Twelve Days of Gheorghemas: Day Seven

On the seventh day of Gheorghemas, Big Gheorghe gave to me:

Seven Book Categories for Reading
Six Cylinders for Shlara
Five Givings of Thanks
Four Badass Women
Three(+) Decades of Love’s Labor
Two Things You’re Needing
And a Fat Guy in a Sweet T

I'm sure you're all sick of all the end of the year lists . . . the movies you didn't have time to see, the political events you finally forgot about, the celebrities that croaked. And the books you didn't read. So I'm going to make this as simple as I can.

I'm quite proud that I read forty-three books in 2018. Or I was quite proud, until my friend and colleague Stacey presented me with her book list. That's when I decided lists are stupid (it might have been sour grapes). It's really hard to recommend a good book, let alone 43 of them. Reading is deeply personal . . . it's a commitment. While I would love it if all my friends read the exact same books as me, at the exact same time, it's just not feasible. You can sample music or a TV show and then tell your buddy you tried, but a book takes more effort.

And a book recommendation is fraught with peril. You could really disappoint someone. They could think far less of you (this could happen with music and TV as well but we tend to excuse trash in those domains . . . if you think Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is the shit, I'm not going to bother arguing with you. But I'm still bickering with folks in my department about how contrived and lacking in hockey-insight Fredrik Bachman's novel Beartown is).

However, a good book recommendation is a wonderful thing. I'm still passing along George Dohrmann's Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine, a book that Mark recommended.

So instead of recommending seven books, which is six too many, I'm going to recommend seven book categories. In each category, I'll recommend one or two books. I think that's reasonable.

I'm going to start with one over-arching recommendation, however. The first book is the one book on my list that all the Gheorghies should read. It is a surefire hit for this crowd, and I'm asking you to trust me on it. Oklahoma Thunder Basketball, tornadoes, The Flaming Lips, city planning, and the 1889  Land Run, all wrapped up in hurtling juggernaut headed towards the inevitable BOOM. Give it a shot, and then thank me when you finish it in three days.

1) The One Book All Gheorghies Need to Read 

Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World Class Metropolis by Sam Anderson

2) OBFT XXVI Book Club Selection

Cliffy (who runs a moving business) also enjoyed this one, which details-- in his words-- "America's first move." I would really enjoy if some of the fishing trip guys read this one, so we could discuss it in the appropriate setting.

The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke by Andrew Lawler

3) A Classic That's Worth Reading

This novel is regarded as "The Great Gatsby of the West Coast." I think it's a lot more fun than Fitzgerald.

Ask the Dust by John Fante

4) Two Books for the Whole Family

We had a family book club this summer, and my kids chose these two books. I loved both of them, and both made me cry (one is about dogs and the other has several underdog sporting moments).

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

5) Two Books with BIG Ideas

These suckers are heavy, but I guarantee if you make it through either one (or both) you'll never look at the world the same way again. Both are comparable to Guns, Germs, and Steel.

The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World -- An Us by Richard O. Prum

The Wizard and the Prophet by Charles C. Mann

6) Two Books That Will Make You Laugh

Nothing is harder than humor, and these are two authors at the top of their game. If you've never read Sedaris, you can start with this one and then work your way through. The best part about Schumacher's epistolary novel is that there's a sequel, which is more traditional in format, but just as funny.

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Calypso by David Sedaris

7) Something Thoughtful and Political

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt

Merry Gheorghemas! Happy Reading!

If you'd like to join me, this winter I'm going to wade through Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy 1945 - 1975 by Max Hastings It's 900 pages, and it's supposed to arrive before Christmas.

There's no better way to celebrate the holidays than by being thankful you weren't drafted into a chaotic misguided quagmire of atrocities and futility (with flashes of honor, resourcefulness and heroism . . . often for lost causes).