Dave's Recent Reads
(You WON'T mistake them for Oprah's!)
These are in no particular order - not chronologically, alphabetically, by preference or by what order I read them. They are books that I have read recently, or are reading, and have enjoyed. Some of the designations are mine and some are of the publisher. You can probably figure out which.
Ecology of Fear Mike Davis Current Events/Non Fiction
Right Word William F. Buckley, Jr. Reference
One More Time Mike Royko Journalism
Blue Highway William Least Heat Moon Travelogue
Portable Jung Joseph Campbell (Editor) Philosophy/Sociology/Psychology
Still Life with Bottle Ralph Steadman Art/Popular Culture
Practical Demonkeeping Christopher Moore Fantasy/Dark Humor
If you cannot find any of these books, shame on you! Some are a little eccentric, but none are impossible to find. Hell, I ordered three through my own store. Supplies may be limited however, (Oprah!) so check around.
Who needs Crichton when the truth is just as scary? Ecology of Fear is a tale dealing with the building and re-constructing of Los Angeles throughout the ages. Floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and the scumbags who sold LA as Paradise - they are all here, and much more. Maybe there is a reason why LA is always destroyed in the movies - THAT'S in there, too.
I don't much agree with his politics, but the man knows his words. Drawn from many sources, Buckley: The RIght Word is entertaining for those who love the written and spoken English language. I especially enjoyed the interview with Jorge Luis Borges.
Mike Royko was the cynical everyman, but he was usually right. and even if he were wrong, he wouldn't apologize. One More Time is a book for those who love Mike Royko, journalism, or Chicago. This is a compilation of his best works, by his son and others. I was surprised that it took so long to come out.
You won't find Blue Highway in the classics section, but I think it should be. Anyone can travel the US on the interstate (red highways) but try the blue highways. How do YOU rate diners - check out his rating system.
Unless you have been under a rock for the past twenty some years, you are familiar with Star Wars. The myths, heroes and legends within it were passed down to George Lucas, through his buddy and mentor Joseph Campbell, who borrowed liberally from Carl Gustav Jung. I believe that Jung had more of an impact on the world today than Freud did, not just in psychology, but everywhere. The Portable Jung is deep, but worth working your way through.
The man who brought a face to Hunter S. Thompson, was a CRAZY man from across the Atlantic, Ralph Steadman. Still LIfe with Bottle is an entertaining, artistic anthology (how's that for alliteration?) of scotch whiskey. Ralph was insane, but a genius. Look at this book, Gonzo Art, and tell me if you think that he did the art work for the Pink Floyd album The Wall. I think so, though I can't find any credit paid to him.
On the subject of crazy genius, I find Christopher Moore hugely entertaining. Practical Demonkeeping was the first book of his that I had read. He combines popular culture, the supernatural, and dark humor in all of his writings. All of his books are wonderful and the main reason that THIS book is mentioned is because it was the only one I was sure about the title. A new writer, but he's pretty neat.