The 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime: Part 1

So a week or two ago Amazon came out with a list of the 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime. As with all these lists I have to immediately go through it, check off all of the books that I have read and then make very snippy comments on the selection process. I figured that I might as well make this process public as I will go through the list this week twenty five books at a time. Those that are shown in bold are ones that I have read while those that are not in bold have almost certainly been read by Kim who will use this as an opportunity to point out how close minded I am towards literature. Here we go…

1984 by George Orwell: Easily a classic and a book that everyone should read at least once in their life. However, if I had to choose an Orwell book to read in your lifetime it would be Animal Farm. That is a story that you can read in grade school that will stick with you for ages while 1984 is more a collection of great scenes an images as opposed to a great book.

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking: Honestly, this book is actually pretty readable and provides the best description of entropy that I’ve heard (how a glass might break but shards of glass will never reform into a glass without outside force). That said, unless you are interested in discussing the various ways to universe might begin and end this might not be the book for you.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers: I most remember this book for Dave Eggers talking about how he was almost cast on The Real World: San Francisco, was able to actually be on the show for one scene during the season and how when he met Puck he felt that he had to be on drugs. Oh and my dream gig when I become a multi-millionaire and can do whatever I want with my life is to build an 826 Valencia type organization but instead of writing I would work with kids on math and science.

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah: Never heard of this one. Apparently it is about child soldiers.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: Haven’t read it but I probably should at some point. Having Jim Carrey starring in the movie adaptation did little to encourage me to pick up the book much like the fact that I now don’t even want to watch the animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle: I finally read this book last year and I could never figure out why everyone was such a fan of it. It just did nothing for me but I doubt that it was written to be read by a guy who was about to enter middle age. Forty year old men and rainbows and unicorns just don’t mix.

Selected Stories by Alice Munro: I’m not surprised by the inclusion of a short story collection on this list but would have thought they would have gone with George Saunders instead. I still haven’t read his work either which really bothers me at the moment.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: A book that you could read for the logic puzzles, word play, mathematical imagery or as a psychological investigation into an author who is coming up with fantastical stories to tell to a young girl that he may be attracted to. Also helped lead to the popularity of Jefferson Airplane and is thus responsible for Jefferson Starship and Starship and “We Built this City on Rock and Roll” so you can blame Lewis Carroll for the worst song ever recorded as well.

All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein: I haven’t read this or seen the movie, which is a crime on both fronts. Incredibly, this is all reporting on something that happened forty years ago which means that for a college student today this has about as much relevance as the Korean War had for me.

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt: You think you’ve had a hard life? Ha! You know nothing about what a hard life is like.

Are You There, God? It’s me, Margaret by Judy Blume: Ok, I am pretty sure that I didn’t read this as a kid but I probably at least started it at some point. I certainly read my share of Judy Blume as what is now called being a tween but back then was just simply called being a snot nosed kid.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: No on this one. Would rather read something by Terry Pratchett.

Beloved by Toni Morrison: Haven’t read this but I have at least read one Toni Morrison book before thanks to the one English class I took in college. I should read this at some point.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall: This is about the Mexican tribe who are incredible long distance runners who I learned about decades ago when they were featured on an episode of Road Rules. I am not making that fact up. This was back in the good old days when Road Rules simply consisted of a few people in an RV having incredible adventures as opposed to just being a casting call for another season of Real World / Road Rules challenge.

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticatt: Never heard of this one, either. About a journey from Haiti

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: Another absolute classic. I’ve heard some people critique this book recently, probably because it has been praised beyond belief for so many years that it has fallen out of favor. Still the story of the insanity of war is one that will always need to be told.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl: I haven’t read this one mainly because having seen the film many times as a kid I am more than a little afraid of having to deal with the boat scene in written form. The real world is scary enough as it is.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White: No, I’m not crying. It’s just a little dusty in here…

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese: No idea.

Daring Greatly by Brene Browne: A little help? I would at least like to think I should know of the books that I need to read in my lifetime.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney: I haven’t read it but I have met the author. I don’t know if that should count for something or if it is really pathetic that I have met a bestselling author and still haven’t bothered to actually read any of his books.

Dune by Frank Herbert: I blame Sting for not reading this one. I’ve always been told that it is one of the classics of science fiction but all I can see is Sting in a diaper and giant space worms and I can’t be bothered to pick it up.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: An absolute classic and one of my favorite books of all time. Again, I would replace 1984 with Animal Farm as to me this is the best of the dystopian future novels of the cold war era.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson: I really need to read this one soon. I did at least read some of Thompson’s essays that he would write near the end of his life. I’ve always been scared off by how gonzo his writing is supposed to be and I didn’t know if I could ever figure it out. Now I feel that it will make a lot more sense to me.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: I will read this book this year. I am bad at reading the popular book of the moment but at least now I no longer openly scoff at them.

9 for 25. Not a bad start but I know there are people who read this who will easily have that beat.

Best of 120 Minutes: A Jeff Buckley song. All you need to know.

The five random CDs for the week:

1)      Old Crow Medicine Show “O.C.M.S.”

