Good reads

[Spinelli]

That the same guy who wrote Choke? Girlfriend is reading that right now.

Yeah he is, that and a bunch of other stuff. I heard he just finished writing one about terrorist trained children who are then put up for adoption in America, it sounds pretty warped.

 

[Labea]

I turn into a sort of book worm during the winter, and I'll read anything so long as it can keep my attention.

no matter how played out R.L. Stine is, the guy really got me into reading. I still enjoy his B-horror books that are aimed towards preteens. Fear Street, shit like that!

BOOKS ERRYBODY SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY READ:

Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christi - Murder Mystery

Rule of the Bone by Russel Banks - Novel?

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks- its just good to have a back up plan
(I heard World War Z was good too)

In reply to people talkin about Dharma Punx, I think that book sucks. It does get preachy and I do get bored and stop reading halfway through.

As for the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, fuck yeah they're good books, (except for when she gets further into the series things seem to just happen so there will be something to write about. So many angry avenging vampire lovers.) but its too bad that she is such a fucking sell out. The heard the movie that came out last friday based on the first book was ultimately terrible. She is a pop sensation now, there are at least 3 or 4 of her books in every highschool classroom of mine, sitting on some girls desk. I've even met a few guys who dig her books. Its interesting that they are the first novels she'd ever written.

 

[veggieguy12]

Ecotopia Emerging -- Ernest Callenbach
The Little Earth Book -- James Bruges
Ishmael -- Daniel Quinn
The Story of B -- Daniel Quinn
My Ishmael -- Daniel Quinn
Beyond Civilization -- Daniel Quinn
As the World Burns -- Darrick Jensen
Endgame vol. 1 -- Darrick Jensen
Endgame vol. 2 -- Darrick Jensen
V for Vendetta -- Alan Moore
Snow Man -- Carolyn Chute
The Monkey Wrench Gang -- Edward Abbey
Hayduke Lives! -- Edward Abbey
World Made By Hand -- James Kuntsler
Expect Resistance -- CrimethInc.

Johnny Got His Gun -- Dalton Trumbo
Palestine -- Joe Sacco
The Iron Heel -- Jack London
1984 -- George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451 -- Ray Bradbury
The Grapes of Wrath -- John Steinbeck
What Uncle Sam Really Wants -- Noam Chomsky
Killing Hope -- William Blum
Freeing the World to Death -- William Blum
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man -- John Perkins
Lies My Teacher Told Me -- James Loewen
Best Evidence -- David S. Lifton
Infidel -- Ayaan Ali-Hirsi
The God Delusion -- Richard Dawkins
Letter to a Christian Nation -- Sam Harris

The Watchmen -- Alan Moore
In Dubious Battle -- John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby -- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fire on the Mountain -- Edward Abbey
Red Dragon -- Thomas Harris
The Importance of Being Earnest -- Oscar Wilde
Batman: Year One -- Frank Miller
The Corner -- David Simon & Edward Burns
The Lorax -- Dr. Seuss

 

[spoorprint]

Homage to Catalonia -George Orwell
Vida -Marge Piercy
Woman on The Edge of Time- Marge Piercy
Post Scarcity Anarchism- Murry Bookchin

But right now I'm reading North American Railyards by Michael Rhodes
its a few years old, but has all sorts of stuff on Major yards in the nineties to about 2003

I like Veggieguys recommendations -Carolyn Chute & Ed Abbey are great.

 

[frankblank]

If you've never read "Crime and Punishment" by fyodor dostoyevsky, it is really good. It was written in 1866 and tells about a failed law student who commits a very calculated murder. It is very dark. There is also a non-fiction book I liked called "No Logo" by Naomi Klein. It looks at the dirty tactics of the superbrands. If you like late 70's NYC punk, I highly reccomend "Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk".

 

[bote]

Mavis Gallant -
any of her short story collections...

an amazing woman, way ahead of her time. One of the most insightful, best writers alive today (big talk, I know).

Roberto Bolano -
I'm reading "The Savage Detectives" right now. Makes me want to live in Mexico city, have lots of sex, and write lots of poetry. I like it.

 

[dirty_rotten_squatter]

Jack Kerouac on the road great read wasnt too sure about it at first, it read sorta like a diary but all in all it was pretty pleasant read.

 

[bote]

i read "A room of her own" by Virginia Wolff about a month ago. If you are interested in women and history and writing and things that are well-written, you would probably like this book. Her other books are good, but less accessible.

 

[Toddy]

i second danvan. i just finished Shantaram a few weeks ago and it was epic.

 

[Punkabond]

I read the alchemist in this list, Coelho's amazing, if you liked that book I also recommend The Devil and Miss Prym.

Brave New World(Aldous Huxley), if you liked 1984.

Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and In Dubious Battle by Steinbeck

The Stand, by Stephen King.

Walden's already been mentioned, I'll add the essays "Civil Disobedience" and "Walking" to the Thoreau list.

