The 2011 50 Book Challenge

This is the forum to discuss non-footbag movies, TV, music, videogames, and art.
Post Reply
User avatar
Zac Miley
Post Master General
Posts: 5953
Joined: 04 Jun 2006 12:11
Location: Kansas City, MO
Contact:

Post by Zac Miley » 05 Jul 2011 18:46

Well, to me it seems that there are smart people in every group. Just because they're 'wrong' doesn't mean they aren't smart, rather that they've been conditioned into a belief by experience and applied their own logic to it. I have no problem calling Rand intelligent and insane in the same sentence. I would say the same thing about Oscar Wilde and The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Jay (8:06:01 PM): Bu-bu-buu-buug--Looks up, and the feeling goes away like a sneeze-bu-buuuh-BULLLSHITTT
Jay (8:06:14 PM): *wipes bellybutton*

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 06 Jul 2011 22:29

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg
Danny P.

User avatar
Jeremy
"Really unneccesary"
Posts: 10178
Joined: 08 Jan 2003 00:20
Location: Tasmania

Post by Jeremy » 09 Jul 2011 02:04

@Zac - I don't disagree with your generalisations, it's more that when I have read Rand I've felt that the arguments being put forward are just unconvincing and illogical, and I think that's not a sign of intelligence. I think it's particularly notable that when you look at the people who follow Ayn Rand's teachings, at least the ones I've come across are not particularly intelligent, but I'd describe them (and her philosophy) as selfish and anti-intellectual.

@Danny - I'm very impressed with your reading list, it is putting the rest of us to shame. I wish you'd write a little review of each book as you read it though :)


1. The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life by Richard Dawkins - 629pg
2. Concepts of Nature: A Wildlife Photographer's Art by Andy Rouse - 159pg
3. Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food by Pamela C. Roland and Raoul W. Adamchak - 167pg
4. The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct by Bert Holldobler and Edward O. Wilson - 127pg
5. Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis - 256pg
6. Shark: In Peril In The Sea by David Owen - 294pg
7. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - 670pg
8. Moby Dick by Herman Mellville - 469 pages
9. Coral: A pessimist in paradise by Steve Jones - 242pg
10. The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic and Our Disappearing Fisheries by Mark Kurlansky - 246pg
11. The Shallows: How the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember by Nicholas Carr - 224pg
12. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - 200pg
13. Beyond Lies The Wub: Collected short stories volume 1 by Phillip K Dick - 397pg
14. The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil - 487pg
15. Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the real story of Britain's war in Afghanistan by Toby Harnden - 512pg
16. Slaughterhouse 5: Or the children's crusade: A duty-dance with death by Kurt Vonnegut - 215pg
17. The Moral Landscape: How science can determine human values by Sam Harris - 191pg
18. The Curse of Lono by Hunter S. Thompson - 207pg
19. Kraken: The curious, exciting, and slightly disturbing science of squid by Wendy Williams - 200pg
20. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - 48pg
21. Anthem by Ayn Rand - 104pg
22. The Case of the Pope: Vatican accountability for human rights abuse by Geoffrey Robertson QC - 188pg
23. The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham - 233pg
24. Growth Fetish by Clive Hamilton - 240pg


I think I've now read all of Clive Hamilton's books, and as with other stuff, I found this interesting but unconvincing in parts. It's very similar to his book Affluenza (which I think is better), but is more focused on government policy and economic theory, basically rebutting the notion that economic growth is a good thing. I agree with a lot of the premise and with the early chapters, but I found the philosophy to just be assertions without convincing arguments, and a lot of the claims about human nature and the reasons for our current economic systems I didn't accept (and he made no effort to convince people of these points, just asserted that they were true).

So I found the book a little unsatisfying in parts. Still it makes me glad I've chosen a path of intellectual fulfilment and hopefully meaningful future employment over the selfish pursuit of material gain, since he provides such strong evidence that that will make me happier and more satisfied than the alternative. He seems remarkably optimistic in thinking that we will in the near future move to a "post-growth" society. I doubt that will happen in our lives.

I'm really glad he spent considerable effort debunking and attacking marketing, because I agree that it really is just a drain on society with no actual benefit, and it's good to have some ammunition for future debates on this topic.

So definitely a book that is worth a read, but not one that was particularly convincing.

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 09 Jul 2011 10:34

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg
14. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 465pg

Ok review coming atcha.

