Ship of Fools, Richard Paul Russo
I really enjoyed RPR's Carlucci books, so we picked this up. It's his take on the space-opera genre (rather than futurist hard-boiled detective) and is a very enjoyable read. A little hard to get into for the first 30-40 pages, but definitely worth the effort. I'd pick up his next book without reservation.
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The Path of Minor Planets, Andrew Sean Greer
A thoroughly delightful book about scientists and their children. The 'catch' of the book is that you check in on these folks every six years, and perihelioon and aphelioon of a comet discovered by one of our central characters. The people are engaging, the conversation makes me recall my youth around scientists, but Andy's foremost strength lies in giving you the sensation of being *in* the scene. Highly recommended.
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Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk
Another book by the author of Fight Club. This book didn't work for me; it annoyed me -- and yet i kept reading. Go figure. Told very alinearly, the story centers around a twenty-something model who has just had her jaw shot off, and a drag queen who is trying to help her recreate herself. (That's the tame summary.)
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Shanghai Baby, Wei Hui
Cute. My husband gave this to me for a birthday present, and it was light bedtime reading. A bit like a cross between Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto. Certainly not worth buying in hardcover, but if you find it cheap and need an airplane book or light bedtime reading, it's enjoyable.
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Without Vodka, Aleksander Topolski
This is a just amazing book. It's the story of the Polish author's first three years in WWII - from age 16 to 19. He tries to tell the story as he would have journaled it at the time. A very good writer, Topolski makes you want to keep reading about many not-so-pleasant things. A nice counterpoint to dry history books or lists of battles. Highly recommended.
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Bachelor Brother's Bed and Breakfast, Bill Richardson
A charming book of stories about a B&B where folks go to read, run by twins on an island near Vancouver Island. We picked this up at Munro's on our honeymoon from the 'local writers' section. Sounds like a great place to visit. 8)
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Sky Coyote, Kage Baker
I hadn't been in love with Baker's first book in the series (thought it was a fine read, but nothing remarkable), but Forrest convinced me to try the second one. Sure enough, i thought this one was better, and the third is certainly on my list for a paperback or loan to read. As promised, Baker is doing something more than the light candy in the first book - she's taken seeds from there and seems to be developing a more interesting understory. We'll see how this goes.
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Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser
Well written, and full of disturbing information. I'm not generally one to eat chain-restuarant fast-food, but this book is really the clincher. If you have any respect for food or its producers, this book clearly shows that large chains are not the place for you. Well worth a read.
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