Have not jumped in here for awhile. These are some books I recently finished, in various formats:
Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga, a book of loosely connected short stories, was just a bit too filled with unlikeable characters for me to really get behind it. (Review is
here. It might read better for those who like setting more than character, as the stories themselves are very well written and the settings are awesome. Set in a fictional town in India, a whole host of desperate characters try to get by in an often uncaring world. I think I would have liked it more if it were a bit shorter.
I thought The Incredible Double by Owen Hill, however, was not terribly well written. Don't mention writers who are better than you in your book! It's an attempt at modern noir that just didn't work for me. (Review is
here.) A book hunter turned PI must investigate for a corporate client with quite a few secrets. The trouble with this one is a plot that just doesn't seem to hold up as it moves along.
Lines of Contention is a book of political cartoons from the (American) Civil War. I really like how they looked for cartoons that usually don't make it into the history books. The art of political cartooning may be a bit cleaner today, but there are a lot of parallels. Highly recommended, even if you're not hugely into the Civil War. (Review is
here.)
Up right now is Stephen King's Thinner in my car (wow, that's a great book so far, about halfway through) and Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle. I'm not sure how I feel about the latter book just yet, but it's early. That was a recommendation from MR, but I forget who at the moment.
-Rob