Recent Reads
 

I bought 'Atlas Shrugged' on CD for the ride to Florida, and I listened to 'Animal Farm' on the way back. In the mean time, I've been reading 'A Clockwork Orange'.

I find it interesting how nicely these three books, by different authors, seem to dovetail with each other:

'Atlas Shrugged': There are two kinds of people in the world, those that produce and those who steal what is produced from others. Those who take to theiving are totally dependent on the producers, yet try to convince them that it is the other way around (usually by controlling government).

'Animal Farm': Revolution always comes with the promise of equality, but, to quote Roger Daltry: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss".

'A Clockwork Orange': Evil is a choice. Good is a choice. One cannot be good without choosing not to do evil. If one is prevented from doing evil, it does not necessarily make them good. No amount of education, punishment, persuasion, or conditioning can make someone good.

Atlas shrugged is one of the best books ever written. I read it every 4-5 years just to refresh.

Re: Recent Reads
 

That's a book?

;)

Much better than the movie. The book contains the final chapter (where Alex choses good over evil) that was omitted from the movie. Also, Alex is a far less sympathetic character in the book. For example, in the movie, he meets two women in the record store and has what is apparently consentual sex with the both of them. In the book, the women are ten-year-old girls and the sex is not consentual.

I have read Atlas Shrugged twice and should read it again, I liked it better than Fountainhead. A couple more times and I might understand the thing. I have read a lot of her books and liked them all. I think Atlas Shrugged should be manditory reading for high schools but that sure won't happen.
Animal Farm was great but never read Clockwork Orange.

Your obsession is quite evident from your avatar, Legion.

I also confess to having been heavily impressed by a reading of Clockwork Orange during my teen years. I mark that book as a milestone in my own growth and would not want to ever re-read it. I know that it would seem flavorless compared to the impression I took away from it back then.

Sam Peckinpah's movie Straw Dogs was the same way - a hugely impressioned milestone. I made the mistake of watching it years later. Milquetoast compared to my memories.

You might want to give "Of Human Bondage" a go for a more tangible tale of the evolution of human spirit in classic literature. Brilliant, compelling piece or work.

I just read All the King's Men. I avoided it through college because it seemed like a book you were supposed to read. my wife gave it to me for Christmas and I read it on spring break. It was mind blowing good. The language was like swimming in single barrel bourbon.

Also read Cold Mountain. (She was in the southern lit section of the bookstore, she wisely avoided To Kill a Mockingbird because she knew I had read it.) Another fabuous read. Completely different than the movie. It was written with a unique perspective that was hard to get into but once you did it sucked you in and never let go.

I just finished reading "The Long Emergency" by James Kunstler. Non fiction, very good study on our current state of affairs concerning suburban life and the unfolding energy problem.

"Catch 22" is next on the list.

Ayn Rand is the Hulk Hogan of philosophy. Which is why she is nothing more than a footnote in even modern philosophy courses, and is destined to fall in both popularity and respect. But hey......for folks who think society and economics are like a WWF bout, she's amazing.

The most recent classic I read was The Scarlet Letter. Good book.

I have enjoyed A Clockwork Orange both times I have read it. Animal Farm is another great classic.

My favorite book is probably a little lighter than most of you would consider for a great book. I read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card for the first time when I was in the fifth grade. At the time it was a cool sci-fi adventure story. I read it again in high school, and periodically after that. Every time I read it, I find another way of looking at a character or story element. A great read!

I'm also a big fan of Heinlein.... I know I sound like a huge sci-fi geek (I am) but Starship Troopers is a great military novel in its own right. (If you have only watched the movie PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the book.)

Micah

What are your specific criticisms? You blast her yet offer no reason why and no evidence to support your argument. Much bravado with little substance...ironically like the WWF.

Ayn Rand comes off like an angry, condecending, beotch, a Coultergiest from a past era. A.S. is a gigantic exercise in egotism, nothing more. I made it about a 1/3rd of the way through it before I realized how seeped in holier-than-thou idealism the author was and promptly put its back on the shelf.

"Ayn Rand comes off like an angry, condecending, beotch, a Coultergiest from a past era. A.S. is a gigantic exercise in egotism, nothing more. I made it about a 1/3rd of the way through it before I realized how seeped in holier-than-thou idealism the author was and promptly put its back on the shelf."

Let me guess, you both love Hillary, right? Socialist Democrts right?