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Biff jesus fav12/3/2023 ![]() Myers’ The Cleanest Race seems to be misplaced in this category as it is a book about how the North Korean people perceive themselves and how this affects contemporary geopolitics. While remaining sympathetic to Scientology’s many adherents, she paints a vivid portrait of a power-hungry organization founded by a delusional huckster and being led into the 21st century by a violent sociopath.B.J. Inside Scientology, by Janet Reitman, takes a more traditional approach in exploring the origins, beliefs, and future of Scientology. The result is a sobering meditation on Japanese society and it’s culpability in this horrific tragedy. Murakami chooses to forgo any sort of author driven narrative by telling the story almost entirely in the words of the victims and cult members. Haruki Murakami’s Underground deals with the 1995 gassing of the Tokyo subway system by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult. There were four excellent books in this category, each one exploring a different religious movement and their often tragic collisions with mainstream society. ![]() The Books: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer Underground by Haruki Murakami Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman The Cleanest Race by B.J. The “Sometimes Religion Makes People do Crazy Things” Books The tale of a 1700+ foot wave alone makes this book a gripping read. She follows scientists, sailors, and (of course) surfers on a quest to find the worlds largest and most dangerous waves. The final work in this category is Susan Casey’s The Wave. Turning a complete 180, Blind Descent by James Tabor follows those who explore the earth’s deepest depths in a claustrophobic tale of supercave spelunking. Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Bowley’s No Way Down read as gripping thrillers set on the rooftop of the world. Two have to do with mountain climbing tragedies in the Himalayas. The Books: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer No Way Down by Graham Bowley The Wave by Susan Casey Blind Descent by James Taborįour very strong books round out this category of tales chronicling men and women jabbing their fingers into nature’s eye by exploring those places where mortals have no business being. The “It Would Be So Cool to Do These Things But I Don’t Actually Want to Die” Books It was certainly the funniest book I read in 2011. Told through the butchered syntax and grammar of a non-native speaker, Pygmy is a brutal satire of American society in the guise of a raucous farce. And Pygmy, by Chuck Palahniuk, tells the story of an adolescent spy sent to the American heartland to instigate chaos and destruction. Sex, drugs, and mayhem predictably lead to hilarious results. Pandaemonium, by Christopher Brookmyre, sits in as a a gaggle of hormonal teens battle demons at a forest getaway. Jillette does, however, get a little bit preachy in his hatred of anything religious and that drags the book down. Penn Jillette’s God No! could be summed up with “a fat dude vomits all over naked strippers in zero gravity.” That sentence in itself is funny and the book follows suit. For all it’s wacky irreverence, the book manages to remain surprisingly inoffensive, no small feat when dealing with two teenage boys (even if one of them is Christ). ![]() The story of Jesus’ missing years is narrated by Biff, a well-meaning but flawed sidekick to the Son of God. Christopher Moore’s Lamb is one of these books. But, some books are pee-your-pants funny. They might inspire a smirk, or an inside chuckle, maybe a giggle. The Books: Pygmy by Chuck Palahnuik Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore God, No! by Penn Jillette Pandaemonium by Christopher Brookmyre The “Try Not to Make an Ass of Yourself By Laughing Hysterically in Public Places” Books This list is by no means comprehensive but it gives some good examples of what made me happy to be a reader in 2011. Instead, I’ve come up with a few categories into which I can place just some of the books I read last year. In this spirit, my new years review of the books I read in 2011 will not be a single ordered list of books I liked culminating in my favorite book of the year. But I find it almost impossible to choose one single work that I value above all others because, among the really great books, they each have something of value that can’t be fairly compared to others. Come up with one book that I like more than any other book that I’ve ever read? How am I supposed to do that? I most certainly have books I like more than others. ![]() When people ask me about my favorite book, I often have no idea what to say.
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