I don't generally post anything about the books I read, but the last three were a hat trick of semi-obscure books that I really enjoyed, so I thought I'd share.
Jennifer Government by Max Barry. This is somewhat absurd (in a good way; think Catch-22) near-future satire, not unlike one of my all-time favorites, Sewer, Gas, and Electric. In an ultracapitalist America, the government is almost nonexistent and big corporations are the seats of power. An ambitious executive decides that his company should take military action against its competitors, which arouses unwanted attention from one of the few remaining government agents.
The Ridiculous Race by Steve Hely and Vali Chandrasekaran. A true, double-first-person narrative by two friends who compete to race each other around the world without using airplanes. The goal is not only to win, but to outdo one another in the experiences had along the way. Absolutely hilarious.
Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes by Daniel Everett. A memoir by a missionary/linguist who has spent much of the last 30 years with a tribe of native Amazonians called the Piraha. They're really enchanting: happy and lighthearted, almost never angry or violent, nonmaterialistic and mostly at peace with each other and with the world. It makes you think about what it really means to be 'civilized.'
Labels: books