"Tiger Shrimp Tango (Serge Storms, #17)" by Tim Dorsey

I have a new addiction, it's Serge Storm. This is the first Tim Dorsey book I've read but it won't be the last. His characters are sociopaths, drunks, Spillane obsessed detectives and goofballs. I felt right at home. Serge fills the story with scientific methods of offing the bad guys that will fill you with horror and make you want to cheer at the same time; mentos will never look the same again. Did I mention the Tupperware museum? 

Let me just say that by the end of the book you come to know why toilet lids are flying out of five star hotels, meet Johnny Vegas, the Accidental Virgin, and learn more about Florida then that they have alligators strolling down the lanes.

A must read if you love mystery, satire, or just a good belly laugh.

"The Little Bear Book" by Anthony Browne

Little Bear and his magic pencil are strolling through the woods and come across one annoyed creature after another but with his magic pencil he draws just the right thing to get them on their way.

"Milo and Millie" by Jedda Robaard

A wild and exciting adventure on the high seas awaits these two as they take their bath. With a tutorial on how to make your own sea worthy vessel, this is a great way to get reluctant kids into the tub.

"The Frog Who Lost His Underpants" by Juliette MacIver and Cat Chapman

What's froggy to do when he loses his underpants but ask for help. This is a cute book about learning that asking for help is ok and that individuality has nothing to do with the color of your underpants. There has been a run of picture books dealing with underpants in the past couple of weeks and this is a nice addition.

"You Can Date Boys When You're Forty" by Dave Barry

This had me laughing throughout. From his critic on Fifty Shades of Gray, which he read to his repelling down a cliff side in the deserts of Israel, this was a fun read. Pick it up and enjoy.

"The Enchanted" by Rene Denfeld

In a narrow corridor devoid of windows and deprived of any sign of life outside his walls, sits a madman alone,haunted by past deeds and current damnation. He alone sees the truth in the darkness and he alone knows the tapestry that is being weaved, occasionally with flashes of beauty: golden horses with manes of fire running beneath the land, baby blue booties to welcome a newborn, lakes blue and peaceful to cleanse the soul. Yet in this world of ancient stone and dust, they are only a reminder of what has been lost or never obtained. Through books and the enchantment of his prison he sees all and says nothing knowing all things come to those who wait.

"The Buddha in the Attic" by Julie Otsuka

Otsuka is a master of the simple sentence, letting the purity of her words create shining glimpses of the women she introduces us too. They sail from Japan with hopes of a new life and are brutally introduced to the reality of a new world in 1900's California where they will struggle to make a life out of poverty, hardships, racism, and suspicion. As part of a multicultural influx at the time, the Japanese were a crucial part of building a new era in Californian history and were unceremoniously ripped from that fabric with little warning or objection at the time. 

The characters are diverse, human, and will be familiar to anyone who has every faced uncertainty themselves. Beautifully crafted.