The Machine by Joe Posnanski - C-

The Machine:  A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds by Joe Posnanski.

I know no one will read much further than this (if they even got this far), but I digress.

If I recommended books based on nostalgia alone, you'd be looking at an A+. The summer of 1975 wasn't the best for me personally. I was 8 years old, and I spent 13 days in Children's Hospital in August. The magical season of the Reds was something that a kid that age could hold onto, though. I remember where I was when the first Reds lineup of 1975 featuring Pete Rose at Third Base was announced. You know how some people think of characters on tv as their friends? Well, Pete, Joe, Johnny, George, Tony, Ken, Davey and Cesar were my friends that summer. 1975 was special for me, and it was special for the whole city of Cincinnati.

All that being said, this isn't a good book. If you are too young to remember the Big Red Machine, you will probably enjoy the book because many of you think of Pete Rose as the guy who bet on baseball and Joe Morgan as the guy who does Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and Johnny Bench as the a**hole he is now (and was then). You may not even know who Cesar Geronimo is or that Ken Griffey Senior was actually pretty good or that, if Sparky Anderson hadn't given George Foster some PT, Foster never would have hit those 52 HRs in 1977 when "52 home runs" really meant something.

The problem with The Machine is that there's really nothing new here. Mr. Posnanski tells a story in his Afterward about getting pulled over for speeding in Indiana while doing research for the book. The police officer sees all these books on the Big Red Machine in the back seat and asks what that's all about. Mr. Posnanski says that he's researching for a book on the 1975 Reds and got off with a warning.

Well, maybe I've read all of those books he had in his back seat. Because, again, there's nothing new here. I could have written a book ALMOST as good and comprehensive without interviewing a single person. And I, unlike Mr. Posnanski (who is the same age as I am), don't travel in sports writing circles.

Maybe there will be something new in Game Six. I had planned to read one right after the other, but I don't have the strength. Maybe after the World Series.

Remember, Reading is Fundamental.

The Adderall Diaries - Stephen Elliot - B

Let's start with a couple of apt movie quotes that came to my mind in reading this book.  A virtual diet coke to the first person who, without the aid of google or any other search engine, movie database, etc., identifies both movies.

Quote No. 1:

Can l speak frankly? No holds barred?
Please.
That is one messed-up little dude.


Quote No. 2:   There's something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us.

The Adderall Diaries:  A Memoir of Moods, Masochism and Murder by Stephen Elliott is unlike any book I've read before.  Part true crime non-fiction, part memoir.  Mr. Elliott includes vignettes from his life history as he tells a story of his attempt to break through his writer's block by writing a book about the trial of a man accused of killing his estranged wife.

I was not familiar with Mr. Elliott before I stumbled upon his book at The Book Loft in Columbus (again, well worth a trip) (Though I did borrow this book from the library.  Again, sorry Mr. Elliott and Mr. Publisher) (On another side note, you will notice from this and posts in the recent past that I conquered my inability to insert hyperlinks into the posts!  Of course, I should re-name this blog the "If a man blogs in the forest, and there's no one around to hear him. . . Blog").  Ironically, Dave Eggers, author of Zeitoun (as previously discussed on this blog) edited one of Mr. Elliott's earlier books, Happy Baby.

As the two movie quotes at the top of this post indicate, Mr. Elliott is not quite right.  He had a troubled childhood, and his sexual proclivities and drug use are discussed, almost in stream of consciousness form.

The book is difficult to read for a couple of reasons.  First, while the events relating to the crime and trial are related chronologically, the autobiographical background woven into the book is not.  Mr. Elliott has spent a great part of his life as a bit of a vagabond, meeting and having relationships with many people.  It's difficult to keep people straight--particularly as Mr. Elliott jumps between time periods and locations.

