currently reading:
- Shopping For Porcupine: a Life in Arctic Alaska :: Seth Kantner {2008}
- The Monsters of Templeton :: Lauren Groff {2008}
- Raven’s Light :: Marianne Schlegelmilch {2008}
books i’ve read:
2008
- Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling :: David Wolman {2008} A new telling of the history of English spelling mores; well-written, but a tad overly progressive for me… I still highly recommend it ****
- Serendipity Books: Snaffles, Trapper, Creole, Serendipity, Raz-Ma-Taz, Memily, Flutterby, Gabby, Kartusch, Butterwings :: Stephen Cosgrove & Robin James {1974-2003} moral stories mostly from the 70’s & 80’s *****
- Pizza: a Global History :: Carol Helstosky {2008} somewhat fascinating; examples (styles, chains, regional toppings) tend to be redundant and fail to convey ‘variety’ ***
- Steel Magnolias :: Robert Harding {1988} awesome play; the movie follows it pretty well, but the play is set at Truvy’s entirely; I highly recommend this tear-jerker *****
- Why We Buy :: Paco Underhill {2000} interesting look at the science of shopping; the author doesn’t understand the book business at all though ***
- The Book of Liz :: Amy Sedaris & David Sedaris {2002} a ridiculous, but sweet play about a woman who has had it with being disregarded; sometimes, you’ve got to dress like a peanut to feel human again *****
- In the Wake of the Plague: the Black Death & the World It Made :: Norman F. Cantor {2001} a look at thirteenth and fourteenth century English life as affected by the Black Death ***
- Fahrenheit 451 :: Ray Bradbury {1953} quite a frightening view of a not-so-impossible future; brilliantly written by an amazing author — if you weren’t already assigned this in school or read it as part of a book group or as part of The Big Read, you really should pick it up… and then see Truffaut’s movie, which I thought was excellent as well ****
- Unmasked: Erotic Tales of Gay Superheroes :: editor, Eric Summers {2007} exactly what it sounds like; not as smutty as others and well written (compared to those others); a much needed addition to my shelf of books I’ll reread *****
- The Wisdom Of Donkeys :: Andy Merrifield {2008} taking a journey with a borrowed donkey, Gribouille, Merrifield loses himself in thoughts from his life, literary donkey references, and things this donkey is teaching him about life; what I got from it: experience each moment (they are all valuable) and don’t be afraid to daydream ****
- Pobby & Dingan :: Ben Rice {2000} Kellyanne’s two imaginary friends change the lives of the people in a small Australian mining town; I cry uncontrollably after reading this… every time ****
- A Really Nice Prom Mess :: Brian Sloan {2005} a story about a night that changes everything for a closeted high school gay couple; sweet and honest (but perhaps trying to be too current), it is a good time… plus, there is a deaf stripper running from the cops in glitter panties ****
- The Pirates! In An Adventure With Communists :: Gideon Defoe {2006} third novel about the Pirate Captain and his crew; the introspective installment of the series *****
- The Tale of Despereaux :: Kate DiCamillo {2003} children’s novel about a tiny mouse, a bowl of soup, and a rat’s search for light; classic *****
- Prince Caspian :: C.S. Lewis {1951} second published Narnia book, classic continuation of the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund, & Lucy *****
- if on a winter’s night a traveler :: Italo Calvino {1979} a story about a pair of readers and their search for the end of the story; almost too much story to keep up with ***
- Bikeman :: Thomas F. Flynn {2008} epic poem by a journalist who was caught in the chaos of September 11 in New York; beautifully written and moving ****
- Sassafrass :: Ntozake Shange {1976} poetic story of a woman who leaves her husband and moves in with her sister; the writing style made this one great (ie “cd”=”could,” “n”=”and”) ****
- Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats :: T.S. Eliot {1939} the poems that would one day become the musical Cats; so much fun ****
- The Boomer :: Marty Asher {2000} stylized novel about an All-American man; includes great 50’s-esque illustrations ****
- Brokeback Mountain :: Annie Proulx {1997} heartbreaking/heartwarming tale of two men who fall in love with each other; almost essential reading for gay men *****
- Caesar: the Life Story of a Panda-Leopard :: Patrick O’Brian {1930} graphic tale of a fearsome animal and the man who tamed it ****
- Dandelion :: Amy S. Wilensky {2000} “a weed is but an unloved flower;” this books is full of things you can do with one of my favorite plants ****
