Short Story: A WORN PATH

by Eudora Welty

A poor, elderly black woman endures various hardships on a trip into town.

Once I came to understand why the woman was making her difficult trip, I had to go back and skim the story again. Her little battles with natural elements, her encounter with the hunter, even her very name, Phoenix Jackson, took on new meaning. Under certain circumstances, even the smallest of deeds become acts of heroism.

You can read "A Worn Path" here.

2009 Art History Reading Challenge

I have to do it. How can I not? It's just too interesting. If you would like to join in, click here.

Completed: 6/6 as of October 10, 2009
**FINISHED**

1. The Raphael Affair by Iain Pears
2. Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland
3. Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
4. The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber
5. Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King
6. Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

Ideas:

Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex
The God of Spring by Arabella Edge
Needle In The Blood by Sarah Bower
The Agony & The Ecstasy or Lust For Life by Irving Stone
The Raphael Affair by Ian Pears
Something by Tracy Chevalier
Somthing by Susan Vreeland

THE KING'S DAUGHTER

by Sandra Worth



The King's Daughter. A Novel of the First Tudor Queen is the story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, sister of Edward V, niece to Richard III, wife of Henry VII, and mother of Henry VIII. There is a little bit of royal blood for you! :-)

Fans of the royal historical are in for a feast with Sandra Worth's new novel! Part of the attraction of these books is learning a bit of history along with the satisfaction of some good entertainment. The King's Daughter is a treasure trove of information regarding the end of the Wars of the Roses and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. Richard III is portrayed as a benevolent king, the mystery of the "princes in the tower" is addressed, and toward the end the reader gets a glimpse into the workings of the very young mind of the future Henry VIII. And Ms. Worth's extensive Author's Note gives great reasons for taking the stories in the directions she did. Very interesting! Now I need to go back and read the previous novel, Lady of the Roses: A Novel of the Wars of the Roses. If real history classes were this wonderful, I'd have my Ph.D. by now!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Warthog: The King of the Jungle?

You decide:



Take that, Kitteh Kat!

2009 What's In A Name Challenge

I'm in. I missed out on this one last year, so this year I'll give it a whirl. The categories are listed below. If I have ideas for what I might read, I've listed those, too. Finished books have links to the review.


Completed: 6/6 as of October 12, 2009
**FINISHED**

1. A book with a "profession" in its title

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

2. A book with a "time of day" in its title.

Dawn by Elie Wiesel

3. A book with a "relative" in its title.

Native Son by Richard Wright

4. A book with a "body part" in its title.

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

5. A book with a "building" in its title.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

6. A book with a "medical condition" in its title.

Dr. Haggard's Disease by Patrick McGrath


Want to play along? Click here.

Happy Reading, Everyone!

Robert B. Parker: The "Spencer" Series

I began reading Parker's "Spencer" novels in 2007. It only took a couple to realize this was going to be a great series to pick my way through when I wanted light reading. Somehow I read not a single Spencer book in 2008, so I'm going to list them here to remind me of them and keep track of where I'm at.

The Spencer Series
(In Publication Order):

The Godwulf Manuscript
God Save The Child
Mortal Stakes
Promised Land
The Judas Goat
Looking For Rachel Wallace
Early Autumn
A Savage Place
Ceremony
The Widening Gyre
Valediction
Catskill Eagle
Taming A Sea Horse
Pale Kings & Princes
Crimson Joy
Playmates
Stardust
Pasttime
Double Deuce
Paper Doll
Walking Shadow
Thin Air
Chance
Small Vices
Sudden Mischief
Hush Money
Hugger Mugger
Pot Shot
Widow's Walk
Back Story
Bad Business
Cold Service
School Days
Hundred Dollar Baby
Now And Then
Rough Weather

Art History Reading Challenge

Here is an interesting Challenge I've never seen before:



Do you love art? Do you love reading about art? Join The Art History Reading Challenge and challenge yourself to read at least 6 books about art in 2009. These can be either fiction or nonfiction, and can span every genre from historical fiction to graphic novel.

