OTHER GREAT READS

NON-CRIME BOOKS I THINK YOU’LL LOVE

Here is a list of my favorite books that aren't mysteries or thrillers. If you love great writing, read all of these.

CHRIS BOHJALIAN

THE GUEST ROOM

Think of the movie Very Bad Things with Christian Slater and Cameron Diaz. A bachelor party goes very very wrong in this highly readable, unpredictable, and entertaining story. I do not want to give away the plot or any of the story. Here is what I will say: If you ever plan on hosting a bachelor party please make sure that what happens in this novel does not happen to you or your friends. Chris Bohjalian has written a book that you will not put down until you know what happens to all of the characters. This will be available in January of 2016. Grab it the day it comes out, you will have a gas.

NATHAN HILL

THE NIX

The Nix is absolutely one of the best books that I have had the privilege to read in the last few years. I had heard great news about it and was not surprised. It lived up to its notice in spades. Nathan Hill is one helluva writer.

A Nix is a ghost, something that follows us until we die. The protagonist in this involving and amusing story is an emotionally stilted, frustrated, lonely and bright English professor at a small-time university. His passion is video games and lamentation, while dealing with today’s byzantine academic rules and procedures that plague anybody in academia, including this reviewer. When he was a small child, his mother deserted him and his father. Twenty some years later he has an opportunity to reunite with her. His mother has become infamous for an event that I will not mention.

The Nix is a wonderful story that reminds us of what families are and what we wish they could be. Considering that Halloween is here; The Nix is one ghost that will haunt you long after you have finished this remarkable novel.

MATTHEW DUFFUS

SWAPPING PURPLES FOR YELLOWS

“Swapping Purples for Yellows” is a wonderfully rendered novel. That it takes place in academia only makes it more enjoyable and relatable, especially for those who have experienced the trivialities and politics of education at the university level.

It is homecoming at a small university in the south. Anxiousness abounds around the festivities, especially when a tech- wizard alum decides he is going to bestow a large gift to his alma mater. Intrigue and tension persist as various department heads hope to be the recipient of the alum’s largess.

Meanwhile our protagonist, a tenured English professor is having what seems to be a life crisis. As is his wife, a non-tenured adjunct professor who is considering a job offer across the state.

There is much to be liked and cherished in this superlative novel. It reminded me of Jane Smiley’s “Moo” and The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.

CHAD HARBACH

THE ART OF FIELDING

The perfect combination of superior prose and baseball. You could not ask for more.

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

STACY SCHIFF

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff is a compelling read about a crucial player in forming the United States. Adams was what we might now consider a radical, but the distinction is that Adams accomplished his goals while not destroying the social-political fabric in which he lived. Adams was manipulative, intimidating, and sophisticated. He courted and manipulated the King of England, presenting ideas and concepts that the king thought were beneficial to his country but, in reality, worked in favor of establishing the independence of the United States. After the victorious revolution, Adams lost some of his status and prestige. He believed that the new government ignored the philosophy and procedures that he had proposed. Others began to lose respect for Adams, but he is considered a hero of American history.