Hornby is always thoroughly enjoyable, and a great premise makes his latest even more savory. Annie’s wasted 15 years with Duncan, a socially clueless middle-aged nerd who’s obsessed with reclusive American musician Tucker Crowe. Annie does love Tucker’s classic album, Juliet, and when the original demos are released as Juliet, Naked, she writes a counter-essay to Duncan’s rhapsodizing about this one new addition to the Crowe canon. Crowe emails Annie in appreciation, and the cascade of encounters begins. The showing-up of Duncan’s fanboy snobbishness is delicious, but Hornby never goes too far–all his characters remain human and sympathetic. He’s kind to them, which is one of the reasons I’m so fond of him; he’s also not-put-down-able, but without leaving the junk food aftertaste that some compelling novels do. Juliet, Naked doesn’t quite have the substance of About a Boy, but it made me very happy. Thank you, Mr. Hornby, and please keep writing!