Jingo and Sourcery, Terry Pratchett

Jingo and Sourcery, Terry Pratchett. Commander Vimes and the Ankh-Morpork Watch dabble in international diplomacy, submarine-ing, and, er, military tactics in Jingo. Rincewind and the Luggage save the world again in Sourcery. I've been saving these since Christmas (thank you Maddo) for stressful situations. Combined with a half-dozen Dorothy Sayers mysteries they contained enough fun to get me through a small patch of anxiety and grinding drudgery.

David Foster Wallace, The Broom of the System

David Foster Wallace, The Broom of the System. I loved the silliness and the muchness of words. Oh- and the Great Ohio Desert.

Michael Chabon, Gentlemen of the Road

Michael Chabon, Gentlemen of the Road. A swashbuckling little adventure.

Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook

Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook. A "free woman", erstwhile communist, and novelist who has lost faith in writing keeps four notebooks separating the strands of her life. Quite beautifully written. It was strange however, that a book with such radical topics had such stereotypical and rigid sexual relationships- the recurring theme was that all "real women" are looking for a "real man" to dominate them physically and emotionally- very strange, especially because there was no sense of awareness of the incongruity.