Second, many will find the less savory aspects of Mr. Elliott's life shocking and perhaps even revolting.  There have been a number of books about damaged people, most notably the (outed as fiction) book A Million Little Pieces by Stephen Frey and another book Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction.  I have not read either, by the way, but the latter is on my list.  I cannot tell you where this particular book "ranks" with some of the others, but I'm sure that the level of detail is similar.

I do recommend this book, but not for all readers.  It does read like a novel--a disjointed novel, but a novel nonetheless.  So if you are primarily a fiction reader, you may still find The Adderall Diaries a good read.

RIF - Reading is Fundamental (remember your Saturday morning commercials??)

The Daniel Suarez Virtual Book Club Experiment

I’ve never been in a book club. I’ve never been asked to join one, and I’ve never felt motivated to start one. The other problem, of course, is that the National Institute of Book Clubs (NIBC) Comprehensive Survey (2009) shows that 92% of all book club members are female. I, in fact, have never met a man who is in a book club. I obviously do not think that reading or discussing books is only for women. [The Survey also shows that only 26% of book club meeting time is spent discussing the book. A staggering 57% of the time is spent discussing the libations at book club (with the remaining 17% comprised of various discussions—most notably 9% spent complaining about spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends). Also, while the Survey shows that 82% of book club members actually read the book, these statistics are likely unreliably high (and often includes those who claim to have read the book but who have either seen the movie or read the Wikipedia entry).]

Of course, each and every statistic in the preceding paragraph is made up (as is the NIBC).

A very good friend of mine (also one of the poorest spellers I have ever met, but I digress) suggested that, in order to make this blog more interactive (with the unreasonable assumption that the blog is “active” in the first place), we consider a virtual book club. We are going to give this a try. The worst thing that will happen is that I will end up being the only one who reads the book club selection, but I can live with that. Here’s how it will work:

1. Between now and Friday, October 2, I will accept suggestions for books. If we do not receive multiple suggestions, I will suggest a few books.  I'm going to throw this book out as a suggestion for the first selection.  I suggest this because (1) it's been on my list for a while and (2) since this is a "virtual" book club, a book where one theme is "virtual reality" makes some sick sense.

2. I will post 2-4 suggested books on October 3 and seek feedback (none expected). If anyone who wants to participate has already read a suggested book, the book will be disqualified from consideration (unless the person wants to re-read the book—hey, if I get ANOTHER person to participate, and he/she has already read the book, you think I’m passing on my golden opportunity???).

3. I will post the first book club selection some time after October 3 (depending on feedback) and give everybody 2-4 weeks (depending on book length) to read the book. If anybody finishes early, they may not comment on the book on the site. You may email me comments that I will post after the deadline.

Then, we’ll see if there is any give-and-take, if people like the book and the idea, etc. If there’s the expected zero interest, we’ll kill it.

Also, if you are in a book club and want to read the same book to serve dual purposes, please let me know. In other words, if I can get one more person to read the selection (even if they’re not reading it for OUR book club), it’s worth it to me.

Remember, reading a book is better than a stick in the eye.

I "Just Say No" to Oprah (Well, Sort Of)

I have a couple of confessions to make.

The first is that I'm not, and have never been, an Oprah fan.  I am certainly not a hater or anything like that.  I just find Oprah to be at the pinnacle of our "celebrity society" in that people feel that they need to buy what Oprah buys, see movies and listen to music that Oprah likes and read books that Oprah suggests.

The second confession is that I have never read an Oprah Book Club Selection.  I've read books that have become Oprah Book Club Selections (if you haven't read it, I strongly recommend The Road by Cormac McCarthy).  My wife, who is an avid Oprah fan, suggested that I read A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.  [I'm not a big self help book kind of guy.  I'm pretty set in my ways.  Even if I need help, I'm unlikely to seek or implement it unless necessary.  Plus, have you seen how the author spells his name?  OK, is the "h" silent or not?  Why is the "c" there at all--serves no purpose.  And don't get me started on the last name.  He either doesn't need the two "l"s or the "e."]  I actually bought the book at Costco (aka, the most wonderful place on earth--like it how I worked "earth" back into this??) and tried to read it.  I gave it a valiant effort for almost ten whole minutes.

