A List of Books You Aren't Reading

Unfortunately, people today don't read very much, so this list could actually be much, much longer. An easier task would be "A List of Books You Are Reading," which would include Animal Farm (since you are forced to read it in high school) and some magazine that someone left in the break room (because a list has to have more than one thing). Anything by Shakespeare wouldn't be listed since including books you pretended to read in high school would be cheating. Animal Farm was short, so we all read it. Plus, there were talking animals, so that seemed easy to relate to after years of TV stunting our maturity.

But assuming that we all still like to read, but rarely give into the hazy temptation, here's a list of books I'm guessing you aren't reading. And you should. You really, really should.

And just for the sake of humility, with the exception of one book, I read all of these in college, which means I'm not the kind of book snob I'd sometimes like to be. I'm just another phoney non-reader who has to be forced to crack open a book from time-to-time. Not that I don't read, but if you put the hours I spent playing Final Fantasy and Madden on one end of a scale, and the hours I spent reading in my post-college life on the other... well, let's just say I've been to quite a few Superbowls in my time, and I feel pretty ashamed reading the game log on how long it took me to beat every FF game.

So I could use a few suggestions myself. But for everyone else, here is my contribution.

The Book of Ralph

Why aren’t you reading it?:

Everything about it sounds like a kids book. Could possibly be a picture book of vomit. Because of religous conditioning from your grandmother, any mention of KISS makes you vomit a little.

Why you should read it:

Not only is The Book of Ralph hilarious, but it captures the reality of childhood. And what that really means is that this isn’t a kids book so much as it’s a book about being a kid. Every inappropriate thought you ever had as a kid is relived through the mind of Hank Boyd as he looks back at his childhood, with most key moments involving the odd relationship with his pseudo-friend Ralph. The Book of Ralph has a nostalgic vibe even for people who didn’t grow up in the 1970’s, and unlike other childhood retrospectives, John McNally’s book doesn’t sugarcoat the past. Every awful, embarrassing, and sad tale is told without holding anything back. It’s a funny and sometimes tragic look back at a time that everyone says is supposed to be simple, but rarely ever is.

White Noise

Why aren’t you reading it?:

You hated that awful Kevin Bacon movie you think it’s based on. The plot is a little scatter-brained. You’re so PC, you find any mention of Hitler offensive for no good reason. Your sense of humor has been crushed after years of watching America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Why you should read it:

White Noise is dry, dark, and funny, all of which blends nicely for chapter after chapter of rich satire. The story, which follows J.A.K. Gladney, the Professor of Hitler Studies, through a series of bizarre events in a world slightly off kilter to our own, may seem a little slow and, at times, inconsequential, but given some patience, what unfolds is haunting. Although it was written in the 1980’s, author Don DeLillo reveals a world dominated by media that resembles the present time more than it did when he wrote the book nearly 25 years ago. It’s not for everyone, but it offers a nice reward for those who read it through to the end.

Nice Big American Baby

Why aren’t you reading it?:

You hate children and fat people, so, you know, double whammy right there. Stories aren’t short enough to appeal to your ridiculous amount of ADD. You judge every book by its cover, and that cover does not seem to indicate a story about a giant baby destroying America like it was Godzilla.

Why you should read it:

Author Judy Budnitz creates a nice mix of realism and fantasy that makes it easy for the reader to accept the seemingly absurd circumstances in each story. On the surface, the details in stories like “Where We Come From,” where a pregnant woman holds in her baby months past the due date so she can give birth in America, seem silly. But Budnitz frames every one of her stories in such a way where the human struggle dominates any inclination to write it off as absurd. It’s hard not to read all the way through every story and not feel like you’ve gained a new sense of perspective, and the weirdness makes the book hard to forget. In a time where short story collections don’t sell as widely as novels, it’s nice to know that writers like Budnitz are still practicing the craft with as much mastery as is included in Nice Big American Baby.

