Bibliofile - Hell Toupee

So here I am in the middle of the month, instead of the end of the month, talking about books. One book actually. A kind woman got hold of me on Twitter and asked me if I'd like a review copy of something called Hell Toupee. With the number of books I buy a month I jumped at the chance of reading something for free. And that worked both ways. I wasn't payed for this review (hint, hint).

So we switched e-mails and I let her know my address. She told me it was by Mitch Friedman. I confess after I heard "Mitch" I was certain this was Mitch Albom's latest book. You know, the author of Tuesday's With Morry, The Five People You Meet in Heaven?

When I opened the package I had received I learned the book was by some guy called Friedman. Oh, well, I'll get to it after I finish the latest Dismas Hardy Detective novel The Fall.

This was nothing like that, although maybe in one way, that they were both about the search for truth. In the Dismas Hardy piece they searched for the murderer. Quelle surprise! In the Friedman book he searched for the cure to male pattern baldness. Sure. Similar, right?

Toupee is such funny word. One of the funniest in the English language. And I was pleasantly surprised that Mitch Friedman was equally funny - and educational. In my early 60s, I'm still blessed with a full head of hair. You hear that Mitch? Poor Mitch took the unfortunate route of purchasing "The System" in his early 30s. And he put up with what for all intents and purposes looked like a wet dog for a full year. His tale is simply hilarious. I confess I chuckled, shook my head and laughed out loud at various spots. (See what I did there? Spots? Bald spots?)

Thoughout this tale he weaves (ha, ha I didn't even do that one on purposes) a humorous yet sad tale about his dysfunctional family. Think Augusten Burroughs pointedly sad but hilarious books and you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about.

On the whole, for a first book, I truly enjoyed reading Mitch Friedman's Hell Toupee. I can't wait to see what he writes about next.

Wanna learn more? Check out Mitch's website.

My Back Pages - November

I know, I know, I know I should have reported in before now. But sometimes real life just gets in the way. I attempted 5 books in November. I say attempted because I slapped a big DNF (did not finish) on Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. I just can't seem to get into this guy. It's the second or third of his I've given up on, Not so the other four, starting with a biography of Stephen Stills called Change Partners. This followed by a hilarious biography of the guy responsible for National Lampoon called A Stupid and Futile Gesture - How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever. I ended the month reading yet another biography, this one of the man behind Rolling Stone magazine,. It was called Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine. A fascinating read. So last month I hit the magic number 50 I'd imagined for myself back in January. If I roll this month into my yearly total I'm at 54 books. And I still hav...

The Polka Dot Door

A long time ago, when I was 22, my first child was born. That kid grew up on a little Canadian kid's show called Polka Dot Door, produced by the TV Ontario network. And Dad, more often than not, sat through those shows with his little one. Nine or so years later when a brother, and a year after that when a sister came along number one son was moving on to Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard. But there was a nice overlap where his siblings picked up where he had left off with Polka Dot Door. And Dad was right there to welcome them. So you're looking at a Polka Dot Door veteran. The show began in 1971 and ran to 1993. I didn't watch the full run but I did get in my fair share. The formula was pretty simple. A young male and female host, which seemed to change every week, sang songs, told stories, made crafts and generally did their best stimulate little brains. The show opened as follows... Imagination Day! Oh boy! ...

30 Days of Photos III #4 Sour

Check out Ziva's Inferno for the rest of today's photos.

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