As promised, here is my reading list from the trip. It is in approximate chronological order. There were long periods during my absence when I did no reading. At the beginning, it was due to the fear that a few pounds would be the difference between success and failure. Later, it was because I passed through wide swaths of the country where people apparently don't have much respect for the written word, regardless of what the girls at the chamber of commerce say.
The Week Before I Left:
Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M Pirsig
I received this book as a gift right before I left. It was an appropriate read before I began my journey.
On the road, I saw it in the philosophy section of a bookstore. I'd call it literature. I recommend it.
Kentucky:
Walden and Civil Disobedience - Henry David Thoreau
I bought this book and the following one at the Morehead State University bookstore. Walden is
something I have always wanted to read, and I picked the perfect time and place to do it. Not what
I thought, it is an ode to self-sufficiency and reflection on the beauty of nature. Civil Disobedience is
something that every taxpayer should read...very timely. This was probably the book that meant the
most to me on the trip.
Ohio:
What The Buddha Taught - Walpola Rahula
I didn't know much about Buddhism, and the selection at the college bookstore was pretty weak. It
seems like a pretty good one as far as religions go.
Something Happened - Joseph Heller
Entertaining, but Catch 22 it isn't.
Michigan:
All The King's Men - Robert Penn Warren
This book came highly recommended by people I respect. Alas, it wasn't all I thought it would be.
But don't take my word for it. I've been hearing good things about it for so long that it's likely you will
enjoy it more than I did.
South Dakota:
Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams
I bought this book at the Walmart in Pierre, SD. It's not exactly what I am into these days, but I
enjoyed Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy series as a youth. Douglas Adams is witty
and hilarious.
Ulysses - James Joyce
I don't know why did this to myself. I guess so I could say I read it. I did have some idea what
was going on in the second 400 pages of the book and the ending was quite powerful. Don't try
to read this book without an English dictionary, a Latin dictionary, and a history of Ireland close
at hand for reference.
Wyoming:
Light In August - William Faulkner
This is the first of three Faulkner books I read on the trip. Granted, I did not start with the easiest
of his works, but I was reading my third of his books before I really got the gist of any of them. Since
then, they have been better and better. If you are a new reader, this is a good one to start with.
Good story and easy to follow.
Montana:
Travels With Charlie(In Search Of America) - Ernest Hemingway
I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend. I have never been a big Hemingway fan, but
since someone took the time to tell me to read it, I was happy to oblige. It is a travelogue, written
late in the author's life. Many of his experiences were analogous to ones of my own on the road, so
I liked it a lot. Give it a read.
The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
Another timely one. At only 100 pages, you can't go wrong. It is written by a famous courtesan and
political advisor from medieval Italy. It has long been considered the handbook for how to acquire and
hold a empire. Hitler was a big fan. Though the ends to which this how-to book leads are ignoble,
and most certainly barbaric, it is interesting to compare its' suggestions with the actions America
has taken in its' current imperial adventure...someone should have read Machiavelli.
Alberta:
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
This book was written as a warning against what the author saw as a creeping totalitarianism in
post-war England and America. I thought it was a pretty good book. An easy and entertaining read.
British Columbia:
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
I stick with my original review. The funniest book about a pedophile I have ever read. Read this and
you can be entertained and seem intellectual at the same time.
His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Kline
This book was given to me by a fellow traveler...the only book I have ever thrown away after reading.
Joseph Andrews - Henry Fielding
This book is just as funny as Tom Jones, but only about one third as long. So if you are afraid of
commitment, but still want to be familiar with the height of 18th century English wit, this is the book
for you.
The Unvanquished - William Faulkner
Read more Faulkner!
The Diary Of A Madman And Other Stories - Nikolai Gogol
A collection of short stories. I think they are supposed to be funny, but they miss the mark.
The Marble Faun - Nathaniel Hawthorne
I somehow got through school without having to read The Scarlet Letter, which is okay because I
know, it's an A. Anyway, I'm glad I didn't because I think this book stinks!
