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A Southern-Fried Original [2]
A lot of writers have tried to assume Mark Twain's mantle of Great Southern Humorist, but Roy Blount, Jr. is one of the few who really deserve the label.
— Jack Neely, METRO PULSE
 
Welcome To The Postmodern Circus [3]
Neal Gabler makes an angry -- and entertaining -- attack on America's culture of mediocrity.
— Gregory McNamee, TUCSON WEEKLY
 

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Children of the Corn [4]
Tristan Egolf offers a strong debut with "Lord of the Barnyard."
— Charles Wyrick, NASHVILLE SCENE
 
Murder And Mayhem [5]
Who knew murder on campus could be this entertaining?
— Randall Holdridge, TUCSON WEEKLY
 

Now What? [8]
Love to read? Need some clever ideas? Our library of resources and staff picks are guaranteed to turn on plenty of mental light bulbs via your electrified eye sockets.
— WEEKLY WIRE
 

hink of James Joyce, after half a fruit jar of moonshine, trying to cover a Braves game, and you'll stumble in the general direction of Roy Blount, Jr. His latest book, "Be Sweet: A Conditional Love Story," is full of Blount's famous humor, but at its heart it is an emotional exposé of his relationship with his mother.

Americans have always been hungry for mindless entertainment. That hunger, Neil Gabler writes, has lately been spilling out of the movie theaters, sideshows, casinos and sports bars and into every aspect of our lives. Mass entertainment is everywhere.

Also the trashing of a small Midwestern town, murder on campus, and more.

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Off the Bookshelf [6]

• "How to Do It" by Rudolph M. Bell
• "Always in Pursuit" by Stanley Crouch
• "Getting It On" edited by Mitch Roberson and Julia Dubner
• "Elephant Winter" by Kim Echlin

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