A Few Books that Look Interesting

There are always a lot of books that I see that catch my attention that I'm too poor to buy but that I want to check out further.  Here are a few recent ones.

• Retail Hell. I live it, and I enjoy reading a good rant about it.  This book will definitely fall under that rant category.  After reading the introduction, which is full of profanity and has a more dishy tone, I know I won't like it nearly as much as Pretending You Care: the Retail Employee Handbook by Norm Feuti.  I wonder if that's because Norm's complaints are cathartic and useful (or would be if any people in management would read the book), as shown by the fact that his book is in the business section rather than the humor section.

• Shelf Discovery.  For those of us who still read and re-read and love young adult novels of yore. It's a blast to read short essays written by people who love books and remember what it was like to love them back when they were members of the target audience.  I like reading people who are excited and passionate about something, and I love books, so this is a fun collection even if I've only read about half of the books mentioned.

 

• The Unlikely Disciple.  Ivy League college journalism student goes undercover at extremely conservative Christian University (as a study abroad credit).  But first, he has to figure out how to stop swearing . . .  it's kind of an intriguing idea, and it sounds like a great read for people who aren't sure that Christians are people too as well as for Christians who sometimes wonder what they look like to those on the "outside."

 

• Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs onto Facebook.  I am a casual Facebook user, and I get a huge kick out of this book. I can't imagine how much funnier it would be to alert major who is a hard-core Facebook user.  I have skimmed the book thus far and direct your attention to Wuthering Heights, Jane Austen, Dracula, and Oscar Wilde.  And everyone else. If you love literature or know someone who majored in it in college, this is a book you should share.  (What is with so much great literary criticism stuff coming out all at once?  It's an embarrassment of riches!) 

Have you read any of these?  Any comments?  Have you seen anything recently that you wish you had a couple days off to read right now?