I’m browsing the new Counterpoint/Soft Skull catalog and considering how much we liked the review copy of Cristy Road’s Bad Habits (launch party - and they do mean party - tomorrow night), maybe it’s time to institute YM Book Club and start passing out assignments.

Let’s begin with the obvious. Eli gets Dead in Desemboque, Mexican pulp comic, because man cannot draw life on Jew alone.

In a bit of type-casting (oh that’s rich), Typo: The Last American Typesetter, or, How I Made and Lost $4 Million goes to 99 for several reasons but mainly because I want to say, Nazi Punks Font Off!

Curt, He Who Cannot Be Linked, once famously tried to end an argument with “I have friends in Iraq” which is qualification enough to handle I Wouldn’t Start from Here: The 21st Century and Where It All Went Wrong by Andrew Mueller.

Almost picked this for myself but Katie gets Lost in the Supermarket: An Indie Rock Cookbook with the hope she discovers a world beyond Van Morrison and the Dave Matthews Band. Might come in handy when you’re “seshing” at home too. (Bet you wanted Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me!)

Dorfman, I mean Foster, l’ve given this a lot of thought. I’m tempted to throw you Rebels Wit Attitude for it’s a path I see you on, but you can’t be a real man until you’ve reviewed poetry. You’re probably gonna say you already have but Subduing Demons in America: The Selected Poems of John Giorno should provide the tricks.

Can we now count Elizabeth as part of the extended YM family? Pretty please? If not, she consumes books in her sleep so maybe she’ll be game anyway. I am certain a self-described “libertarian and pop culture junkie” will enjoy and offer interesting insights to The Customer is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles with contributions from Elaine Viets, Colson Whitehead, Wade Rouse, Michael Beaumier, Po Bronson, Stewart Lewis, Victor Gischler, Timothy Bracy, Anita Liberty, Trisha Thomas, Kevin Smokler and T Cooper.

Saving the beast for last, I’m prepared to tackle Apocalypse Jukebox: The End of the World in American Popular Music. Besides my own End Days paranoia, I’ve been pining for some decent rock-n-roll intellectualism and I can’t (well, I could) keep re-reading The Psychic Soviet.