The 2013 Book Challenge

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dp
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Re: The 2013 Book Challenge

Post by dp » 29 Dec 2013 09:35

63. Baudolino by Umberto Eco 522pg
64. Blood and Belief: The PKK and the Kurdish Fight for Independence by Alize Marcus 351pg

I'll withhold my comments on Baudolino for now since it's a book club book next year. I was almost done with it by it was mentioned, otherwise, I woulda held off.

The second is a history of the Kurdish separatist group PKK in Turkey. I know very little about the Kurds and this was a pretty decent book written pretty well that increased my knowledge. I've got another book that's about Kurdistan in general and Northern Iraq in particular and I'll probably be reading it soon.
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Zac Miley
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Re: The 2013 Book Challenge

Post by Zac Miley » 29 Dec 2013 12:28

oh no!

I can choose a replacement for Baudolino if that's preferable?
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Jeremy
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Re: The 2013 Book Challenge

Post by Jeremy » 31 Dec 2013 04:19

Plenty of time to decide what you want to do anyway.

It's clear that I'm not going to get another book out, so I'll post my top 3 :)

Looking at my list, I read a lot of trash, and not much quality. My reading dropped off a fair bit towards the end of the year too, I guess the baby is to blame :P. I did read a few good books though. Here's my top 3 in reverse order for suspense :P

3. Cancer Ward
This has grown a lot on me since I read it. I think the Alain de Botton Proust book in particular made me rethink it. Yes it's very slow and not much happens, but at the same time, it has a poignancy that I don't think anything else I read can come close to.

2. The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep
Our baby sleeps really well most nights. We follow this book almost word for word. I guess it could be coincidence, but despite my sample of one, I feel like this is very effective. She's also so damn happy in the mornings, which is easier to appreciate when you've had a good nights sleep too.

1. Extinct Boids
Ralph Steadman art book and a bird book. This was always going to finish on top. This is probably my favourite book that I own.

Thanks to all participants, look forward to seeing other people's top threes, excited about the book club, see in next year's topic :D

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bigdirtyfoot
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Re: The 2013 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 31 Dec 2013 21:02

24. Psychedelic Healing, Neal M. Goldsmith, 236 pg.

I first learned of Neal Goldsmith while attending this year's Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics conference in New York City. He did an excellent job as speaker curator and emcee at the event, cultivating an impressive collection of psychedelic speakers and helping the group to stay focused during the Q&A sessions. I decided to purchase his book "Psychedelic Healing: The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritual Development" during the last day of the conference. I am very glad that I did, because it turns out that it is one of the best books I have read all year.

The book's introduction includes a set of inquiries that led to the writing of the book. These questions include "Can psychedelic therapy trigger immediate transformative change in novel areas?", "How should psychedelics be rescheduled?", and "Can psychedelics provide lasting change?" Each question is addressed later on in the book in an objective and honest manner. Following the introduction, Goldsmith gives a detailed and respectable personal history, including an entertaining story about a later-in-life LSD trip.

Goldsmith explores the plausibility of fundamental personality change, gives a detailed history of psychedelic research, provides ten lessons of psychedelic therapy, and discusses implications for the future. He puts forth suggestions about how we can work to change drug laws, offers personal stories of difficult experiences at Burning Man, and provides guidelines for safe and effective psychedelic journeys. Goldsmith includes an amazing recommended reading list at the end of the book.

This book is well-written and was a joy for me to read. I would rate it right up there with James Fadiman's "Psychedelic Explorer's Guide." There is a bit of overlap with Fadiman's book in regard to the advice given for trippers and sitters (or voyagers and guides). However, each book has its own set of investigated topics and unique personality. I really appreciate the explanation of what psychedelic (and psycholytic) therapies are, and these are the primary focuses in "Psychedelic Healing." The one criticism I would have is that some concepts are repeated a bit too much for my taste, but I bet those are the concepts that I will remember best, so perhaps that is an intentional effect. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in psychedelics or healing.
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Re: The 2013 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 31 Dec 2013 21:07

Here are my top three books from 2013:

1. Idoru, William Gibson
Fascinating story, great characters, this is my favorite Gibson thus far. One of those books that I had a hard time putting down.

2. Psychedelic Healing: The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritual Development, Neal M. Goldsmith
Very detailed and inspirational, with an excellent recommended reading list.

3. Radio Free Albemuth, Philip K. Dick
Blew my mind. Dick does it again.

Honorable mention:

The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss, Dennis McKenna
Nice to hear about the McKenna brothers from the lesser-known little brother. Great biography/insider's look into psychedelic history.
David Wilder

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Re: The 2013 Book Challenge

Post by Zac Miley » 01 Jan 2014 13:27

1. Moby-Dick, Melville

In my opinion, the best book in the world.

2. Lolita, Nabokov

Rapper persona in disgustingly beautiful Russian-American guise.

3. Candide, Voltaire

The philosophical certainty and dark humor are what attract me most to this one.
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Jay (8:06:14 PM): *wipes bellybutton*

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Re: The 2013 Book Challenge

Post by dp » 08 Jan 2014 19:59

Danny's Top Books


Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner

I persuaded my roommate to read this book and for the next two months just about every conversation we had slowly turned into a conversation about this book. I read it twice this year and had read it once before. Highly highly recommended.

Mating by Norman Rush

Norman Rush is a smart man who has clearly read a lot and thought about everything. Everything. Concealed in this book with a pretty captivating narrative (and also the most interesting male-written female narrator I've ever read) is basically his thoughts on everything. I felt refreshingly edified at the end of this novel, but also somewhat inadequate, feeling intensely the depths of my ignorance about so many things. I also read this book twice in 2013.
Danny P.

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Re: The 2013 Book Challenge

Post by Pasquar » 14 Jan 2014 09:49

Didn't read as much as I hoped this year, but still overall happy with what I was able to read. Gonna shoot for 30 next year.

My top 3 were:

1) Whole Self/Whole World: Quality of Life in the 21st Century by Eric Gerinke
Amazing, dunno how to describe it, but definitely what I needed in life when I needed it.

2) La Raza: The Mexican Americans by Stan Steiner
Very thorough historically but also a great narrative.

3) The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Only got through a few fiction books this year, this was the best.
Nick Pasquarello


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