1. Streams of Silver (RA Salvatore)
2. Raw Deal (Ken Smith)
3. Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction (Eugenie C. Scott)
4. What's God got to do with it? (Robert Ingersoll
5. Macbeth (Shakespeare)
6. Self-Help (Lorrie Moore)
Short Stories. It was alright.
The 50 Book Challenge 2009
Hi!
My name is David and I'm from Germany. Not exactly a footbagger, but my buddy Chris from this forum hooked me up on this topic. As a bibliophil I like this idea of "competition"
Since 1th January 2009 I've read so far:
1. Septuagenarian Stew by Charles Bukowski
2. Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness by Charles Bukowski
3. Mockingbird Wish Me Luck by Charles Bukowski
4. South Of No North by Charles Bukowski
5. The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills by Charles Bukowski
Currently reading:
- Book Of Dreams by Jack Kerouac
- Love Is A Dog From Hell by Charles Bukowski
- Selected Poems by Malcolm Lowry
Aiming for:
- Big Sur by Jack Kerouac
So, I'm hoping to find some good book recommendations
A great day,
David
My name is David and I'm from Germany. Not exactly a footbagger, but my buddy Chris from this forum hooked me up on this topic. As a bibliophil I like this idea of "competition"
Since 1th January 2009 I've read so far:
1. Septuagenarian Stew by Charles Bukowski
2. Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness by Charles Bukowski
3. Mockingbird Wish Me Luck by Charles Bukowski
4. South Of No North by Charles Bukowski
5. The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills by Charles Bukowski
Currently reading:
- Book Of Dreams by Jack Kerouac
- Love Is A Dog From Hell by Charles Bukowski
- Selected Poems by Malcolm Lowry
Aiming for:
- Big Sur by Jack Kerouac
So, I'm hoping to find some good book recommendations
A great day,
David
Re: The 50 Book Challenge 2009
1. The Joke's Over; Memories of Hunter S Thompson Ralph Steadman 387pg
2. Bottomfeeder; How the fish on our plates are killing the planet Taras Grescoe 357 pg
3. Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad 110 pg
4. A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists David G. Myers 136pg
5. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Tom Wolfe 368pg
6. The Black Swan; The impact of the highly improbable Nassim Nicholas Taleb 300pg
7. The Life You Can Save; Acting now to end world poverty Peter Singer 189pg
8. The Empire Of The Sun J.G. Ballard 351 pg
Awesome book. I have a growing obsession with Ballard, and I suspect I'll read a fair bit of his work this year. This book is a bit funny, but mainly sad and gripping. I really like the movie too. It's a semi fictional account of Ballard's childhood in China during World War 2. Highly recommended.
2. Bottomfeeder; How the fish on our plates are killing the planet Taras Grescoe 357 pg
3. Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad 110 pg
4. A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists David G. Myers 136pg
5. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Tom Wolfe 368pg
6. The Black Swan; The impact of the highly improbable Nassim Nicholas Taleb 300pg
7. The Life You Can Save; Acting now to end world poverty Peter Singer 189pg
8. The Empire Of The Sun J.G. Ballard 351 pg
Awesome book. I have a growing obsession with Ballard, and I suspect I'll read a fair bit of his work this year. This book is a bit funny, but mainly sad and gripping. I really like the movie too. It's a semi fictional account of Ballard's childhood in China during World War 2. Highly recommended.
Yeah definitely worth reading 
. Last year and a bit of this year I tried to read a range of the writers from that era of American writing - I think it gives you a great impression of the culture of the time.
Kerouac, Wolfe, Burroughs, Kesey, Thompson etc. I also found myself reading some of the influences of those writers and the people influenced by them - so it really opened up a range of literature. I guess it's easy for "non-conformist" youths of today to relate to their work.
I like picking a theme and reading around it - getting a deeper view of something, rather than reading a random selection of books.
I've only read On the Road by Kerouac, and if you're going to read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test I think it would be good to read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey and even perhaps Sometimes A Great Notion (which I haven't read), as well as perhaps Hells Angels by Hunter S Thompson first. At least read some Kesey before reading EKAAT because the book is mainly about him, and also you don't want to spoil the ending of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
I really enjoyed Wolfe though, and might look out for some more (although he's not on my reading list at the moment). You could definitely read him without the other stuff too. Definitely recommended
edit; I think Wolfe would have been influenced by Kerouac, rather than the other way around though - Kerouac was mainly 50s to 60s while Wolfe started in the late 60s until now.
. Last year and a bit of this year I tried to read a range of the writers from that era of American writing - I think it gives you a great impression of the culture of the time.Kerouac, Wolfe, Burroughs, Kesey, Thompson etc. I also found myself reading some of the influences of those writers and the people influenced by them - so it really opened up a range of literature. I guess it's easy for "non-conformist" youths of today to relate to their work.
