Midterm Report

I always like to set down my thoughts at about the midway point, and I always get around to doing it late. So, here it is... my late mid-point progress report. Overall, I think I'm having another solid year of good books. My screening process seems to be effective because I've enjoyed just about everything I've read this year.


Top Tier candidates

Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer - I cannot forget the order of the presidents if I try and I'm 1/3 of the way through memorizing the probate code. Utility, this book provided it. Also a good read and I learned a lot about brain function.

Downtown Owl, by Chuck Klosterman - I loved this book. I actually enjoyed it more than his essay books. I like books that don't necessarily tie the ending with a bow and I loved how he turned ordinary people and events into a compelling story. Very slice-of-life.

Homicide, a year on the killing streets, by David Simon - The Wire in book form. A great book. It'll mess with your paradigm.

The Corner, by David Simon - The Wire in book form, from a different angle. Very illuminating. Also will mess with your paradigm and make you feel blessed to not sleep in a crack house. In my worst day on this earth I haven't slept in a crack house and that's where D'Andre McCullough hung his NFL posters. So, yeah, there's that.

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien - It's a classic. It was a fun read. Nice to finally start the series.

A Visit From the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan - I love perspective books and this one included first-person narratives from all over the place. It was unique, unpredictable and very creatively done. One chapter was a power-point presentation. This book gave me permission to do something I was toying with for my story.

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy - I'm half-way through it, but it seems logical to reserve a spot right here.

The worst book of the bunch (and this is not a close call)

The Age of American Unreason, by Susan Jacoby - Have you ever had a friend who agrees with you politically and philosophically, but you can't bear to let that friend argue your side because he/she exudes every negative stereotype or expectation of "your team?" Well, Susan Jacoby is that for me. You can argue the liberal side without ACTUALLY drinking an arugula latte behind the wheel of a Prius. So, it's not enough to bag on TV, but you have to humblebrag about your love of Russian poetry? Really Susan Jacoby? REALLY?!?!?! I hated this book. HATED this book. That's MY team she had me rooting against. I'm angry... moving on.

Fun Reads

Bossypants, by Tina Fey - Funny, but more of a biography than I expected from a comedian. Her entire last chapter about whether she should have a second child became moot when she recently got pregnant. It just kinda made that chapter seem dated and useless, but maybe that's just me.

Them, by Jon Ronson - Did I mention I like to read about conspiracy theorists? They're a fun bunch, let me tell you. Ronson manages to get these folks to open up and he lets them do all the work in the mocking department. His wry British wit tends to throw off nut jobs and the results are laugh-out-loud funny. In a related note, people believe all kinds of crazy stuff. I mean, even more than I previously thought (yes, they actually believe in Lizard people in human form... and you thought 9/11 Truthers were wacko). Many people are nuts.

Out of Character, by David DeSteno - An interesting look at how character is not rock solid, but rather malleable. Honestly, the point was made in the first chapter and then driven home over and over, but an interesting read. Here's a hint: When in a tough situation, "good character" folks will do whatever.

Psychopath Test, by Jon Ronson - Ronson again uses his wry British wit to tackle an interesting issue. In this case, mental health. He does a great job of telling entertaining stories and he illustrates how out of control our diagnoses are and how "disorders" are being defined ever closer to "normal" behavior. This stroked my bias against over-diagnosing of people and how folks lean on them to justify behavior. I should stop writing on this topic now.

In 50 Years We'll All Be Chicks, by Adam Corolla - Look, he's a pig and he's funny as hell. What can I say? Sometimes you just need to laugh.

These Guys Have All The Fun, by Tom Shales - I learned a lot about ESPN, which was interesting. I also got to know how subscribers of US Weekly feel when they finish reading their magazine: the combination of enjoyment and complete and utter shame for having enjoyed it. Very gossipy, but also good. Probably 150-200 pages too long.

When You Are Engulfed In Flames, by David Sedaris - I liked it. I like all his books, but each one ends with me tired of it. I can't explain that. Sedaris is great, but I think his voice wears me out by the end of a book.


Surprisingly deep

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elizabeth Tova Bailey - An interesting book written by someone with a disorder that forced her to notice the most mundane of sounds and sights, and an illustration for smelling the flowers you can reach.

Tinkers, by Paul Harding - Very poetic. Very well written. Very dark at times. Makes you think. Also very short.

The Advance Genius Theory, by Jason Hartley - Why is this book in this category? Because I can't stop applying the theory whenever I assess anything. Is it overt to want to read War & Peace (aka snobbish) or is it advanced (genuinely indicative of a higher intellectual plane)? Hartley would probably say we're doing it in a group and talking about it, so therefore snobs. This guy must be a real joy at dinner parties.

The Unlikely Disciple, by Kevin Roose - I've blogged on it. I still find fault in the overly-pushy religious types. My thoughts on this book were posted.


Love is a Mix Tape, by Rob Sheffield - I thought it was another hipster 80's child memoir of nostalgia, but it was a story about his young wife who died suddenly told through the mix-tapes they had made for each other. I was expecting Sex, Drugs and Coco Puffs, but got a heart-wrenching tale instead.

Misc.

Scorecasting, by L. Jon Wortheim - Mostly stuff I already knew... more because I understand basic math and not because I'm all that smart. But it empirically proved what I already knew in such a way that it made me smile... (that the Cubs suck bad, always have, and will continue to because they care more about beer than wins... feels good to even summarize).

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, by David Foster Wallace - No writer impresses me more with talent than Mr. Wallace. At times it's like he's showing off. This collection of essays was phenomenal. My only complaint is that it is often topic-driven (I don't like or understand David Lynch and was therefore lost for a large portion of the longest essay) and even virtuosic writing gets old when its used to discuss a cruise ship. Still, I am in awe of his writing.


Endgame, by Frank Brady - Covered below. Did I mention Bobby Fisher was nuts and brilliant? Both true.


The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot - Covered in a post. Very good book.


Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess, by Bobby Fisher - I improved my endgame by working through all of Mr. Fisher's puzzles. Very good tutorial. Endgame noted it was a good tutorial, so I tried it.