Stories That Won't Bore You to Death

I'm in an airport bookstore looking at the art. I haven't seen this many nudes outside the Louvre. One exception is a small Picador edition called Humiliation. The lovely trompe l'oeil notwithstanding, I don't pick it upâ??its subject one I am attempting to learn nothing more about. But there, beside Humiliation, I spot a novel written by my neighbor. The bare torso on the cover sports a second neighbor's glowing commendation in a bold cursive font just between the tattoo and the piercings. On the flipside are accolades by three other writers from our local dog park. (On an early morning dog walk, what language would one borrow to decline an invitation to exclaim?) So, these are the people who would tell us what to read: friends of the author.