2)      Henry Rollins “Think Tank”

3)      Richard Buckner “The Hill”

4)      Feist “The Reminder”

5)      Urge Overkill “Saturation”

Your plate is so vain

Ok, this whole personalized license plate thing has gone too far. Every time I see one that is cool enough to make me rethink my stance I see one that is so mind boggling out there that I can’t even see straight.

Things started off very well this morning when I saw the plate ABSNTHE. I am entirely behind any plate that advertises alcoholic beverages particularly those that have historically been illegal due to the minor side effect of causing insanity. (That said, my favorite bar in New Orleans is an absinthe bar that has always been serving the stuff. It’s New Orleans, laws don’t really apply down there as BP was fond of noting.) That gains high points in terms of a quality plate.

Things slowed down from there. In the afternoon I saw 2 JEKYLL and I must admit that I am still trying to figure that one out. I am guessing that it is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reference but I can’t figure out 1) why anyone would feel a great need to make that reference and 2) why you would need a two in front of it. I will also hold out hope that the driver was just a really big fan of the old Heckle and Jeckle cartoons. You know the ones that you would watch because there was absolutely nothing else on television.

But on my drive home I saw the one that topped everything. It said simply B OBAMA. I have to say I was completely dumbfounded by this. Now before you start going off on a political rant against what I have to say understand that everything I say would be exactly the same if I was behind a car with the plate GW BUSH. Which is, having your own name spelled out on your license plate is silly bordering on stupid. Having someone else’s name, particularly a politician’s name, on a plate is simply insane.

I mean I’m all for supporting a candidate but does that mean that you have to go down to the DMV to stake your claim on a plate? Does having that plate automatically make you more patriotic? What if Obama becomes the modern day equivalent of Rutherford B. Hayes? Do you still keep the plate as a mark of pride years down the line or do you change it? I mean, this is a vanity plate. That means that you have to pay extra for it. Give it to the campaign and slap a bumper sticker on your car. It would be much more sensible.

Imagine if you put your favorite athlete’s name on your car. If you had JETER or JORDAN or PEYTON people would pretty much assume that you are a douche. You wouldn’t just be a fan; you’d be one of those guys that calls into radio sport shows way too often. This is the political equivalent and to be honest I think that makes it worse.

Wednesday Night Music Club: It will be thirteen years this weekend since Jeff Buckley died. I have always said that the world would be a much better place musically if he was still with us. Of all the members of Gen X that we lost too soon his was the one that impacted me the most.

A Secret Chord

Can you miss someone that you have never met?

It’s a strange sensation, missing someone. We replay events in our minds wondering what it would have been like if someone else was there with us. We reflect on the conversations and the laughter and the experiences that could have been shared and wish that it would have been so. It’s understandable and possibly the only defense mechanism that we have in dealing with loss. But what does it mean when what you miss is something that you have only encountered through images on a screen and notes in the air?

All I know is that tonight marks the tenth anniversary of Jeff Buckley’s death and I truly miss him.

I’m not quite sure if I’ll ever be able to explain what Jeff’s music has meant to me over the years. At some point it crossed the line from being the soundtrack to my life to being an integral part of it. When I woke up yesterday in a bad mood and needing to get my head on straight the first thing I did was put on the Live in Chicago DVD. I have seen this concert hundreds of time. I watched it the night before every single test in business school. Not only can I tell you the stage banter but I can tell you what the crowd yells between songs. And it always helps to clear my head and tighten my focus on what is important.

It wasn’t always like this. I became aware of his music in college when “Last Goodbye” got some airplay. It was enough for me to buy “Grace”, a disc that I described at the time as having the best opening fifteen minutes and then kind of lost me. It was the type of album that I would listen to in the dark and just let the music pass over me while I would lie there and think. I even included some tracks on a mix tape I sent to Meg under my continual belief that one day a mix tape will prove successful in explaining the emotions inside me. I was a fan in the same way that I am a fan of a hundred other bands in my collection.

And then there came that faithful night in Memphis. I’ve never been quite able to comprehend it. No matter how you look at it all you can think of is that you have entered a movie script. The son of a gifted musician who had died young also dies a tragic, early death. It just seems unreal. And even though I didn’t know him, even though he was just a picture in a music video, I couldn’t believe that he was gone.

I hate it when people say that Jeff became famous because he died. It completely discounts what he had accomplished. He had written a great album in “Grace”, he had showed unbelievable talent and there was the promise of what he could be. As I listened to the songs over the years, and as I hunted for concert recordings, the songs began to grow on me and take on greater meaning. The twenty year old version of myself couldn’t appreciate all of the details. I needed ten more years for all of the images to become clear. But I’ll always admit that in the end I listen to the discs wondering about the songs that I’ll never get to hear. And that adds color to the songs that otherwise would not exist.

For years now I’ve used the following quote of Jeff’s as my screensaver for my laptop. When people see it they’ll occasionally stop and ask where it is from. Some get it, some don’t, a few people have tried to make a joke about it. To me, it is the credo of a man who accomplished much in too short of a life. And like a lot of people tonight, I’m just going to sit back and listen to the music and remember and wonder what could have been.

“Be the best. No negativity, no weakness, no acquiescence to fear or disaster, no errors of ignorance, no evasion from reality.”