My Little Stack of Books

My twitter biography states that I have over 150 books waiting to be read, and that is true. But I have a smaller stack that is awaiting my immediate attention. In the spirit of the fridayreads hashtag, here are the books that are next in my que:

1. ON HALLOWED GROUND: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery by Robert M. Poole:



2. YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ANYONE I KNOW by Heather Sellers:



3. ALL FACTS CONSIDERED: The Essential Library of Inessential Knowledge by Kee Malesky:



4. UNLESS IT MOVES THE HUMAN HEART: The Craft & Art of Writing by Roger Rosenblatt:

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5. MY READING LIFE by Pat Conroy:

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6. OUTSIDE LOOKING IN by Garry Wills:

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7. AMERICAN ROSE by Karen Abbott:

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8. THIS IS NOT FLORIDA by Jay Weiner:



9. HALF EMPTY by David Rakoff:



Of course, there will be additions to this list. Wish me luck....

Long Way Home by Bill Barich

I read John Steinbeck's THE PEARL in 7th grade and was hooked. Something about the way he wrote appealed to my 12-year-old self. I then began seeking out any Steinbeck I could find. I went through EAST OF EDEN and THE GRAPES OF WRATH with youthful abandon and just enjoyed this writer's voice that I know now was whispering life lessons. But when I found TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY, I found my muse.

In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck grabbed his dog (Charley, natch), jumped in his truck and proceeded to drive around America to test the mood of the country. 1960 was an election year and Steinbeck was curious how his fellow citizens felt about the direction of America. The effect of the book on me was tremendous. First of all, it helped make me the political animal I am today. But more than anything it infused me with a wanderlust. It became my fantasy to sell everything I own, buy a beat-up old van, and just drive where randomness took me. (Moderation has never been my style.)

After coming across a used copy of Charley, Bill Barich, an American expatriate living in Ireland, decided to emulate Steinbeck's journey in 2008 (without the truck and without a dog) for the election year of 2008. I am reading Barich's LONG WAY HOME: On The Trail of Steinbeck's America, and it is an enjoyable travelogue. Readers of this blog and/or my twitter will remember that Bill Bryson walks on the ground I worship. Well, thus far Barich is a worthy replacement in that seemingly endless time between Bryson books.

I am giving away several copies due to the generosity of Walker Books/Bloomsbury Publishing. Their website gives a little more detail about what you'll find in the book. To be entered for a chance to win a copy, just follow me on twitter (bookstoredude) and tweet the following:

"Follow @bookstoredude for a chance to win LONG WAY HOME by Bill Barich. http://bookspin.blogspot.com"

I will draw the winners randomly this evening. Good luck.

Nothing Left to Burn by Jay Varner

I am a sucker for memoirs with troubled father-son relationships; you can guess why....

If a book is compared to Rick Bragg's All Over But the Shoutin' on the back cover, well, it would be difficult for me to not consider reading it.

I recently finished Jay Varner's NOTHING LEFT TO BURN, and it was a thought-provoking book. As a boy, Varner resented the fact that his father wasn't around more -- he was the town's Fire Chief and was always having to rush away to fight fires, control emergency situations or attend to fire hall business. Even on those few opportunities when he and his father would do something together, it seemed like dear old dad would be called away.

Add to this the ironic family dynamic that his dad's dad was an arsonist and the real conflict in the memoir begins. Varner's grandfather, called "Lucky," along with being an arsonist is depicted as an anti-grandfather of sorts, certainly not made for the role of male role model.

Then, a heart-wrenching family secret is revealed, and Varner has to reconsider all he thought he knew about his dad, his family, and himself. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Jay Varner has crafted a touching memoir of a boy who longed for his dad's attention and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves well-written narrative non-fiction.



