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Dead Like Me (bring it back)

Now Reading: Jonathan Lethem. Started with Motherless Brooklyn, a novel that set me on my chin - highly recommended read! Lethem's lyrical language, sense of irony, and compelling characterizations highlight an intricate plot. Went on to As She Climbed Across The Table. Currently in the midst of the "very excellent" Girl In Landscape (and will not sleep until it's finished), a story laced with science fiction. Have a couple more Lethem on hold at the Wormtown Public Library.

Philip Dacey's 1999 poetry book titled "The Deathbed Playboy", a diverse collection both in form and content. This is the first I've read of Dacey, won't be the last. The man has a curious and gifted way.

Winston Groom's Better times than these - the book is a revelation on how gifted and disparate a writer is Groom. Better times than these is such a dichotomy from the Forrest Gump novels (which I also enjoyed), especially in pace, images, and characterization. Small details weave the story together. Highly recommended.

Current hot authors:

Kelly Armstrong's Otherworld Series - read the series through No Humans Involved (Kelly - when will the next one be ready?) - my fave is still Bitten.

F. Paul Wilson: love the Repairman Jack books and just finished The Adversary Series.

Jeff Long - The Descent, Deeper, and Year Zero are compelling, but I think The Reckoning is my favorite. The Wall sticks with me, too.

James Webb's books are outstanding. Highly recommend Fields Of Fire, Lost Soldiers, and A Country Such as This. Just finished The Emperor's General, historical fiction focused on MacArthur's post World War II years in Japan. Webb fleshes out MacArthur and surrounds him by real and fictional characters, notably the protagonist, a young officer on his staff, who provides both narrative and the substance of the story. This is a marvelous and compelling novel.

Frederick Downs Jr.'s trilogy taught me a lot about this world - The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War, Aftermath: A Soldier's Return from Vietnam, and No Longer Enemies, Not Yet Friends: An American Soldier Returns to Vietnam.