The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper was recommended to me and I read it without knowing anything about it - and I fell into it right away.  It's the story of a small-town guy who makes it big when a novel about his hometown becomes a best seller and a subsequent movie is made.  In the novel he scandalizes the town with a thinly-veiled retelling of their darkest secrets, and then he has to face those same people when he returns to be by his ailing father's bedside.

Anyone who wasn't on the top of the heap during high school will find something to relate to when they see their own experiences mirrored in Joe's resignation to being content with his social standing and the not-so-flattering aging of those who were popular lends a quiet vindication that life will trump in the end.  It didn't help that the hero of the story was about my age and that he hailed from a town that placed sports at the pinnacle of achievement - a little bit of my story, too!  The whole time I kept thinking I couldn't wait to get out of town... and at the same time I couldn't stop watching what was happening...

The writing style is alternately funny and somber and very present in the moment.  There are a few clichés I could have done without, but I let Tropper take me where he wanted to and when I was done I was glad for the ride.  Actually, I wonder if it's a little of the truth behind the clichés that made them so uncomfortable.

Some of the language is a little too honest for me to recommend it to everyone, but it's also the honesty (and humor) that made this such a compelling read.  This book has romance, violence, sex and sports!  If you're looking for a guilty pleasure, look no further... and let Jonathan Tropper take you to Bush Falls!