Best of 2011 (Sort of)....

For the last post of 2011, I am revisiting some of my favorite books from the past year.  Feel free to comment with your own reviews or suggestions for BookSpin 2012.

Endgame by Frank Brady

Ice by Ice-T

States of Confusion by Paul Jury

Moscow December 25, 1991: The Last Day of the Soviet Union by Conor O'Clery

Drama: An Actor's Education by John Lithgow

On My Radar (Thursday Edition)

How to Walk a Puma: And Other Things I Learned While Stumbling Through South America
by Peter Allison
Lyons Press
Trade Paperback

On his nineteenth birthday, Peter Allison flipped a coin. One side would take him to Africa and the other to South America, the two places he wanted to explore before he died. He recounted his time spent as a safari guide in Africa to much acclaim inWhatever You Do, Don’t RunandDon’t Look Behind You. Sixteen years later, he makes his way to Santiago, Chile, ready to seek out the continent’s best, weirdest, and wildest adventures, and to chase the elusive jaguar.

In just the first six months, Allison is bitten by a puma (several times), knocked on his ass by a bad empanada, and surrounded by piranhas while rafting down a Bolivian river—all because of his unusual fear of refrigerators and of staying in any one place for too long. Ever the gifted storyteller and cultural observer, Allison makes many observations about life in humid climes, the nature of nomadism, and exactly what it is like to be nearly blasted off a mountain by the famous Patagonia wind.

On My Radar (Tuesday Edition)

50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True
by Guy P. Harrison
Prometheus Books

Trade Paperback

From the publisher website:

Maybe you know someone who swears by the reliability of psychics or who is in regular contact with angels. Or perhaps you’re trying to find a nice way of dissuading someone from wasting money on a homeopathy cure. Or you met someone at a party who insisted the Holocaust never happened or that no one ever walked on the moon.

How do you find a gently persuasive way of steering people away from unfounded beliefs, bogus cures, conspiracy theories, and the like? Longtime skeptic Guy P. Harrison shows you how in this down-to-earth, entertaining exploration of commonly held extraordinary claims.

A veteran journalist, Harrison has not only surveyed a vast body of literature, but has also interviewed leading scientists, explored “the most haunted house in America,” frolicked in the inviting waters of the Bermuda Triangle, and even talked to a “contrite Roswell alien.”
Harrison is not out simply to debunk unfounded beliefs. Wherever possible, he presents alternative scientific explanations, which in most cases are even more fascinating than the wildest speculation. For example, stories about UFOs and alien abductions lack good evidence, but science gives us plenty of reasons to keep exploring outer space for evidence that life exists elsewhere in the vast universe. The proof for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster may be nonexistent, but scientists are regularly discovering new species, some of which are truly stranger than fiction.

Stressing the excitement of scientific discovery and the legitimate mysteries and wonder inherent in reality, Harrison invites readers to share the joys of rational thinking and the skeptical approach to evaluating our extraordinary world.

My Current Reading List

Like you, I have several books going at the same time.  Here is my current list:

WAR ROOM by Michael Holley

THE GREAT TYPO HUNT by Jeff Deck & Benjamin D. Herson

SHOCKAHOLIC by Carrie Fisher

GOD, IF YOU'RE NOT UP THERE, I'M F*CKED by Darrell Hammond

Would love to see your current list....

On My Radar (Tuesday Edition)

The Weasel: A Double Life in the Mob
by Adrian Humphreys
John Wiley & Sons

Hardcover

From the publisher website:

In the world of organized crime the bosses grab the headlines, as the names Capone, Gotti, Bonnano, Cotroni and Rizzuto attest. But a crime family has many working parts and the young mobster known as The Weasel was the epitome of a crucial, invisible cog-the soldier, the muscle, the driver, the gopher.

By a quirk of fate, Marvin Elkind-later The Weasel-was placed in the foster home of a tough gangster family, immersing him from the age of nine in a daring world of con men, cheats, bootleggers, loan sharks, bank robbers, leg breakers and Mafia bosses. During a Golden Age of underworld life in New York, Detroit and across Canada, The Weasel found himself working with a surprising cast of colourful characters. He befriended powerful gangsters by smuggling bottles of Scotch to their tables as a waiter at New York's famed Copacabana; he was pushed to be Jimmy Hoffa's chauffeur.

But his disenchantment with the broken promises of mob life brought him into another fraternity, one offering the same adrenaline rush, danger and dark comedy he craved. After a startling confrontation, he was embraced by law enforcement, and a cop with a reputation for results. Now a career informant, The Weasel learned he was a far better fink than he ever was a crook.

With his impeccable gangland pedigree, enormous girth, cold stare and sausage-like fingers adorned with chunky rings, no one questioned The Weasel's loyalty. The backroom doors were flung open and The Weasel slipped in, bringing undercover cops with him. For case after case over two decades, he worked for the FBI, U.S. Customs, Scotland Yard, RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police and other law enforcement agencies on three continents, trapping and betraying mobsters, mercenaries, spies, drug traffickers, pornographers, union fat cats and corrupt politicians.

