Plastic is an unputdownable dark comedy, full of strong commentary on the times and sparkling LA scenes. Frank Strausser’s novel, "Plastic", is a delicious, caustic comedy of manners with a dose of suspense that keeps its pages... Read More

The past is the present is the future in "Flashback Hotel", the masterful new short story collection by Ivan Vladislavić. Alternately whimsical and deeply affecting, the collection explores South African culture and the impact of belief... Read More

“How the hell do you start a letter to the UN?” If you’re Al Santamaria, you do it with the absolute conviction that your entreaty for their recognition of your family’s estate will be heard and respected—because you are a... Read More

Ben Barnz’s partner has a theory that there is a major generational shift for gay people every five years. This book, then, is a memoir from almost four zeitgeist changes ago. Beginning in the week of the 9/11 attacks, "We" is a taste... Read More

Maureen Aitken’s "The Patron Saint of Lost Girls" pretends to be a collection of short stories but is not. Instead, advantages of both short-story and novel formats are fused into a mutation which is neither. By the time this... Read More

The rush of a whodunit pales next to Barbara Barrow’s what’ve-they-done-and-why, "The Quelling". The novel instantly achieves page-turner status through vexing questions. Why are two youngsters being raised by television nature... Read More

Hiring managers would do well to follow Weyerhauser’s authoritative counsel. Kurt Weyerhauser’s "Hire Your Dream Team" forwards a convincing and comprehensive approach to hiring the right talent. A low unemployment rate often means... Read More

"Tales of the Astonishing Black Spark" is a wickedly funny adventure told from the perspective of a comic-book-savvy black superhero. It succeeds both as a superhero story in novel form and as an entertaining, funhouse-mirror view of... Read More