Read but not written up:
Man Walks Into a Pub, Fermenting Revolution, various Clive Cussler Novels, re-read Ishmael once again, and more.

J.K Rowling:
Harry Potter 6 & 7 8/07: I re-read The Half Blood Prince in preparation for reading The Deathly Hallows. I very much enjoyed both books. I did however find that the last couple chapters of THBP felt very rushed, and could have been expanded a bit. TDH was much better paced in my opinion. I found the last book fairly satisfying, with no major complaints, aside from the fact that it is the end of the story. The final chapter was a bit overly saccharine, but also provided some measure of closure and satisfaction for the reader. I can't wait for the films to come out! If you have not read this series, I highly recommend that you do so.

Tom Clancy:
The Teeth Of The Tiger 1/05: The next generation of the Jack Ryan series of books, featuring his son and a clandestine new spy agency called The Campus. Pretty good book, start of a series with all the necessary set up.
"Enzo can't hold his liquor worth a damn." "I have to take this from somebody who thinks Miller Lites is really beer?" the FBI Caruso asked the air.

"Like in England. Beer is a kind of religion in Europe, and everybody goes to church."

J.D. Salinger:BR> Catcher In The Rye 11/04: This is one that has been on my to-read list for a long time. It was pretty good albeit a bit anti-climactic. Loses some of its shock value as it is not particularly controversial these days. "I ordered a Scotch and sodea, which is my favorite drink, next to frozen Daiquiris. If you were only around six years old, you could get liquor at Ernie's, the place was so dark and all, and besides, nobody cared how old you were." "Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bom invented. If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top ofit. I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will." "It wouldn't come off. It's hopeless, anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuck You" signs in the world. It's impossible." "Lawyer's are all right, I guess - but it doesn't appeal to me," I said. "I mean they're all right if they go around saving innocent guys' lives all the time, and like that, buy you don't do that kind of stuff if you're a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis like a hot-shot."

George Orwell:
Animal Farm 10/04: "The animals on a farm drive out their master and take over and administer the farm for themselves. Leadership devolves almost automatically upon the pigs, who are on a higher intellectual level than the rest of the animals. Unhappily their character is not equal to their intelligence, and out of this fact springs the main development of the story."
A biting political satire, this is especially poignant in light of the current political climate in the US where those questioning the authority and righteousness of the leader are branded un-patriotic. I wish I knew more of my political theory to really analyze the details. Not the most exciting read, but thought provoking.

JRR Tolkienn:
Fellowship of the Ring 9/04: Longer and more detailed than the movies obviously. These was a fun read. I actually read the trilogy when I was in elementary school but I don't remember a lot of the details obviously. I just recently was told by my mom that my teachers didn't believe that I was reading the books, they thought I was memorizing the stories. I thought, wouldn't being able to memorize Tolkienn plots in Grade 2 be MORE impressive? Me... On to the rest of the trilogy I suppose!

Fast Food Nation 9/04: A must read for anyone who eats. Frightening. A surprisingly easy read, though it may put you off meat indefinitely, and make it a whole lot harder to buy fast food.

Yann Martel:
Life of Pi 3/04: "After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, one solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue, Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan... and a 450 lb Royal Bengal Tiger." An easy and interesting read with beautifully descriptive prose.
"I don't mean to defend zoos. Close them all down if you want (and let us hope that the wildlife that remains can survive in what is left of the natural world). I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both."

Daniel Quinn:
Beyond Civilization 3/03: A very different read from Ishmael, it builds on a lot of the same themes. It is set up so that each page has one main point and it builds in an attempt to answer the questions people frequently ask after reading Ishmael - So what do we do about it??? How successfully it answers this question is debatable, but it will definitely make you evaluate your life and some of the fundamental assumptions about society. I would recommend reading Ishmael first, but that's just my impression.
Always keep in mind that there is no one right way for people to live... Our problem is not that people are living a bad way but rather that they are all living the same way. The earth can accommodate many people living in a voraciously wasteful and pollutive way, it just can't accommodate all of us living that way.