This book is about how previous views of pre-columbian indians are all wrong and how probably much of what Americans learned in elementary school is all wrong. (I dunno if people in other countries really learn about American Indians)

Two big points made are that there were way more people in the Americas before Columbus than many really thought (in fact there were probably more people in the Americas than in Europe in 1491), and that they also manipulated their environment in ingenious novel ways.

I want to talk about some of the things in the book, but I feel like I can't really even address anything without wanting to go on and on. So basically I learned a lot about pre-columbian society and as you might be seeing from my future readings here, I've been inspired to learn more.
Danny P.

User avatar
Zac Miley
Post Master General
Posts: 5953
Joined: 04 Jun 2006 12:11
Location: Kansas City, MO
Contact:

Post by Zac Miley » 10 Jul 2011 19:25

1. Illustration: A Visual History by Steven Heller and Seymour Chwast
2. Posters: A Concise History by John Barnicoat
3. Hope: A Collection of Obama Prints and Posters by Hal Wert
(my professor)
4. Birds and Bees by Dugald Stermer
5. One Hundred Views Along the Road by Alfred Leslie
6. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
7. All's Well That Ends by Michael Smith
8. The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman
9. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
10. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Finished it a few days ago, and I think my sentiments are basically the same. There are parts of it that could be useful, but as a whole it's pretty far out there. A fantastic book, though. Definitely a part of my permanent bookshelf. Felt much more satisfying than Anthem. Oddly, I don't really have any desire to read Atlas Shrugged, although I'm sure I will eventually.

Not sure what's next. Maybe Thoreau.
Jay (8:06:01 PM): Bu-bu-buu-buug--Looks up, and the feeling goes away like a sneeze-bu-buuuh-BULLLSHITTT
Jay (8:06:14 PM): *wipes bellybutton*

User avatar
Jeremy
"Really unneccesary"
Posts: 10178
Joined: 08 Jan 2003 00:20
Location: Tasmania

Post by Jeremy » 12 Jul 2011 15:06

1. The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life by Richard Dawkins - 629pg
2. Concepts of Nature: A Wildlife Photographer's Art by Andy Rouse - 159pg
3. Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food by Pamela C. Roland and Raoul W. Adamchak - 167pg
4. The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct by Bert Holldobler and Edward O. Wilson - 127pg
5. Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis - 256pg
6. Shark: In Peril In The Sea by David Owen - 294pg
7. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - 670pg
8. Moby Dick by Herman Mellville - 469 pages
9. Coral: A pessimist in paradise by Steve Jones - 242pg
10. The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic and Our Disappearing Fisheries by Mark Kurlansky - 246pg
11. The Shallows: How the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember by Nicholas Carr - 224pg
12. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - 200pg
13. Beyond Lies The Wub: Collected short stories volume 1 by Phillip K Dick - 397pg
14. The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil - 487pg
15. Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the real story of Britain's war in Afghanistan by Toby Harnden - 512pg
16. Slaughterhouse 5: Or the children's crusade: A duty-dance with death by Kurt Vonnegut - 215pg
17. The Moral Landscape: How science can determine human values by Sam Harris - 191pg
18. The Curse of Lono by Hunter S. Thompson - 207pg
19. Kraken: The curious, exciting, and slightly disturbing science of squid by Wendy Williams - 200pg
20. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - 48pg
21. Anthem by Ayn Rand - 104pg
22. The Case of the Pope: Vatican accountability for human rights abuse by Geoffrey Robertson QC - 188pg
23. The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham - 233pg
24. Growth Fetish by Clive Hamilton - 240pg
25. Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki - 176 pg

An interesting collection of Japanese fairy tales. I was somewhat familiar with quite a few, since I grew up with many Japanese picture books, but unable to read the Japanese, I was never particular sure what the plot was, but I recognised many of them as I read them. Some are quite weird with weird morals that didn't make much sense, but maybe something was lost in translation. There was one in particular I recall where a guy helps a turtle, who turns out to be a beautiful sea princess, and he marries her and hangs out at her underwater palace for 3 days, but then decides he needs to leave her and go home to his parents. She gives him a box as a gift for saving her, but tells him never to open it. He gets home and finds that 300 years have passed since he was last home. He has nothing, and everybody he knew are long dead. He decides is only option is to go back to the princess, but he has no way of contacting her. He decides, as a last resort to open the box. He immediately ages 300 years and dies as a pile of dust. We are then told the moral of the story is to listen to your elders, and that he shouldn't have opened the box. Weird. Anyway I enjoyed this. I read it as an ebook on my phone mainly when I forget to bring a book to read on the bus. Pretty light.