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Tying up some loose ends from books that came out last week that looked interesting to me:

BOB DYLAN: Writings 1968 - 2010 by Greil Marcus

WHY NOT SAY WHAT HAPPENED? by Ivana Lowell

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE BEATLES by Don McCullin

STARTING OVER: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy by Ken Sharp

THE MAN WHO SHOT THE MAN WHO SHOT LINCOLN by Graeme Donald

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And finally, my current book giveaway is ending soon. For your chance to win please follow me on twitter -- http://www.twitter.com/bookstoredude -- and retweet (RT) the following:

LONG WAY HOME: On The Trail of Steinbeck's America by Bill Barich Win a copy! details here: http://bit.ly/cmHO1l #bookgiveaway

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THEY CAME TO NASHVILLE by Marshall Chapman

Seemingly, Marshall Chapman knows everyone. And if you ever see her in action you understand why...she seems like an awful lot of fun to be around. Chapman, a songwriter and music journalist, has parlayed those relationships into an enjoyable book of short interviews with songwriters and performers, THEY CAME TO NASHVILLE (Vanderbilt University Press).

With interviews of Kris Kristofferson, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Miranda Lambert, John Hiatt, Willie Nelson and others, this book is a fast read. You will find yourself devouring inside stories you won't hear anywhere else.

Chapman asks primarily the same questions to each subject, but thankfully allows the answers to veer into other areas of discussion. She and her subjects know one another and this allows an intimacy that you won't get from celebrities when they're being interviewed by the common press.

Along the way, we find out a little more detail about how Kris Kristofferson went from Army officer, to studio custodian, to a prolific songwriter. We hear about Crowell's and Harris' jobs as wait staff before they hit it big. The general feeling is that we have been invited to sit at the table and observe as a couple of friends chat.

If you love Nashville, country music or any of the artists featured, this book will be a fine addition to your reading stack. It would make a terrific Christmas gift for the music lover on your list.

It wouldn't be a proper book review if I didn't share the first line of the book:

"The night I met Billy Joe Shaver, my hair caught on fire."

That opening line isn't hyperbole, it is a true statement. Just another day in the crazy, antic world of Marshall Chapman. And, that my friends, is why you should read this book.

http://www.vanderbiltuniversitypress.com

http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org

Guest Review - Hail, Hail, Euphoria! Reviewed by Mike Funt

Today's guest review is by my friend, former co-worker, voice artist and comedian Mike Funt. Mike's website is here.

Let me start by saying that I know The Marx Brothers. I mean I know The Marx Brothers. I have been a fan since I was six years old. I have seen all of The Marx Brothers films too many times to count, and I have read a dozen or so Marx biographies. Not only that, but I spent the better part of the beginning of my acting career portraying Groucho: on stage, at theme parks, for parties, you name it. I assume that is why I was asked to guest on this review. The presumption being that I will bring a level of credibility—or at the very least scholarship—to this whole thing, an irony considering the subject matter.

Roy Blount, Jr.’s new book Hail, Hail Euphoria, however, is not a Marx Brothers biography. Nor is it a book about the making of the film Duck Soup as the subtitle “Presenting the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup The Greatest War Movie Ever Made” might suggest. Nor is it even really a criticism of the film. It reads like the transcript of a DVD commentary because…well, essentially, that’s what it is.

The reader is treated to Blount’s thoughts as he watches the movie in real time. Along the way he throws in bits of trivia about the brothers, about the director Leo McCarey, and about the making of the film. There are comparisons with the original script treatment by Kalmar and Ruby as well as with the original script--titled originally Firecrackers, and later Cracked Ice--which are nothing if not interesting. Also included are tangential stream of consciousness thoughts about comedy, filmmaking, and movie history. These can be a little hard to follow at times as a footnote will refer to a tangent of a tangent to the point that one wonders when we will get back to the film this book is supposed to be about.

I must admit this is the first book by Roy Blount, Jr., that I have read, and this may all be a part of his writing style. In which case fans of his will find it quite wonderful. (I know him mostly as a frequent guest on NPR’s game show Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.) I will say this. I read this book all in one sitting and would not recommend reading it otherwise. Given the nature of the story-telling style, it seem like it would be harder to follow stretched out over days of bedside reading.

