Kurt's Thoughts

You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir – Felicia Day, Joss Whedon – foreword
In the tradition of #Girlboss and Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? – a funny, quirky, and inspiring memoir from online entertainment mogul, actress, and “queen of the geeks” Felicia Day about her unusual upbringing, her rise to Internet stardom, and embracing her individuality to find success in Hollywood.

So That Happened: A Memoir – Jon Cryer
If it can happen in show business, it’s happened to Jon Cryer. Now he’s opening up for the first time and sharing his behind-the-scenes stories in a warmly endearing, sharply observed, and frankly funny look at life in Hollywood.

Armada: A Novel – Written by: Ernest Cline, Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

It’s just another day of high school for Zack Lightman. He’s daydreaming through another boring math class, with just one more month to go until graduation and freedom – if he can make it that long without getting suspended again. Then he glances out his classroom window and spots the flying saucer.

The Egg – Written by: Andy Weir
You were on your way home when you died.It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.And that’s when you met me.” A short story about the universe.

The Decline and Fall of IBM: End of an American Icon? – Written by: Robert Cringely
IBM is in serious trouble. Big Blue, as the company is known, tends to rely for its success on magical thinking but that magic ran out a long time ago. The company got in trouble back in the 1990s and had to hire for the first time an outside CEO, Lou Gerstner, to save the day. Gerstner pushed IBM into services with spectacular results but this hurt the company, too. As services have became commoditized IBM could only compete by offshoring the work and quality suffered.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride – Written by: Cary Elwes, Joe Layden, Rob Reiner (foreword) Narrated by: Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, Carol Kane, Norman Lear, Rob Reiner, Wallace Shawn, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal
From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.

The Martian – Written by: Andy Weir
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive – and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plainold “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.

Illegal Procedure: A Sports Agent Comes Clean on the Dirty Business of College Football – Written by: Josh Luchs, James Dale

For 15 years, sports agent Josh Luchs made illegal deals with numerous college athletes, from top-tier, nationally recognized phenoms to late-round draft picks. Then, in October 2010, Luchs wrote a confessional article in Sports Illustrated, telling the truth about what he did and didn’t do. Since then, he has taken on a new role: whistle-blowing, truth-telling reformer. In telling his own story, Luchs here pulls back the curtain on the real economy – and the broken system – of college football.

The Art of Racing in the Rain – Written by: Garth Stein
Why we think it’s a great listen: If you’ve ever loved a dog – or even patted a dog – this book, told from the perspective of man’s best friend, will tug at your heartstrings…and won’t let go until long after Welch performs the last word. Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively and by listening very closely to the words of his master.

Ready Player One – Written by: Ernest Cline Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, Ready Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.

Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood – Written by: Michael Lewis
When he became a father, Michael Lewis found himself expected to feel things that he didn’t feel, and to do things that he couldn’t see the point of doing. At first, this made him feel guilty, until he realized that all around him fathers were pretending to do one thing, to feel one way, when in fact they felt and did all sorts of things, then engaged in what amounted to an extended cover-up.

American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot – Written by: Craig Ferguson
In American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson delivers a moving and achingly funny memoir of living the American dream as he journeys from the mean streets of Glasgow, Scotland, to the comedic promised land of Hollywood. Along the way he stumbles through several attempts to make his mark – as a punk rock musician, a construction worker, a bouncer, and, tragically, a modern dancer.

The War for Late Night – Written by: Bill Carter
When NBC decided to move Jay Leno into prime time to make room for Conan O’Brien to host the Tonight show – a job he had been promised five years earlier – skeptics anticipated a train wreck for the ages. It took, in fact, only a few months for the dire predictions to come true. Leno’s show, panned by critics, dragged down the ratings – and the profits – of NBC’s affiliates, while ratings for Conan’s new Tonight show plummeted to the lowest levels in history.