With "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy" as two of my favorite books, it was Hornby's name that drew me to this anthology, though the other contributing authors are certainly not unrecognized.

I enjoyed each of this book's twelve stories, but a few in particular stood out. Hornby's "Nipple Jesus" was my favorite. In it, a security guard charged with protecting a controversial work of art - a beautiful depiction of the crucifiction that, upon close inspection, is seen to be composed of a collage of pornographic photos - wrestles with questions of whether or not the piece is really art and whether or not he really wants to guard it. The story forced me to examine similar questions as to what I felt constituted art. I was left thinking that it would have made a great bit of reading for a Philosophy of Art class.

Other memorable stories were "Last Requests" by Giles Smith, in which a prison cook ruminates upon preparing last meals for death row inmates; "The Slave" by Roddy Doyle, in which a man tries to slowly ween himself from paranoia after nearly stepping on the carcass of a giant rat in front of his refrigerator; and "Catholic Guilt" by Irvine Welsh, where a man gets his just deserves for beating a homosexual. Each of these stories went beyond merely providing entertainment, and led me to think as well.

Oddly enough, the least enjoyable stories were the first and the last in the collection - "PMQ" from Robbert Harris and "Walking into the Wind" from John O'Farrell. It's not that these two were poor entries - they were both solidly readable - they just didn't seem to have the zing of the other selections.

But with that small detraction as my biggest complaint, I have no hesitation in recommending "Speaking With the Angel." It's perfect for digesting in 20-minute doses, providing a dozen opportunities to, at least, briefly escape and, at best, to make you think.

Like the "In Time" tour and CD, the "Perfect Square" disc plays like a greatest hits compilation. All the songs you'd expect to see are here. However, there are a handful of more obscure tracks (including the first official release of the 24-year-old song "Permanent Vacation") to satisfy fans rabid for something different.

The venue chosen for the featured concert is gorgeous. Shots of the fountain and buildings surrounding the Bowling Green in Wiesbaden, Germany make for much more pleasant scenery than the insides of the dark Summit stadium in Atlanta where their last concert video, "Road Movie," was shot. Image quality, too, is wonderful.

The thing that stands out most about "Perfect Square" is that it actually feels like a concert - you can even see the progression of time as the sun sets. R.E.M.'s past concert videos have been noticably pieced together, taking a song from here and another from there. This time, finally, it's a single show, and as such it gives you much more of an idea of what it's like to be there.

The bonus documentary "A Stirling Performance" chronicles the production of a trio of concerts the band performed at Sterling Castle in Scotland during the "Up" tour in 1999. It was quite interesting to see what sort of planning had to go into such a major production. The documentary unfortunately suffers from grainy picture quality and even worse sound quality. It made understanding the residents of the tiny tourist town, already with thick with Scottish accents, very difficult. But it was nice to get to see a bit more concert footage, regardless.

Since Amazon doesn't have a track listing, here's the setlist for the "Perfect Square" concert:

Begin the Begin
What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
Maps and Legends
Drive
Animal
Daysleeper
The Great Beyond
Bad Day
The One I Love
All the Way to Reno
Orange Crush
Losing My Religion
At My Most Beautiful
Electrolite
She Just Wants to Be
Walk Unafraid
Man on the Moon
Everybody Hurts
So Fast, So Numb
Country Feedback
Permanent Vacation
Imitation Of Life
It's The End of the World As We Know It

Many conservatives jump to criticize Michael Moore as an extremist nutcase. While I disagree with them, parts of this book demonstrate why someone would make such an assumption.

Moore takes on nearly every facet of the Bush administration, whether the issue is big or small, and no matter how far-fetched it sounds. He does his research very well, but he tends to go overboard in linking cause and effect.

That said, "Dude, Where's My Country?" is a wonderfully enjoyable and clever read. Moore does a good job at explaining things in a manner that "Joe voter" can understand. His chapters on how to talk to a conservative and why Oprah should run for President may sound silly, but he makes some very compelling points. Likewise, the chapter supposedly written by God is hilarious, but it's sensible too.

To appreciate this book, you have to accept that it is going to have a liberal bias. It's important to understand, though, that it's meant to be satire. It's not simply an outline of the facts -- it's an exaggeration, and for the most part, that exaggeration is used to humorous effect.

