Ocean City Free Public Library Book Blog

There's a reason why this book has been on the top of the New York Times bestsellers list for several weeks now - it's fabulous. The novel offers a unique"take" on Hamlet set in rural Wisconsin and centers on Edgar Sawtelle and his family of dog-breeders. Edgar is mute, but this disability doesn't stop him from helping to train the famous "Sawtelle" dogs - dogs that can make their own cognitive decisions. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, his life is turned upside down as his uncle Claude tries to worm his way into the family. Despite the potential for being an obnoxious and/or arrogant rip off of Shakespeare, the story is compelling and absolutely heartbreaking.

When I was in library school, a friend of mine introduced me to the wonderful world of Laurie Notaro. I cannot even begin to tell you how hysterical she is - picture an older, fatter and not as sexed up Chelsea Handler. Notaro is big on doing slice-of-life essays that involve her husband, pets, friends and family and is never afraid to admit her flaws. On the contrary, it's almost as if she knows that her chin hair and belly fat are her money makers. This time around, Notaro fights with sick people on airplanes, training her new puppy and adjusting to the hippie lifestyle in Oregon. I rarely laugh out loud when I read, but there were many times when I chuckled with this one. That ought to tell you something.

Fans of the TV shows, The State , Stella , and Ed (not to mention all 293849 versions of VH1's "I love the..." series) will probably be very happy upon reading Black's debut work, which contains close to 50 mini essays on a variety of topics. Such essays range from the absurd, like his fascination with scented candle shops and partying to , to quite candid, like his admitted jealousy of David Sedaris. Overall, these essays are actually really funny, mainly because Black never really takes himself seriously. If you've ever seen him doing commentary on any of the VH1 shows , this whole book has that exact same kind of irreverent tone to it.

What a sad little novel this was. Set in current day England, the novel is split into 4 different perspectives - best friends Dara and Abigail, Abigail's boyfriend Sean, and Dara's father Cameron. The narrative deftly weaves together all four characters, though each individual has to deal with their respective personal triumphs and tragedies (e.g. Sean's struggle to abandon his years-long dissertation on Keats, Abigail's infidelity, etc). The prose is tight, but incredibly moving and emotional.

As a major fan of the film, I decided to give the novel a whirl. Goldman's book is designed to appear as an abridged version of a much larger satiric work by S. Morgenstern, a Florinese (fictitious) writer. I'm not going to lie - I actually believed all of this at first, so color me naive. The story is about murder, magic, torture, friendship, fencing, monsters and above all else, true love. Through various twists and turns, Princess Buttercup is about to marry the evil Prince Humperdinck, though her heart belongs to Westley. Add a bunch of wacky and wonderful characters to the mix and you have a fabulous story for the ages. Goldman also was in charge of writing the screenplay to the film, so the bulk of the book made the leap onto the big screen, including choice bits of dialogue, which is awesome. "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

The story of a man growing younger rather than older, Greer's novel is both heartbreaking and kind of boring. The novel centers on Max as he struggles to accept his strange aging situation when, all the while, he longs for the love and desire of Alice. As he ages, Max has 3 chances to be in Alice's life, though each opportunity is brief and rife with roadblocks. It was an ok read...or maybe I'm just having an off week. Plus, I'm pretty sure there's some movie with Brad Pitt coming out that's basically a rip off of the book.

At the risk of sounding vapid, whoa, this book is a total downer... Winner of, like, a zillion awards (including the Pulitzer!), The Road is a post-apocalyptic tale about a man and his son as they wander around the United States trying to survive from cannibals and the elements fueled by canned goods and their fierce love for each other. The themes of love, God, morality and mortality all tie in together into one seamless piece. McCarthy's work is dark and his imagery is brutal at times (lots of dead bodies everywhere), but it's still an oddly beautiful book. Depressing as all hell, but a powerfully moving read.