photo via drp on Flickr

Well, howdy hi there NewsPhlashers,

We've got four things to cover in this week's issue

1. My triple-header weekend in New York and Boston

2. Recommended books by some talented friends

3. Finally, you can read about my Jetbooo experience

4. What happens when you criticize Apple on your blog? (and other highlights)

1. Triple Header Weekend



Thursday March 1, 2007 (NEW YORK CITY)

I'll be opening for noted musical political satirist Roy Zimmerman

Cornelia Street Cafe, Greenwich Village

29 Cornelia St, near W 4th subway

8:30pm, $10 cover, 1 drink minimum

host: John Morrison

food and venue: incredible. come early, and eat.

Friday & Saturday March 2 & 3 (BOSTON)

I'll be doing sets at

The Comedy Studio

1238 Mass. Ave, Harvard Sq.

8pm, $12 cover

See all my show details on my website.

2. Recommended books by some talented friends (as promised)



I really do consider myself fortunate to have some incredible friends and talented ones at that. Within a week, I found out about three new books by some incredible women. In all cases, these are their literary debuts.

I've set up a special Amazon store where you can buy all three.

I really expect you to spend money. I'm always asking you to give me money, well now give unto others. Below are my short reviews, in order of title length

The Golden Road, Notes on My Gentrification

by Caille Millner

I haven't read a book this fast in a long time. It took me two days to knock this out, and it's still got me thinking. I've known Caille as a writer for a long time, but this memoir is more than I expected. It's a thoughtful, engaging, hilarious and beautifully worded mixture of self-reflection, character portraits and global observations on race, plus a few more things. The words "voice of a new generation" are often prematurely used, but in this case, they perfectly describe Caille's life and storytelling. You won't believe it's all non-fiction.

Girl Most Likely To

by Poonam Sharma

Poonam could be a comedian, and coming from a comedian, you should take my words seriously. This book is damn funny and smart. I suppose it's technically "chic lit," but don't let the genre fool you if your image is one of trite predictability. Girl Most Likely To follows the journey of an on-paper successful, nearly 30, Indian-American, professional woman in New York. There's love and loss and office drama and an ulcer named Fred. Yes, there's an ulcer named Fred.

Overture

by Yael Goldstein

Overture is a beautiful novel. It's a story of mother-daughter relationships. It's a story of music. It's a story of just what it is we mean by art and the duties of those who practice it. I found myself emotionally involved in this book. I was angry at characters. I was cheering for others. Yael paints the life of Tasha Darsky, a world-renowned violinist around whom the story is wrapped, with amazing maturity. I can't wait to read more of her work.

3. Finally, you can read about my Jetbooo experience



You got my snippets during the event itself, and last week I promised a complete re-telling. Today, I'm happy to announce the publication of my Weekly Dig column, and it's title: JetBoooooo

4. What happens when you criticize Apple on your blog (and other highlights)



I'm basically an Apple fan, but I've long since abandoned the religious fervor with which many Mac users treat the company. After several busted products, crashing systems and other hiccups, the last thing I want to see is one of those smug little "I'm a Mac" commercials which claim that the machines "just work." I said as much in an frustrated 2am post on my blog this weekend, and attracted over 1,000 visitors to my site in two days. That's 10 times my normal traffic.

These people were like some kind of Midnight Mac Marauders, raiding my server, leaving ridiculous comments and accusing me of heresy. Example: "Who the hell are you? What makes you qualified to criticize Apple?" Being who I am, and trained in the martial art of email and Internet forum battles, I threw down. Watch me Stomp the Blog in

Apple Fans Are Racists and Rapists

other notable pieces from the past week include

Can I request to be Overbooked

The conclusion of podcasts on "How to Celebrate Black History Month for Those Who Aren't Black"

and

Mitt Romney is Campaigning Against France