"I can't keep up with what's been going down,
I think my heart must just be slowing down,
Among the human beings in their designer jeans,
Am I the only one who hears the screams,
And the strangled cries of lawyers in love . . ."
--Jackson Browne, Lawyers in Love
2) FREEWAY OF LOVE . . . February is Black History month and there are a few cool African-American titles that have recently caught my eye. Aretha Franklin, between her canceled engagement and the death of Whitney Houston, has been in the news a lot lately, so Mark Bego's updated biography, Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul (9781616085810) 16.95 is extremely timely. Speaking of timely, Baratunde Thurston's new book, How To Be Black (9780062003218) 24.99 is more than just a humorous memoir, he also offers practical advice in chapters entitled 'How to Celebrate Black History Month' and 'How to be the (Next) Black President.' This is sidesplitting stuff. Finally, Listen Whitey!: The Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975 (9781606995075) 39.99 by Pat Thomas has to be one of the funniest titles I've run across in some time. It chronicles the Motown subsidary label Black Power that featured spoken word recordings of Huey Newton, Stokely Carmichael, Bill Cosby, and Langston Hughes. Represent!
3) LOVE CHLOE . . . Kelly DiPucchio, author of the children's title Zombie in Love (9781442402706) 12.99 is back. Her new one is called Crafty Chloe (9781442421233) 16.99. I 'd say that Crafty Chloe is like Fancy Nancy on steroids, but a heck of a lot more fun. And yes, I wrote this myself . . .
Odds & Sods
It's become a bit of a cliché, but I still agree with the sentiment of Reed Tucker and Andy Bagwell's Duke Sucks: A Completely Evenhanded, Unbiased Investigation into the Most Evil Team on Planet Earth (9781250004635) 12.99. Yeah, I believe the subtitle pretty much covers it . . .
By the way, there has been a new addition to the Partners' family. My daughter Sasha Marie was born February 4 at 1:15 pm. She was 6 lbs. and 12 oz. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. *Sigh*
I'll have more books for you next week . . .1) LAWYERS IN LOVE . . . There might be a doctoral thesis somewhere in here, but I've asked myself on more than one occasion, "Why are so many successful fiction writers formerly lawyers?" Just off the top of my head, I could list James Patterson, David Baldacci, John Grisham, and Scott Turow. Is it because they read a lot of legal briefs? Is it because they hear good stories from their clients? Whatever the reason, a couple of months ago I had dinner with a writer that we might be adding to the list of blockbuster authors who were once lawyers: William Landay. First of all, let me say that Mr. Landay's dinner event was outstanding. He had to be one of the nicest people I've ever met. His third novel is called Defending Jacob (9780385344227) 26.00, and it is his best so far. Loyalties and love are put to the test when assistant DA Andy Barber's 14-year-old son is accused of brutally murdering a fellow classmate. I don't normally read this genre (honestly, I couldn't even make it halfway through Grisham's The Firm many moons ago), but this one had me reading into the wee hours of the night. This should be his breakout book . . .
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