Novel notes: "The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop."

"The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop." by Robert Coover is a book that I think probably resonates in some way with every male in the universe. And probably a lot of females, too.

If you've ever been so caught up in a video game that you couldn't wait until the next opportunity to play, this book is for you.

If you've ever created any kind of fantasy world for yourself, this book is for you.

If you've ever had a conversation with a voice in your head, this book is for you.

I've been guilty of all of those things. "The Universal Baseball Association" is the story of a man - J. Henry Waugh - who creates an extremely detailed fictional baseball universe through a dice game of his own invention.

Maybe more than any book I've reviewed so far, it's a bit of a simplification to call this a "baseball novel." In fact, Henry doesn't even like baseball that much. If anything, I'd call this a "math novel" or an "accounting novel." But don't let that turn you away from it.

What's striking to me about this book is how invested the reader becomes not only in Henry, but also in the "players" Henry creates in his game. It's sort of like a play-within-a-play situation.

It's a pretty fascinating book. The review is coming soon.

--Matt Kelsey