50 States of Reading: Lousiana

My Life As a White Trash Zombie (White Trash Zombie, #1)
by Diana Rowland (Goodreads Author)

My Life as a White Trash Zombie was recommended by the good folks at Urban Fantasy Aficionados at Goodreads.com.  A book I would never picked up due to the cover, I am a guy and the cover is pink, and features a girl looking zombie.   I would not be drawn in by this cover.   But, I loved the book.

50 States of Reading: Oregon

Oregon is represented by Damned
Chuck Palahniuk 

50 States of Reading: Oklahoma

Oklahoma is Represented by Amped
Daniel H. Wilson (Goodreads Author)
3.52 avg ratin

I loved the ideas expressed here but the book did not hold my attention, so this book was abandoned.   I gave it two out of five stars.  

Top Three Reads Second Quarter of 2012

April thru June Reads

 April and June were a very productive reading time for me.  The books that most stood out were (in no particular order):
1.  Vanishing Point by David Markson: Just the facts add up to one interesting read.
2. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides: My mind keeps wanting to go back to these characters and spend time with them.  The book has the best description on manic depression, that I have yet read.
3. Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow: because the verse style was gripping, and it was a book that took a new spin on a tried topic.

Notable books included:
Surfing for God by Michael John Cusik: a book on porn addiction and recovery.  The book is a keeper for all men that suffer with this addiction.

Modern Library Read July 2012

The poem was mentioned in the book Kim by Rudyard Kipling: 'Hear him! What harm do thy Gods suffer from play with a babe? And that song was very well sung. Let us go on and I will sing thee the song of Nikal Seyn before Delhi—the old song.'(*) The story KIM is our read for the month of July in 2012. One can listen to the story on Libri Vox and download the story via Gutenberg. I hope to hear from you about the story.Rudyard (*)Kipling. Kim (Kindle Locations 812-813).

A Ballad of John Nicholson

It fell in the year of Mutiny,
At darkest of the night,
John Nicholson by Jalándhar came,
On his way to Delhi fight.

And as he by Jalándhar came,
He thought what he must do,
And he sent to the Rajah fair greeting,
To try if he were true.

"God grant your Highness length of days,
And friends when need shall be;
And I pray you send your Captains hither,
That they may speak with me."

50 States of Reading: Arizona

Arizona is represented by The Revelation
 Bentley Little
3.52 avg rating — 555 ratings — published 1989 — 

Modern Library Read July 2012

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Kim is this month's read for The Modern Library Reading Group in Good Reads.  Please Come Join Us.  http://librivox.org/kim-by-rudyard-ki...
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2226

Modern Library Read June 2012

Lord Jim (Everyman's Library by Joseph Conrad

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


LORD JIM is a novel focused on the imperial zeitgeist of the age. The age is the years between 1876 to the beginning of world war one. Europe was beaming in its nationalism, imperialism, and as well as aliances between nation states.   Europe could be seen as a cage where the main event in the WWE would be held, in this corner Germany and the Hapsburgs vs. London and France.  We see explorers controlling new lands and new people.  We find adventures awaiting. 
So what if you don't care about the imperial age?  Are you a Star Trek or Battle Star Galactica fan? One then can imagine the ocean as deep space, and the natives as aliens.  I found it easier to concentrate on the plot when I imagined Jim as captain Kirk.  I could understand the imperialistic superiority over native cultures, if I thought of the natives as aliens or droids.  The great Robert A. Heinline wrote Citizen of the Galaxy, a book based on KIM, another book written in the Victorian Imperialistic Age.  
Conrad poses profound questions: Can a man run away from his past ruins? Or do they hunt him down till the present moment catches up with him? Is the earth big enough to hold the caper?"
I loved the narration by Stewart Lewis on Libri Vox. He does a great job with a tricky book. I could understand Conrad's humor by Stewart Lewis's reading of the novel. 
The book overall was imperially commanding. 





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Urban Fantasy Aficionados June 15th to July 15th Read

Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Good horror shares with the reader the truth of society left on its own.   The blackened heart is exposed, and the human condition is left examined to its fullest.  We the reader find man is a beast;  we are no better than the snarling dog, or the family pet.   Man is a beast in this dog eat dog world. 
The author uses free verse to build up tension.  The tension of the book will surely bite into you, and not let go till it is finished.  



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Library Notes:

If I was deserted on an Island in the middle of the Pacific and could have only five books, which ones would they be? (My rules: 1. besides manuals, the bible, and how to books. 2. Books would be for entertainment purposes only. )  

1. Don Quixote by Cervantes: I am lost, so what's better than the master dreamer guiding my dream.
2. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy the Complete Edition by Douglas Adams: I need to laugh and this will make me laugh in my dire straits.
3. The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. I want to think that this is all prearranged and that there were people involved with my disappearance.
4. The Dangereous Book For Boys by Hal Iggulden I could send code.  I could tie knots.  I could learn navajoh code talk.  There is plenty of stuff in that book that would be worth knowing.
5. The Pilgrim's Progress by Paul Bunyan I think  this is my favorite all time book. 

If I was only allowed one book, it would be: The Pilgrim's Progress by Paul Bunyan.  
This is in response to the Bookrageous Crew who podcasted the idea on May 30, 2012.

ABC Review of Suck It Wonder Woman

	The book was an interesting investigation of a beauty amidst Geeks. What follows is an alphabet word search through the book. One looks for nouns with the beginning letter, each letter of the alphabet is sought. This activity is one way to interact with a book, especially one that is focused around popular culture.  My friend found this book in the bargain bin at Walmart for less than $7.00 so be on the look out.
Letter	Word
Aa	Artistic Voids
Bb	bratty
Cc	Comicon
Dd	Douche Olympics
Ee	EmergenC
Ff	Flying Solo (Han Solo's Twitter Name)
Gg	Game Boy
Hh	Hollywood
Ii	Iron Man
Jj	Jaba the Hut
Kk	Kittens
Ll	Lil' Jon
Mm	Mathletes
Nn	National Pie Week
Oo	Oklahoma
Pp	Polo Shirts
Qq	Questions
Rr	Robot Nurses
Ss	Salad Eaters
Tt	Twelve Sided Dice
Uu	Unbuttoned Pants due to too much Pie.
Vv	Vietnam
Ww	Water Bras
Xx	X Box 360
Yy	Young Girl
Zz	Zombies

And the temperature is rising,
and like a child,
I weep with joy, at summer.

As Mentioned

James Dickey once said:

My voice in amazement
dwindles to that of a child,