FOT SUMMER READING CHALLENGE

[Greggulator]

Currently reading "Tokyo Vice" by Jake Adlestein.

Jake was an American reporter who ended up covering crime for the major newspaper in Japan. This might sound semi-interesting on paper (really interesting to a journalist) but it is SORDID. This guy has absolutely no filter and talks at length about having sex with a speed-addicted stripper who was at one point the girlfriend of a Yakuza-related illegal animal importer and gives a Dante's Inferno-esque tour of Tokyo's horrifying, bizarre sex-trade underworld.

When I mean this guy has no filter, I mean he has NO FILTER. He openly talks about getting hj's at some parlor. He also, at one point, becomes an "escort" which are these weird bars where women will go and pay for companionship with the man of their choice -- it's a non-sexual thing but it's still really creepy to an outsider. Then there are all these graphic descriptions of the horrors of Japanese porn and role-playing strip clubs. And he also talks about sex with his wife in sordid detail.

I am not a fan of any sort of smut whatsoever. But for some reason this book is completely riveting. I think it's because 1) It's a great fish-out-of-water story and 2) I'm a reporter and can understand the morality play that becomes his career, even though I've never had to do anything even remotely close to him. I'm pretty sure anyone would be really interested in this book, though.

[~L]

I have just finished book 4: A Feast for Crows.  Starting Whoopi Goldberg's "Is it just me? Or is it nuts out there?" and some W.S. Merwin poetry, until I find copy of A Dance with Dragons, (I'm third on the list for my town library's sole copy.)

[JonFromMaplewood]

I have just finished book 4: A Feast for Crows.  Starting Whoopi Goldberg's "Is it just me? Or is it nuts out there?" and some W.S. Merwin poetry, until I find copy of A Dance with Dragons, (I'm third on the list for my town library's sole copy.)

Penn Books, aka the Penn Station book store (the smaller of the two downstairs) has a copy.

[Alex_from_the_woods]

Just finished "Wake Up, Sir" by Jonathan Ames. Made me laugh out loud. A lot. My wife was giving me funny looks. The story is told by a spiraling-down-the-drain Alcoholic has-been writer who has slipped into his own private Bertie Wooster world delusion. Complete with a butler named Jeeves. It's a tragic story told hilariously. I always loved the Wodehouse books and Ames can slip into that style of description and dialog seamlessly.

[B_Buster]

- Any quality book I can find about the history of Israel and Palestine that is not Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem"

Have you read Arab and Jew by David K. Shipler, Jon? I can recommend that one.

[Ojingeo]

- Any quality book I can find about the history of Israel and Palestine that is not Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem"

Have you read Arab and Jew by David K. Shipler, Jon? I can recommend that one.

I'm reading 1948 by Benny Morris and it is pretty solid. But obviously only a history up to and including the 1948 war. Seems "objective;" as in not overtly politically-skewed. As a Jew (and as a sentient being in general) I am certainly learning lots of things nobody ever told me in Saturday school. Especially about early Zionism and such.

[~L]

Well, that Whoopi Goldberg book was unreadable, so back to the library it went...  I started Spin, a Sci-fi Trilogy, has anyone here read it?  I am not sure about it, either.  I may be experiencing a summer reading slump.

[Greggulator]

I finished John Sellers' "Perfect From Now On" a few weeks back based on a Kindle recommendation. It was pretty meh. It's about a guys journey into becoming an indie rock afficianado. The journey's pretty pedestrian -- he developed some good taste in high school, he met people with better taste in college, he discovered NME and then somehow wrote a book about this. There's a few funny lines/stories in there but it's not anything too earth-shattering. The best part is when he goes to Bob Pollard's house in Dayton and then gets shat on by the GBV online community afterwards. I would have made that the whole crux of the book as opposed to "I remember the first time I bought a u2 cassette."

Rereading Moneyball right now in order to prep myself for that strange, bizarre looking movie. I'm about halfway done. The book's so completely full-of-shit in retrospect. Billy Beane did a great job but Michael Lewis forgot to write the chapter called, "I Lucked Into Having Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder In Their Primes" that really explains how he won all of those games. It's definitely interesting to see behind-the-scenes of a major league baseball team.

[Chrissy in MN]

Can anyone recommend a good music or comedian biography? The artist doesn't really matter--I'll read almost anything.  I have 2 weeks of vacation left and am looking for a good, interesting read.  Thanks!

[~L]

I have just started on the last book on my summer reading list.  My goal is to finish A Dance with Dragons by Sept. 7th when it's due back at the library.
Hope your summer of reading is well!

[Greggulator]

Can anyone recommend a good music or comedian biography? The artist doesn't really matter--I'll read almost anything.  I have 2 weeks of vacation left and am looking for a good, interesting read.  Thanks!

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

[buffcoat]

Can anyone recommend a good music or comedian biography? The artist doesn't really matter--I'll read almost anything.  I have 2 weeks of vacation left and am looking for a good, interesting read.  Thanks!

Actor and sports star, respectively, but members of my entourage really liked Rob Lowe's and Andre Agassi's autobiographies.

[Chrissy in MN]

Thanks for the suggestions!  I picked up Patton Oswalt's Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, Steve Martin's Born Standing Up, Rob Lowe's Stories I Tell My Friends, and Bob Mould's See A Little Light. These should keep me busy until it's time to go back to work.  I welcome more suggestions as well.  Thanks again for the help!

[gravy boat]

Just Kids-- Patti Smith. 

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

- Any quality book I can find about the history of Israel and Palestine that is not Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem"

Have you read Arab and Jew by David K. Shipler, Jon? I can recommend that one.

I'm reading 1948 by Benny Morris and it is pretty solid. But obviously only a history up to and including the 1948 war. Seems "objective;" as in not overtly politically-skewed. As a Jew (and as a sentient being in general) I am certainly learning lots of things nobody ever told me in Saturday school. Especially about early Zionism and such.

There's also the Robert Fisk one, The Great War for Civilization, which I just snagged from someone's stoop along with Miles' Davis autobiography.