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2010 Completed Books
By an Amazon.com customer
Emergency: This Book Will Save Your LifeEmergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss
Buy new: $11.55 / Used from: $3.83
Amazing book chronicling Strauss's transition as an urbanite to a self-sufficient man. I thought Strauss went completely went off the deep end in the middle of the book, but his final chapters reaffirmed my faith in him and humanity. Excellent.
Then We Came to the End: A NovelThen We Came to the End: A Novel by Joshua Ferris
Buy new: $11.07 / Used from: $0.01
Brilliant book. Captivating the entire way through. It delves into the humdrum of office life while touching on deeper issues of morality and death.
Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles) by Mark Kurlansky
Buy new: $11.20 / Used from: $2.91
This book traces the history of nonviolence. It was an interesting read and informative in many ways, especially the list in the back that provides a summary of the book. I almost wish there was more to the book. He briefly glazes over topics and it would be nice if provided further analysis.
Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted InhabitantsRats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $1.00
This was a pretty terrible book. The author is banal, his analysis is poor, and overall it bored me. He wanted to be Thoreau and failed miserably. The factual information about rats and some of the history was fairly interesting, especially being from New York, but whenever the author would talk about the alley, I was shocked at the lack of effort in reporting anything of any interest.
Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art (Revised Edition)Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art (Revised Edition) by Phoebe Hoban
Buy new: $13.36 / Used from: $3.99
Fantastic book until the last few chapters. I love Basquiat's work and in the beginning of the book I felt like I was living with him, enjoying his life. The book concludes with problems with his estate, family, etc. The book was a great introduction to the 80's art scene, gallery owners and the craziness of New York at that time, but only okay at doing Basquiat and his work justice.
Keith Haring Journals: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)Keith Haring Journals: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Keith Haring
Buy new: $17.99 / Used from: $7.87
Excellent book. An interesting tracery from Harings early intellectual investigations to his views of politics and art. I found enjoyment reading about his daily happenings, his jet setting and pure joy he attained from his work. He truly lived to enjoy every moment, something to aspire to.
Francis Bacon: The Logic of SensationFrancis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation by Gilles Deleuze
Buy new: $16.94 / Used from: $18.92
Very interesting read. This is a complex philosophical text that marks a paradigm shift in architectural ideology. This was a beautiful analysis of armature, the Figure and contour and how forces both internal and external can deform that which exists.
Lives of the ArtistsLives of the Artists by Calvin Tomkins
Buy new: $10.95 / Used from: $8.09
Excellent unpretentious writing. Interesting stories about the lives of 10 artists who Tomkins has written about over the past few decades. Many of the artists I was familiar with but there were a few I knew nothing about and Tomkins peaked my interest in their work. Short excellent read showing that contemporary artists life and work are inseparable.
The Perks of Being a WallflowerThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Buy new: $11.20 / Used from: $6.98
Fantastic book that I wish I would have read in high school. The writing is excellent, and the story enthralling. I wish I could explain it better, but I feel like that would cheapen what is already written.
The Book ThiefThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Buy new: $10.39 / Used from: $2.25
While I am not really a fan of reading fiction or books related to the Holocaust, this was an excellent book. The portrait of Liesel Meminger's life is depressing and joyous at the same time. I also enjoyed the approach of using death as a narrator. I found myself wishing the author would take the narrator further for some reason but I'm not sure how he would do this.
ANIMAL FARMANIMAL FARM by George Orwell
Buy used from: $40.44
Amazing book. I love the allegory that Orwell creates. This is a short sweet story that makes its points clear and draws the reader in. This short story is one of the best books I've read recently.
Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and RealityMaking Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky
Buy new: $17.79 / Used from: $13.00
Meh. That's about how I feel about this book. Honestly, there were some good valid points, his Action Method seems interesting (even if it is slightly similar to GTD) and some of the interviews were fun to hear, but the rest of the book was just a pep talk in my opinion.
Kafka on the ShoreKafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $5.63
This is by far one of my favorite books. I still can't wrap my head around everything, I feel like Nakata, not very smart. As is frequently said in the book, "It's not something you can get across in words. The real response is something words can't express." Words can't express the beauty of this book.
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary ArtThe $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by Don Thompson
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $8.00
Fantastic book about the economics of art. This book really opened my eyes to how much quality does not matter in art, and that money rules. This book does a fantastic job of introducing all of the major player's in the art game.
Downtown Owl: A NovelDowntown Owl: A Novel by Chuck Klosterman
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $1.07
I love Chuck Klosterman's writing, but I must say, for the first 150 pages I wasn't really into the book and afraid it would just end as it started. However, the ending was fantastic and I haven't been able to stop thinking about the book, the characters and the plot development. Good overall book.
