Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Summer Reading Recap
Here are the four books, in order read, that I enjoyed on my ten-day wilderness relax-o-fest. See if you can spot the trend that emerged over time!
1) Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich.
Sample review: "Barbara Ehrenreich's latest work of social commentary, "Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream," is an indictment of the "magisterial indifference of the corporate world." Posing as an unemployed white-collar worker, Ehrenreich adopts an alias and markets herself as a public relations person and event planner."
2) Sharing Good Times by Jimmy Carter.
Sample review: "President Jimmy Carter recounts a lifetime of mixing business and pleasure in this series of personal recollections. Carter is relaxed and clearly enjoys reading his work as he describes trips taken with the entire Carter family, fishing excursions, mountain-climbing adventures, and more. His self-deprecating humor, as well as his wisdom and balanced look at life, meshes well with his classic Southern drawl."
3) Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman
Sample review: "Empirically proving that -- no matter where you are -- kids wanna rock, this is Chuck Klosterman's hilarious memoir of growing up as a shameless metalhead in Wyndmere, North Dakota (population: 498). With a voice like Ace Frehley's guitar, Klosterman hacks his way through hair-band history, beginning with that fateful day in 1983 when his older brother brought home Mötley Crüe's Shout at the Devil."
4) Chloe Does Yale by Natalie Krinski
Sample Review: "Chloe Carrington is a typical Yale student, except that along with toiling through the usual grind of coursework, she pens a notorious and much-dished-over sex column for the campus newspaper. This touch of fame has wrought havoc on her social and love life, turning it literally into an open book. Chloe doesn't help matters much; she likes to share and can't resist divulging the gory details of her most recent date (or lack thereof) in her column, baring her soul for all to see."
I'm pretty sure I will end up in Hell for that last one (which despite the title is an actual novel and not soft-core porn, but is still just stupid).
Meanwhile, Poseur's reading list is much more impressive.
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I read:
"Citizen Soldiers" by Steven Ambrose, about the U.S. army in WWII in Europe
"Sharpe's Fury" by Bernard Cornwell, a book in a series of historical fiction about a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars
"Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow, a bio of...
"On the Wealth of Nations," PJ O'Rourke's explication of Adam Smith's much cited, but never read tome.
And "Goodnight Moon," "Hippos Go Berserk," "Dr. Seuss' ABCs," "The Runaway Bunny," "My Daddy and I," etc. etc.
"Citizen Soldiers" by Steven Ambrose, about the U.S. army in WWII in Europe
"Sharpe's Fury" by Bernard Cornwell, a book in a series of historical fiction about a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars
"Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow, a bio of...
"On the Wealth of Nations," PJ O'Rourke's explication of Adam Smith's much cited, but never read tome.
And "Goodnight Moon," "Hippos Go Berserk," "Dr. Seuss' ABCs," "The Runaway Bunny," "My Daddy and I," etc. etc.
# posted by 
: 11:40 PM
: 11:40 PM
That one about the "Runaway Bunny" sounds like it might be thematically akin to "Chloe Does Yale."
# posted by : 11:50 PM
: 11:50 PM
IPLG-- You list is much more serious than mine. I guess it is important to note that what I read was vacation reading, and I go for lite when I am on vacation.
But, you already knew that.
But, you already knew that.
I read that new book by Tina Brown about Princess Diana. And this huge HUGE ROz Chast cartoon anthology. And "At the Hotel Larry" and "Cats Cats Cats."
My entire life is "lite."
My entire life is "lite."
By the way.....What is a terminal degree? Should I know this? Maybe if I had spent my summer reading Steven Ambrose instead of Vanity Fair all summer, I might know this.
However serious reading in the summer.....I mean I spent 19 years in undergrad and before that it was Cranbrook., UGh they made us read tons of awful books IN THE SUMMER and if you did not read them by the start of school again you got nailed. I mean it there were like tests about the books on the first day, it was Awful. I remember lying in the sun in vain trying to tan my so-pale-it-is-see-thru skin just sitting there while everyone else was having fun and I am reading like the same page over and over of like Saul Bellow's "Henderson the Rain King" or a book about Malcom X when all I really wanted to do goof off.
But I LOVE biographies and non fiction books and so I do read those The last best book I read that was a month ago, and it was serious about called a Mighty heart about the death of Daniel Pearl the journalist who was beheaded in Pakistan.
And then, back to Redbook.
However serious reading in the summer.....I mean I spent 19 years in undergrad and before that it was Cranbrook., UGh they made us read tons of awful books IN THE SUMMER and if you did not read them by the start of school again you got nailed. I mean it there were like tests about the books on the first day, it was Awful. I remember lying in the sun in vain trying to tan my so-pale-it-is-see-thru skin just sitting there while everyone else was having fun and I am reading like the same page over and over of like Saul Bellow's "Henderson the Rain King" or a book about Malcom X when all I really wanted to do goof off.
But I LOVE biographies and non fiction books and so I do read those The last best book I read that was a month ago, and it was serious about called a Mighty heart about the death of Daniel Pearl the journalist who was beheaded in Pakistan.
And then, back to Redbook.
Oh yes, Iplawife and I are reading, together, a very funny book called "I Love You Beth Cooper."
