CP LITERATURE DRAFT - (Rapid Fire Free For All Round)

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by driveway

First I move The Flashman Papers from Humour/Graphic Novel into Wildcard. In the now vacant Humour/Graphic Novel category I select:



Johnny The Homicidal Maniac.
Art and Writing by Johan Vasquez.

You may recognize my avatar as Johnny's perennially terrified neighbour Squee.

[octothorp]

Okay, finally back online for a bit. Here's my list:

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: non-fiction wildcard: I actually didn't read In Cold Blood until after seeing the film Capote, so my reading of it is perhaps coloured by that film. His conflicted feelings for the case and toward the protagonists really comes through.

Winter's Tale by Mark Helpern: fiction wildcard: My favorite genre of literary fiction is magic realism, and Mark Helpern executes the genre to perfection here: a tale that spans the history of New York from the gangs of the five points to the newspaper wars to modern politics, Winter's Tale also has elements of time travel and a flying horse, and a fantastic cast of characters that I can't even begin to recall.

Last Season by Roy McGregor: Canadian Lit (2nd pick in the category): Totally underrated book in my opinion. This is the best novel ever written about hockey. The story of Felix Batterinski, a Polish boy in northern ontario who's skill as a goon carry him to an NHL career where he's able to eek out a career. As his career is coming to a close, he finds himself working his last season as a player/coach in Finland, where his methods and approach come under fire.

Independent People by Haldor Laxness: European Lit (3rd pick in the category): As IFF mentions, this is an icelandic novel. The story of a goat farmer who believes that the greatest thing to aspire to is independence from any other person, and always choses the harder road as a result. But his life eventually becomes complicated with a family and in particular a daughter with her own independent streak. I really liked the parrellels between Icelandic history and the life of the farmer.

Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell: Anthology:

More details to follow...

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Independent People by Haldor Laxness: European Lit (3rd pick in the category)

Dammit! How did I not pick anything by Laxness?!?

The worst part is I'm actually Icelandic. My dad will be unimpressed if he finds out.

In all seriousness, another great pick. Octothorp probably has the best overall "team" in my view.

[troutman]

In the Science Fiction category I select the RIVERWORLD series by PHILIP JOSE FARMER:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverworld




The five novels in the series are as follows :

• To Your Scattered Bodies Go [won the Hugo award in 1972]
• The Fabulous Riverboat
• The Dark Design
• The Magic Labyrinth
• Gods of Riverworld (later published as The Gods of Riverworld)

The story of Riverworld begins when almost the whole of humanity, from the time of the first homo sapiens through to the early 21st century, is simultaneously resurrected along the banks of the river. The number of people is given as "thirty-six billion, six million, nine thousand, six hundred and thirty-seven" (36,006,009,637). Of these, at least 20% are from the 20th century, due to the high levels of population in later centuries compared to earlier ones. There is also a cut-off point, as no one from the twenty-first century or later is resurrected. Originally the specific cut-off year was given as 1983 (which was still a speculative date when the novels were first published) but this has been somewhat stretched in later publishings. The ostensible reason for the cut-off was that it indicated the point at which most of the human race had been accidentally annihilated during a catastrophic first contact with aliens visiting Earth.

A TV series loosely based on the Riverworld saga went into production for the Sci Fi Channel in 2001 but only the feature length pilot episode Riverworld was completed. It was first aired in 2003.

http://www.pjfarmer.com/riverwld.htm

[Circa89]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

In all seriousness, another great pick. Octothorp probably has the best overall "team" in my view.

If I had to cast a vote for someone other than myself I would have to agree with the "win" going to Octothorp.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Circa89

If I had to cast a vote for someone other than myself I would have to agree with the "win" going to Octothorp.

But I have the complete works of William Shakespeare!

[Circa89]

Originally Posted by troutman

But I have the complete works of William Shakespeare!

And Joseph Campbell's magnus Opus! I still think I won but if i had to select another it would be Octothorp based on the fact that I have read most of his selections. As for the others I can't really comment because they have high brow selections that are far beyond my scope of literacy.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by troutman

But I have the complete works of William Shakespeare!

That guy's so over-rated.

[Eastern Girl]

I will make my picks tonight or tommorow. I will finally be home again and I can consult my lists.

[octothorp]

Heh, thanks for the love! I am pretty happy with my list, although I think one of the reasons that it looks good is because I don't read a lot of non-fiction and so I traded a lot of my non-fiction away for fiction choices. Since there's more of a canon in fiction than non-fiction, there are more recognizable titles.

I'd pick Roger Mexico's as my favorite list other than my own (followed by Habernac's), although neither have posted their final picks.

[driveway]

No love for a list constructed without making any trades?

Oh and Kermit - I've always liked your Squeevitar.

[Burninator]

Alright I will finish off what I can.

Children's Lit: Hatchet - Gary Paulsen

1987

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present -- and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parent''s divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, or despair -- it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.

Fiction - Wildcard: East of Eden - John Steinbeck

1952

In his journal, John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Adam Trask came to California from the East to farm and raise his family on the new, rich land. But the birth of his twins, Cal and Aron, brings his wife to the brink of madness, and Adam is left alone to raise his boys to manhood. One boy thrives, nurtured by the love of all those around him; the other grows up in loneliness, enveloped by a mysterious darkness.

Non-fiction - scientific: Death From the Skies - Phil Plait

2008

A lively astronomy primer that uses cataclysmic scenarios to explain the universeas most fascinating events. According to astronomer Philip Plait, the universe is an apocalypse waiting to happen But how much do we really need to fear from things like black holes, gamma-ray bursts, and supernovae? And if we should be scared, is there anything we can do to save ourselves? With humor and wit, Plait details the myriad doomsday events that the cosmos could send our way to destroy our planet and life as we know it. This authoritative yet accessible study is the ultimate astronomy lesson.

Non-fiction - historical / political: Collapse - Jared Diamond

2005

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed is a 2005 book by Jared M. Diamond, professor of geography and physiology at University of California, Los Angeles. Diamond's book deals with "societal collapses involving an environmental component, and in some cases also contributions of climate change, hostile neighbors, and trade partners, plus questions of societal responses". In writing the book Diamond intended that its readers should learn from history.

Non-fiction - Food and Drink: Road Grill - Chris Knight

2008

In his first Food Network series, pro quarterback, popular sports commentator and cooking enthusiast Matt Dunnigan spreads the love of flame broiled as he and his Road Grill team go in search of summer celebrations, where they prepare simple, delicious favourites on the Barbeque in front of a live audience. Matt’s motto - have flame will travel!

Non-fiction - wildcard: Parasite Rex - Carl Zimmer

2001

For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and in the darkest shadows of science. Yet these creatures are among the world''s most successful and sophisticated organisms. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer deftly balances the scientific and the disgusting as he takes readers on a fantastic voyage. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the fetid parasite haven of southern Sudan, Zimmer graphically brings to life how parasites can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead. This thorough, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Collapse is a great book--it's on my nightstand right now.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

Collapse is a great book--it's on my nightstand right now.

I enjoyed it too. Guns, Germs, and Steel is another one of his that is good. His stuff is interesting because after reading it his theory makes so much sense and seems so obvious but before reading I probably would have had no clue. In fact I probably wouldn't have even thought about it.

[octothorp]

Just realized I forgot to pick a coffee table book.

Birds of America by James Audobon:
http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-b...med=1;c=audimg

A natural study of north american birds, in 435 illustrations. Really an epic work in animal study. The illustration style is of course antiquated when compared with modern realist nature painters like Bateman, but I think that's part of their charm.
I've also got his collection of animals and there's something about the animals that he can never get just right, but his birds are beautiful.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

Collapse is a great book--it's on my nightstand right now.

I couldn't wait to finish that book. Diamond goes overboard in his examples IMO. It started off and I was pretty interested, but after the fourth example that basically said the same thing I was starting to get fed up.

I don't mean to spoil it for you, but it basically comes down to... if you cut down all your trees, your civilization will die.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I couldn't wait to finish that book. Diamond goes overboard in his examples IMO. It started off and I was pretty interested, but after the fourth example that basically said the same thing I was starting to get fed up.

I don't mean to spoil it for you, but it basically comes down to... if you cut down all your trees, your civilization will die.

Well, thanks for ruining the ending!!

In all honesty, I really liked the bit on the Incas. In part because I don't really like corn all that much--so, when someone asks why I don't like corn, I always say "don't you know corn killed the Incas?!?"

[kermitology]

I compare Collapse and The World is Flat as being on either end of the annoyance spectrum for me.

Collapse is just so detailed that I was getting frustrated reading it, because I thought to myself.. dude, I GET IT. NEXT TOPIC. That book could have been written as a magazine article and I think I would have appreciated it more.

The World is Flat treated me like I was still in Grade 10 with the dumbed down examples, that I got pissed off reading it thinking.. why am I being treated like an idiot? This isn't worth my time.

I don't like it when I'm reading a book that makes me want to throw it across the room.

[liamenator]

I'll round out my team here, not sure if any of these have been picked - don't think they have, but if I'm wrong, well... I'm wrong!

Food/Drink: Scotch Whiskey: A Liquid Companion by Charles Maclean

Wildcard (Nonfiction): Consider The Lobster: and other essays by David Foster Wallace

Picture/Coffeetable: Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of all time

Scientific: Relativity by Albert Einstein (the only science book on my shelf!)

Fantasy: Quicksilver by Neil Stephenson

Canadian: Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland

[Burninator]

Is the spreadsheet going to get updated with the latest picks? I was hoping to print it off and add a bunch of books to my wish list.