A Confederacy of Dunces

A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole. The picaresque Ignatius J. Reilly, protagonist of the story, is one of the most original creations in literature. A 30-year-old virgin who has a Ph.D., yet still lives at home with his mother, his adventures in New Orleans as he tries to enter the working world comprise the story of this comic novel. Many readers will find it hilarious, and it's certainly worth a read. Grade: B+

The Memory of Running

The Memory of Running (2004) by Ron McLarty. Smithson Ide was a runner as a child and a young man, but at the age of 43 he has become an overweight drunk. Then his parents die of injuries suffered in a car crash, and a few days later he learns that his long-missing sister Bethany has died of exposure, a street person in Los Angeles. "Smithy" sets out on a cross-country trip by bicycle to claim his sister's body, and along the way finds redemption himself. Grade: B+