April 3, 2009

Man Books

Another recent Medill grad just went to work for Playboy magazine, which sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. But this was her dream job, even if she is starting with working on the Web site and not directly on the printed edition at this point.

The other day, she invited all of her contacts to visit the latest revamp of Playboy.com and comment on at least one article.

Other than the pictures of scantily clad women dominating the site, the article that stuck out for me was in the Entertainment section.

The Top 20 Books Every Man Should Read

Of the 20 books listed, I have read three and a half of them: Hamlet, Hell's Angels, The Long Goodbye, and who hasn't read Metamorphosis, the lead story of the Kafka collection.

Of those that I have read, I would agree that they meet the criteria that Playboy sets forth:

There are plenty of guy reads about war, sex and sports, but only a handful that transcend those topics. These are books that help a man discover and define his own masculinity.

Of those I have read, none meets the criteria better than Hell's Angels, a look inside the infamous biker gang based on Hunter S. Thompson's real life experience. Thompson went the distance, even getting beaten to within an inch of his life to get his story. It was a book I found after reading about his experience in another book detailing the New Journalism movement that Thompson was a part of.

The Playboy list does invite some scrutiny. What's a list of "greats" without some problems.

First of all, there are way too many collections of short stories on the list. While a collection of multiple pieces could examine the male condition from multiple angles, why not choose a singular work that covers all of the bases?

There is one that Playboy itself picks: Fight Club. The masterful work of male bonding taken to the extreme not only looks at the personal struggles of its protagonist, much as Hamlet does, but it also covers the topics of sex, and addiction, and war (well, terrorism). Plus it has boxing, so sports is covered. Push aside one of these collections to include the singular.

The next beef is probably a personal one but it goes to the whole idea of being a man. Sure Maxim is the magazine that prides itself on being up on the gadgets that men love, but Playboy shouldn't fall behind the technological curve if it still wants to be relevant. The problem I speak of is the availability of the titles on the Kindle.

I went out to try and get samples of the books that I hadn't read on the Kindle. Wouldn't you know that most were not available? How can you have a list of "Man Books" without them being available on the latest device other than the iPhone that most men would actually like to own (if they read books)?

It seems as if there is an important piece missing. Plus Playboy missed a perfect opportunity for cross-promotion by not ensuring that the books were on the device. Imagine if Amazon were to have placed this list prominently on its home page. The discussion could have gone on for weeks, and Playboy could have taken in some of the profits from the sales, something that they could use if they want to stay in business.

But alas, most people will have to stay with the traditional book reading method if they want to complete the man-themed collection.

As for other quibbles, let me suggest a few books that should have been considered for the list, maybe at the expense of James Ellroy, who is the only author on the list who has a work that I have actually stopped reading prior to finishing. His books might make great movies, but his words put me to sleep.

• A Million Little Pieces by James Frey -- Sure the memoir turns out to be somewhat fictional, but don't we all put a little spin on our memories to make them seem more dramatic, even if it is only to us? The book deals with the same themes that Fight Club does: addiction, sex, inner struggle. Plus the book is the ultimate Oprah snub and any self-respecting man could get behind that (Ok, Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections is the original Oprah snub, but Frey deserves some credit for making the queen of self-promotion lose her cool on national television).
• Libra by Don DeLillo -- If you are going to kick James Ellroy off the list, why not replace him with another tale about JFK? DeLillo breaks down the time leading up to the assassination as only he can. We are taken inside the minds of all those involved in one of the greatest tragedies of our time, and it is mostly based on actual research done on the event to make it about as historically accurate as anything written about the event can be. DeLillo deserves at least some place on this list as he is one of America's least-appreciated literary greats.
• Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein -- Heinlein not only takes on the challenge of describing the trials of being a man, he does it through the guise of a Martian. Sure, it is a little sci-fi in nature, but the novel still covers all the bases including sex, drugs, and it even adds in religion. There is no greater "outsider" view of life than what is put forth here and it definitely is introspective enough to handle being one of the "man novels".

So there you have it. Three books that I would put onto this list in a heartbeat. I think they could easily replace Ellroy, and any of the short story sets. After that, it would be in a tough fight to displace one of the current standing works.

