Well, folks, it's that time of the year, and while I offer apologies to those who do not celebrate this time of the year, I'm really interested in what books people got for x-mas and the assorted holidays.
I got my share of gift cards, which made this x-mas a definitely more focused one.
Let's see:
- The God Delusion--Richard Dawkins. As a long-time atheist, I'm getting really into this. I've read a few of the staples of atheist thought (Why I am Not a Christian, by Bertrand Russell, for example), and this one comes across as startlingly clear and easy to read. Dawkins can be a funny guy, too.
- How We are Hungry--Dave Eggers. Short stories. Haven't read any of it besides "What It Means When a Crowd in a Faraway Nation Takes a Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him from His Vehicle and Then Mutilates Him in the Dust." Which was really well done and powerful. His other work, "A Heart-breaking Work of Staggering Genius" and "You Shall Know Our Velocity" are also awesome and sit proudly on the bookshelves.
- Cross-dress for Success--Miss Vera. Yeah, the transgender comes through even through the lit-geek exterior. Only have pawed through it, but it seems like it's filled with tips and stuff that I'd, you know, like an opportunity to try some day. Reading it actually made me cry a little because I realized how far I was from being able to really dress up right. That and the dying mother on TV. You know, neither really helped.
- I am Secretly an Important Man--Steven Jesse Bernstein. Okay, I'm cheating on this one, I got it for my birthday a few months ago, but it's awesome. Mr. Bernstein is one of the first poets that I really got into, and this is a book of his short stories. He is most famous for his spoken-word collage album "Prison," which came out on Sub-Pop in the early 90s. Awesome stuff. Just Google the man, and you shall be rewarded with rough, very vivid poetry and stories.
I have a ~15 dollar gift card left. I was thinking some Nietzsche (I have a lot of his stuff already), or maybe some Schopenhauer, or Burkowski. It's to Borders, so I'll just have to poke around one day to see what catches my eye. Any recommendations? Maybe a movie or music?
