New on Swick's Thought Stream

Today I'm going to be starting a new series which I am simply calling 'This, not That!' - inspired by those handy dandy little books... 'Eat This, not That!' ... only instead of telling you what your body should absorb, I'm going to suggest books that your mind should absorb. Because, you know, I read a ton of book, haha! They are going to vary in all sorts of literature and genres, so it should be a fun series to read and work on.

I am debating what sort of lists I should tackle next. I'll probably go by genre and recommend my top three books in each one and why.

I'm also going to dedicate a few posts to things that I am currently reading, so there will be some newer publications instead of just older 'classic' publications.

I've also added a new link to the right which is going to contain 'Swick's Picks' ... basically any book that I talk about and recommend is going to be over there to help you skip all the awful reading and just read the good stuff. I know so far I've only done fiction, but hopefully with these two new series. It should make it a lot easier to find some good books to read.

In a personal update, my dad is getting married this weekend, so if you don't hear from me in a few days. Yeah, that's it.

The Best Books of the 20th Century - Synopsis

For those of you who hate reading, or just haven't been keeping up with my 'Best Books of the Decade' series that I just finished with.

Here is the reading list with Goodreads's picks on the left and my personal picks on the right.

For shits and giggles, tell me which reading list (if you were forced to read one) would you rather have

1900
Goodreads's Pick                                     Swick's Pick    

 

1910

Goodreads's Pick                                     Swick's Pick    

1920
A TIE!
Read both...

1930

Goodreads AND Swick's Pick    

1940

Goodreads's Pick                              Swick's Pick

1950

Goodreads's Pick                              Swick's Pick

1960

Goodreads AND Swick's Pick

1970

Goodreads AND Swick's Pick

1980

Goodreads's Pick                              Swick's Pick

1990

Goodreads AND Swick's Pick

2000

Goodreads's Pick                              Swick's Pick

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THESE AWESOME BOOKS!



Reaction - Best Book of the Decade: 2000 - 2009

Today, I am reviewing the list : Best Books of the Decade 2000. That means all of the books on this list were published between 2000 through 2009.

This is going to be the last book in this series; at least, the last one for another six years or so, haha. I'll come up with something awesome to read next. I promise.

They picked... Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

My Reaction - A great end to a great series; although I don't entirely understand how J.K. Rowling came to end it that way in this book, I liked it and it was a little heartbreaking for a series that I and everyone in my generation had literally grown-up with finally end. I personally could have done without the epilogue. I thought it was completely unneccessary and my favorite character is dead by the time this book happens so... it probably didn't do as much for me as it did other people. It's definitely not as moving or life-changing as.... 

I pick ... Life of Pi

Why This One? - One of my favorite Life of Pi critics says this about this book....

"Sift a pinch of psychology with a scant tablespoon of theology, add one part Island of the Blue Dolphin with two parts philosophy, mix with a pastry blender or the back of a fork until crumbly but not dry and there you have Pi and his lame-o, cheesed out, boat ride to enlightenment." - Malbadeen

... and it's completely true. The entire book is a survival novel (Pi is trapped on a boat with a grown tiger in the middle of the ocean) and a spiritual novel (Pi is constantly changing and switching and adding to his religious beliefs, because he loves the idea of love and belief in general) ... there are a lot of philosophical ramblings and a lot of catching fish and a ton of magical realism. And the beautiful part about this book is that everyone who reads it has a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT opinion. Not to mention Yann Martel's writing is incredibly moving. This one is on reading lists, and will likely make it into the classics section of a futuristic Barnes & Noble.

WTF IS THIS?! UGH!

We've been doing a lot of weeding in the young adult section of the library, and I'm finally at the end of it all when I discover this ....

..... as much as I want to cry out "please tell me this is a joke!," the sad sad news is that it is real. I shit you not; the quotes in italics are REALLY from this book.

It includes a...

"How Well Do You Know Robert?" quiz

Fill In The Blank "Your Perfect Evening w/ Rob"
with questions like....

