Fool’s Paradise

Whenever I walk into a bookstore, I have two clear feelings. One is the general improvement of my attitude finding myself close to lots of books. (That’s brought on by the smell, I think. Ahhh, the smell.) The second feeling is anticipation of finding a gem, a book arriving unexpectedly in my life that...

House: A Memoir

I first found Michael Ruhlman by reading his book about pediatric heart surgeons called Walk on Water. It changed me by a few degrees, surely high praise for any book. The point is that my life is different because of Mr Ruhlman. Imagine my delight upon finding this bargain by the same author, a remaindered...

Prisoner of X

Right here, I shall make the case that a book cover can determine its commercial success. It’s not true all the time, but this is the latest in a line of books in which the quality of writing, the way the book feels, is so much better than the cover suggests. I’m disappointed on behalf of the...

I Don’t Care About Your Band

When Wombat over at Kiss and Blog approached me with his fab idea of starting a “Blogger Book Review Network” of sorts, and asked me if I’d like to participate, and not only participate, but be the FIRST to participate, I was left with the only logical question I could think of. Why...

The Hardest (Working) Man in Show Business.

If anyone is qualified to write about Fluffers, it’s Ron Jeremy. [Wikipedia link] This is his autobiography which, as you can see, didn’t sell at full retail price. The publisher’s loss is our gain, because this isn’t a half bad read. Ron tells the tale of his loves and likes in fine...

The Art of Making Money

The Art of Making Money, by Jason Kersten. Reviewed by Wombat. This book was my weekend entertainment. It forced me to consider the advantages of being a crook, especially a crook who counterfeits C-notes. There is a downside to contravening Federal US statutes, which includes being pursued by the Secret...