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<\/p>\nWhat is on your nightstand? A common question. I ask it all the time.<\/p>\n
On my “bookstand’:<\/p>\n
THE MARTIAN, Andy Weir<\/strong> — Love the backstory. How Weir went about gathering an audience while writing the book. He has written a modern classic. Plus it had a great movie adaptation. The combination is rare and creates a lore around it. Although many have suggested I read (including my son), I have not done so. I expect to read it now. The book will have so much more detail.<\/p>\n A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, Howard Zinn<\/strong> — Wonderful writing. A view of America that is a different perspective than what was taught in my school growing up. All history is written from a point of view. Some are more direct than others. When I was an undergrad, I read <\/span>INEVITABLE REVOLUTIONS<\/a> by Walter LaFeber. \u00a0The book had an influence on how I looked at American history. A changing perspective. This book has a similar feel. Also, gets a good plug in <\/span>GOOD WILL HUNTING<\/a>. Probably the book that flows the easiest of the four.<\/span><\/p>\n GRAVITY’S RAINBOW, Thomas Pynchon<\/strong> — I just read the first page, “A screaming comes across the sky.”<\/p>\n INFINITE JEST, David Foster Wallace<\/strong> — Have always wanted to read. Have never felt the urge to start though. Watch the movie THE END OF THE TOUR with the Jason Segal’s Oscar-worthy performance. That inspired me to finally delve in. Still in the early stages, but enjoying the slow burn. I have two bookmarks – one for the narrative and one for the footnotes.<\/p>\n Rough edges on two of the books. Flaps on two of the books. Paper feels good on all of them.<\/p>\n Now I just realized, that two of the four books are connected to Matt Damon. Which leads me to another must read book that Damon is connected. Patricia Highsmith’s\u00a0THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY<\/a>. The Amazon review starts out, “One of the great crime novels of the 20th century, Patricia Highsmith’s\u00a0The Talented Mr. Ripley\u00a0is a blend of the narrative subtlety of Henry James and the self-reflexive irony of Vladimir Nabokov<\/em>.” High praise. Should probably read all five in the Ripley series in a row – The Ripliad<\/a>. I started with “4 must reads.” Then I added one more. But that addition is the first one of five. So now I have nine books to read. They do multiply.<\/p>\n I intend<\/em> to read all of them, I may not get through them. But I figure I will read as long as i remain engaged. I drop books all the time. There are just too many great books that I need to read — that I don’t have the desire to read ones that I don’t get something from.<\/p>\n Always the quest of reading.<\/p>\n To know more.<\/p>\n To be engaged.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"IMG_0348\"](\"http:\/\/38enso.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/IMG_0348-300x300.jpg\")
I am reading all of these in trade paperback. What a great delivery system for a book! Love the QP (as Borders would call it). Trade paperback is my favorite format to read books. I will still read some in hardcover and also ebooks. But, in the end, the ones I want to read and keep on my shelves, it is trade pb.<\/p>\n![\"IMG_0387\"](\"http:\/\/38enso.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/IMG_0387-150x150.jpg\")
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