Douglas Coupland Souvenir of Canada: 1/03: Not really what I was expecting. A very interesting read though. The book is divided up by topic, about a page each, and includes a number of photos ranging from the landscape photography of astronaut Roberta Bondar, to photos of crack dens and assorted Canadiana.
In 1980 I remember that beer bottles suddenly became tall and slender and... American. Brand by brand, these new bottle variants snuffed out their predecessor, the "stubbie" beer bottle.

Sherman's Lagoon:
Poodle: The Other White Meat 12/02: A collection of Sherman's Lagoon comic strips; a Christmas present from my sister. Very funny. A quick read. I also highly recommend the books of the "Get Fuzzy" comic strip.

Michael Moore:
Stupid White Men: 11/02 Another book that left me feeling very angry at times. Moore's commentary on American culture and politics leaves you in shock because the hypocrisy and self defeating nature of the system frequently seems obvious, so that you are left wondering why no one steps forward to correct it. Enlightening, especially as a Canadian who does not always understand what is going on south of the border. I highly recommend it. Find out more at www.michaelmoore.com.

David Suzuki:
Good News For A Change 10/02 An excellent read that is both inspiring and infuriating. Inspiring because of the positive examples of what we should be doing to preserve the environment, and what people are in fact doing around the world. Infuriating because of the stupidity of things that make it harder, rather than easier, for people to do these things. A Must Read.

The Simpson's And Philosophy - Just got this. Read the first chapter which was pretty cool. It is a bit heavy if you are not interested in philosophy, but if you are then its pretty darn cool! The first chapter is an analysis of Homer's character from an Aristotelian point of view. [Still wading through this sporadically end of December 2002

I recently attended two book launches/readings downtown. The first was for The Efficient Society by Joseph Heath. It's a political type thing that promises to be interesting. I have no time to read it till summer schools over unfortunately. The second, was the revised Great Canadian Beer Guide by Stephen Beaumont. This one is more for reference purposes, but is an interesting read as well.

Stuart M. Kaminsky: A Fatal Glass of Beer: 3/01 A private investigator goes on a road trip with a midget and W.C. Fields to catch the man who is stealing money from Fields' bank accounts across the country. Detailed and bizarre it is an enjoyable read. Not particularly long (244 pages) An enjoyable read.

Naomi Klein:
No Logo: 10/00 Very interesting book that deals with a variety of issues related to globalization and the increasing power of corporations. Go read it! You will never think of a trip to the mall/school/street corner the same way again.

Tom Clancy:
The Bear and the Dragon: 9/00 Good book continuing in the Jack Ryan series of tales. The premise is that China and Russia get involved in a border conflict, well China tries to invade! Good book. Seems to be a little longwinded at times, but that is part of Clancy's attention to detail. If you like his other stuff, you will like this.
"Jack Ryan was half in the bag by this time, and if the media found out about it, the hell with them... A Lot of blood had been spilled, and there would be some more, too. To think it had all begun with an Italian Cardinal and a Baptist preacher, killed by some trigger-happy cop. Did the world really turn on so perverse an axis as that? That, Ryan thought, calls for another drink." p 1025.

E. Annie Proulx:
The Shipping News: 7/00 A Pulitzer prize winner, about a man who returns with his children to his family home in small town Newfoundland. The actual plot lines are somewhat anti-climactic, but it's enjoyable nonetheless providing detailed commentary on both the characters and the culture of Newfoundland itself. Interesting language flow at times. The main character often thinks to himself and as a newspaperman labels events with headlines. (Soon to be a movie starring Kevin Spacey and Judi Dench.)

"But the idea of the North was taking him. He needed something to brace against." 31
"Warren made bursting noises under the bed. A rancorous stench. Dog Farts Fell Family of Four." 54
"Killick-Claw is a party town. Why I got six gallons of screech." 252
"So there I was, hanging around the pubs where the builders went, making my pint of bitter last, listening to everything, asking a few questions." 94
"The man had a passion for fruit. Quoyle remembered purple-brown seckle pears the size and shape of figs, his father taking the meat off with pecking bites, the smell of fruit in their house, litter of cores and peels in the ashtrays, the grape cluster skeletons, peach stones like hens' brains on the windowsill, the glove of banana peel on the car dashboard. In the sawdust on the basement workbench galaxies of seeds and pits, cherry stones, long white date pits like spaceships. " 166
"That he was wondering if love came in other colors than the basic black of none and the red heat of obsession?" 309

James L. Halperin:
The Truth Machine: 6/00 A near future speculative novel about a man who sets about creating a truth machine - a machine that can be 100% accurate in detecting lies, regardless of mental disorder. The impact on society and individuals is intriguing. Crime becomes virtually non-existent, and politics regains some modicum of respect and class.

