4 posts tagged “books”
Actually, my wife and I rebuilt the CD case this weekend that I use as a nightstand, and I was able to sort through my huge pile of books sitting by the bed. After I shelved books I had finished, I was left with Bill Buford's Heat, McSweeney's #20, The Devil Is a Gentleman: Exploring America's Religious Fringe, Seth Tobochman's graphic novel, War in the Neighborhood, and Wobblies! A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World.
I usually read several books at the same time, leaving a couple in my messenger bag, one in the living room, a couple by the bed and at least one in the spare bedroom.
A couple of weeks ago I joined BookMooch, a book swapping site started by the founder of the online record label,Magnatune, John Buckman.
BookMooch is unique among online booktrading sites in that there is no cost involved, and philanthropy is encouraged. You can give credits to charities like libraries, children's hospitals, and other needy causes, so that they can receive books. You receive 1/10th of a point for every book you make available, and for every book you send out you receive a point that may be used to request a book in the system. At the very least, you must send one book for every five you "mooch," and this ratio is strongly enforced.
So far, I have mailed six books, received five, requested four more, and have made 57 books available to fellow moochers. The BookMooch selection of books available matches my tastes a bit more than PaperBackSwap (my other book trading service), I have been able to pick up a couple of graphic novels and Murakami short story collections through BookMooch.
Bill Buford is best known these days for his bestseller Heat : An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany (a book I plan to read soon), but I first became acquainted with his writing earlier this year with his firsthand account of English soccer hooligans, Among the Thugs.
In the book, Buford descends into the hooligans' culture, attending games and even becoming accepted into their groups. The book not only covers his own experiences, but he also delves into the history of British football violence. The writing is sharp, and Buford puts himself into many awkward (and personally dangerous) situations. Less about soccer and more about the mob mentality, The book is fascinating.
Though it has become my favorite sport, I haven't read many soccer books, but this year (in between my 52 Books and Book Notes projects), I have managed to read a couple. The World Cup energized me to pick up Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World. In a nutshell, Foer attempts to explain globalization in terms of soccer around the world. His political metaphors often miss their mark, but as he presents of the state of soccer around the world in every chapter, the reader realizes his love for the game.
If you want to read about globalization, pick up something by Thomas Friedman. If you love soccer and want to read about how it is played around the world, this book is a GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!
