When you read plenty of heavy, something lighter can feel like a vacation. Christopher Moore is one of my vacations, with Coyote Blue being this mental break's destination. And what a destination it was.

Spending time with insurance salesman Sam Hunter (Hunts Alone) was anything but a beach stay despite Sam owning a beach condo. Coyote Blue is a chaotic farce about a Native American who meets the girl of his dreams on the same day a Native American trickster decides to upend his life for all but deserting his Crow heritage.

To make matters worse, the girl that turns Sam's head is an uneducated single hippie-like mother. Her child, Grub, also happens to be the son of a jealous biker living downstairs.

Blended vigorously, the resulting concoction is one part chase caper and one part spirit quest with a healthy dose of supernatural sidekicks that Moore loves to use for laughs. The downside, at times, is a god part of Coyote Blue seems pointless despite the fun — enough so that I had to ask myself, "why is he writing this?" on more than one occasion. The answer, of course, is because Moore loves to entertain and does an excellent job delivering a break from all those other books.

Oh, that's not to say Moore doesn't tuck a few zingers inside. One of my favorites: Action based on hope just felt better than the paralysis of certainty. Isn't that the truth?