Overall, I found the book quite entertaining. Though, I must say even the most casual student of the Marx Brothers will be hard pressed to find any new information or novel anecdotes. It is, however, a quick and fun read. Especially, I imagine, if you read it along with a viewing of the movie. If nothing else you’ll come away with a reminder of how good comedy can be and how timely 77 years later a satire on the war between Sylvania and Freedonia-- and the incompetent and corrupt leaders who orchestrate it--still is.

Hail, Hail Euphoria is published by It Books, an imprint of Harper Collins.

On My Radar (Tuesday Edition)

Out this week from Michael Takiff and Yale University Press is A COMPLICATED MAN: The Life of Bill Clinton as Told by Those That Know Him. Anyone who knows me knows I am a fan of Bill Clinton's. I, as well as anyone, do understand that he is definitely a "complicated man." I judge the man solely on the performance as President and, in that regard, consider him the best president of my lifetime. We can argue all day his shortcomings as a man and husband, but I personally am not concerned about that.

From the publisher website:

"Though Bill Clinton has been out of office since 2001, public fascination with him continues unabated. Many books about Clinton have been published in recent years, but shockingly, no single-volume biography covers the full scope of Clinton’s life from the cradle to the present day, not even Clinton’s own account, My Life. More troubling still, books on Clinton have tended to be highly polarized, casting the former president in an overly positive or negative light.

In this, the first complete oral history of Clinton’s life, historian Michael Takiff presents the first truly balanced book on one of our nation’s most controversial and fascinating presidents. Through more than 150 chronologically arranged interviews with key figures including Bob Dole, James Carville, and Tom Brokaw, among many others, A Complicated Man goes far beyond the well-worn party-line territory to capture the larger-than-life essence of Clinton the man. With the tremendous attention given to the Lewinsky scandal, it is easy to overlook the president’s humble upbringing, as well as his many achievements at home and abroad: the longest economic boom in American history, a balanced budget, successful intervention in the Balkans, and a series of landmark, if controversial, free-trade agreements. Through the candid recollections of Takiff’s many subjects, A Complicated Man leaves no area unexplored, revealing the most complete and unexpected portrait of our forty-second president published to date."

On My Radar (Monday Edition)

I'm not gonna lie. I love me some trivia. And I love trivia books.

On my radar today is ALL FACTS CONSIDERED: The Essential Library of Inessential Knowledge by Kee Malesky.

This book hits store shelves this week. From the book publicity:

ALL FACTS CONSIDERED: The Essential Library of Inessential Knowledge (Wiley; November 2010; $19.95; Cloth; ISBN: 978-0-470-55965-9, by noted NPR librarian Kee Malesky, whom Scott Simon has called the "source of all human knowledge", answers the vexing questions that have stumped us for year. It answers questions on history, natural history, science, religion, language, and the arts. It’s packed with valuable nuggets of information, from the useful to the downright bizarre.

Among the pieces of info and everyday questions ALL FACTS CONSIDERED addresses are:

• How did New York get its name?

• What's the life span of a $5 bill?

• Who was the Prince of Cranks?

• What were those rockets with a red glare and the bombs bursting in air?

• What's the origin of chewing gum, paper and golf balls?

The perfect gift for every inquiring mind that wants to know, ALL FACTS CONSIDERED will put you at the center of the conversation as you show off your essential store of inessential yet irresistible knowledge.

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Don't forget to enter my book giveaway of LONG WAY HOME by Bill Barich. Just tweet this: "Follow @bookstoredude for a chance to win LONG WAY HOME by Bill Barich."

Book Giveaway -- Long Way Home by Bill Barich

BookSpin is giving away several copies of LONG WAY HOME: On the Trail of Steinbeck's America (Walker Books) by Bill Barich.

All you have to do to be entered into the drawing is tweet the following:

"Retweet this tweet and follow @bookstoredude for a chance to win LONG WAY HOME: On the Trail of Steinbeck's America by Bill Barich."

New Non-Fiction (Thursday Edition)

Two really cool looking art books top the Thursday edition. Now just take a look at that book cover over there on the left of this text. Now do a google search (in another tab, of course, and click "images") for pavement chalk artist Julian Beever. I'll wait....

