Reading Books Adored By People I Adore

Breakfast of Champions III - January 2013 | Susan Geissler

One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2013 was to Read Books Adored By People I Adore. I talked in a previous blog post (Crowdsourcing Your Friends About Books) how this list evolved. The full list is included in the post and I removed all the works I previously read except for two that need revisiting (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes). 

Thank you to all my friends who helped put this list together for me via Facebook, text message, phone call, slips of paper, napkins, the back of your business card, mailing me the book, slipping the book into my home undetected, physically hitting me in the forehead with the book after you had too many cocktails, informing me that the main character is a total disaster and you suspected I wrote the book under a pseudonym, or that this may be the book to help me make sense of senseless things that have happened in life thus far.

I will think of each of you as I read all 52 of them, one for each week of 2013. And if you are looking for inspiration from me, here are my 100 favorite books ever: Susie's Top 100

1. Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut*
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Kahled Hosseini 
3. The Devil of Nanking - Mo Hayder
4. Armed to the Teeth With Lipstick - Blag Dalia
5. The End of Your Life Bookclub - Will Schwalbe*
6. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig
7. John Dies At the End - David Wong*
8. Assholes (a theory) - James Aaron
9. Kiss Me Judas - Will Christopher Baer
10. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
11. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle*
12. Life on Planet Rock: From Guns n' Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey Through Rocks Most Debauched Decade - Lonn Friend
13. Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, Or Why Pie Is Not the Answer - Jen Lancaster
14. The Contortionist's Handbook - Craig Clevenger 
15. Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers 
16. Same Kind of Different As Me - Ron Hall
17. 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
18. You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death and Other Humiliations - Michael Ian Black
19. The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail - But Some Don't - Nate Silver
20. Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton*
21. The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) - Stephen King*
22. Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
23. The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett*
24. The Memoirs of Cleopatra - Margaret George
25. Triggerfish Twist - Tim Dorsey
26. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller*
27. Assassination Nation - Sarah Vowell
28. Cheat: A Man's Guide To Infidelity - Bill Burr, Robert Kelly, Joe DeRosa
29. Traveling Mercies - Anne Lamott
30. A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin*
31. The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester*
32. Definitive H.P. Lovecraft - H.P. Lovecraft*
33. The Prince of Tides - Pat Conroy
34. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Woolf
35. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman*
36. A Perfect Day for Bananafish - J.D. Salinger
37. Women - Charles Bukowski
38. World War Z - Max Brooks*
39. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - John Perkins 
40. Amazing Things Will Happen - C.C. Chapman
41. Lit: A Memoir - Mary Karr
42. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riorden*
43. Middlesex - Jeffery Eugenides*
44. Outlander (Outlander #1) - Diana Gabaldon
45. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver*
46. We Were Soldiers Once...and Young - Harold Moore
47. Storm Front - Jim Butcher*
48. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho*
49. Ellen Foster - Kaye Gibbons
50. Towing Jehovah - James K. Morrow  
51. The Places In Between - Rory Stewart
52. The Art of Happiness - The Dalai Lama XIV*

* Denotes books I already own. 

Breakfast of Champions I - January 2013

Crowdsourcing Your Friends About Books

Every year I determine my goals for the New Year. About five years ago I stopped doing traditional resolutions STOP EATING! STOP SITTING! STOP FUN! and started doing things that improved my relationships with friends, family, or the world around me. 

This year one of my resolutions will be to Read Books Adored by People I Adore. In the past I've read through a large amount of the books traditionally listed in the Best of... collections. I've found some beautiful work but so often I have found it more enjoyable to read things that my friends love and will want to talk about. You discover a lot about people from reading things they enjoy. 

I will upload my goal list and also a list of the books that I would recommend to my friends tomorrow. The ones I've never stopped quoting or have left my head and heart. 

To get ideas for my final list (to be released soon) I crowdsourced my friends for ideas. Many of these books will not go on the 2013 list because I've already read them but I have new topics to discuss next time we see each other. I included their full suggestions below with their names in parenthetical in case you would like to try some new books as well. I am again reminded how lucky I have to have such intelligent company that surrounds me. 

These are their answers to the question:
"There are no rules to genre, theme, length, topic, appropriateness, maturity level or public perception. So I want to know...what are the books you can't imagine having not read. What are your favorites of all time? What were the game changers? I'd love some suggestions as I make my list."