If you're interested in checking out the suggestions or just signing right up, click here. Fiction books I can think of off the top of my head that would work for this challenge and aren't currently on the suggestion list would be:

The God of Spring by Arabella Edge

The Needle in the Blood by Sarah Bower

I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis

Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex


I'm not sure if I'll sign up for this one, but I thought I'd let all of you know about it, in case you hadn't run across it yet. It sure looks educational!

2nds Challenge

J. Kaye of J. Kaye's book blog is hosting this Challenge to read 12 books by authors by whom you have only read one previous work, be it book or short story. It's a great excuse to get back to those authors you've been meaning to revisit! I don't know for certain who or what I will read, but here is a partial list of authors from which I am looking forward to a second helping:

Julian Barnes
Margaret Campbell Barnes
Lewis Black
Clare Clark
Edwidge Dandicat
Catherine Delors
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Kazuo Ishiguro
Marcel Proust
Jeane Kalogridis
C.W. Gortner
Sandra Gulland
Robert Graves
Barbara Kyle
Haruki Murakami
Chuck Palahniuk
Sharon Kay Penman
Elie Wiesel

I'm thinking I'll be able to find something here to cover this Challenge. :-)

To join in, click here.


Completed: 12/12 as of July 12, 2009
** FINISHED **

1. Kazuo Ishiguro -- The Remains of the Day
2. Thomas L. Friedman -- Hot, Flat and Crowded
3. Elie Wiesel -- Dawn
4. Tim O'Brien -- Going After Cacciato
5. F. Scott Fitzgerald -- This Side of Paradise
6. Bart D. Ehrman -- Misquoting Jesus
7. Ernest J. Gaines -- Catherine Carmier
8. Chuck Palahniuk -- Choke
9. Phillip Roth -- American Pastoral
10. Jeanne Kalogridis -- The Borgia Bride
11. Christi Phillips -- The Devlin Diary
12. The Great Stink by Clare Clark

Short Story: THE DESTRUCTORS

by Graham Greene

A group of local hoodlums create a plan to completely destroy a man's home while he is out of town for the weekend.

The idea that stuck with me as I read this story was how sad I was that this home that just barely survived the war is now being completely demolished by these young boys, and their only motive is that the house is beautiful. They have nothing against the owner. They only want to make a name for their gang. And in the end, the lorry driver who unknowingly partakes in the final act of wreckage laughs as he stands next to the devastated homeowner and says, "You have to admit, it's pretty funny." I wanted to smack him.

A person could spend a lot of time mulling over this story and thinking about the things we do out of boredom or a need for attention. Or even simply for mindless entertainment. In our own search for meaning or importance in our own lives we can be completely oblivious to what it does to someone else. Or maybe we just don't care.

FARO'S DAUGHTER

by Georgette Heyer



Social fireworks explode when Max Ravenscar attemps to bribe Miss Deborah Grantham, a gaming house mistress, into spurning his nephew's marriage proposals. Miss Grantham had no intentions to marry the young Lord Mablethorpe to begin with, but that doesn't stop her from planning her madcap revenge on Ravenscar for his insults.

Faro's Daughter took a little more time to get moving than did Cotillion, but once it got its momentum, it was a rollicking good time! I'm learning I that if I want an amusing light romance to pass some time this winter, Georgette Heyer will be one of the first that I reach for. I have now read two of her regencies, and I read both with a smile on my face.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE

by Kurt Vonnegut



How does one summarize and review Slaughterhouse-Five? The answer for me is, I don't. I just don't go there. Suffice it to say there is a reason this book is studied in Lit classes.

I will say this, however. I bought the first twelve or thirteen of Kurt Vonnegut's books last summer. I have only one left to read, and I have not a bad word to say about any of them. Many are very, very odd, but I enjoyed each and every one while marveling at Vonnegut's observations of the absurdity of human behavior. I am looking forward to eventually reading the rest. Not too quickly though. I don't want to run out too soon!

