Books Read
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Lullaby
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk Published: 2002 It was a hot afternoon, and I was lying over the covers on my bed next to a cute girl. The open window to our right cooled us with a light breeze as we both read our separate books. She told me she was reading about a girl who decided to live a greener life by making a small change every day for a year. She said it was informative, inspirational, funny, and changing her for the better. Then she asked what I was reading, to which I had to respond, “It’s a book about an old African song…that…kills babies.” Oh. So I read…
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American on Purpose
American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson Published: 2009 Narrated by: Craig Ferguson It’s been a bit of a crazy month, and as a result I’ve managed to finish…NOTHING. I listened to this book over a month ago now, so that shows just how on top of things I’ve been. Life’s starting to settle, though, so I’m hoping to get back to bookworming it up again. I’ve discovered a new love this last year and a half, and that is listening to the self-narrated autobiographies of comedians. I love comedy and stand-up, something that ranks up there in my top five list of things I’d be terrified of ever attempting, so…
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The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Published: 1925 I first read this in high school, but I’ve been meaning to return to it since. I rushed through it quite quickly in order to meet a deadline, and when I picked it up to read this time, over a decade later, I couldn’t remember a thing about it. As a result of this, I wasn’t that impressed the first time through, but there’s so much love for the book out there that I thought it would be a good time to give it another try. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a recent university graduate and veteran of The…
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Solaris
Solaris: The Definitive Edition by Stanisław Lem Published: 1961 Narrated by: Alessandro Juliani Translated by: Bill Johnston (in 2010 from Polish) I remember seeing this science fiction classic on my dad’s bookshelves growing up, always meaning to sit down and give it a read. In this case, I’m glad I procrastinated. The only English translation available was actually translated from the French translation of the book, and it apparently wasn’t that good, but now Audible.com has produced a proper Polish to English translation by Bill Johnston. Kris Kelvin has just landed on a hovering research facility on the planet of Solaris. The planet is covered in an ocean that past…
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Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris Published: 2010 Illustrated by: Ian Falconer I stumbled upon a David Sedaris book signing a couple years ago. He read a few of his essays, and they were hilarious, so I figured I should probably grab one of his books. I’d seen him on Letterman once before at that point, but that’s about all I’d heard of him. I picked up his newest book soon after that, which was Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, but I only just got around to it now. I had read that this probably wasn’t his best book to start on, since it’s a bit of a departure…
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Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d’Art
Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d’Art by Christopher Moore Published: 2012 I’m a big fan of Moore, and I’ve caught up on all his books now, so it’s a big event when a new one is released. The day Sacre Bleu came out, I ran over to the book store to pick up a copy and was pleasantly surprised to see how cool the first edition hardcover was. They even had signed copies. If you judge a book by its cover, and don’t lie you do, this one gets top marks – beautifully illustrated cover, thick pages with uneven rough edges, very readable blue font, and coloured in-text prints of the…
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Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice (audio) by Jane Austen Published: 1813 Narrator: Kate Reading Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters are under pressure from their crazy mother, and society in general, to find husbands. Elizabeth and her older sister Jane are sensible enough, but the three youngest are a bit idiotic. Marriage is basically the main ambition in their lives, outside of a bit of socializing, reading, and cards. Skip the next paragraph if you don’t want spoilers. Near the beginning we’re introduced to a few potential suitors, one of whom is Mr. Darcy – a man who appears to be uptight, rude, and too full of pride. Over the course of…
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Published: 1890 Basil Hallward sees Dorian Gray as his true inspiration as a painter, and the story begins with him finishing a portrait of the young man. During this same afternoon, Basil introduces Dorian to his friend Henry Wotton, a true dandy who swears by a hedonistic lifestyle, wherein the only real pursuits in life should be feeding the senses. Dorian is young and incredibly pliable, and Henry convinces him that beauty is what matters in life and to cherish what he has while he has it. Always! That is a dreadful word. It makes me shudder when I hear it. Women…
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The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games (audio) by Suzanne Collins Published: 2008 Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick With all the hype surrounding the film adaptation of The Hunger Games, I broke down and decided to read it. I was a little worried I was getting myself into the next Twilight, but I’m glad I picked it up. Set in a post-apocalyptic alternative (or is it??….it is) future of our world, a new country of Panem is under rule by a totalitarian government. This government occupies the central capital, whose technology is so advanced as to seem alien to us, and the twelve surrounding districts live in squalor. Seventy-five years ago the districts rose up…
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Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness (audio) by Joseph Conrad Published: 1899 Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh The story is framed by a group of men sitting in a boat on the River Thames, listening to Charles Marlow tell a story from his past. Our narrator is actually one of the unnamed men on the boat, but almost the entire novella is Marlowe telling his story. It’s a story of his time captaining a steamboat on the Congo River. I’m not sure they mention that he’s in The Congo Free State, as it was then called, but I knew this going in. When he first arrives, he stops briefly at a trading station and…