Just another short post today. If you like contests and free books, we're not the only folks who like to do it. William Jones runs contests and has one going right now. Ann Aguirre runs a bunch of contests, and big ones too, whenever she has a book come out or even when she finds a book she really likes and wants to get more people to read. Follow the links and check them out.
And a quick music note for the contest: a solid dose of international music plus an oblique hint "Ever listen to the music in the background of the American remake of La Femme Nikita?"
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sneaking and spying, peeking and prying
Today, I thought I'd sneak into the Thin Man's office and scout up some more hints for the Christmas contest. This is what I've got so far:
Lots of 'Best of" and movie soundtrack albums because he's cheap, plus, since he buys most of his music used or out of the bargain bin some of it is pretty obscure. Worse yet, he has albums from about every genre although not very much rap and I didn't see any hip-hop. Lots of classical and heavy metal with a solid dose of folk and western. (He makes a distinction there, insisting that country and western are two different kinds of music and he doesn't like country. I don't know if that's helpful or not.) He also has music by other authors! He doesn't have any singles and doesn't have an mp3 player so he listens to complete albums (although, for some of them, he only really cares about one or two songs).
That's all I could get today without getting caught. Maybe more later and good luck.
Lots of 'Best of" and movie soundtrack albums because he's cheap, plus, since he buys most of his music used or out of the bargain bin some of it is pretty obscure. Worse yet, he has albums from about every genre although not very much rap and I didn't see any hip-hop. Lots of classical and heavy metal with a solid dose of folk and western. (He makes a distinction there, insisting that country and western are two different kinds of music and he doesn't like country. I don't know if that's helpful or not.) He also has music by other authors! He doesn't have any singles and doesn't have an mp3 player so he listens to complete albums (although, for some of them, he only really cares about one or two songs).
That's all I could get today without getting caught. Maybe more later and good luck.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Guys Read the Classics
Education of a Wandering Man, a memoir by Louis L’Amour
If you are a fan of Louis L’Amour, read this book. If you are interested in authors as men as well as the tales they tell, read this book. If you draw breath, read this book.
Education of a Wandering Man is exactly what it calls itself, a memoir. It is Louis L’Amour’s remembrances of his travels, experiences, and ultimately, of how he became to be a self-educated man and how very important self-education is. A tight narrative, it is not. The stories wander and jump from topic to topic but this adds to the overall strength of the work rather than detracts from it. It is personal and conversational. Reading the book is like sharing a cup of coffee with the great western author in a roadside shelter while waiting for a storm to pass—intimate, charming, and deeply insightful. L’Amour tells of crossing the Mojave Desert on foot, working at sea, and serving in World War Two to mention only a fraction of his memories.
Most importantly, throughout his life, L’Amour sought books. Each memory is accompanied with a mention of what he was reading at the time and why. At its heart, everything for L’Amour comes back to reading. From pulp fictions to Greek histories to poetry and more, his life was spent seeking knowledge and finding it in the written word. By the end, almost unintentionally, L’Amour makes an irrefutable case for the importance of literature to being a man and, further, to being a wise one. As a wonderful bonus, the book includes a bibliography, for Louis kept a record of what he read throughout the years and shares this list with the reader. This listing of books, over six solid years of reading, is, alone, worth the cost of the book. In many ways, this book embodies, not just L’Amour, but the quest and love of all literary men. It is a definite must read and must have for every reader.
Related Reading:
The bibliography L’Amour himself lists within his book.
If you are a fan of Louis L’Amour, read this book. If you are interested in authors as men as well as the tales they tell, read this book. If you draw breath, read this book.
Education of a Wandering Man is exactly what it calls itself, a memoir. It is Louis L’Amour’s remembrances of his travels, experiences, and ultimately, of how he became to be a self-educated man and how very important self-education is. A tight narrative, it is not. The stories wander and jump from topic to topic but this adds to the overall strength of the work rather than detracts from it. It is personal and conversational. Reading the book is like sharing a cup of coffee with the great western author in a roadside shelter while waiting for a storm to pass—intimate, charming, and deeply insightful. L’Amour tells of crossing the Mojave Desert on foot, working at sea, and serving in World War Two to mention only a fraction of his memories.
Most importantly, throughout his life, L’Amour sought books. Each memory is accompanied with a mention of what he was reading at the time and why. At its heart, everything for L’Amour comes back to reading. From pulp fictions to Greek histories to poetry and more, his life was spent seeking knowledge and finding it in the written word. By the end, almost unintentionally, L’Amour makes an irrefutable case for the importance of literature to being a man and, further, to being a wise one. As a wonderful bonus, the book includes a bibliography, for Louis kept a record of what he read throughout the years and shares this list with the reader. This listing of books, over six solid years of reading, is, alone, worth the cost of the book. In many ways, this book embodies, not just L’Amour, but the quest and love of all literary men. It is a definite must read and must have for every reader.
Related Reading:
The bibliography L’Amour himself lists within his book.
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