Books on the J,M,Z - 7

10 Shades of Green: Architecture and the Natural World - Peter Buchanan - read by skinny white guy with pomaded hair, pointy boots and gold-rimmed sunglasses. This book is about an exhibit from 2000 that documents 13 sustainably designed projects. From Young Architects Forum:

As designers of the built environment and specifiers of materials, we have an impact—good or bad—on the health of the planet. Yet Buchanan writes that architects still don’t seem to be aware that “the construction and operation of buildings is responsible for nearly half the energy consumed by developed countries.” He thinks that we have some difficult changes to make as a profession and as a culture to live within our means ecologically, which is as true now as it was when he wrote the essay in 2000.

Interesting. We've often thought about turning our brownstone into an eco hut of sorts with solar power, a sustainable roof garden, a bicycle powered washing machine, and sawdust toilets. But thinking about it is as far as we've gotten.

Trust Me - Jeff Abbott - read by gum-chomping Latina with blonde hair in cornrows. Amazon.com's product description reads, "On the new digital battlefront in the war on terror, one man will learn to negotiate the extremely thin line between unconditional trust and unspeakable betrayal." Hmm. Exciting and over the top. Good beach or toilet reading.

Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment - Deepak Chopra - read by white guy with red hair. From Chopra's website: "Deepak Chopra, the preeminent voice of Eastern philosophy in the West, now offers his remarkable insights on the inspiring life of one of the world's most important figures - the Buddha." There was a time in my twenties when I was a huge Deepak Chopra fan and purchased and read every one of his books. Although now I can't recall a single word.

God's Solutions For Your Life - pamphlet read by older Latina with puffy white sneakers. Sounds good, where do I pick this up? Or is this something those skinny white guys with the buzzed hair and pressed suits hand out on subway trains?

In A Cold Sweat - Roy Glenn - read by Latina with double pierced ears wearing four big gold hoop earrings. From Google Books: "In this latest installment in the Mike Black Saga, underworld kingpin Mike Black, still grieving over the brutal murder of his wife, must choose between destroying the people responsible for her death and being a father to his infant daughter." Dramatic, although possibly too upsetting for the beach.

The Cosmic Serpent DNA and the Origins of Knowledge - Jeremy Narby - read by white girl with glasses and two bags of groceries from Whole Foods. From a Q&A with Jeremy Narby by Todd Stewart:

Could you sum up your book "The Cosmic Serpent, DNA and the Origins of Knowledge"?

Research indicates that shamans access an intelligence, which they say is nature's, and which gives them information that has stunning correspondences with molecular biology.

Say what? Definitely not beach or toilet reading. The kind of thing I might have once read to expand my mind. Although these days my mind is so exhausted that expansion is limited.

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets - David Simon - read by white boy in dirty khakis who dropped a dime bag of weed at his feet, and started visibly sweating as he quickly tried to surreptitiously retrieve it. From an interview with the author on Reason OnLine: "The product of 12 months immersed in the Baltimore homicide unit, it was quickly acclaimed as a classic of contemporary journalism and soon inspired a TV series, NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-1999)." Very interesting. I just might pick this one up (hey, if it's good enough for a dirty white pothead, it's good enough for me.)

The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand - read by white boy with button down shirt, tie and sweater vest, black and white striped socks and shiny black patent leather shoes. From the Ayn Rand Bookstore: "An intransigently independent architect refuses to compromise his standards in work and in life. The Fountainhead is an uncompromising examination of the virtue of individualism." Another one of those books I read in my twenties, attempting to improve my mind, and expand my horizons.

Watchmen - Alan Moore (Author), Dave Gibbons (Illustrator) and John Higgins (colorist) - read by Latino hipster with 60's beatnik goatee and plaid vans. This is a classic 12 issue graphic novel, from Wikipedia:

Watchmen takes place in an alternate history United States where superheroes emerged in the 1940s and 1960s, helping the United States to win the Vietnam War. The country is edging closer to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, freelance costumed vigilantes have been outlawed and most costumed superheroes are in retirement or working for the government. The story focuses on the personal development and struggles of the protagonists as an investigation into the murder of a government sponsored superhero pulls them out of retirement.

It was made into a recent film, a fact that the author, Alan Moore, is not too pleased about. From an interview with the L.A. Times:

"I find film in its modern form to be quite bullying," Moore told me during an hour-long phone call from his home in England. "It spoon-feeds us, which has the effect of watering down our collective cultural imagination. It is as if we are freshly hatched birds looking up with our mouths open waiting for Hollywood to feed us more regurgitated worms. The 'Watchmen' film sounds like more regurgitated worms. I for one am sick of worms. Can't we get something else? Perhaps some takeout? Even Chinese worms would be a nice change."

I find his vitriolic opinion to be far more interesting than the description on Wikipedia and makes me want to check this comic book out.

Black Cat - V.C. Andrews - read by a black woman with hair tied back in a chic bun and mid calf pointy boots. From the Complete V.C. Andrews Library:

Living a life of lies under the thumb of her widowed, spiritually-obsessed mother, Celeste has been forced to take on the identity of her dead twin brother, Noble. She's almost forgotten what it's like to be Celeste -- except for the one thing that keeps her sane: caring for her darling daughter, Baby Celeste. But when Celeste's mother marries a kindly neighbor, a new breed of poisonous secrets and vicious enemies will force Celeste to do what she must -- to survive the darkness....

Whoa. Even more bathroom/beach reading. The list is endless! I grew into puberty with V.C. Andrews and her Flowers in the Attic series, which every girl in my Catholic elementary school read. What I remember most from those books were the erotic scenes of incest between the brother and sister. In fact I think that was what I liked best about the series. See what religious oppression can do to a person?