Book Recommendations For Fun And Interesting Reading

Have you recently finished a book and are looking to tackle something new? Tired of reading just for academics and longing for something fun and interesting to restore your faith in reading? Perhaps the most interesting thing you've read within the last year was a leather-bound drink list at an overpriced dance club. Well look no further! Here is a list of books (of varying backgrounds) I have read in the not so distant past that I whole heartedly recommend. Good light reads that can get you back into the game of reading for pleasure. Even more good news is that all of these books are available on Amazon.com for cheap since they are at least a few years old and are even less expensive to purchase as used copies.

This novel written by Christopher Buckley dramatizes generational conflict between Baby-Boomers and subsequent generations. Perhaps you have read Thank You For Smoking (or saw the movie based on it) which was also a Buckley novel and may lend some insight into the writing style and tone of this story. You also have the chance to get in on the ground floor now by reading this novel, as it has been optioned into a movie coming out later this year to be directed by Tom Vaughan. Leave me a "Thank you" comment if you're one of those people who loves to say "Oh the book was MUCH better..." once the film debuts.

Synopsis: A political satire that I personally feel does a decent job of equally zinging all sides involved. This story follows Cassandra Devine, an angry and politically charged blogger who has a real job in public relations. Her far fetched ideas on how to deal with an aging Baby-Boomer generation end up garnering support and it leads her on a wild ride as she teams up with famed PR man Terry Tucker and gets lumped in with stereotypical politician Randolph Jepperson as they ride a surprise wave of popularity from the younger voting public.

Maybe you're already a Steve Martin fan, or maybe you don't know much about him. Though I've enjoyed old audio recordings of his standup comedy, I had no idea what a comic pioneer he was until I read this autobiography. He's a deep man, often suffering greatly while dealing with enormous popularity as a groundbreaking stand-up comedian. All of that took place before his film career really took off, which if I had to hazard a guess is how everyone from my generation would recognize him. Another interesting facet to the book is that he grew up in Southern California and a great deal of his early life on through college (some at Cal State Long Beach!) is entwined with the history of Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm.

Synopsis: Steve Martin bares all, recounting everything from his early childhood through his roller-coaster career. Some parts are fairly dark and revealing, but the book will reward you with a candid look into his life, told in a reflective way that only a surprisingly honest Steve Martin could tell it. Here's what a NY Times review had to say:

"Mr. Martin describes “Born Standing Up” as a biography rather than an autobiography, 'because I am writing about someone I used to know.'"

While that quote, and some other reviews of the book may give the impression the book is somewhat of a downer, every page is backed with by a sharp wit and sagely writing.

Not to be confused with the 2008 German movie that shares its title, Absurdistan is a novel by rising satirical author Gary Shteyngart.  The same man who more recently penned Super Sad True Love Story which in my opinion pales in comparison.  This novel does an extremely entertaining job covering many current hot topics through parody and satire, including politics, religion and world economics.  Definitely a fun read that isn't too predictable, with a unique writing style set in a caricature of our modern world.

Synopsis: This tale chronicles the life of Misha Vainberg, the 1,238th richest man in Russia, as he stumbles through a great deal of convoluted situations in his world travels while he ultimately tries to sneak back into America and settle down in New York City.  He always seems to possess just enough wealth and clout to make things interesting and the development and depth of him as the main character is truly excellent.

This is the book that turned me on to satire as a genre! James P. Othmer struck gold with this novel in 2007, and has a new book due out this summer. The story revels in hyperbole, and as such met with positive but somewhat mixed reviews from critics. You may think it a bit over the top at times, but to me that was part of the fun. Get into this book as a fun story, as if it were a bit of a dark comedy movie, and I think you'll enjoy it immensely. There are a few stretches where it might seem like Othmer is beating a dead horse to get at underlying points.

Synopsis: JP Yates, high profile professional speaker, decides he can no longer live the lies he regularly paints for his clients and attending audiences. He sets the stage for career suicide, when ironically through coming clean in a speech by denouncing himself and his trade he becomes ridiculously famous and successful almost instantly. This re-launches his career but often bends him to the whim of political and economic juggernauts as he does some soul searching on his journey.