Book reviews are fun to do, except for all the reading. That's why I always jump at a chance to review graphic novels, like Charles Burns' Black Hole. Click here for more.

Pat O'Brien's cellphone messages aren't eligible for an Oscar or a Pulitizer, but let's face it, great art rarely wins prizes. He's tops on my year-end list though; read all about it here.

"Jared has a last name, but like Michelangelo, Madonna, and Saddam, he doesn’t need one. When I say “Jared,” you know I’m not talking about actor Jared Leto or Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond. Those guys have their constituencies, but uninym status? There’s only one Jared who can make that claim..."

Read the whole thing at The Rake.

Click here to discover the way I see it about Starbucks' "The Way I See It" program, at Las Vegas Weekly.

Bonus refill: Deep from vaults, a piece of vintage Starbuxiana.