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Nothing more here than a collection of things to read.
None of these are in any particular order ... they just fell where they did by
random choice.
I've read the books on this page and recommend them all highly, whether or not
there's a description.
Lady Chatterley's Lover
By D.H. Lawrence
By far one of my favorite books of all time. A portrait of how things should be.
You
Suck
A Dirty Job
By Christopher Moore
One of my new favorite authors when I want
some light and funny fiction. Lots of sex, drugs and gothic girls,
vampires, etc. Characters from one book appear in another, just making
Moore's world a little more complex and complete.
Any novel by Tom Robbins
Drugs, sex, intrigue, and a warped sense of humor and reality combine in all of
his books. Not for the conservatives in the crowd by any means, but he does
provide glimpses into the lives the rest of us all secretly want to lead.
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
Beauty's Punishment
Beauty's Release
By Anne Rice
Definitely not for the kiddies or the uptight males in the crowd. The story gets
more and more intense as the books go on, so beware. If you have problems with
b/d and s/m don't pick it up. A real treat though for those of us secure enough
to look into the more twisted side of life.
Atlas Shrugged
By Ayn Rand
A little bit of everything in this one ... one of those books I
just couldn't put down. If you've ever wondered who John Galt is, now you know
where to find him. This was truly one of those books that changes your
outlook on things ... at least for me. Definitely not a great read for the
socialist in you.
We
The Living
By Ayn Rand
My second favorite read by Rand. Set
in post-revolutionary Russia it presents a sad commentary on lives not
worth living and those destroyed by the state.
The
Fountainhead
By Ayn Rand
Not quite as good as Atlas Shrugged with an
even more imponderable plot. Still the point gets across and as always,
socialists and collectivists beware.
The Name of The Rose
By Umberto Eco
Good mystery novel, with a bunch of history thrown in to boot. Much, much more
than a mystery read.
Foucault's Pendulum
By Umberto Eco
One of those books everybody says they've read just to be kewl. I did it for
real ... twice. If you can get past the first third of the book, you're in for a
rare treat. Full of mystery and religious fun-stuff. Stick it out if you try it,
it's worth it.
The Island of the Day Before
By Umberto Eco
Not as good as the others, but enjoyable. More history and less adventure, so to
speak, but interesting all around.
The
Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
By Umberto Eco
Great tale of an old bookseller who loses his
memory and tries to slowly regain it by almost literally reliving the
past. One of my new favorites.
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
Dark Sun
By Richard Rhodes
Two extremely interesting accounts of the histories of the fission and fusion
bomb respectively.
Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradisio
By Dante
One of those classics everybody should be forced to read. Inferno is the best
part if you only want to pick one. Make sure you read the footnotes so you know
who all the people are you'll meet along the way.
The Old Curiosity Shop
Our Mutual Friend
Bleak House
The Pickwick Papers
By Charles Dickens
Of course A Tale of Two Cities belongs there too, but in all fairness I haven't
read it since high school. Nobody writes like Dickens. Our Mutual Friend is the
happier of the
novels. Of the
four
listed above, Bleak House is my
favorite.
Precious Bane
By Mary Webb
Beautiful story, beautifully written. Don't pass it up.
To A God Unknown
By John Steinbeck
Mystical tale set in the early days of California. Not a John Wayne movie by any
stretch.
The
Grapes of Wrath
By John Steinbeck
Steinbeck's most famous novel I guess, but
not my favorite. A depression-era story of the classic battle between the
haves and have-nots.
East of Eden
By John Steinbeck
My favorite book by Steinbeck so far. A
great story following a few generations of two families in the Salinas
valley. Fairly dark and brooding at times, it's characters are more
fleshed out and far more interesting than those in his other books.
Travels
With Charley
By John Steinbeck
One of my favorites. Steinbeck and his poodle
set out across America on a trip of discovery.
The
Log From the Sea of Cortez
By John Steinbeck
Coming.
Middlemarch
By George Elliott
A novel of loves gone wrong in merry old
England. A hard book to grind through, and somewhat lacking at the end,
but a good read nonetheless.
The
Sea Wolf
By Jack London
Sea-faring story based on a rescue, a
ship's captain more ruthless than Bligh, Hook, or Ahab, and, of course, a
romance with a damsel in distress.
War and Peace
By Leo Tolstoy
Much easier to get through than a Dostoevsky novel. Truly it's a long road to
hoe, but it's worth it.
The Tao of Pooh
The Te
of Piglet
By Benjamin Hoff
Two books on how to be a good Buddhist in the Hundred Acre Woods.
The Power of Myth
By Joseph Campbell
Written by the one man who I'd most like to have met, short of maybe Stevie Ray
Vaughn. Seriously though, if you're open to it he will strike a chord and reveal
to you what in life is most precious and what it's all about. You may not always
be able to answer the call, but at least you'll recognize it when you hear it.
He'll fill you in on all you'll ever need to know about being born, living,
dying, love, hope and adventure.
Jude The Obscure
By Thomas Hardy
Not a terribly happy novel under any circumstances. Wonderfully written story of
how women and the feelings they inspire can ruin a man if he's so inclined. Full
of lost and hopeless love and dreams.
Joan of Arc
By Mark Twain
Not my favorite Twain novel, but it is a
wonderfully written story of the historical character.
Jane Eyre
By Charlotte Bronte
Yet another old English tale of love,
disappointment and ultimate happiness.
Wuthering Heights
By Emily Bronte
Sad and distressing story of a love gone terribly wrong.
Adam Bede
By George Eliott
Another in a long list of books written about
relationships that suck and how much trouble you can get into when you don't
listen to your head. Beautifully written by the way, almost as good as Dickens.
1984
George Orwell
The infamous novel that brought us all Big Brother. While we haven't made
it to Orwell's future yet, George Bush has evidently read this book much
like he's read the Bible and is actively working to bring about their
predictions. In any event all good totalitarians and communists
should read this and discover the error of their ways.
I
Am A Strange Loop
By Douglas Hofstadter
Another one of Hofstadter's books that
makes you think too much. A good read on what our perceived reality might
be at the core, and how we can come to grips with understanding the
"I" within us all.
Godel,
Escher, Bach
By Douglas Hofstadter
Yep. I read it. Twice. It started me
on a path I've never really left, but that was due more to the law of
unintended consequences than the book itself. It's hard, and it's long,
but well worth it. Don't bother if you don't like math, AI, and related
subjects like self-references.
And last but not least, don't forget to read your
Bible
and Koran
(and read 'em both, not just one or the other)
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