Friday, December 4, 2009
American Nerd by Benjamin Nugent
First half of the book where he's actually talking about nerd culture and what it means to be a nerd was good. The second half "Among the Nerds" was a bit scattered and incomplete. Some of the sections seemed to just stop short and not be developed like they should have been. Still, a good enough read just for the first half alone. And it's always nice to know more about one's "people." :)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Catching Up
I've once again fallen greatly behind in posting. Here's what I've been reading and the date I finished it.
10/1/09 Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer
10/4/09 Read half of Fakers by Pete Maliszewski. Stories were good, but the writing was awful. I had to quit.
10/4/09 The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden. Awesome and incredibly fun reference book for people of all ages. Getting my own copy for Christmas.
10/14/09 The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. Now a major motion picture. I'll read anything Lewis writes. He's an amazing reporter and storyteller.
10/22/09 The Jason Voyage by Tim Severin. In 1984 Severin recreated the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. This meant mostly rowing from Greece to Georgia on the far end of the Black Sea in an open, single-masted galley.
10/31/09 The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs
11/18/09 Superfreakonomics by Stephen Levitt and Steven Dubner. Not as good as Freakonomics, but still pretty great.
11/27/09 The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett
11/30/09 Only read about 1/3 of Tim Severin's Sinbad Voyage. Nothing wrong with the book but ran out of time with the interlibrary loan.
10/1/09 Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer
10/4/09 Read half of Fakers by Pete Maliszewski. Stories were good, but the writing was awful. I had to quit.
10/4/09 The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden. Awesome and incredibly fun reference book for people of all ages. Getting my own copy for Christmas.
10/14/09 The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. Now a major motion picture. I'll read anything Lewis writes. He's an amazing reporter and storyteller.
10/22/09 The Jason Voyage by Tim Severin. In 1984 Severin recreated the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. This meant mostly rowing from Greece to Georgia on the far end of the Black Sea in an open, single-masted galley.
10/31/09 The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs
11/18/09 Superfreakonomics by Stephen Levitt and Steven Dubner. Not as good as Freakonomics, but still pretty great.
11/27/09 The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett
11/30/09 Only read about 1/3 of Tim Severin's Sinbad Voyage. Nothing wrong with the book but ran out of time with the interlibrary loan.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Deadwood by Pete Dexter
Finished this book on Friday. I picked it up because Jane made me watch a speech given by the author, Pete Dexter. He's either insane or seriously chemically dependent. Either way, he might just be a literary genius.
I don't feel well enough right now to give this the write up it deserves, but HBO's (David Milch's) Deadwood owes an unacknowledged debt of gratitude to this book. Like HBO's version, most of the book takes place in 1876 and uses real historical figures from Deadwood to recreate that era. Hard to believe perhaps, but Dexter's Deadwood is a much more dirty, nasty, and evil place than HBO's version. Al Swearingen has no redeeming qualities in Dexter's world. Seth Bullock only looks out for his own interests. Sol Star has some streaks of evil. Wild Bill Hickok and Charley Utter have good qualities, but they bend matters to their own benefit as well. And Calamity Jane, well, it's hard to know what to say about her. By turns you hate her and respect her. And you're continuously grossed out by her (particularly the way Dexter describes green mold growing in the folds of her neck because she so rarely bathes).
Expertly written and expertly told, Deadwood transcends genre and is more of a reflection on truth, legend, human passions, greed, lust, and human nature. The story could be written in today's setting; everything's still there, we just pretend that it's not. It's all there right below the surface. The dark nature of man, just waiting for a chance to break through the thin veneer and into the daylight.
I don't feel well enough right now to give this the write up it deserves, but HBO's (David Milch's) Deadwood owes an unacknowledged debt of gratitude to this book. Like HBO's version, most of the book takes place in 1876 and uses real historical figures from Deadwood to recreate that era. Hard to believe perhaps, but Dexter's Deadwood is a much more dirty, nasty, and evil place than HBO's version. Al Swearingen has no redeeming qualities in Dexter's world. Seth Bullock only looks out for his own interests. Sol Star has some streaks of evil. Wild Bill Hickok and Charley Utter have good qualities, but they bend matters to their own benefit as well. And Calamity Jane, well, it's hard to know what to say about her. By turns you hate her and respect her. And you're continuously grossed out by her (particularly the way Dexter describes green mold growing in the folds of her neck because she so rarely bathes).
Expertly written and expertly told, Deadwood transcends genre and is more of a reflection on truth, legend, human passions, greed, lust, and human nature. The story could be written in today's setting; everything's still there, we just pretend that it's not. It's all there right below the surface. The dark nature of man, just waiting for a chance to break through the thin veneer and into the daylight.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Long Overdue Update
So, I'm about three months behind. Whoops!