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 13 Jul 2011 08:02

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg
14. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 465pg
15. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 321pg

A collection of stories and fictional interviews. Some pretty good stuff, a real variety of stories and interviews. Not really light reading though, lotsa heavy stuff going on, and unlike most DFW I only found myself laughing a small handful of times the whole book.

As far as short work by DFW I liked Oblivion more, haven't gotten to Girl with Curious Hair yet, and some of his nonfiction is better while some is worse.

Kinda a sidenote, everyone should read DFW, I say start with the title essay in "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never OD Again".
Danny P.

User avatar
Jeremy
"Really unneccesary"
Posts: 10178
Joined: 08 Jan 2003 00:20
Location: Tasmania

Post by Jeremy » 15 Jul 2011 01:53

1. The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life by Richard Dawkins - 629pg
2. Concepts of Nature: A Wildlife Photographer's Art by Andy Rouse - 159pg
3. Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food by Pamela C. Roland and Raoul W. Adamchak - 167pg
4. The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct by Bert Holldobler and Edward O. Wilson - 127pg
5. Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis - 256pg
6. Shark: In Peril In The Sea by David Owen - 294pg
7. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - 670pg
8. Moby Dick by Herman Mellville - 469 pages
9. Coral: A pessimist in paradise by Steve Jones - 242pg
10. The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic and Our Disappearing Fisheries by Mark Kurlansky - 246pg
11. The Shallows: How the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember by Nicholas Carr - 224pg
12. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - 200pg
13. Beyond Lies The Wub: Collected short stories volume 1 by Phillip K Dick - 397pg
14. The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil - 487pg
15. Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the real story of Britain's war in Afghanistan by Toby Harnden - 512pg
16. Slaughterhouse 5: Or the children's crusade: A duty-dance with death by Kurt Vonnegut - 215pg
17. The Moral Landscape: How science can determine human values by Sam Harris - 191pg
18. The Curse of Lono by Hunter S. Thompson - 207pg
19. Kraken: The curious, exciting, and slightly disturbing science of squid by Wendy Williams - 200pg
20. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - 48pg
21. Anthem by Ayn Rand - 104pg
22. The Case of the Pope: Vatican accountability for human rights abuse by Geoffrey Robertson QC - 188pg
23. The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham - 233pg
24. Growth Fetish by Clive Hamilton - 240pg
25. Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki - 176 pg
26. A Short History of Nearly Everything: Illustrated Edition by Bill Bryson - 595 pg

Not as big as the pages suggest, because it's illustrated. Basically a history of science. Reasonably comprehensive, but also pretty shallow, and seemed more intent on recounting amusing anecdotes relating to the scientists making important discoveries than going in to the details of the discoveries. Still I found it pretty interesting, and I'd recommend it to anybody interested in the history of science, at least as a starting point. The illustrated edition is fantastic - in many cases I found the illustrations more fascinating than the text, and did some research on the topics. It is rather erroneous on the science too. At one point he describes all terrestrial life as belonging to 4 groups - anapsids, diapsids, euryapsids and synapids (or something along those lines - my vertebrate evolutionary biology is not strong enough to be sure without looking it up). Anyway the point is that these are just four lines of vertebrate skulls - completely discounting invertebrates, and indeed plants, fungus, bacteria etc, which only a chapter before he talked about people often forget the micro-organisms when talking about life. So yeah, I wouldn't recommend believing any of it as gospel, but most of the time it's pretty close to being right, and interesting, which I think was the goal :)

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 26 Jul 2011 09:28

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg
14. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 465pg
15. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 321pg
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 326pg
Danny P.

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 08 Aug 2011 12:30

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg
14. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 465pg
15. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 321pg
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 326pg
17. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico by Miguel Leon-Portilla 196pg

A compilation of texts written in Nahuatl in the years following the conquest of Mexico by natives who had witnessed it. The book as a whole was very fragmented as a whole and I didn't like the format. I quickly realized that it wasn't exactly the story I was interested in exactly but the actual nahuatl texts themselves I was interested in. In the fragmented way the texts are presented you only get a sense of the story, not of the actual human feelings and emotions you do seeing one particular text all the way through.
Danny P.

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 10 Aug 2011 20:22

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg 
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg 
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg 
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg 
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg 
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg 
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg 
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg 
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg 
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg 
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg 
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg 
14. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 465pg 
15. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 321pg 
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 326pg 
17. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico by Miguel Leon-Portilla 196pg
18. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein 881pg


A political history of the sixties and early seventies which has a focus on the rise of Nixon. Nixon does not come out well in this book...

