For anyone who happens to be in my Cultural Criticism class, I apoligize. The last thing you probably want to hear right now is the word "canon," but all of this talk has got me thinking. If I were to construct a list of books that are essential Bill reading, what would I include or exclude? So here we go, the condensed reading list that is essential to "Bill B. 101" in no particular order:
On the Road - Jack Kerouac: Quite simply, one of the greatest books written. Go ahead women, roll your eyes. I'm sure most ladies will take exception to some of the more Y-chromosome fueled picks on this list.
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs - Chuck Klosterman: It's hard to pick just one book by this master of pop culture criticism, but I find this one has the most re-readability.
Love Monkey - Kyle Smith: One of the best books written by "guys". This book is hauntingly familiar. Women, read it if you want a peek into the twisted and warped mind of your somewhat average single male.
Hot Water Music - Charles Bukowski: He was just sober enough to be really coherent, and he wasn't yet in that "old man looking back and wanting to be young again" mode that shows up in his later work.
Nine Stories - J.D. Salinger: You can keep Catcher in the Rye I'll take this amazing collection any day. It was tough to pick this over Franny & Zooey, but I decided to pick one and only one book from each author.
Lamb - Christopher Moore: Moore is one of those authors who I put more into the "fun read" category, but this book tells the story of Jesus during those missing years from his teens to late twenties. As re-told by his childhood pal, Biff, whom Jesus sins through vicariously. Also check out Bloodsucking Feinds by Moore, it's another sad casualty of my "one book per author" rule.
Love is a Mix Tape - Rob Sheffield: It's sad, heartfelt, a great story of hipster romance, and it's chock full of references to music that was coming out JUST as I was becoming aware of good music.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami: Murakami is flat-out amazing. He keeps readers turning pages like few others can. Pick up any book by him, really, it's hard to go wrong.
The Shining - Stephen King: Screw you, snob of snobs who mock me for liking Stephen King. Read this book and try not to be amazed. Told you so. Bite me.
Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? - Raymond Carver: Another writer who should have EVERYTHING listed, but if I had to choose one, I have to go with the collection of stories that put him on the map.
A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway: Yeah, I know what all of you are saying. "But Bill, how can you NOT put in The Sun Also Rises? Here's how: I didn't loooooove it when I first read it. Plus, this whole book is full of Hemingway discussing the craft of writing, drinking, and pointing out just how much crazy-ass Zelda fucked up life for poor ol' F. Scott Fitzgerald.
McTeague - Frank Norris: Anyone moving to San Francisco should have to read this book to see what the city has always been about.
Black Dahlia - James Ellroy: I was infatuated with noir fiction for a while in college, and this book is the one that REALLY stuck out to me. All of Ellroy's work is good, but this one haunted me for a long time. Fuck Hollywood for RUINING this book by making a pathetic attempt of a film interpretation.
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut: Do I even need to explain this one? I didn't think so.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey: Kesey's dirty hippiness aside, this book is amazing. Why didn't Kesey write anything after this? It'd be like Beethoven writing the fifth symphony as his first ever piece: it just ain't gonna get any better.
The Hipster Handbook - Robert Lanham: It's about as far from "proper literature" as one can get. But it's HILARIOUS and addictively re-readable.
Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris: I can't read this book in public, I laugh so hard. Read his chapter about "The Rooster" and try not to pee in your pants.
Among the Thugs - Bill Buford: An American journalist examines the dynamics of British soccer hooliganism, and eventually incorporates himself into their scene... but boy does he ever get his comeuppance.
Howl - Allen Ginsberg: It's impossible not to include this. It is, in my opinion, the single most important poem of the last fifty-ish (51 and change, to be precise) years.
AND NOW ON TO A FEW CHOICE COMIC BOOKS....
Batman: The Long Halloween - Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale: This is one of the greatest graphic novels ever written. Just so happens it's also Batman, which doesn't hurt in my book.
100 Bullets - Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso: There are currently 11 collected trade paperback in this series. Read them all. Twice.
Too Much Coffee Man's Parade of Tirade - Shannon Wheeler: I think I've read this at least seven or eight times. It's absurd. It's hilarious. It's what independent comics should be, and it comes with a foreword by Henry Rollins.
Wow.... so there we go. I'm sure there are WAY too many omissions to even think about right now. I've been at this for almost two hours and it's time to attempt sleep. Am I a bastard for not having any female authors? Perhaps. Do I enjoy reading works from women? Hell yes. I just can't think of anything that is waaaay up there off the top of my head. Maybe this is why my former wife didn't stick around. (if you don't know what I'm talking about, ask me elsewhere)
5 comments:
Great list B.
It's so weird to think you're still in classes, although a different level of class than Cal State East Bay.
Yeah, it's odd at times, but I couldn't be happier doing it.
And even though we were only there a year, it will always be Cal State Hayward to me.
Great list, Bill.
I've been meaning to pick up some books recently, since I'm out of reading material now.
I haven't read most of those, so I think I'm now inspired to check some of those out.
I'm inspired as well.
To the bookstore!
Have I told you about my friend Jon Adams? He's a graphic artist with a wry sense of humor. I think you might like his stuff: http://theuniversityofmyopia.com. It comes in book form too!
Post a Comment