Blixa's go at reading 50 books in a year

thusspakeblixa

So far I've finished one book and almost finished the second

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1. A Divided Paradise - An Irishman in the Holy Land David Lynch

An account of an Irish journalist's time in the Palestinian territories. Contains a lot of background from all sides and does well to portray parts of the Israeli-Palesinian conflict that don't often get portrayed (the Israeli far-right and Palestinian Christians being among them).

Admittedly, this book is written from a pro-palestinian viewpoint, but Lynch does also represent the Israeli side capably. Contains interviews from around the time of the 2006 elections. Superbly written and a great read if you're interested in Middle-Eastern politics.

A Divided Paradise would also be an excellent place to start if you are looking for a decent primer/foundation course in the roots and current state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Next up, Fintan O'Toole's Ship of Fools

thusspakeblixa

2. The Ship of Fools - How Stupidity and Corruption sank the Celtic Tiger Fintan O'Toole

The Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole examines the Celtic Tiger era and recent banking crisis.

Not so much an economic treatise, Ship of Fools is more of an account of the social impact of the Celtic Tiger and economic crash.

Very accessible and refreshingly jargon-free. If you read O'Toole's columns in the IT you'll be familiar with his style of descriptive writing.

Worth reading and probably the best non-fiction book to have come out of the economic downturn.

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Next up, a move to zombie fiction with Max Brook's World War Z

thusspakeblixa

3. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks

An incredibly realistic 'account' of the zombie apocalypse, told from the viewpoint of a UN investigator (post-war).

The book is essentially a series of interviews by the protagonist with key players in the war as well as normal people who were affected by it.

Even if you think this sounds absurd, read this book. The concept is fantastic and there are times where you are genuinely fearful. You can see the horror of the oncoming zombie infestation. World War Z is a lot deeper than it initially sounds. It can be taken as an allegory, a warning about the perils of isolationism and survivalism.

My favourite book of 2010 so far.

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Next up: Either Frank Herbert's Dune (audio book) or Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's Watchmen. I'm stuck between the two at the moment.

thusspakeblixa

4. Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons


The book that changed the graphic novel forever. Another must-read here. Even if you are a graphic novel skeptic, at least give this classic a go.

This combines an old-fashioned superhero yarn, cold war paranoia to create an unforgettable setting. Watchmen is symbol laden and simply works on a plethora of levels.

This book has made me want to read more graphic novels

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Next up: I have a few books on the go now. Frank Herbert's Dune, (Book one anyway) Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse and Art Spiegelman's Maus.

INTOIT

read Ship of Fools recently. It's excellent. Sometimes I think maybe people like Fintan OToole should move into politics, but I suppose they would then be a loss to the media world.

anyway should be on the reading list of very TD;)

Interested in reading a book about the Middle East- especially about Iraq and/or Lebanon and Iran- not sure if the other book you have mentioned here in this thread would cover those places.

thusspakeblixa

INTOIT wrote: »

Interested in reading a book about the Middle East- especially about Iraq and/or Lebanon and Iran- not sure if the other book you have mentioned here in this thread would cover those places.

Well the book I mentioned is great for Palestine but not for any other areas.
Read Robert Fisk's The Great War for Civilisation maybe, it's very long but well worth it.

thusspakeblixa

I may not make 50 books in a year but I'll resurrect this just to make notes of the books I've been reading recently. The ones I can remember anyway.

The Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano

On the reading list of modern-day leaders like Hugo Chavez, Raul Castro and Evo Morales, this book was actually written in the 1970s. It basically details how Latin America has been exploited by European and North American nations, going back to the time of the Aztecs and Inca right up to the modern day. Really very powerful and horrifying that it still rings true over 30 years since publication.

INTOIT

actually went and read Divided Paradise anyway. Does not cover wider Middle East- mainly focuses on Palestine, Israel and Lebanon. But it is a very good and accesible introduction to the the conflict there. Also it has some funny moments in it- which is strange for a book on that topic! (Got it last month and it wa son sale for 6 euro in Chapters for those living in Dublin)

http://www.amazon.com/Divided-Paradise-Irishman-Holy-Land/dp/1848400136/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278506272&sr=8-1

will have look at the Fisk book .