Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, 323 pages

It is 1999 and Y2K is on it's way.  Lincoln takes a job at a newspaper working systems security.  He's tasked with checking flagged emails and sending out warnings if your email is inappropriate.  Not exactly the job he thought he'd be doing.

Meanwhile, Beth and Jennifer email all day long.  They know their email is being checked, but that doesn't censor them.

Lincoln starts looking forward to reading these exchanges between Jennifer and Beth.They are hilarious and the bright spot in his otherwise dull shift.  Eventually he realizes that he has feelings for Beth, but he doesn't know what to do about them.  How can he ask a girl out after reading all these messages?  Knowing all these private details of her life?  Not to mention the fact that she already has a boyfriend.

This is my second Rainbow Rowell novel and she is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors. 

Beat the Reaper (Peter Brown #1) by Josh Bazell, 310 pages

"Beat the Reaper" is a profanity laden and hilarious adventure about medical resident Dr. Peter Brown who also happens to be a former hit man for the mob.  His real name is Pietro Brnwna aka "Bearclaw" and he is in the Federal Witness Protection Program.

He is a resident at a crappy hospital and walks into the room of a terminally ill mobster and they, of course, recognize each other.  Oops.

This is a book club book and I am expecting to be chastised for making the book club read a book that mentions the "f" word in about every other sentence.  However, I'll just blame Shirley for picking this one. 

Author Josh Bazell has a BA in writing from Brown University and an MD from Columbia.   What a wicked and lovely combination.  And after reading this, I am going to do my best to stay OUT of the hospital.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, 503 pages

“A Casual Vacancy” is J.K. Rowling’s first adult fiction novel. The story is set in the small town of Pagford. It is a beautiful town where many of its residents feel it is their ordained birthright to control and preserve its heavenly beauty. Unfortunately, if you happen to be the less than blessed in this small town, beware, because it is the poor that has the local parish council in an uproar.

The story begins with Barry Fairbrother dying. Barry had held a seat on the parish council and was a champion for the less fortunate. With his death, there is a fear that the council will have the power to pass a vote to separate the town of Pagford from what is known as the Fields. The Fields would be similar to what we would call public assistance housing. Get rid of the responsibility of the residents of the Fields, and the town will be saved from the savages that many on the council believe live there. 

But the fighting in this small town doesn’t just revolve around the parish council, no, in this story you become a fly on the wall of all of the varied residents of Pagford. You will find a battle for power festering behind every door, be you rich or poor.

Although the story did start out slow, I was glad I stuck with it to the end. Rowling’s does a beautiful job with character and setting detail. The ending was not what I had expected, which I always enjoy. And Krystal, a teenager who lives in the Fields, will always be one of those characters I will never forget.  I felt Rowling’s challenges the reader to question their views on what makes a town beautiful. Is a town beautiful because of its buildings and natural splendor, or is the true beauty found among the diverse residences that live on both sides of the track?