The Second Ten

It's been well documented around these parts how I made it a goal to read ten books this year. Well, that goal was achieved three months ago, and being someone to never rest on my laurels (whatever those are) I decided to keep on reading. Here's a list and quick review of books 11-20 of 2008:

The Good Guy, Dean Koontz-The sixth Koontz book I've read, and while they're all entertaining, they're also beginning to read the same. This story (like many Koontz novels) centers around an average guy being put in a situation to be a hero and save an innocent civilian, in this case, a young lady who is the target of a murder-for-hire. Intense and exciting, yet predictable with an ending I think I've read before. ***

Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk-I know it's a cult classic, along with the movie, but I just didn't get into it too much. It's a very interesting read if nothing else, but when that's the best you can say about a book, it may be better to rent the movie and save yourself some time. **

Under The Banner Of Heaven, John Krakauer-An amazing story about the history of the Mormon religion. The book mostly focuses on the Fundamentalist Mormon Church, the extreme branch of the religion that condones polygamy, and whose followers claim to receive revelations directly from God to marry multiple wives, and do other fun things like, you know, kill people who disagree with them. *****

The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini-A great read that centers around fictitious boyhood friends who get torn apart by the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, and it's consequences that reach all the way to the present day.****

IV: A Decade Of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas, & Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs Chuck Klosterman-Both greats reads, but so similar that I put them together on the list. IV is a collection of Klosterman's best/favorite articles from the various editorials he contributes to, while SD&CCP's is all original thought about various topics that only Klosterman cares about, yet is extremely entertaining.****

Hero Of The Underground, Jason Peter-The much-hyped book from the former Nebraska Cornhusker and Carolina Panther DE Jason Peter. It's definitely an eye-opener and quite honestly amazing that Peter didn't kill himself through all the abuse he put himself through after leaving Nebraska. Would have been a better read, though, if Peter didn't write like a seventh-grader who's mad at the world. I say that because, when there's three swear words per line, it becomes difficult to take the author seriously after about ten pages. Just sayin. Even still, it's entertaining and many times shocking.***

The Shack, William Young-The uber-popular Christian fiction book did not disappoint me. It's a story of a heartbroken father, Mack, who travels into the mountains of Northwest America to discover God, and how He (or She?) still loves Mack and is there for him, even when he doesn't see God.****

Can I Keep My Jersey?, Paul Shirley-Shirley, a pro-basketball journeyman, writes about his experiences traveling the world trying to stick with a team for any sort of significant time. It is a great look at the unseen side of pro basketball, and Shirley does a great job of making fun of himself and his situation as he finds himself in multiple unenviable situations as a pro athlete.****

Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell-Easily the best book of this second group, the story is a first-hand account of Luttrell, a Navy SEAL who survived a gruesome attack from the Taliban in the hills of Afghanistan three years ago. It gives great insight to what it takes to be a SEAL (note: I a'int got 'it,' and you probably don't either) and what our troops experience as they battle for freedom abroad. Highest of high recommendations.*****

Also, if anyone is a Dallas Cowboys fan, or even just a fan of the NFL, I suggest pre-ordering Jeff Pearlman's Boys Will Be Boys. It comes out on Sept 16, and I can't wait to get on this one. I'm gonna go ahead and say that it will be the best thing anyone has ever written about anything. So there.

Done, Done, On To The Next One

As of approximately one hour ago, with the completion of No Country For Old Men, I accomplished my goal of reading ten books by the end of 2008. Thanks to everyone who recommended books for me to read, and to Kayla for allowing me to hole myself up in our room for hours at a time when I felt more like reading than watching Dancing With The Stars. Hugs and Kisses all around.

For those who care, here's the list of the ten I've read so far, with a ranking of one star (not great) to five stars (highest recommendation). Of course, feel free to recommend more to me, my mind is an open book. That was really lame. Read on, readers, read on...


1)Forever Odd, Dean Koontz-Second in the Odd Thomas trilogy. A good book, but the ceiling is lowered considerably when the story is based on a twenty-year old fry cook that sees ghosts.**



2) False Memory, Dean Koontz- The fifth Koontz book I've read so far, and one of the best. A psychological thriller, this one was gosh-awful long but very very entertaining.****


3) Con Ed, Matthew Klein- Witty, sarcastic novel about an over-the-hill con man who thinks he has one more great con in him. Blunders and hilarity ensue.***



4)21:Bringing Down the House, Ben Mezerich- Faaantastic book. As many of you know, a movie has been made based-very loosely-on the book. Mezerich interviews the actual people that were involved with the MIT blackjack team, and so the book is predictably more accurate and entertaining than the movie.*****


5) Ugly Americans, Ben Mezerich-Another great Mezerich book based on true events. This time Mezerich goes around the world to interview the young American businessmen who made fortunes trading in the Asian markets.***


6)Rammer Jammer Yellowhammer, Warren St John-Reccommended by Justin Scott, this book delves into the rabid fandome of the SEC, focusing on the authors personal obsession with the University of Alabama, and the 2000 football season.****


7) The Final Shot, Darcy Frey-A documentary of Coney Island's Lincoln High Schools 1991-1992 basketball season. In a neat twist of fate, one of the stories main characters is Stephon Marbury, then an up and coming freshman who started on the varsity.****


8) The Blind Side, Michael Lewis-Another fantastic rec from J Scott. This book parallels the
importance of the left takle position in football and the bizzarre upbringing and subsequent recruiting of Michael Oher. It's particularly relavent since the main character is still in college and has a shot at being drafted next April.*****



9) The Bad Guys Won, Jeff Pearlman-An awesome account of the antics of the 1986 World Series Champion, New York Mets. The '86 Mets were an end of an era squad and Pearlman does a great job of chronicling their bad behavior and performance both on and off the diamond.****


10) No Country For Old Men, Cormac McCarthy-Creeeeepy book, couldn't put it down. As great as it was, I'm gonna have to finally watch the movie so I can hopefully tie up the loose ends that I may have missed while reading.****



That's the list, folks. Again, feel free to recommend more, I'm all ears.

-Twig

I'm Keith Hernandez!

While waiting to talk to Real World Hero's, My Current Reading...

-Twig