false 25 81 40 true 5663793 read 1 true 593084 currently-reading 40 true 593083 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67051517 Suttree (Paperback) by Cormac McCarthy
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59295924 The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory (Paperback) by Brian Greene
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59295816 to: Outliers (Hardcover) by Malcolm Gladwell
Maybe the best book I've read in the past year or so. Gladwell reminds me of all the stories you hear about Einstein's brilliant observations of they physical world; that his genius is less about pure intellect than a creative outlook that allows some perspective that eludes the rest of us. In this book, Gladwell turns that perspective on just what makes someone successful, and his findings are astounding, conclusive, and more than a little creepy.

In conversations, I think this book has come up at least once a day since I read it. I may be the only jackass who didn't see this shit as obvious, but now that it's been pointed out to me, I see examples of the principles he lays out in it EVERYWHERE.

I really can't say enough about this book, so I'll stop at saying that everyone should read it. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59275898 to: Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why (Paperback) by Laurence Gonzales
Really a decent book - just written by someone with some inherent douchiness issues. While Gonzales manages to lay out some really great rules about how a survivor necessarily interprets the world around them, this is basically an extended lecture on what we in Vermont call "Horse Sense."

By laying out a few examples telling people to double check things, take the environment into account (and respect it), stay positive and productive, and not panic, he provides a framework to operate within, but since different circumstances call for different actions, there's not much you can actually say ALL survivors have in common. More than anything, he lends a very good perspective to events that manages to transcend the typical self-centered idea people have of dangerous hobbies; e.g., when we go white water rafting, the GOAL may be to have a good time, but this is ACCOMPLISHED by putting oneself in the middle of a system of forces containing many millions of opportunities for you to lose control and potentially hurt or kill yourself. By seeing the more objective reality, rather than what you expect to get out of it, you're immediately more in touch with what's really going on and thus, less likely to end up dead.

He also touches on a lot of chemical and psychological research to back this up, which is cool, and somewhat limits the diatribe-ish nature of this guy's personality. Which naturally leads to...

The douchiness thing. This guy's ego is large enough to affect the tides, but he does that obnoxious thing where he attempts to mask his ego by saying that he made a stupid mistake when he was learning to do something, and he'll *never do that again!* While this might seem innocuous enough, he manages to do this in every example of survival laid out in the book, which, to me, at least, indicates that he's the type of guy who begins every sentence with, "Oh yeah? Well, this one time I..." and ends it with some kind of cue for you to congratulate him on his massive experiential knowledge. Maybe he just reminds me of that DickBag (tm) Rob that some of my college friends will remember, but regardless, I can't stand that tone in people, and tend to give people like that less credit than they actually deserve...although, as I do remind people, this doesn't mean that these people actually deserve much in the first place...

Anyway, it's worth a read, Especially if you're more tolerant of egotistical and self-superior people (If you can read A. Rand, you'll absolutely LOVE this douchenozzle). The ideas it conveys have managed to inject themselves into many of my thoughts on different situations, including those that don't directly involve a life-and-death struggle. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59298046 Dreamtigers (Texas Pan American Series) by Jorge Luis Borges
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59297850 Ask the Dust (Paperback) by John Fante
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59297796 Heavier Than Heaven : A Biography of Kurt Cobain (Hardcover) by Charles R. Cross
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59296973 to: Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories (Paperback) by Chuck Palahniuk
This is an interesting collection, although it's not really noteworthy, as is Palahniuk's fiction. Definitely keeps you interested, and the length of the pieces works well for a quick (if sometimes disturbing) read before going to sleep.

I'd recommend this book for people with short attention spans, people who value perception over reality, and people who like to hear a sociopath's attempt at being "light." (In case Mr. Palahniuk is reading this, please don't kill me, I'm a big fan) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59296923 Coercion: Why We Listen to What "They" Say (Paperback) by Douglas Rushkoff
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59296784 Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How to Take It Back (Hardcover) by Douglas Rushkoff
bookshelves: to-read
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