A long time ago I realized that it’s going to be impossible for me to read every book I want to read before I die. Fortunately that hasn’t stopped me from giving it the ol’ college try. As I get older I find that I spend more time watching television and the computer than I do reading, which is mildly disappointing. But I still manage to knock off about a book each week, and I tore through five on my last trip to Maui. My bedside table is quickly becoming lost as new tomes stack on it, obscuring it like kudzu, so I’m going to do my best to get through this list before football season starts this Fall.
Here’s what’s currently sitting patiently waiting for me, in no particular order. If you’ve loaned me a book recently — or if you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned anything about the book you gave me as a present — this should explain why it’s taking me so damn long …
- Gunman’s Rhapsody – Robert B. Parker
- Strip Tease – Carl Hiaasen
- Empire of Blue Water – Stephan Talty
- Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
- The Wisdom of Harvey Penick – Harvey Penick (with Bud Shrake)
- The Best American Sports Writing 1995 – edited by Dan Jenkins
- Moneyball – Michael Lewis
- The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon – David Grann
- Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible – Dave Pelz with James A. Frank
- Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible – Dave Pelz with James A. Frank
- Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut – P.J. O’Rourke
- Prey – Michael Crichton
- The Boy Who Cried Freebird: Rock & Roll Fables and Sonic Storytelling – Mitch Myers
- The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games – Tony Perrottet
- The World’s Most Dangerous Places, 5th Edition – Robert Young Pelton
- The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke – Suze Orman
- Snow Crash – Neal Stephenson
- The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
- The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture
- Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy – Martin Lindstrom
- Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf – Ben Hogan, with Herbert Warren Wind
- And the magazines:
- Esquire – July 2009
- Men’s Fitness – June/July 2009
- Men’s Fitness – August 2009
- Men’s Health – July/August 2009
- Vanity Fair – June 2009
- Vanity Fair – July 2009
Steven Rushing
Prey: Thumbs up
The God Delusion, Thumbs way down
You are better off reading Ayne Rand. You get the same agenda without the bitterness and hate.
wendy pfaff
I would put Three Cups of Tea at the bottom of your stack. I found it to be tedious and somewhat boring. And I agree with the previous comment, if you haven’t read Ayn Rand it’s definitely one to add to your list. Atlas Shrugged or Fountainhead were my favorites, but they are also the longest novels she wrote.
Thanks for giving me some ideas for my nightstand!