The Tortilla Curtain

Why aren’t you reading it?:

All that talk about tortillas makes your stomach growl. You prefer to only hear about the Mexico/US border issue from the point of view of AM radio pundits. Lack of actual tortillas is baffling.

Why you should read it:

T.C. Boyle, unlike just about everyone anywhere who has tried to find the best perspective on the Mexico/US border conflict, actually succeeds beyond expectations. His key to success is surprising. Instead of oversimplifying the matter to make the discussion easy to fit into his TV show/radio show/column/blog/etc./etc., he accepts the issue as complex and ultimately unsolvable, and then tries to break it down. The book gives no answers, but provides plenty of perspective, telling the story from the point of view of four different people, none of which are right or wrong. It is sometimes challenging, but its honesty and complexity is refreshing.

That personal question I said I would ask you...

Where did that rash come from?

"Hi, Super Nintendo Chalmers!"

I quote things all of the time, which is actually kind of unfortunate because in the past few months, I’ve noticed that our generation (Y? Z? Are we keeping track of the cut-off dates anymore?) can’t hold a single conversation without quoting something. And the problem lies in the vast amount of pop culture at our disposal. Long gone are the days where people would mostly quote the Godfather or Star Wars. Our generation has hundreds of Simpsons episodes to pull from along with more obscure films like Cannibal! The Musical.

I think I’m mostly bothered by this for two reasons: 1.) More and more I find myself talking to a group of people who constantly quote things to each other while I sit by having absolutely no idea what is being discussed. I like Arrested Development as much as the next guy with a good sense of humor, but when I’m bombarded with a random collection of Adult Swim quotes I’m not familiar with followed by a completely-out-of-nowhere chicken dance, I get a little overwhelmed. And 2.) I find myself quoting the most random things to people when I know they will have no clue I’m actually doing it. The worst was when I realized whenever I would tell people “good luck,” I would say it with the same deep, fake video game tone as the menu voice in Starfox 64. Who would ever pick up on this? “Yes! Starfox 64. Good reference. Very well done. Now let me dish out some Wave Race quotes you probably remember.”

This isn’t to say I’m going to stop quoting movies and TV shows. There’s something nice about telling a friend in-the-know that you’re having a schpadoinkle day, or that the crowd was actually saying “Boo-urns,” or that last step you took was a “d-ooozy.”

However, I’ll try to fit in a few more genuine words here and there. You know, to really spice up the conversation with actual communication. The inexplicable Starfox references are gone too. I’m not even sure how they snuck their way in there.

But the chicken dance stays. How else are we expected to humiliate cowards?

Coming up!: More greatest creation/thing candidates, a further look into the obsession of quoting, and a list of books you're not reading. Plus: I ask you a really personal question. Get excited.

Bono's Outta Here. Plus: Your Economy Update

Well, I guess Bono is officially out of contention. I read the comments (okay, comment) and listened to others, and the consensus is clear: you're outta here, Bono. Get some real sunglasses and pretend to be American, and then maybe we'll talk.

And now, you're picture update on the economy, brought to you by CNN:

I'm not sure what this means, but it's all CNN has been reporting on the last few days. What's the verdict? Is this good? Bad? Is the economy in its offseason and CNN is just doing what ESPN does with the NFL: giving us a daily Favre update? Has the real news been traded to MTV in exchange for their programs?

You know what? Screw it. I think this is an improvement. As Americans, when we're having a bad day at work and don't want to do anything, how do we react when something important needs to get done right away? We ignore it. It's the American way. Someone else will do it and then we can go on living our lives like nothing happened in the first place. Bold move, America. But this isn't anything new; this is the kind of stuff we're made of. And hey, it's always worked in the past. We're going back to the basics--the stuff that got us here in the first place. Let's all give ourselves a big pat on the back for fixing... whatever it is that was broken. I forget already.

You see that, Bono? Maybe if you quit trying to fix the world you would have stayed in contention. But you couldn't do things the American way, could you? That's an Irishman for you.