The town of Wigfield and  "author" Russell Hokes are two peas in a pod; they're both in it for the money. So when Hokes needs a story to be paid on his book contract, and Wigfield finds itself in crisis after the State has decided to tear down the nearby dam, flooding their town, these two unlikely bedmates come together in a riotous, satirical journey to find the heart and soul of dying, small town America. And generous federal disaster relief checks.

Written by Georgi Vladimov, one of Russia's great post-Stalinist authors, Faithful Ruslan is the story of a gulag guard dog as told from the dog's point of view.  As Ruslan recounts his life, the reader discovers a dark allegory; the dog's tale of steadfast faithfulness to his masters despite the abuse he receives and witnesses mirrors the lives of Russians under Stalin's rule. 

 Haunting is the word that comes to mind after reading this book of short stories depicting life at Fort Hood Texas. Written by an Army wife, these stories pull no punches and make me even more grateful to our current and veteran service men and women and their families for their sacrifices.

Lovecraft, largely ignored in his own time, is now recognized as one of the masters of weird and horror stories.  I highly recommend reading any of the Arkham House compilations (Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories, Dunwich Horror and others), if you have never read Lovecraft before.