In other news I'm reading the next book in the 'Wicked' series 'Son of a Witch' by Gregory Maguire. I must admit I was worried it wouldn't quite stand up to how increadible Wicked was, but man was I pleasantly surprised that it's just up to par. Sadly I haven't been able to see the Broadway play of Wicked yet, even though I was suppose to a few months back. Since everyone is on the strike bandwagon there are very few plays going on right now. Perhaps things have been resolved by now- I'm not sure- all I know is it was heart breaking to know that after the tickets were bought and the cheese and crackers ready for the long ride to NYC, that we would not be going to see our play of choice. Instead we went to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Doesn't sound like the title of a Broadway play, huh? I can't say I didn't enjoy it. It truely was a smart and witty performance, and I even got to meet a few of the actors as they (and we) were leaving the theatre. They signed my Playbill and spoke to them for a moment. Super rad folks, me thinks.
But yes, Son of a Witch is a must read- AFTER you read Wicked. Otherwise you'll be pretty lost and there's no point in reading the second before the first anyway. And I most definately and completely believe it's SO SO much better than Harry Potter. Some of you hate me now, but I stand by my words! Maybe after you read it you'll agree. I believe I like it more because it's not as aimed towards children as Harry Potter is. The Potter books are just a bit too tame for me, I like something with a more mature feel. Don't get me wrong- I did enjoy Harry Potter to a certain extent, but it's not a favorite. There are a lot better books out there. I don't quite understand this Harry Potter hype. Maybe it's the movies? Maybe it's the publicity combined with her 'cliff hanger' to-be-continued style that leaves any reader just wanting to know what the fuck happens next. It felt like the story would never end, really. But it has! And no one will tell me how it ended. They say "You have to read it and find out yourself!", But I don't want to go through an assload of filler just to get to the point. So will someone just tell me already? I have about 10 other books next to my bed that haven't been read yet besides the 4 I'm working on now. What books are they you say? I'm glad you asked! Of course you already know the first book I'm reading, and two of them are book I've already read but love so much I just have to read them again.
Book #2 is 'Black Coffee Blues' by Henry Rollins. Yes, Black Flag's Henry Rollins. I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoy his writing. It just astounds me how fascinating his books are. It's basically all short prose about random people's lives. I'm sure there's some reality mixed in there with a bit of fiction, but the way he writes from a strangers perspective is insanely beliveable. A lot of it is very...er... disturbing. Not the happiest book in the shelf, and there have been times I had to set it down because it became too much. Maybe I'm just a sensitive whimp, though.
Book #3 is another one by Henry Rollins and it's titled 'Roomanitarian'. This is one that I've already read, but I just can't help myself. Just like the other, this one is pretty morbid as well. Although it does differ from Black Coffee Blues in the way that it isn't a compilation of short prose and different perspectives, but an actual story with a plot and main characters. He does this very well, also. I highly recommend both of these pesemistic paperbacks.
Book #4 would be by one of my favorite women in history and a favorite author of all time; Ayn Rand. This woman is someone to idolize. She is truely one of my heros. I've read this one just once before but of course I have to read it again. It's titled; 'Atlas Shrugged'. Let me give you a brief overview- compliments of the allmighty Wikipedia.com:
"Ayn Rand, (February 2, 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum, was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher. She is widely known for her best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism.
She was an uncompromising advocate of rational individualism and laissez-faire capitalism, and vociferously opposed socialism, altruism, and other contemporary philosophical trends, as well as religion. Her influential and often controversial ideas have attracted both enthusiastic admirers and scathing denunciation.
Rand's writing (both fiction and non-fiction) emphasizes the philosophic concepts of objective reality in metaphysics, reason in epistemology, and rational egoism in ethics. In politics she was a proponent of laissez-faire capitalism and a staunch defender of individual rights, believing that the sole function of a proper government is protection of individual rights (including property rights).
She believed that individuals must choose their values and actions solely by reason, and that "Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others." According to Rand, the individual "must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life." Because she held that faith is antithetical to reason, Rand opposed religion.
Rand decried the initiation of force and fraud, and held that government action should consist only in protecting citizens from criminal aggression (via the police) and foreign aggression (via the military) and in maintaining a system of courts to decide guilt or innocence for objectively defined crimes and to resolve disputes. Her politics are generally described as minarchist and libertarian, though she did not use the first term and disavowed any connection to the second.
Rand, a self-described hero-worshiper, stated in her book The Romantic Manifesto that the goal of her writing was "the projection of an ideal man." In reference to her philosophy, Objectivism, she said: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute." (Appendix to Atlas Shrugged)
Rand's magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, was published in 1957. Due to the success of The Fountainhead, the initial printing was 100,000 copies, and the book went on to become an international bestseller. Although the frequent claim that Atlas Shrugged became the "second most influential book in America, after The Bible," may be an exaggeration of the findings of a 1991 survey, Atlas Shrugged has been cited by many interviewees as the book that most influenced them.
Atlas Shrugged contains Rand's most extensive statement of Objectivism in any of her works of fiction.
The theme of Atlas Shrugged is "The role of man's mind in society." Rand upheld the industrialist as one of the most admirable members of society and fiercely opposed the resentment popularly accorded to industrialists. This led her to envision a novel wherein the industrialists of America go on strike and retreat to a mountainous hideaway, where they build an independent free economy with gold currency. The American economy and its society in general, deprived of its most productive members, slowly start to collapse, while the government responds by increasing the already stifling controls on industry.
The novel, which includes elements of mystery and science fiction, deals with other diverse issues as wide-ranging as sex, music, medicine, politics, philosophy, industry, and human ability."
So yar, there you have it. The books I've been reading, and a tid bit about one of the greatest women to ever grace this crazy world. My tired mind must submiss to sleep now, so I leave you here.
No comments:
Post a Comment