K-PAX (the book) — by Gene Brewer

I'd guess far more people have seen the wonderful 2001 movie starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges than have read Brewer's 1995 novel.

Much as I enjoyed the film (a lot), the book is proving much, much better.

Read the first nine pages here.

The added depth of prot (rhymes with "goat"; the protagonist, a visitor from planet K-Pax) provided by the story in word form makes his character far more compelling.

Too bad the book is only 226 pages long: I'm trying to go really slowly, reading only at bedtime and rarely for more than five pages before the book falls from my hands to the floor, waking up both me and Gray Cat and signaling it's time for lights out.

FunFact: KPAX is a news station in Missoula, Montana.