Books

[The Duke]

Be sure to check out the novel "Little Children" by Tom Perrotta.

[muthagoose]

Time to revive the thread.

I am reading Wrecking Crew : The Really Bad News Griffith Park Pirates by John Albert.

It is right up Mav Himself's alley...



Summary:
Take the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and change the words "peanuts," "crackerjacks" and "home team" to "sex," "drugs" and "rock and roll," and you're left with a pretty good summary of Albert's debut memoir. Recounting the first seasons of the Griffith Park Pirates, an amateur baseball team made up of denizens from "the Hollywood underclass," Albert, an out-of-work screenwriter and former punk rock drummer and heroin addict, creates an engrossing chronicle of his teammates' search for the American dream. Brutally honest prose is tinged with humor and written in short chapters reminiscent of a punk rock song. While the team of junkies and unemployed musicians and actors find improbable success and happiness on the field, they struggle with their demons off the field. Being on the team affects each player differently: burly catcher Chris gains the confidence to accept himself as a cross-dresser, while the recently clean Dave celebrates with a speedball, to tragic results. But even with the players' penchant for relapses, bizarre behavior and dead-end jobs in the shadows of Hollywood's bright lights, Albert keeps hope alive as these grown, battered men continue to battle and take to the field to play the old ballgame.

[The Duke]

Wow, that sounds like an interesting read! I definitely will have to give it a try. Great review, MoGo!

I have not had too much time for reading as of late, but am freeing up some time now, and look forward to new reads.

[mavhimself]

i haven't read too much either lately but another bizarre sports book is one called "the ballad of the whiskey robber" by a guy named rubenstein ( i think) and it deals with this guy who was a goalie for a hungarian ice hockey team but was a national sensation in hungary because he also robbed banks and was involved in pelt smuggling. its a tale that is so bizarre you couldn't make it up.

mav himself.

[Chick-O-Stick]

I noticed earlier a lot of posts about Chuck Palahnuik, has anyone read "Haunted"? The main story is told by a compilation of short stories and poems, which is a bit of a departure from his usual style. Still, it's very good and very him. Here's a little taste- www.seizureandy.com/stuff/guts.html
Don't read it if you're squeamish or don't like that gritty feeling you get after you read something, well, nasty (let's just face it that most of us do...kinda).

I heard they were going to make another movie out of one of his books..."Diary" maybe? I'd like to see "Invisible Monsters" on the big screen, as long as they don't screw it up that is.

[The Duke]

I've not read much of Palahniuk, but I've always wanted to read Fight Club...I've heard good things about it.

[Üncle Snake]

I have read most of Palahniuk's books, but I have not gotten to Haunted yet. I'm surprised none of his other books have made it to the big screen. I'd love to see Survivor or Invisible Monsters.

[Chick-O-Stick]

If you regularly read Spin magazine, then you already know 31-year-old Chuck Klosterman’s work, and maybe you’ve heard about his newest book, "Killing Yourself to Live" (subtitled “85 % of a True Story”). Maybe you’ve picked up a copy and read the jacket, which describes the book as Klosterman’s journey to the sites of the most famous rock star deaths.

This is misleading.

It’s true that we do follow Klosterman during his more than 6,500-mile adventure, starting from the Chelsea Hotel (where Sid Vicious allegedly killed his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen) and ending at the end-all and be-all of modern dead rock star places — Lake Washington Boulevard in Seattle, where a certain very famous blond man ended his own life and that of a certain very famous grunge band. However, the book is less about dead musicians than Klosterman himself. We learn a lot more about his life, past and present, than we do about all those of the deceased combined.

That doesn’t make the book bad by any means, if anything, it makes it more compelling. I’ve been known to fancy a dead rock star from time to time (some people would say all the time, and maybe they’re right), so I’m a little too familiar with where and how they died already. For me to read a book describing such events would be a waste of time. However, for me to read a book loosely structured around such events and more about a person who is interested in aforementioned events is a different story.

Simply said, this is my kind of book. Chuck Klosterman is a rock journalist, and I love rock and journalism.

“Killing Yourself to Live” is effectively an autobiography of 21 days of Klosterman’s life, and I love autobiographies.

Klosterman drives a rented Taurus during his trip which he affectionately nicknames “the Tauntaun,” and I love “Star Wars.”

Throughout the book, it dawns on us that the title is more than a clever oxymoron to describe dead musicians. Klosterman’s doing it, too. We witness him on drugs more than once, and he neither advocates them nor makes any apologies. He’s in the middle of three very complicated (either that or very simple) relationships with women, which can’t be healthy, but he explains each one.

