1. Winter Hiking & Camping - Michael Lanza
2. Leave No Trace: Wilderness Ethics - Annette McGivney
3. Mountaineering First Aid - Martha Lentz
4. Smashing Laptops - Josh Wagner
Written by a Missoulian that I bullshit with at Flippers Casino sometimes. Most of the book takes place around Flippers and touches on many of the nuances of my hometown and stories of friendship, love, and booze
The 2012 Fifty Book Challenge
-
Sporatical_Distractions
- registered sacks offender
- Posts: 4510
- Joined: 12 Oct 2004 19:14
- Location: Guy's American Kitchen & Bar
-
bigdirtyfoot
- Sloppy
- Posts: 3142
- Joined: 22 Apr 2002 12:30
- Location: NC
5. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip K Dick, 233 pg.
6. The Man Who Japed, Philip K Dick, 168 pg.
I've been on a bit of a PKD kick so far this year... Three Stigmata is one of the best books I have read in quite a while. It's about two competing psychedelic drugs - one called Can-D that is taken by colonists (on Mars, Venus, and Ganymede) in which they become characters on a "layout" similar to a board game in order to escape the dullness of living off-Earth. The new drug on the market is called Chew-Z and it is difficult to explain - but essentially the user becomes part of the manufacturer's trip and it takes a long gradual time before the effects wear off. Sometimes even years. So a lot of the book is intentionally confusing because the reader doesn't know if the user has returned back to reality. Anyways, I really enjoyed Three Stigmata and would recommend it to anyone new to PKD.
The Man Who Japed is about a puritanical society without a sense of humor in which one man decides to pull a series of japes, which are essentially pranks, on the society. This one definitely wasn't my favorite PKD, but almost any book written by Dick is better than your run-of-the-mill science fiction. Wouldn't really recommend this except to PKD completionists like myself.
6. The Man Who Japed, Philip K Dick, 168 pg.
I've been on a bit of a PKD kick so far this year... Three Stigmata is one of the best books I have read in quite a while. It's about two competing psychedelic drugs - one called Can-D that is taken by colonists (on Mars, Venus, and Ganymede) in which they become characters on a "layout" similar to a board game in order to escape the dullness of living off-Earth. The new drug on the market is called Chew-Z and it is difficult to explain - but essentially the user becomes part of the manufacturer's trip and it takes a long gradual time before the effects wear off. Sometimes even years. So a lot of the book is intentionally confusing because the reader doesn't know if the user has returned back to reality. Anyways, I really enjoyed Three Stigmata and would recommend it to anyone new to PKD.
The Man Who Japed is about a puritanical society without a sense of humor in which one man decides to pull a series of japes, which are essentially pranks, on the society. This one definitely wasn't my favorite PKD, but almost any book written by Dick is better than your run-of-the-mill science fiction. Wouldn't really recommend this except to PKD completionists like myself.
1. Legs by William Kennedy 318pg
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
This is the second thing by Thompson I've read. The first was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas which I didn't really like at all. I found this much more interesting, enough to give some more stuff of his a chance.
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
This is the second thing by Thompson I've read. The first was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas which I didn't really like at all. I found this much more interesting, enough to give some more stuff of his a chance.
Danny P.
Late start for me, but got a few book sunder my belt now.
1. Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover (336 pages)
A few weeks after completing this book I still do not really know how I feel about it. The book had a few concepts not seen anywhere else in the Expanded Universe, but they didn't necessarily enhance the experience. I've been told that some comics expand on the concepts and I think maybe having read them might have increased my enjoyment of the book.
1. Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover (336 pages)
2. Darth Plagueis by James Luceno (400 pages)
Been waiting for this one for a while. Really great read that opens your eyes to why a lot of events take place that feature in the Prequel Trilogy. The Sith Grand Plan never lost focus.
1. Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover (336 pages)
A few weeks after completing this book I still do not really know how I feel about it. The book had a few concepts not seen anywhere else in the Expanded Universe, but they didn't necessarily enhance the experience. I've been told that some comics expand on the concepts and I think maybe having read them might have increased my enjoyment of the book.
1. Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover (336 pages)
2. Darth Plagueis by James Luceno (400 pages)
Been waiting for this one for a while. Really great read that opens your eyes to why a lot of events take place that feature in the Prequel Trilogy. The Sith Grand Plan never lost focus.
1. Agatha Christie - Miss Marple & Mystery (collection of short stories)
2. Kerry Greenwood - Urn Burial
3. Anna Stothard - The Pink Hotel
4. Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
5. Martina Cole - The Runaway
6. Agatha Christie - Detectives & Young Adventurers (collection of short stories)
7. Nancy Mitford - Love In A Cold Climate
I really enjoyed this. I read a biography of the Mitford sisters last year, and I'm on a mission to read their collected works now (I read The Pursuit Of Love and Don't Tell Alfred before this challenge began).
8. Kate Morton - The Distant Hours
9. Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger
These two were both very silly ghost stories. Enjoyable and easy to read, but silly.
10. Benjamin Law - The Family Law
A collection of short stories about Ben Law's family. I have friends with Chinese immigrant parents so a lot of these stories were so familiar to me.
11. Kerry Greenwood - Blood & Circuses
12. Anonymous - A Woman In Berlin
This was pretty incredible. It's a diary written in 1945 as Berlin fell to the Russians, by a woman (a journalist) in her thirties. It's day-to-day struggles to survive, a couple of days after the Russians reach Berlin she goes out to find a Russian protector - a soldier she can give herself to in exchange for food and protection from rape by other soldiers. Anyway, it's only a short book, and anyone who's interested in WW2 history should read it.
Phew, all caught up now! I've set my own personal challenge of only reading books this year that I haven't read before, and it's going well so far. I'm spending a LOT of time at the library!
2. Kerry Greenwood - Urn Burial
3. Anna Stothard - The Pink Hotel
4. Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
5. Martina Cole - The Runaway
6. Agatha Christie - Detectives & Young Adventurers (collection of short stories)
7. Nancy Mitford - Love In A Cold Climate
I really enjoyed this. I read a biography of the Mitford sisters last year, and I'm on a mission to read their collected works now (I read The Pursuit Of Love and Don't Tell Alfred before this challenge began).
8. Kate Morton - The Distant Hours
9. Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger
These two were both very silly ghost stories. Enjoyable and easy to read, but silly.
10. Benjamin Law - The Family Law
A collection of short stories about Ben Law's family. I have friends with Chinese immigrant parents so a lot of these stories were so familiar to me.
11. Kerry Greenwood - Blood & Circuses
12. Anonymous - A Woman In Berlin
This was pretty incredible. It's a diary written in 1945 as Berlin fell to the Russians, by a woman (a journalist) in her thirties. It's day-to-day struggles to survive, a couple of days after the Russians reach Berlin she goes out to find a Russian protector - a soldier she can give herself to in exchange for food and protection from rape by other soldiers. Anyway, it's only a short book, and anyone who's interested in WW2 history should read it.
Phew, all caught up now! I've set my own personal challenge of only reading books this year that I haven't read before, and it's going well so far. I'm spending a LOT of time at the library!
1. Legs by William Kennedy 318pg
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
A political science book I had to read for class. It did not need to be 225 pages... It pretty much said: there are a lot of television channels these days, kids don't read newspapers, kids don't vote, the results of the 2010 election negate claims made in 2008 that there was a youth voting revolution, and compulsory voting is a good idea. I think it could have been more like 35 pages and been equally convincing...
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
A political science book I had to read for class. It did not need to be 225 pages... It pretty much said: there are a lot of television channels these days, kids don't read newspapers, kids don't vote, the results of the 2010 election negate claims made in 2008 that there was a youth voting revolution, and compulsory voting is a good idea. I think it could have been more like 35 pages and been equally convincing...
