Two Forms of Judgement Day

Hey All,

Two weekends ago, a friend called me out for not stating on this blog what I truly feel about the books I'm reading; I’ll try to heed that advice.  That friend is also the person who recommended Anna Karenina, and he graciously gave me a copy that same night.  Thank you, Curtis; I still need you to sign it.  And also, f*&k you, Curtis, for recommending that behemoth of a book.  Saam Hashemi, you too get my one finger salute for recommending Of Human Bondage, for, as I learned this week, it too, is monstrous.  I'm having a hard enough time with Helter Skelter, I can only imagine what I'll be like when up against Leo Tolstoy and W. Somerset Maugham.  The one redeeming virtue for those two books is that they were written by people who wrote for a living, and not lawyers (as is the case with Helter Skelter), so I imagine neither of them will be as difficult to get through.  I hope.

Other friends have encouraged me to put up more posts.  Thank you, and fair enough.  I'll try to keep up with the demand.  In my defense, I will note that because Helter Skelter is so tedious to read, like any good procrastinator, I avoid it, and therefore have little about which to write.  There are sometimes days wherein I don't read a single page of the book.  Fortunately, though, Mr. Charles Manson finally appeared, and the book did, as a few people told me it would, get a lot more interesting.  Yet again, though, I've lost interest.

Sorry, Jocelyn (McEachern, who recommended this book), but it's boring at times.  Most of the time, in fact.  It is just detail after detail, as if the author, who is the man who prosecuted Charles Manson, needs to show the world what a great job he did in getting Manson convicted of murders he never - by his own hand, anyway - committed (I have no doubt that Manson was behind the murders for which he is accused.  But he never actually killed anyone, he just got other people to do it for him).

I admit, reading this book makes me want to know more about Charles Manson (though I imagine that by the time I'm done, I'll know a fair bit).  I'm tempted to go online and read about him, and to try to find interviews with him so I can hear him speak (what is the voice behind - or in front of, I suppose - this sick, warped mind?).  Maybe watch some documentaries or movies with and about him.  Not that I want to be part of the Manson Family (as they’re called); it's that he's such an intriguing character that I cannot help but want to know more.  I am holding back on doing that, though, as I don’t want to ruin what will come forth in the book, such as the details of the trial and how the case was made by the attorneys (I'm in the midst of that right now).

Because I'm reading Helter Skelter at a pretty slow pace, I'm behind schedule for my reading.  I'll be alright, though, as I plan to follow it up with a really light read. I think I'll need to. Any suggestions on what book should be next?  I still haven't decided if there will be a set plan on how I read through the list, or if I'll just go with what I feel like as I finish one book and start another. 

Here is the list as it stands right now:

1. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (Debbie Murphy)
2. Linchpin by Seth Godin (Kim Gardner)
3. Orange Crush by Tim Dorsey (Dan Pelosi)
4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
5. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahnuik (Katelyn Foster)
6. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Keltie Neville)
7. Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry (Jocelyn McEachern)
8. Josephine B Trilogy by Sandra Gulland (Erica Zeman)
9. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Kristine Sorrento-Evans)
10. The Cave by Jose Saramago (Ines Ortiz)
11. Beautiful Boy by David Sheff (Nicole Callahan)
12. Confessions of a Shopaholicby Sophie Kinsella (Okame Musume)
13. Stroll by Shawn Micallef (Kris Williamson)
14. Songbook by Nick Hornby (Andrew Eaton)
15. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Amy Bea)
16. Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh (Teena May Smith)
17. Still Alice by Lisa Genova (Aaron Stewart)
18. The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Marukami (Mark Van De Ven)
19. The Englishman's Boy by Guy Vanderhaeghe (Chaz Sullivan)
20. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein (Scott Harmer)
21. Rant by Chuck Palahniuk (Graham Dalseg)
22. The Stranger by Albert Camus (Danny Gorman)
23. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Chris Roy)
24. The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant (Philip Wilson)
25. ‎Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Martina Smith)
26. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein (Tim O'Connor)
27. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell (Mariona Blanch)
28. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Curtis Maloley)
29. Night by Elie Wiesel (Shauntel Jaclyn-Ann Daley)
30. The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan and Pierre Rigoulot (Robyn Nepean)
31. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham (Saam Hashemi)
32. City of Thieves by David Benioff (Ann Sheldon)

-Bryan

A Small Reflection

Hey All,


I've realized through this process that I really only like - perhaps liked is a better word - to read fictional novels.  Helter Skelter is the first work of non-fiction that I can remember reading (aside from my university readings) in, well, I can't remember another non-fiction book I've read. 


