On another note, I need some fresh book suggestions, something along the lines of The Sisters Brothers or Peace Like a River, both of which, by the way, you should read IMMEDIATELY if you haven't read them yet. The Sisters Brothers is a fantastic western, a sort of Cormac McCarthy meets Zane Grey meets... Zorro? Anyway, it's great. And Peace Like a River has a western soul, but comes under... umm, a To Kill a Mockingbird guise, complete with a Scout-like little girl. So yeah, I guess I'm looking for a good western. And I don't mean Louis L'Amour. He's great for what he is, but a little substance would be good. Any ideas?
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Funny and light not heavy. Also anything by Jasper Fforde also light!
ReplyDeleteJasper Fforde... I like his last name.
DeleteHey Ellen, if you loved Peace Like a River (one of my all time favorites) his second book, So Brave, Young, and Handsome is also incredible. very different story with the same flavor of heartland america but with a "wild west" element even more prominent than before. while i did love his first book more (mainly because i fell for the asthmatic hero) this one has so many great characters to love and hate and love to hate :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I have read So Brave, Young and Handsome. Will you be terribly dissapointed if I tell you that I didn't think it was as good as Peace Like a River? It seemed to me that it was missing the spunk and energy that Lief Enger's first book had.
Delete"To love and hate and love to hate" - nice :)
Have you read, Straight Man, by Richard Russo? All about higher education and, because it is a truthful description, it is hilarious. Also, Tom Clancy. He's great! The good guys always win and the bad guys always get what's coming to them. The perfect formula.
ReplyDelete"The good ended happily and the bad ended unhappily. That is what fiction is!" (from The Importance of Being Earnest)
DeleteI haven't read Straight Man. Next time I go to Barnes and Noble, I will find it. I like laughing at higher education. It's really, really easy somehow. This set of books is great for that, too: http://www.amazon.com/Portuguese-Irregular-Verbs-Professor-Entertainment/dp/1400077087