*A Collection of
Antiquarian Curios & Relics*
"No.
I am your father . . ."
--Darth Vader
Dearest Mick--
Chip, my loyal manservant, and I
had just returned from the gaming halls of Monaco to find your latest parcel
perched near our security fence at the villa. Chip shlepped the box
inside and cracked open a bottle of 1978 Romanee-Conti Grand Cru before
perusing its contents. Chip, surprisingly, made an astute observation
about your title selection. He declared, "Guv'ner, there is a
Father's Day theme attached to your former ward's presents."
His
comment, of course, sent me to reminiscing about The Colonel, my own
father. You know most of his story; he was a relentlessly self-improving
boulangerie owner from Belgium who had low-grade narcolepsy. My father
would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented
the exclamation mark. When I was insolent, I would be placed in a burlap
bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really. It was tough
love. At the Battle of Shiloh, he saved Ulysses S. Grant from a stray
bullet, and subsequently received a battlefield commission as a colonel on the
spot.
But enough about my idiosyncratic
past, so on to the books! The first one is Because I Am Your Dad
(9781423147749) 15.99 by Ahmet Zappa, who I believe is one of those rock 'n'
roll hooligans. It's a kid's book, so I suspect you were being ironic or
you simply wanted us to share this one with the street urchins of Napoli.
I was a bit flummoxed by Jim Gaffigan's Dad is Fat
(9780385349079). If I had ever said that to The Colonel, it would have
been a quick, "And back in the burlap sack with you!" And quite
possibly, also for good measure, he would have tossed in a viper or two.
Chip is a bit of a fan of the
thriller, English or otherwise, so he was extremely excited to see I Am
Pilgrim (9781439177723) 26.99 by Terry Hayes. Although the author is
Swiss, I know this title has been getting a lot of 'buzz' in the trades.
I have nothing against the Swiss. They do make exemplary watches,
passable chocolate, and I am fond of the occasional Ricola candy, but name one
good Swiss author . . . I'll wait. (Editor's note: Terry
Hayes is English-born.)
Your last choice hit a little
closer to home. Earl Swift's Auto Biography (9780062282668) 26.99,
which is about the 13 owners of a '57 Chevy, but primarily the most recent
owner, who appears to be a bit of a cad. He may own a car I tried to
restore in the 1970s. Every morning I would put on my dungarees, walk out
to my 14 car garage, and work on the 'beast' for a couple of hours. It
was good for the soul. Thank you for your care package.
Warmest Regards,
Charles Edmund Wilson III
Odds
& Sods
Maya Angelou
passed away at the age of 86. Working in the book business for most of my
adult life, it appeared as if she had been around forever, and for some strange
reason I just figured she'd be cranking them out long after I'd gone. She
just seemed, well, timeless. Her best known title, I Know Why The
Caged Bird Sings (9780345514400) 6.99 will be read for generations to come.
Maya made the world a better place and she will remain an icon . . .
Tom Powers' Michigan
State and National Parks: A Complete Guide 5th Edition (9781933272436)
15.95 is finally here and I think it qualifies as a potential Father Day gift
if he likes to camp. This title is a prerequisite for any Michigan
bookstore . . .
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