"The Elfstones of Shannara" by Terry Brooks

Never have I skimmed a book to the great extent that I skimmed this one. The story is such a cliche that I only had to skim every 10 pages or so to know what as going on. And the writer puts thousands of words too many of exposition into his writing. No one really talks or thinks the way Brooks has them talking and thinking. I am never reading another book by this author.

"Naked" by David Sedaris

At first I thought that these snippets from David's life were depressing, showing just how shallow life can be. But after reading a few of his essays, I really got into them, and will read more Sedaris books. Because the essays are fairly short, and entertaining as well as intelligent, they are great for reading during travelling, when I have trouble focussing.

"Beowulf" translated by Burton Raffel

I read this book for a course at Carleton. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

"Undermajordomo Minor" by Patrick deWitt

This was an odd little fable that included sexual orgies in an odd castle with unexplained battles raging outside. Lucy, the protagonist, who is prone to lying, actually becomes likeable by the end.