The past few days found me on a book reading bent and in that period I consumed three very different but equally satisfying reads. The first is somewhat an anomaly for me in that it is the second time I’ve read the book, something I very rarely do. A Nasty Bit of Rough was written by David Feherty and is without a doubt the funniest book I have ever read. The first time I read the book I was on an airplane and was laughing so hard I suspect those around me undoubtedly thought I was a little daft – in all candor that is probably not the first time someone has come to that conclusion about the your’s truly. That first reading was in 2002 or 2003. After reading the book I loaned the it to someone and is often the case the book never found it’s way home. The book is now again available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle format so I couldn’t resist and downloaded it. The setting for the book is the Scrought’s Wood Golf Club an exclusive – only nine members – golf club on the border between England and Scotland and their centuries long rivalry with the McGregor’s Tay Club. Both clubs claim to be the birthplace of golf and say there are only two rules in golf “Play The Course As You Find It and The Ball As It Lies”. The second of those plays a major part in the final match. The story takes the reader through two matches, one at each club, and the outrages goings on. I give you a little hint – one of the holes on the Tay Club has a par 30 – not a misprint – hole. Read and enjoy. Next up is the latest Stone Barrington adventure by Stuart Woods – Carnal Curiosity. Those who have followed the adventures, and misadventures, of Barrington through the fairly lengthy series will find the latest installment equally satisfying. For those new to this series Barrington began as New York Police detective with a law degree morphed through a burgeoning single practice and on to a partnership in the most prestigious law firm. Along the way he has lived a charmed life filled with beautiful women, substantial wealth and an eclectic range of supporting characters. In Carnal Curiosity Barrington and his best friend, and previous partner at NYPD, now Chief of Detectives Dino Bacchetti, are working on solving a number of high profile, and high dollar, jewelry and art heists, one from Barrington’s house. Reading all or some of the earlier books will help with a number of the other characters but it is not necessary to your enjoyment of this one.

The last book Greg Gutfeld’s Not Cool – The Hipster Elite And Their War On You, doesn’t come close to the first two in that rather than being pure entertainment it is highly thought provoking. Fair warning Gutfeld, a regular on The Five and host of Red Eye both on Fox News, is a libertarian. That said his tracing of how what once was cool has morphed to uncool and uncool to cool should resonate with most. Gutfeld is at times acerbic and irreverent but you will never get confused about his message. To provide a taste of what you can expect, Gutfeld examines Rolling Stone’s decision to put the Boston Marathon bomber’s picture on the cover and essentially romanticize the perpetrator rather than examining the impact on the victims. I found the book well worth the time investment and highly recommend that you give it a look.

That’s it for now. If you decide to read any of the above, let me know what you think.