CHE by Jon Anderson

Jon Anderson's epic account of communist revolutionary Che Guevara's life is an enthralling depiction of the desperation of Cold War era South America as much as it is a detailed and enthusiastic biography. While Anderson occasionally appears to have an affectionate bias for Che, he succeeds in not smoothing over the darker aspects of his life, including the executions of hundreds of former Batista officials. Overall, "Che" is an incredible look into the mind of a complex man, and is a surprisingly rewarding read.

ADRIAN MOLE AND THE WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRUCTION by Sue Townsend

Sue Townsend places her signature character, Adrian Mole, in the midst of a post-9/11 world. Now middle aged, Mole battles with anxiety over aging, romance, and the possibility of Iraq nuking Cyprus while he's on holiday there. While I've been constantly fascinated by Townsend's worried creation, I feel like she is becoming tired of writing him. "Weapons of Mass Distruction" is still endlessly amusing, but Mole has lost some of the naive charm that endeared him to those who grew up with him. That said, Adrian's paranoid musings are always enjoyable to read, and "Weapons of Mass Distruction" does not disappoint.

RAINBOW SIX by Tom Clancy

In Tom Clancy's "Rainbow Six," a super-soldier SWAT team must fight to protect the world from hippie Eco-Terrorists. My personal views on Clancy's apparent political bias aside, this book is well-crafted but meaningless, a tasty bit of fluff that serves as a palate-cleansing sorbet to be taken after a heavier read. While it's over 600 pages long, "Rainbow Six" is such an easy read that one should be able to finish it within a week. In the end, Clancy's prose (if he did indeed write this one) is clichéd but enjoyable, and "Rainbow Six" is perfect distractionist entertainment.