Convenience store woman

Convenience store woman / Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, read by Nancy Wu, 163 pgs.

Keiko has always been a little odd but now an adult, working in a convenience store.  She is obviously "on the spectrum" but does a great job at the store after being trained.  She is very capable of copying the speech and expressions required while helping customers.  She knows she is different but is mostly happy in her job and her life.  As time goes on, the biggest problem is OTHER people wanting her to be like them.  They want her to be married, in love, have kids, etc.  She hooks up with a guy from work who is basically a bad attitude loser.  They make "an arrangement" so neither of them has to listen to others who want them to change.  I enjoyed the story and my take is that Keiko knows herself so well that she isn't the one with the problem.  The audio is expertly done by Nancy Wu.

Heads in Beds: a Reckless Memoir of Hotel, Hustles and So-Called Hospitality / Jacob Tomsky 247 pp.

This was a very hot title last year, and deservedly.  Jacob Tomsky graduates from college and takes a hotel valet position temporarily to get by.  Many years and lots of bizarre experiences later, he writes this memoir of his life in the luxury hotel industry.  There's loads of profanity, a fair amount of drug and alcohol abuse, and one hilarious anecdote after another. As far as power goes, this is a fabulous study.  Sure, the wealthy customer can degrade the bellman by insulting him and refusing to tip.  But what will that bellman do with his pillow/alarm clock/toothbrush once he's out of the room?  Now that's a power play. 
Tomsky is best when he makes the case for protecting the rights of hotel workers, and does a terrific job of portraying the frequent indignities of service work.  He's even-handed, too, showing us managers and customers in a flattering light when warranted.  I wish he had shown more interest in examining the foolishness of having able-bodied adults spend their lives carrying bags for people who don't need them to and then begging for tips like children.  A very fast, almost manic, read, and highly entertaining.