The librarians got my back.  I'm a happy and complete man.

A lot of books I read or read part way don't work for my taste.  When that happens I don't mention them here.    This especially happens with the mounds of mediocre poetry books I receive from well meaning poets.

BUT!

Surprisingly, shockingly, I received an unsolicited poetry book this month and it's crazy good.

Before, During, and After
by Hal Sirowitz

Sirowitz's book chronicles the ups and downs of his romantic history.  His girlfriends do most of the talking, painting the sexual pictures for us.

I highly recommend it.

It's available at the Soft Skull Press website.

Sirowitz read last month in San Francisco and I missed it because I didn't read his book yet.  I'm punching myself on the chest; I'm smacking myself upside the head. 

Also this month I started reading DIARY by Chuck Palahniuk, but I had to put it down.  For some reason I wasn't in a Palahniuk mood...this is the first time this has happened to me, I felt like I got soft while I was unwrapping the condom .

Let me back up.  My wife and I interviewed Chuck about a year ago.  No wait, longer than that.  He found out she was a make up artist and he was intrigued.  They talked about women who put on a ton of lip liner, then they eat and it only comes off on the inside of their lips forming a ring.  Chuck thought it was a fashion statement and my wife explained otherwise.

He was fascinated and wrote it down in his journal saying he wanted to use it in one of his stories.  We all laughed and said we'd be looking for it, and Chuck said, yeah, you'll see it because it's just too good.

Then I read page 19 of DIARY:

"These summer women.  They wear so much black eyeliner they could be wearing glasses.  They wear dark brown lip liner, then eat until the lipstick inside is worn away.  What's left is a table of skinny children, each with a dirty ring around her mouth."

I read no further.  I think because I was so excited to be a part, a small part of that inspirational moment.

Another book I'm in the middle of devouring is SATURDAY NITE by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad.  I don't know their backgrounds.  If you're aware of them please email me.

The writing style is tedious at times.  The 495 page book chronicles the determination of what it takes to put on an episode of Saturday Night Live.  It's all there, the back stabbing, the quest for power struggles, the boys vs. the girls.  The book was published in 1986...from what I've heard things are a bit different these days.

Speaking of Saturday Night Live, issue 8 of Dave Eggers' THE BELIEVER has a great article with cast member Tina Fey.