My Favorite Books This Year, Part Two

Again, nothing exciting grabbed me from this week's new releases. So, in the spirit of year-end lists and "best of's," here is another of one of my favorite books from 2010. This review originally appeared on February 18, 2010. This book was released in 2009, but, hey, it's my blog....


I just finished Kyria Abrahams' I'm Perfect, You're Doomed, a book I've been wanting to read since it was released in early 2009. Thank Jehovah I wasn't disappointed.

Ms. Abrahams was raised a Jehovah's Witness, a particular denomination I didn't know much about except they handed out fliers that remind me of early reader books and that they don't vote. Now I know more than I ever expected to and I am relieved to discover that I feel neither perfect nor doomed.

As a side note, the JW's have been knocking on my door recently. And, thanks to my 91-year-old grandmother who lives with me, they've even been sitting on my sofa. I have been gently warning my grandmother that the "friends" she has met are actually not friends at all. But how do you tell a lonely, elderly lady that the seemingly nice people she has invited in are one day going to bare their teeth and announce that her Southern Baptist lifestyle is all for naught? How do I tell her that one day she will be told that she will die in Armageddon like the rest of the non Jehovah's Witnesses? I wish I could let her read this book, but it's not available in large print. So instead I have to be content to feed her tidbits of information like, "Nana, did you know your friends don't celebrate their birthdays," or "Nana, did you know Jehovah's Witnesses think that everyone except Jehovah's Witnesses are going to die and not receive eternal salvation?" This ploy seems to be working. She'll still talk to them but she'll put up her Southern Baptist dukes.

Also, I have a good friend who is a Jehovah's Witness. Luckily my personality is strong enough that this person will not try to "Bible Study" me. She and I have spirited debates and I am happy to report that, compared to the JW's described in Ms. Abrahams' book, she seems quite normal.

Regardless, if you've ever wondered what those non-voting, Watchtower peddling, door to door salesmen are all about, this is the book for you. A very, very funny and descriptive book. I put down one book I had already started and devoured this one in just a few days which is not my normal way of reading.

Get this book and thank Go...uh, Jehovah that you did.

Published by Touchstone
A Division of Simon & Schuster

http://www.simonandschuster.com

http://www.kyriaabrahams.com

My Favorite Books This Year, Part One

Nothing excited me when I researched the new releases this week, so I'll take the easy way out and repost some of my reviews from the past year:

(Originally posted January 11, 2010)

O.k., so I couldn't come up with even a remotely clever headline for this review.

As someone who grew up with a father who took his anger out on his family, I seem drawn to memoirs of bad dads. (See All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg).

Birkenhead tells in vivid detail his story of growing up with a gun-obsessed yet liberal father. The father in this memoir strikes me as a very complicated man. Throughout this engaging book, I got the feeling that there was a lot going on inside his dad's head that no one could have known. However, this book is a masterful tale of what is going through the son's mind while he tries to figure out the world around him.

The author was spared the brunt of the physical abuse, most of that going to his mother or three siblings. Birkenhead struggles with the why of that fact, finally guessing it is due to his skill at distracting his dad.

I don't like giving too many specific details from a book such as this. Suffice to say that if you like stories of families coming out the other end of tumultuous times, you will enjoy GONVILLE.
I know I did.

Gift Ideas from Riverhead Books

Are you one of the masochists who enjoy shopping on Black Friday? Lewis Black has a few words for you:



Also from Riverhead Books: Julie Klam (with a little help from friends Susan Orlean and Denis Leary) and her new book "You Had Me at Woof".



Publisher website

Lewis Black

Julie Klam

On My Radar (Tuesday Edition)

I recently received a pitch from someone wanting me to review John Edward's (the psychic, not the philandering former Senator) new book. I didn't respond. I don't believe in psychic ability...not the kind he or people like him espouse anyway. It's like religion -- I don't know what I believe, but I know what I don't believe.

However, when I read about TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE: Remote Viewing Cases from the World's Premier Psychic Spy, well, despite myself, I was intrigued. Written by Major Ed Dames, U.S. Army, (retired) and Joe Harry Newman, the book has been described as "scary truth that reads better than fiction," by the Los Angeles Times.