THE BODIES LEFT BEHIND

by Jeffery Deaver



When a 911 call is oddly disconnected, Deputy Brynn McKenzie is sent to the remote vacation home from which it originated to investigate. But the routine call quickly becomes something very different when Brynn unknowingly interrupts the getaway of murderers.

The Bodies Left Behind is not part of Deaver's popular Lincoln Rhyme series but is a stand-alone novel. I didn't think this was as good as the Rhyme books, but that is my own personal bias. I love that series! But for a reader new to Deaver's writing, Bodies would be a great introduction to him. It has all the quick pacing and bizarre plot twists, but without the intricate science of Rhyme's forensics. There isn't even a lot of police work. I would probably label this one more of a "thriller" than a "mystery". Some of the action is a little over the top, but it's a good chilly-night/camped-on-the-couch read.

My 2008 Challenge Update

We have about a month and a half to finish up our 2008 Challenges. I did better so far than I thought I was going to a couple of months ago. I over-reached but I'll do that again next year, so obviously I learned not a thing. :-) I take that back! I learned that I have a ton of fun whether I finish the challenge or not. Quite a nice lesson!

Here is where I'm at with 2008 as of today:

1% Well-Read Challenge

6 of 10 finished, and I've started the seventh. I should finish this one.

100+ Book Challenge **FINISHED**

A-Z Reading Challenge

I'm officially abandoning this one. I know I won't do "X" before the end of the year due to lack of interest in this particular letter, so I'm going to let this one go and focus on some of the other challenges that have a better chance of getting done.

Anything Agatha Challenge

I love Agatha Christie, so the fact that I've only read 1 of 10 this year seems weird. I still might get this one finished though.

Bookmarks Magazine's "Best of 2007"

Ha! I forgot all about this personal goal. Oops. I'll probably use most of this list for the 2007 section of the Countdown Challenge.

Chunkster Challenge **FINISHED**

Decades Challenge **FINISHED**

Non-Fiction Five Challenge **FINISHED**

Pub Challenge **FINISHED**

Short Story Challenge

How hard can it be to read 10 short stories? Apparently I have a mental block in this category. I'm going to make more of an effort though, both to finish this challenge and try more short stories next year. Currently, I've read 6 stories that count toward the challenge, and I've got the other 4 picked out.

Spring Reading Challenge **FINISHED**

I don't think I'll do any of the seasonal challenges next year. Nothing against them, but it was just one more post to remember to link reviews to and I kept forgetting about it.

TBR Challenge

11 of 12 finished. It was harder to stick to the list than I anticipated! I'll finish this one though.

Triple 8 Challenge

Holy moly, did I make a mess of this one! I'm calling it officially abandoned as of today. I did learn how to make a better plan for a challenge like this, but not in time to salvage it for this year. This challenge will not run in 2009, but the Countdown Challenge has taken it's place. I should be able to handle that one.

So, out of 13 Challenges:

6 are Finished
3 are Almost Finished
1 is Questionable
3 are Abandoned

And I'm working on my Challenge plans for next year. For the 2009 100+ Reading Challenge, I'm considering a Personal Medal Plan: Bronze for 100 books, Silver for 125 books, and Gold for 150. The rest are the stepping stones to the Gold! :-)

Happy Reading, Everyone!!

Short Story: UP IN MICHIGAN

by Ernest Hemingway

"Up In Michigan" is a three-page story about a crush a woman has on one of the men in a tiny rural town. One night the man gets very drunk, and he takes advantage of her confused emotions.

This is one of those stories that reminds me why I've not been a fan of short stories. It's like a minor scene that needs more . . . something. But then again, I feel that way about a lot of short stories. I openly admit to my failings as a short story reader. However, I think anyone who has had an -- encounter, shall we call it? -- an encounter that ended with feelings of sadness and smallness and bewilderment will admit a stab of heartache even while asking themselves, "So, now what?" Hmmm. Perhaps it doesn't need that something after all.