Which brings me to last week's "big announcement" of Oprah's newest book club selection:  Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan [is it me or does he look like Joe Morgan?].

I see nothing inherently wrong with the Oprah Book Club.  In fact, I think that it's likely that a number of adults started to read books for pleasure or accelerated the pace of their pleasure reading as a result of Oprah's selections.

I'm just not one of them.

Do not, for a second, think that I think that I am above our "celebrity centric" culture.  I am absolutely not.  I care way too much about who famous people are dating.  I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly.  I read my wife's People magazine (it's a single poop mag while, for me, Sports Illustrated takes days of poops).  I begrudgingly do not hate the pop music my daughters listen to.  I do not watch reality tv shows--not because I am above it but because I fear, nay I know, that each and every one of them will suck me in like the spineless entertainment jellyfish that I am.


I don' t "know" Oprah.  Her selections are "one size fits all."  That's ok, I would probably like all of her [non self-help] selections.  I, in fact, have liked all of her selections that I actually read.


But I definitely have a reluctance to read her books, buy her products, eat her foods, watch her movies [I can't stand Tom Cruise any more--the whole scientology "attitude" (I have NOTHING against scientology or any other religion--just don't preach to me, ok?  And I won't preach to you) doesn't help].  She cannot possibly be that all-knowing, can she?


Well, some people think she is.  And some people are just suckers.  My wife wants to buy her new selection.  If she reads it and likes it, I'll probably read it also.  Ok, ok, I am one of those suckers.

Blindness by Jose Saramago

Whew!  That was hard work.  Blindness by Jose Saramago is, for lack of a better term, a dense read.  It's one of those books where I can confidently say that I missed a great deal.

Saramago's style takes getting used to.  Dialogue is difficult to follow.  Plot is difficult to follow.  As a reader, you must concentrate on every word, on every line.  As I've stated earlier on this blog, I often read in the middle of the tumult of my house--kids playing, watching tv, talking on the phone.  One reason that Blindness took me so much time to finish is that I couldn't read this particular book in this tumult.  I had to find quiet which can be difficult to come by.  Plus, because reading the book was such hard work, I often couldn't get through as much at a sitting as I would have liked.

I cannot give this book a rating.  I do recommend this book if you want a powerful read.  As one commenter on this blog stated, "what was the point?"  Yes, the book is allegorical.  Of what, I'm not sure.  Blindness' value, to me, is that it has many layers and can mean many different things to different people.  As stated above, I'm sure I missed a lot, but I got a lot, too.  And all readers will find passages or plot points meaningful and powerful.

Blindness is definitely not a light read.  Nor is it an easy one.  I think that some books virtually read themselves.  The reader moves through them effortlessly.  Other books are work.  You have to fight through them--sometimes actually fight them.  Blindness is this type of book.  If you are ambitious enough to start Blindness, I urge you to finish it.  I'm not sure that you will find it a satisfying read, but Blindness will make you think between sittings and, I expect, long after finishing it.  That's about as good a definition as a good read as I can come up with.

Reading a book is better than a stick in the eye.

The "Atlas Shrugged" Incident of 2009

There are plenty of "classics" that I haven't read.  Some interest me not at all, some I'd consider if recommended to me and some I just haven't gotten around to, yet.

Someone recommended An American Tragedy to me about 15 years ago.  I read it on my honeymoon.  My wife still laughs because as I read the last page, I got up from my pool chair and proceeded to mash my foot into another pool chair, resulting in excrutiating pain.  My wife said, "THERE'S your American Tragedy."  [I recall enjoying the book, but I do not feel comfortable recommending/not recommending since I read it almost 15 years ago.]