Daniel Quinn:
Ishmael: A dialog between a man and Gorilla that analyses "how things came to be this way". It takes an enlightening look at the assumptions that modern culture makes about man's role in the world. I can't adequately describe it, because it's rather unique. If you have interests in environmental issues, historical perspectives, or challenging the status quo, then this is an amazing book. If you don't, pick it up anyways. READ THIS BOOK!!!
"Mother Culture, whose voice has been in your ear since the day of your birth, has given you an explanation of how things came to be this way. You know it well; everyone in your culture knows it well. But this explanation wasn't given to you all at once. No one ever sat you down and said, 'Here is how things came to be this way, beginning ten or fifteen billion years ago right up to the present.' Rather, you assembled this explanation like a mosaic: from a million bits of information presented to you in various ways by others who share that explanation. You assembled it from the table talk of your parents, from Sunday School lessons, from your textbooks and teachers, from news broadcasts, from movies, novels, sermons, plays, newspapers, and all the rest. Are you with me so far?"

Various:
January 2000. To ring in the new Year i have been reading the following: The Great Lakes Beer Guide by Jamie MacKinnon, Beer For Dummies, and I have been skimming through Michael Jackson's Beer Companion. The first is a decent read with some history and basic info. A good road map to trying some different beers. Beer For Dummies is definitely worth a read, I got it from the library. It has pretty much all the basics, including how to brew your own. Gets somewhat complicated in parts - but they are optional. I might go buy it actually... MJ's BC is a good reference, discussing various styles and more in depth discussion of the breweries that make them. A good read but a bit heavier than the others.

Anton Corbjin:
Star Trak: 7/99 A book of photos that I highly recommend you pick up from good old Mississauga Library Services. Some very cool pictures of stars. Personal favorite pictures include Henry Rollins, Courtney Love, Clint Eastwood, Allan Ginsberg, Bono & Salman Rushdie... Very cool book, which unfortunately is too big for my scanner... :(

Jules Verne:
Around The World In 80 Days: ?/99 Actually a pretty good book. Covers a lot of different scenarios by virtue of the fact that it takes place in many countries. Also, because its so old, it is interesting to look at some of the old stereotypes and perspectives of the author. At the small tables which were arranged about the room some thirty customers were drinking English beer, porter, gin and brandy; smoking, the while, long red clay pipes stuffed with little balls of opium mingled with essence of rose. From time to time, one of the smokers, overcome with the narcotic, would slip under the table, whereupon the waiters, taking him by the head and feet, carried and laid him upon the bed. The bed already supported twenty of these stupefied sots.

Larry Niven:
Protector: 6/99 A spinoff from Ringworld, involves a species called the Pak. Essentially a lone surviving Pak/Human is attempting to protect humanity from the Pak of Ringworld. Cool book. Pssthpok was a Pak. That meant he had three stages of growth - Childhood, Breeder, and finally Protector, the last achieved around the age of 45 Earth Years. At that time, all being well,. basic physiological changes would take place, and provided.. tree of life root - a protector could become virtually immortal.

Larry Niven:
Man-Kzin Wars V: 5/99 Contains two stories in it, is pretty good. It's not actually written by Niven, he only retains "Created By" rights. Not quite as sci-fi as some others, the first story is largely about a mining expedition. Some knowledge of the series is required to understand fully, as there are a lot of references to past events.
Spots folded his ears. "Must you torture that thing?" he said to Hans, as the old man blew tentatively into his harmonica. "It screams well, but the pain to my ears is greater."

Tom Clancy:
Rainbow Six: 1/25/99 Technothriller by one of the best. Clark and Chavez (characters from past books.) Are in charge of a new multi-nation anti-terrorist team based in England. Plot includes an attack on an amusement park, and the usual destroy the world stuff... Well written, it has a number of references to drinking and stuff... It is a fun read. Not quite as technical as some of his other books.

