A CURIOUS MAN : THE STRANGE & BRILLIANT LIFE OF ROBERT "BELIEVE IT OR NOT" RIPLEY
by Neal Thompson

Believe it or not, I did not finish this book. I only made it to page eighty and called it quits. LeRoy Robert Ripley was a cartoonist who became famous and a millionaire by showcasing oddities. His early life and how he was always sketching were the best parts. As soon as he started to become successful by working at a major rag and then being sent to Europe for several months at a time, I was no longer interested. There's way too many details, too many extraneous characters, and too much redundancy.
Not recommended. 

SAUL BELLOW'S HEART : A SON'S MEMOIR
by Greg Bellow

Having read many of Saul Bellow's books when I was in high school, I thought it would be interesting to read what his own son had to say about him. I only was able to get through half of it and then gave up. Saul was such a narcissist; he married four times and messed around with other women at the same time. Why so many females were charmed by him is a big question considering that he treated them so miserably.
The title is ironic. Saul had no heart for his families. It was all directed into his fiction.
Between the very poor editing and being bored, this book is one lousy read.
Not recommended.