I read Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in college.  I loved it.  I particularly loved the character of Howard Roark.  I neither "got" nor focused on the whole "objectivism" thing back then.  I enjoyed The Fountainhead because I thought it was a well written good read.  It was also recommended to me by a friend.  [Recall the scene in Dirty Dancing where Robbie Gould (aka "The Bad Guy Who Got Penny Pregnant") suggested that Baby read The Fountainhead?  Just a little shout out to Patrick Swayze who lost his battle with cancer this week]

Since reading The Fountainhead, I felt I had to read Ayn Rand's seminal work.  However, I had found it difficult to motivate to read Atlas Shrugged despite the fact that my mother had my grandmother's FIRST EDITION copy in hardback (1,170 pages) (FYI-the dust jacket is long gone.  Otherwise, it's possible that selling the book could pay for a significant portion of a year in college.  Why do people discard dust jackets?  But I digress).  Then, when the economy went in the crapper and all of this "Who is John Galt?" stuff started cropping up, I thought I was missing something.  Thus began the "Atlas Shrugged" Incident of 2009.

I can say with some confidence that there is a good story and controversial, thought-provoking themes somewhere in Atlas Shrugged.  It's there, somewhere, in the 1,170 pages.  There are some great, potentially classic characters, too.  Why Ayn Rand had to bury all of that in an extra 600-700 pages (am I being charitable?) of self-aggrandizing uselessness is beyond me.

Some people won't read this book on principle because of Ayn Rand's politics.  I respect that, and I wouldn't even suggest that those people try to endure the 1,170 pages.  Some people, like me, think that they're missing something (either culturally or educationally) by not reading the book.  Dispell that notion.  You have better things to do.  Do yourselves a favor.  Google "Atlas Shrugged" and "Who is John Galt" and learn enough that you're in on the joke.  Then pick up another "classic" that will be a better use of your time.

Remember, reading a book is better than a stick in the eye.

And, the cold winter has apparently not affected the orange harvest.

Random Musings - Interactive Edition

I will refer to you by your commenting name below; I will not otherwise "out" you as someone who actually has a few minutes to read my blog.

At least one of the two followers of this blog (thanks Tedd with two d's) has agreed to provide his impression of The Lost Symbol.  I have to say:  I'm not confident that The Lost Symbol will be a great read.  Those who have read my previous posts on this book know that (1) I'm sort of "over" the whole "historical mystery" thing, so the book better be good in its own right and (2) Dan Brown's previous works were uneven (Again, Digital Fortress anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?).

Holly commented on a couple of books.  First, she recommended The Blind Side by Michael Lewis.  I couldn't agree with her more.  The Blind Side is an outstanding book for football fans and non-football fans alike.  Michael Lewis also wrote Moneyball (which is inexplicably in production to be released as a movie--huh?) and Liar's Poker, among others.  [Football purists will notice that some of Lewis' football facts are, well, not accurate in the book, particularly early in the book.  Overlook these shortcomings.]  While, at its core, about football, The Blind Side is really about an opportunity afforded to a teenager who would have absolutely no future otherwise.  The "opportunity" I identify is the opportunity to become part of a family--yes, the teenager begins to play football.  As you know, no spoilers here, so I won't give you the epilogue.

Holly also mentioned a book I have not read, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (who also wrote Zeitoun which is the subject of an earlier post on this blog).  Holly is the second person to suggest this book, and while she also hasn't read the book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius has been suggested to her several times.  It's high on my list.

My next book (if I can ever get through Blindness--about 100 pages left--which I've begun to call "The Lord of the Flies meets Night of the Living Dead") will be The Adderall Diaries.  It's a non-fiction, true crime book that I stumbled upon at The Book Loft in Columbus (see earlier post on this "most excellent" bookstore-"You killed Ted you medieval dickweed) and have on hold at the library (sorry Mr. Publisher).

Still working on my sign off (or motto--"What's a motto?"  "Nothing.  What's a-motto with you?")

