Santa Claus Man by Alex Palmer

Generally, I try to avoid biographies written by family members who aren't children. People tend to be glamorized. And while that did happen in this book, it was still a well-written book. And an entertaining read about an interesting con man.

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good by Kathleen Flinn

Yet another memoir interspersed with recipes? Hasn't that been done to death? Kathleen Flinn proves the answer is no. In this delightful book that moves seamlessly between time periods, Finn gives us an intimate glimpse into her life. I don't know who Kathleen Flinn is (probably a famous chef or cook?) but this book is a fantastic look at no only her own life in 1970s Michigan but how her family operated even before she came along. There are fantastic passages like "Burnt toast makes you sing good. Be thankful; no matter how little you've got, someone's always worse off than you. You can't give anything away, it always comes back. [My parents] handed down these simple life lessons to me as surely as they did their recipes."
I can't tell you yet how good the family recipes are, but I can tell you that I can't wait to read the rest of Ms. Flinn's story.