Books I Read, Part II

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-- For those unfamiliar with the Books I Read feature on my blog, a little explanation: at the end of every year, Christian likes to look back on his reading material and write a post sharing his thoughts {which do not necessarily amount to a review, per se}. I love having him contribute to the blog, and I hope you enjoy! --

Whatup Nerds?! I can’t imagine the morbid curiosity that brought you back to read the second half of this post. Perhaps it is something psychological from your childhood and this is a cry for help. Maybe you have finally reached rock bottom and reading this post will help you resolve to turn your life around. If so, I am glad I could play a small part. In the meantime, do your best to enjoy the rest of the books I read in 2012.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbaugh – Typically when I read about baseball, it is non-fiction (virtually the only non-fiction I read). This was a great debut novel by Harbaugh about a college shortstop who loses the ability to throw to first base (by the by, this has actually happened to major league players). The book, though centered on the sport, is about much more than baseball and really focuses on the characters. That is what separates this novel from other novels about baseball.

Room by Emma Donoghue – Mary made me read this book (like she physically forced me to read it, honest). It was sad and depressing and frustrating and unpleasant. I do not like this book and I do not recommend it. Perhaps Mary can write a rebuttal about why it isn’t awful.

Oil! by Upton Sinclair – This was the basis for the movie There Will Be Blood, or at least the first third was. They differ wildly after that point. I still enjoyed the book for the parts that it deepened my understanding about some scenes in the movie. Not that you need to read this book to enjoy the movie, I just like the film so much that anything to add to my appreciation is welcome. You, on the other hand, might find the book and the movie dull. It isn’t for everyone.

The Playbook by Barney Stinson – Learn to score with chicks by using these plays designed for skill level amateur all the way to elite.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan – 2011’s Pulitzer Prize winner is a novel that is as original as I have read in some time. No one character can be considered the main character and each chapter moves to a different point of view at a different time period. I promise it is not as confusing as I made it sound. It is a fresh, innovative novel that is worthy of all the accolades.

Architecture for Dummies by Debrah K. Dietsch – I think architecture is very interesting and wanted to know more about the technical side of the work. This book was the complete wrong way to do it. Sooooooo so so so boring and not nearly enough illustrations for me to visualize the structures being described. This book was awful, awful, awful.

The Robert Langdon Trilogy by Dan Brown – I had read these three books before, but Mary and I read them together because I thought they would be an easy set of books to read together. Short chapters, fast paced, and lots of interesting facts (some would argue my use of that word). While we did enjoy reading through them, my thoughts the second time through were that these books were really, really dumb. Bad writing. And I should know a thing or two about bad writing.

Live from New York by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller – I really enjoyed the book. It is purely told through interviews with cast members, hosts, producers, and several other people who have been involved with SNL from its creation through the present (the book was released in 2003). Nothing earth shattering, but it had a lot of good information as told by the people who were/are there.

And there you have it. While typing this post out I have come to realize how poor of a writer I am. I feel like maybe I am a light version of Kilgore Trout (Vonnegut reference!). Maybe I have some good ideas but I do not know how to write. Mary writes very well. Perhaps in the future I can give Mary my rough ideas of how I felt about the books and have her fill in the gaps with the adjectives and turns of phrase that make her writing so enjoyable. See you when the fighting stops.

Click here to read Part I of this post, and click here to follow Christian on Twitter.