Here's the book publicity:

Decorated army officer Major Ed Dames tells the shocking true story of his time as operations and training officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency's top-secret Psychic Intelligence Unit. Together with his Psi Spy team, Dames used the practice of remote viewing to uncover accurate and verifiable military intelligence by going where no intel operatives on the ground could go -- into the very mind of the enemy. After retiring from the military, he turned his paranormal detective skills to finding missing persons such as millionaire pilot Steve Fossett, whose plane vanished in Nevada, and a young Colorado girl named Christina White, who disappeared seemingly without a trace. He has even located one of the most legendary missing objects in history, the Ark of the Covenant. In Tell Me What You See, cosmic Columbo Major Ed Dames takes you behind the scenes of some of his most mind-bending cases.

• Reveals true stories and fascinating secrets uncovered by the military's remote viewing teams--from intelligence on Soviet missile sites to the whereabouts of missing POWs in Vietnam to the location of the Ark of the Covenant
• Maj. Dames is the most popular guest on George Noory's exceedingly popular radio show Coast to Coast AM

For anyone fascinated by the intersection of the military and the mysterious, Tell Me What You See is an amazing and completely absorbing must-read.

Well, I'm not gonna lie, it sounds interesting. Who knows, maybe after reading it, I'll be a believer. Or perhaps, Major Danes already knows. Otherwise, I'm testing the boundaries of "non-fiction".

Book website

Author website

Ed Dames twitter

Publisher twitter

On My Radar (Monday Edition)

Full disclosure: I used to be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. When I was 9 years old I played on the team with Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich, and Jerry West. You never heard about this because the games always took place in my driveway. The Lakers almost always won by one-point, usually scored by me. Oh, and I never missed a free throw (even if a lane violation had to be committed to give me another opportunity.)

Having said this, I am a Laker fan and, unlike baseball, have stayed with one team for my whole life. I worship on the altar of Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and, yes, even Vlade Divac, the human flopper. When I heard Jeanie Buss was coming out with a book, the first thing I thought was, "Does it have photos?*," but then I read a little more. Apparently, when first approached about writing a book, Ms. Buss, the daughter of the owner and the girlfriend of the head coach, demurred, saying she didn't think she had enough to say to fill a book. Then, her co-writer Steve Springer, a Los Angeles Times reporter, hit on the idea of combining her personal story with a diary she would keep of a Laker season, the book was born.

I love the idea of reading about a Laker season from the front office perspective. I'm less interested in her relationship with Laker coach Phil Jackson, but he is an interesting character. And, he loves books.

Book Website

Jeanie Buss twitter

* This is funny only if you know Ms. Buss posed for Playboy (1995). And maybe not even funny then.

Friday Trailer: UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand

The more I hear and see about this book, the more I want to read it. See if you feel the same:



Book website

REVIEW: You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know

When you read as many books as most book bloggers do, it is a real pleasure when one exceeds expectations and knocks your socks off....

I just finished Heather Sellers' book YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ANYONE I KNOW: A True Story of Family, Face Blindness and Forgiveness (Riverhead Books/Penguin) and I am sockless. My expectation going in was that it would be a nice, informational memoir that would explain face blindness in a little more detail. What I got was an amazingly personal, honest and unforgettable story of a woman who has endured a lifetime of uncertainty.

Can you imagine not being able to recognize anyone by their face? Not even your own parents, husband or best friends? Heather Sellers has a rare neurological condition called prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Not even her doctors believed her at first when she claimed the affliction.

(Note to memoirists: If you want to know how to connect with your readers and move along a story with great pace and fullness, read this book.)

No fiction author could have made this story believable. If you think your family is strange, then you need to meet Heather Sellers' family. I do not want to ruin one page of this book for you by divulging any details about what transpires between the covers; suffice to say that I am amazed at what a sweet and amazing woman resulted from this turmoil. The real victory of this book is that you are pulling for Heather all through it, even when she misbehaves.

I haven't been moved by a book like this in a long time. If you enjoy memoirs, you are cheating yourself if you don't give this one a spin.

On My Radar (Wednesday Edition)

I'm not lying when I say I've always felt a kinship with people on the fringe. They are certainly more interesting than your average person.

Out in paperback this week from Adams Media is FREAK NATION: A Field Guide to 101 of the Most Odd, Extreme and Outrageous American Subcultures by Kate Stevens. Kate Stevens is a pen name.

