I love books. Books books books. Here they come, down to my belly.
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The King is dead. The eponymous prince is overwhelmed with grief and considering suicide. After an encounter with the ghost of his father, he seeks revenge against his uncle and the court for murder most foul. Will he survive the wrath of the new king? Will he destroy himself in the process?
A Chinese mystic retreats from the hustle and bustle of a 7th century village to the refuge of a quiet life in the mountains. For anyone who dreams of leaving it all behind to watch clouds and scratch poems in the dirt.
The tale of an overlooked and oppressed people using humor to process the pains of colonization. At once incredibly encouraging and admirable, and yet another disappointing reminder of the brutal treatment suffered by the native peoples of North America. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder how you didn't know that Will Rogers was Cherokee.
A sweeping exploration into the nature of addiction, entertainment, politics, corporate capitalism (buying naming rights to a calendar year ie: The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment), and the nuances of professional tennis. But, like, it's funny, too.
Working through a critique of existential thought, Camus reacts to the apparent meaninglessness of life by creating absurdism, wherein we are invited to apperciate the chaotic universe and fall in love with the metaphorical boulders that each of us are fated to roll up our own metaphorical hills each day.
Where are we? How did we get here? Why don't we leave?
We can't leave, we're waiting for Godot.
Two men while away their time in a barren wasteland in this abstract symbolic metaphor for post WWII Europe.
A group of environmentalist whack-jobs sabotage highway construction and mining operations in Southern Utah. Doc, Slim, Abzug, and the madman Hayduke. Part instruction manual, part manifesto, this book will have you searching for your wire cutters and settting food caches in the desert. Just in case...
A psychological exploration of foundational myths as they relate to the development of the collective unconscious. Myth making and storytelling as a technology for understanding the natural world and humanity's place in it.
A book of wisdom from a 1st century Chinese mystic edited and prefaced by one of the most spiritually nuanced writers of the 20th century. Shockingly relevant to modern life and full of dry humor and wit. It's a short book, but it should take years to read...
A collection of vignettes exploring possible afterlives. A touch of humor and a little perspective encourages us to enjoy life more, without worrying so much about what comes next.
A quick and encouraging read about how we can deepen the satisifation we get from life by making conscious choices regarding how we think and where we direct our focus. How's the water?
There's something very poignant about an old man who has yet to live up to his potential. By all accounts he has wasted his life and thrown away every good opportunity he ever had, but still clings to a sharp intellect and keen observations, illustrated through the unmailed letters he spends all his time writing. I have more in common with Herzog than I'd ever care to admit.
A modern story on the scale of a Greek epic. Tommy Orange puts you in the minds of twelve indigenous people from around the U.S. and collides their stories into a powerful climax at the big Oakland pow-wow. Orange writes with a lot of humor, but pulls no punches when it comes to describing the truth of his people's experience under this empire. You'll never look at the Indian Head test pattern the same way.
The plague comes to a small North African town. Life becomes a grim routine of death counts and quarantine, yet life goes on. Camus' narrative focuses on the town doctor who makes his rounds and performs his duty despite the absurdity and pessimism that surrounds him. Something about it all seems so familiar...
The best and funniest book of short stories I have read in a long time. The stories are poignant and sometimes painful, but always worth getting through. If you liked Bojack Horseman, you may enjoy this as well.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (Paperback)
From a lobster festival in Maine, to a tour on John McCain's 2000 presidential bid, to an exploration into the nuances of conservative talk radio, DFW embeds himself in situations so you don't have to. An incredibly intelligent and sensitive human, his writing will have you imagining yourself to be as smart as him.
1492: Columbus’ expedition is a complete failure. Christopher’s entire crew is killed and he lives the rest of his life as a homeless mad-mad in Mexico City.
1531: Incan Emperor Atahualpa flees his brother’s army by heading north, then east. Waaay east. The survivors land in Portugal and slowly make their way across Europe first as refugees, then as conquerors...
A woman travels to Athens to teach a writer’s workshop. Along the way she meets new people and catches up with old friends. Each of these interactions, and the class she’s teaching, comprise individual chapters that read like short stories full of rich character details and engrossing scenic description. A thoroughly enjoyable book.
