calm5) The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick (Feb 16 - Feb 20)
Like all of Dick's work that I've read, it's hard to tell what this story was really "about". The story takes place in an alternate-history 1962 in which Nazi Germany and Japan won the second World War, and consequently split up the territory of the USA between them. In particular, it's set in San Francisco, controlled by the Japanese. The narrative focuses on a number of interrelated characters, each seemingly lost in the world. Most of the American characters still haven't quite reconciled themselves to their new roles in a traditional Japanese society. The Japanese ones find themselves subtly at odds with the Americans' attitudes, and conflicting with the Germans, who squabble among themselves. And like most of his work, the book ends without a clear resolution of most of the issues.
I enjoyed reading it, and it was an interesting book... but it's kinda hard to talk about.