Random Book Reviews

dude_reino · **Posted:** Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:59 am

'I am OZZY' is perhaps the greatest autobiography I have ever read. Yes: AUTObiography. I don't know how the hell he remembers everything in this book. The story follows chronologically through his entire life, and he details the clothes that Geezer Butler and Bill Ward were wearing when they showed up on his doorstep looking for a singer, his obsession with American pizza when he first came ashore, the little pub in the English countryside that he rode a horse to because he never learned to drive a car, his appreciation of Tony Iommi, his relationship with Sharon, his undearing love for Randy Rhodes, and doing a lot of drugs and drinking lots and lots (and lots) of alcohol.

I burned through the book in two weeks. I must read for a fan of history, biographies, and music.

Ecobrad · **Posted:** Fri Aug 20, 2010 9:38 am

Cool man, thanks for the recommendation. I'm also looking for a good book and would never had considered an Ozzie autobiography. You know, with the fact that he's basically brain dead and all. :lol:

dude_reino wrote:

'I am OZZY' is perhaps the greatest autobiography I have ever read. Yes: AUTObiography. I don't know how the hell he remembers everything in this book. The story follows chronologically through his entire life, and he details the clothes that Geezer Butler and Bill Ward were wearing when they showed up on his doorstep looking for a singer, his obsession with American pizza when he first came ashore, the little pub in the English countryside that he rode a horse to because he never learned to drive a car, his appreciation of Tony Iommi, his relationship with Sharon, his undearing love for Randy Rhodes, and doing a lot of drugs and drinking lots and lots (and lots) of alcohol.

I burned through the book in two weeks. I must read for a fan of history, biographies, and music.

wavy · **Posted:** Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:43 pm

Following the vein of rock-star-authored books, I just finished "Ghost Rider" by Neil Peart. I love Rush, I think Neil Peart is a genius on a lot of levels, but wow, he didn't really do it for me as an author. I think my expectations were high because I've always dug Rush's lyrics so maybe I was expecting too much. I did manage to finish the book thanks to the fact that in the book he's traveling through a lot of places I've been in the West/Mexico and there's some interesting bits about Rush. I wouldn't say the book is horrible but I also wouldn't recommend it to most people unless they seriously wanted a deeper look at Peart.
One thing I found maddening was that he described every area he passed through with great detail, but, when he went over Carson Pass he left it at something like "Then I crossed over Carson Pass into the hell pit of Stockton". Argh! He does describe eating somewhere after going over Tioga Pass and I *think* it might be MoMart.

lewmt · **Posted:** Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:09 am

Really liked Krakauer's "Where Men Win Glory" about Afghanistan & the whole Pat Tillman debacle.

Read it just after reading "The Kite Runner" which is damn good & they really compliment each other.

In the middle of Keith Richard's "Life". Pretty no-holds-barred account of the lifestyle & craziness that was/is the Stones - not much inside scoop on the Brian Jones urban legend death/mess. Pretty amazing how much self-abuse one person can deal on themselves & still come out the other end coherent.

emerson · **Joined:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:22 pm **Posts:** 5

Check out Dermaphoria by Craig Clevenger. Wicked yarn about a outlaw chemist's tactile-memory-hallucination inducing drug blowing up in his face, nad his struggle to remember his life before hand in a seedy sort of half way house under pressure from the feds and his mobster bosses. Very stream of consciousness with beautiful language.

IrishGav · **Posted:** Tue Aug 09, 2011 1:52 am

Hey thanks everyone for the info on good mountain related books,just had a shopping spree on Amazon to get me through the next few months before winter.

I just started reading a book called 'Cycling Home From Siberia' about a guy who cycled from Siberia to UK via Australia,not bad so far!

spruce cabin · **Joined:** Tue Sep 01, 2009 12:39 pm **Posts:** 296

lewmt wrote:

In the middle of Keith Richard's "Life". Pretty no-holds-barred account of the lifestyle & craziness that was/is the Stones - not much inside scoop on the Brian Jones urban legend death/mess. Pretty amazing how much self-abuse one person can deal on themselves & still come out the other end coherent.

"Life" is the best book I've read in awhile. Keith has been going into the smack-country again and again and lives to tell the tale. He's a great guitar player, songwriter, and author. Take that Mick. :rock:

IrishGav · **Posted:** Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:32 pm

numbernine wrote:

Free Skiing - How to adapt to the mountain

I just picked this up from the Backcountry Outlet and I am quite honestly blown away by how much info is in this book. If you would like to pick the brain of a bunch of different mountain guides, a medical doctor, a meteorologist and a glaciologist then you will probably like this book as much I did. The book is like taking the AST1 and 2 courses and then adding in another couple of courses covering first aid, navigation, rope and climbing techniques and a shitload of other information. Yes, it is written by a skier but it doesn’t focus too much on skiing so it is great for boarders as well. The chapters are as follows…

1 Mountain Sense
2 Mountain Weather
3 Snow and Avalanche Knowledge
4 Avalanche Hazard Evaluation
5 Skiing
6 Companion Avalanche Rescue
7 First Aid and Rescue
8 Navigation
9 Ski-Related Mountaineering Skills
10 Glacier Skiing
11 Steep Skiing
12 Ski Touring

With over 441 illustrations and 104 photographs it really keeps you interested and it is pretty hard to put down. Just the “Mountaineering Skills” chapter is worth the $40….don’t get me wrong, I definitely think that everyone should take at least the AST1 course but this is a great supplement to what you will learn in the field.

I just bought this and i really like it,some really great info layed out very well,love the set of pics of gear at the begining.Packed with experience and it's great how he incorperates a story related to every chapter from his time in the mountains.

wjb · **Joined:** Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:12 pm **Posts:** 97

Two of my recent favorites

A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson
Everything you wanted to know about anything and Bryson's writing style keeps you entertained along the way

The Last Place on Earth, by Roland Huntford
A comprehensive look at the race for the South Pole and the pesonalities of Amundsen and Scott, why one failed and the other succeeded.

I also love anything by Cormac McCarthy. Blood Meridian being my favorite

lewmt · **Posted:** Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:02 am

Anyone w/in 10 years of my age(55) may find this book interesting. "How to Achieve Healthy Aging" Dr. Neal Rouzier. So far of the Dr aquaintences I have been able to get to read it, I haven't been able to find someone to show me the flaws in this guys premise. Easy to read for a medical type book. Scientific underpinnings without getting mired in minutia.

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