Yet, in cruising through my book list, a few of the recommendations struck me by virtue of the fact that they are not fiction.  My initial reaction upon noticing each of the non-fiction books was, admittedly, anger.  Silly, I know, but my thinking went something along the lines of "Why would they recommend this to me?  Don't they know what I was looking for?"  Then, of course, it dawned on me that no, no one really knew what I was looking for, because I didn't explicitly state what I was looking for.  I put a pretty loose request out there for book recommendations.


I'm glad I did.  I'm looking forward to getting into these non-fiction books, and trying out some new things.  Some of them seem really interesting, and really quite relevant.  I won't mention titles right now, but you know which ones they are...


-Bryan

Into the Mind of a Killer

Hey All,

I’m slow-going with Helter Skelter.  It’s about the Manson Murders that took place back in Hollywood in 1969.

I have to admit, I am drawn into the story, but the writers are really dragging me down with details.  The book reads at times like a police report, and other times like a well-told story.  There are often too many details, and I’m tempted to skim.  But I can’t.  It’s part of the reason why I’m a slow reader, and I can’t help it.  

I’m less than 100 pages into the over 600-page book, and we’re still going over the crime scene and the backgrounds of the people involved in the murders.  Charles Manson’s name has not yet been mentioned once.  I guess I’ll change what I wrote above, and say that Helter Skelter reads like a court case, and the authors are trying to present a case, though that case is more like history, than one particular viewpoint.  Bugliosi and Gentry are not arguing for one side or another, but are, instead, giving me a pretty interesting, though sometimes tiresome, picture of the case.  The whole case.  Every single detail they could find.

Unlike City of Thieves, there is nothing funny about Helter Skelter.  It’s pretty gruesome, actually.  I don’t yet know, and I am dying to find out the reasons, why (I know, I could just go online and find the answer to pretty much any question I might have about this case in less than two minutes) someone would stab another person over forty times.  FORTY!  One person was stabbed over fifty!  What the f...!!!  Just try to imagine yourself stabbing someone even twice.  I can’t.  What the hell goes through a person’s mind when they’re doing that?  How can you possibly be that angry, have that much hatred, especially in such a washed out, vanilla (at least on the surface) place as Hollywood?  If this were taking place in a war zone, I might be able to better understand it.  But from what little I do know about this case, the victims did not in any way harm the murderers or their families.  Pure lunacy.  

And I love it.

-Bryan

One More Shot at City of Thieves

Hey All,

I just finished City of Thieves, and I have to admit, I'm sad.  Don't worry, though, this happens often when I finish a book I really like.  I once heard an author (or perhaps a reviewer, I can't remember who) tell of how he never once finished a book, because if he did, it would make him sad to have it over.  I'm not quite that dramatic, and, well, I like to know how things end.  Oftentimes, though, I end up, even with books I really enjoy, disappointed in the ending of a book.

I used to be in a band, and I know how hard it can be to write the end of a song.  Just think about it: do you make the music simply fade out?  Do you sing it out?  End on one final note?  The possibilities can be daunting.  Now, I'm not saying the same thing happens with a novel, as I am sure most writers already know their endings before they're even halfway done writing the book.  But my point here is in the details.  That's what I either love or am disappointed in with book endings.  And City of Thieves, though not the best, has a good ending.

What constitutes a good ending for me is a sense of completeness.  When I am finished the book, I shouldn't feel that there is anything left dangling.  Certain questions can be left unsaid, if that is the nature of the book, but I don't want any loose ends.  When I read the last sentence, I want to feel as though I know all that the author wants me to know.  For that reason, I try my best to anticipate when I will finish a book, because I like to take a few minutes once I finish, and reflect on what I just read.  If the book and it's ending were good, chances are that I'll have a great big smile on my face while doing this, and will just bliss out for a while.  That, to me, is the sign of a good experience.

I'm tempted to tell everyone to read City of Thieves, but I know that not every good book will affect everyone in the same way.  Just as not everyone gets goosebumps on their skin every time they see the replay of Joe Carter hitting the World Series-winning homerun in 1993 for the Blue Jays.  Still, even a casual observer of sports, with a little understanding of baseball, can appreciate what that homerun might mean to a fan.  So it is that a person can appreciate a good book when they read one.

