was something about enfranchising squatters in chile for a philosophy and law class. he somehow made that interesting.

I love that song

it will come as no surprise that he’s a dirty hippie type who lives in berkeley. regardless, if you’re curious about what you eat and where it comes from but don’t want such a focus on mcdonald’s and such, the book contains a wealth of information.

anybody have any gore vidal or other pinko commie author suggestions? i know a new anthology-type book was just published, but not sure if i want to head down that road.

also looking for other recommendations for books i can squeeze in when i need a break from my daily huffington post fix and paper versions of the new yorker, the economist, the nation, washington spectator, harper’s, and utne reader.

SAVE YOURSELVES.

Won’t bore you with the newspapers, magazines, and sites I read for work, but they are abundant. Last fun book for me was “Game of Shadows” (Bonds), so you know it’s been awhile since I’ve taken the time to read a book.

Non-fiction:

Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin. Biography of Lincoln and his administration. Very, very good. She can write a readable 700 pages. Also enjoyed her biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, which I read in three days due to procrastination.

Schultz and Peanuts, David Michaelis. Fascinating biography. The strips take on a whole new meaning now.

Fiction:

Power Play, Joseph Finder. Read like a screenplay. Fun, but makes a better movie.

And Then We Came To The End, Joshua Ferris. Might be the best book I ever read — Chicago advertising firm that boomed in the 90s and is now busting. About interoffice politics, figuring out who’s getting laid off, etc.

Lamb — The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Friend, Christopher Moore. Massively entertaining, considering it was pretty respectful to Jesus.

One’s that come to mind:

Non-fiction:

Fortune’s Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street by William Poundstone. Very readable book about optimal betting strategies, the birth of the hedge fund and tons of interesting people and history…the introduction about wires services and the mob is fascinating just on its own.

Catastrophes and Lesser Calamities: The Causes of Mass Extinctions by Tony Hallam. It’s a book with short readable chapters. Some cool stuff about the history of geology but the most interesting part is about the extinction 250M years ago (pre-dino) that wiped out 90% of the world’s species and whose cause remains unknown.

Fiction
—————

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. One of the best mysteries I’ve read in a long time. Absolutely first-rate murder(s) mystery set in the UK. If I were some latte-swilling elitist, I’d say it transcends the genre.

Trying to look all educated with my book recs and I type something like that. Credibility. Gone.

And come to think of it, my reading of bound material has had an inverse relationship with my time blogging.

When I was reading a lot, I found myself drawn to the funny memoirs, semi-autobiographical fiction genre, if there is such a thing…

I’ve read everything by Palanhiuk, Eggers, Sedaris, Hornby, Burroughs,

So I’ve read a lot of books-before-they-were-movies…. High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, About a Boy, Fight Club, Choke, Running With Scissors, that Toby Young movie…

But if I was to hand out a recommendation for the group, the best book I’ve read that (seemingly) nobody else has bothered to pick up is Ted Heller’s Slab Rat, which is from the same genre, and essentially the Toby Young movie, but, you know, good.

In terms of translated works, have to recommend Heroes Like us by Brussig.

during a long layover when flying back from Sao Paulo.

It gave me a boner in the airport.

Boys Will Be Boys, about the 90s Cowboys dynasty. It was the shit, if only because I learned Michael Irvin fucking stabbed a guy and nothing happened to him.

anything by david foster wallace (rip), but especially infinite jest, which i think a lot of people bypass in favor of his more accessible, shorter work. it really is a work of genius.

cloud atlas by david mitchell. mitchell might be the most talented fiction writer working today.

the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay by michael chabon. i resisted it for a while because of all the hype but it lived up to it and then some.

the lost scrapbook by evan dara. several stories that dissolve into each other, eventually adding up to a portrait of a community at war with a local corporation that’s polluting their water supply.

cryptonomicon by neal stephenson. world war II cryptology and modern data encryption woven together seamlessly, with great action and characters.

aubrey/maturin series by patrick o’brian. napoleonic war-era seafaring adventure yarns elevated to the level of literature.

the road and no country for old men by cormac mccarthy. i’m late to the party on mccarthy, but both of these books were excellent. the road in particular was stunning.

u.s.! by chris bachelder. the bizarre premise is that upton sinclair is repeatedly assassinated and resurrected, and continues to write and agitate on behalf of the working class, but it’s not as ridiculous as that might sound.

Barron’s, Smart Money, and 3-4 trade publications.
“Russ and Me” by T. Russert, “The Tipping Point”, and “Tested in the Trenches” (am working with a business coach since I’ve never had a mentor in 20 years of doing what I do).

My biuddy and I are going to begin to read “The Intelligent Investor” and discuss, along with Napoleon Hill’s “Think And Grow Rich”, which we are revisiting after 10-ish years.

NEVER novels. Wish I hadthe time/energy to read my “Truman” and “Rockefeller” books I bought last year. Love bio’s of successful/interesting men who have shaped history (Lincoln is my favorite).

the great influenza by barry

alexander hamilton, the house of morgan and titan all by chernow

carnegie by krass

the perfect mile by bascomb

the making of the atomic bomb by rhodes

genome by ridley

the world without us by weisman

all they do is steal their relatives Playboys, Penthouses, and Perfect 10’s and then abuse the pages like a cheap hooker.

Well I do. And it’s great

I was recently hooked up with a free subscription – it’s $10/issue – and I’m overwhelmed with the wealth of information each issue provides. Most of the basic science is over my head, but there is an increasing emphasis on climate change and research ethics that I find interesting.

I recently read thru Y: The Last Man and I’m currently reading Fables. In between books of that, I read the 86 Mets book (which wasn’t very good) & Obama’s Audacity of Hope.

I’m currently reading Dreams from my Father (in between Fables books).

i read blonde faith, the last book of the easy rawlins series…was disappointed, not with the ending, but with how super predictable the storyline was. closing out the series was probably a wise choice for mosely.

Interesting… also doesn’t seem to be triumphing right now

I’m reading a book about the 5 percenters… just finished Down and Out in Paris and London