Isaac Asimov:
Robot Dreams: A collection of short stories by a science fiction legend. Anybody who ever had Mr. Morton for physics has to read this for "The Billiard Ball".. Bet we never thought he was capable of murder (ok so we did.. but not this cool!) Not all of them are spectacular but none are terrible, and most are very good. I especially liked "Jokester" (Discover the origin of every joke ever told.), "Light Verse" (Artwork made from colored lights.)
"And then we discovered Bloom. He was still sitting in the chair, his arms still folded, but there was a hole the size of a billiard ball through forearm, chest and back. The better part of his heart, as it later turned out under autopsy, had been neatly punched out." -The Billiard Ball

Larry Niven:
Man-Kzin Wars VIII; 12/29/98 If you read science fiction at all this series is a must. It contains a variety of species that are detailed and well developed. The basic premise is that human beings have given up violence altogether - they were too good at it. So now they are confronted with the Kzin - think a cross between a tiger and a gorilla, with a bad temper. The resulting conflicts change the course of humanity forever! (Dramatic pause.) It is a good book, consisting of a number of short stories so it makes for relatively light reading. I recommend starting at the beginning of the series, as it gives a little more of the history involved.

Kevin J Anderson:
X-Files:Antibodies; 8/98 Decent X-Files based book, as good as most of the episodes.

Piers Anthony:
Isle of Woman; 9/10/98 An interesting geo-history novel, based on historical fact traces a family over the history of man.

Robertson Davies
Tempest Tost; 9/18/98Canadian author, enjoyable book with an interesting live triangle, but has a very odd ending, I can't help but feel I'm missing something important! Very detailed histories of some characters I liked that.
"He said that people would take it amiss if I said what I really thought; he said a woman had to be at least forty-five before she dared risk an honest expression of opinion." Griselda, Chapter 2, pg 63.
"The determination of the man who works his way through university is beyond question, but it is not likely that he will get as much from his experience as the student more fortunately placed. He has not time to be young, or to invite his soul." Chapter 2, pg 91

Charles Dickens
Great Expectations; 9-10/98 Read it before you see the movie. It was an excellent book but it goes on much farther than the book, and it left me feeling like "How much more can there be?" Mind you I had school work I was supposed to be doing so that might have been factor! It is very different from the film, there is less focus on Estella in the book (I think.) A number of characters are not in movie. The best scene in the movie (The water fountain!) is not even in the book.. although that shouldn't be surprising given when he book was written I guess.

Timothy Harper & Garret Oliver
The Good Beer Book - Good information on the beer industry, beer history and styles. Long list of breweries and bar in the US (Doesn't help me here in Canada much though now does it!

Sara Nickles (Editor)
Drinking Smoking & Screwing:Good Writers on Good Times; 10/98 A collection of short stories, that ranges from excellent to disturbed. Its worth reading. All of you cigar aficionados will like the selection by Mark Twain about cigars.
The relationship reached its culmination when we ran out of The Misanthrope set and I leapt up naked, broke up the only remaining furniture in the room, threw it in the fireplace, and we made love in front of the burning chairs.pg 17 - College Girls by Spalding Gray

Mrs. Standfast would not be happy with my record. It would not do credit to Hollywood High, whose motto is "Seek Honor Through Service," and here I am with no children, no dog, no husband, and no divorce, even. But as an adventuress, it is to be said that sometimes I've ridden a white horse, clutching its mane, into blue heaven and tasted the sins of the Green Death." pg 102 - Sins Of The Green Death Eve Babitz

William Shatner
9/98 star trek book...
Michael A. Stackpole:
I, Jedi.; 11/98 Star Wars book centered around a Jedi in training who joins up with a group of pirates in order to find his wife. Covers some of the same events as another book which is interesting because it gives you a different perspective (I actually recommend reading the other one, because it makes this one more interesting, I forget what it's called though.. One of the ones dealing with the Jedi Academy.)
"I awoke slowly, feeling as if I'd done my best to drain every drop of liquor from a cantina where the drinks weren't watered, the mugs weren't cleaned, the bottles weren't labeled and the first-aid kit consisted of a blaster with which you could put yourself out of your misery. Actually, I didn't even feel that good. I was pretty sure I'd not been on such a bender because I didn't find any tattoos or scars on me, and the bruises were ones I recognized from my training. The fact that the nearest cantina was a good five parsecs away, as the Falcon flies, coupled with the fact that I didn't have a ship, likewise contradicted a hangover." pg 182:

