bookshelf

House of Meetings by Martin Amis

242 pgs (c) 2007, Alfred A. Knopf
Borrowed from Broward Public Library. Read 09/15/07

The narrator recounts how he survived the brutalities of the Second World War and the slave labor camps of Russia. He is playful and creative with words in spite of the grim subject matter. The wordplay is a sleight-of-hand that both distracts and focuses the reader.

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

358 pgs (c) 2008 Uwem Akpan; Little Brown and Company
Broward County Library, Read 02/15/09

This is a terrifying collection of stories, if one is able to open the mind enough to read them. The author gives voice to characters trapped by violence, fear, and poverty, in situations beyond their control. Their choices are so few that any effort is difficult and often futile.

World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler

317 Pgs (c) 2008, James Howard Kunstler, Atlantic Monthly Press
Broward County Library. Read 02/07/09 Blog 02/09/09

Following a complete collapse of the government, a small town in upstate New York muddles along with antique tools and comes to terms with the new reality.

The Birthday Party by Stanley Alpert

306 pgs (c) 2007, G.P. Putnam
Broward County Library, Biography Albert, Read 9/10/08

Mild-mannered, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stanley Alpert gets mugged on his birthday and spends the night as a hostage, tied and blindfolded, while the disorganized kidnappers and their sidekicks try to figure out what, exactly, to do with him.