My French Whore by Gene Wilder
Yes, that Gene Wilder. This entertaining and very well-written first novel by the original Willy Wonka follows Paul Peachy, a naïve former railway employee and community-theater actor, to the front lines of World War I. Peachy quickly discovers that he's no soldier, but when he's captured by the enemy, he makes a bold decision to save himself by claiming to be the famous German spy Harry Stroller. Aided by his fluency in German and some useful information obtained before he was captured, Peachy/Harry is embraced by the German army, treated like royalty, and even given the titular French prostitute, Annie Breton. Tales of his adventures (and misadventures) behind enemy lines are balanced by the story of his and Annie's unlikely romance. At just 178 pages, this novella is a quick, funny read, but Wilder's simple prose style and all-too-human characters ensure that it's not a forgettable one. 8/6/07
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The Animal Years by Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter's voice is often compared to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, and his subject matter on this album, his first with a major record label, ranges from silent films to Tom Sawyer to the war in Iraq. It sounds like an odd combination, but it all comes together as a powerful folk album with haunting, literate lyrics. The first and last tracks, "Girl in the War" and "Here at the Right Time," are my personal favorites, but everything in between is worth listening to over and over again. 7/2/07
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Before Sunset directed by Richard Linklater
In 1995's Before Sunrise, twenty-somethings Jesse and Celine met on a Eurail train and spent a single day together in Vienna that ended with a promise to reunite there in six months. Before Sunset picks up the story nine years later in Paris, when Celine walks into the bookstore where Jesse, now a writer, is promoting his new book. After almost a decade, the connection is still there, but they have only a few hours to get reacquainted before his return flight to New York. Like its predecessor, Before Sunset is essentially one long conversation that unfolds through the streets of Paris, as Celine and Jesse discuss their lives, their shared past, and where they stand today. An intellectual, thought-provoking love story. 3/1/07
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All This Heavenly Glory by Elizabeth Crane
Variously described as a novel, a fictional memoir, and a short story collection, this book contains 18 stories about protagonist Charlotte Anne Byers, told from several different points of view and out of chronological order. The result is a funny, poignant portrait of Charlotte through a series of failed relationships, career changes, and different cities. Crane's writing style tends toward extremely long sentences and lots of lists--if you like the first story (a seven-page-long, single-sentence personal ad), you'll love the rest of them. 2/1/07
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