smokerblog

Book Meme

Mike over at 10,000 Birds tagged me with this meme, so here goes:

Total number of books I own/owned:
Sheesh! Who knows? Currently, my best guess is something between 500 and 1,000. Counting previously owned books? Probably closer to 2000. But those are just wild guesses.

Five books that had a big influence on me:

Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace
I could gush and gush about this book, buying remaindered copies and foisting it upon all my friends and family, but I fully recognize that some people just don't get it, in a not-their-cup-of-tea kind of way. Some critics bemoan Wallace's linguistic high-jinks as smarty-pant showiness, but for those (like me) with whom his style just "clicks," this book is a truly original and insightful look at life in a society (ours) that worships entertainment and favors distraction over connection. Wallace's view is bleak, but not without hope. Every character in this book, no matter how messed-up or loathsome, is treated with respect and humanity; there are no traditional heroes or villians. More than any other book I've read, this one most faithfully reflects actual real-life life.

Tidewater Tales, John Barth
This book doesn't make my top five list of books, but it makes this list because it re-introduced me to the world of fiction and, and more specifically, contemporary fiction. After a dismal year of grad school and while in Germany with a group of students (a large percentage of books listed above are books purchased for school), hearing passages read from this book was like a breath of fresh air. There were about a half-dozen of us sitting around in some park, drinking our hefeweissen, mesmerized by Barth's daring imagination and impish tone. Okay, so maybe it was just the hefeweissen, but I bought the book after returning to the States and I've been reading fiction ever since.

Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino
Okay, okay, so yes, it's another book of "post-modern" fiction. But where much contemporary fiction often gets labeled as cold, unfeeling playgrounds for literary pyrotechnics and nothing more (attacks which are unfounded, more often than not), no such criticism could be leveled at this book. Literary pyrotechnics? Yes, this book has no real plot. But cold or unfeeling? Heck no. Calvino explores the habits of storytelling and the quirks of memory as a source for boundless imagination and beauty. It makes me want to learn Italian, just so I can read this book in its original language.

Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell
Hey, here's a non-fiction book. Orwell's memoir of and commentary on the Spanish Civil War details the process of Orwell's disillusionment with the political left. It simultaneously exposes the naiveté of idealism, while arguing for the necessity of conviction. Orwell, whose sensibilities were shaped by his experiences in Spain, remained a staunch socialist throughout his life, but was also a vehement anti-Stalinsist (as anyone who reads Animal Farm can clearly see). More than most, this book brings home the sheer futility of war and the inherent dangers of revolutionary fervor.

Asimov on Astronomy, Isaac Asimov
This is not the definitive book on astronomy and is certainly out-of-date by now, but this book did for me (at a much more tender age than most) what Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time did for millions of other latent astronomy and physics geeks. In the insanely prolific Asimov's insanely lucid prose, it opened my eyes to the mind-boggling vastness of the universe and poked insistently at my curious nature in all the right ways.

Last book I bought:
Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook, Shel Silverstein
Ted told me about this book of wacky poetry and I had to buy it in preparation for Ben's arrival. Although...we think we'll leave it on the shelf until he learns a little English first. Here's an example:

Runny's Hew Nobby:
Runny Babbit knearned to lit,
And made a swat and heater,
And now he sadly will admit
He bight have done it metter.

Last book I read for the first time:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon
This one I've already talked about.

Five other bloggers to tag with this meme:
Not wanting to impose, but getting tagged is kind of fun, plus this bunch ought to yield a broad range of results. So, y'all are it:

Hillary at Antidisingenuousmentarianism
Mike at Off on a Tangent
Harm at Ne Quid Nimis
Matt at Annular Systems
Linda at Junk Store Cowgirl

(if IJ shows up on more than two of these lists, you'll know that there's a conspiracy afoot).