Wanted: Guest Blogger for The Lost Symbol

If the Amazon best seller list is the accurate indicator that it purports to be, Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, the follow up to The Da Vinci Code, is one of the most popular and eagerly anticipated reads in a while.  Its status at or near the top of the list rivals that of certain self help/spiritual books, political books pandering to the extreme right or extreme left, the Harry Potter books and, I suppose, the Twilight books.

As I've stated on this blog, I'm not going to be among the first to buy and read The Lost Symbol.  I would very much like it if you (however many "you" are) would blog about the novel for me.  You can email me your post and let me know if you want credit (or blame) for your blog.  I'm happy to post anonymously, and I'm happy to post multiple blogs about the book.

I'm also working on a standard sign off for my entries (you know, like "You stay classy, San Diego").  I may come up with a "Top Ten" of possibilities for my next entry.  (I'm still killing time as it's taking me more time than usual to get through my current read).

New Look!

I'm cheating with this blog entry because I am still slogging away at Blindness.  My 13 year old daughter chastised me that my blog essentially "showed my age" and that I needed to "jazz it up."  Personally, I thought that the previous style was very dignified. . .

I am happy to report that I am aware of three people have read "This is Where I Leave You" on the blog's recommendation.  The novel is a good, fun read for anyone (unless your family is the only family in America with no dysfunction--in which case, you just won't get it).

Random Musings

Well, the blog poll regarding Dan Brown's soon-to-be-released book was an abject failure (since I accounted for 50% of the votes).  The poll concept for this blog is dead (well, mostly dead) ["There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do."  "What's that?"  " Go through his clothes and look for loose change."] [Princess Bride Quote No. 1]

I am trying to blog every few days (whether I need it or not).  I haven't made progress on the book I started after Zeitoun (we'll get back to that in a moment).

What I have often done for book recommendations in the past is read a "favorite all-time book" suggested by someone whose opinion I trust.  One such book that I read a few years ago is "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chabon.  The novel is an outstanding read (and Pulitzer Prize winner).  The only other Chabon book that I've read is "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" (which inexplicably won a Hugo Award--I say "inexplicably" because I would not consider the book to be a science fiction book).

I like to think that I have a decent vocabulary.  Above average even. Chabon, though, makes me feel like a moron.  Not only are there numerous words unfamiliar to me, but invariably, context doesn't help.  I look at a word and I feel like I'm Inigo Montoya looking at Vizzini and saying, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."  [Princess Bride Quote No. 2]  But the word means exactly what Chabon thinks it means.  Both times I've read his novels, I've googled "bookmark dictionary" [they do exist] and considered purchasing one (I haven't yet).

Some have asked how I find time to read as much as I do.  While I probably spend less time reading than you think, it helps when I can read in the family room while the kids are watching Nick or Disney or whatever.  Chabon's dense language slows my reading down.  It took me an unusually long time to complete "Kavalier and Clay."  You just can't read Chabon with Hannah Montana singing in the background.

Enter Blindness by Jose Saramago.  I've gotten through all of 56 pages in three nights.  I've never read Saramago, and it's the first book I read based on a recommendation from one of the three people who read the blog.  WAY TOO MUCH thinking involved in order to read Saramago.  His style (due, in part, to the fact that Blindness is translated from Portuguese) is unconventional and takes some getting used to.  So, this one's a struggle (but a good one), and the only deadline is that I need to finish it in the next two weeks when my two Big Red Machine books are due to arrive.  (PS:  There is a book that I saw, but didn't buy, at the Book Loft in Columbus that I might try to sneak in between)

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers - B+

I must have enjoyed this book immensely since I was accused by my family of ignoring them while I had my "nose in the book."


I did enjoy this non-fiction book very much.  On its main level, the book is about one family's experiences during and after Hurricane Katrina, but the book is about so much more.  In its 300+ pages, Zeitoun explores the government's response to Katrina (from the perspective of the family central to the book), how the government's (and FEMA's) response was colored by 9/11 and the impact of Homeland Security.


