January 2012
        The Dangerous Alphabet ~ Neil Gaiman (w), Gris Grimly (a) (2008) children’s picture book (32 pgs)
Always liked Alphabet books, and this is another nice entry in that genre, from two great creative minds.
        Boomsday ~ Christopher Buckley (2007) novel, political satire (318 pgs)
Buckley political satire that only seems crazy if you don’t pay attention to real-world politics
        Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them ~ Al Franken (2003) politics, society (354 pgs)
        Deliver Us From Evil- Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism ~ Sean Hannity (2004) politics, society (296 pgs)
        How To Talk To a Liberal (If You Must) ~ Ann Coulter (2005) politics, society (464 pgs)
Dived in the deep end of the political pool with these three. Final opinions: the Franken book was the most factual and researched. The Hannity book verged on boring, a list of how everyone else is evil. Coulter was pure hate, dripping vitirol like a crazed Alien.
        Babbitt ~ Sinclair Lewis (1922) novel (327 pgs)
Classic satire of the sadness of the businessman, conforming to whatever it takes to get ahead. Still feels contemporary.
        The Devil’s Diaries ~ M.J. Weeks (2008) humor, satire (160 pgs)
Nicely designed gift book. A bit thin on actual satiric content. Only got a few grins, not much really outright funny stuff.
        My Cat Spit McGee ~ Willie Morris (1999) memoir (141 pgs)
Sweet tale of a life-long cat hater, finding he doesn’t hate them, after all, when he meets the cat Spit McGee.
        Time’s Arrow ~ Martin Amis (1991) novel (165 pgs)
An amazing, read, following a man’s life backwards, death to birth, with, at the core, the horror of the Holocaust. Unlike anything else I’ve ever read!
        The Face in the Frost ~ John Bellairs (1969) fantasy (174 pgs)
Recommended to me as one of the fantasy novels I “had to read”. Nice enough, had good moments, but nothing stuck with me.

    February 2012
        Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams ~ M.J. Simpson (2003) biography (358 pgs)
Intensely detailed biography of the life and career of Hitchhikers Guide author Adams. So many projects!