DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

A feel-good fable for everyone stuck in a dead-end job, relationship, or life, Tarloff’s book is brilliant, hilarious, and wholly satisfying.

Ezra Gordon’s academic career is in the toilet; to break out of his funk he visits an old college friend on a whim. The friend, it turns out, is a wealthy publisher of pornography, living a life that’s a bachelor’s dream. To help his old pal break out of his writer’s block, Isaac offers Ezra a cash advance toward a “dirty book” manuscript. Ezra accepts the offer, pens a bestseller under a psuedonym, and then his life really begins to twist.

I had a hard time putting this book down. After a number of dime-a-dozen thrillers I found this to be a refreshing blast of intelligent prose, with insightful characters and painfully funny situations.

Also: sex scenes!

Patronize these links, man:

• Amazon (hardback)

The New New Thing is one dozens of books that tell the story of Silicon Valley, the Web, and the rise of the dot-coms — but it’s one of the two or three that are worth reading. (Another is Po Bronson’s Nudist on the Late Shift.)

Michael Lewis spent months with Jim Clark (founder of SGI, Netscape, Healtheon, myCFO) and was treated to a view of Silicon Valley business that few people get to see. Lewis tells Clark’s story, and it is surreal.

Clark may not be entirely human. It’s not just that he’s smarter or more driven than the next guy… he is that, but more importantly, he is simply different. Lewis reveals that Clark has, effectively, no past, and possibly no present, for his interest and attention are always on the future — the next thing out there, the “new new” thing. He lives in a state of perpetual dissatisfaction, always wanting, and doing whatever it takes to get, something better. It’s fascinating, and Lewis’ storytelling makes it a joy to read.

This book is great. Even if you’re totally burned out on dot-com/dot-bomb news, if you have any interest in the Gold Rush days of the Internet, you should read this book.

Patronize these links, man:

• Amazon (hardback)
• Amazon (paperback)

Jamie Zawinski reveals one of the unforseen risks of running a nightclub in San Francisco.

What would motivate a woman to steal part of the tip left by her date at a nice restaurant?

I tried to list some possible motivations — thrift, jealousy, perceived justice, selfishness — but in the end, I can’t imagine someone actually doing this, so any reasons I imagine are likely to be incorrect.

Sheesh, I’ve actually left extra money on the table when people weren’t looking.

This story is best known as a bad Demi Moore movie, which is a pity. It’s not my favorite Hiaasen book but it’s well worth reading if you like this sort of thing, which is wonderfully described by a reviewer at Amazon (see link below): As in all Hiaasen’s tales, the climax is upbeat for the heroes while the villains reap their twisted, greatly-deserved kharma.

In a nutshell, a likeable and sympathetic stripper gets in over her head with some shady characters, and some faces familiar to Hiaasen fans help her set things right. Perhaps more than others, this book casts Florida politics in a very unflattering (but apparently accurate) light.

Patronize these links, man:

• Amazon (paperback)