And despite the criticism of the list, kudos still go to Playboy for continuing to embrace good work on the literary front and creating this somewhat-definitive list.

Posted by bmiraski at 3:41 PM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2008

Kindle is here

I now have had the Kindle for about a week. It is a wondrous toy.

I am able to read the paper on the train to the newsroom for the first time. Spreading out the Wall Street Journal before this has been a little cumbersome.

I am able to carry what amounts to about 25 books with me currently, although I am only reading about two.

I am also able to see previews of a number of books that are on my Wishlist at Amazon, especially some that i haven't been able to see at a real store.

Now if only I can get all of the books that I want to read onto the Kindle. I have been clicking on the new Amazon links that tell the publisher to put their book in Kindle format.

Bring on more books.

Three more weeks until my vacation. I fully expect to see my usage of the device go through the roof.

Posted by bmiraski at 7:04 PM | Comments (0)

August 5, 2008

It's coming

After months and months of debate and a number of almost clicks, I finally broke down last night and bought a Kindle.

I got to play with one a few weeks ago and that sealed the decision-making process. It is probably surprising that it took me another week and a half before actually doing it.

I will be very excited to get out from under the mounds and mounds of newspapers and book and into the technological reading world, along with the rumored 240,000 other people who have bought the device.

Go me.

More updates as they happen.

Posted by bmiraski at 9:22 AM | Comments (0)

July 10, 2008

Another great Powell's excerpt

I was drawn by the headline of "Grok This". Using the word "grok" can only mean one thing and that is a snippet about Robert Heinlein

Science fiction writer Robert Heinlein leapt into this world on July 7, 1907. We all know that he was the genius behind books like Starship Troopers, but he had many other interests. He enjoyed success as an engineer during World War II. He designed his own houses; he and his wife Virginia (Ginny) were featured in a 1952 Popular Mechanics magazine article, in which he showed off the house that they designed themselves. And, according to the Heinlein Archives, they were nudists! Truly a stranger in a strange land.

Nudists, who knew? Other than the archives that is.

Stranger in a Strange Land is still one of my most favorite Science Fiction books, a classic story of a man from Mars. It may not be the lightest reading in the world (or another world for that matter) and you would have to suspend your disbelief on Heinlein's politics, but the book does provide some interesting insight into cultural mores and the American society in general.

Pick it up.

Now back to shading my eyes from the nudists.

Posted by bmiraski at 7:46 AM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2008

A Case of Exploding Mangoes

"A Case of Exploding Mangoes" by Mohammed Hanif is a new book concerning the theories around the assassination of General Zia of Pakistan.

Based on the review in The New York Times, it seems to be a cross between Don Delillo's "Libra", which I very much enjoyed and something by Kurt Vonnegut, whose books I have found quite humorous with their satirical content.

Of course, there is also the matter of the creepiness that Hanif has added into the novel.

Hanif has written a historical novel with an eerie timeliness. It arrives as NATO troops battle the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan; as General Musharraf fights Islamic extremism within his own country; as Pakistan assimilates yet another unsolved assassination; and as the menace of Al Qaeda persists worldwide. The most darkly funny scene in “A Case of Exploding Mangoes” imagines a Fourth of July party in Islamabad in 1988, hosted by Arnold Raphel. The American guests dress up in flowing turbans, tribal gowns and shalwar kameez suits, by way of ridiculous homage to the Afghan fighters. Among the invited guests is a young bearded Saudi known as “OBL,” who works for “Laden and Co. Constructions.” As OBL moves through the throng, various people stop to greet him and chat. Among them is the local C.I.A. chief who, after swapping a few words, bids him farewell: “Nice meeting you, OBL. Good work, keep it up.”

All that makes this newest a must-add to my Wish List on Amazon.

Posted by bmiraski at 8:38 PM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2008

The Delivery Man

Another book recently finished its pass through my hands. This time it was the look at the seedy Las Vegas underworld in Joe McGinniss's "The Delivery Man."

The book looks at Chase, a down on his luck painter trying to decide what to do with his life as he lives in Las Vegas. He has a beautiful girlfriend getting her MBA at Stanford who want him to come live with her. It seems like his life is should be great.