If I'm not mistaken, this was Hemingway's very first published story, so it probably wasn't the best place to start. But I will continue exploring his work in the future, both novels and short stories, and see where it takes me.

A FAREWELL TO ARMS

by Ernest Hemingway



"A tale of the love between ambulance driver Lt. Henry and Nurse Catherine Barkley during World War I. The action takes place in Italy and the two fall in love during the war and will stop at nothing to be together." -- From the CD container

I have never read Hemingway before, so out of the many there are to choose from, here is the reason I picked A Farewell To Arms as my first Ernest Hemingway book: Do you remember a movie called "The Evil Dead"? More to the point, do you remember its horror-comedy sequel, "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn"? I positively love that movie! It's so fabulously bad! There is a great scene when Bruce Campbell's character's own hand becomes possessed and tries to kill him. He cuts it off and traps it under a bucket, placing a pile of books on top of the bucket to hold it down. The book on the top of the pile? You got it: A Farewell To Arms. (Get it? Cut off hand? Farewell to arms? Ha!) It still makes me laugh when I think about it, and I've wanted to read the book ever since. Stupid reason, I know. But there it is. :-)

I also don't have an acceptable reason for continually being reminded of Catch-22 while I was listening to this. I think it was because the character of Rinaldi seemed like someone who would have been in that book. Maybe it was because the descriptions of war were similarly stark and matter-of-fact rather than verbose and emotional, which I think made them more compelling in both books. My understanding is that Hemingway's general style is very understated. There is no re-reading paragraphs trying to figure out what he meant. Not that there isn't deep meaning. The story is just presented very up-front, "just the facts, ma'am", almost like reading a man's diary, if he kept one. A refreshing change from the more flowery or difficult classic writers. Now I know who to turn to when I know I'll be TWR (Tired While Reading). :-)

THE POWER & THE GLORY

by Graham Greene



"In a poor, remote section of southern Mexico, the Red Shirts have taken control. God has been outlawed, and the priests have been systematically hunted down and killed. Now, the last priest is on the run." -- From the back cover of the Penguin Classics edition of The Power and the Glory.

I have an issue when I read classics that I know nothing about other than the book is considered a classic and it looks really good. Do I read some background information first and get a handle on what the book is about and the themes to look for? Or do I go in cold and just see what I get out of it all on my own? I go back and forth with this decision, because the resulting experiences are very different and you can read a book for the first time only once.

I chose to go cold into The Power and the Glory. I had a hard time with it. I didn't get it, but I kept at it. And I'm glad I did. While I can't say I was blown away, there were moments that gave me pause, captured my thoughts. I'm glad I hadn't read previously about the scene in the overcrowded jail, because I was able to let it move me without thinking, "Oh, this is the part that's supposed to be so fantastic". I found out after I finished the book that, yay! I got it!

Graham Greene's writing got to me even when I wasn't exactly following the point, and that has fed my curiosity for more. Looking over a list of descriptions of his other books, I have a lot of exploring of human nature to do. Excellent! The next one I pick up by him I will faithfully read while I am fully conscious, not nodding off after a Timberwolves game.

Distractions

I've been all caught up in Jewel Quest again. Sometimes a girl just needs some mindless distraction to unwind. Peter thinks it's because I'm not liking The Power and the Glory, which is not entirely true, but not entirely untrue either. I think I'm reading it when I'm too tired, so much of it is being lost on me, which is a bummer as I was really looking forward to reading it. I'm almost done, though, so I'll have more to say on that later this week.

Other than that, all is well. Jack is relaxing all over the house like a good, old kitty. Skye and Max are a little confused about why Peter and I are not spending more time outside with them, but they'll adjust. Winter is always a tough time for them. The whole "spending time in the house" thing takes some getting used to every year.

I hope all is well with all of you, and you're finding some fabulous new Challenges to take on for 2009! If you're looking for ideas, click here. There are a lot of fun ones already announced and more on the way! I'm still holding out for the 2009 Chunkster Challenge. . .

Happy Reading, Everyone!

CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY

by Alan Paton



Description from Books On Tape CD: An old Zulu parson from the hills above Ixopo sets out for Johannesburg, the "city of evil", looking for his son. He finds his boy in prison, charged with the murder of a white man who had devoted his life to justice for the black race.

Need a good book for your reading group? There is more to discuss in Cry, the Beloved Country than a single short review could ever touch. There was one particular theme, though, that deeply resonated with me. I'm a true believer in "there is a reason for everything that happens, we just don't always see it", and this book delves into that belief at nearly every level. The definitions of "good" and "bad" are questioned. The uneasy friendship that develops between the father of the murdered man and the father of his killer transcends mere forgiveness and comes to benefit an entire town. Actually, it's not even "friendship" they develop. It is more of a respect and a desire to understand. It is one of those books that makes me want to be a better person. And that is never a bad thing.

2009 Read Your Own Books Challenge

I'm in! Peter will be happy about this one, as it requires me to read the books I have piling up everywhere. I'll challenge myself to read 50 books from my own collection in 2009. The rules are simple. You set your own goals and read your own books! If you'd like to join in, click here.

Completed: 50/50 as of December 12, 2009
**FINISHED**

1. Poems From Guantanamo edited by Marc Falkoff
2. Dawn by Elie Wiesel
3. What Is The What by Dave Eggers
4. How To Think About The Great Ideas by Mortimer J. Adler
5. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
6. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
7. Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman
8. The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron
9. Day by Elie Wiesel
10. The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
11. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
12. How To Read A Poem And Fall In Love With Poetry by Edward Hirsch
13. The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer
14. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
15. The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis
16. Bedlam by Greg Hollingshead
17. Madonna of the Seven Hills by Jean Plaidy
18. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
19. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
20. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy
21. Elizabeth Costello by J.M. Coetzee
22. Finn by Jon Clinch
23. The Paris Review Interviews, Vol. II by The Paris Review
24. Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
25. Can I Keep My Jersey? by Paul Shirley
26. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
27. In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar
28. Dr. Haggard's Disease by Patrick McGrath
29. Junky by William S. Burroughs
30. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
31. The Grotesque edited by Harold Bloom
32. The Praise Singer by Mary Renault
33. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne
34. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2009 edited by Elizabeth Kolbert
35. Burn This Book edited by Toni Morrison
36. Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman
37. Dawn by Elie Wiesel
38. The Woman In The Dunes by Kobo Abe
39. Survival In Auschwitz by Primo Levi
40. Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee
41. The Penguin State of the World Atlas by Dan Smith
42. Renegade by Richard Wolffe
43. The Devil's Queen by Jeanne Kalogridis
44. The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster
45. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
46. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
47. Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle
48. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
49. Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica
50. The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer

This made me smile this morning.

Click photo for larger version. More political photos at Pundit Kitchen.

How Much Is Your Blog Worth?

My blog is worth $32,743.32.
How much is your blog worth?

Wow! In these economic times, this is nice to know. I think that might be more than my 401k these days. LOL!

2009 New Author Challenge

I'm in. The New Author Challenge asks you to choose a number of new-to-you authors to read in 2009. The recommended amount is 25 or 50, but you can name your own goal. I'm going for 50. Why not? The Challenge runs from Jan. 1, 2009 - Dec. 31, 2009. Lots of time!! :-) I thinking this will go well with the Support Your Local Library Challenge, not to mention the 100+ Reading Challenge.

If I read more than one book by one of my "new to me" authors, the link will be to the first one I read.

If you would like to check out the rules and maybe join in, click here.