I like picking a theme and reading around it - getting a deeper view of something, rather than reading a random selection of books.
I've only read On the Road by Kerouac, and if you're going to read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test I think it would be good to read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey and even perhaps Sometimes A Great Notion (which I haven't read), as well as perhaps Hells Angels by Hunter S Thompson first. At least read some Kesey before reading EKAAT because the book is mainly about him, and also you don't want to spoil the ending of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
I really enjoyed Wolfe though, and might look out for some more (although he's not on my reading list at the moment). You could definitely read him without the other stuff too. Definitely recommended
edit; I think Wolfe would have been influenced by Kerouac, rather than the other way around though - Kerouac was mainly 50s to 60s while Wolfe started in the late 60s until now.
Re: The 50 Book Challenge 2009
Confusing
1. The Joke's Over; Memories of Hunter S Thompson Ralph Steadman 387pg
2. Bottomfeeder; How the fish on our plates are killing the planet Taras Grescoe 357 pg
3. Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad 110 pg
4. A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists David G. Myers 136pg
5. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Tom Wolfe 368pg
6. The Black Swan; The impact of the highly improbable Nassim Nicholas Taleb 300pg
7. The Life You Can Save; Acting now to end world poverty Peter Singer 189pg
8. The Empire Of The Sun J.G. Ballard 351 pg
9. The Missionary Position; Mother Teresa in theory and practice Christopher Hitchens 98pg
Very short book, but whatever. Hitchens is such a brilliant writer, it's tempting to read more of him straight away . What's more incredible is the reputation of Mother Teresa compared with her actual actions. Here is somebody who I think we can fairly convincingly say actually made the world a worse place for the people she tried to "help" but is regarded highly for it solely because her intentions were religious. She is essentially somebody who welcomed pain and suffering upon the poor and even instigated it in the belief that this was what God wanted. The fact that she carried this out in places like the US as well as the third world makes it amazing she never faced criminal charges, or at least committal to the loony bin. She is somebody who received massive donations from the West, and yet refused to spend the money on the people who needed it (or indeed anybody it seems). I don't think she was a fraud, but just a complete religious nutter who somehow managed to convince the world that what she was doing (rounding up the homeless and sick and putting them together with no comfort to die) was somehow positive. Can you imagine in a hospital somebody suffering unbearable pain and the nurse responding; "You are suffering like Jesus on the cross, so Jesus must be kissing you," and then later laughing about the story when repeating it (and the answer of "then please tell him to stop.")? It's seriously deranged.
1. The Joke's Over; Memories of Hunter S Thompson Ralph Steadman 387pg
2. Bottomfeeder; How the fish on our plates are killing the planet Taras Grescoe 357 pg
3. Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad 110 pg
4. A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists David G. Myers 136pg
5. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Tom Wolfe 368pg
6. The Black Swan; The impact of the highly improbable Nassim Nicholas Taleb 300pg
7. The Life You Can Save; Acting now to end world poverty Peter Singer 189pg
8. The Empire Of The Sun J.G. Ballard 351 pg
9. The Missionary Position; Mother Teresa in theory and practice Christopher Hitchens 98pg
Very short book, but whatever
. Hitchens is such a brilliant writer, it's tempting to read more of him straight away . What's more incredible is the reputation of Mother Teresa compared with her actual actions. Here is somebody who I think we can fairly convincingly say actually made the world a worse place for the people she tried to "help" but is regarded highly for it solely because her intentions were religious. She is essentially somebody who welcomed pain and suffering upon the poor and even instigated it in the belief that this was what God wanted. The fact that she carried this out in places like the US as well as the third world makes it amazing she never faced criminal charges, or at least committal to the loony bin. She is somebody who received massive donations from the West, and yet refused to spend the money on the people who needed it (or indeed anybody it seems). I don't think she was a fraud, but just a complete religious nutter who somehow managed to convince the world that what she was doing (rounding up the homeless and sick and putting them together with no comfort to die) was somehow positive. Can you imagine in a hospital somebody suffering unbearable pain and the nurse responding; "You are suffering like Jesus on the cross, so Jesus must be kissing you," and then later laughing about the story when repeating it (and the answer of "then please tell him to stop.")? It's seriously deranged.-
bigdirtyfoot
- Sloppy
- Posts: 3142
- Joined: 22 Apr 2002 12:30
- Location: NC
1. God is Not Great, Christopher Hitchens, 307 pg.
2. Great American Hypocrites, Glenn Greenwald, 290 pg.
3. The Monster of Florence, Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi, 322 pg.
4. Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age, editors Daniel Pinchbeck and Ken Jordan, 351 pg.
5. Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence, Mitch Earleywine, 328 pg.
6. Another Roadside Attraction, Tom Robbins, 337 pg.
7. Chaos: Making a New Science, James Gleick, 352 pg.
8. PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story, Alexander and Ann Shulgin, 978 pg.
9. Desolation Angels, Jack Kerouac, 409 pg.
It takes a lot of effort to read this book. It’s written in Kerouac’s stream of consciousness style, but it seems like a lot of what was in his (sub?)consciousness was dark and dreary, at least while he was writing this book. After reading The Dharma Bums, I stumbled across a review of it that suggested Desolation Angels, but warned that it was more introspective and sad than The Dharma Bums. While this is true, and it did take me some time to finally finish this book, it is a good one - just realize that it’s not an easy read. You can find my full review here.
2. Great American Hypocrites, Glenn Greenwald, 290 pg.
3. The Monster of Florence, Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi, 322 pg.
4. Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age, editors Daniel Pinchbeck and Ken Jordan, 351 pg.
5. Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence, Mitch Earleywine, 328 pg.
6. Another Roadside Attraction, Tom Robbins, 337 pg.
7. Chaos: Making a New Science, James Gleick, 352 pg.
8. PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story, Alexander and Ann Shulgin, 978 pg.
9. Desolation Angels, Jack Kerouac, 409 pg.
It takes a lot of effort to read this book. It’s written in Kerouac’s stream of consciousness style, but it seems like a lot of what was in his (sub?)consciousness was dark and dreary, at least while he was writing this book. After reading The Dharma Bums, I stumbled across a review of it that suggested Desolation Angels, but warned that it was more introspective and sad than The Dharma Bums. While this is true, and it did take me some time to finally finish this book, it is a good one - just realize that it’s not an easy read. You can find my full review here.
-
bigdirtyfoot
- Sloppy
- Posts: 3142
- Joined: 22 Apr 2002 12:30
- Location: NC
1. God is Not Great, Christopher Hitchens, 307 pg.
2. Great American Hypocrites, Glenn Greenwald, 290 pg.
3. The Monster of Florence, Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi, 322 pg.
4. Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age, editors Daniel Pinchbeck and Ken Jordan, 351 pg.
5. Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence, Mitch Earleywine, 328 pg.
6. Another Roadside Attraction, Tom Robbins, 337 pg.
7. Chaos: Making a New Science, James Gleick, 352 pg.
8. PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story, Alexander and Ann Shulgin, 978 pg.
9. Desolation Angels, Jack Kerouac, 409 pg.
10. The Wheel of time, Carlos Castaneda, 209 pg.
I was first introduced to Castaneda’s work two years ago, when my dad found two books for me to read from his college days - The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge and A Separate Reality. Rarely does my father actually pick up a book, so I knew this one was going to be pretty good. The first of Castaneda’s twelve-book series, The Teachings of Don Juan, dragged me into his narrative quickly. I recommend it to everyone I know, and have both of my personal copies circulating through my friends quite often. My favorite Castaneda book is Journey to Ixtlan, his third in the series.
The Wheel of Time is a collection of quotations and commentary from the first eight books. I feel that it falls way short of effectively communicating the wisdom of the books, but it was an interesting read nonetheless. You can read my full review here.
2. Great American Hypocrites, Glenn Greenwald, 290 pg.
3. The Monster of Florence, Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi, 322 pg.
4. Toward 2012: Perspectives on the Next Age, editors Daniel Pinchbeck and Ken Jordan, 351 pg.
5. Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence, Mitch Earleywine, 328 pg.
6. Another Roadside Attraction, Tom Robbins, 337 pg.
7. Chaos: Making a New Science, James Gleick, 352 pg.
8. PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story, Alexander and Ann Shulgin, 978 pg.
9. Desolation Angels, Jack Kerouac, 409 pg.
10. The Wheel of time, Carlos Castaneda, 209 pg.
I was first introduced to Castaneda’s work two years ago, when my dad found two books for me to read from his college days - The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge and A Separate Reality. Rarely does my father actually pick up a book, so I knew this one was going to be pretty good. The first of Castaneda’s twelve-book series, The Teachings of Don Juan, dragged me into his narrative quickly. I recommend it to everyone I know, and have both of my personal copies circulating through my friends quite often. My favorite Castaneda book is Journey to Ixtlan, his third in the series.
The Wheel of Time is a collection of quotations and commentary from the first eight books. I feel that it falls way short of effectively communicating the wisdom of the books, but it was an interesting read nonetheless. You can read my full review here.
