The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas

I am very lucky to be under the tutelage of Scarlett Thomas for my Master's degree in creative writing, and I thought it would be prudent to read some of her work, which is highly praised. This book feels like it requires a literary background to understand fully, so (even though I have a literary background) most of the philosophy went over my head. The main character is a youngish woman named Ariel who is a PhD student. Her supervisor disappears and she chances upon the mysterious book The End of Mr Y, which might be the key to everything. I felt generally the plot was hard to grasp until about a third of the way through, and from there is does get pretty exciting. Thomas presents the magical landscape of the mind in a way that is convoluted and perfectly imaginable. (Spoiler, the subplot about mice is the best part). I would say that I found Ariel hard to relate to, in her insistence on judging the morality of herself and others, as well as the cast of characters all talking to each other about philosophy, reality, and quantum physics a bit beyond my ability to believe. Overall it's a very smart book that asks  tough questions and leaves yous thinking.

Professional Recommendation: 7/10  Personal Recommendation: 6/10

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This is the third time I've read this book, and again I tore though the 400 pages in two days. Morgenstern captures the magic of the circus in opulent descriptions that take you into it's world. I've been paying close attention to the intersection of magic and reality in my current reading selections, and here she pretty much plunges you right in when you meet Celia in the opening pages. Is it believable? I like how, with the inclusion of the second person sections, there is the hint that you, the reader, could find the Night Circus. And the bit about Alexander choosing his students based on nothing more than an interest in books gives the Harry Potter-esque feeling that it could happen to anyone. The characters different reactions to the magic of the circus keeps the plot moving forward, though the ending seemed a little too nicely tied up. 

I love this book though, and I love the sensation of getting sucked into a story like this, with romance and action and magic and a touch of historical fiction. 

Personal Recommendation: 9/10