Book octet:

Seen Art?, Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
It's a charming book for children, about a little kid who walks around MoMA looking for his friend Art. As you might expect, misunderstandings, and hilarity, ensue. While the kid keeps wandering around saying, "I'm just looking for Art," other MoMA patrons point him toward some of the highlights of MoMA's collection, and provide child-sized chunks of aesthetic theory. It's a cute conceit, well-executed, and the end of the book includes more information about all the pieces included. MoMA has quite a collection. By the authors of that Stinky Cheese man book.

The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Will Eisner
The legendary comic artist's last book, Eisner hoped to destroy the myth of the Protocols, which, despite having been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be a fraud, continue to be published, and taken seriously, by thousands of idiots. His hope was that the comic form could reach the masses in a way that academic studies haven't been able to. Beautiful, sweeping, heartbreaking, and highly-recommended. (Foreword by Umberto Eco, which I point out in case there are any Eco completists reading.)

The Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell's Fatal Obsession with Alaskan Bears, Nick Jans
Upper-middle-class Northeasterner reinvents himself as a Californian surfer and Patagonia model, then founds a rather touchy-feely bear conservation organization and hangs out with bears in Alaska. He becomes a 'bear whisperer,' makes thousands of schoolchildren bear fans, and attracts disdain from bear biologists and Alaskans in general. Then he gets eaten by a bear. A fascinating story, and told well. As a bonus, the last chapters include some guidelines for what to do if you're attacked by a bear. Annotated bibliography, thorough index.

Retro-Electro: Collecting Technology from Atari to Walkman, Pepe Tozzo
There are collectors guides that are basically long lists of current prices, and there are collectors guides that are basically loving, photo-packed homages. This is in the latter category, which is just fine with me. Covering a period from the '70s or so until basically today, and covering the whole world of consumer electronics, being comprehensive is probably an impossible task. Nevertheless, the book manages to hit most of the major trends in design and technology of the last few decades. It also makes me nostalgic for the Little Professors and Merlins (that one's a modern reproduction) of my childhood, and yearn for a Linn turntable, vintage Bang and Olufsen stereo components and Blueroom Minipod speakers. Things to keep in mind, if you've got more money than you know what to do with.

Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom, Peter Guralnick
Guralnick is both a scholar and a longtime lover of soul music, and this book is at once sweeping and personal, moving smoothly between anecdotes about Solomon Burke and musing on race, class and Southern culture. A compelling read for devoted fans and curious music lovers.

Fred the Clown, Roger Langridge
Darkly comic and occasionally absurd, Fred is my new favorite non-Krusty clown.

A Portrait of Yo Mama as a Young Man, Andrew Barlow and Kent Roberts
It sounds like the forced laughter of a thousand art-house movie patrons, but maybe that's something you'd dig.

It's Not Easy Being Me: A Lifetime of No Respect But Plenty of Sex and Drugs, Rodney Dangerfield
I love Dangerfield, and this is probably the best book I've ever read by a stand-up comedian who isn't Dick Gregory or Richard Belzer.

And two endorsements: things to put on your keyring

Buck Metro
It's a tiny lock-blade knife, and a bottle opener. It does both of those things really well.

Leatherman Micra
It's a folding pair of scissors, a really tiny knife, a nail file, a few tiny screwdrivers, a bottle opener, and a couple things I'm forgetting. It does some of those things really well. Personally, I mostly drink beer and cut things, but the appeal of a tiny pair of scissors can't be denied. (The Leatherman Squirt is the updated version--it's twice as expensive, and not twice as good.)  ¶ 2:49 PM