I could not have enjoyed "Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules" anymore. It is an interesting notion: a series of short stories by different authors with the common thread being that they were all picked out by essayist David Sedaris ("Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim") as personal favorites. So is there a natural through-line or not? I can tell you that it works. It just does. I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend "Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules". I also recommend: "A Long Way Down", "My Fractured Life", "The Glass Castle", and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim."

Don't let the subjects of drinking and alcohol make you think this is a story romantacizing the wild life. Far from it. "Smashed" shows very vividly how damaging alcoholism can be and how quickly a fun time bender can turn into a propetual destruction of a promising life. Also recommended: "The Glass Castle", "My Fractured Life", and "Fat Girl."

"The Kite Runner" is one of the better books I have read this year. I put it in the same class as "Reading Lolita in Tehran", "Curious Incident of Dog in the Night-Time", "My Fractured Life", and "Secret Life of Bees." The story is masterfully written with sweeping emotions in tightly drawn quarters. The characters are so real and vivid. "The Kite Runner" is a true masterpiece. Like "Secret Life of Bees" and "My Fractured Life", "The Kite Runner" is a great review piece for book clubs because it strikes up great conversation paths and is so interesting to discuss.