Long time no post. I have to update my list with two books:
1. Duma Key, Stephen King, 638pgs
2. The Death List, Paul Johnston, 416pgs
3. L'empire Des Loups, Jean-Christophe Grange, 464pgs
4. La Sombra del Viento, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, 516pgs
Ok. Few words about them. Grange's book was a thriller. They wrote on a book that this author is a French Harlan Coben so I tried it because I really like Coben's books. I was dissapointed. The book wasn't bad at all. It was well written but at the same time it was kind of predictable. Zafon's "The Shadow of the Wind" was AWESOME! One of the coolest books I've read in a long time. It was really well written and a plot and characters were different and made up nicely. It had a thriller inside (which booktype I like). Plus, it was a great love story, too. I highly recommend it to you, Modifriends.
1. Duma Key, Stephen King, 638pgs
2. The Death List, Paul Johnston, 416pgs
3. L'empire Des Loups, Jean-Christophe Grange, 464pgs
4. La Sombra del Viento, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, 516pgs
Ok. Few words about them. Grange's book was a thriller. They wrote on a book that this author is a French Harlan Coben so I tried it because I really like Coben's books. I was dissapointed. The book wasn't bad at all. It was well written but at the same time it was kind of predictable. Zafon's "The Shadow of the Wind" was AWESOME! One of the coolest books I've read in a long time. It was really well written and a plot and characters were different and made up nicely. It had a thriller inside (which booktype I like). Plus, it was a great love story, too. I highly recommend it to you, Modifriends.
Michał Biarda (Me-how Be-r-da)
1. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer 498 pages
2. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer 563 pages
3. Go Ask Alice Anonymous 228 pages
4. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 328 pages
5. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk 293 pages
6. Fight Club by Chuck Palahnuik 218 pages
7. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey 430 pages
I found the book dreadful at first. I started it before books 4-6. I finally decided to sit down and get it done. The more I read the more I liked it. It turned out to be a pretty good book. Not my favourite but not the worst...
2. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer 563 pages
3. Go Ask Alice Anonymous 228 pages
4. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 328 pages
5. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk 293 pages
6. Fight Club by Chuck Palahnuik 218 pages
7. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey 430 pages
I found the book dreadful at first. I started it before books 4-6. I finally decided to sit down and get it done. The more I read the more I liked it. It turned out to be a pretty good book. Not my favourite but not the worst...
Rishell Gallant
-
Zac Miley
- Post Master General
- Posts: 5953
- Joined: 04 Jun 2006 12:11
- Location: Kansas City, MO
- Contact:
1. Streams of Silver (RA Salvatore)
2. Raw Deal (Ken Smith)
3. Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction (Eugenie C. Scott)
4. What's God got to do with it? (Robert Ingersoll)
5. Macbeth (Shakespeare)
6. Self-Help (Lorrie Moore)
7. The Great Anarchists (I forget)
It was rather dry, but still interesting.
2. Raw Deal (Ken Smith)
3. Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction (Eugenie C. Scott)
4. What's God got to do with it? (Robert Ingersoll)
5. Macbeth (Shakespeare)
6. Self-Help (Lorrie Moore)
7. The Great Anarchists (I forget)
It was rather dry, but still interesting.
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*
Jay (8:06:14 PM): *wipes bellybutton*
1. Septuagenarian Stew by Charles Bukowski
2. Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness by Charles Bukowski
3. Mockingbird Wish Me Luck by Charles Bukowski
4. South Of No North by Charles Bukowski
5. The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills by Charles Bukowski
6. Notes Of A Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski
7. Book Of Dreams by Jack Kerouac
2. Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness by Charles Bukowski
3. Mockingbird Wish Me Luck by Charles Bukowski
4. South Of No North by Charles Bukowski
5. The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills by Charles Bukowski
6. Notes Of A Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski
7. Book Of Dreams by Jack Kerouac
Rishell wrote: 7. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey 430 pages
I found the book dreadful at first. I started it before books 4-6. I finally decided to sit down and get it done. The more I read the more I liked it. It turned out to be a pretty good book. Not my favourite but not the worst...
That's cool. I read that book when it first came out and really enjoyed it. He has a great style and it was fairly humorous. I also enjoyed the fact that it's a book that presents an accurate view of drug addiction and especially quitting drugs - which is that things like Alcoholics Anonymous and the same programs for other substances and addictions have a success rate that is exactly the same as quitting cold turkey with no official help. Indeed most people who quit doing drugs or alcohol do so on their own. The main predictive thing on whether somebody quits an addiction or not is how harmful it is to their life and how many times they've tried to quit.
The controversy about the much of the book being made up was ridiculous, and I really didn't care at all. My Friend Leonard is ok, but nowhere near as good. It's more like a massive epilogue than anything else.