Starting with Guns, Germ, and Steel I've been reading a lot more non fiction than I ever have before, and I think I'm gonna keep up with it. The sequel to 1491, 1493, is the next non fiction on the list I think.

Also, I've been reading more than one book at a time for a while now so if I get tired of reading one book after an hour or two, I can just switch to another. Does anyone else do this?
Danny P.

User avatar
bigdirtyfoot
Sloppy
Posts: 3142
Joined: 22 Apr 2002 12:30
Location: NC

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 11 Aug 2011 10:27

@Danny: I constantly read more than one book at a time! It's great for when I get stuck on one book, but sometimes I'll leave a book or two on the back burner for too long and then it becomes difficult to pick it back up.

1. Cosmic Trigger Volume Three: My Life After Death, Robert Anton Wilson, 247 pg.
2. Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie, Hunter S. Thompson, 247 pg.
3. Schooled, Godron Korman, 224 pg.
4. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, 75 pg.
5. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams, 216 pg.
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling, 734 pg.
7. Still Life With Woodpecker, Tom Robbins, 277 pg.
8. Welcome to the Monkey House, Kurt Vonnegut, 331 pg.
9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling, 870 pg.
10. VALIS, Philip K Dick, 242 pg.
11. The Divine Invasion, Philip K Dick, 238 pg.
12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling, 652 pg.
13. A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead, Dennis McNally, 684 pg.
14. The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, Philip K Dick, 255 pg.
15. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling, 759 pg.
16. Hallucinogens and Shamanism, Michael J. Harner, 200 pg.
17. Dubliners, James Joyce, 317 pg.
18. The Long Trip: A Prehistory of Psychedelia, Paul Devereux, 250 pg.
19. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, Tom Robbins, 356 pg.
20. The Subterraneans, Jack Kerouac, 111 pg.
21. Ulysses, James Joyce, 783 pg.
22. Ubik, Philip K Dick, 216 pg.
23. Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins, 422 pg.
24. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain, 319 pg.
25. Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness, Hunter S. Thompson, 246 pg.

Tom Sawyer: A classic. Just had to re-read it! Glad I did. You can read my review here if you would like to do so.

Hey Rube: A collection of articles from 2000-2003 that Hunter wrote for ESPN's website. The last book that was published before he committed suicide in 2005. Mostly about politic and sport, but it is not necessary to be familiar with either subject to enjoy this book. Hunter even falls in love and marries his wife Anita during this time, and it is a refresher to know that he is capable of being a bit of a softie. Highly recommended, but don't start with this if you're new to HST. You can read my review here.
David Wilder

Image

NC Aliens.

Pasquar
Fearless
Posts: 517
Joined: 17 Jul 2010 08:02
Location: Columbus, OH/ Philadelphia, PA

Post by Pasquar » 11 Aug 2011 12:56

Danny Petrick wrote: Also, I've been reading more than one book at a time for a while now so if I get tired of reading one book after an hour or two, I can just switch to another. Does anyone else do this?
Yeah man, I'm currently reading like 3-4 different books. I definitely think it's a better "strategy" if you will because (like you said) one can get tired of the same book, even if it is really good, just because of the style/structure/message can get repetitive or even boring.

i think this is something that has deterred me from reading (outside of school) in the past because I always had the sense that if I am reading one book, I HAVE to finish that book before I start another one. This kind of thinking can discourage reading because it feels like more of a chore than a hobby. I'm reading like 4 different books (but really gung-ho about one in particular) but still picked up another book today that I will probably start in a little bit.

Sorry, long-winded response, but in sum: yes!

(btw Danny, WHEN ARE YOU FREE TO SHRED??!??! I really would like to kick soon, man, it's been too long and I really like kicking at Atrim Park next to the lake if you're familiar; HIT ME UP!!)
Nick Pasquarello


Shred on

User avatar
bigdirtyfoot
Sloppy
Posts: 3142
Joined: 22 Apr 2002 12:30
Location: NC

