A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

SHAMELESS BOOK PLUG FOR THE WEEK: OK, I'm not normally one who's much for audiobooks, much less audiobooks bought at the same time I buy the hardcover, but I can't resist this one. Not only do you get the new book from "This American Life" contributor and regular Conan guest Sarah Vowell, who's a writer with a great voice both in the speaking sense and in how she writes. Even reading one of her books, you can hear her characteristic voice speaking. That would be awesome enough, but what makes the audiobook absolutely worth the purchase is the guest readers--Vowell narrates, but Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart (as President James Garfield), Daniel "Lemony Snicket" Handler, Catherine Keener, and Brad "Edna Mode" Bird make appearances, and the audiobook features an original score by Michael Giacchino, who's inexplicably never even been nominated for an Emmy or an Oscar. Sure, it's marred by the presence of Stephen King (as Abraham Lincoln) and Dave Eggers, who both fall into the category of "not nearly as entertaining and funny as they think they are," but how can you nor love a book that includes "mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a nineteenth century biblical sex cult?