Klosterman is an exceptional journalist. I related to him on more than one occasion, and he said certain things to describe each one (as writers tend to do). I would say to myself, “I know exactly what he means! It’s like...” and the only thing I could say is what Klosterman said. This is the mark of a great journalist — the reader relates to him, and after hearing him talk about something, said reader can only refer to that thing using the same words as the journalist. It’s a beautiful thing.

The bottom line is this: Any book in which the protagonist finds himself having faux-deep conversations about Pearl Jam and likening all the women in his life to every past member of KISS (and really convincingly, too) is one that I have no trouble recommending to strangers on the street.

So read it you monkeys! Next up on my list by Mr. Klosterman- "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto"

[muthagoose]

Next up on my list to read is "Killing Yourself to Live". Anyone should feel free to borrow it when I am done!

[Chick-O-Stick]

You dudes might enjoy this one- " The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists" by Neil Strauss (author of "The Dirt" w/Motley Crue, "How To Make Love Like A Porn Star" w/Jenna Jameson, and "Don't Try This At Home" w/Dave Navarro)

The look of this book was the first thing that sucked me into going over and picking it up. The cover is black and flexible, the pages are all tipped in gold, and there is a red cloth bookmark in the spine to hold your place...in short it looks like a bible, but a cool one with silhouettes of naked chicks on it (and one dude).

A few chapters into this book, I realized that this wasn't going to be the "tell-all expose" I was anticipating. This is a book written by arguably one of the best seducers to ever come out of the community, and in it, he shares everything. I mean EVERYTHING.

All his teachings, all his tactics, all his theories, all his strategies are all laid bare. Through the course of the book, we start off by seeing Neil go from your Average Frustrated Chump to a full blown Ladies Man, and as he documents his progress, it's as if you're right there learning along with him. This isn't just a story. This is a "how-to guide." A manual on how to pick up women from the best of the best. Forget Cassanova, forget Don Juan, this is stuff that works now, in this day and age, and is applicable to modern women. (You want this book already don't you?) Not only that, but it's all based on the tried and tested techniques of the "seduction community". Neil pretty much lays out every form of teaching out there. He gives you the full Mystery Method, he shows you Speed Seduction, he explains the Juggler Method, Double Your Dating and David X style. Pretty much every major school of thought is laid bare in here, which makes it a great all-encompassing reference manual for guys who want to know what teachings are available to them.

In the book, Neil also shares posts from the private Mystery Lounge message board where some of the greats post their best stuff. This is a good way for the average guy who isn't privileged enough to be part of this private message board to see some of the advanced teachings that are shared there. Then, Neil shows you how he incorporates the best teachings from all his sources and created a system of pick-up that works for him. Another great joy in reading this book is hearing about Neil's fumbles with women before he really graduated to PUG (Pick Up Guru) status. These are often very funny, such as seducing one girl back to her hotel room only to be put off by her horribly stinky feet, or trying to get two twin sisters into bed at once by taking a bath at their place.

Another incredibly entertaining aspect of the book comes when Neil actually BECOMES good, and is forced to deal with certain obstacles. For instance, there's a chapter in the book where Neil goes head-to-head in a "Pick-Up Showdown" with Hollywood Madame Heidi Fliess. It's incredibly entertaining to see Heidi try and cockblock Neil when he's picking up women, and in return see Neil fight back with PUA tactics that keep Heidi from turning out the girls. Then there's another celebrity showdown with actor Andy Dick, where Neil has to keep Andy from stealing his date by whipping out some massive value demonstrations to re-win the attention of his star-struck girl. Of course, this works a little TOO well when Andy Dick, so won over by Neil's tight game, actually propositions him for a little homosex action. (note: Neil politely declined)

Probably the biggest star to appear in the book is non other than Tom Cruise, who requests an interview from Neil after reading his New York Times articles about the "Pick Up Guys." Tom tries to admonish Neil for glamorizing the PUA lifestyle (which he feels responsible for because of his portrayal of Frank TJ Macke in the film Magnolia), but ironically, Neil points out that Tom Cruise isn't much different in personality than the dating gurus he had been following. This is, bar-none, one of the most complete and entertaining guides on the subject of seduction I have ever seen. Alright, it's also the only book I've ever read on the subject but who cares...it rocks, you should read it!

[LotB]

I enjoyed the Motley Crue and Jenna Jameson books that Strauss co-authored. From what you said and some reviews on amazon.com, there seem to be different schools of thought out there about this guy and his friends. It sounds like its worth reading just to decide for myself what it's all about. I probably will read it in the near future. Thanks for the heads-up.

