Read Recently
An Unauthorized Biography of the World: oral history on the front lines by Michael Riordan
Riordan, a gay Canadian male, has done interviews for a long time. This somehow ties into the concept of "oral history", which may be defined in the book but I never saw it. Something to do with interviewing people. This book looks at First Nations land claims, homeless people in Cleveland, the history of genocide in Peru as told by the survivors, and others.
There's some interesting stuff in the book, and I can't help but think much of it would be useful if read by Americans. On the other hand, it didn't convince me that oral history (whatever that is) is superior to written history, which seemed to be Riordan's point. But then, I probably missed his point. Anyway, this is recommended anyway.
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
Fforde wraps up the adventures of Thursday Next with a bang. Having spent two years raising her son in the world of books and acting as the head of Jurisfiction, the organisation that polices books from the inside, Thursday decides she must return to the real world. She still has to defeat the evil megacorporation, Goliath, and get her husband unerased (he was made to not exist through time-travel). She also has to save the neanderthals (not as difficult as you might think, but not easy, either), prevent escaped fictional character Yorrick Kaine from becoming supreme dictator of Britain, keep many Danish books from being destroyed by the government due to the trouble Kaine is whipping up to help his campaign, help bring about the final prophecy of the 13th century's most accurate prophet (due to reappear any time now), catch a runaway minotaur, and rescue the play Hamlet from a hostile takeover by the Merry Wives of Windsor. All in a day's work. [I haven't even mentioned one of the most deadly assassins in the world being after her]
Highly recommended, but begin with the Eyre Affair .