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THORN: New book titles make me think twice

By Patti Thorn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 15, 2008 at 7 p.m.
Updated May 15, 2008 at 9:13 p.m.

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Is it my imagination, or have the brains who come up with book titles been outdoing themselves lately?

I routinely set aside books with titles that make me laugh, planning to share them with you in this column, and lately, the stack under my desk has grown out of control. I figure it's about time to air them out - not to mention give myself some desperately needed leg room.

Here are some titles that have recently caught my eye - and what first came to my mind when I saw them:

The Woman Who Is Always Tan and Has a Flat Stomach: And Other Annoying People, by Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry: Just give that woman 20 years and see what that tan has done to her neck.

Faking It: How to Seem Like a Better Person Without Actually Improving Yourself, by the Writers of CollegeHumor.com: If it takes that much work, wouldn't it be easier to do it the old-fashioned way and just go ahead improve yourself?

Self Loathing for Beginners, by Lynn Phillips: But what about those who have graduated to the intermediate level?

Save the Males: Why Men Matter, Why Women Should Care, by Kathleen Parker: I like the concept. Can we just corral them all in a giant holding tank while we study the issue?

Why You Shouldn't Eat Your Boogers & Other Useless or Gross Information About Your Body, by Francesca Gould: Useless and gross? I know some 9-year-old boys who would call that an oxymoron.

AND SPEAKING OF TITLES . . .

Here's another example of great minds that have been busy thinking - alike. Two new titles riff on one idea:

Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games, by Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson.

Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America, by Robert S. McElvaine.

(By the way, wouldn't you love to see an actual video game called Grand Theft Jesus? Just imagine the possibilities.)

BUT ENOUGH AMUSEMENT . . .

It's time for the popular Politics in Print item, where I divulge new political titles we won't have room to review but that might be of interest.

Today, the right and left face off with dueling books (and for now, it looks like the left is in the lead, 4 to 2).

Hey, did I say we've had enough amusement? What was I thinking? We might as well laugh about this ongoing division - to keep from crying.

FROM LEFT FIELD:

Right Is Wrong, by Arianna Huffington (Knopf, $24.95).

Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics, by Glenn Greenwald (Crown, $24.95).

Train Wreck: The End of the Conservative Revolution (And Not a Moment Too Soon), by Bill Press (Wiley, $24.95).

U.S. vs. Them: How a Half-Century of Conservatism has Undermined America's Security, by J. Peter Scoblic (Viking, $25.95).

ON THE RIGHT:

Why You're Wrong About the Right: Behind the Myths - the Surprising Truth About Conservatives, by S.E. Cupp and Brett Joshpe (Threshhold Editions, $25).

A Conservative History of the American Left, by Daniel J. Flynn (Crown Forum, $27.50).