Since my bowl preview, I have read four more books, bringing the final total to 44 for the year. The final top five remains unchanged. But, a few words on the last four I read would make sense. I set my personal record for a year with 44, which was the goal. That would make 45 my goal for next year.
- Bedwetter, by Sarah Silverman. This one goes in the Comedy Conference. I'll put it in a second-place tie with Bossypants. This book was similar to Tina Fey's book in many ways because it was more autobiographical than stand-up comedy. Still, when you wet your bed until you are about 16, that makes for some serious material. A funny and light read.
- Ballad of the Whiskey Robber, by Julian Rubenstein was awesome. The Whiskey Robber is Attila Ambrus, a Transylvanian pelt smuggler, janitor, pro hockey goalie, escapee and bank robber who is scheduled to be released back into Hungarian society in 2016. Thanks to Chris Leger for the recommendation. Just a great and fun read.
Truth is way stranger than fiction and this story proves it. The story takes place in the late 80s and into the late 90s. It's a true story and crazier than you could ever imagine. Ambrus was on the front page (unknown as to identity) as a grainy bank robber in a security camera and, in the same day, shown on the sports page pathetically trying to mind a professional hockey net (he sucked at that... very badly) while again getting beat by double digits. It's like Keystone Kops meet the drunk hockey robber and the story is as mad-capped as anything I've ever read. He left presents for the police chief, scheduled his robberies so he would be featured on "Kriminales," the Hungarian equivalent of "America's Most Wanted," and even had his lawyer hold a press conference next to a cardboard cutout of himself (he became a famous and cult-hero escapee in Hungary). Nonfiction Conference tied with The Corner and Homicide. This was the only late read that threatened to change my final top 5.
- Secrets of Mental Math, by Michael Shermer and Arthur Benjamin. A rigorous course in mental math calculation. I learned a lot of tricks to make mental calculations much faster. As with any book of this type, some of it was a review of things I already do (tips are just not hard to figure), some was interesting and new (much faster multiplication of big numbers), and some of it was just so advanced that I absorbed it, acknowledged the logic of it and decided that I will probably just use a calculator for five-digit multiplication and five-digit square roots, thank you very much. Seriously, this book shows you how to do it in your mind if you are willing to use mnemonics to keep the numbers straight. Again, fascinating, but not something I feel like investing in. That said, I absolutely will invest in the formula for calculating the day of the week of any date in history and two- and three-digit mental multiplication. Although the book was short, the practice problems were arduous. Great practical use tips. Behavior Science Conference, third place.
- Playing Piano in a Brothel, by Terry Frei. A journey through the sports journalism career of Terry Frei. He has covered an impressive array of sports and crossed paths with some great figures of sport. It is a compilation, so it can be hit and miss, but his information on the Colorado Avalanche, his critique of journalism and boxing made the book worth it. I finished this one just before midnight. Non-fiction, fourth place (that's a good conference).
Happy New Year! I am now planning my assignments for the year.
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