There have been some books kicking around on my list of things to read/recommend, so I thought I'd share some today:

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a prosperous 47-year-old Syrian-American and father of four, chose to stay through the storm to protect his house and contracting business. In the days after the storm, he traveled the flooded streets in a secondhand canoe, passing on supplies and helping those he could. A week later, on September 6, 2005, Zeitoun abruptly disappeared. (thanks to Jason)


Neal Stephenson's "Eco Thriller" chronicles Sangamon Taylor's attempts to protect Boston Harbor from a chemical companies attempts to dump waste, cover it up and get away with it. From exciting Zodiac chases on the Charles to dramatic plot points, it's got it all. Radically different from Stephenson's more computer oriented works, but if you've enjoyed his other works, you'll really enjoy this one too. If not, check out his other novels.

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life - and one of her coworkers checks out....
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.

This is the first in a series of "Sookie Stackhouse" novels, and the (loose) basis for HBO's series, True Blood.