- Alaska: the Last Frontier :: Serge Lacomte {1992} nice poetry book about life in Alaska ****
- The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe :: C.S. Lewis {1950} quintessential story for kids; must-read for every child *****
- Still Life Moves :: Jeff Martin {2003} great poetry collection by a friend and former coworker of mine; makes me feel small when I read it, but in a wonderful way *****
- Brotherhood :: Guy Edenbridge {2001} unbelievably dirty book; I couldn’t stop myself from reading the whole thing, filthy as it was **
- The Trouble With Poetry :: Billy Collins {2005} former poet laureate of the U.S. has a way with words; this is one of my favorite of his collections ****
- The Book of Three (Chronicles of Prydain) :: Lloyd Alexander {1964} first of two books that were later made into the movie The Black Cauldron; very well written, but with somewhat odd place/character names ****
- A Day for a Lay :: editor, Gavin Geoffrey Dillard {1999} 100 years of gay poetry; some are great, some are not, worth a read ***
- Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies :: June Casagrande {2006} this is a hilarious collection of essays that takes back the English language from the snobs ****
- Mindless Eating :: Brian Wansink {2006} exploring the psychology of why we eat so much ***
- In Defense Of Food :: Michael Pollan {2008} follow up to The Omnivore’s Dilemma; a manifesto of sorts for those who are ready to make better food choices ****
2007
- The World Without Us :: Alan Weisman {2007} an interesting look at what could happen if humans suddenly disappeared from the planet; the book that made me reduce my plastic usage ****
- Holidays On Ice :: David Sedaris {1997} awesome group of Christmas themed stories by one of the easiest to relate to contemporary authors; I try to read this every December *****
- Winkie :: Clifford Chase {2006} beautifully written and haunting tale of a teddy bear who wills himself to life; a bit bizarre, but Clifford Chase makes it so real *****
- The Pirates! In An Adventure with Ahab :: Gideon Defoe {2006) second book in the Pirates! series; the only novel I know of that features a ham as the hero of the story *****
- Brendan Wolf :: Brian Malloy {2007} anti-abortion organization volunteer, caretaker to an older man who’s recently suffered a stroke, boyfriend to a gay activist, & partner in a planned heist with his brother and his brother’s wife; I hope there is a sequel someday ****
- I Remember :: Joe Brainard {1975} nice book by a fellow Tulsan and member of the New York School of Poetry *****
- alpha beta :: John Man {2000} searching for the origins of the modern alphabet; interesting subject, but the text is a bit overly British, if that makes sense ***
- Made In America :: Bill Bryson {1994} fun and easy-to-read story of the history of the English language in America *****
- I Have Chosen To Stay and Fight :: Margaret Cho {2005} Dubya is almost out of here; this book is a sort of odd call to arms for those who don’t often have a voice ***
- Fitness For Dummies :: Suzanne Schlosberg, Liz Neporent {1996} well-written fitness book; good information for getting back into shape ***
- The Mother Tongue :: Bill Bryson {1990} history of the English language; Bryson uses very easy to relate to language that makes his books engaging ****
- Bryson’s Dictionary Of Troublesome Words :: Bill Bryson {2002} a nice dictionary of befuddling words; includes examples of words used incorrectly, many by Bryson himself ****
- Committed :: Dan Mathews {2007}
- My Fine Feathered Friend :: William Grimes {2002} a story about a chicken who makes a home for itself in an urban backyard, stays a while, and then moves on ****
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma :: Michael Pollan {2006} corn — it is all made of corn; a book about the difficulty in finding food as omnivores, even though it should be instinctual; well worth a read, this one will have you reading your labels again; for me, it convinced me that vegetarianism was the right decision for me *****
- Your Disgusting Head :: Haggis-On-Whey {2004} hilarious “storybook” by McSweeny’s ****
- Giraffes? Giraffes! :: Haggis-On-Whey {2004} as it is well-known that giraffes will take over this planet one day, this book offers insight into these fascinating creatures; written by Dave Eggers, I am inspired by the level of creativity required to come up with this one *****
2006
- The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists :: Gideon Defoe {2005} fun with Charles Darwin and the crew of his ship The Beagle; very funny debut of the Pirate Captain, his crew, and their antics *****
????
