The Meat of the Matter

Meme 'O The Day

Carol has foisted a meme upon me. She got it from her friend Grace. This is a Meme about books. Here we go: You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book would you want to be? One made of asbestos. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Yes, Nora Charles. But she's not from a book, she's from a series of movies. I think I had a crush on Betty from the "Tom and Betty" series I read whilst learning to read. She was a cute little blonde number. The last book you bought is: A book about finding an agent for your novel. The first page said, "Don't even think about looking for an agent until your novel is finished." So I tossed the book in my back seat and it's sat there ever since. At the same time I bought a book about playing Texas Hold 'em. The last book you read: If "read" means "read all the way through," then I think it was a GREAT book called "Middlesex." It's a scandalous tale that follows three generations of a Greek family, which culminates in the birth of a hermaphrodite. Sounds weird, and it is, but it's a great yarn. I can't remember (or spell) the author's name. What are you currently reading? My own words. What the hell do you think I'm reading? When I read these days, I read a series of short stories called "Dog on the Cross." The author is gifted and skilled, but I can't recall his name either. Five books you would take on a desert island: 1. "How to live like a King on a Deserted Island" 2. Four other books made out of beef jerky. OK, seriously: 1. "The Boomer Bible," By R. Laird This is one of the most brilliant and little-known works in the history of brilliant and little-known works. It is an absolutely stunning parody of "The Holy Bible," and at the same time, a social parody of our planet. A must read for any intellectual, and since it's really really long, it will give me a lot to do on my deserted island. 2. "Ain't No One's Business If I Do," by Peter McWilliams This is probably my favorite non-fiction book of all time. Its subtitle is "The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in a Free Society." It's hilarious, too. 3. "The Story of Civilization" by Will Durant I'm picking this one just because it's super long (like 12 volumes I think) and is a way to cheat. I love to cheat. 4. "The Discovery of Heaven" by Harry Mulisch I loved this book, and forced all my friends to read it. They all did (because they love me) and responded with, "Uhhh ... yeah Jim. It was pretty good." Well fuck you. Fuck you all. I'm taking my copy to my desert island. 5. "One Hundred Years of Solitude," By Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Because it's appropriate and I have to get back to work. I'm going to add this question to the meme (apologies to Grace, but maybe this is in the spirit of Meming?): What book are you ashamed to admit that you haven't read? Dickens. All of Dickens. I've not read a single word. Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 people) and why? Brian, because he reads more than anyone I know. Chuck, because he's in Mexico and he really needs to blog more. Pinhut over at Extreme Unction, because he is a phenomenon waiting to happen and I want everyone to know that I found him first.