I’ve Been TAGGED!
(You can get background info on my CELEBRITY STATUS and what I plan to do with it HERE.)
Jeff at the great Sustainablog blog-tagged me on this post about books. I think his ulterior motive is to clearly demonstrate that celebrities do, in fact, read. With fellow celebs Hilton, Lohan, Richie having done volumes of work to promote literacy, Jeff is pushing me to do my part. Fair enough! Some of this info is covered on this site’s ‘Reading List’ page.
A book that changed my life
Only one? Well, I must stay consistent and true, therefore I nominate Lester Brown’s Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet in Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. This is the book that finally snapped me out of my “I-can-do-my-bit-by-simply-choosing-paper-over-plastic” routine and forced me to realize that if I don’t dedicate my all, my everything, into doing what I can utilizing my personal skill set, to help spread the word about this book (and, in turn, hopefully help bring about a better, more livable future for all creatures on our planet), then I won’t be doing my part as a father, a son, a citizen, or a friend. Does that sound over the top? I don’t know . . . it’s honest. Read the book. We don’t have time to NOT act.
Books I’ve Read More Than Once
I try not to read books more than once and I never, ever view a movie twice (well, aside from Buckaroo Banzai and The Burmese Harp). However, there are exceptions. Plan B 2.0, of course. I’ve read it three times this year. Another is my all-time favorite childrens’ book: One Monster After Another by Mercer Mayer, who happens to be my all-time favorite childrens’ author. I’ve kept my original of this book over the years, crayon scrawls and all, and now I share it with my son, who also loves it. I’ve also gone back over a few Heinlein novels, Malcolm X’ autobiography, the Tao of Jeet Kun Do, Motel Fetish (okay, this is a photography book, but it’s saucy as hell), People’s History of the U.S.A. (new editions deserve new readings), How to Talk Dirty and Influence People (Lenny Bruce’s autobiograph), And the Ass Saw the Angel by Nick Cave. Oh, I can’t fail to mention Yukio Mishima’s absurdly perfect and astoundingly beautiful tetralogy. There are others, but, well. . .maybe later.
Books I’d take with me if I were stuck on a desert island.
Who started this desert island thing? Was it SPIN? Or did it exist prior? Regardless, I’d have to take Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar. It’s simply the greatest book I’ve ever read. As Pablo Neruda once said, “People who do not read Cortazar are doomed. Not to read him is a serious invisible disease.” Also Plan B 2.0 so that I would be compelled to take damned good care of that island. Maybe the Chicago Manual of Style as I’ve never cursed at a book more thoroughly and on a desert island, I’d need a solid foil to keep the days lively. Mishima’s tetralogy I’d bring along, as there are so many beautiful observations made in those pages - on a desert island I’d likely need a whole lot of perspective.
A Book that made me laugh
Cruel Shoes by Steve Martin. He’s one of my heroes, but don’t tell him that. I had him over to dinner last week (did you know that celebrities have to invite at least one fellow star over for dinner on a weekly basis? It’s an odd networking rule, created by the 35th degree Architects of Fame), but never made mention of the fact that I adore his writings, comedy, plays, acting. In fact, I barely said a word to the man, lest he intuit something.
A Book I wish I had written
Marc Bojanowski’s The Dog Fighter and Jesse Shepard’s Jubilee King. Mostly, for reasons of jealousy. Marc and Jesse are good friends, amazing people, and far better writers than am I. Now, there are plenty of writers who surpass me, but I have to actually hang out with these guys, so it kills me! I wish I had written BOTH of their books!
A book I’ve been meaning to read
Guns, Germs & Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond. Everyone I know has read it. . .I’m just not there yet. It is, however, on my desk. Also, Thomas Sankara’s biography. It’s in my room, near the bed. Unread.
Books I’m currently reading
Lester Brown’s Plan B 2.0. I’m pretty much always reading this.
Africa: A Modern History by Guy Arnold. This beat is 1100 pages of tiny text. I’ve been working on it for some time.
Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life. It’s hard to get the Religious Studies major out of me, even after all these years.
The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler. SO DEPRESSING. But what if he’s right on? The man is no fool, I’ll tell you that.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. This book doesn’t come out until tomorrow, but I’ve pre-ordered it and await it with much anticipation. I have a zombie fetish. . . I don’t know why. It’s right up there with my Polaroid fetish (massive).
MY TURN TO TAG! Hmmm. . . .I don’t know a whole lot of bloggers out there. I’m going to tag GOOD Magazine and see what happens. Whether or not they respond, you really should check out the site and the magazine.
(image courtesy of thinklab:typepad)