The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs

The Guinea Pig Diaries
by A.J. Jacobs
$15.00
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (July 13, 2010) 
ISBN-10: 1439104999
ISBN-13: 978-1439104996 

Annotation/Flashtalk: Could you live without telling a lie for 30 days? How hard is it to focus on just one task at a time? Can you successfully outsource an argument with your spouse?

Summary:
A.J. Jacobs is up to it again, this time instead of one big experiment, like his "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible" or "The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World," this time he does a series of 30-day experiments.  A.J. takes on:

• Radical Honesty
• Living like George Washington
• Outsourcing his life
• Walking the Red Carpet
• Trying to be totally rational and remove bias from his life
• Being a unitasker and focusing on one task at a time
• Using his writing skills to get his nanny a date
• Posing naked for Esquire
• And for his "saintly" wife Julie, a month doing EVERYTHING she asks.

Jacobs writes of his "experiments" with his usual humor, insight, and journalistic approach that readers of his previous work have come to expect.

Genre/Subgenre: Non-Fiction/Humor

Evaluation: 3-stars

Blameless by Gail Carriger (The Parasol Protectorate #3)

Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate #3)
by Gail Carriger $7.99
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Orbit; Original edition (September 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0316074152
ISBN-13: 978-0316074155
Annotation/Flashtalk: A preternatural pregnant by a werewolf? Unheard of! Alexia unfaithful to the gorgeous Lord Maccon? No way! But why won't anyone believe her?

Summary:
At the onset of book three of the Parasol Protectorate, we find our heroine Alexia  pregnant, ousted from Woolesy Manner, a social pariah, removed from her post on the Shadow Council,and thoroughly in need of some tea.  She takes off on a journey with Floote and Madame Lefoux to Italy to find the Templars, the only people who might be able to explain her "infant inconvenience." Throughout their journey they are being stalked and attacked by vampires, only to be saved by an oddly-familiar dog, and on another occasion a hooded man.

Back in London, Professor Lyall is doing his best to maintain BURR business, and keep the Woolsey Pack together in the face of his inebriated Alpha, Lord Maccon, who has been drinking the formaldehyde, one of the few elixirs that can actually intoxicate a werewolf, out of Professor Lyall's specimens.  Lord Akeldama has left town, and his drones are also suspiciously missing.  Buffy, his best drone, has been taken captive and is being held underwater.  Once sober, Lord Maccon and Professor Lyall devise a plan to rescue Buffy, and in the post-rescue scuffle Buffy is shot.  The only way to save him is to turn him into a werewolf -- poaching a drone is going to cause some trouble, even if it was the only way to save his life. 

Coming to his senses and armed with new information, Lord Maccon reunites with Alexia as they wonder about the future of their offspring.

Genre/Subgenre: Fantasy/Romance/Humor/Steampunk

Evaluation: 4-stars

Changeless by Gail Carriger (The Parasol Protectorate #2)

Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate #2)
by Gail Carriger $7.99
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Orbit; Original edition (April 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0316074144
ISBN-13: 978-0316074148

Annotation/Flashtalk:Word around London is that there is a localized plague that is neutralizing supernatural beings. Now married, Alexia wakes to find her werewolf husband, Lord Maccon, on his way to Scotland. Is he running from the plague, or toward its source?

Summary:
A localized plague has struck a small area of London; werewolves and vampires are human and aging again.  The plague arrived with the return of supernatural soilders from overseas and then resolved as quickly as it came.  Lord Maccon, head of BUR in London, takes off on a mysterous trip to Scotland.  After hearing that the plague is headed north to Scotland, Alexia, Lady Maccon, is worried about her husband and takes a contingent of family and associates on a blimp ride to Scotland. When they arrive they find out that the plague has indeed hit Scotland and Lord Maccon and his old pack, have been affected. 

There is a spy among the pack and London-contingent in Scotland.  Alexia works to find out the culprit and discover the mysterous source of the plague along with the help of Floote, Professor Lyall and Lord Akeldama.
Genre/Subgenre: Fantasy/Romance/Humor/Steampunk

Evaluation: 4-stars

The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

The Stupidest Angel:A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror
by Christopher Moore
$15.99

Hardcover: 320 pages

Publisher: William Morrow; Enhanced edition (November 1, 2005)

ISBN-10: 0060842350

ISBN-13: 978-0060842352

Annotation/Flashtalk:

When Joshua Barker sees Santa murdered the frightened boy is worried Christmas has been ruined.  When an angel appears to grant a Christmas wish to one child, Joshua has the opportunity to make things right – he wishes for Santa to come back to life.  Find out the terror that ensues when Joshua’s wish is granted by the stupidest angel.

