Here’s a question for your readers:

Twinkies. Did Hostess put out a carrot cake variety at one point? I swear that my mom, a great lover of all things carrot cake, bought a box to try when I was in elementary school. I haven’t seen them since and no one I’ve mentioned them to has any idea what I’m talking about.

I went as far as emailing Hostess for help (oh leave me alone) and a very nice man wrote back saying, “Since IBC purchased Hostess in 1992 there has not been any such cake.” (Incidentally, “There has not been any such cake” works as a response to nearly everything, I’ve found.) The thing is, I’m pretty sure these Twinkies were around right before then, say 1990 or 1991.

My friends are starting to worry about me and my little obsession. Anyone have anything?

Sincerely,
Even my own mother — she who started it all — is concerned now

I’m wondering if you or your readers can recommend a book on American
history from about 1766-1786, sort of a look at what “really” happened
during the years leading up to the Declaration of Independence and/or the
Second Continental Congress. I’ve been thinking about this period recently
and would like to flesh out what I learned in AP U.S. History…sixteen or
so years ago. I mostly read fiction, so I don’t know where to look for a
well-written, intelligent, but readable history about these events. A
couple quick searches on Amazon show David McCullough, but I don’t really
want a militaristic history that focuses primarily on the battles of the
Revolutionary War (as in 1776). Any thoughts? Thanks!

LF

PS: I LOVE your new book! Well done.

There is a book I remember from my childhood that I can’t seem to find, so I thought maybe it might ring a bell with your readers.

In the 7th or 8th grades (1990-91) one of my friends showed me this hardcover, full-color, glossy photograph book. It was a book of photographs of unicorns. Supposedly, and I think this was in the book’s introduction, or maybe my friend just told me, the book was banned and its publication interrupted because “they” don’t want the secret existence of unicorns to be made public (I don’t know if this was part of the way the book was promoting itself or just a story my friend was telling me). I remember that the pictures were just beautiful, and that my friend insisted they were actual photographs of live unicorns. I remember one specific picture of a unicorn whose mane was braided with flowers and the book explained that a special kind of small bird would weave flowers into unicorns’ manes.

I don’t imagine that the whole censorship controversy is real (I don’t actually believe that unicorns exist), but I would love to see this book again and to get the “facts” straight about this book’s publication and it being banned. Any ideas?

Thanks,
MAB