Monday, January 3, 2011

Book of the Month, Jan. 2011

I love books. They're fun, educational, and they're cheap...The fiancee and I were driving back New Year's Day from our friends' apartment, when she noticed that the Borders in West Windsor was having a going out of business sale.

Of course, we pulled over.

The final damage: Seven books--including David Maraniss' "Rome 1960" and Sarah Vowell's "The Wordy Shipmates"--for $8.02. Even better, a Borders near our place is closing. What did I get as a Xmas gift? A $20 Borders gift card. I'm going into the digital age kicking and screaming, folks.

Anyway, this month's Book of the Month wasn't on sale, but it's still worth picking up. Karen Abbott's "American Rose," her outstanding biography of Gypsy Rose Lee, is available this month. I reviewed it for BookPage, and it's tremendous--well-researched, exquisitely written, and full of revelations. In short, it's perfect to read over a cup of tea during a long weekend. You can find my review right here.

Ms. Abbott was nice enough to write me a letter about the review, in which she said that "I got" the book. That's nice to hear, because one of my biggest fears as a reviewer is that I completely miss the point of what I'm seeing or reading. It's only a matter of time before I reach my Marshall McLuhan moment.

For now, read in peace.

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