl who was both homeschooled and sheltered. (Keep in mind that those two words are not necessarily synonymous.) Now she's out in the mean-hearted real world, working behind the scenes at a TV news station. Being a veteran homeschooler myself, I really enjoyed the story, and I say kudos to Rene for poking gentle fun at lots of things that deserve to be poked. Including TV news.

Before that: Germ by Robert Liparulo. It's a fast-paced story about the possibilities of germ warfare that could target individuals by their DNA. I thought the character development was much better than I generally expect from a suspense read.

Before that: When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall. This story is about a young Amish woman whose forbidden relationship with a Mennonite man is threatened by a tragedy that sets her safe little world spinning out of orbit. I finished reading it shortly before the shooting at the Amish schoolhouse, and Cindy's skill in portraying these gentle people made the real-life tragedy feel a lot closer to home. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel to Cindy's story.

What I'll probably read next: The Best of Evil by Eric Wilson or The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin or Straight Up by Lisa Samson. I like variety.

Thanks to my good friend Suzan Robertson who recommended some of those books and lent me a few.