On Judging Books by their Covers - Or Horror Books for Those Who Don't Do Horror Books.
So, many years before my administrator found this book left behind at the close of school, handed it to me, and said it looked like my kind of book. I thought her assumption couldn't be more wrong. The book remained behind one of my bookshelve for many years until one night when I was desperate and had read every book in my house. I LOVE EINSTEIN! The Watches turned out to be one of my all-time favorite books. There are chills and romance and moments to cheer and moments to pull the covers over your head and EINSTEIN. Koontz writing is fast, engrossing and (on the occassion in others of his books where descriptive passages get too lengthy) easy to skim when needed. I, quite surprisingly, found I like the scary when it is supernatural, and Einstein... You'll love him too! I also recommend all the Odd Thomas books and the first two Frankenstein.
p.s. I don't recommend Koontz on audio... see skimming descriptive passages above.

I LOVE IT! So, the premise: the time has come for the end of days, but there's an angel and a demon that have worked the same territory forever and have both developed their own deep attachments for This World (one of the angel's is for BOOKS!). Anyway, the two work together to prevent the Anti-Christ from fulfilling his task so the world can continue. Meanwhile you have the infant Anti-Christ placed with the wrong family, the Hell Hound chasing butterflies, and the Four Horsemen riding Harleys! What more can I say.

How FUN... and intellectually stimulating. Gaiman's basic premise is that all the peoples who have come to this continent have brought with them their Gods. As the great melting pot has blended us all into this new culture our Old Gods have been abandoned and so must take on new roles. Anubis is an undertaker; Astate is a prostitute. The conclusion is disappointing with the New Gods, though Gaimen's point is worth the effort. This book appeals to those who enjoy puzzles, mythology, and fantasy.
On a side note, many have attempted to find Christ in this story, despite the author's assurance that He is not in the story. This makes perfect sense. The premise is Gods left behind, so none of the large religions of today - Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism,... - are among the ABANDONDED Gods.

This amazing book is well worth your time. Stone's thorough research into Michaelangelo's life and his fluid skill as an author provides the perfect blend to produce a narrative history. Though liberties are taken to create dialog and details of events for which verfiable knowledge cannot be given, the book takes us to the true heart of the man, his life, and his work. As a historian, I can't ask for more.
I also HIGHLY recommend Lust for Life (van Gogh).