This book looks like an opportunity to let your freak flag fly and live vicariously through people as diverse as Tree Huggers, NASCAR fans, and Disney cast members. Now, instead of laughing and pointing at people who don't fit into society's definition of "normal," now you can educate yourself as to why each subculture exists and possibly even get a little freaky yourself.

And, if you like fun and, yes, freaky, books, check out Adams Media's website. And, check them out on twitter: @adamsmedia .

On My Radar (Tuesday Edition)

Looking back, I have always liked non-fiction. It's not a new thing for me.

It is my oft-stated desire for this blog to promote books that would otherwise be mostly lost in the shuffle of new releases. I don't have a problem with the way bookstores and publishers promote books -- neither can afford to actively promote every book. The sadness for me is how many good books may never get an opportunity to be found. While researching new books for this week's blog entries, there is one book that I really wanted to publicize.

Out this week from UNO Press (Univ. of New Orleans) is GREEN FIELDS: Crime, Punishment & A Boyhood Between by Bob Cowser, Jr. In a nutshell, the cover of the book describes itself this way:

"An examination of the 1979 murder in rural Tennessee of the author's classmate, Cary Ann Medlin, and the trial and execution of Robert Glen Coe that followed twenty years later."

But, if you want a better description, read this page on the author's website here.

I haven't bought and read the book yet, but I want to. Odds are it's shelved spine-out in section.

Such is the plight of your intrepid non-fiction book finder.

On My Radar (Monday Edition)

On My Radar is my attempt to point out new non-fiction books that catch my eye.

I love love love memoirs. I love them the way I like movies: they need to scare me, educate me, or make me laugh my face off.

I have a feeling I have found one of the latter. Out in paperback this week from Harper Collins is I SHUDDER: And Other Reactions to Life, Death and New Jersey by Paul Rudnick. Life is crazy sometimes but some people are better at pointing it out than others. I thoroughly enjoy reading anecdotes from funny people.

From the publisher website:

I Shudder is a side-splittingly funny collection of essays from Paul Rudnick, one of America’s preeminent humorists. Rudnick, who writes for The New Yorker and has written the screenplays for the films In and Out, Sister Act, and Addams Family Values, shares his hilarious observations on life in New York City and New Jersey, the perils of show business, and dealing with one’s family, however crazy they may be. As David Sedaris says, “There’s no book wiser or half as funny as I Shudder.”

Rudnick is a playwright, screenwriter (In & Out, Sister Act) and novelist.

Tuesday Review: STREET PLAYER by Danny Seraphine

Full disclosure: Chicago is my favorite rock band. Also, I have met Danny Seraphine on two different occasions. Doesn't matter, I'd read the book anyway.

When I saw that Danny Seraphine had written a book, STREET PLAYER: My Chicago Story (Wiley), about his life, I was excited and nervous. Excited because I wanted to know the inside stories of the workings of the band known as Chicago. Nervous because I was afraid of what I might learn about the workings of the band known as Chicago.

Any follower of the band has endured the death of one member and the dismissal of others. Danny's book opens with his arrival at the scene of founding guitarist Terry Kath's shooting death. Rumors have swirled since his death in 1978 that the death was suicide and that is was fueled by drug abuse. Danny sets the record straight with this and many other "rumors" that fans of the band will finally be able to put to rest.

There were a few surprises in the book: I didn't know that Seraphine was such a vocal leader of the band, especially in the early days. Also, I never would have guessed that he was such a "tough guy" and had the temper he did. The book chronicles his childhood, his interest in playing the drums, his bands before Chicago, and finally the serendipitous forming of the band.

All the womanizing, drug abuse and inner squabbles of the group are not ignored. This is a book for Chicago fans who want to confirm which rumors to believe.

Seraphine ends the book with a wish shared by many of us: "Hopefully, one day my former bandmates and I will be able to reconcile and put our differences behind us."

If that reunion involves Peter Cetera, Bill Champlin and Danny Seraphine, please sign me up for front row seats.

Book website

Danny Seraphine wikipedia page

@dannyseraphine



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Monday Review: LONG WAY HOME by Bill Barich

With the assistance of Bloomsbury Press and Walker Books, I gave away several copies of this book last week. If the winners enjoy the book as much as I did, they will be very happy that they won.

