Books Read
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On a Pale Horse
On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony Published: 1983 This is my first Piers Anthony novel. My dad was a big fan of him when I was growing up, and I always saw his books lying around the house. Curiosity got the best of me, and I thought I’d start with his most famous. Zane is a would-be photographer who has fallen on rough times. The story begins with him in an enchantments store looking for something that will change his life for the better, even though he can barely afford food. It’s an interesting scene, and does a good job of introducing the world. On A Pale Horse is…
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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (audio) by Mary Roach Published: 2003 Narrated by: Shelly Frasier What uses are there for cadavers? How have they been acquired over the years? What eventually happens to them? These are the questions that Mary Roach sets out to answer in this surprisingly funny, and often disgusting, book. We begin with an introduction into how they’re used medically. From anatomy students to a plastic surgery workshop, the cadavers help train our medical professionals so they don’t screw up on the living. I couldn’t help but imagine accidentally walking in on that plastic surgery workshop just before it had started – a large conference…
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The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare Published: ~1590 This play is a little fucked up. Lets just make that clear. I’m not sure how it might have been received at the end of the fourteenth century, but I imagine it would raise the eyebrow of any modern reader. It’s politically incorrect in such a hilariously unapologetic way that you almost have to laugh in mild horror. I’m going to spoil the plot now. I figure anything over five hundred years old is free game. The play begins with an induction. A drunk named Christopher Sly is found unconscious in the street, and a lord orders his servants to…
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A Long Way Down
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby Published: 2005 Years ago I read How to be Good and really enjoyed it. I wasn’t enamoured enough to run out and immediately to buy his entire bibliography, but I did mean to eventually get back to him. Better late than never, I figure. I’m extremely glad I finally did, because I ended up loving this. The premise is simple but genius: four strangers climb to the top of an apartment building in London on New Years Eve with the intention of jumping to their deaths, but when they find each other up there it just kills the whole mood. After some discussion,…
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Moab is My Washpot
Moab is My Washpot (audio) by Stephen Fry Published: 1997 Narrated by: Stephen Fry I’ve read a few articles here and there of Stephen Fry’s, but this is the first of his actual books, fiction or non-fiction, that I’ve read. Even so, I knew I was going to love it going in, as I’m already a huge fan of his. I’ve spent countless hours watching his comedy, documentaries, and interviews, and I can easily spend an evening listening to him give his opinions on any topic. He uses language in a way that can elevate fart jokes to fine art. This is his autobiography, covering the first twenty years of…
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As I Lay Dying
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Published: 1930 I tried to read this once before, but I eventually gave up after some confusion. I had the same issues this time around to begin with, but I decided to persevere. The plot is fairly simple, actually. It’s set in the fictional county of Yoknapatawpha, Mississippi, and it follows the family of newly deceased Addie Bundren as they try to uphold her wish to be buried in the town of Jefferson. Never has a book been so simple and yet so bloody confusing. The plot is straight-forward, and the writing isn’t too hard to follow, especially compared to some other stream-of-consciousness…
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Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four (audio) by George Orwell Published: 1949 Narrated by: Samuel West This novel has haunted me since high school. Even if I didn’t tend to bother with homework, I still always enjoyed my assigned readings, but for some reason I managed to only read half of this. I’ve been meaning to return to it for over a decade now, and I’m very glad I finally did. I have the 2012 Back to the Classics Challenge to thank for the extra push! I loved this a lot more than I thought I would. I knew I’d enjoy it, and it would be good for me to read, but I didn’t…
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The Dresden Files #1: Storm Front
Storm Front by Jim Butcher Published: 2000 Harry Dresden is a wizard and a private investigator living in modern-day Chicago. That’s all you really need to know about this, to be honest. It’s a pretty great concept. He finds himself under suspicion for the string of murders he’s been asked to investigate and needs to find the killer to prove his innocence. I had heard this described as Philip Marlowe with magic, but I’d probably describe it more as Veronica Mars with magic. Still fun, but Chandler’s hard to live up to. I will say I was interested throughout the entire story, and I do really like the world he’s…
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The Sign of Four
The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle Published: 1890 This is the second of four Sherlock Holmes novels. The only one I’d read previously was the third, The Hound of the Baskervilles, so it appears I’ll be reading these in the most bizarre order I can manage. This does make a few references to A Study in Scarlet, I believe, but it doesn’t seem like the order in the series matters all that much. After annually receiving a mysterious and incredibly valuable pearl in the mail for the past six years, Mary Morstan was delivered a letter asking her to finally meet the unknown sender. He had some information…
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Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World
Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World (audio) by Dalai Lama XIV Published: 2011 Narrator: Martin Sheen I really like the Dalai Lama. I never thought I would, to be honest, but the more I read from him the more I see he’s someone with a real grounding in reality and science. I suppose my vision of him has been skewed somewhat by middle-class, new-agey white folk selling cancer-healing crystals at $60 a pop, but there’s definitely sincerity and real intelligence behind his advice. […] as the peoples of the world become ever more closely interconnected in an age of globalization and in multicultural societies, ethics based in any one…