Conor

The number of great beers flowing into the District is steadily rising. Breweries from across the country and around the globe are constantly offering new products for our drinking pleasure. There has never been a better time to learn about the excellent beers on the market. With this book, Michael Jackson makes it easy to become a connoisseur. His reviews provide an intelligent and accessible look at beers of all styles. Whether you’re looking to decipher an overwhelming liquor store shelf, pick up something quick at the grocery store or simply broaden your beer knowledge, Michael Jackson’s Great Beer Guide can help.

In Go With Me, we follow Lillian, as she tries to "take care of" Blackway, a man she fears will soon kill her. After the Sheriff rebuffs her, she reluctantly turns for help to a band of outsiders led by a man named Whizzer. Ultimately, she teams up with a sharp-witted codger and a strong, but perceptibly dimwitted youth to solve her problem. This book is the perfect illustration of how dialogue should be written: The staccato rhythms of Lillian's sections match the anxiety and necessity of her quest and the repetitive tone of Whizzer's office highlights the almost banal nature of violence. It is at once a a gripping adventure tale and a gothic mystery brought north. Go With Me's suspense and tension give way to an incredibly delightful reward in its final pages. with Cat Dawson

Judging a book by its cover can be dangerous business, but The Manual of Detection is a serendipitous instance where image and product are equally remarkable. When Charles Unwin is promoted from Clerk to Detective, we, the readers, are whisked along on the handlebars of his bicycle with little explanation and only the standard issue Manual of Detection as a guide. From the first line, we are enveloped in a world where details may be clues, clues may be red herrings, and red herrings may be the most important of all. This book is a fantastically imagined dream to be read over and over again. So come along for the ride.

As the author photo indicates, Paul Auster has an inquisitive eye. In these three novels, Auster pulls back the curtain on a city where every resident is a character and every detail is a clue. We become accomplices in his identity scam, partners in his stake-out and doppelgängers in his circus mirror. Even the cover of this edition (gorgeously rendered by Art Spiegelman) hints at the beautiful complexity inside. If you’ve never read Auster, read this. If you have, read more.

Pick up this book. Now read the first 6-10 pages. Go ahead…

Spectacular. Maugham creates engrossing characters whose flaws make them all the more real. Honesty of narration (as distinguished from reliability) is the key to the whole story. It's hard not to think about how shocking this outsider story must have been when published; it’s also hard to ignore the questions its autobiographical elements raise about Maugham himself.

...that sounds like a challenge. Game on!