Screwed

I've recently finished two audiobooks, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, in which a youn governess encounters odd going-ons in an English mansion, and A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore, in which a young man finds himself screwed.

Both books deal with the supernatural world, but both books are worlds apart from each other. The Turn of the Screw holds true to it's Victorian period. The dark undertone of the book hints at scandals that are too horrific to mention. James does a very good job of scaring you while he's tearing down the setting around the governess. The interesting thing about The Turn of the Screw is the dual way the book can be interpretted. A reader can read the book completely believing the governess and what she is experiencing, or one can read it under the assumption that the governess is losing her mind. Either way, the book has its suspenseful moments. As with a lot of classical books, it can drag in bits due to Victorian era languages and style, but overall, the story draws you in and the book goes by quickly. Plus, the ending is worth the read.

The second book, A Dirty Job, was an absolute riot and one that I will listen to (or read) again. I loved it enough that I immediately went out and bought his latest, You Suck. The book is about a very ordinary man, Charlie Asher, who finds out one day that he has a special job in life and that is to be a sort of a helper to Death. The book follows Charlie as he adjusts to his new job. I laughed out loud in several places and Moore is a fantastic storyteller. He fills the book with wonderful characters and you find yourself becoming attached to almost everyone. The situations are highly amusing and oddly familiar. He also weaves his characters together from one book to another, which makes it more fun to read. A very big warning though, his book is very, very vulgar at times. If you are sensitive to certain language and situations, then this book is not for you. If you don't mind, then read it. You'll have a good laugh.