Tuesday, November 11, 2008

i need some reading material...

anyone have any suggestions...

so far this year i have read:

jon krakauer; into the wild
DEFINATLY IN MY TOP 10 BOOKS EVER!
this book was the first full book i had read in 2 years. i was burnt out on anything academic and could not bring myself to read without wandering off into la la land within the first few paragraphs. this book triggered in me what was once a love for literature and transformed reading from a distance to taking the journey with the character.
this book i recommend to everyone who is anyone.
especially to those who are in the 'in-between' stages of life.

shane claiborne; irresistible revolution
because i went to a christian university i have read more christian literature then i care to read in such a short amount of time.
to this day, it is really really hard for me to pick up a christian book and get into it.
only because i must have written over 100 papers on over 100 books, articles, sermons, and exerts. i have heard a lot of different views on christianity...
but everything i have been thinking about christianity and the church is touched on in this book. the good, the bad, and the ugly.
i do recommend this to all who may be looking for an apology from us jerk christians.

augusten burroughs; magical thinking, possible side effects, and dry.
i love him.
i love that he is open with all his issues. i love that he can step outside himself and find out where his problem lies and where it stemmed from.
and in the end the issue always seems a little more less of an issue...
of that makes any sense?
i do not recommend him to people unless they are in for an extremely explicit ride through dysfunction.

james frey; my friend leonard, million little pieces
and yes i know he is a 'fraud'.
and yes i know that he is so 'out'. and has been on everyone's bookshelf for at least 2 years already.
but if you know me-i love anything involving mafia and the mob. and the fact that an old time gangster 'adopted' james frey as a son was enough to make me crack open the book.
i don't care that he lied to oprah...hell i don't even care about oprah.
i think it was well written and abundantly honest.
i do recommend these books to people who are okay with drug usage.

jonathan safer foer; extremely loud and incredibly close
AMAZING.
REFRESHING.
best book i read all year.
from a boys point of view that preserves an innocence that we can so easily forget.
recommend this to everyone.

chuck palahnuik; fugitives and refugees, choke, diary, rant, and parts of lullaby.
we all know who he is:
disturbing
inovative
clever
and always the shock factor.
over the years i have now read almost all his books he has written and but the book that i am most impressed by i read a few years ago; invisible monsters.
out of all the shock and horror, i still think of brandy alexander's story as if she was someone i knew at one point.

chuck klosterman; killing yourself to live and sex, drugs and cocoa puffs
i read killing yourself first.
i thought it was funny and reminded me of steven.
loved the music refrences and loved all the girl 'friends'.
i did not like the sex drugs...
but part of the reason is because i could not identify with it...
and i don't like sports...and it has a lot of it.
recommend it to all who love music and pop culture.

don miller; blue like jazz
yep-i gave in to everyone.
i went into the book trying to hate it (because everyone else loved it).
but it has lots of good points and i liked what he had to say on spirituality.
highly recommended to those who want to read a book on something other then the church.

bret easton ellis, less then zero
being as he is one of palahnuik's inspirations i had to know what he had written.
and if you believe it, it's even more disturbing then everything i had read previous to this point.
only because its about a group of teenagers in los angeles and
captures the greed and selfishness that so many people share.
so the reality of these circumstances is what horrified me.
great author; not recommending it to anyone based on it's extremely graphic tellings of drug use and sexual abuse and dysfunction.

i am sure i forgot some

that was way longer then i intended it to be. for anyone who is still reading, i would love some suggestions...


4 comments:

Nick X said...

Well based on some of your likes and dislikes I have a couple of books you may be interested in. The Alchemist, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Big Sur, The Prophet, and Nine Stories. They are all excellent novels.

noah! said...

the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay by michael chabon.

what is the what by dave eggers.

a heartbreaking work of staggering genius by dave eggers.

lindsay anne said...

Yes yes and YES on What is the What by Dave Eggers. I own it, and you can borrow it. It is a life-changing book. Anything by Eggers, really, but this is the best.

Have you read Salinger at all? Franny and Zooey is my favorite book, but I love all of his... Nine Stories, Catcher in the Rye, etc.

God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, by Vonnegut.

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin. Amazing book - he's SUCH a good writer. Also one of my favorite books.

Lastly, have you ever read Anne Lamott? She's one of those post modern christian writers, but she's a crazy hippie and she's terribly honest and kind of a basket case, so she's great. Her biography is Traveling Mercies and its fantastic.

:)

amy coverdale said...

lauren.... i'll call you wednesday afternoon to give you my thoughts on Thanksgiving treats..:) we're throwing a Second Thanksgiving this year, so I hear ya about planning the menu:) but yes... I'll call you-I'm definitely thinking a Wild Rice Pilaf (w/the works) in place of the stuffing...anyway..talk to you soon. Love you!