They're both hard covers! ;) I *loved* Soon I Will Be Invincible (although it took me about 100 pages to actually get into it--luckily I'd had a very strong recommendation that I'd like it, so I stuck with it and really, really enjoyed it). Have you read Hero yet? It's a YA novel, but has that same take on superhero fiction in prose, as well as a coming of age/understanding sexual identity/secret-identity as more than just for powers themes running through it. It was also really good.

Is The Road less depressing than I've been hearing about his recent work? I loved All the Pretty Horses but haven't read much else by him, despite my enjoyment of that novel. I have another one by him lurking around here somewhere (because I had intended to read more of his work after college and just... didn't).