I Shudder by Paul Rudnick
October 12th, 2009Title: I Shudder
Author: Paul Rudnick
Publisher: HarperCollins (2009)
I am a pretty big fan of laughing…I try to do it a lot. I also enjoy memoirs, so when I get the opportunity to read a memoir that is supposedly funny…I do. Rudnick is a comedic playwright, screenwriter and novelist so I figured it would be safe on this one. I was correct, as I enjoyed this book quite a bit.
I Shudder: And Other Reactions to Life, Death, and New Jersey by Paul Rudnick is a very funny part memoir, part fiction book. He has a very relaxing style of writing, which is always nice to read. I never felt like anything that he wrote was forced…and that makes it a very fast read.
He tells his stories with great wit and honesty. I found myself laughing quite a bit reading about his times as a writer for various movies and times spent with some pretty weird friends. Oh, I should stop here and mention that he is gay. It’s a theme throughout the book…though I didn’t think it was overwhelming. So if it would bother you to read a memoir by a gay person, you should probably stay away. Also…shame on you.
Anyway…as I said before, part of the book is a fiction tale about some really weird dude. Those sections were enjoyable to read and reminded me of reading a Chuck Palahniuk book. Well, kind of like a Chuck Palahniuk book minus the totally disgusting stuff Palahniuk writes about. And minus the fear of a lack of identity which is the only thing he can write about. I don’t know if that makes sense…but it should it you have read anything by Palahniuk.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If you like memoirs, you will probably like this one too.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Book Giveaway: A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt
October 7th, 2009I’ve got a good book giveaway offer for you – a signed copy of A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt!
This was one of the first books I reviewed for Letters on Pages and now it has been reissued by the publisher. It is an inspiring story as Alt decided to walk the Appalachian Trail as a fundraiser for his brother’s assisted care living home. As an added bonus, Jeff (and his wife) happen to be excellent neighbors too!
So…in order to enter into the drawing for the signed (by the author) copy of A Walk for Sunshine you only need to leave a comment on this post. I’ll run a random number generator to decide who wins the book. Don’t forget to include your e-mail address when you post a comment (there is a spot to enter it in and it will not publish…only I will see it)!
The contest will end at 11:59pm on Wednesday October 14th. UPDATE: Extended to October 21st!!
Good Luck!
Shooting Stars by LeBron James & Buzz Bissinger
October 5th, 2009Title: Shooting Stars
Author: LeBron James & Buzz Bissinger
Publisher: Penguin Press (2009)
This is the greatest book I have ever read in my entire history of reading. It is pure artistry…the words flow through your brain like a Bach symphony. When I was finished reading, I cried. [OK, think that's enough to get them to send me a signed LeBron James jersey? No? Ok, I'll just do the normal review then.]
Shooting Stars by LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger is an OK book about Lebron James’ back story and his years of high school basketball. It is also the first book I have reviewed for Letters on Pages that did not have a subtitle! The book itself is fine. It is written in the voice of James telling everything that has happened to him up until high school graduation. I think it was very difficult for me to give this book a fair shot though because it was associated with Buzz Bissinger. For those who don’t know, Bissinger is a pretty famous sportswriter who became even more famous recently for exploding in rage about blogs and bloggers. He HATES them/us, especially sports bloggers. He went on an HBO round table a little while ago and verbally assaulted a sports blogger. It was embarrassing to watch. Plus, he very recently started a mini-feud with my man Joe Posnanski. Needless to say (but I will anyway), I don’t particularly like Bissinger.
That said, it is an interesting story to say the least. LeBron James is quite the character and has lead a pretty interesting life so far. He grew up very poor in Akron, Ohio. He moved around a lot, but eventually found his true love in basketball. But LeBron James is not just a basketball player. He sincerely appears to be a pretty good guy. He is famous for being extremely loyal to his friends, and that is really what this book is about. He, and his 4 best friends, pretty much ran through high school basketball. Of course, it helps that James is the best player in the game…but one person can’t win a championship himself.
Now, James is still very good friends with those guys from his high school team. He says they keep him grounded…something that would probably be kind of tough to do…considering he signed a $100 million Nike contract before he ever played a professional game. In fact, I think the reason he even “wrote” this book is because it would give some limelight to his buddies.
It’s just too bad Bissinger had to be involved!
Rating: 3 out of 5
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How a Book is Made
October 3rd, 2009Check out this cool, short, video about how a book is made. Specifically in this case it is The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, of which they printed 5 MILLION copies to start!
American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson
September 28th, 2009Title: American on Purpose
Author: Craig Ferguson
Publisher: HarperCollins (2009)
I’m not particularly a huge fan of Late Night talk shows. I think Leno’s comedy is too safe and boring. I think Letterman has turned into an grumpy, angry man. I think Conan had a good show…then got really weird…then got super safe and distant once he move to 11:30 (and it doesn’t help that he is being completely undermined by NBC and Leno). Then there is Craig Ferguson. I’ve always had a soft spot for him. His late night show is OK. A lot of weird comedy…but I like that better than the safety of Leno’s. He seems like a pretty good guy, so when I saw he had a memoir, I thought it would be worth a read.
American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot by Craig Ferguson is the story of his life. It is, surprisingly, not really funny. It isn’t unfunny…it’s just not a book of jokes like I kind of expected.
Ferguson’s life hasn’t been particularly easy…though it seems a lot of it was his fault (and I’m sure he would agree with that). Growing up is Glasgow, Scotland sounds like a pretty tough place to be. I don’t think I would do very well there…plus I don’t have that awesome accent. I wish I did. Where was I? Oh, so Ferguson’s life was pretty rough for a while. A lot of sleeping on couches and not really doing anything with his life. Eventually he stumbled upon a stand up routine and it did very well. And to risk blowing the ending…he becomes successful.
The overriding theme of the book was his desire to come to America and to become an American citizen. Ever since he was a young boy, he knew America was the place for him. Just a short while ago, he was able to complete his goal and become an American citizen, which was pretty exciting.
The book as a whole was an interesting story about an interesting person. I like to know more about people, and I was happy to hear Ferguson isn’t a jerk. Of course, it was his own book…so maybe he is a jerk. But he doesn’t appear to be one. If you are a fan of the show…then I obviously recommend you read this. If you just like reading memoirs…this would be a good, pretty quick, read as well.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Internet Review of Books: Google Speaks
September 19th, 2009Recently I was asked by the very nice people at Internet Review of Books to review Google Speaks by Janet Lowe. I really enjoyed the book and had a good time writing the review.
Go here to read my review of the book.
After you check out my review — take a look through the rest of the September issue. There is some good stuff in there!
LOP News: Internet Radio Star in the Making
September 15th, 2009I have been asked to be a “panel” member on Hachette Book Group Radio. The discussion will be about the Book Blogger’s Appreciation Week…starring My Friend Amy.
The radio show is at 9pm tomorrow night (Wednesday Sept. 16th). I hope you can stop by and have a listen! I assume the show will be available for download later and I’ll post that link for those who want to listen to me talk.
I have no idea what I am going to be talking about. I assume I was asked to be the male/non-fiction point of view. I hope we don’t talk about Dan Brown or Twilight the whole time…I’ll probably end up saying something that angers people and get hung up on. It wouldn’t be the first time!
Anyway…go here to listen to the show on Wednesday at 9pm!
