City of Glass, by Paul Auster

I don't think I can say anything about this book without ruining the ending. And I'm not sure it's worth reading if you know the ending in advance. I suppose the very abridged version is that the book is on crack and/or was/is messing with my mind.

Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley

Summary: We have Easy Rawlins, the reluctant black detective, trying to find a white woman because DeWitt Albright, a shady white guy, is willing to pay him to do so. And Easy needs the money. Things end up more complicated than that though...

Comment: As much as I enjoyed the mystery and the unexpected plot twists, I'm not sure I'd read any of his other books simply because the glimpse into the black community was too depressing. I think it boils down to "if you're black, you're guilty. Give us time, and we'll figure out something specific that you're guilty of." Among other things. It was definitely a glimpse of blatant racial inequality, at least as it existed in LA in 1948.

3001: The Final Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke

Summary: Remember Frank Poole, drifting out into infinite space in 2001? Well he's back. Watch as he learns to interact with a society of the future.

Comments: Of course I have to say nice things about the book. Like, for example, that I enjoyed it (which I did). Possibly "omg you have to read it", but only if I think I have an audience interested in sci-fi (all kinds of nifty technology). Is this also when I admit that I read most of it before/during various classes? Very much an action story, and very much enjoyable. And we learn more about that enigmatic Monolith. Kinda.

The Long Goodbye, by Raymond Chandler

Summary: The summary of Philip Marlowe's involvement with Terry Lennox. And also with a drunk author named Roger Wade, and Roger's wife Eileen. After Terry's wife is murdered and Terry disappears, things start getting very messy indeed. But Marlowe is a private investigator. He know how to get to the bottom of things.

Comments: I actually enjoyed this one. That's unusual for required reading... Marlowe is kinda amusing. He won't take any crap from anybody, and dishes out far more than his share of insults. I'm thinking Chandler might make is onto my list of authors to look for in the future. Assuming I ever get near the bottom of my to-read pile...

The Secret Agent, by Joseph Conrad

Summary: We have an anarchists, the Embassy-lead intrigue, a mentally challenged brother-in-law, and a shop of shady dealings. But things don't go as planned, and death is the result.

Comments: I don't know how much I have to say about a book for school that I actually finished a week ago. The short version is that it was a challenge to read and I didn't much enjoy it.