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 11 Aug 2011 17:45

1. Cosmic Trigger Volume Three: My Life After Death, Robert Anton Wilson, 247 pg.
2. Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie, Hunter S. Thompson, 247 pg.
3. Schooled, Godron Korman, 224 pg.
4. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, 75 pg.
5. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams, 216 pg.
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling, 734 pg.
7. Still Life With Woodpecker, Tom Robbins, 277 pg.
8. Welcome to the Monkey House, Kurt Vonnegut, 331 pg.
9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling, 870 pg.
10. VALIS, Philip K Dick, 242 pg.
11. The Divine Invasion, Philip K Dick, 238 pg.
12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling, 652 pg.
13. A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead, Dennis McNally, 684 pg.
14. The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, Philip K Dick, 255 pg.
15. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling, 759 pg.
16. Hallucinogens and Shamanism, Michael J. Harner, 200 pg.
17. Dubliners, James Joyce, 317 pg.
18. The Long Trip: A Prehistory of Psychedelia, Paul Devereux, 250 pg.
19. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, Tom Robbins, 356 pg.
20. The Subterraneans, Jack Kerouac, 111 pg.
21. Ulysses, James Joyce, 783 pg.
22. Ubik, Philip K Dick, 216 pg.
23. Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins, 422 pg.
24. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain, 319 pg.
25. Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness, Hunter S. Thompson, 246 pg.
26. The Emperor Wears No Clothes: The Authoritative Historical Record of the Cannabis Plant, Marijuana Prohibition, & How Hemp Can Still Save the World, Jack Herer, 182 pg.

After hearing all I have about this book for the past few years, I ended up not liking it very much. But maybe that's because I had a 1991 edition instead of the latest printing. It was really repetitive and didn't hold my attention very well. You can check out my review here.
David Wilder

Image

NC Aliens.

User avatar
Jeremy
"Really unneccesary"
Posts: 10178
Joined: 08 Jan 2003 00:20
Location: Tasmania

Post by Jeremy » 13 Aug 2011 14:16

I'm reading 3 books at the moment, well two now that I've finished one. I try to avoid reading multiple books though, as I think you lose track more and have to re-read stuff, and often I end up never finishing some of the books I'm co-reading.

1. The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life by Richard Dawkins - 629pg
2. Concepts of Nature: A Wildlife Photographer's Art by Andy Rouse - 159pg
3. Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food by Pamela C. Roland and Raoul W. Adamchak - 167pg
4. The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct by Bert Holldobler and Edward O. Wilson - 127pg
5. Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis - 256pg
6. Shark: In Peril In The Sea by David Owen - 294pg
7. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - 670pg
8. Moby Dick by Herman Mellville - 469 pages
9. Coral: A pessimist in paradise by Steve Jones - 242pg
10. The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic and Our Disappearing Fisheries by Mark Kurlansky - 246pg
11. The Shallows: How the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember by Nicholas Carr - 224pg
12. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - 200pg
13. Beyond Lies The Wub: Collected short stories volume 1 by Phillip K Dick - 397pg
14. The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil - 487pg
15. Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the real story of Britain's war in Afghanistan by Toby Harnden - 512pg
16. Slaughterhouse 5: Or the children's crusade: A duty-dance with death by Kurt Vonnegut - 215pg
17. The Moral Landscape: How science can determine human values by Sam Harris - 191pg
18. The Curse of Lono by Hunter S. Thompson - 207pg
19. Kraken: The curious, exciting, and slightly disturbing science of squid by Wendy Williams - 200pg
20. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - 48pg
21. Anthem by Ayn Rand - 104pg
22. The Case of the Pope: Vatican accountability for human rights abuse by Geoffrey Robertson QC - 188pg
23. The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham - 233pg
24. Growth Fetish by Clive Hamilton - 240pg
25. Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki - 176 pg
26. A Short History of Nearly Everything: Illustrated Edition by Bill Bryson - 595 pg
27. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - 393pg

This was an interesting read, and I enjoyed it. Considering when he was writing it, Verne got a lot of things right, but it was also interesting because he clearly tried to represent the science of the day, and so much has changed since 1870. The cultural changes were also interesting.

It reminded me a lot of Moby Dick - not much narrative and large sections describing taxonomic knowledge of the day. Still if you can get past that, it's a pretty good read.

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 18 Aug 2011 11:24

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg
14. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 465pg
15. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 321pg
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 326pg
17. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico by Miguel Leon-Portilla 196pg
18. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein 881pg
19. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen 566pg

I've realized when I read fiction I don't want to know anything about the path that the book takes story wise or plot wise or anything. I want to start reading>anticipate things later in the book>be surprised when I'm wrong>repeat so I'm hesitant to say much about the book. It was very good I think, and it's clear that Franzen is a very perceptive intelligent human being, but while this book was really good, I'm not sure if it has much re read value, and those are the works of fiction I like best, ones that get better and better each read.
Danny P.

