END CUE: "...by Doubleday Canada."
BOOKBITS
LEAD:
Essayist David Rakoff's new book “Half Empty” takes a slightly darker approach than his last two. Part of it is that Rakoff has been battling a soft tissue cancer in his left arm which has, at times, forced him to consider amputation. But whether he is tackling his own mortality, the attraction some of his fellow Jews have to pork, or Disney's dated “House of Tomorrow”, Rakoff maintains his Oscar Wilde-like wit and charm.