Book Reviews

Per some publisher's catalogs I had access to yesterday, some news:

Fred Barnes has a book about Bush coming out in January: "Rebel-in-Chief: Inside the History-changing Presidency of George W. Bush, or "How George W. Bush is Redefining the Conservative Movement and Transforming America."

Well, maybe before August 29, 2005. Today? Not so much.

Ashley Smith, the woman who was captured by the courthouse fugitive (the one she gave the crystal meth to) had her new book, Unlikely Angel, in the catalog. The item quoted a line from the book (quoting from memory now): "He told me I was an angel sent from God."

I'm guessing that was after she gave him the meth.

Last but not least, two books about the dangers of Halloween (you didn't know there were dangers? You thought those stories about razor blades and poisoned candy were urban legends? Fear not for your body, but your soul!). An excerpt from Mommy, Why Don't We Celebrate Halloween? by Linda Hacon Winwood:

'October 31st again and all the kids are trick-or-treating: said Jerry as he looked out the window in front of his house. 'Mom. why can't we go trick-or-treating like all the other kids? Are you afraid we'll eat too much candy and our teeth will rot?'
'Well, Jerry,' said Mom, 'I certainly don't want your teeth to rot, but no, that isn't the reason you can't go trick-or-treating. As Christians, Daddy and I don't let you take part in Halloween because we know Jesus doesn't want us to do such things.'
'But why, Mommy?' Sarah exclaimed. 'What's wrong with Halloween?'
'Think for a moment children, about other holidays we celebrate. Take Christmas, for example. How does Christmas make you feel?' asked Mom.
'Happy!' exclaimed Sarah.
'Excited,' added Jerry.
'That's right' said Mom. 'Christmas is a time of happiness and excitement as we celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus. Do you remember what the angel told the shepherds the night He was born?'
'Yes,' said Sarah. 'The angel told the shepherds good news of peace and great joy.'
'That's right,' said Mom. 'Halloween has none of these. Halloween is filled with fear, meanness, and sadness.'

Got that? Ray Bradbury was wrong! Halloween is TERRIBLE! (Well, maybe "Usher II" was right, actually.) And the fact that Christmas didn't make people in America "feel happy" until sometime after Clement Clark Moore (people used to celebrate Christmas with guns and noise and drunkenness; it was actually banned by the Purtians, for that reason, and for others), well....we'll just ignore that, too.

You can't make this stuff up.

And lastly, Hour of the Witch, in which we learn that:

M111ions of children across the globe are enjoying the magical adventures of Harry Potter. Are these harmless fantasies or is a sinister spirit lurking behind the best-se11ing books? Hour of the Witch: Harry Potter, Wicca Witchcraft, and the Bible scrutinizes these popular tales from a spiritual standpoint. Sorcery and the supernatural are essential to Harry Potter's escapades and parents should consider how aU this wizardry influences their kids. Does being immersed in images of witchcraft have a lasting impact on an impressionable child? Beyond this, real Wicca Witchcraft is growing rapidly among teens. Is Harry Potter fueling Wicca growth? Learn the truth behind Harry Potter and how to protect your children from being bewitched.

These last two are not new, of course. But they came in on a fax, not in a catalog, and they were worth sharing.

So, remember: Halloween is bad; Harry Potter is satanic; but George W. Bush is the savior of America; and crystal meth will make your captor think you're an angel.