Recommendations

As longtime readers of this blog can imagine, I am sooooo broken up over the cancellation of WHITNEY that it's hard to write a new post today.  What is NBC thinking?  (Note for new readers:  I'm joking. I can't believe WHITNEY lasted two years.   A full updates on pilots arrives Monday.) 

So instead I will offer  some recommendations. I have not been paid or compensated in any way for these.  I offer them because I genuinely think you'll enjoy them and I'm in mourning.  You'll notice I'm not plugging my own books although that's, y'know, IMPLIED!

Miriam Trogden is a hilarious comedy writer.  She just returned from Paris and was interviewed by a fashion blog (of all things).  Her answers are priceless.  You can read it here.

Phoef Sutton has written a terrific novel called 15 MINUTES TO LIVE.  Fun twists and turns, and one of the weirdest romances you'll ever fine.  Treat yourself.

Baseball fans -- and especially Dodger fans -- Josh Suchon has written the definitive account of the charmed 1988 Kirk Gibson season.  You may think you know all that happened but you don't.  It's a great inside look at the game of baseball and the oddballs who play it.  WARNING:  Not for Oakland A's fans.  You can find it here.

I'm often asked who my comic influences were, and since I'm a radio geek, a big influence was Bob & Ray.  They were a comedy team that consistently performed the most inspired, silly but smart material.   Always funny, always dry, and as you will hear from this example -- absolute MASTERS of comic timing. 

Bob's son, by the way, is Chris Elliott.  Anyway, there's a new book out about them by David Pollock.  It's a nice chronicle of radio, the early days of television, and there's also some great stuff about MAD magazine in there.   And along the way, lots and lots of laughs, and comic pointers.  It's available in paperback here. 

For good beach reading there's Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg's THE HEIST.  Available here.