A large, systematic take-down of religious hypocrisy that tells the story of the rise of an Evangelical preacher in the 1920s. As relevant now as the day it was published.

Classic work of anarchist philosophy. Fractured and incomplete, and occasionally digressive, but still necessary reading for anyone interested in the subject.

Funny, brash and honest memoir about coming up through the ranks of NYC restaurants. The breakthrough work of one of my favorite writers and personalities. I'm surprised it took me this long to get to it.

Brilliant existentialist novel that tells the story of a French Algerian city overtaken by a deadly plague. As doctors, city workers and others combat the disease, they examine their lives reflected against the close proximity of death.

The first of Dick's trilogy dealing with his own psychotic incidences. Writing himself into the book (sort of), Dick tells the story of Horselover Fat (an alter-ego for the author), a sci-fi writer who experiences a connection with a god-like being through a blast of pink light. Intense and thought-provoking.

Perelman is one of my favorite humor writers. This, an account of the various problems he encounters owning a small farm in Pennsylvania, would make perfect introduction to his works. It's short, but packed with more comic invention and wordplay than any work twice its length you would care to name.

Nice little piece of classic science fiction, heavy on mad-scientist craziness an weird happenings. A good read with some spooky moments.

Interesting bit of travel fiction concerning a couples' trip through North Africa in the 1950s, a trip that ends in tragedy and self-destruction. Full of pointed introspection, self-obsession and fascinating character studies.

After working through the "greatest hits" collections "60 stories" and "40 Stories" I've started picking up Barthelme's original collections, which are mostly out of print. While his style takes some getting used to, his sharp observation and wicked sense of humor make almost anything by him worth reading.

Funny satire of a particularly depressing form of British gothic. A bright, fashionable young woman goes to live with relatives in the country. Her country cousins are a depressing lot suffering from every cliche imaginable, right down to the mad old woman in the attic. The young woman goes to work fixing up their messes, breaking the ennui in a hilarious manner. Light, funny and engaging.

I'm reading this trilogy over the summer as part of my book club. Concerns the two-mile long corpse of God falling to earth. The Vatican hires a disgraced tanker captain to haul it to a final resting place in the arctic. Dark, biting and brilliant, as well as containing some beautiful passages. Good start to the series.

Very entertaining bit of research in the uses of human cadavers, both in modern times and through history. The subject matter is morbid, but Roach has a light touch and an engagingly quirky style that makes it all very readable.

Classic French pulp fiction about the hunt for a mysterious criminal who takes on and sheds identities so frequently it is never clear who he really is, if anyone. Very pulpy and occasionally wooden, but highly entertaining.

A sociological study that uses the history of the Massachusetts Bay colony to advance ideas about the purpose and frequency of "deviant" behavior in a society. The ideas and the history of the book are thought-provoking, though I don't know how much solid evidence can be gleaned from its 300 year old data set.

Short historical narrative detailing the last nine days of the German battleship "Bismark," which nearly ended Britain's naval superiority during WWII. Exciting, yet extremely brief, skimping on details wherever possible.

Beautifully written story of a pair of sisters and their lives moving through a family marked by tragedy. Scenic, thoughtful and lyrical.

Another of Barthelme's original short story collections. Full of classics such as "The Balloon" and "Indian Uprising." His stories sometimes feel as if they were written entirely by right-side of his brain, making strange connections that are missing the logical deduction that ties them together. Brilliant stuff.

Classic American gothic novel that tells a tale of deceit, religious fervor and moral collapse. Contains all of the melodrama inherent in the gothic genre, but is also a cerebral and well-wrought literary work.