**Welcome to Weekly Reads! Each Monday I’ll share reviews for my most recent reads. For more reviews, please visit my page, The Reads: From A to Z.**

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m so excited for this year’s holiday, especially since it’ll be my first year hosting! Our shopping is done, the table is planned, all that’s left is a little food prep and a whole lot of baking (you can never have too many desert options).

Usually in times of stress, or in this case, worried excitement, I tend to read less, but obviously that wasn’t the case this week! I only finished two books, but considering how much time I’ve devoted to Pinterest lately, it’s incredibly impressive.

Being There by Jerzy Kosinski

Hidden from the world, Chance has lived his entire life in a little down-stairs apartment, tending to the garden, watching TV, and occasionally visiting with the old man who serves as his benefactor. But, when the old man passes unexpectedly, with no mention of Chance in his will, he takes the opportunity to explore the world he’s learned so much about on screen. No sooner does he leave the house, he’s hit by a limousine owned by Benjamin Rand, a wealthy businessman with political connections, and so, the simple gardener is mistaken for Chauncey Gardner. As he recuperates from his minor injuries in the Rand household, Chance falls into a political wormhole as he’s mistaken as another business tycoon.

“In a garden, things grow… but first, they must wither; trees have to lose their leaves in order to put forth new leaves, and to grow thicker and stronger and taller. Some trees die, but fresh saplings replace them. Gardens need a lot of care. But if you love your garden, you don’t mind working in it, and waiting. Then in the proper season you will surely see it flourish.”

Originally published in the 70s, Being There is a modern classic. An insightful satire on the modern age, Chance aka Chauncey Gardner shocks the world with his straight-forward manner and literal speech, unknowingly duping the wealthy businessmen he meets as they insinuate his meaning and essentially dupe themselves into believing his fabled repute. I especially love the dinner party scene in which a Russian politician mistakes Chance’s lack of discourse as a sign of fellowship. Even when they eventually pursue background information on Chance, and of course, come up empty, they continue to push him up the political ladder, applauding him as a “blank slate”, or in other words, a winning candidate with interests close to their own. Being There is a must read, and for audiobook lovers, you’ll no doubt enjoy the audio version narrated by Dustin Hoffman.

Rating: 4 Stars      Goodreads

The Boy is Back by Meg Cabot

Life couldn’t be better for Becky Flowers, she owns a successful business and she’s pretty sure her boyfriend is about to propose, but when her ex returns home to take care of his parents, she’ll be wondering just how great life could be with him in it.

In The Boy is Back, Meg Cabot returns to her beloved romantic comedy series. Told through the usual series of emails, IMs, and text messages, romance unfolds between Becky and her high school boyfriend, Reed. Instead of the drawn out battle of who-gives-in-first, their attraction is immediately rekindled in the best way possible: text quoting Jane Austen. Becky, joining league with the rest of Cabot’s heroines, reads like one my best friends, turning to me, the reader, for advice and an occasional rant. How could you not love her! As always, there’s always a seasoned couple in the mix, working their match-maker magic while unleashing their own cuteness. The book also just happens to be set in Bloomville, Indiana, a clear disguise for my beloved college town (and Meg Cabot’s!) Bloomington, Indiana. Nostalgia overload!

Rating: 4 Stars      Goodreads

What have you read lately?