I am likely to the political right of the one or two people who follow this blog, but without giving too much of the book away, I would say that the largest takeaway for me from this book was a reminder that the successful operation of our government depends on the faithful execution of the rule of law.  I certainly don't want to get preachy on this post or any post, but what has historically differentiated our government from almost any other government is our adherence to the rule of law.  And, adherence to the rule of law is most difficult, and most important, in difficult times.  It's easy when everything is lollipops and bubblegum.  We have to work even harder after a terrorist event or a domestic catastrophe.   Many of us have lost sight of this, and for them, Zeitoun is a must read.

The Classics Never Die - "Top" Novels for HS American Literature Class

I have a bit of a confession.  I didn't love doing my required reading in high school. I don't know why they subjected (and continue to subject) kids to certain "literature."  (without Cliff's Notes, I probably wouldn't have graduated)  And don't get me started on some of the poetry.

Here's one list of the ten novels most often taught in high school American Lit classes.  I haven't read all of them.  I am shocked (and a little afraid) that the list hasn't changed in the almost 25 years since I graduated high school.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn--Have read it twice.  After reading Tom Sawyer, which I liked very much, I was surprised at how much I loved Huck Finn because I thought it would just be more of the same.

The Scarlett Letter--Borderline child abuse.  Show me a HS English teacher under the age of 60 who thinks that teaching this book is a good idea.

To Kill a Mockingbird--As stated in an earlier post, another all time favorite of mine.

The Red Badge of Courage--I missed this one.

The Great Gatsby--Great novel.  I actually enjoyed Tender is the Night more, probably because I read it for pleasure instead of out of school mandated obligation.

The Grapes of Wrath--A feel good story for the ages.  I keep this book by my bed so that whenever I'm feeling a little blue, I can read about the great life of the Joads.  It always cheers me right up.

Call of the Wild; Invisible Man--Missed these.

Farewell to Arms--I actually enjoyed Hemingway quite a bit and read more than just his required works.  You either love or hate his writing style so this is definitely a matter of taste.

Fahrenheit 451--I was pleasantly surprised to see this on the list.  First, it's a novella.  Second, it's oft-overlooked science fiction.

I'm looking forward to catching some of the books I missed when my kids read them during high school.  I am not, however, re-reading The Scarlet Letter to find out if perhaps I "missed something" the first time around.

Random Musings; Feeding the Beast (Part II); Coming Attractions

1.  I may have overestimated the number of readers of this blog.  I thought that there were perhaps three (including me, of course).  But only one person has responded to my blog poll regarding the new Dan Brown book to be released on Sepember 15.  (That responder would be me)  I am not going to be a first adopter of The Last Symbol.  I did enjoy Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons even more.  Since those two were released, there's been a bunch of historical mystery novels released, and there have also been a bunch of historical mystery movies.  I guess that I'm a little over the whole thing.  If The Last Symbol proves to be a good read, I'd love to know.  While you are all reading that book. . .

2.  . . . I will be reading The Machine: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds and Game Six: Cincinnati, Boston, and the 1975 World Series: The Triumph of America's Pastime.  I don't understand why there are two books about the 1975 Reds coming out one week apart.  In fact, I find it bizarre.  I will be reading these two back-to-back and then I will report back to, well, whomever.

3.  I am currently reading Zeitoun by David Eggers and expect to report back to you by mid-week.

4.  I went up to Columbus, Ohio yesterday, and today I went to one of my all-time favorite bookstores:  The Book Loft in German Village.  This isn't one of those newfangled sit 'n lounge bookstores (though there is a Cup 'o Joe next door and a Starbucks across the street--somebody's got some 'splaining to do 'bout that).  This is a bookstore in an older home, 32 rooms of packed book goodness.  Don't stand in any one place for too long.  My daughter had to call me FROM INSIDE THE STORE because you can definitely get lost.

