The Other Half Of My Half Year In Print

After I finished the last post I honestly thought there were 3 or possibly 4 books I hadn't written about yet, as it turns out I was wrong by about half, after gathering the books from beside my bed and between the chairs in the library I came up with a grand total of 8 that I had finished. Add to that the 2 short story collections that I am working my way through (Ray Bradbury and Issac Asimov if you'd like to know) and I figure I am way ahead of my goal. OK enough gloating, on with the reviews!


13. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Classics really should be read by more than high school students and Oprah fans. How one would manage to tell a cohesive story using 15 different narrators is beyond me. Each voice is distinct and believable. Yet another author I am looking forward to revisiting.

14. The Creative License by Danny Gregory
Last year I read a book about journaling as a sort of creative manifesto, Amazon thought that I would like this too. Turns out, Amazon is pretty smart. Check out Danny's site for a taste of whats in the book.

15. Watching Baseball Smarter by Zach Hample
As a kid I got in a lot of fights, I was smart enough to be different, but too dumb to keep my mouth shut about it. It always seemed to be jocks that I was getting into tussles with. With that in mind I decided to shun all things sports related. I now realize that mindset is sort of like blaming christianity every time a youth pastor gropes one of his (or her, not trying to be sexist here) young wards. Sports in and of themselves aren't evil, and some can even be fun. Believe it or not this was a revelation to me. Seeing as how I spent the period of my childhood in which most guys learn how all these games work, with my nose buried in a book instead, I am way behind the curve. Being the geek that I am, I of course turn to books to help remedy the situation. I still have no interest in football though. Or basketball.

16. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Lovely and sweet, Steve displays an understanding for human frailties and the city of Los Angeles that you wouldn't believe if you only know him from movies. Especially his more recent ones.

17. Dancing Barefoot18. Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton
Don't be put off by the whole "Star Trek" thing or the whole "child actor" thing. Wil's writing is smart, funny and endearing. If you read blogs at all, you really should read his, he has a great grasp on the personal narrative structure.

19. On Writing by Stephen King
Have I mentioned that he's one of my favorite scribblers? Part memoir, part writing guide, so if you dig either writing or massively tall novelists this book is for you.

20. Neuromancer by William Gibson
"Hey! You got philosophy in my sci-fi!"
"Hey! You got sci-fi in my philosophy!"
Also, as far as I can tell, this is the birthplace of The Matrix. That, coupled with the fact that Gibson turned in one of my favorite X-Files episodes (Kill Switch) means that I probably should have started reading his works years ago. Oh well, I'll work on that.

Upcoming Books:
From Russia With Love
Lisey's Story
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Anansi Boys
??????????????

Given the fact that at this point I've already ready nearly my expected quota for the year I think I'll up my goal to a book a week on average. Here's to hoping!

Seriously, keep coming back, I'm only going to get better.