Likely to be Michele Bachmann’s favorite novel of the year. In this dystopian future   posted Sep 17, 2011 at 11:31PM

I agree with the comments above. A very well written book that shows us how quickly those freedoms we take for granted can be thrown out the window in times of crisis.   posted Mar 23, 2011 at 7:14PM

Pretentious? Oh yes indeed. So read with caution. Check it out if only for the crazy illustrations by Ralph Steadman (also to be found in Minneapolis's Hell's Kitchen).   posted Mar 15, 2011 at 9:41PM

Parkin's got a gift for straight-talking storytelling. He's also got an amazing story to tell of his days as an American trying to make it as a pro bike racer in Belgium in the '80s and '90s. Bonus: he spent time in Minneapolis working at Flanders' Brothers bike shop and racing locally.   posted Mar 15, 2011 at 9:33PM

A poetic essay on the violence engulfing northern Mexico. The violence of Ciudad Juarez, Bowden argues, has less to do with drug dealers and more to do with the brutality of modern economics. In his eyes, Juarez is the future that we are rushing toward.   posted Mar 15, 2011 at 9:25PM

This book is amazing! An interesting crime thriller, cool characters, and some weird weird stuff that happens. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes their fiction to be a little bit off kilter.   posted Nov 27, 2010 at 7:50PM

A well detailed study of the history of J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI and Joe Kennedy and his boys. I include this in my "off kilter" list because the history this book brings to light is disturbing, in the least. Beyond the historical characters of the title, Hersh, an iconoclastic historian, here is really shining a spotlight on those dark alleys that connect the shadow world of organized crime, murder, and thuggery to the daylight realm of politics, business, and celebrity.   posted Oct 17, 2010 at 3:10PM

A follow-up to Parkin’s A Dog in A Hat. Here he writes of his bike racing days after he left the professional European scene and moved back to the U.S.. The book is well written in a conversational style, and often reads like an old man’s barroom reminiscences: it’s interesting, funny and sad at times, but begins to feel repetitive near the end (better that then near the beginning!). That said, both these books are brilliant and fun to read. The cool thing about this book is that parts of it take place in Minneapolis.   posted Sep 6, 2010 at 4:18PM