Slam

Somehow the existence of this book got passed me. I guess because it's actually classified as a Young Adult book rather than an adult book, at least by my library. It wasn't until I saw it on a new paperbacks table that I knew it existed. I've always like Nick Hornby. I like most books that make me laugh out loud, and Slam is no exception. But it is a youth novel. It deals with issues of pregnancy and future plans from a youth perspective, and I admit it, I didn't know why Tony Hawk is. But ironically, KCRW delivered a podcast to my iTunes of a Tony Hawk driven playlist one day after I finished this book. Eerie isn't it.

World Without End

Or should I say book without end. I read Follet's book Pillars of the Earth back in 1990 and really enjoyed it. And I didn't dislike this one either. It was a good character driven novel. But dadgum this book is long. Not only is it over 1000 pages, but those pages are big and crammed with small print. It annoys me to read 100 pages and feel like you haven't really accomplished anything. So despite engaging characters in an interesting setting the length of this book is the thing I'm left with. Good luck and godspeed.

Dexter

I spent the weekend finishing Season 2 of Dexter, the story of the serial killer of serial killers. I really enjoy this show. Season 1 in particular had a wonderful over-arching plot. The strength of the show is the acting. All the actors, leads and supporting roles do a fantastic job of making you want to watch what is basically a bunch of very unappealing people -- a soulless killer, a neurotic, foul-mouthed cop still trying to win her dead father's approval, a power-hungry media-hungry boss, a woman who can't choose a good man just to name a few.

Now this show is not for everyone. It airs on Showtime and therefore has nudity, profanity, and a lot of scenes of the aftermath of violence. But I really like Dexter, and I look forward to Season 3 ending and being put on DVD so I can watch it.

The Plot Against America

The notion of this book which drew me in was the alternate history of Charles Lindburgh running for the Presidency against FDR in 1940, winning and keeping us out of World War II by making deals with Hitler. But in reality this book is a young Jewish boy's memoir, but a fictional memoir shaped by a more overt anti-Semitism than that which actually existed in the early 1940s. So what I was hoping was going to be a historical thriller was more of a revisionist character study. A worthwhile read, especially in these incredibly divisive political times, but not really the book I was hoping for.

The Wishbones

The Wedding Singer set in the 90s instead of the 80s. Tom Perotta takes the reader to suburban New Jersey where a small-town boy who wishes he were the next Bruce Springsteen has to finally face the choice of whether to grow up or take the leap he should have taken 10 years earlier. Is there a genre like Chick Lit where the main character is male? If so, The Wishbones would be a defining member of that class. You want to root for Dave even when he's probably making a mistake. A fun character to follow through the defining summer of his life.

The Quality of Life Report

Meghan Daum's charming story of fleeing Manhattan for the real world of a midwest college town takes chick lit to a new level. Instead of focusing on what our heroine is wearing, eating, or not eating Daum focuses more on what it takes to adjust your expectations and your attitude when it comes to living where most of us live. Lots of LOL moments, but the most touching moments comes when Lucinda realizes the level of self-deception she'll sink to in order to survive. That depth is what sets this book apart from most "girl in the city/country" stories.

The Sister

Talk about an unreliable narrator! The Sister takes place in the Dorset countryside and alternates between the present day and remembrances of times past. Only problem, the sister doing the remembering is at best socially awkward and at worst an English Forrest Gump though her running is moths. So while the story moves on it's hard to say what did take place and whether or not it did indeed take place that way. The author does a good job of manipulating the reader's sympathies between family members as well. While overdoing the details of the lives of moths, all in all The Sister is a satisfying story of life in an eccentric English family complete with mysterious injuries and even deaths.