Hegemony or Survival
From Noam Chomsky, the world's foremost intellectual activist, "Hegemony or Survival" is an irrefutable analysis of America's pursuit of total domination and the catastrophic consequences that are sure to follow. Burning Garbo
Take a sang froid ex-con assigned to photograph a reclusive Garbo-like movie star: she's knocked unconscious but nevertheless escapes a fast-moving California brush fire; outmaneuvers a conniving alcoholic cop set for blood; survives a trailer bulldozed over a cliff while she's inside; and just by the skin of her teeth, escapes an evil dentist set to pull all thirty-two of her pearly whites-sans Novocain. This story moves. Emperor: The Gates of Rome
In the first volume of a planned series of [i]Emperor[/i] novels, [i]The Gates of Rome[/i] ,Conn Iggulden makes a hell of an argument for the retelling of tales. [i]The Gates of Rome[/i] is a stunning combination of bloody action, heroic bravery, and a brilliant story brought to life for a modern readership. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto
Chuck Klosterman, author of "Fargo Rock City," struggles to maintain a consistent level of quality throughout "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs," his recent collection of essays that range topically from the music industry to "The Awe-Inspiring Beauty of Tom Cruise's Shattered, Troll-like Face." Sex and Sunsets
Kelly Palamino is not – I repeat, NOT – crazy. Yes, water does talk to him: his toilet tells him to eat fish; his Water Pik quotes Ezra Pound. His ex-wife denies they were ever married and is actively seeking to have him committed. But Kelly Palamino is not crazy. Lost? Yes… but not crazy. I Sleep At Red Lights
“I Sleep at Red Lights” is Bruce Stockler’s account of the maelstrom that ensues when a couple become the parents of triplets plus one. It recounts the transformations a father undergoes beginning with the revelation that his family is about to triple in size and traversing through an unbearable pregnancy into the surreal and sleepless wonderland that is parenting multiple-birth infants. Schott's Original Miscellany
Schott’s Original Miscellany is a small book, much smaller than you’d expect for what’s packed inside. It’s about the size of an average paperback, perhaps smaller. It’s the kind of book you should leave lying around on a coffee table or perhaps in the bathroom... Dry : A Memoir
In "Dry," a follow-up to his shocking and hilarious childhood memoir, "Running with Scissors," Augusten Burroughs recounts his introduction into recovery from alcoholism. Adam's Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of The Human Form
Adam's Navel is a long and somewhat boring stream of facts and conjectures about the individual parts of the visible human body from the scalp to the toe nails. The majority of the information is either a summation of current evolutionary theories or a map of how different cultural myths shape our literal and figurative view of our body. Feeding A Yen
In "Feeding a Yen," Calvin Trillin's most recent collection of food essays, we tag along as he seeks out such delicacies as [i]pimientos de Padron[/i] in Spain, [i]pan bagnat[/i] in Nice and [i]boudin[/i] in Louisiana. These are foods that comprise Trillin's "Register of Frustration and Deprivation," foods that can't be found outside of their place of origin... The Woman Who Found Grace
Johnson’s third novel in The Woman Who series, The Woman Who Found Grace, strikes me as a book straddling the line between genre mystery and literary whodunit. That’s a tough line to straddle, no doubt about it. Johnson succeeds at combining these two essentially irreconcilable forms as well as any author I’ve read to date. To Live
"To Live" is an epic and heartbreaking journey spanning four decades of recent Chinese history. It begins in the 1930s around the time of China’s second war with Japan and continues into the late 1970s reform era. In between, Hua weaves great sorrow and struggle for Fugui and his family through the tempestuous Chinese Civil War, The Great Leap Forward, and The Cultural Revolution. Beemer (TM)
Review: Glenn Gaslin's first novel, Beemer (TM) is a fresh, though perhaps too non-confrontational exploration of the media cultural landscape seeping into our collective mindscapes... Discovering Joan Didion
Upon reading only a couple of the essays collected in "Slouching Towards Bethlehem," I knew two things immediately: her voice is one of an unbiased observer who doesn't judge, but merely collects people, places, events, information and structures them so that they are compellingly readable. Secondly, Joan Did ion's prose is some of the most artfully arranged I have ever read. Review: "Tilting" by Robert Mellin
Eight miles off the Eastern coast of Newfoundland, Canada lies Fogo Island, an inconsequential spot of land 15 miles in length and 9 miles wide. "Fogo" is derived from "fuego," the Portugese word for fire, since in its rocky barrenness, the island appears to have "been swept clean by fire." | 