2007 1st Quarter Reading List

As I’ve mentioned previously, I have lots of time to read during my 3 hours of commuting each day, so I thought I’d share what I’ve read thus far this year.

A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace – This collection of seven essays from Wallace vary from mind candy (the title essay, about going on a cruise) to the challenging (essays about literary theory and the math involved in tennis). I especially enjoyed the title essay and the essay on David Lynch making Lost Highway. Some misses, but mostly hits.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson – Bryson is one of the funniest authors going today, and this book about growing up in Des Moines, IA solidifies my theory. Highlights include getting his elementary school teacher to lick pee and his cross-country trip to Disney World. Highly recommended.

Made in America by Bill Bryson – Another Bryson book, can you tell I’m a big fan, I’m glad Diana introduced me to him. This book on American etymology is a fascinating read if you are into the history of words. He tackles this in a chronological order and you learn many reasons behind some of the words, place names, and sayings we take for granted today (including the fact that the original writers of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” had, in fact, never actually been to a game). Fun book if you are normally interested in these kinds of things.

Americana by Hampton Sides – The theme of this book concentrates on different groups of people brought together by a love of something. Included in this collection are stories about attending a Private Investigation Academy run by G. Gordon Liddy, a visit to Sturgis and attending a temporary town made up exclusively of Airstream Trailers. Entertaining book.

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn – I read this book about 10 years ago, but I don’t think it really sunk in back then, I was too interested in myself at the time. Now considered an alternative history classic, it definitely can get you worked up about all of the different conflicts that the United States has gotten into. The chapters on the Vietnam War were especially disheartening, and you can draw direct parallels between what happened 40 years ago and what is happening right now. Not an easy read, but a great read.

IV, A Decade of Curios People and Dangerous Ideas by Chuck Klosterman – Ah Chuck, he can do no wrong in my mind. This is a collection of some of his previous articles and stories for various publications. I especially love it because he puts footnotes throughout to explain what he was thinking when he wrote them. If you are a Chuck fan or just a fan of Pop-Culture in general, pick this up.

The Red Sox Reader edited by Dan Riley – A collection of essays and articles about the Boston Red Sox. I love baseball books and will read most anything. This was interesting, but definitely dated (the book came out shortly after Buckner let it go through his wickets in ’86). Authors include Peter Gammons, Steven King and John Updike.

Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart – This was a good find, it is about a hip –hop loving son of a Russian/Jewish mafia Don and how he ends up in the middle of a war being conducted primarily to get Haliburton to finance the fledgling country. Great satire and the lead character reminds me of a cross between Ignatius Reilly, Fredo Corleone, and Alex (played by Eugene Hutz) in Everything is Illuminated.

A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester – This is a history of the 1906 SF earthquake, plus analysis of other earthquakes that happened in US history and the inevitability of another one happening. Sometimes gets pretty technical, but filled with interesting parts (including the fact that there were earthquakes in Missouri and North Carolina in the early history of our country).

Disturbing the Peace by Vaclav Havel – This was a book length interview with the absurdist playwright who later became the first president of the new Czech Republic. Not a great read, it definitely would’ve helped if I had known a little bit more about Czech history.

Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy by Jane Leavy – I always heard that Koufax may have been the best pitcher ever in the Major Leagues, and this book makes a strong case for this argument. The book reveals that Koufax would have rather played basketball, pitched through a ton of pain over the last few years, and was one of the first players to stick to his beliefs (he wouldn’t pitch in the first game of the World Series because it occurred on Rosh Hashanah).

Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs – Another collection of memoir stories from Mr. Burroughs. Not as crazy as Running with Scissors, but not as depressing as Dry. Solid book. On a side note, we saw Mr. Burroughs at The Zeitgeist about 2 months ago, just hanging out. That brings my SF celebrity sightings to two (the other being Rob Courdrey from The Daily Show).

McGoorty: A Pool Room Hustler – A biography of a champion billiards player/professional hobo/womanizer from the SF area. Very quick read, I finished it in one day.

Double Duce by Aaron Cometbus – A collection of the famous ‘zine writer’s stories about living in a crap-hole apartment with his messed-up roommates in Berkley. The author, who also was the drummer in Cleveland Bound Death Sentence (which also included members of other MPLS bands Dillinger Four and The Saltines), hand wrote the entire book, which just makes it visually kind of neat.

The Drunken Tourist by Hadrian Santana - Probably the worst book I’ve read this year, the author recounts his fleeing from the law to go over to Europe to do copious amounts of drugs, get laid, and spread the word about some shitty religion he’s really into. The book ends with him going to jail, I hope he’s still there. He just comes across as a jerk with no redeeming qualities.

Managing Ignatius – The real-life story of Lucky Dogs Hot Dog Vendors made popular in A Confederacy of Dunces. The manager lets everyone know about the dysfunctional types of people who would be working these carts and the hijinks they get into. A little disjointed but very funny.

A Cook’s Tour by Anthony Bourdain – Basically a written version of his Travel Channel show “No Reservations”, but equally funny and interesting to read about the quest for the perfect meal. Makes me want to get into the restaurant business for sure.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell – The author’s theories behind why something becomes popular or a hit. Very interesting read and reminds me a little bit of Freakonomics, but from an anthropology point of view. Covers everything from Hush Puppies to graffiti, neat book.

Hopefully everyone can find at least one book on here that they hadn’t heard of before and check it out.