After I did that Book Meme, my friend Kelly informed me that I was missing out BIG TIME by not reading The Satanic Verses. As it happens, I was looking for a novel to read and had a trip to the bookstore planned, so I figured why not?  This is as good a time as any, and Kelly has pretty excellent taste in literature.  So I picked up a copy.

I have to say, she was right, it’s good.  It’s holding my interest, which is sort of amazing, given that I’ve had a hard time reading novels lately.  It’s probably because I spend so much time online and my brain has been conditioned for short blasts of information instead of the sustained concentration that was once the norm for me.  Until about 5 years ago, I’d read 3-5 novels a week.  Now I read one every few months — more often, I read non-fiction or memoir these days because it’s more interesting to me.  Sometimes I feel like I’ve read every fiction plot possible at least 100 times and I just can’t stand to do it again.  I’ve been finding most novels excrutiatingly boring.  But The Satanic Verses?  It’s either a new, fresh plot, or an old one done really well.  I’ve been reading for an hour or more at a stretch.  I owe Kelly a big thanks, I think.  I wonder if Salman Rushdie’s other novels are as good.   Anybody know?