Five (okay, six) books from 2011 that you need to read…
If Californication’s Hank Moody has reminded us of anything, it is that books are BADass and being well-read is definitely manly. While downloading books on your Kindle or iPad is a step in the right direction, you also need to have a decent selection of actual books in your home. A good library is an excellent conversation starter when you throw your next party, and—if you need to be reminded—women love a man who can shut off the laptop or Xbox and read a book with a cocktail at hand. Building a library takes time, but here are a few titles to add to your collection.
1.) A dog is man’s best friend and one of the most amazing dogs in history was Rin Tin Tin. Rescued from a World War I battlefield, Rin Tin Tin became an American icon appearing in nearly two-dozen films. Susan Orlean’s Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend (Simon and Schuster) gives us the whole story and sweeping history of the legendary dog and a remarkable portrait of America itself.
2.) Daniel Orozco’s Orientation (Faber & Faber) is an astonishing and quirky debut collection of short stories that probe what it means to be human. Funny and intelligent, Orientation takes us from office jobs to warehouses to earthquakes and the police beat.
3.) You can’t really walk around with an iPhone or iPad without reading Walter Isaacson’s remarkable biography, Steve Jobs. Isaacson’s portrait of Jobs is multi-layered and utterly candid, showing both the brilliance and flaws of a man who changed the world.
4.) Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Christopher Hitchens was a powerhouse figure in American culture. A devoted drinker, atheist, and—to his demise—smoker, Hitchens served up a volatile, intrepid, and sometimes over-the-top stew of observations and arguments in Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens (Twelve).
5.) Fit for the foodie or the untutored in the culinary world, Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook (P.S.) (Ecco), is both a no-holds-barred account of gastronomy’s underworld and self-effacing memoir that mixes up rants and homage all in one hell of a dish.
6.) What’s a library without a BADass novel about baseball? Chad Harbach’s wildly imagined debut novel, The Art of Fielding (Little, Brown), is set at Westish College near Lake Michigan and follows the intertwined fates of people whose lives are thrown off course by an isolated baseball flub in one of the college’s games.
What books did you enjoy in 2011?
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Bourdain’s first book was amazing, if you have ever worked in the restaurant business Anthony is a must read…I’ll be picking this one up very soon
Rin Tin Tin was my favorite growing up, if Isaacson approves the book too, then it’s a must read
Im lazy I’l just go watch the movie
I just read Orozco’s Orientation for the second time while revisiting Gwynn’s Fiction: A Pocket Anthology. Didn’t even realize there was a whole collection to be picked up! I’m heading over to Amazon now to pick it up. Thanks for the recommend!
Actually, the story of Rin-Tin-Tin’s birth very likely is myth. The first story that Duncan told (in October, 1919, to the Los Angeles Times) and that three officers of his squadron told goes like this: Duncan and his mates found an adult German shepherd male on the battlefield, and Rin-Tin-Tin was one of a litter born to him and a female German shepherd. That means he was born around the time of the Armistice. In a May, 1919, photograph of the 135th Aero Squadron, Duncan’s outfit, Rin-TIn-Tin’s ears are floppy while his sister’s are erect. German shepherd puppies’ ears usually become erect when they are five or six months old. That also places Rin-Tin-Tin’s birth much later than September, 1918.
See my book, Rin-Tin-Tin: The Movie Star, available on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1453866655
What are some of the books (both old and new) that have influenced PRZman?
REAL MAN: Great question? PRZman?
The books that influenced or have influenced me are an interesting variety. I am a big fan of biographies, books on quantum physics and inspiration. One of the first books that influenced me prior to starting Przman was the biography of Winston Churchill.
I believe that Churchill was a great statesmen, leader and what truly a politician should be (considering our country is filled with schmucks as it comes to politics). I only wish that another Churchill is reincarnated, so that we could have a leader with more balls in this world. Churchill changed and helped the world, plus he had a great sense of humor which doesn’t exist anymore.
The next two books that influenced me were, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, which is a just a beautiful master piece, followed my one of my other favorites, The Magic of Thinking Big by Dr. David J. Schwartz (both were given to me from father when I was 10). These two books changed my life and they are still concepts that I revert back today when I need to step out and simply think. Most recently I loved the story of Zappos Delivering Happiness / Tony Hsieh and i am a huge fan of the book The Secret.