The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
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    Dagbooks: Blowing Smoke

    By Orlando on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 1:46am | Politics

    I’ve been reading a terrific new book. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? It’s called Blowing Smoke: Why the Right Keeps Serving Up Whack-Job Fantasies About the Plot to Euthanize Grandma, Outlaw Christmas, and Turn Junior into a Raging Homosexual, by Dagblog’s very own Michael Wolraich!

    I’ve been reading even more than usual since I moved to Indonesia. I suspect it’s because I can’t understand the programs on my television but it also might be because I bought a Kindle before moving overseas and I surely want to get my money’s worth. 

    In any case, one thing that I dearly miss from my days of living in the United States is my book group. For almost 15 years, I met more or less once a month with an ever-changing group of women to drink wine and discuss books—fiction, nonfiction, short stories, plays, poetry, biographies, books we loved, books we hated, books we couldn’t finish, books we could barely start. It was something I looked forward to each time, regardless of our book selection.

    So, why not do the same thing virtually? I think we’ve proven at Dagblog that we certainly don’t need to be in the same room to enjoy intelligent, entertaining conversation. Why not spend some time together deconstructing and discussing books?

    Over the next month, I’ll be giving it a try with Blowing Smoke, going chapter by chapter. I’ll get the discussions started by posting what I think are the salient points in each chapter but a book group only works when multiple people chime in to disagree and debate. I hope you’ll join me.

    If we’re very, very lucky, maybe the esteemed author will join us as well. Get your copy and start reading!

    Coming up Wednesday: Chapter 1 – How Bill O’Reilly Saved Christmas

     

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Series: 
    Dagbooks

    Comments

    Thanks a lot for doing this, O. I'm honored of course, but I'm also intrigued to see what people have to say. What most people have to say, anyway, I mean the ones who recognize my true genius.


    by Michael Wolraich on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 8:41am

    Oh, ok, so you're suggesting we focus on the critical feedback, then?


    by CaliforniaPaige on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 8:45am

    I'm not going to tell readers how to respond to my book. I'll just ban the ones who criticize it.


    by Michael Wolraich on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:08am

    Those who criticize your book must hate (persecute) you, which will entitle you to hate them?  Ah, the oppressed Genghises of the world must join together to protect their Genghisness!


    by CaliforniaPaige on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:14am

    I couldn't have said it better myself. In light of your obvious intelligence and insight, I hereby anoint you an honorary Genghis. Congratulations.


    by Michael Wolraich on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:21am

    Oooh fun! I'm about halfway through my copy, but I've been leaving little sticky notes behind so i could remember my reactions.  I was thinking of writing up commentary myself, but I'll never get around to doing that.... Comment on your notes, however, I can quite likely manage!  PS Hi O!


    by CaliforniaPaige on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 8:43am

    Great idea. Now to find a copy in the Dallas area.


    by Oxy Mora on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:07am

    It should be at any large B&N or Borders. At B&N, it will be in the sociology section.


    by Michael Wolraich on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:22am

    Interesting -- do you know why they chose sociology?


    by CaliforniaPaige on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:25am

    (As opposed to "current events" or "politics," that is.)


    by CaliforniaPaige on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:28am

    Hello? Sociology is for.... Social-ISMS.

    Jeez.

    You're not thinking so clearly, Paige. You probably need pie.

    *pause*

    *SMACK DADDY!*

    Oh yeah, unh huh. Who got smacked? Paige did. Damn right.


    by quinn esq on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:40am

    Hi quinn!


    by CaliforniaPaige on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 2:01pm

    Dunno. There is sociology (and socialism, thanks Quinn) in the book. B&N also classifies similar books like What's the Matter with Kansas under sociology. But politics & current events would ahve been a much more appropriate classification. I suspect that the folks at B&N are probably Anti-Genghites.


    by Michael Wolraich on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 10:23am

    You can probably get ahold of it through one of these options -- and if you don't like using the internets or the mega-chains, any bookstore will likely be happy to special-order it for you!

    http://dagblog.com/blowing-smoke/buy


    by CaliforniaPaige on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:23am

    Great idea, looking forward to this.  I had forgotten before Blowing Smoke just how big a deal the War on Christmas was.


    by Michael Maiello on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 10:41am

    Okay...you got me. I'll have to mail order it next week, but count me in. Perhaps some "genius" could create a dialog box or pull down menu on the front page of Dagblog that goes directly to the discussion panel with past chapters to review so we don't have to pick, poke and hope are way through the clutter.


    by Beetlejuice on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 11:12am

    By the way, have you heard about that new electronic book like the Kindle call The Kno? I'm waiting for that one. Here's the url :

    http://www.kno.com/the-kno.html


    by Beetlejuice on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 11:15am

    Check out the links on the left -- under "Old But Good" > "Series" > "Dagbooks."  There's still a bit of scrolling, but at least it's one-click.


    by CaliforniaPaige on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 2:26pm

    I'm sure that the powers that be, whomever they may be, will arrange for an easy-to-find link.


    by Michael Wolraich on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 3:30pm

    Great idea!

    And Orlando > Oprah.


    by Doctor Cleveland on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 12:28pm

    Okay, I'm in. Just picked up my copy yesterday from WalMart, where I ordered it online and picked up in store so I could march through RightWingLand with it in the child's seat of my basket. So I did that, and if anybody noticed they were doing a good job of pretending otherwise.

    I thought about standing in the middle of the aisle and reading aloud from it, but my husband was with me and he nixed that one right off. (He wears disguises and slinks around so no one will recognize him or talk to him.)I thought the buzzer would buzz when I left the store but even that was silent. My God, with that blazing cover how could anyone not notice??

    But I'm reading the chapter on O'Reilly and Christmas, so I'll be ready on Wednesday for anything you have to throw out there, Orlando. (I fell asleep reading it last night, that's how comfortable I am with it.)

    Here's a passage from the book to prove that I'm on the up-and-up here and not just pretending I bought it:

    Where O'Reilly the "T-Warrior" is angles and scowls and ego, Beck the "regular schmo" is doughy and goofy and self-deprecating. His head is constantly in motion, nodding and shaking like a bobblehead in an earthquake. He crinkles his forehead, stares quizzically into space, sticks out his tongue in concentration, and occasionally breaks into tears. His voice travels from grave undertone to shrill dismay to angry shout and becomes nasal and pinched when he parodies his ideological adversaries. He employs props to underscore his points--cutting a watermelon in half to criticize an environmental bill ("green on the outside, and inside it's deep communist red") or dowsing a guest with liquid from a gas can and then lighting a match ("President Obama, why don't you just set us on fire?").

    My apologies to both Genghis and Orlando for jumping the gun here, but I LOVED that paragraph.  That guy Wolraich writes pretty good.

     


    by Ramona on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 1:38pm

    I can't wait for the sequel, Smoking Blow.


    by Donal on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 2:12pm

    Orlando, this is a great idea. I am loving the book, but I think it will be that much better with a discussion forum.

    by CVille Dem on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 9:05pm

    I think I've found the perfect solution for many many people on my Christmas list. 


    by anna am on Mon, 11/08/2010 - 10:06pm

    I'm excited that so many people are interested in the discussion! It sort of sucks that I'm mostly sleeping while the comments are coming fast and furious, but it makes waking up fun--I always have something to look forward to!!


    by Orlando on Tue, 11/09/2010 - 1:36am