Danny P.
Re: The 2012 Fifty Book Challenge
1. Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams - 229pp [ebook]
2. I Am Legend by Richard Matherson - 180pp [ebook]
3. The Drowned World by JG Ballard - 158pp [ebook]
4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding - 248pp [ebook]
5. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre - 338pp [ebook]
6. Galactic Human Handbook: Entering The New Time: Creating Planetary Groups by Sheldon Nidle and Jose Arguelles - 157pp
7. The Future Eaters by Tim Flannery - 407pp
A fantastic book. I read it mainly because it's very related to the honours project I'm doing. In fact both my supervisor and the background of my study (including the specific tree involved) get a mention
. I read this at a great time, because my supervisor just wrote an opinion piece for Nature questioning the idea of introducing elephants to Australia (actually the article was not much about that, but that's the media story, and it's been in BBC, Fox News, and about to be in Time Magazine, as well as a host of other places). Tim Flannery talks about similar problems and similar solutions to Australia's messed up ecosystem in this book too. It's very well written, and also spends a long time addressing various indigenous groups and their impact on ecology.
I think this book is a lot like Guns, Germs, and Steel, but in an Australian context. I think non-Australians would also take a lot out of it though. Unfortunately the general public and politicians either haven't read it, or didn't understand it, so 20 years on, the same environmental problems have become worse, the same issues exist, and nothing will change (other than Australian prosperity).
2. I Am Legend by Richard Matherson - 180pp [ebook]
3. The Drowned World by JG Ballard - 158pp [ebook]
4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding - 248pp [ebook]
5. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre - 338pp [ebook]
6. Galactic Human Handbook: Entering The New Time: Creating Planetary Groups by Sheldon Nidle and Jose Arguelles - 157pp
7. The Future Eaters by Tim Flannery - 407pp
A fantastic book. I read it mainly because it's very related to the honours project I'm doing. In fact both my supervisor and the background of my study (including the specific tree involved) get a mention
. I read this at a great time, because my supervisor just wrote an opinion piece for Nature questioning the idea of introducing elephants to Australia (actually the article was not much about that, but that's the media story, and it's been in BBC, Fox News, and about to be in Time Magazine, as well as a host of other places). Tim Flannery talks about similar problems and similar solutions to Australia's messed up ecosystem in this book too. It's very well written, and also spends a long time addressing various indigenous groups and their impact on ecology. I think this book is a lot like Guns, Germs, and Steel, but in an Australian context. I think non-Australians would also take a lot out of it though. Unfortunately the general public and politicians either haven't read it, or didn't understand it, so 20 years on, the same environmental problems have become worse, the same issues exist, and nothing will change (other than Australian prosperity).
1. Legs by William Kennedy 318pg
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker 497pg
A biography of Harold Ross, founding editor of the New Yorker. As much a biography of the New Yorker's first 25 years as it is about Ross. Not sure how I ended up reading this honestly, although it was pretty good I guess.
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker 497pg
A biography of Harold Ross, founding editor of the New Yorker. As much a biography of the New Yorker's first 25 years as it is about Ross. Not sure how I ended up reading this honestly, although it was pretty good I guess.
Danny P.
1. Legs by William Kennedy 318pg
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
This book went along nicely with a book I read last year, Nixonland. The 3rd and best Thompson book I've read I think.
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
This book went along nicely with a book I read last year, Nixonland. The 3rd and best Thompson book I've read I think.
Danny P.
1. Legs by William Kennedy 318pg
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
9. Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman 245pg
I got this out of the library after having heard of him and then seeing positive comments about him earlier in this thread. I started out thinking that I liked his writing and found him smart and interesting, that I liked how he wrote about things, but not necessarily the topics he chose. That opinion changed as I went through the book, and I found myself really enjoying it. I read most of it today in one sitting actually (goes pretty quick really).
Also, congratulations Tony!
