Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art by Christopher Moore

This is one of the most original stories I've read in a long time.  Mostly set in the Paris of the late 1800's, Moore pulls together some of history's most famous artists: Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Monet, Gaugain, Seurat, and many more.  What could all of these talented men possibly have in common?  A woman, naturellement.  In this case, a magical woman with a thing for blue.

Moore's at his best, here, with a whole cast of rich, compelling characters populating an imaginative and ambitious storyline that covers millennia of human art, and manages to tie together great works of inspiration from the stone age right up through the post impressionists.  It does get slow at some points, especially near the beginning, but Moore may be a victim of his own success.  I doubt he gets much in the way of editing these days.

Recommendation: Buy it.

Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art by Christopher Moore

Wormwood by G. P. Taylor

I got about halfway through this novel before I gave up.  It's an exciting premise, based on an interesting blend of science and mysticism set in Dickensian London; a massive comet is hurtling towards Earth, and only one man knows of it.  He has possession of an ancient book of prophecy called the Nemorensis, but, unknown to him, powerful forces are gathering around him.  Are they friend or foe?

I never found out for sure, because the characters were unsympathetic to me.  I found myself losing interest and fading out for long sections of this book, and there's no way I'm going to go back and reread them.

Recommendation: Skip it.

Wormwood by G. P. Taylor

Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

Joseph Harker takes a wrong turn one day on a school field trip and finds himself on another world subtly but horribly different from his own.  Before long he's being pursued by two powerful factions: one based on advanced technology, the other with potent magical abilities; both bent on capturing and exploiting powers hidden away in Harker's own head.  Things only get stranger from there, as Harker encounters multi-dimensional life forms and alternate versions of the people he knows - including himself.

This is a fun YA story, with imaginative characters and story telling.  Gaiman fans of all ages will enjoy it, but its meant for tweens.

Recommendation: Borrow it.

Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway

When Harry Morgan's fishing business is ruined by the Great Depression, he turns to smuggling and bootlegging to try to feed his family.  He doesn't have much luck, though, as his endeavors seem destined to destroy him.

I bought this book at the Ernest Hemingway house and museum in Key West, Florida, and read most of it on the short flight home.   Hemingway wrote the book while living in Key West, and the island town and Cuba feature prominently throughout.  I loved about 80% of this story, and hated the rest, which is pretty much par for the course for me and Hemingway's stories.

Recommendation: Borrow it.

To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway

Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore

Nate Quinn is an arrested adolescent marine biologist studying humpback whale song in Hawaii.  One day, while out with his Goth but hot intern, he spies the words "bite me" on the flukes of one of his whales.  Soon, he's in over his head and struggling to survive long enough to save humanity from an ancient threat and learn the secret of the humpbacks' song.

This isn't one of Moore's stronger efforts, and I found myself shaking my head at a lot of points throughout the book.  Nonetheless, there are still a lot of great jokes, and the characters are interesting - at least up until a point.  After that, it's just silly.

Recommendation: Borrow it.

Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore