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Part 22 of the books
83. Woody Allen - Getting even
A collection of his columns and stories, written in the sixties. As I have read some of his later compilations already, some stories where not new to me, though it remained an entertaining read. I like his mind, his ability to drag a nice story out of a simple joke. The story about correspondence chess is hilarious, some of the other stories are brilliant as well. And the best quote I've encountered for a while comes from this book as well:
"the manisfestation of the universe as a complex idea unto itself as opposed to being in or outside the true being of itself as inherently a conceptual nothingness or Nothingness in relation to any abstract form existing or to exist or having existed in perpetuity and not subject to laws of physicality or motion or ideas relating to non-matter or the lack of objective being or subjective otherness".
Could somebody please explain what he is saying here?
84. Christoph Hein - Von allem anfang an
A German book, and again I'm not sure if it was meant for older children, or for adults. Whichever way it was interesting to read, this story about an adoloscent growing up in fifties east Germany. The last traumas from the war haven't gone yet, while the main character is getting his first kiss, sees his first nipple and gets into troubles with everybody around him. Good insight in an era, with as extra benefit that you get to read about a now non-existing country, that did play an important role in modern history. Sometimes a story gives you a better insight than a history book stating the obivous facts. I don't know if Hein has been translated into English, but it would be worth finding out for those of you who can't read German.
85. Dennis Rodman (with Michael Silver) - Walk on the wild side
Quick read, a couple of hours and your through. I guess this is a typical follow up to a succesfull (auto)biography of life so far. More or less life's philosophy according to the controversial ex-NBA star. The funny thing was that I wasn't planning on reading it, until it was recommended to me by two people in the hostel I was staying in, who both had read it and were reading really good books after that. People with taste. This book isn't a great one, it even doesn't look tempting to anybody who wants to take a book seriously, but it is different, which makes it interesting even for people who don't know Rodman, who don't like sport.
Rodman's views are controversial, extreme, stupid, biased, contradicting, strange, without a base, but never boring. He proclaims not to see colour, but tells about him living in a white world. He claims the United States is the best country in the world, but then continues for 5 pages to slack off his country. He says he hates structure, but immediately starts explaining his own. He hates rules, but tells about the rules he would implement were he the president or a CEO. He repeats himself several times, comes up with the same examples. Not very much inside information on the NBA or the Bulls, as basketball fans might have hoped, thoug it becomes clear that throughout his years in Chicago he never had a real conversation with Michael Jordan (mr. endorsement). But as they both know that they need each other, the mutual respect is there. Jordan can't excell without Rodman, who wouldn't win titles if it wasn't for the best player of all times.
Rodman is definitely not stupid, I've got his first book at home (german translation unfortunately), have already seen the movie based on 'Bad as I wanna be', perhaps I should read it as well. At least it isn't as boring as 90% of the sportsbooks that are thrown on the market and are only there to make more money.
A collection of his columns and stories, written in the sixties. As I have read some of his later compilations already, some stories where not new to me, though it remained an entertaining read. I like his mind, his ability to drag a nice story out of a simple joke. The story about correspondence chess is hilarious, some of the other stories are brilliant as well. And the best quote I've encountered for a while comes from this book as well:
"the manisfestation of the universe as a complex idea unto itself as opposed to being in or outside the true being of itself as inherently a conceptual nothingness or Nothingness in relation to any abstract form existing or to exist or having existed in perpetuity and not subject to laws of physicality or motion or ideas relating to non-matter or the lack of objective being or subjective otherness".
Could somebody please explain what he is saying here?
84. Christoph Hein - Von allem anfang an
A German book, and again I'm not sure if it was meant for older children, or for adults. Whichever way it was interesting to read, this story about an adoloscent growing up in fifties east Germany. The last traumas from the war haven't gone yet, while the main character is getting his first kiss, sees his first nipple and gets into troubles with everybody around him. Good insight in an era, with as extra benefit that you get to read about a now non-existing country, that did play an important role in modern history. Sometimes a story gives you a better insight than a history book stating the obivous facts. I don't know if Hein has been translated into English, but it would be worth finding out for those of you who can't read German.
85. Dennis Rodman (with Michael Silver) - Walk on the wild side
Quick read, a couple of hours and your through. I guess this is a typical follow up to a succesfull (auto)biography of life so far. More or less life's philosophy according to the controversial ex-NBA star. The funny thing was that I wasn't planning on reading it, until it was recommended to me by two people in the hostel I was staying in, who both had read it and were reading really good books after that. People with taste. This book isn't a great one, it even doesn't look tempting to anybody who wants to take a book seriously, but it is different, which makes it interesting even for people who don't know Rodman, who don't like sport.
Rodman's views are controversial, extreme, stupid, biased, contradicting, strange, without a base, but never boring. He proclaims not to see colour, but tells about him living in a white world. He claims the United States is the best country in the world, but then continues for 5 pages to slack off his country. He says he hates structure, but immediately starts explaining his own. He hates rules, but tells about the rules he would implement were he the president or a CEO. He repeats himself several times, comes up with the same examples. Not very much inside information on the NBA or the Bulls, as basketball fans might have hoped, thoug it becomes clear that throughout his years in Chicago he never had a real conversation with Michael Jordan (mr. endorsement). But as they both know that they need each other, the mutual respect is there. Jordan can't excell without Rodman, who wouldn't win titles if it wasn't for the best player of all times.
Rodman is definitely not stupid, I've got his first book at home (german translation unfortunately), have already seen the movie based on 'Bad as I wanna be', perhaps I should read it as well. At least it isn't as boring as 90% of the sportsbooks that are thrown on the market and are only there to make more money.