I was meme'd by Joey Aszterbaum and I was asked to write a book meme. I called this my "very best" book meme, because it is my first and only book meme. Well, here goes nothing:
The Bible
I don't know that I really need to do a lot of explaining on this one. I finished my first complete reading of the Bible a couple of months ago. I even wrote one of my first blogs about this topic here:
How to Finish the Bible in Two and Half Short Years
Looking at the timing of this post, apparently I immediately took up blogging upon finishing my reading. I hadn't noticed that before!
The Stand by Stephen King
This book had a way of sticking with me long after I read it. I was a big Stephen King fan for awhile, and I think many of his books qualify as actual literature now. As an aside, the miniseries that they made was one of the better book adaptations to come along (seemed faithful to the original text). My wife and I still comment on things from this book, such as "M-O-O-N, that spells book." You have to read it to understand that last sentence. I also finished the "Dark Tower" series, which was a big commitment of time, but worth it in my opinion.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
This is a memoir that I loved! I actually found myself mourning a little bit when I finished it, because I felt like I was living with the author as he told his story. It's about a young man who is mentoring his younger brother following the surprising loss of BOTH parents to cancer within about a month of each other, yet it is very engaging and funny. You will feel like you know this man and his brother. This is highly recommended reading, and it is the type of writing that I aspire to personally. That reminds me - I need to get Eggers' latest book, which came out earlier this year.
Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson
Mr. Johnson is actually a terrific and interesting science writer. This book inspired me to buy all of his books, and I think I still have one more to go. The review on Amazon says it best, as it states that the author tackles "the belief that video games, television shows, and other forms of popular entertainment are detrimental to Americans' cognitive and moral development. Everything Good builds a case to the contrary that is engaging, thorough, and ultimately convincing." Read this to expand your thinking a little bit. It turns out that shows like "24" make us think harder because of their complex, intertwined plots.
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
Miller is a very laid-back and funny Christian author, who shoots from the hip and simply writes what he feels. We bought several copies of this book and gave it out to our friends, both Christian and non-Christian. It is worth taking a look at this one. Engaging, light, and humorous! Give it a shot - it is an easy read, in my opinion.
Harvard Education in a Book by Harvard Lampoon
In a nutshell, if you want to know how my particular sense of humor works, read this book. This is the funniest book that I have EVER read (I think I read it in 1991 or 1992) and my wife and I still make jokes related to this book fifteen years later. One sample when discussing former Presidents: "FDR was a coltish roustabout with a freakishly large and dandified upper body." The last time I checked, this book was a little obscure and hard to find, but it is worth the hunt in my opinion. I even had trouble finding a cover shot, but I found some cheap copies on Amazon.
Well, that seems like a decent list for now. I wanted desperately to copy Joey's Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but I decided to abstain from that. I need to keep some ammo just in case I get meme'd again! I would like to "book meme" the following AR friends:
Paul Slaybaugh
Shannon Lefevre
Ginger Wilcox
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At your service, Jason! I'll give it a shot. I'm a big fan of The Stand, and made it through the majority of the Dark Tower as well. I fell off somewhere along the way as I got tired of waiting 3 years (seemingly) between books. Too difficult to remember what was happening in the series. I'm looking forward to this meme.