Soon, when you get home from work, it will be dark. Life turns inside as the days get shorter, clocks are turned back, and the weather gets colder. It’s the time of year I haunt the bargain bins and the dollar stores to look for inexpensive books. It’s also the only time of year I buy paperbacks. Here are some suggestions as you are lounging in your recliner next to the fireplace while the wind blows the snow sideways.

You Suck: A Love Story
By Christopher Moore, this is a sequel, of sorts, to the book that put him on the literary radar screen, Bloodsucking Fiends. It’s a sweet, passionate love story of two teenage Vampires who are trying to navigate the treacherous depths of teenage love, not to mention the occasional search for a few Bloody Marys … literally. If you are not familiar with Mr. Moore’s books, all I can say is that it is as if Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut wrote a novel together, the final draft of which was completely rewritten by Hunter S. Thompson. Moore is one of the most original novelists working. It has been said that Christopher Moore is a very, very sick man, but only in the best ways. Also check out Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal or the other side of that coin, A Dirty Job, where Charlie Asher, much to his surprise, has become Death. Try not to laugh too loud; people might think you are having fun. All of these books are now out in paperback.

First Meetings in the Enderverse
Orson Scott Card has written two of the best science fiction novels ever, Speaker for the Dead and Ender’s Game. In this collection of four short novels we learn all kinds of things about Ender, his family, and even his investment counselor, which was of particular interest to me since that’s my day job when Bryce and Tim unchain me from the 365ink sub-basement and let me out into the real world. The most interesting piece in this collection, however, is the reprinting of the original novella, published in 1977, of Ender’s Game. This was expanded and reworked to become the novel we are all familiar with. This was the seed from which it grew. It makes for very interesting reading. We also get an all too brief glimpse of Ender’s father in The Polish Boy and in Teacher’s Pest. I found a hardcover copy of this book for a buck in one of the dollar stores.

The Real Frank Zappa Book
I can’t believe Frank Zappa has been dead for 15 years. Four years before he died, this kind-of / sort-of autobiography was published. Frank had some help from Peter Occhiogrosso. It starts, “I don’t want to write a book, but I’m going to do it anyway, because Peter Occhiogrosso is going to help me. He is a writer. He likes books – he even reads them. I think it is good that books still exist, but they make me sleepy.”

Frank talked into a tape recorder and Peter, more or less, acted as an editor. The book has Frank’s voice through and through. There are stories you never heard before, belly-laugh, tear-provoking stories. There are stories that have taken on lives of their own that Frank clears up. To wit: The original name of the band was “The Mothers” and everyone, including the guy who booked gigs for them, told Frank they couldn’t get jobs because their name implied an obscene phrase that began with “mother.” The stock phrase was, “Out of necessity we became The Mothers of Invention.” Frank was notoriously anti-drugs. I know it’s hard to believe but it’s true. At one point the rest of the band (this is in the early days of the Mothers) all very heavy drug users, wanted Frank out of the band because he DIDN’T do drugs. Since Zappa was, far and away, the best musician in the group and the sole songwriter, I’m not sure what the rest of the guys had in mind but Zappa continued in the band sans chemical refreshment. They are all here: Captain Beefheart, John Wayne, Jean-Luc Ponty, Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, the L.A. Police Department, Louie the Turkey, having Simon and Garfunkel as Tom and Jerry opening for the Mothers at Franks invitation, the Phlorescent Leech and Eddie and so much other stuff I just don’t have room for it all. Buy the book and read it. It’s out in paperback.

Then, get a copy of Hot Rats, pop that baby in the CD changer and prepare to be dazzled. The book ends with something that was close to Frank’s heart and couldn’t be more apropos at this point in time, “It’s been a pleasure talking to you – and don’t forget to register to vote.”