Stuff I’ve Been Reading -- January 2018

Books Bought
Net of Being - Alex Grey
Billy Joel - Fred Schruers
Discipline Equals Freedom - Jocko Willink

Books Read
Fire and Fury - Michael Wolff
Brewster's Millions - George Barr McCutcheon

I restart this column today, at least six months late from the last time I tried to restart it and probably about 10 years before I started it in the first place. As always this column owes a great debt to Nick Hornby, author of High Fidelity, About a Boy and quite a few others these days, who showed me how much fun it would be to write monthly book reviews about what he’s reading and what he’s buying. Back when I used to do the column years ago I found it very inducive to finishing books up around the first of the month, but not very restrictive to my book buying habits, although I have tried to curtail those recently as the shelves are literally overflowing. But enough babble and stalling talk. Save that for the year in review explainer for last year. For now, let’s focus on the books I actually read this month, January 2018.

Fire and Fury - Some books almost seem like a requirement. For example, I didn’t want to read Primary Colors, but I had to read Primary Colors (good movie too). Everybody wouldn’t stop talking about it and Fire and Fury was no different. I was hooked from the excerpts published online and bought the book for Kindle on the day of its release. Like many I was not disappointed by the contents. What I found was a beautifully dramatized fly on the wall perspective for the first hundred days and more of the fledgling Trump administration. All the mistakes we’d been hearing about through the prism of the media were now plain to see and all of the madness laid bare. He believes whoever spoke to him last. He refuses to read even one page memos and intelligence briefings and what’s worse is he doesn’t seem to read at all. The television president was supposed to be Ronald Reagan, but that was more of a projection, the president that television wanted, like Martin Sheen on West Wing. This is more of a creation. A president created by television. Shaped by it. Formed, like out of clay. More of a cheesy 50s horror movie than an actual representation of what should be our reality. “They locked him in a room and made him watch TV. It was his only source of knowledge and learning until he became --- The Boy Who Was Raised by Television” -- only now we’re seeing the sequel, the far less entertaining reality show project “What if: the Boy who was raised by television was elected President”. Sometimes it feels more like an alternate reality. Something that is happening to someone else.

Brewster’s Millions - As a big fan of the Richard Pryor movie, I couldn’t pass up the chance to read the original 1902 novel for free on my kindle. Actually I didn’t know the 1985 movie was based on a novel (or that there was a 1945 film version, thank you google), but I was a big fan of the madcap classic where Pryor is forced to spend a million dollar fortune without receiving anything of value in order to receive a much larger fortune. The book is much the same story, without of course the minor league baseball team elements or the main character’s stylish afro. There were a few unexpected plot twists at the end and it was interesting to see a man of another time waste an epic amount of money. While the movie employed a few clever tricks, in the book it was mainly a disastrous sea voyage that helped our pal Brewster go broke, but then again disaster is the chinese word for opportunity -- though really that’s probably an old wives tale. Everyone knows the chinese word for opportunity is chicken.

I guess that’s about it for January 2018. As it turns out I didn’t read that much. I’ve been settling in after returning from traveling and like most everyone else I was under the weather for a good part of the month. However, I didn’t know I was restarting the column. That motivation drove me to the end of Fire & Brewsters, but it wasn’t enough to blitz anything else off the shelf. As always the goal is to not only read books but to read all of my unread books and to try and buy & read. Or these days maybe just buy for the Kindle and save the shelf space.

What am I reading next? I started a biography about Billy Joel. Have been enjoying that. Also I’m realizing here at the end that I must have bought more books than I thought. While I didn’t get any on Amazon, instead mainly focusing on video games, blu rays and snacks for my monthly compulsory amazon purchases. I snuck these books in by actually going to the bookstore. Good old Barnes and Noble at the mall. Nice short shelves and chairs in which you could read a whole Harry Potter book in if you wanted to, they don’t mind. No, really. Anyway, that’s where I picked up the Billy Joel and the Jocko book. I think I’d heard of Jocko on the Joe Rogan show, but loved the title and simple b&w design of his book as well as the powerful message of success through hard work that he put in it. But I don’t want to review it already. I’ll save it… because… until next time -- this has been Stuff I’m reading! January 2018.

Technically there are rules to the spree. Monthly columns are due every month on the 1st. Naturally there is a grace period extending to the 5th, that will often be used and abused. Books should be finished promptly. Padding the book total by switching off between real books and comic books is strongly encouraged. There are more rules, but they’re mostly self evident. Yes, there’s nothing stopping you from joining and playing the home game. Share what you’ve been reading in the comments below!