Incredible, huh? I can imagine myself getting caught all candid camera like avoiding "holes" in the sidewalk or reaching for things that are not there. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, so this stuff is beyond me. But if, like me, you are mesmerized by this kind of art, you need to check out PAVEMENT CHALK ARTIST: The Three Dimensional Drawings of Julian Beever (Firefly Books) by Julian Beever and TRESPASS: A History of Uncommissioned Urban Art (Taschen) by Carlo McCormick with Marc Schiller and Sara Schiller.

In my opinion some of this artwork needs to be commissioned.

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I now live in Nashville, home of country music. Songwriter and musician Marshall Chapman has written THEY CAME TO NASHVILLE (Vanderbilt University Press). Chapman puts on another hat, music journalist, and questions friends like Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and Kris Kristofferson about their first night in Nashville. I had the opportunity to see Ms. Chapman last weekend at the Southern Festival of Books and, despite having not slept for awhile, she did not disappoint. The book is described as funny, poignant and memorable in the reviews I have read. I have requested a review copy so we'll see if I can chime in as well.

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New Non-Fiction (Wednesday Edition)

Needless to say I am not a financial whiz. I can run a retail store with the best of them but I am aware that I would have no idea how to run a corporation. And, stock market talk gives me hives. But...I can't get enough of books about the current financial crisis. Maybe it's just an attempt on my part to understand something so complex or maybe it's just because I love a good real-life whodunit, but there's a new book on the financial meltdown horizon. A COLOSSAL FAILURE OF COMMON SENSE: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Lehman Brothers (Crown Business) by Lawrence G. McDonald and Patrick Robinson hits store shelves in paperback this week. The official book website has more information....

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Also new this week is THE WHITES OF THEIR EYES: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle Over American History (Princeton University Press) by Jill Lepore. From the book website:

"Jill Lepore, Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer, offers a wry and bemused look at American history according to the far right, from the "rant heard round the world," which launched the Tea Party, to the Texas School Board's adoption of a social-studies curriculum that teaches that the United States was established as a Christian nation. Along the way, she provides rare insight into the eighteenth-century struggle for independence--the real one, that is. Lepore traces the roots of the far right's reactionary history to the bicentennial in the 1970s, when no one could agree on what story a divided nation should tell about its unruly beginnings. Behind the Tea Party's Revolution, she argues, lies a nostalgic and even heartbreaking yearning for an imagined past--a time less troubled by ambiguity, strife, and uncertainty--a yearning for an America that never was.

The Whites of Their Eyes reveals that the far right has embraced a narrative about America's founding that is not only a fable but is also, finally, a variety of fundamentalism--anti-intellectual, antihistorical, and dangerously antipluralist."

Sounds about right....

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I am nowhere near the pop culture addict that I was in my 20's and 30's so it comes as no surprise to me that I am not very familiar with the next author, who is making a name for himself with his storytelling. The new book, SLEEPWALK WITH ME: And Other Painfully True Stories (Simon & Schuster) by Mike Birbiglia, is getting rave reviews as one of those laugh-out-loud books. Birbiglia himself gives this description:

"This is my first book. It’s difficult to describe. It’s a comedic memoir, but I’m only 32 years old so I’d hate for you to think I’m “wrapping it up,” so to speak. But I tell some personal stories. Some REALLY personal stories. Stories that I considered not publishing time and time again, especially when my father said, “Michael, you might want to stay away from the per­sonal stuff.” I said, “Dad, just read the dedication.” (Which I’m telling you to do too.)

Some of the stories are about my childhood, some are about girls I made out with when I was thirteen, some are about my parents, and some are, of course, about my bouts with sleepwalking. Bring this book to bed. And sleepwalk with me."

The author's website has more information....

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As a veteran, I am often interested in military memoirs. Especially books that promise first-person accounts of political events that I'm interested in. New this week is WITHOUT HESITATION: The Odyssey of an American Warrior (St. Martin's Press) by General Hugh Shelton with Ronald Levinson and Malcolm McConnell.

