The Early Word: Calendars - Far Side is Back! Stitch 'n' Bitch, Retro Lemony, Ying-Yang, Miro Miro, Bice Bice Bo Bice, Speed! Lust! Madness! Hey Lady!

This installment of The Early Bird - New Books of Notes becomes New Calendars of Consideration as we catch up with the 2007 items that will let you know when you've been where you've been and will need to be. But be advised: the most popular of these sell out before Christmas. You can be sure that the revived-for-now Far Side calendar will be sold out long before then. And if you hurry, you still may be able to get, in a most, most unfortunate event, a two-year-old Lemony Snicket calendar.

In any case, here's some wall calendars, page-a-day desk calendars, engagement books, and diaries that caught my eye:

Art and Photography 

Salvador Dali Engagement Calendar.  Because you can’t always rely on the persistence of your memory.

Edward Hopper Diary.  Dear Diary: Gosh, forget that darned old malt shop - I met the most interesting people down at the diner tonight!!

Retro Modern Wall Calendar. Ah, Ye Olde Retro Calendar is not just horse and buggy thinking anymore. Oh, wait - it’s the 1960s we’re talking about, not the 1860s…

Monet Wall Calendar.  Monet. It’s what you want. 

French Impressionism Wall Calendar.  I know this one French impressionist who does an impeccable Jerry Lewis.

Miro Wall Calendar.  Miro, Miro on the wall, who's surrealist one of all?

Metropolitan Opera Wall Calendar.  Kill the wabbit! And no, it does not contain a centerfold of the Fat Lady.

Celebrities and Icons

Beatles Wall Calendar.  That should be ‘nuff said.

But I know, I know - this is yet another Beatles calendar. And I realize this is totally subjective, but nobody needs yet another calendar of Elvis Presley or Madonna (one of whom died on my birthday, the other sharing my birthday — I’ll leave you to sort out who is who). Speaking of repeats: I don’t Love Lucy, and even more so, Coldplay leaves me cold, but you should know there are still tried-and-true calendars out there, and upstarts untried and trying to be true.

I will, however, broach the subject of American Idol contestant and now calendar boy Bo Bice only because I can’t think of him without thinking of the old Shirley Ellis hit, "The Name Game": "Bice, Bice, Bo Bice / Banana fanna fo fice / Me my mo mice / Bo Bice…" (Forgive me if this is a well-worn gag - I never really watch AI beyond the early stages of the tuneless clueless.)

Article Author: Gordon Hauptfleisch

Gordon Hauptfleisch is a Blogcritics Books Editor, freelance writer, and book reviewer for San Diego Union Tribune Books (R.I.P.). For many years he worked in and managed bookstores and record stores, and most recently was purchasing manager for San Diego Technical Books. …

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