 

[enocifer]

I love books, reading, and learning in general. Right now I'm in the middle of a Crimethink book, & I don't know what to think of it. There's valid points, but it seems to have a bunch of socialist propaganda bullshit in it, as well as a strong inclination towards atheism. I will admit it's making me wanna be more subversive, I'm just not sure of the intentions of the authors. A lot of it seems like doublespeak. Makes me wonder if it's stuff put out to disillusion would-be intellectual anarchists. But as far as books go, Robert Anton Wilson is my favorite. His books rock. Check out the Illuminatus! Trilogy, and its sequel, Schroedinger's Cat. Cosmic Trigger was cool, too. He draws heavily on the theories of Timothy Leary and Aldous Huxley, two very influential authors in my mindset. Robert Anton Wilson was the one who said "Tyranny or Anarchy: You must decide NOW!" It's very open minded material, very intelligent and spiritual at the same time as being I-don't-give-a-fuck. There's descriptions of pornographic stuff & extreme acts of violence right next to Qabalistic diagrams and equations of quantum functionality, fer Chrisakes. I love that shit. Damn good author. Check him out.

 

[syphilust]

"My side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

I have a tattoo from it

 

[bote]

I've been meaning to say this, but keep forgetting:

I finished "The Savage Detectives" by Roberto Bolano, and it is the best book I've read in quite awhile.

 

[maus]

danvan wrote:


not posi. if there is any type of store that you shouldn't steal from, but should support, it's bookstores. yes they may be major corperations but all the major bookstore chains (borders, barns n nobles, waldenbooks) are all great companies. they treat thier employees very well, they offer nothing but the best things in the world, and they don't exploit anyone in the process. i don't care how much punk credit i lose by supporting a major corperation, I love borders and i'll do what i can to support them. same thing for barnes and noble.

what the fuck? fuck that. im taking all your punk points. im going to put them in a drawer and you can have them back when you bring me stolen book.

stealing is punk. period. fuck business as usual.

 

[Supertramp]

say what you want about barnes n noble, but fuck stealing from Powell's in Portland, its a fucking book MALL!!! not only that, but all of the employees are way awesome. Several have noserings and whatnot, and even a crass tattoo here and there. Not only that, but any book you want, you can find. in one sitting i found Lexicon Devil, about 5 zombie novels, including the Zombie Survival Guide, the Joy of Sex, the Joy of GAY Sex, Everything is illuminated, and an outdoor survival guides for like 3-10 a book. GREAT selection.

 

[Angela]

say what you want about barnes n noble, but fuck stealing from Powell's in Portland

Nobody would really need to steal from them, you can sit in there all day and just read the books on the spot but maybe that's just me, I've spent more hours in there than I'd like to admit. The one out in Beaverton even provides these really comfy chairs all over the store to sit and read in.

 

[Beer Mortal]

I always freeze up and forget or become unsure about what book im looking for when I go to a bookstore or library haha
its like the moment I walk it, i go blank. but then I just go and explore biographies, anatomy books, look at titles of fictions that could catch my interest, go to world history or philosophy and psychology. sociology too

 

[moe]

ha, fuck borders.
it's good to find all them books you can't find in smaller local indie bookstores (like myopic in chi-town)
or whatevers,
but i checked out the music books section, and found that copy of lexicon devil.
i wanted toget it, but i only had 10 bucks.
the damn book was 39 or some shit like that.
i sat for 3 hours on a couch and finished the whole damn book.*high five* =D
and it was a pretty damn good book.
i love the germs.

anyway, lol, i read throughout this whole thread and took notes on some good books, that sounds decent, cuz i was running out of options.

throughout the thread, i noticed two of the greatest books (other classics already mentioned) were not listed.
*running with scissors by augsten burroughs, i found it hilarious, and a guide to recognizing your saints by Dito montiel.

i love graphic novels, funny/weird pictures makes a story a bit more interesting to read.
i totally recommend all books by marjane santrapi, especially persepolis.
and minimum wage by bob -something.

=]

 

[dirty_rotten_squatter]

Ive seen alot of mention of kurt vennegut, but his book slapstick is pretty funny. I havent finished it yet, but what I have read is pretty good.

 

[incendiary]

I read alot, I like Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Emma Goldman, Aaron Cometbus, zines, & non fiction (about the ethics of food, political theory, history, women's rights, biographies, etc). I'm currently reading Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller and a compilation of the works of Mikhail Bakunin.

Vonnegut is good

i have been reading some good Charles Bukowski (women and ham on rye) hes a great poet as well

THe other book i love is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chboski

So many good ones out there

I definitely second the Bukowski recommendation, I've read Ham on Rye, Factotum, Women, Post Office, and a bunch of his poetry and really enjoyed them. My favourite poem by him is probably Dinosauria, We.

Ecotopia Emerging -- Ernest Callenbach
The Little Earth Book -- James Bruges
Ishmael -- Daniel Quinn
The Story of B -- Daniel Quinn
My Ishmael -- Daniel Quinn
Beyond Civilization -- Daniel Quinn
As the World Burns -- Darrick Jensen
Endgame vol. 1 -- Darrick Jensen
Endgame vol. 2 -- Darrick Jensen
V for Vendetta -- Alan Moore
Snow Man -- Carolyn Chute
The Monkey Wrench Gang -- Edward Abbey
Hayduke Lives! -- Edward Abbey
World Made By Hand -- James Kuntsler
Expect Resistance -- CrimethInc.

I just finished Endgame volume 1 not too long ago, and found that I agreed with a lot of Jensen's opinions about how we are exploiting both the environment and the people in it to sustain our notion of 'civilization.' It wasn't really anything new/that hasn't been said ever before but I still found it interesting and liked his writing style.