Check It. 'The Possessed.'

Among the things I found under the Christmas tree this year, was this book "The Possessed" by Elif Batuman.

I'm always looking for new and interesting books, scouring the (online) pages of the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times for new reads outside my usual repertoire.

This was something that totally slipped under my radar, but was hailed by the L.A. Times' David L. Ulin as one of his favorite reads of 2010. From Ulin: "Part memoir of the academic life, part engaging inquiry into the pleasures of Russian literature, Batuman's debut is a bravura performance, a collection of essays about books and reading unlike any I've encountered before."

I'm definitely excited to start this! "The Possessed" can be found in paperback and can be found on Amazon.com for as low as $10.20.

-- Lauren Williams