Completed: 50/50 as of Sept. 26, 2009
**FINISHED**

1. Lloyd Jones (Mister Pip)
2. Iain Pears (The Raphael Affair)
3. Dave Eggers (What Is The What)
4. Mortimer J. Adler (How To Think About The Great Ideas)
5. Philip Roth (Indignation)
6. Elizabeth Kostova (The Historian)
7. Richard Wright (Native Son)
8. Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom's Cabin)
9. Ernest J. Gaines (A Lesson Before Dying)
10. Daniel Defoe (Moll Flanders)
11. Kobo Abe (The Woman In The Dunes)
12. Wilkie Collins (The Woman In White)
13. Chris Bohjalian (Skeletons At The Feast)
14. Simon Winchester (The Meaning of Everything)
15. William Styron (The Confessions of Nat Turner)
16. Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights)
17. Susan Vreeland (Luncheon of the Boating Party)
18. Barbara Kingsolver (The Poisonwood Bible)
19. Primo Levi (Survival In Auschwitz)
20. Tracy Chevalier (Girl With A Pearl Earring)
21. Michael Gruber (The Forgery of Venus)
22. William Zinsser (Writing To Learn)
23. Edward Hirsch (How To Read A Poem And Fall In Love With Poetry)
24. J.M. Coetzee (Waiting for the Barbarians)
25. Pierre Boulle (The Bridge Over the River Kwai)
26. Cynthia Ozick (The Shawl)
27. Julie Otsuka (When The Emperor Was Divine)
28. Edmund Spencer (The Faerie Queene)
29. Alessandro Baricco (An Iliad)
30. Gustave Flaubert (Madame Bovary)
31. James Joyce (Ulysses)
32. Gore Vidal (Perpetual War For Perpetual Peace)
33. Greg Hollingshead (Bedlam)
34. Richard Wolffe (Renegade)
35. Andre Aciman (Call Me By Your Name)
36. Christopher Hibbert (The Borgias and Their Enemies)
37. Lawrence Goldstone (The Anatomy of Deception)
38. Dara Horn (All Other Nights)
39. Barbara Ehrenreich (This Land is Their Land)
40. Lawrence Wright (The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11)
41. Charles P. Pierce (Idiot America)
42. Nick Hornby (The Polysyllabic Spree)
43. Louise Murphy (The True Story of Hansel and Gretel)
44. Elizabeth Gaskell (Cranford)
45. Jon Clinch (Finn)
46. Nick Reding (Methland)
47. Anne Fadiman (Ex Libris)
48. Viktor Frankl (Man's Search for Meaning)
49. Michael Cunningham (The Hours)
50. Paul Shirley (Can I Keep My Jersey?)

EXTREME MEASURES

by Vince Flynn



Need an overdose of testosterone? This is it. You can't get much more manly, patriotic and wildly violent than Mitch Rapp. And then there is Mike Nash's ED problems. One word: Viagra. Now can we get back to the story?

I enjoyed this series much more when I was still in post-9/11 shock. We were all still high on super-patriotism with flags flying from our homes and cars and every U.S. citizen was bleeding red, white and blue. Now these books seem over-the-top. I'm not arguing the reality of the dangers of terrorism or what we need to do to keep our country safe. I'm just saying that in my personal fiction reading world, these aren't as appealing as they used to be.

That said, Extreme Measures is exactly what you'd expect from a book starring Mitch Rapp: Islamic fundamentalist terrorists, torture for information, fighting with Congress over legalities while Rapp and Nash are desperately attempting to save the U.S. from another domestic attack. Oh, and a spotlight on a number Mike Nash's personal issues, which I'm guessing is supposed to humanize him in juxtaposition to the unshakable Mitch Rapp. I also think he's being groomed for either taking over the series because of an aging Rapp or getting his own. Overall, if I take my current personal prejudice out of it, it's an exciting read and sets the stage perfectly for what will be the eleventh novel in the series.

ME OF LITTLE FAITH

by Lewis Black



If you're looking for some humor for the Jewish Literature Reading Challenge and don't mind someone who does not bother with the concepts of political correctness or proper language, Lewis Black is your man. I love this guy. He's hilarious! Black is a non-practicing Jew who, in Me of Little Faith, talks about growing up Jewish and his experiences that led him to his current spiritual beliefs, such as they are. If you have the opportunity to listen to this book on audio CD read by the author, do it! There is nothing like listening to Lewis Black read his own material!