BOOKS THREAD

First of all, I hate this thread. It's caused me to spend more money than I care to admit...

But I will say that Klosterman rules. "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs" is one of the bets books on pop culture I've ever read. (The breakdown of the Celtics/Lakers battles of the 1980s is good stuff.) I will also throw my two cents in for Adrian Wojnarowski's book on Bob Hurley "The Miracle of St. Anthony's." Top notch. I've also got "Hey Rube," the collection of HST's ESPN.com columns, which causes me to smile plenty these days (especially when he refers to sportswriters as charter members of the "too much fun club.") Right now, I'm reading "Lades and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning" by Jonathan Mahler, a look at New York City in 1977. Looks at the blackout, Rupert Murdoch's purchase of the N.Y. Post, the Son of Sam, the Yankees, the emergence of Studio 54 and the mayoral race between Ed Koch and Mario Cuomo(!) Good stuff. A worthy read.

 

I just bought it this weekend. I'll report back in a couple of weeks, Lisa.

 

as i've sasid many times before, klosterman is the best writer of my generation

 

David Price, Love and Hate in Jamestown. The New York Times calls it a notable book of the year. I call it a hell of a read.

 

I'm familiar with Klosterman from Esquire (although he was disappointingly absent from the last issue), but I've never read any of his books.
I'm borrowing two from a friend for my vacation.

 

buck, i'll be interested to see how you feel about klosterman. i'm guessing you aren't in the 27-37 year-old range, so i will be interested to see how much the subject matter translates with you

i think you should read sex, drugs and cocoa puffs first, because it is more general

 

I just finished Kinky Friedman's latest, "Ten Little New Yorkers." I thought it was just an OK book _ thanks to a real downer to open _ until I read the very end, which was one of the most hilarious I've seen (it involved Jayson Blair).
If you're old and grumpy (Ok, I'm not that old), Kinky's hilarious. His band used to open for Willie Nelson. He's pals with Bob Dylan and lives on a Texas ranch surrounded by dogs.
What more could anyone ask for?

 

In the middle of "China Inc:'How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World' by Ted Fishman.

It is a startling book While most economies grow around average of 3% a year, as did the U.S between '82 and '02, China's grew by an astonishing 9.5%--their economy effectively doubled three times over in those years.

Steel prices internationally are going through the roof because China is buying all they can--along with oil.

The key to this phenomenal growth is an unending supply of labour, people who want to leave their farms and move to the city where, by their standards, they can make significantly more money.

Eye-opening book.

 

Mrs. three_bags just bought this one for me. I'll start it Friday while on a long drive.

 

Today I began "The Straw Men" by Michael Marshall. Absolutely cannot put it down.

 

I'm not sure how to take that, Hoops. I'm 35.
Do I come off as some punk-ass kid or as some old fart?

 

i thought you were older than 35... sorry man... it was all that wisdom, no way i thought it could come from someone so young (and with such a full head of hair!)

if you had any interest in heavy metal, you will love anything by klosterman

carry on