[Chick-O-Stick]

There are some parts of the book that kind of drag, but for the most part it's decent. How much of it is true we will never know, but I figured some guys would find it interesting...and the chicks would too, even if only as a instructional manual on why they shouldn't be an easy target, i.e. a ho.

[The Duke]

I've been meaning to check out the Jenna Jameson book too...honestly, it seems like an interesting read.

[CaticusRex]

I have read some of that Jenna Jameson book. Its interesting if not a tad weird. Never thought I`d be reading about some chicks inner thoughts as she bangs two dudes.

[CaticusRex]

AN interesting book that I am currently checking out is DEAN AND ME. Its a book by Jerry Lewis that tells the tales of him and Dean Martin back when they were thie biggest thing in Hollywood. The book also explains their break up and how long it took them to get back on speaking terms. Its an interesting read for anyone who enjoys stories of old hollywood and what not.

[Stomper]

Christ! That's a hell of a subject matter! Wooooooo!

[muthagoose]

I am currently reading:

Fugitives and Refugees : A Walk in Portland, Oregon



Peep it: www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1400047838/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-8113603-4588736#reader-link

It is a book I bought a while back and never got to. It has been collecting dust so I snagged it off the shelf and want to finish it up.

Summary:
Amazon.com
It's rare to find a travel guide and a memoir joined neatly together in a single, highly readable 176-page volume. But Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Choke, Lullaby) is a writer of rare talent and his home of Portland, Oregon, is a city of rare wonders. In Strangers and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon, Palahniuk goes beyond the AAA handbooks to reveal the places, people, and legends of Portland that have long been known only to locals. The reader learns the location of the legendary Self Cleaning House, where to find the restless ghost of the founder of Powell's Books, and why feral cats are such an important part of Portland baseball. Portland, it seems, is also a highly sexual city and Palahniuk dutifully dissects the specialties of each strip joint as well as discussing Mochika, a zoo penguin with a real fetish for black boots. Along the way, he includes "postcards" from his life in the Rose City dating back to 1981 when, as a 19-year-old, he dropped acid and accidentally ate part of a woman's fur coat during a laser show of Pink Floyd's The Wall. As Palahniuk matures, the postcards reveal the author becoming increasingly a part of the city's scene, culminating with a wild and wooly Millennium Eve celebration at the Bagdad Theater that featured a screening of the film version of Fight Club. Fugitives and Refugees is a must for anyone who may, in their lives, go to Portland. But its appeal should reach beyond Oregonians. Palahniuk's love of the city is so great, and his stories so weirdly wonderful, it makes one want to get out of the house, get in the car, and drive to Portland right away. Just remember to pack the book.

[mavhimself]

thats a good book. it almost makes you want to drive up to portland and visit that stuff. here's one i recommend:

the last night of the yankee dynasty by buster onley

you may recognize onley from his sportscenter gig but he served as the beat writer for the yankees during their run between 96-01. the book gives you the standard profiles of the key players during that run (jeter, clemens, o'neill, rivera, etc.) but does so within the framework of game 7 of the 2001 world series against arizona when the dbacks toppled the evil empire. its a good, quick read that is enjoyable, even for someone like me who hates the yankees.

mav himself.

[LotB]

dastomper said:

Christ! That's a hell of a subject matter! Wooooooo!

Umm... which book are you referring to?

[Üncle Snake]

This is the book I am currently reading and enjoying ...




Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
According to the punchy start of this sprawling, in-depth account of the 2004 Baltimore Ravens' season, you can forget about all the other pretenders to the throne: pro football is (at least in and around cities that have a franchise) America's sport. Furthermore, Feinstein, bestselling author of A Good Walk Spoiled, persuasively argues that pro football is the most dramatic American sport, with its many deeply religious players, limited media access and comparatively low number of games, which are all then accorded life-or-death status. Given excellent access to the Ravens operation, Feinstein is, not surprisingly, very generous with his subjects, painting evenhanded portraits of the players (many of whom, like Jamal Lewis and Deion Sanders, have had plenty of bad press over the years) and even more neutral portrayals of management, especially coach Brian Billick. The runup to the first game of the young franchise's ninth season is so assiduously documented, the season itself is almost an afterthought, though the games are smartly and excitingly rendered. Feinstein wisely avoids the grandiloquent hyperbole often found in sportswriting; there are no references to deities or Greek heroes here. This hefty tome will surely keep football fans happy between games.

