How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'N' Roll

Title: How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'N' Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music
Author: Elijah Wald
Rating: 3

While I had high hopes for new revelations in rock history with this book, that was not the case. Widely researched and containing interesting side notes, but for someone with my background in music it provided little in the way of things I didn't already know. I did appreciate the anecdote regarding Leonard Bernstein comparing The Beatles to Schumann and Ned Rorem comparing them to Chopin, Monteverdi, and Poulenc.
A final quote from the book:
"Between downloading, burning, and file sharing, there is no way to form even a rough estimate of how many people are acquiring any particular recording these days, and what gets played on the radio is no indicator in a world where most young people are listening to their own digital playlists."

Take that radio stations that continue to play bad music and lose listeners to satellite radio!

In the Bin

Title: In the Bin: Reckless and Rude Stories from the Penalty Boxes of the NHL
Author: Lloyd Freeberg
Rating: 4

A fun look into the life as an Off-Ice Official in the NHL. What I wouldn't give to spend a game or two in the penalty box!

Stitches

Title: Stitches
Author: David Small
Rating: 4

What an ingenious way to tell a quite tragic family tale. The artwork is beautiful.

Y: The Last Man, Vol. 4 Safeword

Title: Y: The Last Man Volume 4 Safeword
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Rating: 4

The ongoing tale of the last surviving man (cause still unknown), his pet (male) monkey, their bodyguard, and a doctor.

American Psycho

Title: American Psycho
Author: Bret Easton Ellis
Rating: 5

I really liked this book; I couldn't put it down. Set in the Wall Street era of "Greed is Good," it is a tale of the downward psychotic spiral of a young executive. As time goes on the writing even becomes more disjointed to match the character's descent.

Warning for my more sensitive readers: This book is quite graphic in it's description of sex and violence.

Ex Machina Volumes 3 & 4

Title: Ex Machina Volume 3: Fact V. Fiction
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Rating: 4

Title: Ex Machina Volume 4: March to War
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Rating: 4

Things are getting interesting.....we have a villain?

Chew #5

Title: Chew Issue 5
Author: John Layman
Rating: 5

A truly unique concept with a brilliant story arc. Sick, twisted, and just plain wrong, but I absolutely love it.
Quick overview: Detective that is a cibopath (he gets psychic impressions from what he eats) and is now working for the FDA in a world that has caused chicken to be on the black market due to bird flu.