Best book to read lying on the beach while you sip away at a (insert your answer to yesterday's question here)? Or on a cruise ship sailing you from New York to the Caribbean and back?
Love in the Time of Cholera (by Gabriel García Márquez) Okay, hear me out on this one. While I'm usually all for the steamy, fluffy beach read, sometimes it gets old. Love in the Time of Cholera is great because it has that airy, summery vibe, but it is also a deep, moving story about unrequited love. And don't we all just love a "guy pines over girl for 50 years" tale? The language in this book is beautiful - Marquez' translator is fantastic. (I can only imagine how much better it would be to read in Spanish, but alas, I digress.)
My other suggestion: Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut. Some of his best work is in here (my favs: All the King's Men, Long Walk to Forever, and Harrison Bergeron) and since the book is comprised of short stories, it's easy to pick up and put down between sips of your girly drink.
I've never read a book at the beach. Why the fuck would you read a book at the beach when you can play various sports or go swimming? I don't need to go get sand in my ass crack to read a book...plus, sitting out in the sun simply to get sun at the beach is one of the most retarded things people can do.
(I know, I'm hardly the guy to chide people for inactivity, but here's the thing. I'm all for turning into a lump in my room while I watch movies, play video games and use the computer all at the same time, but if I leave the house for a beach, I may as well fucking do something, yeah?)
I'm gonna go with some form of baseball book. Either The Teammates by David Halberstam or The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn (about the Brooklyn Dodgers.
But in reality, if I'm just sittin there hangin out, I'm gonna just go with Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone or Entertainment Weekly (which is credible simply because they realize that The Wire is the greatest show ever created and it's not even close). Plus, with a magazine, you take a couple minutes to read the article then get your ass back in the water or walkin down the beach again.
I'm giving you 2 books. I also am not going to get picked as giving the best answer, but its not for suggesting 2 books.
The first book is Robinson Crusoe. This would be the bet for your voyage to the island and the first few days on the beach. Its great to see how far we've come (crappy boat vs cruise ship, dangerous trip to new world vs leisurely vacation). Also, once your on the island you can just imagine what he would have faced. Ok. Now to why I won't win.
After you finish Robinson Crusoe, read the Memoirs of Napoleon. Just like Napoleon, you will be on an isolated island, away from your first world home country. Also like Napolean, you will be returning in glory (he reclaimed the Emperorship, you got tan [degrees of glory]). This is good reading on the trip home. Oh, you're also short like him and you you put your hand in your jacket when pictures are taken.
David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day is perfect. Hell, any David Sedaris book. It's light enough to make a good beach read without making you feel stupider for having read it. Much of the book is about living different places and taking European vacations, which is kinda what you want when you are traveling.
Here's how this works: Every day around midnight, I'll post a stupid question. You have all day to post equally stupid responses, and then at the end of the day, I'll arbitrarily select my favorite answer(s) and feature it/them on the next day's post. "Winners" will be chosen based upon quality of answer and my own personal biases regarding what constitutes the "right" opinion, not necessarily in that order. All you have to do is press the comment button, post your answer there, and pray that I'm in good spirits when I read it. Let the games begin.
6 comments:
Love in the Time of Cholera (by Gabriel García Márquez) Okay, hear me out on this one. While I'm usually all for the steamy, fluffy beach read, sometimes it gets old. Love in the Time of Cholera is great because it has that airy, summery vibe, but it is also a deep, moving story about unrequited love. And don't we all just love a "guy pines over girl for 50 years" tale? The language in this book is beautiful - Marquez' translator is fantastic. (I can only imagine how much better it would be to read in Spanish, but alas, I digress.)
My other suggestion: Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut. Some of his best work is in here (my favs: All the King's Men, Long Walk to Forever, and Harrison Bergeron) and since the book is comprised of short stories, it's easy to pick up and put down between sips of your girly drink.
Viva letteratura!!
I've never read a book at the beach. Why the fuck would you read a book at the beach when you can play various sports or go swimming? I don't need to go get sand in my ass crack to read a book...plus, sitting out in the sun simply to get sun at the beach is one of the most retarded things people can do.
(I know, I'm hardly the guy to chide people for inactivity, but here's the thing. I'm all for turning into a lump in my room while I watch movies, play video games and use the computer all at the same time, but if I leave the house for a beach, I may as well fucking do something, yeah?)
I'm gonna go with some form of baseball book. Either The Teammates by David Halberstam or The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn (about the Brooklyn Dodgers.
But in reality, if I'm just sittin there hangin out, I'm gonna just go with Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone or Entertainment Weekly (which is credible simply because they realize that The Wire is the greatest show ever created and it's not even close). Plus, with a magazine, you take a couple minutes to read the article then get your ass back in the water or walkin down the beach again.
I'm giving you 2 books. I also am not going to get picked as giving the best answer, but its not for suggesting 2 books.
The first book is Robinson Crusoe. This would be the bet for your voyage to the island and the first few days on the beach. Its great to see how far we've come (crappy boat vs cruise ship, dangerous trip to new world vs leisurely vacation). Also, once your on the island you can just imagine what he would have faced. Ok. Now to why I won't win.
After you finish Robinson Crusoe, read the Memoirs of Napoleon. Just like Napoleon, you will be on an isolated island, away from your first world home country. Also like Napolean, you will be returning in glory (he reclaimed the Emperorship, you got tan [degrees of glory]). This is good reading on the trip home. Oh, you're also short like him and you you put your hand in your jacket when pictures are taken.
David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day is perfect. Hell, any David Sedaris book. It's light enough to make a good beach read without making you feel stupider for having read it. Much of the book is about living different places and taking European vacations, which is kinda what you want when you are traveling.
Sex Drugs And Cocoa Puffs. Short and haughty reflections on pop culture. A quick read that's easier than girls on spring break.
Post a Comment