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 21 Aug 2011 12:42

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg
14. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 465pg
15. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 321pg
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 326pg
17. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico by Miguel Leon-Portilla 196pg
18. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein 881pg
19. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen 566pg
20. 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann 535pg

The sequel to 1491, this book follows a number of threads of how the results of the Columbian Exchange heavily influenced just about everything that's happened since. Less focused than the previous book, but overall, I'm really happy to have read it.
Danny P.

User avatar
bigdirtyfoot
Sloppy
Posts: 3142
Joined: 22 Apr 2002 12:30
Location: NC

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 25 Aug 2011 09:13

1. Cosmic Trigger Volume Three: My Life After Death, Robert Anton Wilson, 247 pg.
2. Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie, Hunter S. Thompson, 247 pg.
3. Schooled, Godron Korman, 224 pg.
4. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, 75 pg.
5. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams, 216 pg.
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling, 734 pg.
7. Still Life With Woodpecker, Tom Robbins, 277 pg.
8. Welcome to the Monkey House, Kurt Vonnegut, 331 pg.
9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling, 870 pg.
10. VALIS, Philip K Dick, 242 pg.
11. The Divine Invasion, Philip K Dick, 238 pg.
12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling, 652 pg.
13. A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead, Dennis McNally, 684 pg.
14. The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, Philip K Dick, 255 pg.
15. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling, 759 pg.
16. Hallucinogens and Shamanism, Michael J. Harner, 200 pg.
17. Dubliners, James Joyce, 317 pg.
18. The Long Trip: A Prehistory of Psychedelia, Paul Devereux, 250 pg.
19. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, Tom Robbins, 356 pg.
20. The Subterraneans, Jack Kerouac, 111 pg.
21. Ulysses, James Joyce, 783 pg.
22. Ubik, Philip K Dick, 216 pg.
23. Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins, 422 pg.
24. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain, 319 pg.
25. Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness, Hunter S. Thompson, 246 pg.
26. The Emperor Wears No Clothes: The Authoritative Historical Record of the Cannabis Plant, Marijuana Prohibition, & How Hemp Can Still Save the World, Jack Herer, 182 pg.
27. The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Living on a Budget, Peter and Jennifer Sander, 200 pg.
28. Demon Box, Ken Kesey, 384 pg.

I read the budget guide because I am working on saving money. It was really basic stuff but helpful from the motivation perspective.

Kesey's Demon Box isn't known to be one of his greater works. It's got a lot of fluff in it, but if you can get past that then the story is actually pretty good! It follows Kesey's life from the sixties to the eighties, although all the names have been changed and there is a bit of a fictional element to it. Almost hyperbolic. Anyways, each chapter focuses on a different time and event, and also theme/feel. There are stories about hitchhiking hippies, a marathon in China, the making of the One Flew Over A Cuckoo's Nest screenplay and life on the family farm. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't recommend starting with this one if you are new to Kesey.
David Wilder

Image

NC Aliens.

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 26 Aug 2011 17:06

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg
14. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 465pg
15. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 321pg
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 326pg
17. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico by Miguel Leon-Portilla 196pg
18. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein 881pg
19. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen 566pg
20. 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann 535pg
21. The Search for the Codex Cardona by Arnold J. Bauer 181pg

The account of the Codex Cardona, a 400 some page codex that or may not have been made in the 1550s. It appeared out of no where in 1982 and since has been shrouded in mystery. Bauer was a history professor who happened upon the book, was entranced, and has been trying to track in down on and off for the last 25 years or so. Really interesting book if you're at all interested in colonial Mexican documents and codices.
Danny P.

User avatar
dp
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1222
Joined: 09 Nov 2005 16:25
Location: ohio

Post by dp » 02 Sep 2011 11:18

1. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick 336pg
2. The Metamorphoses by Ovid translated by Horace Gregory 448pg
3. SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 215pg
4. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 253pg
5. Franklin's Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin 346pg
6. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 509pg
7. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago 238pg
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson 204pg
9. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 1079pg
10. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse 153 pg
11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 244pg
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 480pg
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams 474pg
14. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 465pg
15. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 321pg
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 326pg
17. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico by Miguel Leon-Portilla 196pg
18. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein 881pg
19. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen 566pg
20. 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann 535pg
21. The Search for the Codex Cardona by Arnold J. Bauer 181pg
22. Number9Dream by David Mitchell 400pg
Danny P.

Post Reply