- Dandelion Wine :: Ray Bradbury {1957}
- The Foreigner :: Meg Castaldo {2001} while housesitting for her uncle in New York, Alex gets mixed up with several shady characters, whose paths keep crossing; very engaging read *****
- The Perks Of Being A Wallflower :: Stephen Chbosky {1999} a beautiful story about high school and feeling infinite; one of my all-time favorites *****
- The Fuck-Up :: Arthur Nersesian {1997} sometimes nothing seems to go right; very well written ****
- Dream Boy :: Jim Grimsley {1995}
- Dreaming: Hard Luck and Good Times In America :: Carolyn See {1995}
- Double Trouble :: Barthe DeClements & Christopher Greimes {1987} a childhood favorite about twins and astral projection *****
- Greek Myths Western Style :: Barbara McBride-Smith {1998} mythology completely rethought by a great storyteller and media specialist from my elementary school ****
- Pure Sunshine :: Brian James {2002} although it is about a couple of acid trips, this novel still manages to be easy to relate to ****
- Tomorrow, Maybe :: Brian James {2003}
- 100 Selected Poems :: E. E. Cummings {1926}
- The Collected Poems Of :: Frank O’Hara {1971} the most important book I own; poetry by the author who changed my life after discovering his works in college *****
- Poems Retrieved :: Frank O’Hara {1996} the previously unpublished works by my all-time favorite author; my favorite O’Hara photo graces the cover of this amazing collection *****
- Words and Rules :: Steven Pinker {1999} very technical book about word origins and grammar; I ate this up ****
- Openly Bob :: Bob Smith {1997}
- My Point… And I Do Have One :: Ellen Degeneres {1995} old Ellen stand-up routines in book form; classic and hilarious ****
- The Kid :: Dan Savage {1999}
- Kirith Kirin :: Jim Grimsley {2000}
- Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit :: Jeanette Winterson {1985}
- Ellen Foster :: Kaye Gibbons {1987}
- This Present Darkness :: Frank E. Peretti {1986}
- Where the Heart Is :: Billie Letts {1995}
- Heidi :: Johanna Spyri {1927}
- Stranger At the Gate :: Mel White {1994}
- Homosexuality: the Secret a Child Dare Not Tell :: Mary Ann Cantwell {1996}
wishlist / to read list:
- The Rhino With Glue-On Shoes :: Lucy Spelman {2008}
- The Pirates! In An Adventure With Napoleon :: Gideon Defoe {2008}
- m or f? :: Lisa Papademetriou and Chris Tebbetts {2005}
- The Art of Racing in the Rain :: Garth Stein {2008}
- The Seducer’s Diary :: Søren Kierkegaard {1843}
- Fear and Trembling :: Søren Kierkegaard {1843}
- Giraffe :: J.M. Ledgard {2006}
- The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana :: Umberto Eco {2004}
- Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You :: Peter Cameron {2008}
- Redwall :: Brian Jacques {1986}
- Tisha :: Robert Specht {1976}
- The Given Day :: Dennis Lehane {2008}
- One More For the Road :: Ray Bradbury {2003}
- Parasites Like Us :: Adam Johnson {2003}
- My Trip Down the Pink Carpet :: Leslie Jordan {2008}
- When You Were Me :: Robert Rodi {2007}
- The Boy In the Striped Pajamas :: John Boyne {2006}
- Ordinary Wolves :: Seth Kantner {2005}