I'm currently thumbing through Kerouac's Dharma Bums. The next time I'm around the book store I think I'm going to pick up a copy of For Whom the Bell Tolls as I've been reading up on the spanish civil war for ages now but have never read this.
By far the most enjoyablely exotic, downright fun read out of all of his stuff.
His characters are unparallalled, and the whole thing goes on so entertaining and insightfully intelligent. It's one of those where as soon as you realized you're halfway through you become a little unhinged, as though you thought you could enjoy it forevor.
Best of his to get through by far, although "Old man and the sea" is just as good quality wise, just far different and much shorter.
The romantic component in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" can't be beat.
Enjoy, I wish I could wipe my memory and start on it again.
I'm just about wrapping up
A Short History of Nearly Everything written by Bill Bryson. Pretty wonderfully written, factually accurate
and really entertaining as well.
Not only a great refreshingly informative alternative to stemming through dozens of specialized and dreary text books seeking a history of all the great scientific breakthroughs and discoveries, the answers to questions I should have learned early on in grade school and if any of the teachers I came across could have made it this easy, I may very well have been in graduate school by now. Not saying it was the teachers fault, topically wasn't the case but I'd say they could have been given a bit more flexibility on a subject that should have been fun to learn. No teachers this time around, but I flew through this thing. I can't wait to give it a month and pick it right back up again.
I've taken a break from philosophy and current events to explore some subjects gauranteed NOT to piss me off or frustrate my current mindstate (kind of dealing with a pretty severe existential crisis and it's been hell on my sanity.) ...Backs away from spiritual dilemmas slowly, sinks back in my pillow to dig some factual stuff that at least is rooted in an honest and simple truth, and the vastness and complexity of the universe has made me feel so less isolated and trapped.
Humans love to assume we're some "make it or break it" kind of organism, like we have anything over plants, lichens, carbon atoms or [dare I say] a universe so vast and old, it's such a relief to know that we won't be around anywhere near as close as a million years from now, although we'd love to flatter ourselves with our horrendous technology.
The most succesful and enduring form of life, one accounting today for some 80 percent of all life still and who's been around for 4.5 Billiion years consists primarily of the microbial organisms, isn't that lovely? Perhaps biggest, meanest and fastest isn't best after all, maybe we should gain an enlightened view on who's 'superior' and who's just making a big fuss.
Cheered me up immensely and really puts existence into perspective.