How and where will you meet him?
What will he be wearing?
What will you be wearing?
Will he kiss you, and if so, what will it be like?
.... and the beautiful last line, 'even if that date with Mr. Pattinson never takes place at least you know now exactly what your ideal date with your next boyfriend will be like!'

Fill In The Blank "Reasons to pick Edward"
( ' Well, he is the PERFECT man ')
Fill In The Blank "Reasons to pick Robert"
( ' He's an incredibly talented actor ' )

and this gem....

"Someone asked, 'Is it true you haven't washed [your hair] for six weeks?'
and I said 'I haven't washed it in four years!' " -Robert Pattinson

UGH! That quote alone, I don't understand why anyone would think that was attractive. Mind you, this was under a section called 'breaking the stereotypes' and while I guess that that is true, it breaks a stereotype in a super creepy very unhygenic way that's just- gross!

It's no wonder teenage girls in this day and age are so stupid.
It's because we publish bullshit like this and encourage them to buy it!

Swick's Perfect Book for Stalkers Award 2013

Reaction - Best Book of the Decade: 1990 - 1999

Today, I am reviewing the list : Best Books of the Decade 1990. That means all of the books on this list were published between 1990 through 1999.

Man, guys, we are getting into the present day pretty soon. I'm going to have to picks some more genres or times periods to talk about, haha!

They picked ... Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

My Reaction - Considering this is the decade that I did a lot of my childhood reading in (I have a special fondness for the dragon books of this era: see series Dragonriders of Pern, Pit Dragons, Tales of the Enchanted Forest, etc.) - this is another one of those tough catagories, but I'm not going to pick for the sake of nostalgia. No, I really think the Goodreads community did a good job by picking this one because it really was a worldwide phenomenon.

Why This Book? - While Harry Potter honestly is not the most original book ever published, I have to give it props for the worldwide sensation it did cause whenever it first came out. Suddenly, kids that I knew from school who hated reading were enthralled by the series, and I'm sure that Harry helped a lot of kids and adults learn to love to read again (my girlfriend included; she was one of those 'non-reader' until she picked up Harry Potter, and now she's almost as bad as I am for having her nose stuck in a book, haha) - and I'd like to thank J.K. Rowling for making Harry well-written instead of most of the trash that is popular that comes out nowadays. My favorite examples of these are the infamous Twilight series, and it's super-Christian little sister the Halo series. Thank you, J.K. Rowling for not being completely retarded and unrealistic in your books especially since they involve magic. Weird compliment, I know, but just take it.

Getting Old or Getting More Mature?

I did something almost unthinkable the other day, and you know what? - I'm really not that sad about it at all.

I traded in my Xbox 360 and my Wii, and all the games and accessories, and now the only console I have is my PS3 and my only handheld is my 3DS.... and of course, I still play Civilization V and Spore on my PC.

Yes, I had all of those things. At one point in my life, I considered myself a hardcore gamer, but I don't game as much now that I've gotten a little older. I still like to play games, sure, but I don't feel like I NEED to play every game that comes out on every different console just to be sure I'm not missing out on anything. I play the few games that I want, enjoy them, and then I'm done. I spend a lot more time with family or friends or even with my animals (anyone who knows me well knows I practically own a farm as far as sheer number and variety goes).

I kind of had mixed emotions about the XBOX 360 because most of my friends play on it rather than the other consoles, but the fact of the matter is that they just don't play it often enough or with me to justify me having it at all, so.... good-bye!

It's strange for me because video-gaming has been something I really enjoyed for a good portion of my life (ever since Dad introduced me to Super Mario World SNES, and then I played my first RPG Tales of Destiny on PS1) and now something that was once so big is now not so.

Is it a sign that I am just getting old and boring, or is it a sign that I know games are just games and there are more important things in life to worry about?

Poem #7

Meh, I'm not fond of this one at all, but I wrote and it became what it is.

I know that it's just ink
as I play my game of
writing stories -
these wicked smudges on my hands:
black, blue, and faded purple,
the dangers of using another hand
- but
I can't stop breathing hard
when I see them and know
that the stories I make up
can compare nothing to what
I know
the true horrors are.

2013 (c) Summer Fenwick