Ok, I figure that it is time to finish off my 2005 retrospective with an overview of some of the books that I read over the year. Admittedly, I still haven’t finished The Rule Of Four, which is like a low rent version of The Da Vinci Code set in Princeton. Thus explaining just why I can’t seem to bring myself to finish the book. Anyway, here is what made its way to my bookshelf in the past year.
“On the Road” by Jack Kerouac: This was my challenge reading for 2005. I am still amazed that just fifty years ago you could hitchhike your way around the country and no one considered it odd. Now if you even mention the concept most people would think that you are out of your mind. Not sure if I ever got the grand point of the book other than at some point in your life you just need to pick up stakes and go on a walkabout.
“Assassination Vacation”, “The Partly Cloudy Patriot”, “Take the Canoli” and “Radio On” all by Sarah Vowell: I’m including this to discuss a certain aspect of my personality. I picked up Assassination Vacation after catching Sarah due some publicity for it and I was intrigued by the concept (a writer travels to the sites of presidential assassinations as a type of tragedy tourist). Read it and really liked her style so I then went out and read everything that she has ever written. I have done this with a number of writers. Something catches my eye and next thing I know I have an entire shelf filled with their work. With someone like Sarah, it is well worth the effort.
“Feet on the Street” by Roy Blount Jr.: A walking tour of New Orleans that begins with a discussion of what will happen when the storm comes and destroys the city. That is what made New Orleans great, the reason everyone there lived for the moment is because they knew that the city was temporary. I just can’t believe that the time was so fleeting.
“Planet Simpson” by Chris Turner: A sociological examination of The Simpsons in which the author examines many of the themes being confronted by members of Generation X using examples from The Simpsons. Once again I am forced to realize that every great idea I might possibly have has already been done.
“The Goal” by Eliyahan Goldratt: It’s a novel discussing how to improve efficiency at a manufacturing plant. I read it for work. Don’t ask me why someone decides that a novel is the best way to discuss root cause analysis processes, I just work here.
“Eleanor Rigby” by Douglas Coupland: The inventor of Generation X presents his second good novel in a row (after several books that I didn’t like and in the case of “Polaroids from the Dead” one that I actively despised). The fun thing about Douglas is that even though you know that his plots could never happen in real life you still connect to the characters. This is a really good book to pick up.
“Dinner for Two” by Mike Gayle: For the first time, my reading a Mike Gayle book did not result in my social life spiraling out of control. That said, I have his latest book “Turning Thirty” sitting in my living room and I’m scared of opening it. For those wondering, Mike Gayle writes the guy version of Bridget Jones. I’m still not sure if that is a good thing or not.
“The Smartest Guys in the Room” by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind: The best book written so far on just what happened at Enron. Goes probably a little too deep into some of the financial dealings for the average reader but if you already have some basic knowledge it really lets you see how a top company could be formed on the basis of a Ponzi scheme. Or, if you’re me, you get to find out just what the people on the other end of the phone were doing for much of my career in the energy industry.
“Songbook” by Nick Hornby: I love this concept from the writer of “High Fidelity”. Two or three page discussions on various songs but not written as a music critic. It is more of a discussion of how music fits into one’s life. I’ve stolen the concept once for this blog and I’ll be making more posts of that nature in the coming months.
“Killing Yourself to Live” by Chuck Klosterman: First thing to note is that Chuck looks like a young pre-rehab Corey Feldman in his book jacket picture. This memoir is based on a road trip Chuck took in which he traveled to various locations where famous rock stars died. Along the way he spends half the book talking about his relationships with women. It’s as odd of a combination as it sounds.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” by J.K. Rowling: Dude, I can’t believe that Harry died at the end. Oh wait, you haven’t read the book yet? You mean that you don’t know that Hermionie turns on him and joins the dark side of the force? Oops, my bad.
“Glass Soup” by Jonathan Carroll: I will always, always push for people to read Jonathan’s books. I think that he is one of the most brilliant writers out there today. Of course, this book featured a talking stick of butter, a character who was eight inches tall and focused on whether or not one could come back from the dead. Let’s just say that this isn’t your typical book.
“Fun is Good” by Mike Veeck: This is my book recommendation for all of those who work in offices. The entire idea is that you have to find where your passions lie and build a work environment that inspires people to find their passions. Typically I hate books on management but this one was extremely well done.
“A Man Without a Country” by Kurt Vonnegut: What can I say? At the end of the day, I’ve probably stolen three quarters of my writing style from Vonnegut and those he inspired. I think that we both share a view of the world that is often considered cynical when in reality it is not. We simply hold the universe to the same standards that we hold ourselves and are continually disappointed.
“The Merry Wives of Windsor” by William Shakespeare: Continuing my streak of one Shakespeare play a year. As with most Shakespeare comedies we have dumb guys, brilliant women, mistaken identities and random acts of extreme violence. I believe that I have now read every major comedy and will now have to embark on all of the Henry plays. I think that I’ll need a spotter for those.
The five random CDs of the week:
1) Zachary Richard “Women in the Room”
2) Son Volt “Wide Swing Tremolo”
3) Cat Power “You Are Free”
4) Anders Osborne “Living Room”
5) Beth Orton “Best Bit”
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