** Good books I've read lately.... **

[Farmer]

Fo Shizzle'

What's up ya'll, just wanted to start a thread where everyone can put some input on good books they have read or heard about. I use to dislike reading but I have grown to really enjoy it. Right now I'm finishing up "Leadership" by Rudy Giulliani (sp?) and I like it a lot and recoomend it. So far it's talked about 9/11 but mostly it is focusing on how Rudy G goes about being a leader and the steps he has taken and values he holds, a great person IMO. So I hope everyone will add to this thread so I can have some good books to buy!

ps. If you guys can when you list the book, give a lil info on what type of book it is and what not.

Peace

Farmer

[BigGreen]

Some surprisingly good fiction:
*Time's Arrow (Martin Amis)
*How to be Good (Nick Hornby)
And two good nonfiction reads:
*Class: A Guide Through the American Status System (Paul Fussell)
*No Logo: Naomi Klein

Those are four excellent, but more importantly quick and accessible reads that you can enjoy on an intellectual level as well as for pure entertainment...the best of both worlds.

Time's Arrow is about a doctor's life (from WWII or so to "the present") the insanely interesting thing is that the novel happens in reverse, which at first is a pain in the ass and a little odd, but as the book progresses becomes this amazing commentary on the subjectivity not only of morals, but Newtonian time in general. This, along with Halmet, Tale of Two Cities and The Great Gatsby stand as my favorite books of all time.

How to be Good is the latest installment from the guy who wrote High Fidelity and About a Boy (resulting in his being called the voice of the middle aged male generation). Interestingly, he composes it from the viewpoint of a woman, with what I believe to be an amazing final product. As the title implies, the text deals with the manner in which we are forced to synthesize our moral ideals with our "real" lives.

Class is just an outrageously funny work written by an accomplished academic in which he debunks the myth of a "classless" American landscape. One of his general rules: the smaller a ball in a sport, the more upper class it is. Thus, tennis and golf: high class, football and soccer - lower middle. Great stuff and hilarious observations.

No Logo is a frightening expose of the modern marketplace. I picked it up thinking, "i've heard this song and dance before", but trust me, this takes it all to a whole different level. Long, but WELL worth the read.

[Farmer]

Sweet BigGreen! I'm gonna go check those out this coming weekend, thanks for the explanation on them as well!


Peace

Farmer

[BigGreen]

Originally posted by Farmer
Sweet BigGreen! I'm gonna go check those out this coming weekend, thanks for the explanation on them as well!


Peace

Farmer

Anytime.

Do let me know what you think of them sometime down the road. Time's Arrow is one of those love it or hate it books, but if I could only sell people on one new and interesting read that blows the standard novel construction out of the water, it would be this one. In my opinion, it is to the postmodern novel what Fight Club, Twelve Monkeys and The Matrix (among others) are to the postmodern film.

By the way, I'll have to check out "Leadership" I'd love to hear his narrative on the days surrounding 9/11.

[sin]

a peoples history of the united states (Howard Zinn). good read but a little slanted to the left (i would prefer no slant or political agenda, just the facts). Good book, lots to think about, basically America through the eyes of the opressed.
a brief history of time (stephen hawking). Good read even for those with no physics in their background.
moby dick. incredibly written, strange i haven't read it until now.

[Farmer]

Thanks sin! I'll check em out..

Peace

Farmer