Literary Quarterly: The Last Spin
From records to CDs, the music biz got fat--Bill Flanagan's new novel, 'A&R,' explains why the good times are finally over.

Fool's Paradise: Two new books try--and fail--to analyze the new bohemians.

Numbers Game: Characters add up in Aimee Bender's 'An Invisible Sign of My Own.'

Socialist Superstar: A new biography looks back at the life of one of America's great political activists.

Walk on The Wild Side: With enough stamina and ability to improvise, anybody can walk the whole of our coastline.

French Tickler: David Sedaris finds humor at home and abroad in 'Me Talk Pretty One Day.'

News: System Enabling
Controversy blankets a new California proposition to get drug offenders out of jails and save taxpayers a bundle.

Metropolis News Extras

• Cupertino: Worker shortage at local restaurants grows as cost of living continues to skyrocket.
  
• Campbell: CUSD kicks off exchange program for teachers from Spain.
  
• Willow Glen: Former Willow Glen resident comes to the rescue on Hawaiian ocean.

Making the Cut: Who needs the three R's when we can learn important stuff at Scissors Clinic?

Public Eye: Jury bursts Pandori's pipe dream. Mayor Ron opens his own Ex-files. 'Tiano the Terrible' behind bars.

Work: Icons from another dimension.

Tributes and Terminitus: Following a charming 'Lost in the Stars,' Marin Alsop leads the Cabrillo Music Festival orchestra in a big-bang finale.

Taking Poison: The Power to the People tour at Shoreline rekindles one critic's unabashed teenaged love for Poison.

Aural Fixation: Bay Area bands line up to rock the X Games in San Francisco.

Audiofile: Reviews of new CDs by Robyn Hitchcock and Kindness.

Storm the Box Offices: In John Waters' 'Cecil B. DeMented,' radical film-lovers strike a blow against the homogenous hegemony of Hollywood.

Right on Target: Patrice Lecontes' 'Girl on the Bridge' balances the loss and luck of love.

Running on Empty: The Abbie Hoffman story, sanitized for popular consumption.

Bad Omen: Holier-than-thou supernatural thriller 'Bless the Child' doesn't have a prayer.

Court Jesters: Four comedians earn their crowns as 'The Original Kings of Comedy.'

Something Fishy: Photographer Michiko Kon reinvents still lifes at her SJ Museum of Art show.

Late Bloomer: Palo Alto's version of Hong Kong Flower Garden has some growing up to do before catching up with its culinary counterpart.

A La Carte: Hot time, summer in the city.