Thursday, January 19, 2017

Podcast of the Week #15

Bells Atlas is an amazing Oakland band.  They are playing a free show on January 24 at Rickshaw Stop.  Check out this bonus Snap Judgment to sample their tunes.

http://www.wnyc.org/story/snap-mix-bells-atlas-special-mixtape/

https://www.facebook.com/events/583734908503939/



Book List

I just found this list I started in 2009.  I've added recent reads to the bottom of the list and can keep the list current in new posts.

These are the books that I've read since the summer of 2009 starting with my preparation for Latin America, following my trip and continuing through 2010.

Che Guevara
Read before I left

Empire's Workshop
Read before I left

Charlie y la Fabrica de Chocolate
Read in Spanish in Tepoztlan

Shadows of Tender Fury
The letters and communiques of Subcomandante Marcos read in Tepoztlan

Birth of Venus
Rennaisance Florence, the fall of the Medici and the rise of the Inquisition read in Mazunte

Another Roadside Attraction
The first Tom Robbins I ever finished. Jesus' corpse ends up in Washington in the hands of gypsy mystics. Read in Mazunte.

My Ishmael - Daniel Quinn
Because it had been a while. Read in Mazunte.

2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
Conspiracy theories, prophesy, Mayan calender, crop circles, and psychic phenomenon read in San Cristobal.

Boys from Brazil
Cloning Hitler read in San Cristobal.

Timequake
Vonnegut's final novel, part autobiography part satire of modern society. Gift from guy at Tikal read in Belize and regifted to Guy from New Jersey.

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific
A little Engels to stroke the intellect bought in a great deal from Chris' bookstore in San Cris and read in Belize.

The Rum Diaries
Drinking rum, disregarding native culture and generally being a degenerate itinerant journalist; the perfect book to read in Belize.


Food Rules
Read on Hidden Falls Farm on Lacy's Kindle. A very quick read but full of useful food tips.

Foundation and Empire
Mixed it up with some Asimov sci-fi bought for $0.50 at Belizean market read in Livingston.

The People of the Book
The 500-year history of a Jewish Haggadah's narrow escapes from Europe's purges traded for in Livingston read in Lanquin and Xela.

Jitterbug Perfume
The best book so far—immortality, aroma, tribe of Pan, and beets—read in Xela.

Cuentos Cortos
Oscar Wilde short stories in Spanish bought in San Cris and read sparingly here and there.

Still Life with Woodpecker
Found unopened 1981 paperback in Xela. Read between Xela and Atitlan. Not as good as Jitterbug but enough to keep me addicted to Robbins.

May 2010 - Return to the U.S.
Deep Economy Exactly the book I needed to read upon my return. Reinforced every idea I've had about the importance of building community and establishing a durable future. Sometimes it helps to hear someone else say what you've been thinking all along.

The Monkey Wrench Gang
Eco-terrorism yee haw!  I predict a rise in this kind of domestic rebellion as the situation slides out of control.
Foundation Decided to get back into "the best science fiction series of all-time". Sometimes thinking on a galactic scale makes you feel small in a good way.

Robbing the Bees
Convinced me of the merits of keeping bees and I still have the goal of starting my own hive as soon as possible.

My First Summer in the Sierra
Read the last page in Yosemite.  Muir's love for nature was far ahead of his time.

Villa Incognito
New-ish Tom Robbins, a quick and easy read.  Found at Eco-Thrift for $1.

Stranger in a Strange Land
Dad speaks very highly of the effect this book had on him during his adolescence.

Harry Potter (Books 1-7)
Finished in time to see the final film at IMAX.

Buckminster Fuller: At Home in the Universe

Biography of the most important man we were never taught about.  His ideas were so far ahead of his time we still haven't come around to seeing how right he was.

The Hunger Games (Books 1-3)
Borrowed from the BGC book donations.  Read mostly in one day.  Still waiting for the sequel from the library.

Gathering Blue
Messenger
Companion novels to The Giver.  Not as good but worth a quick read.

Ender's Game
Probably should have read this when I was a kid.

Speaker for the Dead
Sequel to Ender, probably a better story.  Includes the most interesting and simple meditation on the relationship between intelligent species.

The Song of Fire and Ice (Books 1-5)
Read between September 2012 and January 2013, these are all the rage right now.  Despite most people I know reading them, we can't ever talk about it because everyone is in different parts of the story.  Some surprises should be protected.

Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates
Eventually I'll read every Tom Robbins book.  They're word roller-coasters.

Xenocide
This series stays good.

Here starts a large gap between 2013 and 2017 in which I stopped keeping track.  Below is a list of books I remember reading during that time.

J.R.R. Tolkien - The HobbitThe Fellowship of the RingThe Two TowersThe Return of the King
Read in December 2014 while staying with the Terrills.  Also watched 5 films extended version Blu-rays, saw The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies in theater, and finished a Hobbit jigsaw puzzle.  It was a magical month.

Orson Scott Card - Children of the MindEnder's ShadowShadow of the Hegemon

Richard Dawkins - The Greatest Show on EarthThe God Delusion

Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clark


The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury

The Martian - Andy Weir


Shaman - Kim Stanley Robinson

Cheap knockoff of Children of Earth series.  Not nearly as imaginative as Auel.

Malcolm Gladwell - David and GoliathOutliers

The Inner Game of Tennis - W. Timothy Gallway

Summer 2016 while coaching AC Bandits.  Jived perfectly with my approach to players on how to achieve high performance.

Jean Auel - Clan of the Cave BearValley of the HorsesThe Mammoth Hunters

Waking Up - Sam Harris

And now the list is current as of January 2017.  Recent reads will be added to the top of the list.

American Gods - Neil Gaiman

The Holy - Daniel Quinn

Jean Auel - The Plains of Passage, The Shelters of Stone, The Land of Painted Caves