Shelf Monkey is an entertaining and iconoclastic look at the world of books.
It’s a little like Catch-22, but instead of bombers and Italian prostitutes there are big box book stores and people eating pizza. The role of Yossarian is played by a confirmed and inveterate book nerd (named Thomas).
Thomas has recently quit his career as a lawyer, and decided to work at a book store, because he loves book. At least, he THOUGHT he loved books. Turns out, he only likes good books. And working at a big-box-book store, Thomas discovers that not everyone has the same (good) taste. Especially when the execrable predilections of the wildly popular Munroe Purvis encourage the great unwashed to buy books of dubious value.
Unlike Yossarian, Redekop’s protagonist is actually able to accomplish something. Something weird, a bit dangerous, and even anarchic — burning books. Not all books, just the overhyped, the unredeemably bad, the dreck of the literary world.
Part Chuck Palahniuk, part readers guide to great literature, Shelf Monkey is a must for anyone with pretensions to being a bibliophile. You’ll love it. For those of you who are okay with not reading every great book in the history of literature, you may find the continual literary references a bit tiring, but there’s still lots to love.
Redekop’s book is witty, and dare I say, aflame with excellent satire. (Yes, I dare.)
Available at Amazon here.