by Neil Gaiman
This is the book that nerds everywhere have been waiting for this year. I've only read a few of Gaiman's books (STARDUST, NEVERWHERE, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, and several of the SANDMAN comics) and enjoyed them immensely so I was interested to see how this one measured up, especially since it was getting A LOT of hype prior to its release. One thing you need to be warned about is that it is very short (only 181 pages) but on the flip-side this is a good thing because you aren't going to want to do anything else until you have finished it up; it's that good. It is a novel about childhood but not written for children. It is being called Gaiman's most personal, and many are saying his best, work to date. It is stunningly beautifully written and will move you to no ends. It is a fairy tale for grown-ups. It is a must read.
by Stephen King
The only Stephen King I've ever read was his short story, THE BODY, and that was because I am a huge fan of the film 'Stand By Me'. I had always avoided King's books because I knew their reputation of being scary and I just can't handle scary books. I was drawn to JOYLAND because of both the cover (pulpy goodness!) and the fact that King chose to publish this only in paperback (no hardcover or ebook!) so more people would go to bookstores (We love you Mr. King!). The story also sounded like a fun book for summer so I decided I would give it a go. I read it late into the night and finished it in one sitting. It's the perfect nostalgic coming-of-age story mixed a mystery and ghost story. It made me want to go to the PNE and eat hot dogs and ride the ferris wheel. It reminded me what it was like to be 21 and to be unsure of where your life was going to go in the coming years. It was an excellent summer read.
by Kate Atkinson
My first Kate Atkinson! I have several co-workers that love her Detective Brodie novels and have been telling me to read Atkinson for years. LIFE AFTER LIFE has been getting such hype (nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction, being called the book of the century by Gillian Flynn; the list goes on and on) that I felt I need to check it out. Plus it deals with reincarnations which sounded really fun. This was a beautifully written novel. I had a hard time following the story at first since it jumps around a lot but you do eventually get the hang of it. I enjoyed parts of this book more then others but was satisfied with the outcome by the time I finished. I would not call it my best book of this century (not even the best book of my year), however it was enjoyable and I'm glad to have read it.
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