Super B(ow)logging Books

Here are some books that I've read in the last few years that were notable. Read one, or read them all!

Every Day is for the Thief
Teju Cole

A bittersweet homecoming to Nigeria for the narrator, who reconnects with people from his past, and is frustrated by the ubiquitous local corruption.   

The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
A.J. Jacobs

I'm not quite done with this book, but it's a winner. The author wants to become smarter, so he buys a complete, printed edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and reads every word. He shares some of the fun facts that he learns along the way, and shares the times that he attempts to inject his knowledge into everyday social situations. Can he one-up his brainy family members, and impress his coworkers?   

Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop
Nick Offerman

You may know Offerman from the dry-humored characters he plays on TV shows, but he is also a first-class woodworker. He introduces you to his woodshop and his fellow craftspeople therein. His explanation of wood and woodworking tools is terrific. He's as good a writer as he is a comedic actor.

Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York

Roz Chast

If you read New Yorker magazine, you know Roz Chast. In this book, she's written a guide to New York which is approachable and fun. She gives helpful information about finding streets and does it with her inimitable drawing style. She also wrote Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, a book about her experiences with her aging parents. I read it after dad was already in assisted living, and it made me realize that what we went through with dad was very common. 

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never do Again: Essays and Arguments
David Foster Wallace

The essays in this book are well-written, and he has some pretty interesting essays about tennis, but the best by far is the one about his experience on a cruise ship (which was supposedly fun).

Fake Love Letters, Forged Telegrams, and Prison Escape Maps: Designing Graphic Props for Filmmaking
Annie Atkins

This is a fun book about the props you see in movies, but often don't really see. Stacks of papers on a desk, or a letter, or money, or tickets. The author explains how they're made, and how they take their job very seriously. 

Photoshop Restoration & Retouching
Katrin Eismann

Not a book you'd probably take to the beach, but a wonderful step-by-step description of using Photoshop to repair and restore digital images of your old photos. Most of the techniques I used to restore dad's military pictures I learned from this book.  

Goliath
Tom Gauld

I mentioned this book on my blog a long time ago, but it's worth mentioning again. My advice is to find all the Tom Gauld books at your library or bookstore, and take them home. His cartoons about books are the best. 

Sleeping Giants
Sylvain Neuvel

A science fiction novel about a very unusual weapon. It's a bit gory in places, but if this weapon was actually found, the story would probably play out in the way the book outlines.