From the August 1 "Most Ridiculous Item of the Day" segment:

From time to time, people ask me for reading recommendations, and since it's August and lots of people are going to the beach, here are four books I think you'll like. At least I like them.

• A thriller called "No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy
• "1776" by historian David McCullough
• "Crusader's Cross" by my favorite fiction author, James Lee Burke
• And another novel called "Ireland," by Frank Delaney

All of these books are entertaining and will teach you something, which is never ridiculous.