Paul’s Reading List, October through December

We’re doing a pretty good job reading on this trip. Which is easy to do without a TV. Here’s what I’ve read so far along with some notes.

October through December:

• Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage — This book is phenomenal. Lansing’s writing is great and the story is wild. If you haven’t read it, you should.
• Nature’s Metropolis — An interesting read about Chicago’s influence over the development of the western United States. The keys to Chicago’s dominance: the lumber market and Chicago’s railroads. It’s a fun read if you’re a fan of Chicago or the western states.
• A Sense of Where You Are — A book about Bill Bradley and his rise to fame during his time at Princeton. Interesting to read about how much work goes into being a ‘natural’ athlete. Maybe he’ll still be president.
• Lord of the Rings (trilogy) — My second time reading this. The second read was a different experience — I pictured the Hollywood characters instead of those in my own imagination.
• The Shack — Couldn’t resist this ultra-religious book when I saw that it had sold 7MM copies. It’s wild. It portrays god as a powerless being (powerless because of his love for humanity’s individualism) and follows a father’s story of the kidnapping and murder of his youngest child (in a mountain shack); god inviting the father to meet at the shack via a letter in his mailbox; the father’s interactions with the holy trinity, the father, the son, and the holy spirit; his eventual reconciliation with his own father; his forgiveness of the killer; and a bunch of other inspirational, apologetic, warm-fuzzy stuff. Written at a reading level one notch above the Dick and Jane books.
• Watership Down — Lisa’s dad mentioned listening to this on tape on one of his western road trips. I tore through it like a rabbit racing a hrududu. Really liked it.
• How to California — Found this at the Apache Junction Library for $0.50. Written in 1984, but still strangely relevant and accurate to my experience with California.
• Blue Highways: A Journey into America — Recommended so many times that I had to read it … as soon as I could find a copy. I found one at the Apache Junction Library for sale … right after I ordered it on Half.com. Should have trusted book serendipity. Anyway, the book is good.
• The Downhill Lie — Carl Hiaasen’s book on his return to golf — found it at the AJ Library too. If you find a copy for $0.50 and like golf, it’s worth a read. Hiaasen describes his relationships with his putter and driver as if they’re mistresses. Cruel mistresses.