Francine Prose has another new book, My New American Life , which is between Blue Angel and A Changed Man in quality, which of course means it is very, very good. An Albanian girl comes to America, gets a job as a "nanny" - the kid is a teenager, but his mom is off being crazy somewhere - the whole story is from her point of view. P. S. I knew John Belushi was Albanian, but Mother Theresa? Yes, she was.

Two new coming-of-age titles; First, Big Girl Small, by Rachel DeWoskin, about a female little person - a dwarf or midget as some people call them, and what happens when she transfers to an artsy up-market high school. Told in the first person and very intelligent, also full of factoids about Little People.

Next, In Zanesville, by Jo Ann Beard, also told in the first person, about two girls just entering high school in a small town, with its exquisitely tuned evaluations of money and class. As you may have guessed, the two protagonists are from the less-advantaged neighborhood. Smart and funny.

Sorry about the hiatus. It was a heck of a summer.

Anyway, I have some more good suggestions. The Pack by Jason Starr - This is kind of an unusual pick for me because I don't read fantasy a lot. It reads like a typical Yuppie novel only the protagonist becomes - and joins - a pack of werewolves (also Yuppies). Anybody that likes this will probably also like Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow, a long prose poem on the same subject.

Finally, there is The Last Werewolf , by Glen Duncan. Of course, it turns out --- you'll have to read the book.