Tagged

Sheesh. I had hoped to make it through at least this year before being tagged for a blogpost.

In Blogtopia (©Skippy), when one is tagged, usually it involves posting a list of....well...something. In this case, my ten favorite books.

Thanks a LOT, Jacq...

1) Connections - James Burke, also...

2) The Day The World Changed - James Burke. I find the study of history fascinating, but particularly from a technological point of view. These two books (he has several others, as well) present some of the modern advances, like space travel, the personal computer, and the atom bomb, in the context of the inventions that preceded them that directly affected their development (e.g. The Jacquard loom for the personal computer).

3) The Bible - Who knows? Look, I take a lot of comfort in some of the stories and parables in their, and besides, it's helped me win more bar arguments than any other book I've ever owned.

4) The Last Dive - Bernie Chowdhury. I read this at the beginning of every dive season to remind myself that you CAN die doing this sport, if you don't take great care, plan your dive, and then dive your plan.

5) The Complete Works of Shakespeare - Duh! I like to read the plays and some of the sonnets, and it beats having forty-odd paperbacks to track.

6) Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams. All five books of the trilogy. It's funny, it's sarcastic and has deep social commentary. What more could I want?

7) Homecoming - John Bradshaw. A more powerful book I've ever read. Buy it. Read it. I promise you that if you take one percent of it away with you, you'll be a far better person for it.

8) The Drama Of The Gifted Child - Alice Miller. When I was struggling with adulthood (yea, like, yesterday...), a friend gave me this book and told me to read it, after hearing all about my childhood. It described my condition to a T, and helped me to understand some of what I had grappled with all my life: being someTHING to someone, and not someone myself.

9) The Way Things Work - David Macaulay. A great book for understanding the technology around you, it's regularly updated to keep up with a fast-paced world. Besides, you never know when you'll need to do surgery on your iPod.

10) Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them - Al Franken. Anytime I need to get pissed off at the right wing, I pick up this book. I haven't had to read it much since 2004, however, I've been regularly pissed at them. :-)

OK, so protocol dictates that I now hit a blogger for their list. Lemme see....Targa! Your turn!