God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer

"Yep, it’s that Otis Spunkmeyer – the (fictitious) man behind the ubiquitous vending-machine baked goods. Joseph, the protagonist of Joseph Earl Thomas’ frenetic debut novel, wants nothing more than a chocolate chip muffin to get him through his shift as a med tech at a Philadelphia hospital. He will have to learn to live with disappointment (which is no problem for him). It’s hard to list all the themes Thomas tackles with aplomb in this book – just know it’s smart, fast moving and funny as hell. (It will make you want one of those muffins, though.)"