Hello kiddies,
As part of “Rung one” of my living deliberately experiment (see post “More obsessive business”) I have dedicated an hour each day to reading. In this light, I have a bit of a competition for yous, or as the French would say, a “competition”.
How to earn a prize:
I want your book suggestions. Yes, yes. Any book that at one point really got you freaked out, zoned in, turned on, or otherwise intellectually titillated is game. I want your guilty pleasures, your embarrassing excerpts, your memorable memoirs. I want those science fiction novels you read when no one is around, those weighty and ponderously-titled books you thought would help you impress girls, and those books that—having failed with that romantic ploy—you ended up reading to learn how to actually impress girls.
If there is a book you would like to read and haven’t, I’ll read it with you. If there is a book you’ve read and think everyone should read, I’ll take a stab at it. If there is a book you have not read, have no interest in reading, but want me to read it out of some sadistic interest, I might take a stab at you, but sure, I’ll take a read-see.
Give me your most low-brow, your most pretentious, your most “I should but don’t really want to” books, comics, graphic novels, manifestos. Anything that comes with a cover and in-between pages in Spanish, English, French, that’s good to go.
If you really want to titillate my textual undertaking, then read one of these books with me.
The Prize:
Whilst cleaning my bedroom, I happened upon quite I number of photos that I took with disposable cameras about 9 years ago. The photos are terrible; out of focus, very clearly driven by hormones, and the best part is, of people I do not have the least memory of.
So! The first three people to suggest a text on the comments section of the blog, they get one of these photos sent as a postcard to the address of their choice.
Additionally, the first three people who volunteer to read one of these books with me so at the very least we can talk about it, they get a postcard too.
If there is a book that I think is an awesome suggestion, I reserve the right to send you a post card.
And if some weighty, ponderously titled book by a Russian author ends up actually impressing someone, well, sure, expect a postcard with some sweaty preteens in ill-fitting clothes on the front as a taken of my gratitude
Big Adam's Blog 
1.Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
2.Rashi’s Daughters, Maggie Anton- purely for the unexpectedly raunchy sex scenes laced with biblical references
3.What is the What, Dave Eggers
4.Infidel, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
5.Grimm’s fairy tales- but not all at once, or you will get depressed and lose faith in humanity
6.Death and the Maiden, Ariel Dorfman- technically a play, but still strong
7.In Case of Fire in a Foreign Land- Poems by Ariel Dorfman in Spanish and English
8.Between Barack and a Hard Place, Tim Wise- don’t be fooled by the title, it’s a pretty insightful take on racism in America
I second reading What is the What, I haven’t read it yet, but I only hear good things.
The Shame of the Nation-Jonathan Kozol—-I will be starting this soon my friend Brandon read it and loved it.
House of Leaves- Mark Danielewski—-my best friend Nick’s all time favorite book, the main character starts going crazy and you go crazy along with him.
Running With Scissors-Augusten Burroughs
I know we’ve talked about JSF a lot and I can’t remember if you read it yet,
but Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is one of my all time favorite books.
Also, A History of Love by his wife, Nicole Krauss is a good one.
🙂
Guilty Pleasures :
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larson,
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind – Chuck Barris
Made me laugh my Butt off: When you are Engulfed in Flames – David Sedaris
Book I read because Oprah told me to: East of Eden- John Steinbeck
When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head
“How Fiction Works” by James Wood. You’ll definitely look at the books you read after it differently. Bonus: He deconstructs some great novels to make his points. They might catch your interest in the reading.
For this project, I highly recommend the use of http://www.goodreads.com/ . I shall send you an invite. A great way to see what friends are reading, make lists of read and to-read books, and write reviews. I have my favorite reads listed and would love to read something at the same time so we can chat about it if you’re down.
Other direct suggestions:
Immortality— Kundera
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey
White Teeth—Zadie Smith
The Book Thief— Markus Zusak
100 years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
Any thing and everything by David Sedaris.
“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert M. Pirsig–perfect for that 12:45-2:00am read/fidget time-slot.
haha…that is absolutely a book I read in high schoolwhen I was in my “impress girls with intellectual books phase”…Iremember really enjoying it, but being frustrated by sections of the philosophy, which detoured to the pedantic