Backlog Part One (of Three)

I'm a slug for not posting in October.
That said, I kept a list of what I read, so I have plenty of fodder.

First, two books by authors I like that didn't live up to their usual work (in my humble opinion):


The Overlook by Michael Connelly
At first, I started reading more mysteries because they're my mom's favorites, and I love being able to talk about them with her. Now I've really grown fond of a lot of mystery authors, and Michael Connelly is near the top of that list. His books featuring Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch are always suspenseful and well done. That said, this book was my least favorite of all of his I've read. It started as a serial in the New York Times, and this seemed apparent to me. The end seemed kind of uninspired and the book as a whole was not nearly as cohesive as his work usually is. I do recommend this book, just not highly, and I'd recommend any of his other books over this one.



(Not that You Asked): Rants, Exploits, and Obsessions by Steve Almond

I have been a fan of Steve Almond ever since I read his book Candyfreak, which is about his extreme love of candy. I went to see him do a reading from the book, and he brought candy for the whole audience, which really endeared him to me. I went on to read his two short story collections, My Life in Heavy Metal, and The Evil B.B.Chow. I particularly enjoyed Which Brings Me to You, a novel in two voices that he co-wrote with Juliana Baggott.
I think that essay collections are often dicey propositions. I always seem to find myself thinking, "Haven't I read this essay before?" only to find that half of the collection has been previously published elsewhere. Plus, inevitably some of the essays are not as good as the others.
As with the Connelly book, I would still recommend this latest offering from Almond. It has some hilarious essays-- he has a stinging wit with a particular talent for self deprecation. The essay about resigning from his teaching position at Boston College after finding out that Condi Rice was their commencement speaker was one of my favorites in the collection. The essays about baseball I found to be a bit snoozy, but that may be my personal bias.