Wow, this really sounds like a review, eh?  It's not what I meant, but I just kind of went where my mind took me on this post.

I'm starting my next book tonight: Helter Skelter, by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, and recommended to me by Jocelyn McEachern.  It's about the Manson murders, and was not the kind of book I expected from little Jocey.  I'm excited to get into it, in part because serial killers and murderers intrigue me, but also because I rarely read non-fiction, and I think it will be somewhat challenging for me.

-Bryan

Oh, those Russians

Hey All,

David Benioff's City of Thieves is one remarkably well-told story.  That first chapter I mentioned in my earlier post was a great setup to the rest of the book.  Essentially, this is supposed to be the story of the Benioff's grandfather’s experiences over the course of a week in Leningrad during the Nazi occupation of Russia.  Sounds gloomy, I know.  It is.  It is also, however, pretty damned funny.
I don't know how many times I actually laughed out loud while reading City of Thieves, but it mostly occurred in very public places like the subway, or a restaurant. This is but one example of something that made me laugh, and the analogy makes me howl:

"I hadn't been with a girl in four months. My balls were ringing like churchbells." (p. 172)

City of Thieves is about a teenager named Lev, and his quest to find a dozen eggs for a Russian officer’s daughter’s wedding.  

Bah.  

I don’t want to tell you what the book is about.  You can find that online, if you wish.  I will just say this: excellent recommendation, Ann; I cannot put this book down.  I want to know what is going to happen next, at nearly every turn of a page.  I don’t know much about Russian culture, but books like this make me want to learn more.  

Ann didn't attach a specific mission to this book, like Sasha did for The Alchemist, mostly, I suppose, because City of Thieves just isn't that kind of book. It's entertainment, while also giving a little taste of history. I'm not saying it's accurate history, but still good history. We can call it historical fiction, if you like. I'm nearly done (probably about thirty more pages), so I should finish it today, or tomorrow, at the very latest.

Almost as important as finishing this book, though, is the decision I need to make on what book I should read next.  The Alchemist was pretty easy, and City of Thieves has been pure pleasure, so I’m up for a challenge.  Plus, I’m ahead of schedule, so I can start a longer or more difficult book and feel comfortable with it.  What’s more, though, is the fact that I need to get my hands on whatever book I choose.  I’m thinking of The Stranger, partly because I know it’s likely to be a tough read, and also because I can probably find it nearly any used bookstore in the city.  Or how about Of Human Bondage?  Any other suggestions?  

And how about the new blog?  Expect the look to change as I get into the nitty gritty of design.  I’ve already had some feedback about the look (the old one was better, I agree), but tumblr didn’t allow the same kind of easy functionality that Blogger does (such as allowing you, the readers, to comment), and WordPress is a little too complicated for me.  

-Bryan

On The Alchemist...

Hey All,

Before I start this post, I think I should make something clear: I am not a book reviewer. This blog contains my very subjective responses to books. While my writing may stray into objective - or objectifying - language, this is, overall, a fun exercise in reading and writing, and one I hope you, too, may enjoy.

Ah, The Alchemist. I`ve seen many people reading it over the years, and I suppose it sparked a bit of interest for me by virtue of that fact. Yet nothing about it ever pulled me to read it. And I think I now know why.

It’s, well, hard to say why that is, without offending too many people. First, the book is about the physical and spiritual journey of a young Spanish shepherd, or what Paulo Coelho calls a Personal Legend. Lame. He is in search of a treasure that is located in the Pyramids in Egypt. Lame. There’s a lot of talk of God and Allah. Lame. The writing style is simplistic, and stunted. Lame. I can see the appeal of The Alchemist, and Paulo Coehlo’s style of writing, but it’s not for me. Young people should read and enjoy it (They should also, however, read more challenging and intellectual books). But a thirty-two year-old man has other things he`d rather read. At least this one does.

There is one thing about the book, though, that really struck a chord with me, and it`s something that I`ve been thinking about a lot lately: enjoying the journey. I recognize that I’m not good at doing that, and that I too often get impatient and caught up in simply getting to or achieving an end goal. I know that’s not what Sasha was after when he suggested there is something in this book of particular value to me at this point in my life, but I’ll take it. I’ll try to slow myself down and take a look around me from time to time. I find that my propensity to do so comes in waves throughout my life, and perhaps I’m entering into one of those periods again.

