This week's book reviews!

Well, things have been a bit hectic lately, but somehow, I still managed to squeeze in a bit of reading....and writing :)

I just finished reading Christopher Moore's Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, and I thought it quite fabulous!

Moore ponders the "lost years" of Jesus with a combination of the outrageous, the downright ridiculous and the sublime in a way no one has quite done before. I could blog on and on, but I'd hate to spoil all the fun for those who have not read this novel! Oddly, (and rather impressively) Moore manages to use satire effectively without really crossing over into the truly offensive. (Of course, this only my opinion--and I am not easily offended! Especially by just plain good fiction.) Honestly, I even recommended this book to my mother, who is a devout Catholic. I think it's a hoot!

I have also read Patricia Highsmith's novel, The Price of Salt. This book isn't one of Highsmith's most "famous" novels, and that's a shame, because it's an excellent read....

The novel delves into the lives of two women who meet at a department store, fall in love, and ultimately, have to choose between living authentic lives or conforming to societal standards. I've had an opportunity to read a number of pieces of gay/lesbian fiction this last year--having taken a course in LGBTQ Rights and Issues as a part of my Women's Studies Program--and I would have to say that this is one of the best I have read so far. It's very realistic, and avoids the sterotypical endings one (too often) finds in books about gay/lesbian couples--no one goes mad, goes "straight" or kills themselves--which is rather refreshing! Recommended.