The Reading List

Over the last couple of months I've been knocking off a lot of books (easy to do with out the temptation of prime time television). Here's a few that might be of interest to you:

The Millionaire Next Door - Wow! There's a lot more millionaires out there then I ever thought. What's good about this book is it delves into how these people live (what cars they drive, what neighborhoods they live in, their spending habits). After reading this I can tell you that probably most of us are not destine to be millionaires however, it does give some basic thoughts on how these people got to their financial status. The book reads a little like a textbook but is still very interesting.

Timeline - A forgotten Michael Crichton novel. Good if you are a Michael Crichton fan (I read Prey earlier this summer and it was pretty good). Basically a time travel thriller.

My American Century - I read a Studs Terkel book to give me a little bit of Chicago fix. This is a compilation of a bunch of interviews that Stud's done over the years. Kind of a brief history of the common man in America. Leaves you scratching your head a little after reading a book all about millionaires.

Fast Food Nation - Another good one. The author provides a complete history of our American obsession with fast food. He interviews meat packers, politicians, fast food execs, etc. The results are pretty scary for a guy like me who enjoys T-Bell! A good muck raking read. Time to go to Whole Foods!

Bobke: A Ride on the Wild Side of Cycling - Bob Roll was part of the first wave of Americans to go to Europe and race in European peloton. Bob talks about being a good ole' boy from Colorado and learning to adapt to Euro hotels, food, and the grueling lifestyle of a domestique. This is a great read if your a cyclist and probably entertaining even if you are not. Bob talks about the late '80's racing with Greg LeMond and the rise in popularity of mountain biking. He's the kind of guy that could tell storys all night at the bar; that's the feel of this book!

Flashing on the Sixties - The definitive photo album for readers of Tom Wolfe's Electric Koolaid Acid Test. Not really serious reading but cool picts and stories from the late '60's. Kind of makes me wonder if we're heading for similar social upheaval with Iraq, the election, etc...

For a final note, I got all these books from thrift stores or the library. The Amazon links are simply there if you want to do a little more follow-up. On the shelf right now are Global Brain by Howard Bloom, Subterraneans by Jack Kerouac, and Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey... Who knows, I might never get another television (although football is pretty tempting on the weekends).