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Wow. I know it happened yesterday, but I was completely unaware. I recently re-read his "Farenheit 451" and found it even more gripping than I did in High School. He had a style that surpassed many fiction and sc-fi writers. While 451 was similar in plot to Huxleys "Brave New World" and Orwells "1984" I think the key in making it so poignant was the role reversal of firefighters. This captured my imagination and set my teeth on edge.
We could be friends I think... That's exactly what I'm doing, although I'm taking a breif aside to read "Goodbye to a River". Some of the best writing I've ever come across in that book. Highly highly recommend it. Maybe I'll pick up a copy of Frankenstein after I'm done.
I highly reccomend Thoreau if you havne't read it much. "Civil Disobedience" and "Walden" are two great examples of American trancendentalism. Naturally it also opens you up to likes of Emerson, Whitman, and Longfellow. Some of my personal favorites as well.
After "Frankenstein" I'm off to "The Count of Monte Cristo" I've read all 3 "three musketeers" installments, but have somehow skipped this and "The Man in the Iron Mask." (I suggest ignoring the third Musketeers book, "The Vicomte de Bragelonne" it lacks Dumas' usual luster).
I highly reccomend Thoreau if you havne't read it much. "Civil Disobedience" and "Walden" are two great examples of American trancendentalism. Naturally it also opens you up to likes of Emerson, Whitman, and Longfellow. Some of my personal favorites as well.
After "Frankenstein" I'm off to "The Count of Monte Cristo" I've read all 3 "three musketeers" installments, but have somehow skipped this and "The Man in the Iron Mask." (I suggest ignoring the third Musketeers book, "The Vicomte de Bragelonne" it lacks Dumas' usual luster).
I've read plenty of Transcendentalism actually. Those guys were my inspiration to do a month long solo back-packing trip in Arizona this past December. I was sure I was going to move onto the streets and bum for the rest of my life. Still might, but I'll probably do it Kerouac style.
Anyways, if you don't know the story of "Monte Cristo" I say read it, but if you've seen the movie or know the general plotline I wouldn't spend the time. Maybe I'm just daft, but I'm half-way through it and I can honestly say that was a large reason why I started reading "Good-bye to a River." Just didn't capture me. It has a lot of French history in it which (I'm guessing) is quite accurate, but the story just doesn't hold me. Sad, I know. I'll finish it, but it won't be the best book I've ever read. I might jump into the Musketeers actually. I've been wanting to dig into Moby dick for a while now so that may be next too. I'd also like to read Frankenstein again. So many books so little time.
Right on with Kerouac. "Dharma Bums" is in my top ten. No way you can't love the Zen Lunatics.
I've managed to avoid almost all movies based on Dumas novels. While I'm familiar with the basic plot line I still think it's worth the read. Dumas is rich in French history in almost all his novels, it's the french phrases that drive me nuts though. Back when I read them in the early 90's the internet wasn't what it is today so there was no way but a french english dictionary to translate some of the phrases and understand what the hell was going on.
Awesome with your backpacking trip in Arizona. I assume you've read Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"? While a bit....heavy in the western philosophy at times the cross country pilgramage on a motorcycle and the way it was done just struck me as an almost perfect mix of Thoreau's "A week on the Rivers Condcord and Merrimack" and Kerouac's "On the Road"
I think you were right, we could certainly be friends. As long as you're not smarter than me, taller than me, better looking than me, or a better rider than me. (I won't mention how easy all those are to accomplish.)
"Dharma Bums" is great (mostly because of the name) but I gotta say I'm partial to Big Sur. Too many parallels for me to not appreciates it's connection to my life. Good stuff.
Yeah, I surprisingly enjoy the History caveats Dumas takes us down. I've never been up on the Napoleonic wars so it's helped me garner a better understanding of France at that time. Plus it's pushed me to sift through the 10,000+ word Wikipedia article on Napoleon, so I guess theres some benefit to it. I think the reason I am so let down was that I expected more. It's a good book, but in my eyes it's not a great book. The writing is just not on par for what I expect from a timeless classic. Maybe I'm just a snob, but like you say "Deny until there's proof then beg for forgiveness".
I haven't read any of Pirsig actually, but I'm about to order that book off Amazon. I mean holy shit that guy is writing for ME! Haha. But seriously sounds right up my alley. Thanks for turning me on to it. By the way, what sparked your interest in books?
Haha good stuff. No worries on the taller and better rider bit, but I sure am pretty...
I grew up a dirt poor farm boy. Nothing but local channels during the "everyone with an opinion has their own talk show" era. Sally, Jeraldo, Rikki, Springer. Realizing this was human depravity at its lowest moor, I had to turn away, but I still had a ton of hours left in the day to fill after farm work. Books from the school library were accesible and free. Hence a reader was born. After that it's been downhill ever since. I'll read just about anything (save Harlequin) Fiction, Sci-Fi, history, science, physics, religious (mostly buddhism) non-fiction. I made the choice to grind through the classics a few years ago. Some have been better than others.
The problem is, no one can give a comprehensive list of "the classics" Which is alright by me for the most part, but I still look for a standard list of the 100 books you should read. There are few perfect lists but I find a lot of different books that I hadn't considered reading through some of them, so it's a win I guess.
Wel spoken brother. I'm of a similar emotion. My perception of television has degraded beyond anything recoverable. I pretty pretend like it doesn't exist. Granted, there are good shows out there I'm sure, I just can't stand channels like "TruTV" blathering about reality when 99.99% of the people producing and watching that stuff can't even define reality as per an logical system of thought. I'm ranting, but I mean to say I agree. I like books and I like all kinds of books. Talk to me more about buddhism. I've actually wanted to get into some literature about that. Is Buddhism a religion or just s school of thought? I've heard different things from multiple parties.
As far as a comprehensive list, I go by this one. It's imperfect and doesn't cover everything but when I, like you, chose to go through the classics this is the list I chose. I take detours frequently but if I need something to go off of, that list usually works well. The whole website is great actually. I'd encourage you to browse a bit. Some great articles can be found there. My love for the site is partially what influenced my decision to use their book list actually.
I've read from that booklist before. Got a few good suggestions from it. That's great.
I feel you about "reality tv" It continues to demoralize and denies social reproof to the most abombinal acts. If someone like "Snooki" can be famous for being a twat....well, Harpo Marx said it best when he said "I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member."
About Buddhism that is a completely different topic. BASICALLY, it's not a religion. There are no gods, no pantheon, and no one way to practice. It's been dubbed "the atheists religion". I would go more into depth but I've got my bike in pieces downstairs and I'm gonna get back to it.
BTW read anything by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, it's all terribly interesting even if you leave Buddhism out of it.
I'm uploading photos now to start my "bolt on" thread.
Frankenstein is up next. I'm currently on Tom Robbins, "Another Roadside Attraction" Robbins is good. Has a nice quirky style. I suggest "Invalids in Hot Climates."
I'll edit with a link to my thread when I get it finished.
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