You Know It's One Thing to Flog Books on Your Blog...

... but it really must be sweet to have the Dallas Morning News editorial section do it for you.

You have to have opened the actual newspaper to get the true effect. One page of the editorial section, entirely filled with voting recommendations for upcoming primaries. The opposite side with the top two-thirds filled with Rod Dreher's article musing about that crazy, in-your-face, unpredictable lifestyle of being a conservative who buys organic and wears Birkenstocks ... in his new book, Crunchy Cons. Woah, dude! For real?

If only I didn't know a lot of people like him already (or wasn't one myself ... minus the Birkenstocks) I'd rush right out and buy that book.

The bottom third of the page? Reactions to the book by another (conservative) of the editorial staff who struggled mightily to find anything bad to say. (I mighta been interested in what a liberal had to say about the book but too bad.)

Most people have to pay for that sort of prime newspaper advertising coverage.

Like I said. Sweet.

UPDATE
This is not to say that I don't think the book will be good or that I won't read it (when it gets to our public library) ... it is really to protest giving an entire page of the two available in the newspaper's editorial section to promote his book.

For commentary not done by Dreher himself or co-workers:

• Here is the WSJ's review. They liked it. They really liked it.
• Rachel at Testosterhome also really liked it.

I'm still dying to see a review from someone who is liberal about this. If y'all see one, let me know. Because all the friendly stuff is fine but not telling me anything I don't already know. I wanna see what someone else has to say as well.