On Kawara: June 9, 1991 (From Today Series, No. 23, 1991)On Kawara: June 9, 1991 (From Today Series, No. 23, 1991) by On Kawara
Buy used from: $799.20
On Kawara's work is fantastic. This book shows a series of photographs of On Kawara's process of painting a today series painting. The images are amazing and the essay by Hennin Weidemann sheds light of Kawara's process and artistic contribution.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big DifferenceThe Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
Buy new: $10.87 / Used from: $1.25
I agree with everyone that gave this book one star, man what a piece of crap. It was written to attract the masses, the author constantly repeated himself, and the examples were not strong enough to prove his points. Oh and did I say he repeats himself? Annoying right, I got his examples the first time.
The Crying of Lot 49 (Perennial Fiction Library)The Crying of Lot 49 (Perennial Fiction Library) by Thomas Pynchon
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $4.34
This was an amazing book. It was a bit tough to get into at first but I couldn't put it down and once I was done reading it I couldn't stop thinking about it. Pynchon doesn't care if you get it or not, and I appreciate the chance of thinking and guessing at possible outcomes.
ReworkRework by Jason Fried
Buy new: $13.66 / Used from: $7.98
I think what really got me about this book was the obnoxious font size, margins, and pictures on every other page. This book could have easily been a 10 page pdf with bullet points (which I suspect it was). The content was slightly above informative. The best section in my opinion was about not doing a press release.
Junky (Penguin Modern Classics)Junky (Penguin Modern Classics) by William Burroughs
Buy new: $14.59 / Used from: $3.31
This is a fantastic book about the life of a drug addict. This book is the equivalent of the movies Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream (except it was written a few decades before). The pseudo-autobiographic writing style was enjoyable and following Mr. Lee's life was crazy and exciting.
Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian FaithVelvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell
Buy new: $10.19 / Used from: $0.01
This is an interesting book the lines up with some of my views of what it means to live as a good person (not just a Christian). I will say his writing style was interesting in the beginning but then it just got repetitive. Overall, the book was interesting and a quick read.
Pnin (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics)Pnin (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics) by Vladimir Nabokov
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $10.75
Extremely well written and interesting. The story was touching and sad at the same time. I really enjoyed the density of vocabulary and the attention that way paid to detail of description.
The Sky Is Falling: Understanding and Coping with Phobias, Panic, and Obsessive-Compulsive DisordersThe Sky Is Falling: Understanding and Coping with Phobias, Panic, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders by Raeann Dumont
Buy new: $21.95 / Used from: $0.02
I would describe this as an extremely interesting look into the world of OCD and phobias. The individual stories were captivating; however, I thought the descriptions of the treatment lacking and that the treatments themselves were bit odd. But overall, I thought the book was an interesting read.
Rainbows EndRainbows End by Vernor Vinge
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.05
This is the first sci-fi book that I have read so my judgment of it could be completely skewed. With that being said I really enjoyed the story and gadgetry. I also thought there were tons of holes in the story and that the last paragraph in the book was just downright crap. But I really enjoyed the read overall.
The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine DemocracyThe Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy by Raj Patel
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $4.50
Very good book and it opened my mind to the injustices that I always knew existed in society. The idea's that Patel promoted [real democracy, collectivism, etc] are not original or radical but they are still extremely interesting.
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates UsDrive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
Buy new: $15.04 / Used from: $7.44
Definitely an interesting book with some extremely valid points. Honestly though, just skip to the last chapter and read the Drive: The Recap. He gives a summary of each chapter and an overall summary of the book. Lets be honest, this isn't Foucault, Daniel Pink likes to repeat himself.
The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish RichThe Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich by David Bach
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $0.01
I hate to admit that I really enjoyed this book. Everything screams kitsch except a lot of the advice he provides is extremely useful. I would highly recommend this book.
The Communist ManifestoThe Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
Buy new: $5.75 / Used from: $3.31
This is a very interesting and well written book. It is short sweet and too the point. Whether you agree with Marx or not, that isn't really the point. The points he addresses are definitely issues in society, and in his opinion Communism is the method to fix society. One should definitely read this to be well informed.
Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think DifferentlyIconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently by Gregory Berns Ph.D.
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $4.66
This was an excellent book. Some parts are definitely more memorable than others, I would say that Gregory Berns does an excellent job of dumbing down pure scientific papers while not assuming the public is dumb like Malcolm Gladwell does. Definitely worth reading.
The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in LifeThe Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in Life by Leo Babauta
Buy new: $11.35 / Used from: $5.41
This book was okay at best. It's terrible that I am constantly reading books about common sense. The best part of the book in my opinion was the ending about motivation, diet and exercise. I'm glad I got this from the library.
Professional Practice: A Guide to Turning Designs into BuildingsProfessional Practice: A Guide to Turning Designs into Buildings by Paul Segal
Buy new: $14.16 / Used from: $10.14
This was read for a class and the stories told in the book were redundant to the stories told in class. Overall, it is an informative book for how the professional architectural practice works.
Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes LivesWay of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives by Dan Millman
Buy new: $10.31 / Used from: $4.15
Excellent, excellent, excellent. I absolutely loved this book. I reminded me a lot of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and the blend between fiction and realism. The only part that I kind of had a problem with were the touching of the temples and warping to fight demons and the fight in the cave. But other than that it was a captivating book.
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