Kevin J. Anderson
Star Wars: Tales From Mos Eisley Cantina a collection of short stories, edited by Kevin provides a very cool insight into the characters from the Cantina Scene from Star Wars. Must read for Star Wars fans.
"Bartenders in these sorts of places, frequented by different and unique biochemistries, were more xenoalchemists than simple pourers of drinks. You had to pay attention to what you were doing... a simple beer could make a Jawa shrivel up like a slug." Be Still My Heart: The Bartenders Tale

Piers Anthony:
Total Recall; As in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Excellent book, much more detailed than the book, but essentially the same. If you liked the movie is a must read.

Xanth Series; The first ones in the series are the best, but they are all entertaining, fairly light reading. The series involves a lot of puns and cheesy jokes, but it works well. ie. a night mare is actually a horse that delivers bad dreams at night.

Isaac Asimov:
Treasury Of Humour; A collection of jokes, some more intellectually challenging than others. Includes some notes on the telling by Asimov! Some amazingly funny ones, some duds. I highly recommend it!
An aging professor said to his colleagues a lunch, "One time recently, I dreamed I was lecturing to my class. I woke up with a start, and by heaven, I was."

Tom Clancy:
Entire Jack Ryan series, Without Remorse is excellent. I recommend reading them in order. They are all pretty hefty and full of techno jargon, but I like that. They are not that tough to read, but the technical stuff will throw you if you are not into it.

Robertson Davies
Fifth Business/The Manticore/World Of Wonders; If you read Fifth Business in school as did I you probably fall into one of two categories: You liked it or you hated it. I liked it a lot, and enjoyed the rest of the trilogy as well. A lot of questions are answered in the other books which is cool. I recommend them, especially if you liked the first one. PS -Katie "Dunstable!"
"And you took the patronizing tone of an animal-trainer. Have you ever been spoken to in the way people speak to animals? A fascinating experience. Gives you quite a new feeling about animals" Liesl, WOW

Victor Frankl:
Man's Search For Meaning; Another school book. Relates Frankl's experiences in a Nazi concentration camp. The less technical parts are enjoyable in their own right, while the technical parts offer some interesting insights into how one might live their life.... The essential premise being that man can endure almost anything if he can find a purpose to it.

George Grant:
Philosophy In The Mass Age; School book, pretty heavy read. Examines morality and natural law in the modern age of mass consumption...

James A. Michener
The Source; Similar to Isle Of Woman in that it traces history over several centuries. It traces the Jewish people.. though you definitely don't need to be Jewish to enjoy the book. It is reasonably heavy reading, as noted by the fact that I haven't actually finished it! Looks back through the perspective of an archeological dig.

Larry Niven
Man Kzin Wars; Humans vs. a cat like species. Most books are a couple of shorter stories in one volume. Excellent science fiction author, he gets the real science parts done well

Ringworld; Awesome story about a world that has been designed around a sun... very cool.
"On a world built to ordered specifications there was no logical reason for such a mountain to exist. yet every world should have at least one unclimbable mountain." Chapter 10

William Shakespeare
Caesar; I dunno... Can't remember a whole lot about it. Don't think I would have read it outside of school.

MacBeth; The book is actually better than the movie, which is just weird.

Romeo & Juliet; Read it if for no other reason than to know how cool the movie actually is.

William Shatner
TekSeries; Interesting series about a private investigator type guy. Main idea is a drug called Tek, that is basically virtual reality that is addictive. The same as the TV show. Not too complicated and has a relatively low jargon quota.

Eric Wilson
Summer Of Discovery; A must read for anyone who has ever worked with handicapped children, it is a story about Camp Easter Seal. I have read it at least three times. It is a fairly short novel, and is at a young teen reading level (not to say it is poorly written, but that it is fairly easily understood.) I actually cried during one reading... I don't know that I can say that about any other book.
"Parrish looked again at Ken wondering what it was like to be trapped in a body that was your enemy."

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