Just finished reading Paul and Me: 53 Years of Adventures and Misadventures with My Pal PAUL NEWMAN by A.E. Hotchner. What a rare and wonderful friendship! Hotchner captures their escapades wiith expert prose, and includes photographs you probably won't see elsewhere. My favorite is the one with Paul hanging upside down, legs tied together, side by side with a giant marlin he had caught. Otherwise, most of their fishing trips were duds. Not so their "Newman's Own" line of foods, starting with the famous salad dressing. Starting as a lark (as were most of Paul's ventures -he always wanted to have a good time) this grew into a multi-million dollar business. The beauty of all the money he earned was the philanthropy that Newman practiced with humility and sincerity. The most telling comment about Paul is "..he was the same man in 2008 as he was in1956. Unchanged despite all the honors and fame..." FOUR STARS. SP
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS by Kurt Vonnegut was the first book I've ever experienced (I didn't just "read" it!) by the famous author of CAT'S CRADLE and SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE. Written in a way that made me feel as if I were inside the head of a slightly mentally deranged, though quite intelligent and articulate storyteller. BOC is a satire featuring one of Vonnegut's favorite characters (so it says on the cover), aging writer Kilgore Trout. Vonnegut presents fiction that is truth, and truth that seems to be fiction in the realms of politics, sex, racism, success, politics and pollution in America. It was fascinating! FOUR STARS. SP
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