New Book: The Last Testament: A Memoir by God by David Javerbaum

A couple weeks ago, I finished reading God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked by Darrell Hammond, which is Hammond's autobiography.  I'm a big SNL fan, and Hammond was the longest-tenured SNL cast member ever, so I was looking forward to the book.  It was a quick read, but good.  Obviously, it was interesting to get an insider's view about what it takes to make SNL tick.  Outside of that, Hammond struggled with alcohol and drug abuse, as well as self-mutilation, for many years.  He was in and out of rehab several times, and, through therapy, was able to trace his problems back to when he was a child and his mother would injure him for no reason at all.  Despite all of this, he maintained a pretty good and humble outlook on life, and has pressed on.  I recommend it for anyone who likes Hammond or likes SNL (or likes to read about drug abuse).

After I finished that, I read The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman, his second novel.  Klosterman is one of my favorite authors.  While I generally prefer his nonfiction to his fiction, both of his novels (this and 2009's Downtown Owl) were very good.  The Visible Man is about a psychologist who gets a new patient, a scientist who has invented a cloaking suit so that he appears invisible.  Essentially, it reflects the surroundings, so that it looks like nothing is there.  The book is a first-person account from the psychologist's point of view as she treats the patient.  Of course, at first she doesn't believe him, until he actually shows her how he can disappear.  He uses the suit to observe people who live by themselves to see how they act when no one is around.  Eventually, the relationship between the psychologist and the patient becomes complicated, and things happen that I won't discuss because it would ruin the book.  The premise is interesting because it makes you think about what you do by yourself and how it would appear to an outside observer.  It made me rethink my intensive solo body painting sessions whenever I have the house to myself.  It also made me think that maybe Harley isn't always barking at nothing.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I definitely recommend it.

I am moving onto The Last Testament:  A Memoir by God by David Javerbaum, who used to be the head writer for the Daily Show.  This came at the recommendation of Australian Andrew, so I expect hilarity.

Books read in 2012:

No Regrets by Ace Frehley

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked by Darrell Hammond
The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman