"The Professor and the Madman" by Simon Winchester

I have read this novel twice in the past ten years because the first time I read it I wasn't blogging so I didn't retain as clear a picture of what transpired between it's covers. It was as entertaining the second time through as it was in the first time reading. It follows the stories of two men, one, an early and important editor of the Oxford English dictionary and, the other, a psychologically challenged primary contributor lending to the success of the dictionary's printing. Imagining the undertaking this all-encompassing dissection of the English language becomes easier through the description Winchester provides. The manner in which he details the circumstances of our two protagonists also brings the reader closer to the magnanimity of the work they both contributed. It's a great, knowledgeable read.

"The Martian" by Any Weir

Granted, I had some free time but I didn't expect to whip through this book in one day. I knocked out 40 pages the night before and found few reasons to put it down on the day. This book was well thought out and, in almost all cases, written clearly in an entertaining and concise manner. The central character finds himself, by an unbelievable turn of events, stranded on Mars with enough food to last a small percentage of the time he'll be forced to survive. Weir writes a snarky, funny, intelligent perspective of a man facing down the most dire of circumstances and surviving despite it all. This movie comes out in two weeks. Great timing.

"Collected Short Stories" by James Salter

This was the first work I've read by James Salter. I am eager to read more. This piece was a collection of short stories and I had trouble putting the book down between them. The way Salter can describe a person so simply but so completely like "she had a down turned mouth and nice breasts" is a marvel to me. It cuts to the core of what we recognize about people and how we can best identify them. I enjoyed all the stories, in particular those which showed the true nature and internal fantasies we all play out in our heads. Salter truly captures the waves of life with the ebb and flow of our internal desires and impulses in a way I've never seen. Next I will be reading one of his full novels.