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.

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! ...

My Back Pages - October

Well, folks, I read seven (count 'em) seven books in October. One I didn't finish but even at that I hit the magic number 50 I estimated for myself by the end of the year. The six books I successfully waded through were, firstly, What Happened, Hillary Clinton's book on her bid for the Presidency. I''m a bit of a political junkie so I get off on this stuff but still it kinda struck me as one long whine over losing. Next up was the excellent Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and Music of Laurel Canyon. Laurel Canyon was the fabled area outside of Los Angeles where many musicians and artists lived. Known as a 60s enclave, the book takes a look at just who lived there over the last 80 years. A fascinating read. Next up was Lightfoot, a biography of Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot. He may have been responsible for some iconic folk songs but he was also quite the womanizer and boozer. Enough said. Then I read Dan Brown's new tome Origin, the fifth ...

30 Days of Photos III #4 Sour

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

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