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Michelle
post Jan 10 2009, 11:12 AM
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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

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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

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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

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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.
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Michelle
post Apr 7 2011, 05:06 PM
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I haven't suggested any books for a long time, but I was really impressed with A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. It's made up of connected short stories about Bennie Salazar, who is a music executive, his secretary Sasha, and the people they meet throughout their lives. Each chapter looks at a different person in a different time and place, "in a wild relay race that will end with the same characters with which it begins while dispensing with them for years at a time." (New York Times Book Review)

Egan expertly handles the changes in setting, voice, and perspective. There's even a chapter down in PowerPoint, which some people found too gimmicky, but I was impres by how well she used the charting functionality of PowerPoint to tell a story.

It's a hard book to describe, but Egan's virtuoso handling of a dozen voices over decades, her subtle touch illustrating her themes, and her darkly comic vibe make this one of the best books I've read in the past year.

And it just won the Morning News Tournament of Books, a March Madness style book "award" that I follow every year.



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Michelle   Favorite books   Jan 10 2009, 11:12 AM
Michelle   General Nonfiction Traffic: Why We Drive the Way ...   Jan 10 2009, 11:57 AM
Michelle   Genre Fiction Crime Grand Theft (2004) http://i...   Jan 10 2009, 12:52 PM
Michelle   Genre Fiction continued Women's Fiction/Chick...   Jan 10 2009, 01:30 PM
Ang   Thanks Michelle!! I love to read and am a...   Jan 11 2009, 12:17 PM
Michelle   I am a Dean Koontz fan. I like Dean Koontz a lo...   Jan 11 2009, 05:03 PM
Homey   I love to read...maybe too much. I am in the midd...   Jan 11 2009, 02:58 PM
Michelle   I love to read...maybe too much. I am in the mid...   Jan 11 2009, 05:07 PM
Homey   I wasn't going to read the Twilight series at ...   Jan 11 2009, 09:00 PM
Michelle   Eh, I'll read teen books from time to time. Pl...   Jan 11 2009, 10:14 PM
Roger Kaputnik   Nearly finished with In the Time of the Butterflie...   Jan 12 2009, 03:39 PM
Michelle   Nearly finished with In the Time of the Butterfli...   Jan 12 2009, 06:33 PM
southsider2k9   This is the book I am reading right now. http://...   Jan 12 2009, 09:45 PM
Roger Kaputnik   Yes, madoff sure believed in the little man all ri...   Jan 13 2009, 08:08 AM
Michelle   A couple new and great books I've read recentl...   Apr 1 2009, 10:04 PM
Ang   I am currently reading my first John Grisham novel...   Apr 1 2009, 11:57 PM
IndyTransplant   I am currently reading my first John Grisham nove...   Apr 2 2009, 05:59 AM
southsider2k9   His first five novels (and most of the rest) are ...   Apr 2 2009, 06:51 AM
Michelle   A Time to Kill I literally read in a day. That b...   Apr 2 2009, 08:48 AM
Homey   I am currently reading my first John Grisham nove...   Apr 2 2009, 06:45 AM
Ang   I did enjoy A Few Good Men, but only cause of Jack...   Apr 2 2009, 09:11 AM
southsider2k9   This is what I am reading now. Its a bio of John ...   Apr 2 2009, 12:51 PM
Michelle   This is what I am reading now. Its a bio of John...   Apr 9 2009, 09:22 AM
Michelle   It's been a good week in books. Here are two m...   Apr 9 2009, 09:55 AM
Yokas   This is my second time responding to this thread. ...   Apr 11 2009, 01:11 PM
Michelle   The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. This...   Apr 14 2009, 09:16 AM
Yokas   I'm excited to read both of those, but they...   Apr 14 2009, 10:36 AM
Michelle   The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. This...   Jun 18 2009, 10:06 PM
lbl   Anyone need a laugh? Read Lamb: the Gospel Accord...   Apr 14 2009, 01:56 PM
