The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz

A great read, I would argue, on its own with its humor, pace, rich character development and craftmanship. Yet, even better is that almost every other page has some vague reference to a Tolkein tale or sci-fi adventure, both of which I am a fan. And much of the story takes place in NJ, my home for 35+ years, with a good swath in my own college town of New Brunswick (Rutgers). How nostalgic did I feel when Diaz placed Oscar in some geek-sponsored club meeting in the river dorm basement classrooms?