My Uncle Oswald by Roald Dahl

I'd always been into Roald Dahl, as a kid and even a younger adult with an interest in literature. Dahl just knew what would work to draw us into his stories, always sneaking in some big picture stuff. Continually, I put down his books with a renewed dose of enlightenment and inspiration.

This book isn't like that. It's for adults, with an adult flavor of magic, packed with raunch, rape, and all manner of adult-only stuff as told by Uncle Oswald. The most foul breed of genius that would be admirable if you were less disgusted with him. This look into Dahl's other nature was a pretty big turn-off for me, no big loss for this thirty sex year old.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Apparently this book was very hype at one point. I didn't know, but I saw it on a list of scary books for the scary season, and I very much enjoyed it. Another juicy one, our narrator is a little boy who spends the first five years of his life in a cork-lined shed with his mom. They're held prisoner by a rapist.

Eventually our hero has to learn the difference between TV and a real world he's never before encountered. Even if you've seen the movie and thought it was cheesey, I wouldn't shy away from Room. It's a fun trip.

Choke by Chuck Palaniuk

This book is a story of a sex addict, told by himself. He's had a messed up life and he's a messed up guy. And when us readers are more than ready to find out how it ends, our minds are blown. But I felt less than blown away.

Miles from Nowhere by Nami Mun

Miles from Nowhere tells the story of a teenage immigrant runaway in the Bronx, in the 1980s. Who wouldn't want to read it? Who doesn't try to imagine a young life of independence at the cost of all safety? I definitely fantasized about it, with how boring and regimented my adolescent years were. This story does get pretty dark, as our hero Joon has to overcome some terrible stuff. The world can be pretty dangerous.

Hearburn by Nora Ephron

I really liked the movie Heartburn, starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. So the book intrigued me, noting Ephron's other credentials, like the script for Sleepless in Seattle.

The vibe of the book is entirely different. Instead you get Ephron's chatty narrative with many recipes thrown in. The type of intimacy is much different in the book, as you get to know a lot more about the narrator's opinions and general take, instead of just taking in the visuals of her story.

So I would highly recommend this one, along with the film. If you're not having fun with reading, Heartburn will cure that and really suck you in.

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle by Michael Moorcock

Since Zelazny was getting stale I decided to return to one of my favorite writers of exciting fantasy and swords and sorcery, Michael Moorcock, famous for his Elric of Melnibone. Picking up this book, I didn't know exactly what it was about. I know Moorcock was in the band Hawkwind, and probably had something to say about the synergy of high fantasy and rock music. And maybe he did.

But this book is about the Sex Pistols, somehow related to their rockmuentary titled The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, which I've never seen. Not a lot in this book made sense to me. I didn't know who most of the characters are. But there's a definite fantasy element. All the great anarchistic thinkers of the past hang out in the afterlife, at the Hendrix cafe. There's some commentary on the new Anarchy rock, which by accident, almost makes anarchy really happen.

Moorcock gives us a little speculation on how the Sex Pistols came to be, and the motivations behind their advent. Managers needed a band of non-musicians who had no control over their act and their art. The business needed a new group. They didn't have to be good, just new. And the would-be rockers needed beer money. And it's the need of beer money that drives this wacky story in a world of 70's punk rock where anything can happen. But should you read it? Sure. It'd be nice to get a second take, because half the time I couldn't tell what was going on.