From the book publicity:

"The powerful unvarnished memoir of General Hugh Shelton, war hero, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during 9/11, and one of the leading military figures of our time.

Whether serving under a Democratic president or a Republican president, General Shelton was never afraid to speak out and tell it like it is. Shelton chronicles his incredible journey from a small farming community in North Carolina to the highest level of American military and political power at the Pentagon and White House."

Some of the shocking revelations in this book:

* High-ranking Cabinet member proposes intentionally allowing an American pilot to be killed by the Iraqis to have an excuse to retaliate and go to war.

* Details of a contentious Camp David meeting among President George W. Bush and his National Security Council immediately after 9/11, where internal battle lines were drawn---and Shelton (along with Colin Powell) convinced President Bush to do the right thing.

* How Rumsfeld persuaded General Tommy Franks to bypass the Joint Chiefs, leading to a badly flawed Iraq war plan that failed to anticipate the devastating after-effects of the insurgency and civil war.

* Attempts to kill Usama bin Laden that were shot down by our State Department.

* CIA botched high-profile terrorist snatches, leaving Shelton’s Special Operations teams to clean up their mess.

It that doesn't make you want to read the book, nothing I say will

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New Non-Fiction (Tuesday Edition)

I am one of those people that, if I won the lottery, after the requisite responsible moves, I would spend the bulk of my time and money traveling. Even now, I have limited resources to travel, but I love to experience new places. Travel books are one of my favorite genres and I have to admit a certain affinity for Rick Steves. Also, if Bill Bryson writes a grocery list, I wanna read it. (The name of this blog was almost "Bill Bryson is God.") Coming out this week is IN MOTION: The Experience of Travel (Random House/Knopf) by Tony Hiss. From the book website:

"In this extraordinarily wide-ranging, insightful, and revelatory book, Tony Hiss—the much-praised author of The Experience of Place—delves into a unique and instantly recognizable (though previously undescribed) experience that can happen to us when we travel, a special understanding and ability that can leave us feeling exhilarated. He illustrates how throughout human history—from our ancestors walking upright for the first time to astronauts walking on the moon—we have repeatedly availed ourselves of this seemingly elusive quality, which he calls “Deep Travel.”

The sensation of Deep Travel can overtake us, Hiss says, whenever we tap into
a sophisticated, wide-awake awareness we all possess. With a wealth of
examples—from evocative accounts of his own journeys to celebrated travel writing across
the centuries—Hiss identifies and rescues this powerful capacity and sets out simple
techniques for accessing it no matter where we are."

So there you go...travel and self-help in the same book...who could ask for more?

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I usually try to give publicity to books that haven't already had a lot of advertising dollars thrown at them, but YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ANYONE I KNOW (Penguin) by Heather Sellers sounds so compelling I had to include it today. Ms. Sellers has prosopagnosia, a rare neurological condition also known as "face blindness." Go to the book's website and read about Heather's life and childhood and you will immediately realize that Hollywood couldn't have made this up....

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Anyone around me knows I am a fierce protector of the virtue of the current occupant of the White House. He isn't perfect, I know, yet I feel for the most part he has done what he hired him to do. I have read both of Mr. Obama's books and feel like I know a lot about him. But this week comes YOUNG MR. OBAMA: Chicago and the Making of a Black President (Bloomsbury) by Edward McClelland. McClelland, a Chicago journalist, expounds on his thesis that "the rough-and-tumble reality of Chicago taught a brilliant but callow young African American politician the lessons that launched him on the road to history."

The late politician Tip O'Neil once famously said, "All politics is local." If that is true, this book should give insight to how Barack Obama became the leader of the free world.

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And, finally, with baseball season winding down, we have THE LAST BOY: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood (HarperCollins) by Jane Leavy.From the book's website:

"Drawing on more than five hundred interviews with friends and family,
teammates, and opponents, she delivers the definitive account of Mantle's life,
mining the mythology of The Mick for the true story of a luminous and
illustrious talent with an achingly damaged soul."

It sure seems like there a lot of books about the New York Yankees and their players. I grew up with a mom that idolized Billy Martin so I guess I should just get over it.