I picked up this book at the San Diego Comic Con after it was recommended to me by Tom Beland (who writes "True Story, Swear to God" which you should also read). I found it to be one of the most beautiful and moving graphic novels I've ever read.

A distraught woman visits a church looking for some peace and quiet, but despite her pleas, she is interrupted by the resident minister who senses that she needs someone to talk to. She tells him that she does not believe in God. Unfazed, the minister bets her that he can convince her of God's presence simply by looking at three random stories in the morning's newspaper.

Each story the pair reads is filled with the sort of tragedy and loss that is commonly associated with the news. Nevertheless, the minister makes a case that God had a hand in each instance.

The woman remains unconvinced. In fact, the news articles upset her even more than she had been already. She is, however, "saved" by what can be interpreted as a moment of Divine intervention or perhaps as just a lucky coincidence.

What makes "Visitations" special is that it isn't reason that brings the woman around -- it's faith. Faith in God is a choice, not something that can be proven. The story's ambiguous ending gives readers that choice too. It doesn't insist that "this *is* true." Instead it asks, "what would you believe?"

I muddled through "Lost" for a month before finally finishing it, thoroughly unsatisfied. The main character is so idiotic that I couldn't sympathize with her. Her actions and the actions of the surrounding characters are not the least bit believable, given the course of events. The big interesting question - What is the knocking behind the wall? - is the central and most driving plot point for a short while. It is then ignored for most of the rest of the book, only to be offhandedly explained away with little enthusiasm.

"Hey Nostradamus!" has an atypical structure, each of its four chapters being narrated in first person by a different character. The first part of the story is told from the point of view of a victim of a high school massacre that is obviously patterned after the Columbine incident. Her recounting of that violent day sets the pace for the rest of the book, as the subsequent characters are, in turn, effected by its events. Each of them is lead, at some point, to question his or her religious convictions - some are strengthened and others are lost.

By the time the novel reaches its fourth segment, it has morphed into a completely different tale than what is expected from the beginning. The transitions can be jarring, but then, so can life itself.

I found myself sympathizing with each character as he or she took hold of the story, despite the fact that they were each capable of some pretty horrible or foolish acts. The moral flaws of the individual characters don't seem to matter though. It's the rest of the world that's a mess, and they're just trying to get through it.

With "Timeline" Michael Crichton returns to the formula that made "The Andromeda Strain" and "Jurassic Park" so popular. By formula, however, I don't mean the story is predictable. Nor is it just like the previously mentioned novels. But if you're a fan of Crichton's works, you'll see the resemblance.

This novel works well because is takes a far-fetched concept of science fiction and makes it almost believable with the use of complex technology. Meanwhile, such technology is explained so that the notion of time-travel doesn't just seem plausible, it's comprehensible. As usual, Crichton's extensive research of both the technology he employs and the time period the characters visit shines through. The book suffers from a few gratuitous thrills and simplistic plot lines, but it still delivers a decently intriguing story.

I read "High Fidelity" a few years ago, but with the renewed interest from the John Cusack movie, I pulled it down from the shelf again. There are few books that I have enjoyed more. I don't know if the life of the main character, Rob, mirrors that of other men my age, but it certainly nails mine. It is everything I ever felt about music, relationships, and top-five lists. A brilliant piece of literature. (The movie and soundtrack are quite good too.)

I'd read some incredibly high praise of the humor in "Big Trouble," so I feared disappointment. That didn't happen. While isn't non-stop knee-slapping hilarity as the dust jacket would have you believe, it is, nevertheless, very funny. Or perhaps "amusing" would be a better description.

"Big Trouble" is a story of incredible coincidence. Even though you can usually see what's coming, Dave Barry uses your expectations to set up a terrific stream of wit in a story that fun from start to finish. If noting else, Roger the dog's battle with the Enemy Toad makes this a book worth reading.

I don't usually enjoy horror novels, so Steven King doesn't show up often on my reading list. The premise of "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon," however intrigued me, as it is not King's usual fare. It is scary, but not because of monsters or murderers or such, but rather because of the sense you get of Trisha's helplessness as she is lost in the woods. Her predicament goes a bit too far to be believable, but her method of reasoning through the situations she encounters seems appropriate for a bright girl her age. The story also could have benefited from a stronger focus on the parents' fear at the loss of their child. Overall, though, it's certainly an entertaining and easy-to-read book.