Random Reading List

Over the past few weeks, my library haul has been incredibly random. Working on the premise of judging a book by its cover, I've been borrowing books that are shiny, new, and colorful. Sometimes the book itself fulfills the promise of the lovely outer covering. Sometimes, well, it just doesn't. Here's the shortlist of books that followed through.

• Me, Myself, and Them, by Dan Mooney: This is a very honest and raw (fictional) story of a man in the throes of mental illness. I don't generally like to read books like this, as they're either very inaccurate, or very painful, but Mooney uses an unusual device to show his character's issues, and I thought it was very well done.
• Murder at the Grand Raj Palace, by Vaseem Khan: A wonderful mystery (part of a series! Hurray!) set in modern-day India. The detective has an adorable sidekick, which could have gone wrong, but doesn't, and the characters are colorful and memorable. 
• Lock In and Head On, By John Scalzi: I don't know how I missed this author for so long. These two mystery novels (best to read them in order) are Sci-Fi, but not too Sci-Fi -- he pegs them as novels of "the near future." It's like reading noir mystery, but with computers and robots. I went looking for more, and found Redshirts, which is absolutely hilarious, and reminiscent of Douglas Adams. If you like Sci-Fi in any form, these are a must-read.
• The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go, by Amy Reichert: Sad and sweet. This is a fairly light read, but with likable characters and a satisfying ending.
• Campaign Widows, by Aimee Agresti: This book makes the above light read seem profound and scholarly (!) but it's very entertaining, and the good people win and the bad guys lose. It's always satisfying to read a book like that!

Happy reading!