By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman

A pre-read for Simon. This would make a great read-aloud to go along with a study of the California gold rush. Good historical detail and lots of clever fun.

Dispensation : Latter Day Fiction by Angela Hallstrom

meh

(But this might be my fault; I don't do short stories.)

The Passage by Justin Cronin

The first 300 pages of this book may be the best fiction I have ever read in my life. Cronin has a gift for characterization: you will find the characters real enough to invite to dinner and you will want to include the death row inmate and the prostitute because he portrays them so sympathetically.

The middle section of the book was muddled and convoluted.

By the last 100 pages, I was rolling my eyes at the stupidity of the plot.

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller

I find it hard to pick books for book group: I don't want to pick something I've already read (old news! and I probably won't remember it well enough to discuss it!), but there is always the risk that something unread will be a stinker . . . or crazy vulgar . . . or whatever. Anyway, after seeing this title pop up as "the best sci-fi ever," I decided to pick it for my book to review this month. I thought it was a good read (not superb, but good), but with absolutely top-notch material for a book group to discuss: Is history cyclical? Is the inevitable cost of technology the ability to wipe out humanity? Is there a conflict between religion and science? So I'm pleased with the choice and look forward to the discussion.