Favorite Books 2005-Honorable Mentions

All in My Head
by Paula Kamen

The true story of a woman who suffered, and learned, from a headache that lasted 10 years (and counting at the time of publication). Her quest for a cure led her from Western to Eastern medicine with stops everywhere in between. As a person with a chronic condition myself I appreciated Kamen's candor about the frustrations of living with a pain that no one else can see. I would (and do) recommend it to anyone with chronic pain and in any cases where a cure doesn't really apply.

Drama City
by George Pelecanos

I considered this one lesser Pelecanos when I read it. At the reading I attended when he spoke of how quickly it had been written I understood why. After hearing him read it though, and listening to the audio book, I like it much better. The 12 step meeting scenes are great and I do hope that we will read more about Rachel and Lorenzo in future books.

Assassination Vacation
by Sarah Vowell

The latest from NPR's squeaky voiced star is a road trip to the places of great Americian assassinations. Vowell, a self proclaimed civics geek, loads the reader up with lots of history but in such a charming way that you don't really notice the education. I would gladly grab some Combos and Twizzlers and ride shotgun on her next trip.