With unflinching honesty, The Weasel and many of the undercover officers he worked with revealed their successes and failures to award-winning crime reporter and best-selling author Adrian Humphreys.

The Weasel is the riveting chronicle of a unique and engaging figure who lived a most dangerous and rare experience.

It is a story that was never supposed to be told.

Monday Review: FICTION RUINED MY FAMILY by Jeanne Darst

I am just finishing Jeanne Darst's FICTION RUINED MY FAMILY.  Some of the best memoirs, of course, are the ones that examine dysfunctional families.  That may be why it is said that everyone has a book in them...all families are dysfuncitonal.

Jeanne Darst's father is a writer with an overload of  delusional behavior, always one book away from the Great American Novel.  Her mother was an alcoholic with social pretension, which always leads to dysfunction of the highest order.

How anyone ever turns out normal in our society is amazing to me after reading these memoirs, but the truth is that Darst comes off endearing, quirky and "normal".  Her sense of humor, evident throughout this cute little book, is clearly her coping mechanism and becomes the reader's tipping point of acceptance for Darst and her family.  Perhaps we see a little bit of them in ourselves.

If you like quirky memoirs that let you peek inside the lives of the people next door, this will make a terrific addition to your stack.

FICTION RUINED MY FAMILY
by Jeanne Darst
Riverhead Books / Penguin
Hardcover

On My Radar (Friday Edition)

Disaster Preparedness: A Memoir
by Heather Havrilesky
Riverhead / Penguin
Trade Paperback

From the publisher website:

A memoir from a writer who's "smart, hilarious, unique-just terrific" (Anne Lamott).


A thoughtful, funny memoir about surviving the real and imagined perils of childhood and early adulthood, Disaster Preparedness charts how the most humiliating and painful moments in Havrilesky's past forced her to develop a wide range of defense mechanisms, some adaptive, some piteously ill-suited to modern life. By turns offbeat, sophisticated, uproarious and wise, Disaster Preparedness is a road map to the personal disasters we all face from an irresistible voice that gets straight to the unexpected grace at the heart of every calamity.

On My Radar (Wednesday Edition)

Mirror on America: Essays and Images from Popular Culture (Textbook)
by Joan T. Mims & Elizabeth M. Nollen

Bedford / St. Martins
Trade Paperback

From the publisher website:

Mirror on America meets students where they are right now. Whether they have lived in America all their lives or have only just arrived, they can consider themselves experts in pop culture. After all, they participate in it every day. Brief, current essays and images on topics like hip-hop, our online lives, and, of course, vampires and zombies spark discussion and critical thinking. And because critical thinking should lead to solid writing, the book’s editorial apparatus gives students clear instruction and support for every step of the reading and writing process. Always engaging and always accessible, Mirror on America reflects the interests of students and the instructors who want them to become confident writers.

On My Radar (Monday Edition)

One on One: Behind the Scenes with the Greats of the Game
by John Feinstein
Hardcover

Hachette/Little, Brown & Company

From the publisher website:

After numerous beloved and bestselling sports books, John Feinstein returns to the subjects of his first ten books, crafting a narrative of the most revealing encounters he's had.

Feinstein has interviewed some of the most enduring figures in sports--from hallowed coaches such as Bob Knight, Jim Valvano, Mike Krzyzewski, and Dean Smith to beloved athletes including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and John McEnroe, and here we have John Feinstein at his very best. He goes behind the scenes of his reporting from The Final Four, Wimbledon, The US Open, the Army/Navy game, the Olympics, and more, opening up sport's most private, closed-door places and sharing exclusive stories from the reporting of books like Season on the Brink, A Good Walk Spoiled, A Season Inside, and A Civil War.

These are the coaches and athletes who know their games the best, and the legends and legendary moments that gave inherent shape to our favorite pastimes.

On My Radar (Tuesday Edition)

Backstage Past 
by Barry Fey
Hardcover
Lone Wolfe Press

From the book publicity:

Long before corporate greed took over the rock concert business and caused ticket prices to skyrocket, Barry Fey and his company Feyline Concerts were promoting shows with ticket prices under $10.00 for The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, U2 and many others. Always concerned that his audiences had the best experience possible, he was honored a never equaled three consecutive years by Billboard Magazine; as Concert Promoter of the Year in 1978 through 1980.

During Barry Fey s 32 years as a promoter he s rubbed elbows and cut deals with nearly every legend of Rock n Roll and in Back Stage Past he shares those behind the scenes stories of a mercurial business during a tumultuous time. It is a backstage pass to never before revealed tales of the Rock `n Roll business and its performers. Includes an original poem by U2 great Bono.

