Recommended
I just finished Michael Chabon's "Kavalier & Clay". It feels odd being able to read for pleasure (as opposed to edification, which can be pleasure, but isn't always so). This follows on the heels of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" which I finished a month or two back, and while they are supposedly some of the best books recently written, I have a hard time calling them "Great Books". Chabon's work won the Pulitzer Prize, and while an excellently written book that makes you truly empathize and connect with it's characters, it's not Pulitzer Prize quality.
What it doesn't have in terms of beleiveability (although it gets close in places), "Kavalier & Clay" makes up for in Chabon's description rich writing style that leads you around a room, giving you a panoramic view into the world and the minds of his characters, who are lovingly written but never given over to excessive pitty at the hands of the author. The story is always king, and it's a good thing. It's not a "Great Book", but it's definantly not a waste of time. Heartily recommended.
I'm going to try to get through "My War Gone By, I Miss It So" next. It'll probably take a while at this rate.