The Last King of Scotland
Giles Foden
I was sad to discover that The Last King Of Scotland is a piece of fiction. Read it anyway. The plot is so unbelievable as to be highly believable. Picking up speed as the madness of dictator Idi Amin spins out, young Dr. Nicholas Garrigan is drawn into war, sickness and a fantasy world created by a madman. Excellent, enthralling read.
Then We Came to the End
Joshua Ferris
Anyone who has worked in an office will feel a strong sense of understanding, if not deja vu, when reading Then We Came to the End. Written in a chatty, meandering stream-of-conciousness style the narrator shares stories of coworkers and their jobs as they are downsized one by one. Sometimes likable, sometimes interesting and all recognizable as “hey, that sounds like that guy I used to work with” the workers are all interesting in a low key way. An excellent read for those who aren’t currently being downsized or unemployed.
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey and Genius Squad
Trenton Lee Stewart and Catherine Jinks
Like all sequels to excellent books, these two YA titles are a teeny bit of a letdown – primarily because they aren’t the first book. Both take a few chapters to hit their stride, Genius Squad more so. However, I had no complaints by a third of the way through both. Satisfying reads for any age. Definitely read the first books before starting either of these.
The Gum Thief
Douglas Coupland
The Gum Thief lives up to Coupland’s usual excellent standard. While the formula may be quite familiar – outcast/losers from different backgrounds band together – Coupland once again manages to make the sad and mundane beautiful. Set in a Staples store, Coupland tells the story of the middle-aged, pathetically washed-up Roger, a fellow employee, chubby goth Bethany and her mother, with whom she lives. Like many of Coupland’s books, the characters are mired in dull and meaningless lives. Through their interaction and friendship with the other characters they manage to find a modicum of happiness, forward moment and hope in life. ...
Pontoon
Pontoon – Garrison Keiller
Told in his gentle, rolling monologue, Pontoon is all one can hope for in a Lake Woebegon story. Looney characters gently drift through, some angst on a small-scale Lutheran level, gentle teasing of Californians and many familiar names and faces. Interestingly, I think this is the first Keiller book where a Lake Woebegon resident leaves and this is found to be a positive thing. Sweet, funny and oddly out there.
There’s a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell
Laurie Notaro
In her first non-fiction novel, Laurie Notaro writes with her same funny, off-kilter and slightly neurotic voice she has recorded her life with in her fabulous autobiographical short stories. Although a bit slow to get off the ground, once she hits her stride the story takes off on its own strange little path. Notaro’s heroine Maye has just moved from Phoenix to a small town in Oregon and is desperate for just one friend like her – desperate to enter the town sewer pipe queen pageant. Notaro gives a very accurate description of a small college town, full of tree-huggers, left-over flower children ...