Reading

As you probably know if you have been reading my blog for eleven months or more, I usually do a Best-of pop culture list for the year, which will be coming in the next few weeks after I've seen the 800 movies that were released in December. But in the meantime, I've been thinking about what I have read this year that I have loved enough to make it in my list. That's when I realized that I had read several books by one author, some of which I read for a second time. That's pretty unusual for me to do.

So, who is this author that I couldn't get enough of? Chuck Klosterman.



Fargo Rock City -- basically this is a whole book about the history of hair metal bands, with a little of his own history mixed in. Although I didn't even know many of the bands he talked about, I thought this book was immensely entertaining. It also made me realize for the 650th time that people will always like the same music that they liked in high school. Even if it was really the worst music on the planet, you'll always like it.






As soon as I finished reading Fargo Rock City, I really wanted to start right at the beginning again. But at the same time, Jill came to visit and returned Chuck Klosterman IV, which I had read a while ago, so I just decided to reread it, and enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. Stories about Britney Spears pre-breakdown, Billy Joel post-breakdown, Morrissey fans... all good.






Next was Downtown Owl, which is CK's first novel. This one was only okay.










Then over Thanksgiving, I was visiting Val & Greg and noticed Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs on their book shelf. I took it off the shelf because I wanted to reread one of his stories about "Saved by the Bell." Yes, that's right. I was compelled to reread an essay about "Saved by the Bell", a TV show that I never felt compelled to actually watch. I took the book home with me to read on the plane.

This was the first book of his that I read because Greg shared with me the first story about how all women who were born in the 70's will always compare men they date to Lloyd Dobler. And I thought, "What a brilliant observation!"







Next up, Eating the Dinosaur, which I just got for Christmas.