From the front flap: Holidays on Ice collects six of David Sedaris's most profound Christmas stories into one slender volume perfect for use as an emergency coaster or ice scraper. This drinking man's companion can be enjoyed by the warmth of a raging fire, in the glow of a brilliantly decorated tree, or even in the backseat of a van or police car. It should be read with your … [Read more...] about Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris: B-
Nonfiction
The Manga Artist’s Workbook by Christopher Hart: A-
Using artwork and text from Hart’s book Manga for the Beginner: Everything You Need to Start Drawing Right Away (Watson-Guptill Publications, ISBN 978-0-307-46270-01), The Manga Artist’s Workbook (subtitled Easy-to-Follow Lessons for Creating Your Own Characters) takes readers step-by-step through the process of creating a character and provides ample opportunities to try out … [Read more...] about The Manga Artist’s Workbook by Christopher Hart: A-
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey: A
From the back cover: Confined to a hospital bed, Scotland Yard's Inspector Grant is engrossed with a portrait of Richard III. How is it possible, he wonders, that such a sensitive-appearing soul could have been the odious villain, the Wicked Uncle responsible for the murder of his own nephews to secure the British crown for himself? Grant reconsiders 500-year-old evidence and … [Read more...] about The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey: A
More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman: B-
From the front flap: When John Hodgman first embarked on his project to assemble, tabulate, and completely make up a comprehensive survey of COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE, he was but a former professional literary agent and occasional scribbler of fake trivia—in short, A NOBODY. But during an interview on The Daily Show with John Stewart, an incredible transformation occurred—he … [Read more...] about More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman: B-
Underfoot in Show Business by Helene Hanff: A
From the front flap: "Each year, hundreds of stagestruck kids arrive in New York determined to crash the theatre... One in a thousand turns out to be Noel Coward. This book is about life among the other 999. By one of them." - Helene Hanff In her spirited, witty and vastly entertaining memoir, Helene Hanff recalls her ingenuous attempts to crash Broadway in the early forties … [Read more...] about Underfoot in Show Business by Helene Hanff: A