In 2002 Ben Ryder Howe opened up a small convenience store and deli with his wife and mother in law. Howe, an editor for the "Paris Review", is vastly out of his comfort level in "My Korean Deli". He has a nice, easygoing writing style that was funny and charming, but the best parts of the book were when he talked about his iconic boss George Plimpton at the Review, who sadly passed away in 2003. I would actually have enjoyed a book just talking about his experiences with the magazine. The deli storyline seemed to get in the way.
"Pawn Stars" on the History channel is one of the few reality shows I actually watch. I don't even lump it in with reality TV because to me it's not about a group of talentless idiots acting stupid just to be on TV and be famous. "Pawn Stars" is about three generations of the Harrison family, running a pawn shop on the Vegas strip. I like the Harrisons--they're real characters, and come across on the show as being very down to earth, what you see is what you get, kind of guys. That's how they came across in Rick's book "License to Pawn". It was a quick read, like dropping by and having a chat with a friend. He has a million interesting stories about the people and things he's seen in his store over the last twenty some years, and it's incredibly interesting. Like he says on the show, every piece in the store has a story behind it, which is why I enjoy watching the TV show so much.
And finally, a Fables novel in actual novel not graphic form "Peter and Max" by Bill Willingham. It was a great story, although I'm not sure why he chose to tell it in the more traditional prose format rather than comic. Peter and Max Piper are brothers and flute players, and when their father bequeaths his magical flute to younger brother Peter rather than Max, Max becomes insane with jealousy and vows revenge. I love, love, love how Willingham weaves the old fairy tales we're all familiar with into these stories. So brilliant. It was an excellent read.
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