Hunter S. Thompson

I have recently dabbled in a little non-fiction, which for the most part I do not do, and found that I have a great appreciation for Hunter S. Thompson. For those of you that are not familiar with Thompson he is probably best known for writing the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which spawned the movie with Johnny Depp.

I have previously read his book The Rum Diaries, and it had a particular feel that was reminiscent of Hemingway. The story itself was not as good as Hemingway, but it definitely had the same rhythmic feel and social undertones of The Sun Also Rises. So ultimately he is a great writer, but his fiction leaves something to be desired. His non-fiction on the other hand is PHENOMENAL.

He rose to popularity with writing articles about outlaw motorcycle clubs that eventually landed him his first book deal, and Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs was born. This was the in the 60's so the Hells Angels were a different group than they are today. Thompson hung out with them for a year and recounts all of the parties and craziness that went on back then. The book is incredibly well written, and is a crazy ride.

The way Thompson lived his life was absolutely crazy and was a truly writer/rock star lifestyle. This guy was nuts. His biography makes all other writers look like choir boys, even the most notorious like Fitzgerald and all of the other members of the expatriate movement. The amazing thing about Thompson's story was the fact that it took place on American soil, and was not something that was exactly a secret. There were drugs and parties galore, and somewhere along the way some amazing stories were written. For those of you that are fans of politics apparently Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 has been hailed as one of the best accounts of American politics that was ever written. I myself have no idea how our political system works and have a basic understanding that America uses something along the lines of democracy, but that is about the extent of my knowledge. So needless to say this book would probably be over my head, but I would recommend Hunter S. Thompson to any reader. If you are more of a fiction person Rum Diaries good but his non-fiction was the bees knees. So check him out.

Twenty-five Books That Shaped America

I recently read Thomas C. Foster's book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was not the most in-depth thing that I have ever read, but he did provide some interesting insights into reading literature, and how to do so in a critical manner. He writes in a way that does not come off as a pretentious literature lover, but writes in a witty manner that is both entertaining and informative. I love a little sarcasm and wit sprinkled on top of my literary analysis.

So I saw that he had another book, 25 Books That Shaped America, and it immediately caught my attention. I have not had a chance to read through the whole thing yet, but I have started it and found that once again I am entertained and enlightened at the same time. Too bad I've never had a professor like this guy in real life.

So just to give a brief rundown on what made his list (which he points out are not the definitive best books in American history, but more of a list that had a great impact on our literary culture) these are the ones that he has picked:

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Last of the Mohicans
The Scarlet Letter
Walden
Moby Dick
Leaves of Grass
Little Women
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
A Boy's Will and North of Boston
My Antonia
The Great Gatsby
The Sun Also Rises
The Weary Blues
The Maltese Falcon
U.S.A
The Grapes of Wrath
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Go Down, Moses
The Adventures of Augie March
On the Road
The Cat in the Hat
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Crying of Lot 49
Song of Solomon
Love Medicine

While I may not like some of these titles I think that the list is entirely appropriate simply because each one of these books are truly American and are great representations for our society, especially The Cat in the Hat. I am really looking forward to finishing this book and seeing Foster's commentaries for his selections.

Of course my personal favorite of this list is The Grapes of Wrath.

Steinbeck > Faulkner

You can buy his books HERE

Buried Prey

I am not one of those readers that will only read certain types of books, and while I like that warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with saying "Yeah I read Les Miserables. So what?", I am not above admitting how I have a spot deep in my soul that loves a good thriller or action packed novel, filled with sex and pop culture references.

One of my favorite author indulgences has become John Sanford's Prey series, and feel like a little kid when I read about the escapades of his character Lucas Davenport. He is an interesting character that never lets me down, but he has had quite a run, with around 20 books out there revolving around his character. Luckily Sanford has not given up on his character, and has not strung him along with works that are progressively getting weaker (I'm talkin' to you Patterson!). And his latest book was a worthwhile read.

The story breathed new life into a character that was running the risk of following in the footsteps of most Alex Cross novels. Sanford obviously still gives a crap about his most famous character, Davenport, and luckily this caring, coupled with the ability to write above a 5th grade reading, level makes this book a pleasure to read.

