May 31
It’s that time again.
As I forge through The Assistant, now is the time to start planning out my next five books. I’ve already selected three books. But, like last time, I’d love your help with the other two.
The only qualifiers are this:
May 27
Before I start today’s post, I’ll openly admit I’m totally copying this idea from The Good Greatsby. And I like it so much, I think I’ll make a reocurring series of posts from it. I’m sure my version won’t be near as funny and insightful, but I’ll give it a try.
Here’s the deal. The cool thing about having a blog on WordPress is that you see all of the search terms that people plug into Google, Yahoo, etc to find your blog. About one-third of my daily blog traffic comes from search engines, so I always see some wacky and random questions and weird search terms pop up.
So I’ll attempt to answer these questions–in all of their unedited glory–to the best of my ability. These are actual search terms that found my blog. Let’s begin.
May 25
I’ve never been in prison or an insane asylum. But, for some reason, I’ve always had a strange interest in both.
Whenever I flip by a documentary about either, or whenever I hear about a great movie about either, I have to stop and watch. Shawshank Redemption, Shutter Island, these types of movies fascinate me.
So to say that I was excited to read One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is an understatement. The novel, written by Ken Kesey, is set in an insane asylum in Oregon and focuses on a power struggle between a “patient” and the head nurse.
May 24
Okay, so “insane” may be a little harsh, so maybe it’s more like a touch “crazy.” But I guess we could all qualify for that.
Anyway, I haven’t read all of these books, but my enjoyment of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest has certainly sparked interest in them. Here are 5 books about crazy people. Not the best 5. Not the only 5. Just 5 I could think of.
May 23
We’ll start today’s post with the obligatory drum roll joke. So, drum roll please…
And by way of a random drawing, the winner of my first book drawing goes to Corey–who commented that his favorite book is Ender’s Game.
Congrats to Corey! If you want to, you can comment below and let everyone know which of the first 17 books you want to go with. Visit my rankings page to take a look at your options. And don’t forget to add One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest as an option.
Thanks to everyone for participating! I’m sure I’ll do this again. Back to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest now. I should have a review up mid-week.
May 20
As a thank you to the readers of 101 Books, I’m giving away a free, brand-new paperback copy of one of the first 17 books I’ve read during this project. It’s on me. Shipping included!
The winner picks the book–any one of the first 17 is yours for the taking. Yes, even Infinite Jest. Even Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. It’s your choice!
The catch? There is no catch. To enter the drawing, all you have to do is answer the following question in the comments below: What is your favorite book of all time?
From your comments, I’ll randomly select one answer as the winner, which I will announce on Monday. You have until midnight Saturday (Central Time) to get your answers in. Go!
May 19
Wow. That’s a crappy post title, isn’t it?
Well, what I’m trying to say is that I’m interrupting today’s regularly scheduled post to tell you about my guest post yesterday over at “There Are No Rules”–the Writer’s Digest blog of Jane Friedman.
How do I say this? It’s definitely an honor to have a post featured on Jane’s blog. She wouldn’t say it, but I will. In the words of Ron Burgundy, she’s kind of a big deal in the writing and publishing world.
She’s the former editorial director at Writer’s Digest. These days, she’s a professor of e-media at the University of Cincinnati while also still working as a contributing editor at Writer’s Digest. Plus, she speaks all over the country and has like a gazillion Twitter followers, if you’re keeping score at home.
So, oh yeah, what’s the post about? 5 Things The Great Books Taught Me About Writing. It’s, of course, based on my experiences here at 101 Books. Here’s an excerpt:
May 18
It’s hard to talk about One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest–the novel–without also mentioning the movie.
After all, the 1975 film starring Jack Nicholson won 5 Academy Awards and is considered to be one of the greatest American films of all time. Though I haven’t watched the movie, it certainly looks really good now that I am reading through the novel.
What perfect casting with Jack Nicholson as McMurphy. As I read the novel, I can totally hear Jack Nicholson saying many of McMurphy’s lines. And how about this movie trailer for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest?
Talk about old-school. Movie trailers have come a long way since then. But even though it’s a little long and dialogue heavy, it gives you a good sense of the film.
Does the movie live up to the Academy Awards hype?
May 17
Interesting thing about One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: the narrator is crazy, as in he lives in an asylum. Perhaps that would qualify?
Not only that, but Chief Broom is labeled as a “chronic,” which means he’ll be there the rest of his life, unlike the “acutes” who still have hope for rehabilitation. So he’s on the wrong side of the “crazy spectrum.”
This poses a problem. To this point in the book, the narrator seems actually calm, balanced, and quite sane. But, all along, I’m thinking–remember, this guy has lived in an asylum for decades…can you really believe what he says?
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