new and current

I'm reading one of my x-mas presents now. I got a $50 gift card for B&N and cashed it in today. This is what I got.

• Wild Boys by William S. Burroughs. It's been awhile since I've read Burroughs. I don't always like what he writes but it's always interesting.
• Comfort Me With Apples by Ruth Reichl. I've read two of her other books and follow her tweets. I haven't read any food books lately so this was the first one I chose.
• Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk. I read Haunted and Snuff earlier this year. He's written lots of books so there was a lot to choose from. This one looked the most interesting to me.

Unless my reading rate suddenly skyrockets, this should be my last book of the year. That means I'll have read 27 books this year. Not as many as I'd like, but not too bad, considering how busy I've been, and how lazy I've been.

House

House of Stairs

by William Sleator

seasons readings

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

by Barbara Robinson

handful of paperbacks

I used to have these when I was in elementary school. Today I found them at the used bookstore and got them again. I love the cool sci-fi cover art. I also got:

• House of Stairs by William Sleator
• To the Land of the Electric Angel by William Rotsler
• Tik-Tok by John Sladek
• Roderick by John Sladek

stacks

photo courtesy of Boing Boing

Witch

The last few days, I've been working downtown at the Performing Arts Center. Wicked is in town. It's the second time it has come to town. I'd like to go see it this time, since I missed my chance last time. Hopefully I will.
I read the book a few years ago and liked it. I also read the sequel, Son of a Witch, but didn't like it as much. Maybe I'll read the third in the trilogy someday, if I can find a used copy or get it on sale. Someday.

Mechasm

Mechasm

by John Sladek

Jonathan Lethem

current read

As She Climbed Across the Table

by Jonathan Lethem

book bag

Made another trip to the used book store last week. Got three more to add to the stacks. These be they:

1. Steve Jackson's Sorcery! #4: The Crown of Kings - I bought a couple of these last time I visited Gardner's. They're not for serious readin', I just like having them around.
2. Interstellar Pig by William Sleator - Seems like I'm never gonna run out of books by this author. As soon as I start reading one by him, I go out and find another. This is the eighth book I've found this year by William Sleator, and I know there's a lot more out there.
3. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - I've often seen this book on the shelves at B&N and Borders because usually I go to the SF/Fantasy section and look for Rudy Rucker. (They haven't had any new Rucker in years) A former manager at the restaurant where I work was reading this book a few years ago and recently a fellow stagehand at my other job has been recommending that I read it. He says it's better than Lord of the Rings. There were 2 copies of this book on the shelf, so I grabbed one. A few minutes later, I heard a lady asking the sales girl for this author. Ther went the second one. It's a thick book. I'll probably start on it next year some time.

Bonus book: Million Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton - There were a couple of books by this author at B&N. I got this one because it deals with one of my favorite fantasies: what would you do if you won $22 million? This book is like a choose your own adventure for adults. I've started reading it a little bit, but don't like the decisions it gives me: pay for all my family's bills or blow all the money on something big and crazy for myself? Plus it's written from a chick's perspective, so I'm not too into it when presented with the choice of breaking up with your boyfriend or staying with him. As I said before, not for serious readin', I just like having it around.

Book Dominoes

A cool commercial for Bookmans in Arizona. Thanks to Boing Boing.

Boston Area Book Report

spooky time

The Boy Who Couldn't Die

by William Sleator

early influences

I read these two books in high school. What does that say about me? I got them both off of my dad's bookshelf. They are both journalistic masterpieces, but my favorite is the gonzo exploits of Hunter S. Thompson in Las Vegas. It is one of the very few books that I've ever read more than once.
Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test was the true story of the development of LSD and it's connection to Ken Kesey and The Grateful Dead. I got lost in this book and it took me forever to read. I don't even really remember how it ended. I might have found it's lucid, coherent narration to be perhaps a bit dry and uncompelling. Whereas with Thompson, you can literally feel the madness, seeping off the page.
Both good reads, and perhaps a little bit influential to me at that age.

let's go