A Short List of Excellent Books

Chuck Klosterman is highly underrated. I mean, yes, everyone loves Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs because it is wonderful, of course. But his novel Downtown Owl was fascinating. Better than Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs in my opinion. It has several different points of view, which I always like in a book.  The first character you're introduced to is a young teacher who has just moved to Owl, North Dakota. There is also the point of view of a teenage boy on the high school football team and an old man who has lived in Owl for many, many years. Their stories entwine. 

The best part about this book is that Chuck Klosterman begins with the end, which is THE BEST WAY to start any book. I give this one five stars. 

Of course this book is overshadowed by the overwhelming amount of people who saw the movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, but the book is just better. I suppose by the same logic the blog must be better than the book, but I have never read her blog. 

The movie also didn't show how much Julie swore, drank and fought with her husband. I think all those things were very important to the story because the whole story is about her journey through the year with food. Stories about a journey generally should have a lot of obstacles. The book did, the movie just glamorized one fight. 

Read the book - it's worth it.

If you're not in the mood for a novel, try Kurt Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House. Since it's a compilation of his short stories, it's easier to digest than a full novel. That won't mean you won't read it in one sitting, though. His short stories are incredible. Every time I finished one, I couldn't help but move right on to the next one. This is one I'm going to read again. And soon!