5.  I expect the recommendations from me will slow considerably in mid-November.  Stephen King's upcoming 1,088 page epic Under the Dome will be released on November 10.  That one's going to take a while.  If I'm still blogging then, I'm going to have to survive on filler and (hopefully) guest recommendations.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Ok, I read this book years ago.  This entry was prompted by the fact that I just received (via paperbackswap.com, see my earlier post on Feeding the Beast for information) Mary Roach's next book,

"Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife."

 

Let's just say that I have a bit of an off-centered sense of humor.  Strike that.  Calling it a sense of humor may be too generous.  Instead, let's just say that I find humor in things that some others do (should?) not.  And I attempt to make jokes about, well, inappropriate subjects.  My kids' therapy jar is overflowing--I think there's more money there than there is in their college funds.

 

Anyway, enter Mary Roach.  She wrote "Stiff" after doing research for an article published in "Salon."  One of the opening lines in the book ("The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship. Most of your time is spent lying on your back") sort of prepares you for what's to come.  The book humorously takes the reader through the history of corpses.  Not only how different cultures and different time periods preserved (or didn't) corpses.  Also, there are discussions about how corpses are used and preserved for medical science (including practice for plastic surgery), how they are preserved for burial, etc.

 

This isn't a science or history book.  I have no doubt that the science and the history are true, but you won't (well, shouldn't) see "Stiff" in your high schooler's reading list.

"Stiff" is a fun, quick read.  When I read it, "Six Feet Under" was still on HBO.  I was also doing work with a company that owned funeral homes and cemeteries.  In other words, it was timely, and I recommended the book numerous times to other "Six Feet Under" fans and many others.

If you have a bit of a sick sense of humor, you'll love this book.  If you have a weak stomach, you'll probably like it, too.  And if your significant other finds the whole subject taboo, I strongly recommend the book.  It's worth reading passages just to get them to be a little less repressed.

More About This Blog AND Books on Baseball - An Interlude

About this Blog:

I'm definitely indecisive about whether to (1) keep this blog alive, (2) let it die or (3) move my self-indulgent opinions offline and let it become just an egocentric journal of books I've read.

Anyway, I have gotten a bunch of emails with book recommendations or suggestions or opinions on books I've posted.  It would be great if one of the two of you out there following the blog on the newfangled world wide interweb would post more comments or would present/rate a book--you can use any scoring/rating system you like.

Books on Baseball:

First, I expect that there's no one out there who would be vaguely interested in the rest of this post.  If you are reading this, I urge you to stop now.  The discussion below will bore you and may make your eyes gloss over altogether.

It used to be my annual ritual.  From March 1 through about Memorial Day every year I'd devour 4-6 books on baseball.  These usually consisted of a couple of new books (as March-June is the time each year when new baseball books come out) and old classics.  I'm not talking about books on statistics.  I'm talking about books on historical baseball figures and events that capture the particular time period.  There are two great books on Jackie Robinson, for example.  The first is "Jackie Robinson: A Biography" by Arnold Rampersad.  Rampersad was hand-picked by Jackie Robinson's widow to write his biography.  The other is called "Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season" by Jonathan Eig.  Eig also authored an excellent biography of Lou Gehrig entitled, "Luckiest Man."  All three of these books not only capture the subject players but also the times.  But I digress.

For some reason, I abandoned my annual ritual this year.  Not sure why.  I did read "The Rocket that Fell to Earth" about Roger Clemens (D, by the way).  I'm currently reading the new Thurman Munson biography which I tell you mainly to explain why there will likely be a longer than normal lag between posts.  The Munson biography is very ok thus far.  I'm a sucker for any book on the Yankees or the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers because of the histories of the franchises.  Also a sucker for books on the Reds, of course.  And there are two books on the 70s Reds coming out in the next couple of weeks (violating the March/April/May general rule of baseball book release).

I've got plenty of baseball book recommendations if one of you two want them.