Bill Barich decided to emulate, in theory, John Steinbeck's 1960 drive across America, chronicled in his book Charley and Me. Steinbeck framed his trip around the pivotal 1960 presidential campaign and Barich's loose theme was the 2008 Obama/McCain election. Steinbeck drove Rocinante, while Barich rented a Ford Focus. Steinbeck took his dog, Charley. Barich, traveled alone but did take a well-worn copy of Charley and Me. There are other differences, to be sure, but there is enough in common to deserve the subtitle, "On the Trail of Steinbeck's America."

I love me some Steinbeck, so I was predisposed to like this book. But in the hands of a lesser writer -- someone less in touch with how to write leisurely about a leisurely trip -- this book could have been boring. Barich, however, skillfully keeps us abreast of each town he visits, some history of each place, and, usually, some tales of his interaction with the locals.

Readers of this blog know that Bill Bryson is canonized herein. Bill Barich is a worthy companion for those times between Bryson books -- I will be looking for Bill Barich's other writings.

On My Radar (Friday Edition)

I'm not sure exactly why it is that I love reading about the current financial crisis anytime someone puts out a new book on it. I think it may be because I enjoy when hubris meets failure. I'm not happy about the trickle down effect of their actions but I am glad when they get theirs.

New from Crown Business is CRASH OF THE TITANS: Greed, Hubris, the Fall of Merrill Lynch, and the Near Collapse of Bank of America by Greg Farrell.

As someone who ran small businesses for over 20 years, I know it can be done ethically. But like anything, the larger it gets the more it can grow out of control. We've all been outraged by the actions of the "too big to fail" financial institutions. However, some of them did fail, or were absorbed into other stronger companies (or companies who were allowed to use taxpayer money to purchase them!).

I know I'm angry; books like this help me focus the anger on the right people.

Book Website

Publisher Website

On My Radar (Thursday Edition)

If you have read this blog more than once you have probably seen me mention Bill Bryson. He is practically one of the patron saints of my ramblings here--not that he'd be proud of that distinction. I feel it is my civic duty to point out every literary move he makes, however small.

New from HarperPress is SEEING FURTHER: The Story of Science and the Royal Society, edited by Mr. Bryson. From the book website:

In Seeing Further, New York Times bestseller Bill Bryson takes readers on a guided tour through the great discoveries, feuds, and personalities of modern science. Already a major bestseller in the UK, Seeing Further tells the fascinating story of science and the Royal Society with Bill Bryson’s trademark wit and intelligence, and contributions from a host of well known scientists and science fiction writers, including Richard Dawkins, Neal Stephenson, James Gleick, and Margret Atwood. It is a delightful literary treat from the acclaimed author who previous explored the current state of scientific knowledge in his phenomenally popular book, A Short History of Nearly Everything.

I tell people Bill Bryson is like the professor you wish you had. In the aforementioned A Short History of Nearly Everything, the reading is so fun and skillful that you have no idea how much you've just learned. If college professors were like this, all the fun in our universities wouldn't be outside of class. For this reason, I trust Bill Bryson and his editorial decisions.

The Royal Society website

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On My Radar (Wednesday Edition)

Is there a better grumpy old man in entertainment today than Lewis Black? I don't think so. Following on the heels of his bestsellers Nothing's Sacred and Me of Little Faith comes I'M DREAMING OF A BLACK CHRISTMAS (Riverhead/Penguin).

Black warns readers to ignore this book if they have an abiding love for the season of Christmas. In other words, do not buy this book for your Tea Party friends...unless you want fireworks on the wrong holiday. Go to youtube and watch his videos and you'll see what I mean.

Do yourself a favor and go to the publisher website and read about the book. Don't forget to watch the two videos...you'll be glad you did. (Unless you're "one of those people.")



The above video is from publicity for his previous book, Me of Little Faith.

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On My Radar (Tuesday Edition)

O.k., allow me to gush for a moment. Chicago is my favorite rock band of all time. I realize this dates me, but that's ok. And, just so you know, I don't care much for the stuff from the 80's. But their 60's and 70's stuff is amazing. For the first 20-plus years of their existence, Seraphine manned the drums for the jazz-rock pioneers but was suddenly fired in 1990.

