You don't think it's humorous? Carl Hiaasen is freaking hilarious, imo. For people on this board, I'd probably recommend Double Whammy as its vicious treatment of tournament bass fishing is cruelly gut busting.

Well, kinda, not really, compared to Rankin, no. But their was some chuckle worthy stuff in Skin Tight.

Finished Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World edited by James Washington.

The collection details King's feelings on Gandhi and nonviolence, civil disobedience (see, Letter From a Birmingham Jail), love and Jesus Christ, philosophy, and the great role of economics in strengthening nonviolent changes.

King is one of the great heroes of America. I gained a greater appreciation of the man, his ideas, and his work from this rather short (200 pages) collection. Should be required reading for most American history classes.

Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is essential, required, important reading.

A book on UNIX. Just when I think I can get away from text books long enough to read something else...

Ivan Doig, "Prairie Nocturne". I've read several of his novels in the past year or so. They all center around a group of families in a fictional area in Montana on the edge of the Rockies, from the late 19th century to present. Good writer.

"World War Z" - Max Brooks.

My wife's been getting after me to read it for a few years, but I just finished "Night" by Elie Weisel. Great book, but definitely not a feel-good time.
I also am almost done with the Secret Santa book that came out last Christmas about the local guy... just to get me in the mood for the holidays.

"The Burnt House" By Faye Kellerman

God Bless, Kurt Vonnegut!

No I haven't. I've always been fascinated with history, and kind of read him for the first time (the Great War series) on a lark. I found that the way he wrote alternate history was very plausable, even likely if certain events would have changed or not happened. I really enjoyed the whole series. But I don't know if I can get into the Sci-fi/fantasy stuff. From what I understand "Guns of the South" is based on a time traveller giving the Confederacy AK-47's, which is too big of a leap for the history guy in me.
I have read a couple other stand alone alternate histories by him that I enjoyed. One was "Ruled Britania". Sheakspeare as a resistance leader was pretty cool. And I can't remeber the other. Let me refill my Bubbakeg with rum and coke and I'll try to figure it out.

Not exactly highbrow, but got introduced to a certain Mr. Baldacci. Good yarn spinner. It's all a little simple once it's all played out, but your turnin' pages aplenty as you go.
The appeal of Grisham and Patterson, moving into plotlines outside the legal system and crime dramas.

I literally read this cover to cover. I don't know what's wrong with me. It was certainly eye-opening, though.

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/3...0627560gq4.jpg

I just got done reading both Blood Meridian and The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Blood Meridian is probably the most violent book I've ever read. You have to get used to his narrative style though.
The Road is a freaking chilling book. I wasn't right for a few days after reading that book

I finished The Road last week as well. I really liked it, probably more than any other McCarthy book. As you said, it has an eerie, chilling feel to it. It reads like a parable or something. Very good.