this book is awesome. it's thoroughly entertaining the whole way through and provides a fantastic look into the porn industry littered with much commentary on the contemporary art industry. i like smith's humour a lot and find him to be appropriately self-deprecating.
2. If I Die In A Combat Zone - Tim O'Brien
i've read all of o'brien's non-fiction and some fiction and i love it all. this is a really touching trip through o'brien's experiences in vietnam. i love war writing and war films and this is definitely up there. i'd have to say The Things We Carried is the best of o'brien's work, but this is a quick and tangible read.
3. Hardwired - Walter Jon Williams
picked this one up bc the cover was totally sweet and the summary made it sound all cyber[unk and post-apocalyptic. it's definitely cyberpunk i guess, but just pales wildly when compared to anything like neuromancer or snowcrash. i honestly wouldn't recommend it.
4. Freefall - Oran Canfield
now this one i do recommend, and heartily. written by my friend oran, it's a riveting journey through his life as a child juggler, musician, drug addict etc., and eventually becoming a really amazing human being. you feel so much compassion as you read and then just when thing seem really dark there are perfect interjections of dry, wry humour. love it.
5. The Ministry of Fear - Graham Greene
i love graham greene and have read quite a handfull of his books thus far. the quiet american is my all-time fav of his, but each one is pretty great in and of itself. this one doesn't disappoint, and yet it seems like greene just wasn't quite there yet the way he is in the quiet american or the end of the affair.
6. Persuasion - Jane Austen
didn't see that one coming, didya? i'm an austen fan, i mean, what girl isn't? this one was pretty good, but no P&P. the main character had this great love when she was younger, they couldn't be together because of social standing crap, then he reapperas years later and is an accomplished naval officer and now it's acceptable for them to be together. but is there still anything there? do any sparks remain? it's entertaining and worth the read for any austen fan, but like i said, it's no P&P.
7. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Seth Graham-Smith & Jane Austen
this book is awesome and completely hilarious. it still has the elizabeth-mr. darcy story at the heart of it, but along with that is a lot of zombie slaying and hilarious remarks about the deadly arts. i was thoroughly entertained. sense and sensibility and sea monsters is next.
8. Bodily Harm - Margaret Atwood
this is the kind of book i'd like to read on a lazy beach vacation or by the pool. funnily enough the main character is on a trip to an island in the caribbean, writing a travel piece for a magazine. but it's not a super tourist-friendly place and she gets involved in local politics and such and ends up in jail. nothing too deep or remarkable, but good pool-side reading. atwood has done better.
9. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
this is more the atwood i recognize. dystopian future, explorations into feminism and what it means to be female. good stuff. it's no blind assassin, but still worth a go.
10. Enduring Love - Ian McEwan
an interesting and fairly entertaining novel largely about stalking, obsession, psychology. some people witness an accident together and in trying to piece some things together one of the dudes becomes obsessed with the main character and starts stalking him. the main character goes a little crazy himself and becomes kind of obsessed with his stalker. this drives a wedge between him and his wife, who doesn't understand or really believe in the stalker. this was my first introduction to McEwan, aside from seeing the movie Atonement, and i'll definitely be back for more.
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