I like to have a book with short entries to read during commercials for shows I'm seeing for the first time and The World's Best Short Stories: 127 Funny Short Stories About Unbelievable Stuff That Actually Happened, by Bill O'Neill was perfect for that. There was a war against emus. Covering slaves with honey so as to draw flies away from a Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt. A woman who survived the Titanic, and the sinking of three other ocean liners. An octopus with the skills of Houdini ... and more, a lot more. Better than the ads, for sure. ;-)

Here's something with a local theme: Elise Olmstead: the Myth and Mystery of Seattle's "Queen of the Bootleggers.", by Albert Gidari. The research here was astounding as Elise often changed her name (and/or spelling), lied about dates, events, and so on, and frequently burned her own records! When that information is incomplete, the author lets you know he is speculating on things, but he creates a very plauseable history here. This was a most interesting woman! She ran a radio station, did a children's story time (one of the earliest to be on the air),and broadcast live concerts. She might have been a spy during the war, she certainly had the skills to do so, and the goverment admits they didn't keep records on everything that went on. Did she have a secret past? She, along with her husband, Roy Olmstead, ran bootleg liquor during Prohibition and that is the trial you will read about here (for me I kept hearing that two note theme from Law & Order!). Reporters loved her, when she was in the news, papers would sell out!

Reading Hermit With Dog