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Pacific, A Novel Filled With Sharp Observation and Deadpan Wit by Tom Drury

On May 17, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

In a triumphant return to the characters that launched his career two decades ago, Tom Drury travels back to Grouse County, the setting of his landmark debut, The End of Vandalism. Drury’s depictions of the stark beauty of the Midwest and the futility of American wanderlust have earned him comparisons to Raymond Carver, Sherwood Anderson, and Paul Auster.

Tiny Confessions: The Secret Thoughts of Dogs, Cats and Everything by Christopher Rozzi

On May 9, 2013, in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Social Studies, by Editor

Ever wonder what your dachshund, bulldog, great dane, or tabby cat are *really* thinking? Wonder no more, because artist and comedian Christopher Rozzi has channeled the innermost thoughts of canines and felines (along with the occasional rabbit or robot) and painted their portraits with great affection and humor.

Attempting Normal by “WTF” Podcaster Marc Maron

On May 7, 2013, in Art & Literature, Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Nonfiction, by Editor

Attempting Normal is Marc Maron’s journey through the wilderness of his own mind, a collection of explosively, painfully, addictively funny stories that add up to a moving tale of hope and hopelessness, of failing, flailing, and finding a way. From standup to television to his outrageously popular podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, Marc has always been a genuine original, a disarmingly honest, intensely smart, brutally open comic who finds wisdom in the strangest places.

Dad Is Fat, Stories from the Frontline of Urban Parenting by Jim Gaffigan

On May 7, 2013, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Entertainment, Nonfiction, Social Studies, by Editor

In Dad is Fat, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, who’s best known for his legendary riffs on Hot Pockets, bacon, manatees, and McDonald’s, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children—everything from cousins (“celebrities for little kids”) to toddlers’ communication skills (“they always sound like they have traveled by horseback for hours to deliver important news”), to the eating habits of four year olds.

Someday, Someday, Maybe: A Coming-Of-Age Novel by Lauren Graham

On April 28, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

From Lauren Graham, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, comes a witty, charming, and hilariously relatable debut novel about a struggling young actress trying to get ahead―and keep it together―in New York City.

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, An Essay Collection from Noted Humorist David Sedaris

On April 18, 2013, in Book Reviews, Entertainment, Essays, Nonfiction, Travel, by Editor

From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new book of essays taking his readers on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler’s experiences.

The View from Penthouse B, A Post-Financial-Crash Comedy by Elinor Lipman

On April 18, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

Two sisters recover from widowhood, divorce, and Bernie Madoff as unexpected roommates in a Manhattan apartment. A sister story about love, loneliness, and new life in middle age, this is a cracklingly witty, deeply sweet novel from one of our finest comic writers.

Equilateral: A Tragicomedy of Ideas set in 1890s Egypt by Ken Kalfus

On April 17, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Historical Novel, by Editor

Equilateral is written with a subtle, sly humor, but it’s also a model of reserve and historical accuracy; it’s about many things, including Empire and colonization and exploration; it’s about “the other” and who that other might be. We would like to talk to the stars, and yet we can barely talk to each other.

Woke Up Lonely: A Novel Exploring the World of Family, Fame and Forgiveness by Fiona Maazel

On April 11, 2013, in Book Reviews, Fiction, by Editor

With fiery, exuberant prose, Fiona Maazel takes us on a wild ride through North Korea’s guarded interior and a city of vice beneath Cincinnati, a ride that twists and turns as it delves into an unsettled, off-kilter America. Woke Up Lonely is an original and deeply funny novel that explores our very human impulse to seek and repel intimacy with the people who matter to us most.

If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother – A Funny Look at Being an Adoptive Parent by Julia Sweeney

On April 6, 2013, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Social Studies, by Editor

While Julia Sweeney is known as a talented comedienne and writer and performer of her one-woman shows, she is also a talented essayist. Happily for us, the past few years have provided her with some rich material. Poignant, provocative, and wise, this is a funny, and at times powerful, memoir by a woman living her life with originality and intelligence.