Stuff About Books & Things

1. The gang at McSweeney's has a new book:
Created In Darkness By Troubled Americans
Release date is August 10th. It's an anthology of McSweeney's humor and several things what I wrote are featured in it including:

Terrible Names for Hair Salons
As A Porn Movie Titler, I May Lack Promise
Canceled Regional Morning TV Shows
Cause And Effect Rules For Sidewalk Travel
and the meme-inducing Suggested Follow-up Songs For One-Hit Wonders

along with about a zillion other pieces that are screamingly funny. Can you read most of them for free on the Interweb? Sure. But a book is better. I got an advanced copy from a publicist who, not knowing who I was, asked me in so many words if I'd like to interview myself. It's really funny stuff. Thinky funny but also actually funny.

2. I review books for a Large Internet Bookseller. I was recently asked to review the 9/11 Commission Report. And you know what? That's a hard thing to do. It's not meant to entertain but it still needs to be accessible. None of the findings are shocking and they've all been written about in the press by now. And you really can't compare it to previous work by the author. So anyway, here's what I came up with.