i'm back from my unplanned "summer break" from blogging. you'd think that since the summer is relatively less hectic than the school year, it would be ideal for jotting down rambling trails of thought in an online fashion. not so, it would appear. part of the fun of blogging, for me at least, would have to be the fact that it's something i can do when i should be doing something else. it's a focused way to procrastinate, if there can be such a thing.
speaking of focused procrastination, i'm going to outline a plan of mine to read 6 books this semester. now, this might not seems like a "phelpsian" task to those who don't know me very well. but those who do, know that while i've slowly gained an interest in reading since starting college two years ago (wow, it's been that long), it takes me a while to get through a good book. so, when i say that i'm planning to read these 6 books over the next 4 months, i'm saying that i'm planning on seriously reading. and i think with the books i've picked out, i should be able to stay on pace. these are all books that i've either wanted to read for some time, or are by authors that i've come to enjoy recently, or both. so, lets begin...
1: the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy: douglas adams
what i say:
ok, i'm cheating a bit here, i've already gotten through a good bit of this one already. but i still haven't finished, so i felt the need to mention it. it's a really great book. becca gave it to me to read about 3 years ago, back when i wasn't much of a reader. i'm sorry to say that it's taken me this long to finally get to it. it's a brilliant book.
what they say: (back of the book summary)
2: choke: chuck palahniuk
what i say:
i've become a fan of palahniuk's writing (he's also authored fight club and survivor. this book has been made into a movie, and i'm going to try to reverse the trend and read this book before going to see the movie....
what they say:
3: sex god: rob bell
what i say:
rob bell, author of another one of my favorite books --velvet elvis-- and creator of the nooma video series, writes about relationships, both between us and god, and us and those around us. i've been looking forward to reading this one for a while.
what they say:
4: chuck klosterman iv: chuck klosterman
what i say: i really enjoyed klosterman's book sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs, where he offered a deep, pointed critique of culture. this book looks to offer the same.
what they say:
5: plan b: further thoughts on faith: anne lamott
what i say:
i read her book traveling mercies last semester and really enjoyed her honest approach to revealing her thoughts and emotions through some really tough situations. this is her "sequel" to that book. also something i've been looking forward to.
*side note: i generally like to buy and read paperback books, both because they tend to be cheaper and easier to hold. however, i got this one in hardback because it was in the bargain prices section at barnes and noble. i think the hardback adds a mature, dignified quality to the rest of my growing bookshelf.
what they say:
6: lullaby: chuck palahniuk
what i say:
i really like palahniuk (see #2), so i decided to put another one of his books on my shelf. so as to mix it up a bit, i spread the reading of his two books up a bit in my order.
*side note: you might remember that the only comment from a reader/passerby suggested that i pick up a copy of palahniuk's haunted. i do remember that suggestion and do plan to read that book to. unfortunately, i've been unable to find it at any bookstore i've visted in that past few months. what's the deal? anyway, i'm still looking...
what they say:
i'll post my reviews of the books as i finish them...
here's a cool quote that i found about reading, i thought it was appropriate for the journey ahead:
more to come... including thoughts on emptiness and big music releases for tuesday the 19th.
speaking of focused procrastination, i'm going to outline a plan of mine to read 6 books this semester. now, this might not seems like a "phelpsian" task to those who don't know me very well. but those who do, know that while i've slowly gained an interest in reading since starting college two years ago (wow, it's been that long), it takes me a while to get through a good book. so, when i say that i'm planning to read these 6 books over the next 4 months, i'm saying that i'm planning on seriously reading. and i think with the books i've picked out, i should be able to stay on pace. these are all books that i've either wanted to read for some time, or are by authors that i've come to enjoy recently, or both. so, lets begin...
