BAD MONKEYS

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff is a really fun read. It is truly a "reading for fun" sort of book. It's the story of Jane Charlotte, and the book is told in flashback fashion as Jane is being interrogated by a psychiatrist after being arrested for murder. She tells the doctor that she is a member of a secret agency that fights evil and more specifically she belongs to the "Bad Monkeys" division. This is the group of people who actually assassinate those deemed evil and must be eliminated. Throughout the book the reader must decide if Jane is simply crazy, or maybe there is indeed such a secret agency operating invisibly among us.

The book is obviously absurd, but also intelligent, fun, and fast-paced. There are also humorous names for other divisions such as "Scary Clowns", and my favorite, "Catering". As a manager myself, I found it amusing that the management team is known as Catering. They make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be, and that they have all the proper supplies to do their jobs.

Other books by Matt Ruff include Set This House in Order, and Fool on the Hill.

HUMOR SAVES THE DAY

I really enjoy humor whether it be seeing a comedian live, or reading a humorous work in print. It's a real relief from the stresses of life to be able to laugh. Humorous memoirs, biographies of comedians, and witty sarcasm are among my favorites. One of the best in this category is David Sedaris. His new book, When you are engulfed in flames, is currently on the NY Times Nonfiction Best Seller list at number 4. Sedaris writes about his life in general, and his family in particular. Every Christmas I reread his essay about being an elf at Macy's one holiday season. It is truly funny, and is included in the book Holidays on Ice.

If someone enjoys David Sedaris, I usually also recommend that they try Augusten Burroughs whom I personally describe as "like David Sedaris only meaner." Burroughs is most famous for writing the memoir Running with Scissors which was made into a movie. He, too, has a new book out called A Wolf at the Table which is a memoir of his relationship with his father.

Other humorous books that I have enjoyed in the past year include: Ant Farm: and other desperate situations by Simon Rich, Don't Get too Comfortable by David Rakoff, and She got up off the couch: and other heroic acts from Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel.

SEATTLE-BASED MYSTERY NOVELS

I have always been a fan of mystery novels, especially ones that might be considered light reading. Just something fun and not too disturbing in the graphic-details department. I place authors like Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and Lillian Jackson Braun in this category (sorry for the pun if you know the series written by LJB). But even librarians can experience reading ruts, and need some prompting to branch out into reading a different series. I received just such prompting last week while assisting a patron. We were discussing mysteries and the topic of J.A. Jance came up. In helping this library patron identify a new series to read, I became interested myself in reading something by Jance, particularly her series set in Seattle. So now I am reading Justice Denied. The main character is a Seattle Homicide detective named JP Beaumont and he works in a division called the Special Homicide Investigation Team. It seems that someone is killing off recently released convicts in several western states, and Beaumont and his live-in-girlfriend, (and police detective) Mel Soames, must work together to uncover the person behind these murders.

Other detective novels based in Seattle include: Homicide My Own (by Anne Argula), We interrupt this Broadcast (by KK Beck), The Bookman's Wake (by John Dunning), and Old Scores (by Aaron Elkins). If you are looking for a new mystery series, give one a try!