On My Radar (Monday Edition)

Inside SEAL Team 6: My Life and Missions with America's Elite Warriors
by Don Mann with Ralph Pezzulo
Little, Brown & Company

Hardcover

From the publisher website:

The ultimate story of America's dominant warriors

When Osama bin Laden was assassinated, the entire world was fascinated by the men who had completed the seemingly impossible mission that had dogged the U.S. government for over a decade. SEAL Team 6 became synonymous with heroism, duty, and justice. Only a handful of the elite men who make up the SEALs, the US Navy's best and bravest, survive the legendary and grueling selection process that leads to Team 6, a group so classified it technically does not even exist. There are no better warriors on Earth.

Don Mann knows what it takes to be a brother of this ultra-selective fraternity. As a member of Seal Team Six for over eight years and a SEAL for over 17 years, he worked in countless covert operations, operating from land, sea, and air, and facing shootings, decapitations, and stabbings. He was captured by the enemy and lived to tell the tale, and he participated in highly classified missions all over the globe, including Somalia, Panama, El Salvador, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. As a current training coordinator for several civilian SEAL training programs, and as a former Training Officer of SEAL Team 6, he was directly responsible for shaping the bodies and minds of SEALs who carried out the assassination of Osama bin Laden.

But to become a SEAL, Mann had to overcome his own troubled childhood and push his body to its breaking point-and beyond. INSIDE SEAL TEAM 6 is a high octane narrative of physical and mental toughness, giving unprecedented insight to the inner workings of the training and secret missions of the world's most respected and feared combat unit.

On My Radar (Thursday Edition)

The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence
by Gerald Blaine & Lisa McCubbin

Gallery Books / Simon & Schuster
Trade Paperback

From the publisher website:

THE SECRET SERVICE. An elite team of men who share a single mission: to protect the president of the United States. On November 22, 1963, these men failed—and a country would never be the same. Now, for the first time, a member of JFK’s Secret Service detail reveals the inside story of the assassination, the weeks and days that led to it and its heartrending aftermath. This extraordinary book is a moving, intimate portrait of dedication, courage, and loss.

Drawing on the memories of his fellow agents, Jerry Blaine captures the energetic, crowd-loving young president, who banned agents from his car and often plunged into raucous crowds with little warning. He describes the careful planning that went into JFK’s Texas swing, the worries and concerns that agents, working long hours with little food or rest, had during the trip. And he describes the intensely private first lady making her first-ever political appearance with her husband, just months after losing a newborn baby.

Here are vivid scenes that could come only from inside the Kennedy detail: JFK’s last words to his tearful son when he left Washington for the last time; how a sudden change of weather led to the choice of the open-air convertible limousine that day; Mrs. Kennedy standing blood-soaked outside a Dallas hospital room; the sudden interruption of six-year-old Caroline’s long-anticipated sleepover with a friend at home; the exhausted team of agents immediately reacting to the president’s death with a shift to LBJ and other key governmental figures; the agents’ dismay at Jackie’s decision to walk openly from the White House to St. Matthew’s Cathedral at the state funeral.

Most of all, this is a look into the lives of men who devoted their entire beings to protecting the presidential family: the stress of the secrecy they kept, the emotional bonds that developed, the terrible impact on agents’ psyches and families, and their astonishment at the country’s obsession with far-fetched conspiracy theories and finger-pointing. A book fifty years in coming, The Kennedy Detail is a portrait of incredible camaraderie and incredible heartbreak—a true, must-read story of heroism in its most complex and human form.

On My Radar (Wednesday Edition)

Mental_Floss: The Book: The Greatest Lists in the History of Listory
by Will Pearson & Mangesh Hattikudur
William Morrow
Trade Paperback

From the publisher website:

The geniuses at mental_floss are back with mental_floss: The Book, a funny, surprising, fact-packed compendium of more than 200 of the Greatest Lists in the History of Listory. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the award-winning mental_floss magazine, authors Will Pearson, Mangesh Hattikudur, and Ethan Trex offer a cornucopia of additive, edifying, oddball, and irreverent information guaranteed to make dedicated trivia fans “feel smart again.” In the spirit of their top-selling book, Condensed Knowledge, mental_floss: The Book is perfect for everyone who likes to laugh while they learn.

Book Description

For ten years, the knowledge seekers at mental_floss have been hunting and trapping the world’s rarest facts, locking them into captivating lists for the world to admire. Thanks to their tireless efforts, Mental Floss: The Book is packed with a decade’s worth of the smartest, quirkiest stories around, including:

Five Presidential Fashion Flubs
Seven Shameless Abuses of Diplomatic Immunity
Five Units of Measurement Weirder Than the Metric System
Four Toys That Have Gone to War for America
Seven Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever
Five Things Your Body Can Do After You Die
Six of Baseball’s Strangest Trades
Four Foods People Actually Die For
Seven Things Walmart Has Banned
Four TV Shows That Changed the Course of History
Ten “Q” Words That Aren’t “Q-U” Words
Four Horrifying Parasites to Keep You Awake at Night
Eight Fake Archaeological Finds
Five Articles of Clothing That Caused Riots
Four Memorable Moments in Cross-Dressing History
Five Doomsdays We’ve Already Survived
And 124 Other Extraordinary Lists!