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Bosch, Pseudonymous: The Name of This Book is Secret

Little, Brown © 2007, 360 pages

In his debut novel "Pseudonymous Bosch" tells a story wrapped in an enigma: not only is the name of the book a secret, as its very name asserts, but so are the names of his characters and other identifiers such as their location and hair color. But because he's got a story to tell and has to call them something, Bosch gives his characters pseudonyms. "Cassandra," or Cass, is an 11-year-old survivalist. She carries a backpack filled with supplies with her at all times and tends to imagine disasters around every corner. Because these never materialize, the people around her mostly dismiss her concerns--hence her similarity to her namesake, the Greek Cassandra, who was given the power of prophecy with the catch that no one would believe her. Cass's classmate "Max-Ernest"--whose dual name reflects his parents' divided opinions and lifestyle--is unusually talkative and has some kind of condition that has yet to be identified. Cass and Max-Ernest bond because they're both more accepting than most of one another's peculiarities. And soon they fall into a mystery. A secret message from a magician, presumed dead, leads them into peril--specifically, the evil, glove-wearing clutches of a pair of too-perfect-looking malefactors, the enigmatic Dr. L. And Ms. Mauvais.

Huler, Scott: No-Man's Land

Crown © 2008, 286 pages

Author Scott Huler found himself in his forties becoming obsessed with Homer's Odyssey, the epic that takes up where the Iliad leaves off, tracking Odysseus' adventures en route back home at the end of the Trojan War. Taking his inspiration from the Joyceans--fans of James Joyce's Ulysses who celebrate Bloomsday every June 16th by following the fictional Leopold Bloom's route through Dublin--Huler decided to travel the Mediterranean following the similarly unreal footsteps of the hero Odysseus. Huler left his pregnant wife behind and took off for, among other destinations, Calypso's island (Malta) and the Cyclops' cave (on Sicily) and the islands associated with the Sirens. Odysseus' visit to the Underworld is reenacted more in spirit than in fact.

Jordan, Pete: Dishwasher

Perennial © 2007, 353 pages

In his memoir Dishwasher Pete Jordan writes about the twelve years he spent pursuing his unusual goal, to wash dishes professionally in all fifty U.S. states. Pete's quest landed him in plenty of run-of-the-mill diners and restaurants, but he also sought out unusual gigs whenever possible. He writes about dishing on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, and at a commune in the Ozarks. He washed dishes for snobs at a ski resort in the Rockies, and he worked salmon season at an Alaskan cannery. He "dished kosher" at a Jewish retirement home.

Barclay, Linwood: No Time For Goodbye

Bantam Books © 2007, 338 pages

Cynthia Bigge woke up one day when she was fourteen years old to find her mother, father, and brother gone. No note. No sign of struggle. No explanation. The police investigation into their disappearance was inconclusive. Cynthia wound up living with an aunt, her mother's sister, and managed somehow to get on with her life. Twenty-five years later, Cynthia is still haunted by what happened, and when a crime-stopper program runs a segment on the cold case, she finds herself thinking about her family's disappearance more than ever. Were they in fact all killed that night? Are they still alive? Did they choose, inexplicably, to abandon her? We watch Cynthia struggle with her past through the eyes of her husband, high school teacher Terry Archer. Since we're not privy to Cynthia's unexpressed thoughts we, like Terry, cannot know for sure whether she's losing her grip on reality--or if something more sinister is going on--when she tells him, for example, that a car has been following her and their eight-year-old daughter, or when she claims to have received a menacing phone call when alone in the house.

BAFAB: The wrap-up, and a poll

Another successful BAFAB Week is coming to a close. Lots of book giveaways around the web this time around. I myself was happy to give away a copy of Dick York's The Seesaw Girl and Me to fellow blogger Clare Dudman. And I'll be happy to give away a copy of XXXXXXXXXXXXX if anyone ever figures out what book I'm thinking of! (Please click that thar link to enter the contest.)

Meanwhile, a poll. Since I created Buy a Friend a Book Week back in mid-2005, I've featured book recommendations at BAFAB's associated web site. Every quarter a different guest reviewer has contributed three mini-reviews, and I've also contributed my own recommendations. Guest authors to date have included Caroline Leavitt, Damian McNicholl, M.J. Rose, and a bunch more.

I initially incorporated guest reviewers because I wanted to bring attention to the event, and to give authors whose books were touted at BAFAB a reason to spread the word about BAFAB. The word has indeed spread: The idea of BAFAB has taken off in the blogosphere. BAFAB-related giveaways have become very big. I'm always stumbling over references to BAFAB online made by total strangers, and it's very gratifying. But I'm not convinced that the guest reviews I've taken such pains to include on the site have had anything to do with this!

So, now I'm wondering whether it's worth keeping reviews as a part of the BAFAB site. Please express your thoughts by taking part in this simple poll: