Dexter

I just watched this Showtime series on DVD last week and was hooked immediately. And it has a bookish connection, too, since the show is based on the Dexter books, starting with Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay. Dexter is a sociopath who lacks emotion, except for that dark desire to kill people, of course. His adopted father Harry, a cop, discovers his dark side after he kills a few animals. Through flashbacks, we see Harry teach Dexter how to fake his emotions to get by in the world and how to channel his dark side into something positive. Harry realizes he is not going to be able to stop his son from eventually killing people, so he sets about teaching Dexter a code--basically to just kill the bad guys--and how to get away with it. That's the setup, and the flashbacks are just a small part. Dexter is a blood spatter analyst for the Miami PD and the department is trying to track down the Ice Truck Killer, who chops up his victims after draining their blood and leaves the collection of parts in unusual displays. Dexter develops a fascination and admiration with the killer, even as he tries to hunt him down. Meanwhile, Dexter is also trying to manage his personal life with his sister and his girlfriend Rita, and trying to unravel his past and figure out how he managed to become who he is. Dexter is convincingly played by Michael C. Hall (from Six Feet Under, another excellent TV on DVD choice). If you have an aversion to blood, you might want to stay away, though.

America (the Book)

In honor of the Fourth of July, today's recommendation is American history and government the funny way. Jon Stewart and his Daily Show team brilliantly use the format of a fake civics textbook to provide their own humorous take on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, the media, and the election process. The textbook format allows for charts and graphs that make up some of the book's funniest gags. One of my personal favorites is the voter registration form that asks you to check which shaded box best represents your skin color, your credit card and PIN, and to check whether you're just really doing it for the sticker. (I love the sticker!). Also included are discussion questions (What does bicameral mean? Are any of the girls in your class "bicameral?") and classroom activities (Disenfranchise a black student). Though The Daily Show may have taken a step back recently--I haven't warmed to the new correspondents and miss Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Rob Corddry, and Ed Helms--the book reminds me that when they are on top of their game, they are hard to beat. I also recommend the audio version of this book. Though you miss out on some of the great visual gags, you do get to hear all the words they bleep out of the TV show.

Television Without Pity

I love TV. It's kind of embarrassing for an adult to get as excited about a new episode of Lost or How I Met Your Mother as I do. But the good people at the Television Without Pity understand where I am coming from. The website which features entertaining show recaps and forums where people like can obsess about how much they hated Dawson in each individual episode now has its own book. Much like the Roger Ebert Movie Glossary this book features funny entries on various characters (Dawson- for example) shows such as 90210 and various TV phenomenon such as "News, Crappy Local" all the while living up to their motto of "Spare the Snark, Spoil the Network"