2023 Book List

The best thing about this list is I’ve been telling people I’ve read 17 books this year, when really I’ve read 18 and I’m working my my 19^th.  So compared to recent years, not a bad year for reading.  

These were all really good books.  Please check out Mother Howl.  Fantastic.  Maybe my favorite of the year.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure, the Kindle has helped with the increased reading, so if you don’t have one, at least think about getting one.

1. Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government

2. Frisk — Dennis Cooper

3.  Pimp — Iceberg Slim

4.  Between the World and Me — Ta-Nehisi Coates

5.  Wraiths of the Broken Land — Craig Zahler

6. The Parasitic Mind — Gad Saad

7.  Another Country — James Baldwin

8.  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep — Philip K Dick

9.  Burn You The Fuck Alive — BR Yeager

10. Adjustment Day — Chuck Palahniuk

11.  The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon — John Joseph

12. Mother Howl — Craig Clevenger 

13. Why Buddhism is True — Robert Wright

14. Termination Shock — Neil Stephenson

15.  Love, Sex, Fear, Death . . . . The Inside Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgement

16. Immobility

17. Homage to Catalonia — George Orwell

18. Tender Is the Flesh -- Agustina Bazterrica

Love, Sex, Fear Death: The Inside Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgment

Love, Sex, Fear Death: The Inside Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgment cured me of my fascination with the Process Church of the Final Judgment which began with my reading of Apocalypse Culture in the 80s.  

For some reason, I was expecting more action and adventure from this book.  No; it seems “Processeans” mostly just wandered around town selling magazines.  

Despite the lengthy testimonials in this book, it was pretty much impossible to figure out what benefit anyone got from joining the group — most members seemed to be merely satisfying their own psychological deficiencies while enriching the leadership.    

Still an excellent slice of life from a different time and place.   

2022 Book List

 Bro’s, I never posted this.  Here it is.  

1.  My Heart Is A Chainsaw — Stephen Graham Jones

2.  A Collapse of Horses — Brian Evenson

3.  Reprieve — James Han Mattson

4.  Terminal Park —  Gary J. Shipley

5.  Dune Messiah — Frank Herbert

6.  Song for The Unraveling of The World — Brian Evenson

7. How High We Go in The Dark — Sequoia Nagamatsu

So here’s the 2022 book list.  Again, I have not read that many books.  Five out of seven of these books were given to me as gifts.  There is one more book that I started, but I will not include it here.  I think that’s my usual policy.

I won’t say anymore.  

Let’s hope next year is better.

Wraiths of the Broken Land: A review

Straight up, there should be more books like this.  If you like B movies, and the author has been responsible for 3 so far, you will like this book.  It is the book version of a B movie that was never filmed.  It’s a great story that moves briskly to its bloody end.  Written in an affected style that leans towards great literature.  It’s no Blood Meridian, but it is way more readable and fun.  

Black History Month

    It’s Black History Month.  I have decided to read some books by black authors.  I’m starting with Pimp, by by Iceberg Slim, which should be delivered by Amazon today.  Next will be something by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  And then a re read of something by James Baldwin.  Either Beale Street or Giovanni.  They’re short so maybe both.  Seems like I’m covering a lot of styles and genres so I should have a good time.

After this, I am on the hunt for an Italian author from the same times as Pier Pasolini.  

Okay.