Raul
Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
“I’m liking the main character in this, Carl, a lot. He’s a police detective involved in a shooting that killed one partner and paralyzed another. The Department doesn’t want to deal with him, so he gets put on cold cases. He winds up getting into the story of a woman who’s been missing for five years. Between Carl’s story, you get the story of this woman’s kidnapping. It’s really intriguing. I like Carl a lot because he’s irascible but dogged about getting his information. I like characters who don’t play well with others but still get the job done. It reminds me of me.”
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Danielle
Reamde by Neal Stephenson
“I like it. The pacing is pretty steady. It’s not as exciting as Cryptonomicon, but it’s good. He’s revisiting the cyber-culture he talked about in Diamond Age. It’s kind of brings together the action/adventure of Cryptonomicon with the cyber-culture of Diamond Age. A very fun read.”
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Julie
Pulphead by John Jeremiah Sullivan
“I got so excited about this book this week that I spontaneously blogged about it. So they can put that on the back of the next printing: Incites spontaneous blogging. Sullivan’s just got one of those voices that makes you ignore everything going on around you. His stories are engrossing, and told with heart. You can’t fake heart. My favorite so far has been the essay about the time he spent as a live-in assistant for an aging (indeed, near death) writer when he was a burgeoning scribbler himself. His ability to seamlessly stitch revelation of personal detail together with a larger theme (life/death, writing, relationships) is the hallmark of a talented nonfiction writer. Can’t wait to hear him read when he’s here in November. I love it when I start working on an event and then fall in love with the book.”
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Nolan
The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus
“So this weird sci-fi thing is happening where the language of children is killing their parents. And there’s also a weird twist of philosophy and religion in the whole thing. There are definitely some interesting points.I’m 100 pages in and I have no idea where this is going.”
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Clint
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
“I had my copy of this signed last week when Eugenides was here and decided to finally read it now, when I’m between book club books, because it’s short. I’ve discovered it’s really incredible. Haunting and darkly funny. I’ve seen the movie before. The book is even better.”
BookPeople 