Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken

This fictional memoir tells the life-and-career story of comedian Mose Sharp and his partner-in-performance, Rocky Carter. These vaudeville actors eventually make the transition to radio and film, but it's their long and complex relationship that gives the book its dynamic story.

These two slightly broken men together create a work-marriage that outlasts every other partnership in their lives. It goes without saying this is a dysfunctional relationship and things maybe don't turn out so well. But it's the getting there that's fun.

I loved that this is a story I haven't read a million times over - it seems a fresh look at the relatively common theme on relationships. You love these men, and you want to smack them over the head for their foibles. The story doesn't focus overmuch on their financial success or their business - it's really an old man looking back at the brotherhood and his life. Highly recommended!

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

It all starts with a bullying and a beating, and then things continue downhill until giant bugs ravage an Iowa town. But mostly, this is a book about love, friendship, small towns, and Cold War paranoia.

As horny, sexually confused teen Austin Czerba keeps a record of the end of the world, his version of history is muddled up with his family genealogy, the story of a small town's industry, and an intense love triangle between Austin, his girlfriend, and his best friend Robby. It's a bawdy, messy, hilarious book: there's a lot of talk about sex, and Austin is haunted by the word "experiment." But the charged emotions of the love triangle are offset by the need to absurdly save the world from 6-foot man-eating mantises.

I couldn't put this book down. It's unique, in a sci-fi genre where it's hard to break new ground. Smith revels a bit in 1950s pop-culture nostalgia, then knocks it right out of the park. I'll admit I was slightly disappointed with the ending, but only because it's not what I wanted to see happen - no fault of the story or author. I won't tell you why, though. Because you should read this book. It's excellent.

Dewey

Dewey. The small-town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron

Unlike my colleague, I enjoyed this book. Dewey enchanted me, yes, but so did the community of Spencer, Iowa. This book is about more than a sweet, beautiful cat. It's about all the people who knew that cat, and how they interacted with him.