8/1 Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett
8/13 Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
8/18 The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett
8/28 Methland by Nick Reding
9/2 The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose
Currently reading Deadwood by Pete Dexter
8/1 Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett
8/13 Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
8/18 The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett
8/28 Methland by Nick Reding
9/2 The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose
Currently reading Deadwood by Pete Dexter
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman
PC guy from the Apple commercials and occasional contributor to the Daily Show, John Hodgman's More Information Than You Require is another almanac of fake trivia that uses continued pagination from his previous book Areas of My Expertise. Very funny stuff if you get his sense of humor. I can't believe that he went all the way in listing 700 different "Mole-Man" names. I particularly appreciated the day-by-day fake trivia on every page.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wow, way behind
I've finished two books that I just haven't had the time to write up.
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. Entertaining and educational, but not nearly as good as her other books. It pains me to say that because I'm a huge Sarah Vowell fan.
Ireland: A Short History by Joe Coohill. A wonderful little history by my dear friend Joe. He does a really good job of describing the nuances among and between the competing groups in Irish history. It's not as clear-cut as the Catholic-Protestant divide. Really amazing how he can be so deft at describing these differences in historical context while under a pretty severe limit to keep it a "short" history.
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. Entertaining and educational, but not nearly as good as her other books. It pains me to say that because I'm a huge Sarah Vowell fan.
Ireland: A Short History by Joe Coohill. A wonderful little history by my dear friend Joe. He does a really good job of describing the nuances among and between the competing groups in Irish history. It's not as clear-cut as the Catholic-Protestant divide. Really amazing how he can be so deft at describing these differences in historical context while under a pretty severe limit to keep it a "short" history.
Friday, June 12, 2009
A Piano in the Pyrenees by Tony Hawks
Let me start off by saying I love Tony Hawks. Not the skateboard guy, but the British comedian. While I've never heard any of his stand up, I've read two of this other books (Round Ireland with a Fridge and Playing the Moldovans at Tennis) and really enjoyed them. While A Piano in the Pyrenees wasn't as good as the other two, it' still a good read.
Hawks is one of those people who gets into a lot of weird "this could only happen to me" situations. And this is where is comedy shines. Hawks is self-deprecating, optimistic, and just seems downright nice. I'm tempted to compare him to David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs but Hawks is a lot nicer than Burroughs and not as well, Sedaris-y as Sedaris (though I still think David's the funniest writer on the planet), because Hawks has a lot brighter take on life.
Anyhow, about the piano and about the Pyrenees. Hawks and his friend head to the Pyrenees in the south of France for a ski trip. However, after a half hour, his friend realizes he can't ski any longer because his ankle is injured. Not wanting to ski by himself, Hawks and his friend decide to drive around the countryside. And Hawks buys a house. Yep, just like that. His friend says he should look into a vacation home and he finds what he thinks is the perfect one and puts in a bid. Just like that, spur of the moment. And he gets the house.
The idea is that he'll use this house as a place to relax and practice his piano skills so he can really get back to music. Alas, things never work out as planned, especially if your name is Tony Hawks. He takes us through his adventures in trying to fix up the house (along with his grumpy friend/handyman from home, Ron), fit in with the village, remember to speak in French, and build a pool. Not to give anything away, but the pool becomes known as "Serge's Hole."
It's tough to go into too much detail, but typical of Hawks, there are many times I found myself laughing out loud, thinking "god what another mess he's in," and most importantly, I smiled almost the whole time I was reading it. A good read, a fun read, and even a little uplifting. Perfect summer reading. Thanks for the good time, Tony!
Hawks is one of those people who gets into a lot of weird "this could only happen to me" situations. And this is where is comedy shines. Hawks is self-deprecating, optimistic, and just seems downright nice. I'm tempted to compare him to David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs but Hawks is a lot nicer than Burroughs and not as well, Sedaris-y as Sedaris (though I still think David's the funniest writer on the planet), because Hawks has a lot brighter take on life.
Anyhow, about the piano and about the Pyrenees. Hawks and his friend head to the Pyrenees in the south of France for a ski trip. However, after a half hour, his friend realizes he can't ski any longer because his ankle is injured. Not wanting to ski by himself, Hawks and his friend decide to drive around the countryside. And Hawks buys a house. Yep, just like that. His friend says he should look into a vacation home and he finds what he thinks is the perfect one and puts in a bid. Just like that, spur of the moment. And he gets the house.
The idea is that he'll use this house as a place to relax and practice his piano skills so he can really get back to music. Alas, things never work out as planned, especially if your name is Tony Hawks. He takes us through his adventures in trying to fix up the house (along with his grumpy friend/handyman from home, Ron), fit in with the village, remember to speak in French, and build a pool. Not to give anything away, but the pool becomes known as "Serge's Hole."
It's tough to go into too much detail, but typical of Hawks, there are many times I found myself laughing out loud, thinking "god what another mess he's in," and most importantly, I smiled almost the whole time I was reading it. A good read, a fun read, and even a little uplifting. Perfect summer reading. Thanks for the good time, Tony!
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