With all of the insanity of 2020 raging at full speed, a reader probably has two basic options when choosing a book this year. First, you can find something that will distract you from a tension of a global pandemic and presidential politics. Maybe something lighthearted that features a puppy who gets separated from his family and has a great adventure as he makes his way back home. The other choice is that you can lean in hard to the madness and dive into something like Chuck Palahniuk's new novel, The Invention of Sound (out now.) The Fight Club author's... Read more →

I was starting to think Allie Brosh was a figment of my imagination. I read her first book, Hyperbole and a Half in 2015. I was not in a great headspace at the time, but I'd heard good thing about this new humorist and thought I would see what all the buzz was about. I'd never encountered anything like that book, which was somewhere between a graphic novel and a collection of blog posts. It had crude (i.e. rudimentary) graphics that were endearingly weird. The accompanying stories included her family, random adventures with things like hot sauce, her battle with... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? I'm in a little bit of denial about how cold it is in here right now. BDH and Little Buddha say today's high temperature is supposed to be in the mid-70's, so I can still wear shorts, but it might be time to start thinking about wearing sweatpants to bed. That seems like a good way to start the transition to the fall wardrobe. I struck out at the bookstore yesterday, but the guys just discovered A Bit of Fry and Laurie on Amazon Prime Video, so I'll probably let them watch that... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? Sorry it's so stuffy in here right now. We closed the windows before going to bed last night, because we thought it might start raining before we woke up this morning. However, now the rain isn't supposed to start until mid-morning (and we'll see if that ends up being a tease.) BDH and Little Buddha opened the windows, and we've got the fan running, so hopefully it will be a little more comfortable soon. Can we interest you in some coffee in the meantime? (We do have tea for anyone who would prefer... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? We hope you're enjoying your long weekend so far. Our crew is generally doing well. We missed the Labor Day traffic, and BDH and Little Buddha are still enjoying their book, so that's good. We had a little incident regarding last week's rock and roll crossword puzzle. Long story short, we were only off by one letter. I'm still a little annoyed, but the guys said all we can do is move on to the next puzzle and enjoy the nice weather, so that's the plan. Those two are terrific at putting things... Read more →

As stories of police misconduct continue to dominate the headlines, we repeatedly hear the calls for the implementation of micro-reforms like cultural competency training, body cams, and the firing of so-called "bad apples." Sociology professor Alex Vitale argues in his recent book, The End of Policing, that these changes would be helpful, but they're nibbling at the edges. Instead, Professor Vitale says what we really need to do is completely revamp how we see the role of the police in our society and to stop using them in situations where they do little to nothing that increases public safety (and... Read more →

Jim Ross is widely regarded as one of the two best professional wrestling announcers of all time. However you rank him with Gordon Solie is right. Ross was the voice of the WWE's "Attitude Era," and he provided the memorable soundtrack for the exploits of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, and others, for 20 years. Longtime wrestling fans will remember his work with WCW in the late 1980's and Mid-South Wrestling before that. In addition to being an announcer, Ross has also been part of management. He's seen it all, the highs and the lows, both professionally... Read more →

We have reached the point in the pandemic where we are combing through our shelves for books we have never gotten around to reading, because this seems like a perfect time to cut down the backlog. First up, we have Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, a stunning collection of fictional short stories about the author's time in combat during the Vietnam War. Originally published in 1990, the book is a gripping look at both war and the human condition, as well as being a masterclass in storytelling. Taken literally, "the things they carried" include items like pictures of girlfriends,... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! We made it to the end of another week -good for us! This summer seems to be picking up speed as we head into the back half of August. I wonder if fall and winter will do the same, or if colder weather will tap the brakes on the clocks. You don't want to be rushing through your life, but at the same time, I think we're all ready for 2021 to arrive at this point. Anyway, BDH and Little Buddha are excited that you're here, and they want you to know they just made coffee.... Read more →

We've found that one of our favorite ways to escape from the craziness of 2020 is to periodically binge-watch a few episodes of The Office. It's easy to do, considering that it's constantly playing on Comedy Central, and the entire series is available on Netflix. You can jump in at just about any point and lose yourself to some well-written-and-performed comedy for an hour or two (although, be warned if you see Will Ferrell or James Spader on the screen.) It was a brilliant show that deserved an insightful look at its history, and that's what Andy Greene provides in... Read more →