My Favorite M's.

Love Nuns on Islands and Biblical Fiction.
Japanese Culture and Young Boys in England, 300 pages all wrapped up in trade ... These are a few of my favorite M's.

Maine exlores Noah's Familial Dysfunction, H. Murakami has a Beatle's Compunction, Christopher Moore has a Talking Fruit Bat. These are a few of my favorite M's.

Mitchell's inspired by H. Murakami, Christopher's Jesus has a best friend named Biff(y),
David Maine took on Monsters as well. These are a few of a favorite M's.

Murakami,

Christopher Moore,

David's Mitchell and Maine.

I buy them in hardback as soon as they're out ... And then I must WAIT a-gain!

House of Leaves

A review in 16 words

M odular
A nalytical
R adical
K inetic

Z. eitgeist

D etailed
A dventurous
N ever dull
I ntelligent
E ngrossing
L abyrinthine
E laborate
W orthy
S ophisticated
K ick-ass
I nventive

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

A Dog's Eye View of Humanity
I might secretly be a dog person, or maybe subconsciously ... but if you were to ask me I would tell you I'm not a dog person. Oh, but how I loved Enzo.

On the eve of his death, Enzo (a dog) tells what amounts to his master's life story. Stein's attention to detail was amazing - the book read like it was written by somebody who took the time to stop and think "what would a dog feel/do in this situation?" As a result, Enzo is memorable and lovable. He's at once a crotchety old man, and an innocent youth. He's wise, he's naive, and he is devoted.

I'm not going to lie to you, this book is very sad. But it is also laugh out loud funny at times, and filled with love, devotion, philosophy and hopefulness.

It's a beautiful book and definitely one of my favorites of the year.

Wonderful Whimsical Winterson ...

I have a problem.

The problem is that on a pretty much daily basis (through the magic of the internet) I become exposed to books that I JUST HAVE TO READ. So I say ... OK ... Just this one book. That one book never ends up being less than four. (It's a good thing I'm not a drinker ...)

My problems are further compounded by the fact that often times once I've read said book(s), I have fallen in love with the author and then have to read everything they've ever written and my formidable 'to be read pile' never seems to get any smaller, and in fact, has gotten to quite a problematic size.

Which brings me to Jeanette Winterson.

My first Winterson was:



which ended up being one of the best books I read in 2007. The Passion takes place in the time of Napoleon but isn't really historical fiction. Winterson uses the the time and place as a backdrop for her unique characters and amazing writing.

An absolute must read.



was my next book of hers, and I was reminded of how brilliantly she can turn a phrase. There's a whimsical almost fairy tale aspect, with a bit of darkness, and humor. Brilliantly executed, as evidenced by this prime quote:

"....I discovered from my time in the brothel that men's members, if bitten off or otherwise severed, do not grow again. This seems a great mistake on the part of nature, since men are so careless with their members and will put them anywhere without thinking."

Winterson has about 10 more books for me to add to my Wish List, and it is my sincere hope that my problem becomes your problem. It's a good problem to have ... kind of a Pay it Forward thing.

Enjoy!