Tuesday, January 14, 2014

From the Top: Brief Transmissions From Tent Show Radio by Michael Perry

Whether he's looking at the stars, admiring his young daughters, fixing a fence, humbling himself before his wife, or touring the country pitching his books, Mike Perry does a lot of thinking. Thankfully, he's willing to share his ponderances with us, because they're well turned, medium-deep, and often quite hilarious.

Some of those thoughts turn into books (if you haven't read Perry's books, drop everything and get one NOW!). Others are simply the little bits Perry talks about during intermission on the syndicated Tent Show Radio program; those intermission interludes are what's presented in this volume for the readers' (rather than listeners') enjoyment.

I have long believed Perry is the very best blend of intelligentsia and redneck. He's got an utterly amazing way with words (oh, the vocabulary!), and he certainly isn't hesitant about making himself the butt of jokes. What's especially nice about this book is that you can pick it up and put it down: open to any page, flip around, and it's all good. Since they're essays and ponderances, there's no chronology you have to follow.

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