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
9. Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman 245pg
I got this out of the library after having heard of him and then seeing positive comments about him earlier in this thread. I started out thinking that I liked his writing and found him smart and interesting, that I liked how he wrote about things, but not necessarily the topics he chose. That opinion changed as I went through the book, and I found myself really enjoying it. I read most of it today in one sitting actually (goes pretty quick really).
Also, congratulations Tony!
Danny P.
1. Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover (336 pages)
2. Darth Plagueis by James Luceno (400 pages)
3. Dude, You're Gonna be a DAD! by John Pfeiffer (208 pages)
4. Choices of One by Timothy Zahn (355 pages)
Anything by Zahn is awesome. My favorite part of this book was reading about Luke coming to terms with the force and learning how to use it while having no guidance.
2. Darth Plagueis by James Luceno (400 pages)
3. Dude, You're Gonna be a DAD! by John Pfeiffer (208 pages)
4. Choices of One by Timothy Zahn (355 pages)
Anything by Zahn is awesome. My favorite part of this book was reading about Luke coming to terms with the force and learning how to use it while having no guidance.
-
bigdirtyfoot
- Sloppy
- Posts: 3142
- Joined: 22 Apr 2002 12:30
- Location: NC
dp - If you're just getting into HST, I would suggest reading The Rum Diary. That's my favorite of his, and one of his first.
7. Now Wait for Last Year, Philip K Dick, 252 pg.
This one involves a war between three alien races (including humans) and a drug that allows its users to traverse time. The drug is extremely addictive, even after first use. It also causes extreme changes in one's body, including the brain. Most users find themselves going back in time, but a few characters can go forward in time or sideways in time, into parallel universes. This isn't one of PKD's main books, but it should be. I found it to be extremely compelling and offers yet another fresh world and set of characters.
7. Now Wait for Last Year, Philip K Dick, 252 pg.
This one involves a war between three alien races (including humans) and a drug that allows its users to traverse time. The drug is extremely addictive, even after first use. It also causes extreme changes in one's body, including the brain. Most users find themselves going back in time, but a few characters can go forward in time or sideways in time, into parallel universes. This isn't one of PKD's main books, but it should be. I found it to be extremely compelling and offers yet another fresh world and set of characters.
-
Sporatical_Distractions
- registered sacks offender
- Posts: 4510
- Joined: 12 Oct 2004 19:14
- Location: Guy's American Kitchen & Bar
1. Agatha Christie - Miss Marple & Mystery (collection of short stories)
2. Kerry Greenwood - Urn Burial
3. Anna Stothard - The Pink Hotel
4. Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
5. Martina Cole - The Runaway
6. Agatha Christie - Detectives & Young Adventurers (collection of short stories)
7. Nancy Mitford - Love In A Cold Climate
8. Kate Morton - The Distant Hours
9. Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger
10. Benjamin Law - The Family Law
11. Kerry Greenwood - Blood & Circuses
12. Anonymous - A Woman In Berlin
13. Mulgray Twins - No Suspicious Circumstances
A detective novel set in Scotland, where the main character's sidekick is a cat. I have plans to train my cat into a crime-fighting machine now.
14. Jon Richardson - It's Not Me, It's You
A funny book about obsessive-compulsive people looking for love.
15. Neville Shute - A Town Like Alice
A classic which I have somehow managed to not read until now.
16. Richard Llewellyn - How Green Was My Valley
Another classic which I have somehow managed to not read until now. It is beautifully written but a little bit waffly and not really about much.
17. Chloe Hooper - The Tall Man
Essential reading for Australians. It's about the death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee, and the subsequent investigation. The police officer in charge was put on trial for manslaughter but got off. The whole thing stinks, though.
Being a white girl living in the southernmost bit of Australia, this book read like it was set in a whole other country - not recognisable as my country at all.