Except for Michelle, a childhood friend who is part of a "massage" service that provides extra benefits. Chase and Michelle have a past, one not too great as you come to learn. Plus Michelle has a definite hold on Chase, one he tries to shake numerous times.

While I enjoyed the first half of the novel, I quickly lost the spark which was pulling me into the novel. Perhaps it was the overabundance of underage girls working for Michelle and her sometimes-partner Bailey, selling themselves in much the same fashion as Michelle, sometimes worse. Perhaps it was the feeling that there were parts of the story missing that seemed crucial later on, something that might have hit the floor during an editor's run.

Perhaps it is that from stories I have heard of kids growing up in Vegas, parts of this are much too close to reality to make the suspension of disbelief in a novel possible.

Whatever it was, the book rolls to a slow conclusion, leaving you with a bitter taste in your mouth for various reasons. And that is reason enough not to give this book a strong recommendation.

Posted by bmiraski at 2:10 PM | Comments (0)

Beer and Books, nothing better

My monthly Flying Fish Brewing Co. email newsletter alerted me to this post over at Amazon Blog's Omnivoracious.

The concept: Pairing beer and books, just as you would with beer and food, or more commonly wine and food.

I haven't read any of the books in the post, but some of the beers are excellent, such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, or the Flying Fish Hopfish India Pale Ale.

My favorite pairing?

I would also enthusiastically second Grant’s choice for his brilliant Corrupted Sciene: “for the later chapters--where I'm talking about the political, theological and ideological crim --I'd certainly suggest as most appropriate the Californian brew called Arrogant Bastard. This also has the advantage of being a fairly strong beer, as strong as some of the less potent wines, and thus one that efficiently delivers the necessary soothing effect.”

If you have never had Arrogant Bastard Ale, you are in for a treat. Even Beer Advocate loves the beer giving it an A from the site owners and an A- based on over 1300 reviews.

Posted by bmiraski at 1:02 PM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2008

"Eight Men Out" Author dies

According to the Associated Press, Eliot Asinof, the author of "Eight Men Out" has died.

The Ancramdale resident died at a hospital in Hudson of complications from pneumonia, said his son, Martin Asinof.

Asinof was best known for "Eight Men Out," his 1963 retelling of the "Black Sox" scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox threw the 1919 World Series. He spent more than three years exhaustively researching the book, his son said.

While I have not read the book, it was made into one of the best, if not the best baseball movie of all-time.

For a man who didn't exactly make headlines with his own name, he sure was linked to some very famous people.

According to the article, Asinof dated Rita Moreno and was married to Jocelyn Brando, the sister of the Godfather, Marlon Brando. Jocelyn is the mother of his son.

Sadly, this also means that there is one less person on Shoeless Joe Jackson's side fighting for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Posted by bmiraski at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)

The Long Goodbye

I just recently finished The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler.

It was the One Book, One Chicago selection for spring. I only finished about a month late to attend any of the events. I can thank school for that.

Depsite that, Philip Marlowe and I are now friends.

I never thought I would like a different detective that Burke, the man with one name created by Andrew Vachss. Yet, Chandler made me do just that.

Perhaps it is that there is so much of Marlowe in Burke. Add in that Chandler's stories have a much smoother flow than the Burke novels. While Burke sometimes seems to jump to conclusions that aren't totally logical, Marlowe slowly thought things out.

He made calls, he read documents. He did what a detecitve does.

Now, Marlowe doesn't share everything as the book goes along. He waits for the "big reveal" for the really juicy bits. But nothing in the big reveal seems to come out of nowhere.

Plus Marlowe is a true lone wolf. While Burke has his posse, Marlowe worked alone, never really a friend to anyone.

So what is The Long Goodbye about? Marlowe gets involved with Terry Lennox who ends up dead in Mexico, the victim of a "suicide" while trying to flee a murder that Marlowe think Lennox may not have committed.

Marlowe gets involved in the world of the rich and powerful in L.A. while constantly being warned off looking into Lennox's death. The book is full of gritty twists and turns while pulling you into the underbelly of the glamourous side of society.

This would definitely go on my must read list for anyone.

Posted by bmiraski at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)