From Booklist
Through 16 books in his genre-defining, year-in-the-life style, Feinstein avoided tackling pro football, feeling that the legendary lack of access granted the media by the NFL's powerful owners and general managers made his approach impossible. That changed when fortysomething Steve Bisciotti bought the Baltimore Ravens, and Feinstein was able to convince him, as well as Ravens coach Brian Billick and general manager Ossie Newsome, to do the unthinkable: allow a writer complete access to the team and its management throughout an entire season. The 2004 NFL season looked to be a good one for the Ravens, who had won the Super Bowl in 2001 and seemed primed to return to the top. It didn't turn out that way, which gives Feinstein's account an extra dimension of tension, on top of the fly-on-the-wall fascination of sitting in on coaches' strategy meetings and listening as decisions are made on who to start and who to cut. To most fans, who mainly see football players encased in helmets and pads, it's hard even to project the human side of their lives; Feinstein offers us this opportunity, showing the day-to-day rigors of the marginal player, hoping only to avoid being cut. The specter of injuries, an ominous inevitability in football, gets a human face, too, as the Ravens suffer debilitating blow after blow. Football has never seemed as personal as it does here, in one of Feinstein's most involving books. Best-sellerdom is a foregone conclusion

[mavhimself]

i have that one, gonna read here shortly. here's one that i strongly recommend:

ballad of the whiskey robber by julian rubenstein

this is a story that is so bizarre that if somebody made it up you'd probably have them committed to a mental institution. it's the tale of attila ambrus, a transylvania who escaped communist romania by hiding under a train all the way into hungary. in post-communist hungary, ambrus becomes a third string hockey goalie for the ute hockey club, largely because of his ability to take punishment and play for free. ambrus begins his criminal career by smuggling animal pelts across the romanian border. soon enough, ambrus begins robbing banks, and becomes a national sensation as the whiskey robber (so named because he would stink of liquor while he was holding up banks) befuddling the hungarian police (who are some bizarre characters in and of themselves, the lead detective learned how to be a cop through columbo reruns and another of the cops walked around the police station in a top hat and tails) and endearing himself to the public. rubenstein keeps the story moving along briskly and attlia ambrus is one of the most endearing, funny and sad characters you will ever come across. pick this one up.

mav himself.

[LotB]

I finally did read "The Game," and in the aftermath find that I have conflicting thoughts. Sometime when I don't have work to finish I'll sit down and try to organize them enough to post something.

[mavhimself]

a good, and very funny read is "now i can die in peace" by bill simmons. simmons has been one of my fav writers since bout 2001 and the book is a collection of his red sox columns over the years. again, good stuff, and if you've read simmons before you know what to expect.

also, i just got done reading the chapter on the t.o saga in john feinstein's "next man up" and if i hated t.o. before, how he screwed the ravens made me hate him a little more. this slapdick (as billick may say) deserved to lose millions and get suspended by the eagles.

mav himself.

[The Duke]

Anyone read any good sci-fi/fantasy as of late?

[Üncle Snake]

Just finished this book. It's a fun, quick read.




Book Description:
Bill Maher is on the forefront of the new wave of comedians who have begun to influence and shape political debate through their comedy. He is best known not just for being funny, but for advocating truth over sensitivity and taking on the political establishment. Maher first came to national attention as the host of the hit ABC-TV program Politically Incorrect, where he offered a combustible mixture of irreverence and acerbic humor that helped him to garner a loyal following, as well as a reputation for being a controversial bad boy.

Bill Maher's popular new HBO television show, Real Time, has put Maher more front and center than ever before. Particularly one regular segment on the show, entitled "New Rules," has been a hit with his ever-growing legion of fans. It is the part of the show during which Maher takes serious aim, bringing all of his intelligence, incisiveness, wit, and his signature exasperation to bear on topics ranging from cell phones ("I don't need my cell phone to take pictures or access the Internet. I just need it to make a phone call. From everywhere! Not just the places it likes!") to fast food ("No McDonald's in hospitals. I'm not kidding!) to the conservative agenda ("Stop claiming it's an agenda. It's not an agenda. It's a random collection of laws that your corporate donors paid you to pass.")

His new book, the first since his bestselling When You Ride Alone You Ride with bin Laden, brings these brilliantly conceived riffs and rants to the written page. Appropriately titled New Rules, the book will collect some of the best of the rules derived from previously written material and will also contain substantial new material, including some longer form "editorials"--of course with a twist and bite that only Bill Maher can deliver.