Brussels Sprout Books

While dining with the O. Coltons a few years ago, the talk turned, unsurprisingly, to books.  My sister-in-law Amy had recently read The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. Since I have not read the widely talked about novel, I asked Amy how she liked it. 

Amy grimaced a bit, and conceded that it was engaging, but she is not sure she would recommend it.

 Is The Goldfinch a brussels sprout book? 

Brussels sprouts, nutritious and recently chic, make you feel virtuous and hip, even though you would not serve them at home, and let us be honest, brussels sprouts only taste good when smothered with something else.

Brussels sprout books share the same qualities as their cabbagey namesakes, and frequently occupy places on the lists of 100 Books Every Educated Person Should Read.

I have read plenty of brussels sprout books and even enthusiastically recommended a few.

But recently, I instituted the fifty-page rule in which I abandon a book if I am not sufficiently overjoyed after fifty pages-despite the brilliant writing or the rapturous reviews. 

So will I read The Goldfinch? Maybe. I’ll see how the first fifty pages go.

What brussels sprout books have you read recently?