Read Recently
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Moist Von Lipwig ("It's pronounced Lipvig . . .!") is a con man almost without peer. Unfortunately, being without peer doesn't necessarely mean that one is without problems . . . and Moist has been arrested, and, in the very first chapter of the book, is to be hanged in the morning. He has found this to be a very distressing thought, but there is nothing he can do about it . . . except be glad that he's being hanged under an assumed name.
Despite Moist's desperate attempts to escape, the morning of the execution comes . . . and Moist is duly hanged by the neck. Now, this being both a fantasy novel and a Terry Pratchett novel, death (and Death) need be no obstacle to a character going on to play a role in the story . . . but in this case, Moist is not dead. The Hangman did not quite finish the job, because Lord Havelock Vetinari, the despotic ruler of the city of Ankh-Morpork, has a job for Moist.
That job is Postmaster General. There's a cool gold suit and hat involved, and total control over the Post Office. His current assets: two staff members, one grown old in the job and one young but obsessed with pins, a huge ancient building literally stuffed with unmailed letters (and in which at least 4 previous postmasters have come to messy ends in the last month), and a golem, indestructable and untireable, who serves as his parole officer and ensures that he doesn't run away. And the imagination and creativity of one of the greatest con men of his generation, of course.
Before he's done, Moist will have completely rejuvenated the post office, created stamps as we know them, and made a deadly enemy of the Grand Trunk Clacks company, the main competition for delivering information and news around the Discworld (think of them as the telegraph company of the Discworld and you won't be far off). He'll also have fallen in love with a woman with no sense of humour whatsoever.
Sometimes when I read a new Pratchett I find myself wondering things like, "how does he come up with such profound observations in a book that is a) funny, and b) about the Post Office?" This is certainly one of those books.
Recommended, both for long-time Pratchett fans and for newbies, cause there's nothing here that can't be read totally in isolation from the rest of the Discworld.
Last Call by Tim Powers
I don't know if I can actually sum this one up. Scott Crane plays poker for a living; his wife has just died and he seems to have little to live for but he slowly comes to realise that during a very odd poker game back in 1969 he may have lost his soul, or something even more precious.
This one is highly recommended, but it's not an easy read. It's also very weird, so not for everyone.
The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
A short Stephen King novel! Wonders truly will never cease.
Three reporters on a small island off the Maine coast discuss a 25-year-old mystery that has never been solved; the two older reporters telling the tale to the younger, newer to the area, reporter.
As mysteries go, a totally unsolved one seems kind of unsatisfying, until you realise that King is pulling out one of his favourite tropes: this isn't a mystery at all, but rather a story about storytelling. Then it makes a lot more sense.
Not recommended for everyone (those who hate Stephen King will not enjoy this at all, for example), but I liked it.