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[Michelle]

Have you read any good books recently? Here's a roundup of my favorites that I read in 2008:

General fiction

The Gone-Away World



In the near future, much of the world has been rendered unhabitable, thanks to the effects of a great war and some unusual weaponry. Human society limps along in a narrow Livable Zone. Then the pipeline keeping that area stable catches on fire. Uh oh. A dark, comic, conspiracy-laden, epic debut that unfolds slowly in unexpected directions. Plenty of plot twists kept me involved in the story. Pirates? ninjas?? mimes??? It's a love-it-or-hate-it book, and I'm firmly in the love-it camp.

The Art of Racing in the Rain



Enzo, a lab-terrier mix and the narrator of this novel, is the companion of Denny, a struggling mechanic/racer. Enzo is a wise and philosophical dog who hopes to be reincarnated as a human (he saw a documentary on tv that suggested this was possible). In the meanwhile, he is a steadfast friend to Denny and Denny's family, and is witness to some of the darkest times in Denny's life. It's hard to describe this book without making it sound like a melodramatic mess, but it's an emotional, compelling look at the human--and canine--condition.

(Edit: forgot the following)

Last Night at the Lobster



Manny is the conscientious manager of a Connecticut Red Lobster. He's committed to his job and should be the envy of any corporate restaurant chain. Despite his efforts, however, he's been informed that his location is performing below expectations and will be closed. He wants to have a great last day and lock the restaurant up with some sense of dignity and accomplishment. But fate intervenes in the form of a northeastern blizzard, keeping much of his crew from coming in and making customers few and far between. This novella deals with the mundane, but provides rich characters, good dialogue, and a pitch-perfect feeling of everyday life.

[Southsider2k12]

This is what I am reading now. Its a bio of John Lennon, and so far I am stunned.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=j...itle#ps-sellers

I am in the very early years of the Beatles (they haven't even hit the States yet) and I never knew how awful Lennon was. He was a sexist/racist/homophobe/etc. He was a brawler, and he was a serial adulterer. I don't know if he changes in the later stages of his life, but I had never heard about this side of the guy. I am totally hooked on this book.

[Michelle]

This is what I am reading now. Its a bio of John Lennon, and so far I am stunned.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=j...itle#ps-sellers

I am in the very early years of the Beatles (they haven't even hit the States yet) and I never knew how awful Lennon was. He was a sexist/racist/homophobe/etc. He was a brawler, and he was a serial adulterer. I don't know if he changes in the later stages of his life, but I had never heard about this side of the guy. I am totally hooked on this book.

Hmm, that sounds really interesting. I'll have to take a look at it. I know the music of the Beatles pretty well, but I don't know much about any of their personal lives.

[Michelle]

It's been a good week in books. Here are two more that I really enjoyed

Confessions of a Teen Sleuth: A Parody
by Chelsea Cain



This is the memoir of the real Nancy Drew, girl detective. Nancy tells us that her life story was stolen by the author Carolyn Keene, and she is publishing this memoir to set the record straight. She tells the real story about her relationships with Ned Nickerson and Frank Hardy, her friendships with Bess and George, and the path of her life into adulthood and old age. Chelsea Cain perfectly mimics the style and formula of the old Nancy Drew books in this fond yet brutally funny send-up of the famous sleuth. Get to know the real Nancy Drew as she solves mysteries from the Prohibition era, World War II, the Summer of Love, and into the '90s. Bonus appearances by the Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames, the Bobbsey Twins, Kim Aldrich, Donna Parker, Encyclopedia Brown, and more! I was a big Nancy Drew fan when I was younger, and I laughed out loud at this revealing look into her world. An adult take on a childhood icon.

The Walls of the Universe
by Paul Melko



John Rayburn, a farm boy from Ohio, is having a bad day when things take a turn for the weird--his doppelganger shows up in his parents' pumpkin patch. As his doppelganger explains, he is also John Rayburn (but you can call him John Prime, for simplicity's sake), and he's from another corner of the Multiverse. He has a device that allows him to travel through the walls of the universe and visit the other versions of his world. John R takes him up on his offer to try out the device, but it turns out it doesn't quite work as described. Now John R is traveling across the Multiverse to try to find a way back to his world. Meanwhile, John Prime usurps John R's life and tries to get rich by "inventing" the Rubik's Cube--which doesn't exist in John R's version of the world. An entertaining page-turner for people who like soft sci-fi themes. It fizzles out a little in the end, but leaves room for a sequel.