Winter's Bone was heartbreaking and beautiful. I loved it.
I also finished a graphic novel,
Habibi by Craig Thompson. It's a epic tale set in a timeless Middle East. The drawings are amazing, filled with Arabic calligraphy. Intertwined in the story of the two protagonists are tales from the Bible and Quran.
Blurb:
Spoiler:
Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, Habibi tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world (not unlike our own) fueled by fear, lust, and greed; and as they discover the extraordinary depth—and frailty—of their connection.
At once contemporary and timeless, Habibi gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.
I've started reading a time-travel story,
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. New author for me. I meant to read Miracle and Other Christmas Stories by Willis in December, but never found time for it. So I decided to try a novel instead, So far (just under halfway through), it's mostly been delightful fun, but I find the silliness of it a bit tedious at times though.