The story actually follows this whole flashback time line to the beginning of Davenport's career and it is fun to see a character that has become so popular be revamped in a way that would ultimately shape him to be the character that the readers recognize today.

I always find it difficult to watch my favorite characters as they get older and start having meaningful relationships, and ugggghhhhhhh children. I hate it when children are added to the mix of my favorite recurring character, but without fail it will happen.

Happened to Pitt, Scarpetta, Cross, and Davenport. I think authors just feel the need to muddy up the story with crap that the readers don't really care about. If it is a love story, fine, but a character that everyone knows and loves? Not Fine. We don't need that crap.

Back on topic Buried Prey was a great read and I personally think that if you have not yet tried out any of John Sanford's books you have been missing out. It was a different perspective that gave spark to a franchise that I was really starting to get worried about.

I mean what is the magic number for characters having kids and then not giving a crap about the stories anymore? Cross has like 4...so we will go with 2.

Great Writing Resource Site

Anyone that is interested in writing should check this site out. They have contest lists, markets, grants, and all kinds of other information. I will let you know of any contests I sign up for so nobody gets upset when I win...

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/

Just kidding about not signing up...it's good to have hope...so good luck with that.

Reading in Context

Having spent the last few months in literature classes I have come to realize how much I miss in classic literature, simply because I have no clue as to what was going on at the time. I realized that just having read the books was not enough, because what does it matter if you have read something and missed the points that the author was trying to make?

I realized that literature of the past, and all of those really good books that I neglected to read in high school were filled with direct reflections on society at the time. I used to be one of those people that had "read" a lot of the classics, but when it came down to it I missed most of the content simply because I was rusty on my history. I am trying to change this.

I recently started reading War and Peace and have to say that I had absolutely no knowledge of Russian history and all of that drama that Napoleon was stirring up. So I decided that instead of dedicating so much time to read what many consider to be the greatest novel of all time and missing out on all of the subtle intricacies in the book, I would try and educate myself a little bit. I have printed out guides on the history of the book, and looked into the politics of the time and came to the realization that I still, for the most part, have no idea what the hell is happening.  But at least I'm trying, right?

Well it may take me 6 months to finish Tolstoy's masterpiece, but by God I'm going to try like hell to understand some of it. Bring it on Russia, bring it on.

Luckily John Sanford just came out with a new Prey novel, so I will be able to give my brain a little breather.

Kate Beaton is the MAN

If you have never read this you definitely should. She is pretty fantastic.

http://harkavagrant.com/

I wonder what it is like to be talented...

Random Musings and Creative Outlets

So I have been recently toying around with some creative writing ideas and think some of them might be a little funny. I am currently still working on my novel/graphic novel (depending on if it could be a stand alone work), and I have had to slow my work down on that with all of the work currently taking place in my literature classes. But I thought it would be pretty cool to just leave this as a way for me to kind of get some stuff out there (surely somebody is reading this). One of my current projects that I am working on is a compilation of kid poems that will be combined with some great illustrations, and I have a couple of them that I think are funny and appropriate. For those of you that are not interested in the child play I have some other stuff that I will be circulating throughout the blog.

So here are a couple poems that we were thinking about putting in our illustrated poetry collection:

Hippos in High Heels                                        

Hippos in high heels
click click click
clicking along-
like they're walking on sticks
poking holes as they go
poke poke down the street
You'll laugh out loud,
When these Hippos you meet


Patience

Mom told me to be patient   
I asked "How am I supposed to do that?”
She said: "give it some thought"
So I did, then I sat

I sat there and thought,
thought there and sat.
I sat there and waited,
waited and sat

Time came and went,
went and came
I waited for patience,
but I noticed no change

Time kept on moving,
And the world never stopped
I kept waiting for patience,
Never leaving my spot.

Finally one day,
After what seemed like forever
Mom came to me to make me feel better
I said: "I've waited and waited,
I've sat here so long
I've waited for patience,
but it just hasn't come."

She looked at me smiled,
And said "I think you'll pull through"
She said "come on inside,
Dinner will be ready in a few"

I felt completely defeated,
What had I done wrong?
I looked up and smiled
And said "I'm in no hurry mom,
What's the big rush?
I've waited this long."



So these are just a couple of poems that we have and are kind of wanting to get some public opinion on them. let me know.