1: the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy: douglas adamswhat i say:
ok, i'm cheating a bit here, i've already gotten through a good bit of this one already. but i still haven't finished, so i felt the need to mention it. it's a really great book. becca gave it to me to read about 3 years ago, back when i wasn't much of a reader. i'm sorry to say that it's taken me this long to finally get to it. it's a brilliant book.
what they say: (back of the book summary)
seconds before earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, arthur dent is plucked off the planet by his friend ford perfect, a researcher for the revised edition of the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
together, this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers: zaphod beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; trillian (formerly tricia mcmillan), zaphod's girlfriend, whom arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once apon a time zone; marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; and veet voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he's bought over the years.
where are these pens? why are we born? why do we die? for all the answers, stick your thumb to the stars!
2: choke: chuck palahniukwhat i say:
i've become a fan of palahniuk's writing (he's also authored fight club and survivor. this book has been made into a movie, and i'm going to try to reverse the trend and read this book before going to see the movie....
what they say:
victor mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. needing to pay elder care for his mother, victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. he then allows himself to be "saved" by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for victor's life, go on to send checks to support him. when he's not pulling this stunt, victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park. his creator, chuck palahniuk, is the visionary we need and the satirist we deserve.
3: sex god: rob bellwhat i say:
rob bell, author of another one of my favorite books --velvet elvis-- and creator of the nooma video series, writes about relationships, both between us and god, and us and those around us. i've been looking forward to reading this one for a while.
what they say:
publishers weekly: "bell raises the bar with this evocative follow up to last year's best seller velvet elvis... sex god is about relationships revealed in a way that elevates the human condition and offers hope to those whose relationships are wounded.
what i say: i really enjoyed klosterman's book sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs, where he offered a deep, pointed critique of culture. this book looks to offer the same.
what they say:
people: "klosterman is like the new hunter s. thompson. only it's as if hunter were obessed with kiss instead of nixon."
san diego citybeat: "chuck klosterman is the james bond of pop-culture journalists."
gary shteyngart: "chuck klosterman is a gulliver among the cult-crit lilliputians."
the austin chronicle: "chuck klosterman is the lawrence welk of pop culture."
5: plan b: further thoughts on faith: anne lamottwhat i say:
i read her book traveling mercies last semester and really enjoyed her honest approach to revealing her thoughts and emotions through some really tough situations. this is her "sequel" to that book. also something i've been looking forward to.
*side note: i generally like to buy and read paperback books, both because they tend to be cheaper and easier to hold. however, i got this one in hardback because it was in the bargain prices section at barnes and noble. i think the hardback adds a mature, dignified quality to the rest of my growing bookshelf.
what they say:
with the trademark wisdom, humor, and honesty that made anne lamott's book on faith traveling mercies a runaway bestseller, plan b is a spiritual antidote to anxiety and despair in our increasingly fraught times.
6: lullaby: chuck palahniuk
what i say:
i really like palahniuk (see #2), so i decided to put another one of his books on my shelf. so as to mix it up a bit, i spread the reading of his two books up a bit in my order.
*side note: you might remember that the only comment from a reader/passerby suggested that i pick up a copy of palahniuk's haunted. i do remember that suggestion and do plan to read that book to. unfortunately, i've been unable to find it at any bookstore i've visted in that past few months. what's the deal? anyway, i'm still looking...
what they say:
ever heard of a culling song? it's a lullaby sung in africa to give a painless death to the old or infirm. the lyrics of a culling song kill, whether spoken or even just thought. you can find one on page 27 of poems and rhymes from around the world, an anthology on the shelves of libraries across the country. when reporter carl streator discovers that unsuspecting reader are reading the poem and accidentally killing their children, he begins a desperate cross-country quest to put the culling song to rest and save the nation from certain disater. written with a style and imagination that could only come from chuck palahniuk, lullaby is the latest outrage from one of our most exciting writers at work today.
i'll post my reviews of the books as i finish them...
here's a cool quote that i found about reading, i thought it was appropriate for the journey ahead:
"a single book at the right time can change our views dramatically, give a quantum boost to our knowledge, help us construct a whole new outlook on the world and our life. Isn't it odd that we don't seek those experiences more systematically?" -steve leveen, the little guide to your well-read life.
more to come... including thoughts on emptiness and big music releases for tuesday the 19th.
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