2. Kerry Greenwood - Urn Burial
3. Anna Stothard - The Pink Hotel
4. Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
5. Martina Cole - The Runaway
6. Agatha Christie - Detectives & Young Adventurers (collection of short stories)
7. Nancy Mitford - Love In A Cold Climate
8. Kate Morton - The Distant Hours
9. Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger
10. Benjamin Law - The Family Law
11. Kerry Greenwood - Blood & Circuses
12. Anonymous - A Woman In Berlin
13. Mulgray Twins - No Suspicious Circumstances
A detective novel set in Scotland, where the main character's sidekick is a cat. I have plans to train my cat into a crime-fighting machine now.
14. Jon Richardson - It's Not Me, It's You
A funny book about obsessive-compulsive people looking for love.
15. Neville Shute - A Town Like Alice
A classic which I have somehow managed to not read until now.
16. Richard Llewellyn - How Green Was My Valley
Another classic which I have somehow managed to not read until now. It is beautifully written but a little bit waffly and not really about much.
17. Chloe Hooper - The Tall Man
Essential reading for Australians. It's about the death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee, and the subsequent investigation. The police officer in charge was put on trial for manslaughter but got off. The whole thing stinks, though.
Being a white girl living in the southernmost bit of Australia, this book read like it was set in a whole other country - not recognisable as my country at all.
Elizabeth
1. Legs by William Kennedy 318pg
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
9. Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman 245pg
10. The Skin by Curzio Malaparte 344pg
Another book by Malaparte. This one he is attached to an American division as they are freeing Italy. His insight into war feels so entirely unique to anything else I've ever read. I have a vague dream to combine elements of the two novels and the one collection of journalistic dispatches and make a screenplay. Not that I ever will, but there's just some scenes in each that would be completely shattering in film.
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
9. Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman 245pg
10. The Skin by Curzio Malaparte 344pg
Another book by Malaparte. This one he is attached to an American division as they are freeing Italy. His insight into war feels so entirely unique to anything else I've ever read. I have a vague dream to combine elements of the two novels and the one collection of journalistic dispatches and make a screenplay. Not that I ever will, but there's just some scenes in each that would be completely shattering in film.
Danny P.
I highly recommend The Rum Diary too. I was inspired by reading that to spend a summer drinking rum (not consistently, but as my main alcoholic drink)bigdirtyfoot wrote:dp - If you're just getting into HST, I would suggest reading The Rum Diary. That's my favorite of his, and one of his first.
8. Tasmania; A Natural History by William E. Davies Jr. 236pp
This was a recommend text for a subject I did a few years ago at uni, but I never got around to reading it. It's not an academic book, but more of a travel guide to visitors to Tasmania who are interested in the natural history. I found it pretty interesting in places, but it spends far too much time describing general non-Tasmanian specific biology. For example, I don't think it's necessary to describe the general importance of invertebrates, the various groups, and theories about their relationship. There was too much stuff that was off topic. Still I find that stuff generally interesting, so it wasn't all bad. Probably not a book people would find particularly exciting unless they were visiting here.
-
bigdirtyfoot
- Sloppy
- Posts: 3142
- Joined: 22 Apr 2002 12:30
- Location: NC
8. Shadows in Flight, Orson Scott Card, 237 pg.
9. Something Happened, Joseph Heller, 530 pg.
I have been reading OSC's Ender/Bean series for fourteen years. He first wrote the four books of the Ender series, and has recently written the Bean series. This book came out last month. Although it is nice to have an end cap on the series, I don't think OSC put as much effort into this one as the other books. The ending was unimaginative, the characters lifeless, and I'm glad it's over. I hope he doesn't try to write another book in this series. A movie for Ender's Game is "supposed" to come out in the next few years, and I'll be excited for that. Ender's Game is still one of my favorite books, one that I recommend to almost everybody. But don't give Shadows in Flight a try unless you are an Ender/Bean completionist.
