GOOD READS
Beyond Best-Sellers: What B&ECPL Staff Recommend
The following are recently published titles which have been read and recommended by members of our staff. The initials or pen name of the contributing staff member are noted after each review.
February/March 2005
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin
Fiction
The setting is Toy City, filled with crime, car chases, seedy pubs, and sexual deviance, but populated by stuffed animals, dollies, and tin soldiers.
A serial killer is on the loose, picking off the city's rich celebrities one by one. Humpty Dumpty gets it first, who will be next? It's up to Jack,
An uncouth country boy, and his friend Eddie, a teddy bear, to solve the case. Very suspenseful and uproariously funny, this book gets better and
better as you read. The ending is well worth it.
Reviewed by JEM
Good Grief: A Novel by Lolly Winston
Fiction
Thirty-six-year-old Sophie has just lost her husband to cancer. In the process, she loses her job, her waistline, and seemingly her sanity.
After a move from the Silicon Valley to Ashland, Oregon, Sophie slowly learns to put one bunny slipper ahead of the other.
Reviewed by AP
Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items From Around the World compiled by Davy Rothbart
Non-Fiction
Found shows us examples of unfettered human expression in the form of cast-off messages and images from real people. On the surface, examining these lovingly collected scraps may seem like voyeurism. True stories lurk within each of them. A closer reading, however, will point to the absurdity and fragility of the human condition. This collection
from the archives of Found Magazine serves as a solid retrospective that is -- like humanity -- full of poetry, pestilence, and belly laughs.
Reviewed by Drooling Guru
Ida B: ... And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan
Fiction
Don't be scared off by the fact that this is found in the children's section. It is no more a children's book than is Pobby & Dingan ( a personal favorite) or Harry Potter. Told in the first person by Ida B, an ego-centric fourth grader who's familiar world crashes around her. Her humor, insight and coping skills make her a character worth getting to know. This is a quick and very enjoyable read.
Reviewed by SJC
The Book of Proper Names by Amelie Nothomb
Fiction
An odd, but haunting book. Think of a Grimm's fairy tale for adults. This book packs quite a bit into it's 122 pages, and ends with an analogy that is, too often, disturbingly true.
Reviewed by SJC
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