Michelle   I've been posting a ton in this thread recentl...   Apr 16 2009, 10:50 PM
Ang   Hey SSder!! Thanks for the recommendation...   Jun 21 2009, 09:43 PM
southsider2k9   The movie is awesome. You go through points where...   Jun 23 2009, 07:13 AM
Yokas   Recently I finished reading The Reader Very dark....   Jun 23 2009, 10:11 AM
mcstumper   You want dark? I just finished Cormac McCarthy...   Jun 24 2009, 06:16 PM
Yokas   You want dark? I just finished Cormac McCarthy...   Jun 24 2009, 09:30 PM
Michelle   You want dark? I just finished Cormac McCarthy...   Jun 25 2009, 12:29 PM
Michelle   Speaking of post-apocalypse, I just finished readi...   Jul 21 2009, 07:25 AM
Ang   I've started the Women's Murder Club serie...   Jul 24 2009, 11:35 AM
IndyTransplant   I've started the Women's Murder Club seri...   Jul 24 2009, 11:50 AM
Michelle   I read at least the first Women's Murder Club ...   Jul 24 2009, 06:26 PM
southsider2k9   Decoding the Pyramids John DeSalvo I love a good...   Jul 24 2009, 02:16 PM
Ang   Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark. Excelle...   Sep 9 2009, 08:48 PM
lbl   Nudge by Thaler and Sunstein. READ IT! http:...   Sep 28 2009, 07:05 PM
adam78sc   I am reading a good book for us Libertarians altho...   Oct 8 2009, 09:30 PM
mcstumper   I am reading a good book for us Libertarians alth...   Oct 12 2009, 07:46 PM
southsider2k9   When Beck made the leap from CNN to Fox, it wasn...   Oct 8 2009, 09:38 PM
southsider2k9   I wasn't much of a civil war person until I ac...   Jan 5 2010, 09:33 AM
southsiderMMX   I found this on facebook, and thought it might be ...   Nov 18 2010, 10:52 AM
IndyTransplant   I am doing this on my Facebook page. I did notice ...   Nov 18 2010, 11:02 AM
southsiderMMX   I have no idea. I am seeing if I can find out...   Nov 18 2010, 11:05 AM
IndyTransplant   I have no idea. I am seeing if I can find out...   Nov 18 2010, 11:19 AM
Michelle   I can't actually find this list on the BBC sit...   Nov 18 2010, 11:33 AM
TSNSPYDER   1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (can't rem...   Dec 19 2010, 02:49 PM
kharris   1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord o...   Dec 19 2010, 04:46 PM
southsiderMMX   This was a a great book if you are into conspiracy...   Dec 28 2010, 05:47 PM
ChickenCityRoller   Shop Class As Soul Craft by Matt Crawford "a...   Dec 28 2010, 11:55 PM
TSNSPYDER   Shop Class As Soul Craft by Matt Crawford ...   Dec 29 2010, 06:30 PM
edgeywood   "A Sand County Almanac", Aldo Leopold A...   Jan 3 2011, 08:55 PM
Michelle   "A Sand County Almanac", Aldo Leopold ...   Apr 7 2011, 04:44 PM
MichiganCityDDS   Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking   Dec 29 2010, 03:54 AM
southyards   The Emperor Of All Maladies: A Biography Of Cance...   Dec 29 2010, 03:03 PM
Ang   Dr. Suess - One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fis...   Dec 29 2010, 03:31 PM
Michelle   I haven't suggested any books for a long time,...   Apr 7 2011, 05:06 PM
Michelle   Michigan City Library is offering a new service ca...   Apr 7 2011, 05:17 PM
taxthedeer   I recommend two children's books by Donald Dri...   Jun 1 2011, 11:19 AM
Southsider2k12   Just finished a couple of good ones... First was ...   Dec 31 2012, 07:43 PM
Ang   Ok, I read Nick Dettman's book A Life Worth Dr...   Jan 10 2013, 04:53 PM
sprtsnck   Ok, I read Nick Dettman's book A Life Worth D...   Jan 28 2013, 01:14 AM
ChickenCityRoller   I finished Keith Richards "auto"biograph...   Jan 24 2013, 09:29 PM
Tim   I finished Keith Richards "auto"biograp...   Jan 25 2013, 07:21 AM
taxthedeer   I would like to recommend: The Power of Negative ...   Mar 18 2013, 04:01 AM
Southsider2k12   Anyone else watching Vikings on History? I am actu...   Mar 25 2013, 01:50 PM
mcstumper   Anyone else watching Vikings on History? I am act...   Mar 25 2013, 02:42 PM
Southsider2k12   Yes, I think my wife and I might be hooked on it....   Mar 25 2013, 04:11 PM
Southsider2k12   If you are a fan of the Eagles, History of the Eag...   Mar 27 2013, 07:02 AM
Southsider2k12   I read this one in two days. I love the traders p...   Mar 28 2013, 08:20 AM
Southsider2k12   Anyone else read Seal Team Geronimo yet? Very inte...   Jun 18 2013, 09:00 AM
taxthedeer   This looks like it might be a really good book: S...   Feb 27 2015, 04:34 PM


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