Sales Prospect: "I'm not going to reorder now, the economy is in the toilet and now Obama is going to raise taxes!"
Me: "Is that right? Because his plan is to CUT taxes."
Sales Prospect: "Well, you know Democrats. They always lie."
Me: "Is that right! Have a great day, sir!"
I once used Word to write a letter to a man called William Kenny Jr. Now, each time I type "will," Word thinks I want to type his name. Why does Word want to include Mr. Will Kenny? I will not submit. I will not include Will Kenny when I write. I will not write his name. Not again.
Does not include volumes I gave up on, nor books I reread in this time period. Nor does it include magazine & website short fiction read. 23 works of fiction, 2 poetry, 78 books total:
The China Study Colin Campbell (see note at bottom).
Letters to a Young Contrarian Hitchens (made me wish I was braver and more intellectually honest).
The Way of the Superior Man David Deida
Free as in Freedom Sam Williams
Becoming Vegan
The Art of Money Getting P.T. Barnum
Understanding Comics Scott McCloud
Vegan Freak Bob Torres and Jenna Torres
How to Be Idle Hodgekinson
Unmarketable Anne Elizabeth Moore
Making Comics Scott McCloud
Rules of the Game Neil Strauss
On Becoming Fearless Arianna Huffington (meh, suprisingly unsubstantial. I still love Arianna though.)
The Republic Plato
Ode to Kirihito Osamu Tezuka (medical-genre manga from the creator of Astro-Boy)
Your Best Poker Friend Alan Schoonmaker (I've stopped playing now.)
Healthy at 100 John Robbins
Born Standing Up Steve Martin
The Freedom Manifest Hodgekinson
Free Culture Lawrence Lessig (Read a lot of "copyfight" type books this year.)
The Pickwick Papers Dickens
Things I Overheard Talking to Myself Alan Alda (he is awesome — and he's strive to think rationally, while still maintaining an optimistic world view. This is my life's goal.)
Diablerie Walter Mosley
The New Kings of Nonfiction Glass
My Own Kind of Freedom (Firefly unauthorized fanfic) Steven Brust
After Dark Haruki Murakami (I have absolutely no recollection of reading this book.)
Three Lives Gertrude Stein (2 parts good but found Stein's attempt to write from the perspective of an African-American woman utterly unconvincing).
The Secret Life of Puppets Victoria Nelson (pretty cool. a very broad definition of puppets, btw.
Vagabonding Rolf Potts
The Color Out of Time Michael Shea
The Mind of the Market Michael Shermer
The Nine Toobin (Best political book I read this year. About the Supreme Court from Reagan era through Gore v. Bush and now.)
Traitor to the Living Philip Jose Farmer
80/10/10 Diet D. Graham
Bernard Malamud: A Writer's Life
by Philip Davis
The Land of Oz Baum (I never read these as a kid. I missed out. They kick ass.)
Ozma of Oz Baum
Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz Baum
Selected Speechs, Messages, and Letters of Lincoln (Rinehart)
The Road to Oz Baum
The Emerald City of Oz Baum
The Patchwork GIrl of Oz Baum
Tik-Tok of Oz Baum
Old Flames/Right to Life Jack Ketchum
Team of Rivals Doris Kearns Godwin (Best book on this list.)
From Idea to Story in 90 Seconds Ken Rand (not as useful as "10% Solution" for me.
Devil May Care Sebastian Faulks "writing as Ian Fleming." (Set in 1969, a respectable job.)
Manhunt James L. Swanson
The Scarecrow of Oz Baum
Rinkitink in Oz Baum
Learned Optimism Seligman (Very Good)
Comic Wars Dan Raviv
Nobody Runs Forever Richard Stark
Ask the Parrot Richard Stark
Authentic Happiness Martin Seligman
Dirty Money Richard Stark
The One Percent Doctrine Ron Suskind
The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems Billy Collins
The Innocent Man John Grisham (nonfiction). (For some reason, Grisham focuses on the least interesting and least tragic of three men who were all sentenced for murders they didn't commit in one bad year in one badly-run town.
The Dark Side Jane Mayer
Hit and Run Lawrence Block (Disappointing entry in an otherwise excellent series.)
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need Daniel H. Pink & Rob Ten Pas (7 Principles — Talk about padding!)
Ballistics Billy Collins
Tribes Seth Godin (meh. I'm over these "guru" guys. I think the only way to suceed using their prinicples and to become an time management guru, motivational speaker, or marketing evangelist yourself.)
Schulz and Peanuts David Michaelis (Excellent biography.)
Copyright's Paradox Neil Weinstock Netanel
How Fiction Works James Wood (Sometimes illuminating, entirely enjoyable little book on the elements of fiction, especially the novel since Flaubert.
A Long Line of Dead Men Lawrence Block
Of these, one book, The China Study
findings of the best, most comprehensive, rigorous, studies ever done
on human nutrition. illuminating on a lot of reasons the government
hasn't managed to support or educate on good nutrition. Though
Campbell is a vegan, he grew up in a ranching family before becoming a
medical doctor and researcher. he strives to keep his reporting
rational and only to assert what the evidence indicates. If nothing
else it's a great book about the politics of food and the politics of
scientific research. If you wants some facts, but are skeptical and
suspect veganism is new-age magical-thinking frou-frou that you don't
want any part of, give this book a chance, and you might be suprised. I
was.
