Category: Books
Book Review: The Boys Are Back
Growing up a sports-obsessed teen in the early 1980s, I have distinct memories of the Dunbar basketball team. I never saw them play in person, but I read dozens of stories about them (Baltimore had three daily papers back then,…
Book Review: Dad Is Fat
I have been horrible at keeping up with these. I’m going to try and catch up on the last nine months or so of reading. When I used to have satellite radio, I ended up using the function that alerted…
Book Review: In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash
Like many others, we watch “A Christmas Story” each year on Christmas. I find it fascinating how I can turn it off at one point during the 24-hour marathon on TBS, then turn on the TV at the exact same…
Book Review: One Last Thing Before I Go
I expected to spend today in a delightful state as I prepared to go listen to Jonathan Tropper speak in Harrisburg after work. The acclaimed novelist has an appearance there tonight. I can’t make it (and have a good excuse…
Book Review: Peep Show
I hesitated before picking up a copy of Joshua Braff’s novel “Peep Show.” On one hand, I didn’t really like his first book. On the other hand, I had two books in my hand for my daughter and Braff’s book had…
Book Review: The Fine Art of Mixing Girls
You need a lot of skill to write a book. You need to come up with a good idea, plan it out and use your command of language to make that story come alive. When everything comes together, the end result…
Book Review: How I Became a Famous Novelist
I had pretty high hopes when I picked up “How I Became a Famous Novelist.” First of all, the fake best-seller list on the back cover showed that the author had a keen eye for the absurdity of mass market…
Book Review: Candy Everybody Wants
Even though I know better, I am putty in the hands of book marketers sometimes. “Candy Everybody Wants” by Josh Kilmer-Purcell stands as a perfect example. All the marketing department had to do was create a colorful, eye-catching cover and…
Book Review: Eating the Dinosaur
I came to know Chuck Klosterman through his appearances on The B.S. Report, a podcast by ESPN columnist Bill Simmons. I might have read some e-mail exchanges between the two before I heard the first podcast, but I definitely first…
Book Review: Page from a Tennessee Journal
I added a new folder to my Kindle a few months ago. I named it “Started and Hated.” So far I have moved two books in there, too stubborn to delete them, but eager to get them out of my…