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Review - Take Your Eye Off the Ball by Pat Kirwan

I love football. Specifically professional football. Very specifically NFL football.

I used to pride myself on knowing more about football than my circle of friends. I knew the difference between a 3-4 defense and a 4-3. I knew what "cover 2" meant. I had a firm grasp of the difference in assignments for players depending upon the called play.

In football, there are many little dramas playing out every time the ball is snapped. Most people resort to following the ball since that is "where the action is." However, Kirwan implores us to see the bigger picture and then understand the game better.

Yes, I thought I knew a lot about football. And then I read TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE BALL: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look (Triumph Books) by Pat Kirwan. I see a whole different ball game now. Kirwan is a good teacher. In this book, he focuses your attention one area at a time. First, he explains the personnel groupings that can exist on every play and teaches you how to chart these plays. Then, we learn the basic structure of the week leading up to each game...what the players and coaches are doing on those days between games. Kirwan teaches us what a quarterback really does and why it truly is the "toughest job in sports". Consider this tidbit:

"(Dan) Marino always tells me the same thing. 'If I worked out a quarterback
for an NFL team,' he says, 'he'd have to show me 100 throws
off his back foot.' Still, too many scouts will downgrade a quarterback
prospect for throwing off his back foot. In a collapsing pocket,
it's actually an important skill to have."

We then learn insider information about what running backs really do -- it is way more than run the football. In the remaining chapters, Kirwan gives us the scoop on wide receivers, the offensive line, the wildcat formation, the aforementioned 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, pass rushing from the o-line and d-line perspectives and defensive backs. Then we learn about "football intelligence," and how great athletes who don't have it can get cut off the rosters. The chain of command in NFL team offices is explained as well as what really happens before the draft. Kirwin then gives his opinion on the future of the NFL as well as a handy glossary of terms the reader has probably learned.

I can't say this loudly enough. Get this book for the football fan in your life. He or she will be glad you did...and will probably thank you sometime in February when they come out of their football daze

Kirwan spent 25 years working in the trenches of football, coaching at the high school, college and pro levels. He is now a senior analyst on nfl.com, and a co-host of "Movin' the Chains" on Sirius NFL Radio.

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New Non-Fiction (Thursday Edition)

First up today is a political book that might be interesting, THIS IS NOT FLORIDA: How Al Franken Won the Minnesota Senate Recount (University of Minnesota Press) by Jay Weiner. Portrayed as the behind-the-scenes story of the Al Franken and Norm Coleman Senate recount.

Franken was sworn in a mere 8 months after election night ( I guess the U.S. Supreme Court was busy and preoccupied). This website has lots of info about the book. But because Franken's victory gave me a grin, I will probably get this one to add to my stack.....

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And, because we all know by now that I like sports books, this week brings WHEN THE GAME CHANGED: An Oral History of Baseball's True Golden Age - 1969 to 1979 (Lyons Press) by George Castle. The years covered in this book also coincide with my own golden age, as it were, at least as far as baseball is concerned. From the press for the book:

Contributors include: A-List players and managers like Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, Gaylord Perry, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Bruce Sutter, Brooks Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, Tom Seaver, Phil Niekro, Jim Rice, Jim Palmer, Bert Blyleven, Tommy John, Lou Piniella, Fred Lynn, Luis Tiant, Earl Weaver, and Sparky Anderson; "everyday" players; coaches; front-office staff; announcers; and sportswriters.

Play ball !

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I also love myself a real-life thriller and I dare you to read about this next book and not be intrigued. A KIDNAPPING IN MILAN: The CIA on Trial (W.W. Norton & Company) by Steve Hendricks. The publisher says: "A book so compelling it deserves to become one of the non-fiction classics of our time."

It doesn't hurt that I'll be seeing the author this weekend during the Southern Festival of Books. Unfortunately, that will probably result in me wanting the book NOW.......

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And, finally, one for the archives. 50 YEARS OF THE PLAYBOY BUNNY (Chronicle Books) by Josh Robertson.

What? What?

I'll only get it for the articles. More info here.

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