Three down, scores more to go.

I've had the good fortune to have recently polished off three distinctively different and very entertaining books.

I originally passed up Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones" as another drop in the "chick lit" bucket. But what I found was a fantastic novel with a fast-paced plot that keeps you turning from one memorable scene to another.

This is a well-written story about a family's recovery following a daughter's murder. It is crafted with the kind of literary style that is missing from much of today's best-selling fiction.

Do yourself the favor of reading this one before Peter Jackson brings it to the big screen next year.


F. Paul Wilson returns to bring us the next installment of his sci-fi/horror series, Repairman Jack. "Harbingers" is one of the best addition to the line up of the highly entertaining fiction titles.

This time out, Jack finally learns the true meaning of that fateful phrase: "A spear has no branches." He also gets a first-hand lesson in what The Ally is willing to do -- or not do -- to overcome The Adversary.

This is Wilson at his best. If you're looking to join in the fun, "The Tomb" -- the first title in the series -- has been re-released and is on sale for less than $5.


"A Scanner Darkly" is the kind of strange and entertaining journey that could have only come from Philip K. Dick. There is a major motion picture out based on the novel, and now I'm ready to see it after reading the book.

The plot is a futuristic look at how a sort of sci-fi friendly drug culture deals with issues like addiction, paranoia and the nagging sense that things are just not right. As the author put it: "This has been a novel about people who were punished entirely too much for what they did."

A great story with just a hint of going off the reservation. I think this title will prompt me to seek out more Philip K. soon.

Next up (I think):