Sunday, August 30, 2009

My Favorite Books, Vol. I

I do not often write about books. I love to share different books. Books always seem to connect on a different level than a movie or a song, not necessarily more, but on a different plane. It is sometimes hard to fit in all those books that you want to read. Some, you will never get to. Some, you will re-read a thousand times. That is the beauty of art, and writing is art.

So here are a few of my favorite books of All-Time. Not all of them or even the highest rated in my mind, just a few I want to share with everyone.


My Favorite Book to Pass Along: You Shall Know our Velocity!, Dave Eggers. This book revolves around Will and the money he has inherited. Will does not this money and goes on a week long Around-the-World odyssey to give it all away, with his friend Hand. Strange things happen, money is hard to give away, and we learn much more about the motivation of Will as we are immersed in this story.

The book is a page-turner in no other sense. It grabs you by the neck and forces you to ride along on these adventures of Will and Hand. From the very weird first paragraph to the unexpected digressions to the final moments, you will connect on a level personally about life and death and what it really means to all of us. Please read this book. I also have to give credit to Kelsi for sending this to me at the exact right moment in my life. One of the nicest things ever done for me and still means so much. I guess that is why we share a birthday.


My Favorite Book To Laugh My Ass Off With: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson. From the very first sentence, I was laughing uncontrollably. The introduction of Gonzo Journalism and the American Dream in this book are out of control, crazy, unbelievable fun. Written by a man that is as legendary as the books he wrote, which are mostly based off of his own experiences. If you know nothing of this book or this author, run to the nearest computer (you are already at one in case you forgot) and order this book right now. it will be the best 12 bucks you have ever spent. If you are really cheap you can buy it used for less money, you cheap bastards. If you want to cry and laugh at the same time, this is the book for you. And always remember that you can't stop there, its Bat Country.

My Favorite Book that I will never finish: Everything is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer. I have no idea why I have never finished this book. I like parts of it and really enjoy others. I understand the story and love two intersecting stories within one. But, for the life of me, I can not bring myself to finish this book. I have tried and tried. I will try again soon enough. Give it a try and see if you can finish it. You most likely will have more luck than I did.

Those are just a few of my favorites. More will come, I can promise that. This post has given me idea of adding to the layout and features of this blog. I will be adding a What I am reading and What I am Listening to section to the side for all to keep up with my current tastes of things. Try those books and tell me what you think.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Critic in Me is Back!

So the Critic in Me took a bit of a break to concentrate on other areas of my life for awhile. Well, I am back and ready to hit the ground running with things that I love to talk about. So whether you have missed my pathetic ramblings or not, I will commence with the talking and sharing. What better way to do that then share some of my favorite websites right now.

Texts From Last Night (TFLN)

Fail Blog

PostSecret

People Who Deserve It

Found


These are just a few of my favorites on this busy day of writing. Stay tuned for more ramblings.