Commute audiobook. The criteria: simple enough that I can focus on driving without losing track of what's going on book, engaging enough that it keeps me awake on a long drive. Success on both fronts, and it also inspired a little critical thinking which is nice for a former English lit-er--but still light enough for a FORMER English lit-er. :)

The book follows a recent high school graduate through 5 years at a magical college (a la Harry Potter), then on an adventure with his friends in a magical land (a la Narnia). The book is a satire and from my perspective a successful one, drawing attention to the absurdity of various fantasy tropes while also functioning as an interesting fantasy that adheres more or less to the same tropes it points out as ridiculous. It's a hard balance to strike but Grossmann nails it.

The one thing I found very curious is the larger structure. The book is divided into 2 halves, the first "Harry potter" half and the second "narnia" half, and there isn't really an overarching plot that holds them together. It felt a lot like 2 separate books --any ideas why this is a single book and not 2 separate books?