Summary:

Pine Cove is a small bedroom community, with its eccentrics, its gossipers, and its share of domestic disputes.  Even the warmth and good tidings of the holidays can’t bring this dysfunctional town much sense of normalcy.  What young Joshua Barker believes to be Santa being murdered is really Lena Marquez accidentally killing her ex-husband Dale Pearson, dressed as Santa, in an act of self-defense.  Joshua runs home where he is visited by Raziel, an angel sent to Earth to grant the Christmas wish of a child; thinking Christmas is ruined, Joshua wishes for Santa to be alive again.  Meanwhile Lena receives help burying Dale’s body from an eccentric, if not insane, helicopter pilot Tucker Case, who has been flying the local area for the DEA looking for marijuana farms. 

In a Gift of the Maji twist, the local sheriff Theo, a pot head, has been growing marijuana to be able to afford a real Asian sword for his former B-movie star wife, Molly; in order to save money to buy Theo the best bong ever, Molly has gone off her medication, and has begun to hallucinate that she really is the B-movie Warrior Babe.  When Theo figures he might be on to something, Tucker, with the treat of exposing Theo’s farm, blackmails Theo into not pursuing Lena as a suspect in Dale’s death.

Unaware, the rest of the community is preparing for the holiday singles party to be held at the local church.  Soon after the party starts, Joshua’s wish is granted.  If only Raziel had been more clear about who he was raising from the dead…

Genre/Subgenre: Humor/Holiday/Christmas

Evaluation: 3-stars.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
by Christopher Moore
$14.99

Paperback: 444 pages

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; First Perennial edition (February 4, 2003)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0380813815

ISBN-13: 978-0380813810

Annotation/Flashtalk:

Have you ever wondered what happened to Jesus between the story of his birth and when the story picks up around 26AD when he his baptized by John the Baptist?  The missing Gospel is finally available, and it’s been written by Levi (also known as Biff) Jesus’ childhood friend.  See what Jesus was like as a teenager and find out how he came to understand that he was to be the ultimate sacrificial lamb.

Summary:

The Bible seems to leave out much of the story of Jesus’ life after about the age of 12 up until the time he is around 26; the lost Gospel that fills in the gaps is finally available.  As a teenager, Jesus is not feeling much like the messiah he is supposed to be.  In Lamb we find out about Jesus’ early and teenage years as he and his childhood friend Levi (who is known as Biff) travel the Orient to track down the Three Wise Men to help Jesus come to understand his true mission.  Biff’s telling of the tale makes Jesus more human than we can ever imagine; "Don't you go believing the messiah never hit anyone.” We learn the origins of why Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas, how the Easter Bunny becomes associated with Easter, and why Jesus feels so strongly about “knock and the door will be opened to you.”  (Luke 11:9 and Mark 7:7)

Genre/Subgenre: Humor/Historical Fiction/Christianity

Evaluation: 4-stars.

Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

Plum Lucky: A Stephanie Plum “Between-the-Numbers” Novel

by Janet Evanovich
$6.99

Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; Reprint edition (January 6, 2009)

ISBN-10: 0312377649

ISBN-13: 978-0312377649

Annotation/Flashtalk:

What would you do if you found a bag of money at the end of a rainbow? Stephanie Plum’s Granny Mazur says finders keepers losers weepers and runs off to Atlantic City. The only problem is the money belongs to a Jersey mobster, Lou Delvina.  Can Stephanie keep Grandma safe and return her home in time for dinner?

Summary:

In this “between-the-numbers” novel, we get to meet Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter, and her colleagues, Lula, Connie, Diesel, and Ranger as they track down what happened to Stephanie’s grandmother, whose gone missing after running across a mysterious bag full of money.  Shortly before her disappearance Stephanie sees her grandmother being attacked by a small man in green pants, could he be a leprechaun?  Stephanie and Lula save grandma from the attacker, who escapes in the process. 

Stephanie and the gang, and the man in the green pants find grandma at a casino in Atlantic City.  We find out that Snuggy (the man in the green pants) had originally stolen the money from mobster Lou Delvina. Delvina is now holding Snuggy’s horse for ransom, but grandma won’t give up the money.  Delvina comes to Atlantic City looking for his cash and winds up with Grandma Mazur instead. Stephanie and the gang have less than a day to come up with the money, or a way to rescue both grandma and Snuggy’s horse.

