Penn Jillette
Yes, that Penn, of Penn and Teller. One has a first name, one has a last and together they’re magical. *ba-doom-ching*
Jillette, a man prolific in many things – writing, magic, acting, opinions – was also quite prolific in the weight area. After a nasty health scare, he …
Michael Galinsky
Had I been shown this photo collection at the time of its taking I would have scoffed, even though I’d barely have been in my teens. Compositionally, these are some pretty lousy photos – blurry, too dark and often oddly cropped. But the content is pure 80s …
Zac Bissonnette
Selected wisdom from murderers, stock swindlers, and Lance Armstrong
Here are some of the sounds you will likely make while reading this book: Pppft! WHA? Unnnggh! Ha! ….ohhhhhhh. Bissonnette has hand-picked some of the most delightfully un-selfaware bits of advice for some really lousy people. Bernie Madoff’s investment …
Stephen Fry
British actor and comedian Stephen Fry (Jeeves of Jeeves and Wooster fame) is that rare breed of European – one who actually likes Americans. In his attempt to show his British audiences that we aren’t all a bunch of loud, vulgar, gun-toting religious nuts he undertakes a project …
David MacCandless
MacCandless’ book is an example of graphic design at its finest – a perfect combination of attractive art and a clear message. From the serious (carbon footprints) to the frivolous (dictators mustaches) creative graphic design makes the data beautiful and useful.
Dr. Randy Frost
Despite not watching tv, I have managed to become addicted to A&E’s show Hoarders. Being a popular reality show, the surface of this bizarre illness is barely scratched. Dr. Frost goes much deeper into the overwhelming desire some people have to save and hoard things, often to …
Chuck Klosterman
What I think I love about Chuck Klosterman most is his ability to make anything (and I mean anything) he writes about interesting. I may not understand a sport, have heard a band or have seen a tv show but he still explains their relevance (as he sees …
Carroll Spinney
Spinney is probably the most famous man no-one has ever heard of. He’s been on the cover of Time, traveled the world and performed with the likes of Bob Hope and the Rockettes, conducted orchestras, appeared as a guest on every late-night talk show and has been …
AJ Jacobs
Jacob’s past books have focused on his year-long experiments – reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica and living “biblically” (kinda). His My Life as an Experiment: One Man’s Humble Quest to Improve Himself by Living as a Woman, Becoming George Washington, Telling No Lies, and Other Radical Tests (formerly …
Don Lattin
What we now associate with Timothy Leary – LSD, Grateful Dead concerts, hippies, tuning in and dropping out, first started out as psychological experiments at Harvard University. Leary, a charismatic and well-liked professor, hoped to help inmates rehabilitate by giving them mystical experiences via LSD. His early partners, …
Hank Stuever
Hank Stuever ventures into the heart of…lightness? Researching his book on Christmas he spends three holiday seasons in Frisco Texas, the home of glitter, country, Jay-szus, more glitter, mega-churches and mega-malls. Stuever follows Tammie, a professional Christmas decorator, trolls the malls daily, befriends a single mom and her …
A
viva Yael and P.M. Chen
I think the title pretty much says it all. Embarrassing, ghastly, tasteless and generally awful tattoos at their truly lowest. Yep, there’s a guy with “loser” tattooed on his forehead, an owl with breasts, a dolphin with a bong, Michael Moore and more. WHAT …
Roger Bennett and Josh Kun
This awesome pop culture book, in the vein of Camp Camp and Bar Mitzvah Disco, looks at the history of Jewish music preserved in vinyl. Cantors, showmen, Jewish Christmas albums, Israeli folk, Yiddish humor and language records all help tell the tale of Jewish …
Slinkachu
Artist Slinkachu sets up teeny-tiny dioramas of teeny-tiny people doing naughty things throughout London. Using the surrounding “big people world” his minute people interact with their sets as though their size is perfectly normal. Amazing and devious.
Kyle Cassidy
Cassidy attempts to give an even-handed overview of the average gun owner in their home. Accompanying the gun owners are quick bios on the types of guns, professions of the owners and their pets and children’s names. From utili-kilted Rambo wannabes to teen girls with their shotguns, armed …
T
he Phat Phree
OMG! IT’S PEOPLE! THAT YOU HATE! This book is a collection of modern soliloquies rendered in the style of some of the most irritating and despicable people we have the misfortune to run into. Charming people like:
I Just Made Some Statements that I Can’t Back …
