Rook’s Books, Vol. 2

If anyone doubts game and believes that being chivalrous is the way to a woman’s heart, he needs only to read classic literature. Books are filled with examples of women using their power in the sexual marketplace, losers fumbling into one-itis, and the asshole who attracts all of the women. These authors get it right. There’s no reason that the rest of us shouldn’t. Check out my other readings here.

My Horizontal Life – Chelsea Handler

I assumed the stories would be about Handler being on the prowl, racking up one night stand after one night stand. But it reads a lot like my blog. She struggles to get laid just like the rest of us, and by a surprising amount for a girl who was probably very attractive in her prime. She makes you realize that there truly are paper alphas out there that rely on their looks and job, and no game. And that attractive women have slumps too.

Ultimately, I didn’t really enjoy the book. It’s not Handler’s fault. Her writing is good. It’s just that I don’t like to hear certain things from women. Crass jokes, rapping, and talk about past sexual encounters just isn’t for me. Listening or reading to such talk by women turns me off. It’s something that I’ve never gotten over, and I’ve never felt the need to get over it.

3 stars.

Pimp – Iceberg Slim

This book is about GAME. It takes the interactions between men and women, and strips away all of the socially acceptable norms. Brutally honest, and just straight brutal. How does the pimp respond to the shit test? With a backhand to the face and a kick to the gut. It’s a world where all women truly are bitches. Except the moms. Sometimes.

The writing is not particularly good. For example, many sentences and paragraphs begin with “I.” This book wins on content alone, capturing the true nature of women, and the only way to counter it. Nice guys are devastated. Tricks are played.

This is a must read for any game enthusiast, and others who just like a good, true story about life on the edge. And there’s a glossary in the back, though you will probably need Urban Dictionary dot com anyway.

5 stars.

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting – Milan Kundera

The best thing about Kundera is that he writes in a way that puts you in a dream-like state. I’m not sure how he does it, but I always feel warm and fuzzy inside while reading Kundera. Maybe it’s the natural tension that exists for characters struggling to live out their lives while avoiding the communist secret police. And I enjoy how Kundera takes simple every day words and shows how they mean different things to different people in different situations.

But I didn’t like the Magical Realism elements. They came out of nowhere and gave the book a different feel. I was surprised when people started floating away. They were truly “WTF” moments for me. At first the elements were small, but then the latter part of the novel includes more and more. It was disappointing, and for me held this book from being 5-star-worthy like The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

4 stars.

Notes of a Dirty Old Man – Charles Bukowski

I had never even heard of Bukowski when I purchased this book. It was in the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” section on Amazon.com. I liked the title, so I bought it. Big mistake. I wasn’t sure who the writings were about, so it was difficult to put the “notes” in context. My mind was constantly distracted by the basic “who, what, when, where, and why” questions. I therefore couldn’t enjoy what I was reading. But I’ve since read some other Bukowski, and will revisit “Notes” sometime in the future.

Unrated.

Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky

A dude commits a crime, and he’s going to be punished for it. Seems simple enough, yet his justification is incredible. This justification is what ultimately drives the book. It’s a highly debatable justification that Dostoevsky proposed. No matter how you feel about it, history seems to agree with it.

One interesting thing about this book is that many of the main characters are constantly trembling in fear of what’s going to happen. And they keep trembling, and sometimes tremble more than they just were a minute ago. I kept wondering just how much trembling these people could do. Well, they can do a whole lot more when the shit hits the fan. Also, many of the characters have 4 names, and similar names, and nicknames. Sometimes one person will speak for several pages, uninterrupted. I often found myself forgetting who was talking, and to whom. I had to flip back constantly to figure it out.

But these are just minor points. The book was truly gripping and I plowed through it faster than any other book. Highly recommended.

5 stars.

A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole

A book I purchased on a whim and one I will never regret reading. Ignatius is a fat, disgusting slob who won’t work until his mother forces him to get a job. Hilarity ensues. Ignatius goes from job to job with disastruous results to himself and the people around him. Eventually everyone turns on him, and you have to believe that he had it all coming.

Toole really nails his characters. It’s evident especially when Ignatius stumbles into a gay party. Whatever you think about Ignatius, his wit is enviable. At one point I laughed out loud while everyone on the plane was sleeping. It’s truly a shame that Toole ended his life after failing to get this book published.

Not recommended if you are currently unemployed.

5 incredibly bright stars.