1. Assholes (a theory) - James Aaron (Lizzie Maldonado)
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Kahled Hosseini (Jordan Ditty, Maria Cupp)
3. Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott (Lizzie Maldonado)
4. The Hunter - Richard Stark (Britt Schramm)
5. Life on Planet Rock - Lonn Friend (Britt Schramm)
6. Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, Or Why Pie Is Not the Answer - Jen Lancaster (Melinda Massie)
7. Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers (Melissa Ward Brock, Alyson Tidwell)
8. Same Kind of Different Than Me - (Melissa Ward Brock)
9. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell (Librado Lopez)
10. 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami (Librado Lopez) 
11. The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail - But Some Don't - Nate Silver (Jacob Siler)
12. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott (Kristina Hernandez) 
13. Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton (Kristina Hernandez)
14. The Dark Tower - Stephen King (Blake Northern, Cameron Lowry, Kelli Harrington)
15. Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness (Kelli Harrington)
16. The Shining - Stephen King (Katie Grimes, David Michaels) 
17. The David Sedaris Collection (Katie Grimes, Tom Harrington)
18. Black Coffee Blues - Henry Rollins (Katie Grimes)
19. Small Gods - Terry Pratchett (Randi Edwards)
20. Night Watch - Terry Pratchett (Randi Edwards)
21. The Memoirs of Cleopatra - Margaret George (Randi Edwards)
22. Triggerfish Twist - Tim Dorsey (Randi Edwards)
23. A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson (Randi Edwards)
24. Candide - Voltaire (Randi Edwards)
25. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley (Randi Edwards)
26. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson (Randi Edwards)
27. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (Jody Arbuckle Ulich)
28. Assassination Nation - Sarah Vowell (Jessica Hoover)
29. Cheat: A Man's Guide To Infidelity - Bill Burr, Robert Kelly, Joe DeRosa (Chris Guilloton)
30. The Botany of Desire - Michael Pollan (Jessica Hoover)
31. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving (Mike Springer)
32. Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry (Mike Springer)
33. The Night Trilogy - Elie Wiesel (Mike Springer)
34. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure The World (Mike Springer)
35. Traveling Mercies - Anne Lamott (Mike Springer)
36. The Education of Little Tree - Forrest Carter (Mike Springer)
37. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness In the Fair that Changed America - Erik Larson (Mike Springer, Rich Nazarro, Alyson Tidwell)
38. The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes - Bryan Burroughs (Mike Springer)
39. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein (Mike Springer, Dr. David Rocks)
40. A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin (Lauren Martin) 
41. Bitter Is the New Black - Jen Lancaster (Lauren Martin)
42. The 5 People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Ablom (Debbie Thomas) 
43. Mysteries of Pittsburgh - Michael Chabon (Mary Wiernicki) 
44. The Prince of Tides - Pat Conroy (Mary Wiernicki)
45. The Brothers Karamazov - Leo Tolstoy - (David Michaels)
46. The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand (David Michaels)
47. Naked Lunch - William S. Burroughs (David Michaels)
48. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Woolf (David Michaels)
49. A Perfect Day for Bananafish - J.D. Salinger (David Michaels)
50. Women - Charles Bukowski (David Michaels)
51. World War Z - Max Brooks (David Michaels)
52. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - John Perkins (Brad Sims)
53. Redneck Manifesto: How Hillbillies, Hicks, and White Trash Have Become America's Scapegoats - Jim Goad (Brad Sims)
54. Dry - Augusten Burroughs (Ana Sanchez-Morales)
55. The Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love - Jill Conner Browne (Ana Sanchez-Morales) 
56. Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Action - Simon Sinek (Simon Salt)
57. Amazing Things Will Happen - C.C. Chapman (Simon Salt)
58. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riorden (Jay DiBenedetto)
59. The Sun Also Rises - Rick Riorden (Jay DiBenedetto)
60. The Vonnegut Collection (David Michaels, Emerson Ailidh Boggs)
61. Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler (Emerson Ailidh Boggs)
62. Middlesex - Jeffery Eugenides (Emerson Ailidh Boggs) 
63. Dogs of Babel - Carolyn Parkhurst (Emerson Ailidh Boggs)
64. Chariots of the Gods - Erich von Daniken (Lucas Parks)
65. Mark of the Lion Series - Francine Rivers (Alyson Tidwell)
66. Armed to the Teeth With Lipstick - Blag Dalia (Dan Winemiller)
67. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig (Charles Soule)
68. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand (Kalen Craig Ruiz)
69. Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen (Kalen Craig Ruiz)
70. The Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon (Kalen Craig Ruiz)
71. Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver (Maria Cupp)
72. The Princess Bride - William Goldman (Cameron Lowry)
73. We Were Soldiers Once...and Young - Harold Moore (Cameron Lowry)
74. The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog - John Erikson (Cameron Lowry)
75. The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher (Kathy Bugajsky)
76. The End of Your Life Bookclub - Will Schwalbe (Kathy Bugajsky)
77. Devil of Nanking - Mo Hayder (Caroline Guttery)
78. Wind Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami (Caroline Guttery)
79. Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer (Caroline Guttery)
80. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho (Caroline Guttery) 
81. Ellen Foster - Kaye Gibbons (Caroline Guttery) 
82. The Secret History - Donna Tartt (Caroline Guttery) 
83. Fool - Christopher Moore (Pete Rearden) 
84. The Godhead Trilogy - James K. Morrow (Pete Rearden)  
85. The Places In Between - Rory Stewart (Pete Rearden)