New Reviews
Reviews Archive |
 |
 |
| Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top    |
Beat the Reaper |
Miles on Miles |
 |
 |
 |
| Outlaw Journalist |
The Mental Floss History of the World |
Skydog: The Duane Allman Story |
Book Interviews
Chris Lemmon
Author of "A Twist of Lemmon: A Tribute to My Father"
James Robert Parish
Author of "Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops"
Book Web Guide
Amazon Books | Barnes & Noble | Borders | BookFinder.com | BookPage.com | New York Times
Book QuickTakes
QuickTakes Archive
The Terrible, Horrible Term-to-Perm Debacle
By: Bob Powers (2009)
It would have been very easy to take the choose-your-own-adventure format and snark the bejeezus out of it, but thankfully, Bob Powers makes nothing easy. "The Terrible, Horrible Term-to-Perm Debacle," the second installment in his Just Make a Choice! series, places the reader in a crazy setup (the story's protagonist, an aimless, alcoholic temp, wakes up from a bender-induced blackout to find himself in bed with a dead girl) that only gets crazier. Powers likes to tease the reader into using common sense and good judgment, only to lure them into traps where murder, amputation, and pharmacy school are the order of the day. Even the so-called happy endings are a mixed bag at best (one word: porn). Getting through every choice can be a bit tricky – we had six bookmarks set to various forks in the road at one point, and eventually read the book out of order from start to finish just to see all of the paths Powers had created – but is absolutely worth re-reading the occasional chapter two or three times. We eagerly await Book Three. ~David Medsker
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip
By: Guy Fieri and Ann Volkwein (2008)
If you have seen every episode of Guy Fieri’s Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” the book of the same name is not anything you haven’t already seen or had your mouth water from. But one of the best things about the book is that it gives us insight into Fieri the man and about the cast of characters that work on the show, delivered in Guy-speak – terms like “flavor town” and “off the hook” are among Fieri’s vocabulary, and you know it’s not an act. In addition, the book describes each stop on the DDD tour so far, along with a recipe from each eatery and some behind the scenes photos. And the owners and chefs at these restaurants add to the character of the show and the book – folks like Uncle Gus from the Marietta Diner, Joe Bristol Jr. from Joe’s Gizzard City, and Mama at Monte Carlo Steakhouse. If you’re a Fieri fan (and what fan of the Food Network isn’t at this point?), you have to have this book. I mean, we all can’t travel to every stop Guy does, but now we can at least try some of the recipes. ~Mike Farley