In this week's installment of the Times Book Review, you've got crazy bitches, Mormon playas, fucky families and a dose of Jacko — it is, in effect, the most mockable Review to fall before young Intern Alexis' eyes. And while she loves to snicker at absurdity as much as we do, she appreciates a challenge. Diversity of the stupid, if you will. Alas, not this week. After the jump, her guide to sounding literate.

Big Picture time:

From Ana Marie Cox on Kate O'Beirne's conservative outcry against "Women Who Make the World Worse" to Alexandra Jacobs's review of Po Bronson's psychobabble of a book "Why Do I Love These People" to Corey S. Powell on string theorist Leonard Susskind, there were too many tongues in cheeks in this week's NYTBR, too many fishes in barrels that some of our most treasured reviewers were able to shoot with their eyes closed. That's not to mention Walter Kirn's mild sneers at Mormonator Joseph Smith and our favorite one-named journo Tour 's eye rolls at Margo Jefferson's "On Michael Jackson."

Obviously we'll be the first ones to admit how fun and easy as peasy it is to mock and criticize things that are easily mockable and criticizable. But so many in a row! Conservative crazies, Oprah-approved feel-gooders and Wacko Jackos are child's play. If we sound stodgy and a bit like Heidi Julavits or the boys and girls of N+1, that might be because the negative 857-degree weather just added 15 years onto our lives and if we sound hypocritical, that's just because we set higher standards for the New York Times than for ourselves. It all just seems a little too easy, that's all.

As Jacobs puts it in her final paragraph of what we actually thought was a brilliantly funny review: "It has become fashionable to use irony as our first and only reaction," writes this literary swashbuckler-turned-softie (his first novel was titled "Bombardiers"). "We've surrounded ourselves with an early-alert Ironic Shields Defense System, making sure nobody gets through." This may be true - but Bronson fails to prove that self-satisfied earnestness is a better life tactic."

This may be true but Seinfeld's over and irony is dead. Consider, if you will, what Simon Hammerstein's girlfriend told the Arts posse this weekend:

"Ms. Swanson, a 21-year-old philosophy major at Columbia University, nursed a pomegranate martini and declined a passing tray of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus. Surveying the assemblage of bulls, she found the opposite of Mr. Pilati's intended delight. "Irony's over, and we're entering the age of sincerity," she declared. Then, brushing her strawberry-blonde hair from her eyes, she admitted, "It's really Simon's quotation."

It's like, "Yeah, motherfucker, I'm fine."


Back Page Essay: I Thank You
By Henry Alford

Finally, the kind of irreverent back page fun that we love! (Sorry if we freaked out a little bit above). Henry Alford weaves together absurd excerpts from various authors' acknowledgements pages. We were particularly amused by Alan Richman's acknowledgement: "I couldn't do anything without Jenny Ciardullo, who looks after Sophie, our Corgi." We'd like to take this moment to thank pups on buns, chicken satay and our Excedrin.