2006 Books 61 - 65

61. We're In Trouble by Christopher Coake - The stories in this collection all deal with how death (the "Trouble" in the title) affects the living, the people who have to go on. Some of the stories show too much restraint for my taste, but the last two, Abandon about a weekend getaway gone very, very wrong, and All Through The House , where a small town sheriff faces the facts of a murder/suicide involving a close friend, break out with some surprises.

62. A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White - This book is considered a classic in the coming-of-age category of gay fiction. It's supposed to be one of White's best works. Frankly, I'm not feeling the love. White is a great writer, but I couldn't buy into someone the age of the main character being so self aware. If there were, I don't think they would have been so unhappy.

63. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - Every year, I chose something I haven't read off of the frequently banned books among the top 100 novels of the 20th century to read during the ALA Banned Book Week.. What can I say about this book that hasn't been said by a thousand people before me? It's classic Faulkner, hard to get into but once you're in, you're hooked.

64. Kill Your Darlings by Terence Blacker - A one hit wonder author plagiarizes a student's work to put himself back on the publishing A-List. That's the short summary. To include every thing else that is going on in the life and mind of the main character would give away a very funny and dark story.

65. Mourners Below by James Purdy - A seventeen year old boy deals with the death of the brothers he idolized, a father that refuses to mourn, and the misplaced love of people all around him. In almost all of Purdy's books that I've read, his protagonists beg for sympathy. This is one of the rare times I felt like they deserved it.