Books received over the holidays

[d_rawk]

There is a thread in the food forum about what cookbooks people have received over the holidays. It made me wonder what non-food related books skanks might have gotten/given/read over the holidays as well. And if you've started or finished reading it, please let the rest of us know if it is something we might want to check out.

I've had the attention span of a freakin' gnat the last several months, so haven't been doing much reading myself, although I did receive a signed copy of this written by one of my personal heroes.

Eeezamanna!

As a small, sensitive boy, Pete struggled with the bullies and gangs of thugs in some of the hardest housing estates and schools in South London. Despite a tough start, he showed prodigious creative talents in art, music and performance.

When Tourette's exploded in his head at puberty, he lost control of his mouth, his body and his face. Unable to finish his education or follow any normal career path, he was led to living the high life and low life on the streets of Brighton. He cheerfully experimented with hard drugs and perverse sexuality, happy to find himself in a world where being beautiful and weird made you a star, not a victim.

After witnessing the death of his close friend, he came crashing down to earth. As he battled on with the effects of depression and drug addiction, poverty and Tourette's, a visionary trip to heaven convinced him that the only way he could survive and save his family was ...

[hamilton]

Novel-wise, I recently read Salman Rushdie's "Shalimar The Clown", and I have, over the past few months, developed a minor boner for the works of Jane Smiley .

A not-so-recent discovery (over the past two years or so) that I have been re-enjoying is Alain de Botton. I don't imagine I'm breaking any news to anyone on this one, as I am told he has become quite the phenom in Britain and to a lesser degree the US over the past few years. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the four novels/philosophical pieces I read ("On Love", "The Romantic Movement", "Kiss and Tell" and "Status Anxiety" - none of which are anything close to the chick-lit the titles seem to suggest) as well as the BBC-produced miniseries-documentary "The Perfect Home", which was based on his book "The Architecture of Happiness" (easily d/l'ed on that interwebby thing).

[d_rawk]

none of which are anything close to the chick-lit the titles seem to suggest

Heh, exactly what I was thinking. I was worried for a moment that we had lost you to the world of Harlequin. I've read none of those, nor have I seen the miniseries, but it all seems pretty cool based on your description and my poking around and I may check it out.

No-one else?

I'm actually beginning to wonder if the novel is about to begin fading out as has begun happening to my other favourite conceptual art form - the album. Which I'll be fine with, but it will leave me with a touch of sadness.

[DevO]

I got this one:

AND I also bought this one for myself:

I am going to try to read this one next:

I am more of a wanna-be-reader though...

[Mr. Photogeek]

I got this:

Which I wasn't as thrilled with as I thought I would be. Its alright, but the novelty wears thin VERY quickly.

Also got this:

Which I haven't read yet because I decided to re-read the entire "trilogy" again first...finishing up book 4 right now.

Didn't get as many books as usual so I'll have to hit the bookstore soon. Keeping my eye on this thread for some good suggestions!

[Birdy]

Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible is one of my all time favourites!

[jaybone]

I had a weak Christmas as far as books go.

I did manage to read a few over the holidays. I finally got around to reading The Book of Negros and it was deserving of all the praise it has received. A truly remarkable book.

I also read Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. It is about a man in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

I also read the book Slumdog Millionaire. It was a very quick read that was different from the screen adaptation.

All three books were good reads. I wish I had more time to read (or made more time) when I'm not on vacation.

I come home from work exhausted, make dinner and I just want to numb my mind with a glass of wine and some good tv. I really need to make reading a priority. It is almost always time well spent.

[Hartamophone]

Since I'm currently working in a massive independent bookstore, I told people that books were one thing I definitely did not need this year. One did manage to slip through the cracks, though, and I'm glad it did:

Certainly not high-brow literature, but it's the rare combination of a book about straight-up debauchery written by someone with legit writing skills. Half the time I was jealous of the life this guy has lead as a rock star and magazine publisher, and the other half of the time I was relieved that I will never subject myself to what he has voluntarily endured. It was a kick-ass read.

[jonyak]

Well over th elast month I have read 6 books.

My favorite so far would have to be kurt vonneguts slaughterhouse 5.

I am kind of on a kurt kick right now.

I also read Chuck palahniuks non fiction travel book about portland oregon... very good as well.

I tried reading the naked lunch and could not get through it.

I read another book by vonnegut called hocus pocus which was very very good.

and a book by upton sinclair called the profits of religion.

oooh I forgot, I read generation kill.

right now I am reading galapogos by kurt vonnegut.

Edited January 15, 2010 by Guest

[DevO]

I couldn't get through Naked Lunch either Jon.. Didn't have the patience for it, or wasn't in the right mood I guess. I might pick it up again another time though.

Cat's Cradle is my favourite Vonnegut book by far.

[rubberdinghy]

I should pick up another Vonnegut book...it's been a few years, but I've read Breakfast of Champions and Monkeyhouse...both great....

I'm really into courtroom dramas, thrillers, and detective murder mysteries right now.

At Christmas I got:

Gorky Park-The first book in the Arkady Renko series. (I accidently read Wolves Eat Dogs, out of order, figured I'd start at the beginning)

The Templar Legacy-historical fiction, find I've read a few things like this recently...mostly Dan Brown stuff...

It's really helped me quit smoking, gives me something else to do when I'm bored at work (smoke free 2 months, cold turkey, and I didn't even try that Allen Carr book again)

[hamilton]

Hocus Pocus is, I think, the only Vonnegut book I've never read. I must remedy this situation sometime soon. I didn't read Generation Kill, but I did watch the miniseries. Quite good, I thought.

[jonyak]

hocus pocus was a really cool book, I'd tell you about it but you shoudl read it.

its written as if it was all found on bits of paper, written by a guy in jail. its his life story about how he ended up there.

I watched generation kill as well, and the book is very similar with a couple settings and stories being somewhat different.

I have cats cradle sitting on my desk as my next book to read.

people tend to give me gift cards for chapters at xmas, because they know I like to read. so I always end up with hundreds of dollars worth after xmas. I have a backlog of about 15 books waiting to be read right now.

I don't watch tv.. so I generaly read or play vids for my entertainment.

Edited January 15, 2010 by Guest

[TheSloth]

aaaaaw all the Vonnegut talk warms my heart, my absolute favorite. I got "Look at the Birdie", the new book of unpublished shorts for xmas. Haven't startet it yet.

Here's a very cool link to the letter Kurt wrote home after surviving prison camp in Dresden (ie Slaughterhouse-Five)

Edited January 15, 2010 by Guest
added a pic

[jonyak]

great link!

[d_rawk]

I couldn't get through Naked Lunch either Jon.. Didn't have the patience for it, or wasn't in the right mood I guess. I might pick it up again another time though.

I've always said about Naked Lunch that there is no point in trying to read it from cover to cover. My copy wandered away many, many years ago but I always really enjoyed it. When in the right mood, just flip it open to some page and start reading. Flip around and don't feel you need to be disciplined about it. Hell, the thing was hastily thrown together from various bits of prose anyways.

It's the kind of thing that is good for subway or bus rides -- when you don't really have time to get fully engaged, but have time to kill. (Of course, the Nintendo DS is good for this, as well )

[ersh]

My wife got me a Sony Reader for christmas... and I can't say enough good things about it.

I usually travel with a stack of books, but this has room for 160 books in it and an SD slot, which basically means I have enough room for every book I'll ever buy. It's an older model, but man, is it cool. eBooks seem to be around ten bucks, and you can find books on the torrent sites too. So I picked up these, and flew through them. Really makes me feel like I'm living in the future...

and this one...