Sickboy's Literary Lollapalooza, December 2010

Let’s go ahead and finish the year. And maybe I’ll be better about posting consistently this year. I make no promises, though. An “*” denotes a Pulitzer Winner, as I continue to work my way through the list. I give you Literary Lollapalooza, December 2010 edition…

BOOKS ACQUIRED DECEMBER 2010

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar, Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein

Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates, Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein

Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King

Life, Keith Richards

Earth, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Middlesex*, Jeffrey Eugenides

American Pastoral*, Philip Roth

The Pirate Hunter, Richard Zacks

Holidays on Ice, David Sedaris

BOOKS READ DECEMBER 2010

At Home: A Short History of Private Life, Bill Bryson: It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Bill Bryson. A Walk in the Woods is one of my favorite books, and his self-deprecation and conversational tone make his books very funny and they’re always a pleasurable read. Bryson departed from his usual travel books a few years ago with A Short History of Nearly Everything, and followed that with The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, a wonderfully humorous memoir of his childhood. Continuing his streak of non-travel writing, Bryson decides to stay home for this book. He stays on the English countryside and takes us on a tour of the house in which he and his wife reside, giving us a history of the homes we live in, in the process. From construction materials to how the rooms came to be as we know them now, At Home is a fascinating read about the history of not just our homes, but civilization as we know it. I had the pleasure of learning about rats, sewage, the violence of the early spice trade, guano, bedbugs, and ridiculously elaborate houses. Bryson puts it best in the introduction: “Houses aren’t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.” You’ll see your living space in a completely new light after reading this book.

Say You’re One Of Them, Uwem Akpan: Written by an African Jesuit Priest, Say You’re One of Them is another stunning debut collection of stories. This is the second book in recent memory that I’ve picked up bearing the Oprah’s Book Club sticker (the first was The Story of Edgar Sawtelle; a brilliant book), and I’m always slightly ashamed when I purchase them. I feel like I’m conforming or, worse yet, showing too much of a feminine side by purchasing a book with Oprah’s seal of approval. Well, I think I’ll purchase them with pride from here on out, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both of them. Oprah and her people may just know what they’re talking about. Akpan’s debut book is basically two novellas and three short stories of varied lengths, all told from the points of view of children in war- and conflict- torn areas of Africa. We have the story of a Christmas day told by the brother of a teenage prostitute, the story of a boy and his sister sold into slavery by their uncle, the story of a little girl and her best friend (of a different religion) who are told not to speak to each other anymore, a sixteen year old Muslim boy traveling south to his father’s place of birth after riots break out in his city and the dangers of his journey, and the heartbreaking story of a child who watches as her father is forced to kill her mother. Vividly told, incredibly gritty, Akpan’s voice as an author is not to be missed as he shows us the horrors of life in certain areas of Africa. It is impossible (in my opinion) to read this book and not want to do something. I anxiously await another offering from Akpan.

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes, Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein: This was not quite the book I was expecting. Written by two Philosophy Majors from Harvard, the book does include jokes, and it serves as a nice introduction to philosophy. The jokes demonstrate the ideals behind different philosophical movements throughout history and Cathcart and Klein give a short crash course on each line of thought. It’s a quick, really easy read, and some of the jokes did make me laugh out loud, while others did nothing more than bring a smile, and some got no reaction from me at all. If you’re looking for something to kill on a plane or during an evening by yourself, this book isn’t a bad choice. Unless, of course, you have no interest in philosophy. In which case, maybe you shouldn’t bother…

Have a great first month of 2011! I promise I’ll try to be more consistent with posting this year. (Keep in mind, the key word there is “try.”)