Something Happened is Heller's second novel. It is told from the first-person perspective of Bob Slocum, a boring and ordinary middle class father and husband in American suburbia. This book could have been so utterly boring, and I will admit that Heller's style of repeating things can be tedious, but somehow Heller makes a typical man's life seem so vibrant and full of detail, even though it's a life none of us really want but all of us seem to be working toward. We learn about Slocum's terrible job, his insufferable wife and children, his spiteful thoughts, his frequent adultery, and more of the same. And although it is terribly boring, Heller makes it seem captivating. I would advise Catch-22 over this one, but I enjoyed both. Am definitely looking forward to reading the rest of his works this year.
9. Something Happened, Joseph Heller, 530 pg.
I have been reading OSC's Ender/Bean series for fourteen years. He first wrote the four books of the Ender series, and has recently written the Bean series. This book came out last month. Although it is nice to have an end cap on the series, I don't think OSC put as much effort into this one as the other books. The ending was unimaginative, the characters lifeless, and I'm glad it's over. I hope he doesn't try to write another book in this series. A movie for Ender's Game is "supposed" to come out in the next few years, and I'll be excited for that. Ender's Game is still one of my favorite books, one that I recommend to almost everybody. But don't give Shadows in Flight a try unless you are an Ender/Bean completionist.
Something Happened is Heller's second novel. It is told from the first-person perspective of Bob Slocum, a boring and ordinary middle class father and husband in American suburbia. This book could have been so utterly boring, and I will admit that Heller's style of repeating things can be tedious, but somehow Heller makes a typical man's life seem so vibrant and full of detail, even though it's a life none of us really want but all of us seem to be working toward. We learn about Slocum's terrible job, his insufferable wife and children, his spiteful thoughts, his frequent adultery, and more of the same. And although it is terribly boring, Heller makes it seem captivating. I would advise Catch-22 over this one, but I enjoyed both. Am definitely looking forward to reading the rest of his works this year.
1. Legs by William Kennedy 318pg
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
9. Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman 245pg
10. The Skin by Curzio Malaparte 344pg
11. Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman 880pg
Grossman was the most famous war reporter in the Soviet Union during WWII and was present during the Siege of Stalingrad. He was Jewish, and after the war the Soviet Union started persecuting large numbers of Jews. He rethought his previous pro-Stalin ideology and wrote this amazing book. It was taken from him though and put in secret archives and he died with it never having been published. Sometime in the 80s it was taken and released to the West. It's supposed to be the Tolstoy of WWII. Really good book. It's actually made me start to consider reading Tolstoy, something I never really had any interest in. Also, the first two Malaparte books I read this year are a look at the German side of the Eastern Front, so it was really cool to see the Russian side of the Eastern Front.
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
9. Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman 245pg
10. The Skin by Curzio Malaparte 344pg
11. Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman 880pg
Grossman was the most famous war reporter in the Soviet Union during WWII and was present during the Siege of Stalingrad. He was Jewish, and after the war the Soviet Union started persecuting large numbers of Jews. He rethought his previous pro-Stalin ideology and wrote this amazing book. It was taken from him though and put in secret archives and he died with it never having been published. Sometime in the 80s it was taken and released to the West. It's supposed to be the Tolstoy of WWII. Really good book. It's actually made me start to consider reading Tolstoy, something I never really had any interest in. Also, the first two Malaparte books I read this year are a look at the German side of the Eastern Front, so it was really cool to see the Russian side of the Eastern Front.
Danny P.
1. Legs by William Kennedy 318pg
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
9. Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman 245pg
10. The Skin by Curzio Malaparte 344pg
11. Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman 880pg
12. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut 192pg
Second time. I think I'm going to re read a bunch of Kurt Vonnegut this year.
2. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 276pg
3. Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte 407pg
4. The Volga Rises in Europe by Curzio Malaparte 281pg
5. Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson 354pg
6. Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg 225pg
7. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel 497pg
8. Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson 505pg
9. Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman 245pg
10. The Skin by Curzio Malaparte 344pg
11. Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman 880pg
12. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut 192pg
Second time. I think I'm going to re read a bunch of Kurt Vonnegut this year.
Danny P.