ra mcguire dot com » Blog Archive » Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Posted: December 25th, 2008

… and have a great 2009!

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Reading

59 Seconds - Think a Little, Change a Lot

Richard Wiseman

This collection of hard science snippets - presented in the form of a new-age self-help book - is fascinating and entertaining, but I found myself jonesing for deeper and more detailed information.

Criminal

Ed Brubaker

Brubaker is writing some of the finest stories in comics today. This visceral collection of dark, super-realistic crime fiction might be the best of those.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson's 'Millennium Trilogy' was a revelation. Individually and as a collection this was the most engaging and entertaining reading experience I can recall. As I said recently on Twitter, after finishing 'Hornet's Nest'; "It is my sincere hope that Stieg Larsson faked his death and is currently working on his next three novels." I recommend these books to every kind of reader.

ReWork

Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

An annoyingly sparse and off-putting-ly flip book about how the authors ignored traditional business wisdom in the creation of their web empire. Their recommendations? "Pick a fight" - which was not convincing. "Planning is guessing" - which could possibly be true. Since it is an online sensation and only took a few hours to read, it was worth a look.

Wild Years: The Music and Myth of Tom Waits

Jay S. Jacobs

A straightforward chronicle of a very private man’s career. I would have liked to see more detail, but appreciate what I learned.

A Visit From the Goon Squad

Jennifer Egan

A truly contemporary book that wanders shamelessly through time, observing the tumultuous lives of a cast of characters all vaguely associated with the music industry. I liked it a lot.

Die Trying (Jack Reacher, No. 2)

Lee Child

Another crime fiction roller-coaster ride with today's second best protagonist (recently bumped by Lisbeth Salander), Jack Reacher. Two down, twelve to go! I will read them all.

Chronic City

Jonathan Lethem

My favourite book in a long time and Lethem’s best book yet. Full of memorable characters, palpable atmosphere and big-city magic.

God Is

David Adams Richards

A powerful and personal book about God by one of Canada’s greatest writers. “I believe that all of us, even those who are atheists, seek God — or at the very least not one of us would be unhappy if God appeared and told us that the universe was actually His creation. Oh, we might put Him on trial for making it so hard, and get angry at Him, too, but we would be very happy that He is here. Well, He is.”

Killing Floor (or Jack Reacher #1)

Lee Child

A total, riveting, hoot of a book. The ‘Reacher series’ richly deserves its immense popularity. I have seven more of them piled beside my bed.

Infinite Jest

David Foster Wallace

I have failed in my first attempt to read this much-acclaimed magnum opus. The same thing happened with Ulysses. I’ll try again one day, once I have steeled myself to not be so annoyed by it.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

Michael Pollan

An important book about the food we eat and the difficult choices we face in a world suffering from what Pollan describes as a “national eating disorder”.

The Creative Habit

Twyla Tharp

(Inspirational)

Tricks of the Mind

Derren Brown

(A great book from a brilliant mind)

Outliers

Malcolm Gladwell

(A Must-Read)

Obama From Promise to Power

David Mendell

(Timely, well-written and informative)