New this week from Wiley Publishing is STREET PLAYER: My Chicago Story by Danny Seraphine. I have met Danny twice -- once backstage after a Chicago concert in Birmingham, Alabama and the most recent time at a drum clinic he put on in Nashville, where I won an autographed drum head.

From the publicity:

With their blending of soulful rock and horn-infused jazz, their trademark fusion sound, and their lyrical brilliance, Chicago has thrilled music fans for more than forty years. In his no-holds-barred memoir, STREET PLAYER: My Chicago Story (Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-470-41683-9; November 2010; $25.95 / Cloth) music legend Danny Seraphine shares his dramatic and sometimes shocking experiences.

STREET PLAYER includes behind-the-scenes anecdotes about Chicago’s beginnings as the house band at Los Angeles's legendary Whisky A Go Go, where they were discovered by music icons Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, and personal insights about the group’s many comebacks and reinventions over the years.

STREET PLAYER includes riveting tales from Seraphine's time on the road touring with performers including Dennis and Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys, Joplin, Hendrix, and Bruce Springsteen. Seraphine tackles many rumors about the band and discusses for the first time the mysterious circumstances surrounding Seraphine's traumatic 1990 firing from the band. To complete the package, STREET PLAYER includes dozens of never-before-published candid photographs. Whether you're a diehard Chicago fan or just love a well-told rock-and-roll memoir, STREET PLAYER will entertain and surprise you.

I have requested a review copy and hope to post a review soon.

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Also, please comment on yesterday's post here to be entered for a chance to win the new book ON HALLOWED GROUND: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery by Robert M. Poole. Several copies are to be awarded -- just tell me in your comments what Veteran's Day means to you.

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BookSpin Giveaway

We have a new book to give away! Because of the generosity of Bloomsbury Press/Walker Books I am announcing we will give away several copies of:

ON HALLOWED GROUND: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery by Robert M. Poole. Just in time for Veteran's Day is this book, described by reviewers as "...vivid, compelling...deeply moving...memorable...sensitive...stirring, evocative....a gem...and marvelous..."

For a chance to win one of several copies, please comment on this post with your story about a military veteran that you know. It could be about a friend, a relative or yourself. Tell me what Veteran's Day means to you. I am a veteran myself and would love to hear your tributes to others.

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On My Radar (Monday Edition)

I read Bill Carter's 1995 book, THE LATE SHIFT: Letterman, Leno and the Network Battle for the Night, and was fascinated by the ultimate office politics practiced by our late night television hosts and their staffs. (One personal note, regarding the famous scene with Jay Leno hiding in a closet to eavesdrop on a corporate conference call where it was discussed whether he or David Letterman would host the Tonight Show -- I was actually in the audience that day for the taping of the Tonight Show. Who knew?)

Carter has updated the late night landscape with THE WAR FOR LATE NIGHT: When Leno went Early and Television Went Crazy (Viking/Penguin). If you want to read the inside scoop on Leno, Letterman and Conan O'Brien then grab this book. I know I will.

Also looking interesting this week is IN FIFTY YEARS WE'LL ALL BE CHICKS...and Other Complaints from an Angry Middle-Aged White Guy by Adam Carolla (Crown Archetype). Aside from being a (sometimes) angry middle-aged white guy myself, I have always enjoyed Carolla's snarky but intelligent take on this life we all share.

From the book's publicity:

In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks is Adam's comedic gospel of modern America. He rips into the absurdity of the culture that demonized the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, turned the nation's bathrooms into a lawless free-for-all of urine and fecal matter, and put its citizens at the mercy of a bunch of minimum wagers with axes to grind. Peppered between complaints Carolla shares candid anecdotes from his day to day life as well as his past—Sunday football at Jimmy Kimmel's house, his attempts to raise his kids in a society that he mostly disagrees with, his big showbiz break, and much, much more. Brilliantly showcasing Adam's spot-on sense of humor, this book cements his status as a cultural commentator/comedian/complainer extraordinaire.

My to-be-read stack gets higher and higher and I couldn't be more thrilled.

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Out this week from Knopf/Doubleday (Nan A Talese) is MY READING LIFE by Pat Conroy. I previewed this book on Friday with my post on what's in my immediate to-be-read stack.

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Congratulations to the winner's of LONG WAY HOME: On the Trail of Steinbeck's America by Bill Barich. Bloomsbury Press has graciously sponsored this giveaway and I thank them.

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