The Castle - Franz Kafka
This book is hilarious! It illustrates the pointlessness and frustration in man's search for knowledge.
Unfortunately, Kafka died before finishing the book, so it kind of just stops in the middle, which sucks.
Washington:
White Noise - Don DeLillo
This book and the following three were given to me to read by my friend Jeremy. This book is about
the absurdity and frustration of modern life circa 1885. I liked it, didn't love it.
Death In Venice And Seven Other Stories - Thomas Mann
I had never read Thomas Mann before. This is good stuff!
Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby
This is a book about a soccer fanatic. I have never been more than a casual fan of any sport, if that,
but this book gave me a glimpse of what is going on in the minds of my more sports-obsessed friends.
This book is very, very funny and can be enjoyed by sports lovers as well as those that wonder at
them.
Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World - Haruki Murakami
I have been hearing about Haruki Murakami for a few years now from the person who lent me this
book. I would describe it as intelligent, literate sci-fi/fantasy. It is set in a near future Tokyo where
anything can happen. Would you live in your dreams if you could? It leaves you thinking.
McTeague - Frank Norris
This book is described in the foreword as a 'minor classic'. By those standards, I could produce a
minor classic. I would call it pulp.
Heart Of Darkness And The Secret Sharer - Joseph Conrad
Can you believe I had never read this? It lives up to its' billing. It inspired 'Apocalypse Now' for
goodness' sake!
Sketches From A Hunter's Album - Ivan Turgenev
Beautiful descriptions of pastoral Russia and wonderful accounts of the Russian feudal system in
practice. Turgenev was put under house arrest for this seemingly lovely and harmless book.
Idaho:
Go Down, Moses - William Faulkner
Another good one. A collection of seven interrelated short stories, this was the most complex of
Faulkner's books that I read on the trip. I wrote in one of my updates that Sinclair Lewis was probably
my favorite American author, and he was for a long time. I have to say that William Faulkner now
holds that title.
Narcissus And Goldmund - Hermann Hesse
This is another book that touched close to what I was doing at the time I read it. It is probably the
best Hermann Hesse book that I have read, of course it has about a one in four chance of that. I
recommend it.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murakami
This is the second book by Murakami that I read on the trip, and the one that my friend has been
suggesting to me for the past couple of years. I preferred this one by a long margin. My friend
preferred Hard-Boiled Wonderland, so I'd call it a pick 'em. I would recommend reading one of them
because I am going to go out on a limb and guess that you haven't read much modern Japanese
literature. Broaden your horizons and enjoy a good book.
Utah:
One Hundred Years Of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
I was supposed to read this book for English class my junior year of high school. I somehow faked
my way through class without doing so. If someone had told me that the book was friggin' hilarious
I probably would have cracked it. A friend sent this book along with the following one for me to read
my last couple of weeks on the road. It's a good one!
Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins
I had never read any Tom Robbins books, and I thoroughly enjoyed this introductory experience.
It is modern, fun to read, and deep at the same time. This is one of the better books I read on my
trip.
I Went To The Bookstore Bookstore Last Week, And Here's What I Bought:
The Chomsky-Foucault Debate On Human Nature - Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault
Two dudes debate obscure linguistic points and their broad philosophical implications. I enjoyed it,
but I'm not going to waste any more of your time talking about it.
Hot Water Music - Charles Bukowski
My first experience with Bukowski. Straight up existential smut. Awesome! Still reading it...
The Portable Karl Marx - Edited by Eugene Kamenka
Hegemony Or Survival(America's Quest For Global Dominance - Noam Chomsky
So, that's about it. I hope my book reviews were neither too presumptuous, nor too vague. I hope my updates were entertaining and informative. I hope you all make it a priority to take some time to do something for yourself that will expand your mind, challenge your body, and give wings to your soul. I recommend it.
Peace!
