When last I blogged I was reading short stories and that lead me to a couple of new authors with short novels. Universal Harvester written by John Darnielle besides having a catchy title has an interesting situation. Someone is taping over the movies at the video rental store and the inserted “show” is kind of creepy. An employee of the video rental store discovers the altered videos and is haunted by them. When the owner of the store also discovers them they team up to get to the bottom of what is happening, or do they? Quick somebody read this book and then explain what is really going on in Iowa. An even shorter book is Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin it is character driven and very well written it reads like a short story. It keeps you reading and wondering and thinking. Again, please read it and explain to me, because I’m still wondering. These stories haunt you as does Idaho written by Emily Ruskovich. If you are the kind of reader who enjoys the not knowing then put those three books on your must-read list.
2017 is half over Folks, and one of my favorites of this year is As Good as Gone by Larry Watson. It is 1963 in Eastern Montana and an old cowboy comes to town to look after his grandchildren. It is a coming of age story that shows how the different generations would handle the same problems, interesting.
My favorite book so far this year is Beartown written by Fredrik Backman. Beartown is a small dying town and the people who live there are hoping hockey will save it. The junior league is looking good this year and maybe they will get to the finals. If they win, next year the players will all move up to the A team and you can build a hockey club and a town with that. The book has humor, hope, and truth. If you have read Blind your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West, what basketball is to Blind your Ponies hockey is to Beartown. By the way everyone who has read Blind Your Ponies say they enjoy it so that should be on your must-read list to. Do you have plans for the summer? Make sure that reading a good book is one of them.