Genre/Subgenre: Mystery/Humor

Evaluation: 2-stars.

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

Sh*t My Dad Says
by Justin Halpern

$15.99
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: It Books (May 4, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0061992704
ISBN-13: 978-0061992704

Annotation/Flashtalk:
Crass at times, humorous always; Halpern recounts some of his dad’s most…well…let’s just say his dad’s advice, for example:

On My Interest in Skydiving
“You won’t go do that, I know it…Son, I used to wipe your ass, I know you better than you know you…Fine, Mom used to wipe it, but I was usually nearby.”

Summary:
What started as a bored and back-living-at-home, 28-year-old Justin’s posting on Twitter for the folly of his friends, turned into mega-following in less than a month.

Halpern has turned some of his funniest, if not fondest, childhood memories about some of life’s most unexpected lessons he learned though the expletive-laden wisdom of his father, into a hilarious set of short-stories punctuated by more of his father’s brutally honest wit.

The book has spawned a TV series of the same name, written by Halpern.

Genre/Subgenre: Humor/Non-Fiction

Evaluation: 3-stars

Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks

Round Ireland with a Fridge
by Tony Hawks
$14.95

Paperback: 264 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (March 7, 2001)

ISBN-10: 0312274920

ISBN-13: 978-0312274924

Annotation/Flash talk:

 I could not say it better than the author in his prologue:

“I'm not, by nature, a betting man. However, the pages that follow in this book do not bear testimony to that. In fact they exist wholly as the result of a bet.
    I'm not, by nature, a drinking man. However, the making of the bet which led to this book does not bear testimony to that. Because I made it when I was pissed.
    Everything you read from this moment forth is a tribute to what can be achieved as a result of a shabby night of booze.”

Summary:

On an earlier trip to Ireland, Tony Hawks spotted a man standing on the side of the road trying to hitchhike a ride with a refrigerator in tow.  The story became one of those classic back pocket stories he tossed out as banter at dinner parties with friends.  One night, one drunken night, the subject of the Fridge Man came up again.  Tony’s friends did not believe him.  Tony awoke the next morning to find a wager scribbled in his own hand, betting his friend £100 that Tony could not hitchhike around Ireland with fridge. 

The gauntlet having been thrown, Tony did just that. He arrived in Ireland, was aided is picking up a small cube fridge and proceeded to spend the month of May trying to hitchhike a full circle around Ireland.  Aided some by promotion on a local radio show, Tony worked his way around Ireland, but not with the greatest of ease. 

The fridge became to symbolize more than the bet; it became a philosophy for life and an in-road to the hearts, fellowship and minds of some of the most generous Irish people.  The story in a way is also a travelogue for the beauty of the Ireland.

Genre/Subgenre: Non-Fiction/Humor/Travelogue

Evaluation: 3-stars.

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)
by Gail Carriger $7.99
Paperback: 310 pages
Publisher: Orbit; Original edition (October 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0316056634
ISBN-13: 978-0316056632
Part of a Series

Annotation/Flashtalk:
Armed with her intelligence, her silver-tipped parasol, and her special ability to neutralize the supernatural, can Alexis Tarabotti get to the bottom of the missing vampires and werewolves of London?

Summary:
Meet Alexia Tarabotti, a soulless one, or what the supernatural crowd living in this alternate version of 18th century London would call a preternatural. While her family doesn’t think her to be totally normal (Alexia is a bluestocking, forthright, and her curiosity often gets this unmarried spinster into some tight situations), they know nothing of her special abilities. Her special powers are only known to those of the supernatural set.

After her accidental killing of a rove vampire, Alexia finds herself in the middle of a curious mystery; the lone vampires and werewolves of London and the surrounds seem to be disappearing. Alexia receives an interesting invitation to meet with the hive queen of London’s most prestigious vampire family; upon leaving the hive house, Alexia is attacked. Enter Lord Maccon (handsome, ravenous, and did I mention Alpha werewolf of the most prestigious werewolf families in London?) to the rescue.

Despite Lord Macoon’s stated dislike for Alexia, and hers for him, they are somewhat forced to work together to solve the mystery of the disappearing werewolves and vampires, as we soon discover Alexia is on the kidnapper’s list as well.

Genre/Subgenre: Fantasy/Romance/Humor/Steampunk

Evaluation: 4-stars