I will grant that the book is uplifting and positive, and was a nice reminder of the interconnectedness of life on earth. But more than that, it was a great warmup for this project of mine, like skipping rope for ten minutes before hitting the heavy bag. It took me all of four days to read the book, which is a good thing, because quite frankly, with thirty-two titles to read in twelve months, I`m in trouble. That means I’ll have, on average, about one and a half weeks to read each book if I`m to complete this in a year. I am a slow reader, and some of these books are pretty hefty, so I have to make sure I keep to that schedule, or ahead of it.

Thanks for the recommendation, Sasha. No sarcasm intended.

-Bryan

ANOTHER One To Add to The List

Hey All,

I’ve been meaning to post this for a few days, now, but have not had a moment, as all my free time has been spent reading The Alchemist (more on that in my next post. I’m finished it, by the way). Among other things, of course.

But I have another book to add (this will be the last one added, I swear) to the list. Ann Sheldon wrote in a comment on Facebook that I ought to read a book that she thought she had lent to me (but that her husband subsequently proved was a false truth - aka, a lie - by pulling it off her bookshelf). Since I had not, in fact read it, number thirty-two on the list is:

32. City of Thieves by David Benioff (Ann Sheldon)

I hope to write a post this evening about my thoughts on The Alchemist, since I know Sasha is dying to know what I think. I’ll leave you with this, though: I finished The Alchemist on my train ride in to work this morning, and immediately picked up City of Thieves. Goddamn, if I’m not hooked. The opening chapter is short, but man, what a difference from Paulo Coehlo.

-Bryan

One to Add to the List

Hey All,

I gave leeway to Saam Hashemi to give a recommendation, so long as he did it by today, October 1st. He did, so it is added to the list. Number thirty-one on the list is:

31. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham (Saam Hashemi)

I extend the same to anyone else: if you can get me a recommendation before the end of today, October 1st, I will add your book to my list.

-Bryan

First Past the Post...

Hey All,

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you may know what I’m up to here. In a nutshell:

I asked people, on Facebook only, to recommend one book for me to read. I plan to read those books within one year, beginning on October 1st, 2010. This blog is about my thoughts on those books, as I read them. And maybe after I read them, too. It’s also a place where I plan to work on my writing, which, in the last while, has gone down the corporate drain. Mostly because I work in a corporate environment.

Here is the list of books I will read over the next year (and the person who recommended it to me):

1. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (Debbie Murphy)
2. Linchpin by Seth Godin (Kim Gardner)
3. Orange Crush by Tim Dorsey (Dan Pelosi)
4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Sasha Kumar)
5. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahnuik (Katelyn Foster)
6. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Keltie Neville)
7. Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry (Jocelyn McEachern)
8. Josephine B. Trilogy by Sandra Gulland (Erica Zeman)
9. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Kristine Sorrento-Evans)
10. The Cave by Jose Saramago (Ines Ortiz)
11. Beautiful Boy by David Sheff (Nicole Callahan)
12. Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (Okame Musume)
13. Stroll by Shawn Micallef (Kris Williamson)
14. Songbook by Nick Hornby (Andrew Eaton)
15. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Amy Bea)
16. Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh (Teena May Smith)
17. Still Alice by Lisa Genova (Aaron Stewart)
18. The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Marukami (Mark Van De Ven)
19. The Englishman’s Boy by Guy Vanderhaeghe (Chaz Sullivan)
20. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein (Scott Harmer)
21. Rant by Chuck Palahniuk (Graham Dalseg)
22. The Stranger by Albert Camus (Danny Gorman)
23. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Chris Roy)
24. The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant (Philip Wilson)
25. ‎Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Martina Smith)
26. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein (Tim O’Connor)
27. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell (Mariona Blanch)
28. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Curtis Maloley)
29. Night by Elie Wiesel (Shauntel Jaclyn-Ann Daley)
30. The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan and Pierre Rigoulot (Robyn Nepean)

I do not yet have a methodology to the order in which I will read them, but I know two things:

1. I am starting with the Alchemist, at the behest of Sasha Kumar.

2. I will alternate between heady, heavy works of fiction based on Keltie Neville`s belief that “all good works of fiction are depressing“.

Also, if any of you who have made a recommendation (or anyone else, for that matter) have these books and want to lend them to me, please feel free. I will buy you a coffee (or make you one in my home) in exchange for the book.

-Bryan