Books overdue

First off, anyone who read Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and did not like it is either irredeemably pretentious, a complete philistine or from another planet. So I am positively predisposed to anything he publishes. A couple Fridays ago I picked up his latest offering, The Final Solution. It's a book, in as much as a few pieces of paper sewn between two hardcovers constitutes a book, but it isn't quite enough to stand on its own. Michael, I know you need braces and college money for those four adorable children, but if you're going to put out a short story and have me shell out $11.53 on amazon, please, write a few more and put out a short story collection. Aside from my feelings of robbery, it was very touching and compelling (Sherlock Holmes! Kindertransport survivor! A talking parrot! I am so there!) but I wish I had just read it in the New Yorker.

I also recently read Sarah Waters' sophomoric effort, Affinity. Eh. Very predictable and essentially well-written trash. (The lady was nominated for a Booker, but I'm not so sure what that means anymmore.) I kept hoping that the spiritualism wasn't just a hoax and Selena Dawes would posses annoying Margaret's body like in a Lois Duncan novel.

I am a couple hundred pages into Amos Oz's A Tale of Love and Darkness. So far, this is the most satisfying read this year and I am sure I will write gobs about it soon.