Book nook

I finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay a little over a week ago, and it was as great a story as I'd been promised. Very engrossing, and very ... well, how to put this? I was surprised by the direction the story took at various points. The story that ended up playing out wasn't the story I expected after reading the first thirty pages or so, nor the first hundred, etc. In addition, I was impressed by the fact that Chabon resisted the temptation to make Joe into a bigger-than-life, melancholy, tragic hero. It's a fun archetype, but I was pleased that he just stayed human. Highly recommended.

Not that Kavalier and Clay was tough reading, but once I was through with it I felt ready for a book that wouldn't utterly suck me in. I planned on reading the McSweeney's humor collection, but ended up reading Stephen King's newest book, The Cell, instead. It was okay. Very fluffy reading, not too long, an interesting premise (vaguely plausible, at least most of the way through), but ultimately I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. I've never been one of those people who think King isn't a "real" writer - he has written some wonderful books that I love deeply - but I honestly believe his best work is behind him. He just doesn't seem to care that much anymore. For my money, Hearts in Atlantis may be the best book he ever wrote, and it's all been downhill from there. I'd love for him to prove me wrong, mind you. (Side note - for anyone who has seen the movie Hearts in Atlantis but not read the book - I beg you to erase the movie from your mind immediately.)