One Dead Spy: Review Haiku

Fast-paced and funny.
Who knew Hale was actually
a terrible spy?

One Dead Spy: The Life, Times, and Last Words of Nathan Hale, America's Most Famous Spy by Nathan Hale. (The other one.) Amulet, 2012, 128 pages.

Heads in Beds: Review Haiku

I confess: I've never
tipped. I didn't know how
critical it was.

Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-called Hospitality by Jacob Tomsky. Doubleday, 2012, 256 pages.

The Voluntourist: Review Haiku

Childless man seeks purpose:
No great insights, but
that was kind of the point.

The Voluntourist: A Six-Country Tale of Love, Loss, Fatherhood, Fate, and Singing Bon Jovi in Bethlehem by Ken Budd. Morrow, 2012, 464 pages.

God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked: Review Haiku

Good Lord. I had no
idea what was going on
behind the scenes. Damn.

God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked: Tales of Stand-up, Saturday Night Live, and Other Mind-Altering Mayhem by Darrell Hammond. Harper, 2011, 288 pages.

The Happiness Project: Review Haiku

Nothing earth-shattering,
but a step up from your
average self-help tome.

The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin. Harper, 2009, 336 pages.

Toys Come Home: Review Haiku

Liked but didn't love;
still adore the oddball
collection of friends, though.

Toys Come Home: Being the Early Experiences of an Intelligent Stingray, a Brave Buffalo, and a Brand-New Someone Called Plastic by Emily Jenkins. Schwartz & Wade, 2011, 144 pages.

Flunking Sainthood: Review Haiku

Marvelous treatise
on our status as sinners all.
Good thing there's grace.

Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor by Jana Riess. Paraclete Press, 2011, 192 pages.

Alvin Ho #4: Review Haiku

Surprisingly
touching, yet still wicked funny.
Marry me, Alvin?

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Dead Bodies, Funerals, and Other Fatal Circumstances by Lenore Look. Schwarz & Wade, 2011, 208 pages.

The Story of Charlotte's Web: Review Haiku

A bit precious, a
bit pretentious, but how
could I resist this one?

The Story of Charlotte's Web: E. B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic by Michael Sims. Walker, 2011, 320 pages.

This Won't Hurt a Bit: Review Haiku

The first step in
Medical Memoir Addiction:
admit your problem.

This Won't Hurt a Bit (And Other White Lies): My Education in Medicine and Motherhood by Michelle Au. Grand Central, 2011, 336 pages.

Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life: Review Haiku

Debunks "lizard brain"
idea, but not as clever
as he thinks he is.

Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life: A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity Are Revolutionizing Our View of Human Nature by Douglas T. Kenrick. Basic Books, 2011, 256 pages.

Crazy U: Review Haiku

Hapless dad tackles
college admissions while
trying not to succumb.

Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College by Andrew Ferguson. S&S, 2011, 240 pages.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Review Haiku

Why millennial
feminists go Gaga for
Disney prosti-tots.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein. Harper, 2011, 256 pages.

The Art of Immersion: Review Haiku

Takes a while to get
there, but a nifty look at
storytelling now.

The Art of Immersion: How the Digital Generation Is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Tell Stories by Frank Rose. Norton, 2011, 354 pages.

The Pioneer Woman: Review Haiku

Couldn't get enough
of this real-life love story.
Cowboys are sexy.

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story by Ree Drummond. Morrow, 2011, 352 pages.

Let's Panic About Babies: Review Haiku

Fussy and Finslippy
don't know nothin' about
birthin' no babies.

Let's Panic About Babies!: How to Endure and Possibly Triumph Over the Adorable Tyrant Who Will Ruin Your Body, Destroy Your Life, Liquefy Your Brain, and Finally Turn You into a Worthwhile Human Being by Alice Bradley and Eden Kennedy. St. Martin's, 2011, 272 pages.

Verily, Verily: Review Haiku

Not for scholars: a
mish-mash of KJV things
the author finds cool.

Verily, Verily: The King James Version: 400 Years of Influence and Beauty by Jon Sweeney. Zondervan, 2011, 224 pages.

Whiter Shades of Pale: Review Haiku

Snarky musings on ironic beards and bulky sweaters. Mindless fun.

Whiter Shades of Pale: The Stuff White People Like, Coast to Coast, from Seattle's Sweaters to Maine's Microbrews by Christian Lander. Random, 2010, 240 pages.

Finishing the Hat: Review Haiku

Made me find CDs
and relive my junior-high

Sondheim obsession.

Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines, and Anecdotes by Stephen Sondheim. Knopf, 2010, 480 pages.

Theater Geek: Review Haiku

Broadway babies shine,

but little errors reduce

credibility.*

Theater Geek: The Real-Life Drama of a Summer at Stagedoor Manor, the Famous Performing Arts Camp by Mickey Rapkin. Free Press, 2010, 220 pages.

* Ahem. The giant in Act Two of Into the Woods is not a he. The repeated lyrics in "Being Alive" begin "Someone to" or "Somebody," but never "Somebody to." All the campers would know this.