Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas is the best short order cook in Pico Mundo. He also sees dead people. And bodachs. Bodachs are shadowy creatures that show up when something bad is about to happen. And one day a customer at Odd Thomas' diner shows up leading a parade of them.

So now Odd Thomas is following his 6th sense trying to figure out just what this customer is up to. He finds the guys house and inside there is a room devoted to the worst killers of all time. So Thomas is left waiting for the worst.

Ghosts and killers aside, this was a fun book to read. One of Thomas' ghosts was Elvis. Fun, huh. I'll be looking for more in this series.

Book Awards Reading Challenge IV

BookAwardChallengeIV

I'm a little late, but I'm in. As I did last year, I picked books I already had in my house. I buy more books than I read. And, unfortunately, my local library has an honor room where you can get books for a dollar or less. So I went through the award lists and found 8 on my shelves. Then I had to go through the books and look up the ones that may have won something. Snagged another like that. And as I was going through the books I kept seeing something I want to reread "someday" but I didn't know when "someday" was. So I decided it's now. I threw in one of my all-time favorites to round out the 10. If this isn't O.K. let me know.

Here's my list.

1928 Nobel
Sigrid Undset Ж The Bridal Wreath

1934 James Tait Black Prize
Robert Graves Ж I, Claudius

1985 National Book Award
Don DeLillo Ж White Noise

1989 Man Booker
Kazuo Ishiguro Ж The Remains of the Day

1992 National Book Critics Circle
Carmac McCarthy Ж All the Pretty Horses

1993 Irish Times International Fiction Prize
E. Annie Proulx Ж The Shipping News

1999 Pen/Faulkner
Michael Cunningham Ж The Hours

2005 Alex Award
Jodi Picoult Ж My Sister's Keeper

2006 Bram Stoker Award
Stephen King Ж Lisey's Story

2009 Pulitzer Prize
Elizabeth Strout Ж Olive Kitteridge

The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is set immediately after World War II. Writer Juliet Ashton is at a loss for her next story. Then comes a letter from stranger named Dawsey Adams. Dawsey has found Juliet's name and address in an old copy of Charles Lamb, his favorite author. He writes asking her for a address for a bookstore so he can order another Lamb book. And in this letter he explains how Lamb got him through the German occupation of Guernsey Island. And he mentions the Society. This piques her interest and she writes back and they begin a correspondence which eventually grows to include the entire Society. And Juliet has her next story. She begins to gather the stories of the occupation from the islanders.

This story is told through letters, journals and telegrams. It's told by Juliet, her best friend, her publisher and the island residents. It's a charming book, happy and hopeful but filled with some horrific stories of the war that contrast with the pleasant life that has resettled over the island.

I loved this book. I borrowed this from my sister (like I don't have enough unread books here) but I'm going to have to get my own copy. I know I'll be rereading it.