# posted by : 1:03 AM
: 1:03 AM
Prof-- Can you assign something from "Fargo Rock City" for the first day of PR?
# posted by : 8:33 AM
: 8:33 AM
Have to concure that 'I Love You Beth Cooper' is unbelievably funny.
Is 'Bait and Switch' as good as 'Nickeled and Dimed'?
Is 'Bait and Switch' as good as 'Nickeled and Dimed'?
A definite trend, yes . . . either getting more into vacation mode or more resistant to going back to school . . . kinda the same thing, huh?
I always enjoy going back to the US 'cause I really miss places like the UVA bookstore where there are racks and racks of newspapers and magazines, mostly in ENGLISH!!on all kinds of subjects, like art and design and fashion and music and poetry and feminism and psychology and science. Some are mainstream, some very intellectual, and some way out of the ordinary like these two feminist magazines called "Bust" and "Bitch." The titles are a lot more provocative than most of the articles in them, but it's great to get a fix of that stuff once or twice a year . . . you know, printed on B & W recycled paper and with ads for all sorts of, uh, "interesting" women's products, and articles about music and even Supreme Court decisions! and what young women, and young people, are thinking and doing.
I guess that was my lite reading, other than the "Elle" I read on the plane. Which actually also had some interesting commentary on the Supreme Court's decisions this year.
I always enjoy going back to the US 'cause I really miss places like the UVA bookstore where there are racks and racks of newspapers and magazines, mostly in ENGLISH!!on all kinds of subjects, like art and design and fashion and music and poetry and feminism and psychology and science. Some are mainstream, some very intellectual, and some way out of the ordinary like these two feminist magazines called "Bust" and "Bitch." The titles are a lot more provocative than most of the articles in them, but it's great to get a fix of that stuff once or twice a year . . . you know, printed on B & W recycled paper and with ads for all sorts of, uh, "interesting" women's products, and articles about music and even Supreme Court decisions! and what young women, and young people, are thinking and doing.
I guess that was my lite reading, other than the "Elle" I read on the plane. Which actually also had some interesting commentary on the Supreme Court's decisions this year.
# posted by : 10:27 AM
: 10:27 AM
Actually... here's my summer reading list with quickee reviews:
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby -- funny, not as good as the movie.
The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by AJ Jacobs -- great first person account of reading Britannica
We Need To Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shirver -- pompous and overbearing book about the mom of a serial killer. Avoid.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling -- satisfying conclusion to the series.
IV by Chuck Klosterman -- the best current writer on rock n roll collects classic columns.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon -- Pulitzer Prize winner on two comic book writers during WWII. Touching and desrving of the praise.
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon -- I think I understood it.
Wow. I need to see a movie.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby -- funny, not as good as the movie.
The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by AJ Jacobs -- great first person account of reading Britannica
We Need To Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shirver -- pompous and overbearing book about the mom of a serial killer. Avoid.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling -- satisfying conclusion to the series.
IV by Chuck Klosterman -- the best current writer on rock n roll collects classic columns.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon -- Pulitzer Prize winner on two comic book writers during WWII. Touching and desrving of the praise.
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon -- I think I understood it.
Wow. I need to see a movie.
Iplawife reminds me that we both read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, which is incredibly gripping.... but there were too many "wait a minute....." moments for me. You don't want to think about it too hard.
I must say, however, that High Fidelity, the book, BLOWS the movie away! Much funnier set in London.
Jack Black in the movie was great, though.
I must say, however, that High Fidelity, the book, BLOWS the movie away! Much funnier set in London.
Jack Black in the movie was great, though.
# posted by : 3:42 PM
: 3:42 PM
See... I liked the movie better, due to the presence of both John cusack and Jack Black. cusack makes the main character likable, which he is not in the book. At all.
Though I did like the scene with selling the record collection to fund an affair.
Though I did like the scene with selling the record collection to fund an affair.
Actually, here's my level of music dork: my least favorite part of the movie is when Dick claims that Green Day was heavily influenced by two bands, the Ramones and Stiff Little Fingers. No self-respecting American punk fan would ever give that much credit to an Irish band (the director was still British). The second influence of Green Day was clearly Screeching Weasel, who were also labelmates on Lookout! Records. Bothers me every time. A music geek making an error like that. Also, have some American pride. Excepting the Clash and the Buzzcocks, American punk is ten times better than British punk.
Yes, this is the sort of thing that bothers me. Though I do love the scene where Rob says, "I am now going to sell two copies of The Beta Bands First Three EPs" and then proceeds to play the opening to "Dry The Rain" which admittedly, is a pretty awesome song. And is the reason I own that album.
I also like the movie in that Rob only slightly backs down from his stance "it's not what you are like, it's what you like" which, in the book, he completely renounces. His character changes way too much in the novel.
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Yes, this is the sort of thing that bothers me. Though I do love the scene where Rob says, "I am now going to sell two copies of The Beta Bands First Three EPs" and then proceeds to play the opening to "Dry The Rain" which admittedly, is a pretty awesome song. And is the reason I own that album.
I also like the movie in that Rob only slightly backs down from his stance "it's not what you are like, it's what you like" which, in the book, he completely renounces. His character changes way too much in the novel.
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