Brad's Top 4 Books

I have mentioned previously how much I love Barnes and Noble. I practically slobbered all over my computer when talking about how much I enjoy going to B&N – slobbered with love. While I detailed everything about why I enjoyed the place and posted my to-read list in all its glory, I didn’t give much detail on books that I had already read. Obviously, nobody wants to read a treatise on books that were, “eh okay” or “not bad, but definitely not my favorite” (thanks for nothing Rich Roll). With that in mind I would like to present my Top 4 Books you need to read. 

4. The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss

I’ve counted books in a series as one entry. Otherwise all the entries would be from my top choice. The Kingkiller Chronicle is an epic fantasy set in the Four Corners of Civilization. The protagonist, Kvothe, is an innkeeper with a storied past who tells his epic tale to a scribe staying at the inn. I know you probably think this sounds like a completely stupid series and you’re already moving the mouse to look up something important (most likely the weather because looking outside takes up so much time), but wait just a second. The series combines elements of music, magic, and university social dynamics to make a very interesting story. The reader is given the impression that although Kvothe is now a lowly innkeeper, he was once one of the most feared people in the world.

I fall for stories like this every time. A character with a mysterious back story who is actually the greatest warrior ever is something I can’t resist. Jason Bourne? Yeah I can’t get enough of those movies. I even watched the newest one, The Bourne Legacy, which was conspicuously absent of Jason Bourne. Go watch the film Unknown and you’ll discover it was a terrible movie, but I watched all of it because of the promise that Liam Neeson was secretly someone amazing.

Kvothe tells his life story, mainly focusing on when he learns all his skill during his university days. He isn’t yet the great warrior/killer we know he is going to turn into, so it’s incredible interesting to see how he learns everything. Multiple times I have been reading and just knew that whatever situation Kvothe was in, this was the time he was going to do something awesome. Often he ends up getting beat. Badly. It’s as if we got to see Jason Bourne’s training before he knew how to beat up knife wielding assassins with a rolled up newspaper.

Stop it Jason. I'm not a dog

The main drawback to this trilogy is that it isn’t finished yet. The first book was published in 2007 and the second one didn’t come out until 2011. Remember this post four years from now when the final book of the series comes out.

3. Born to Run by Christopher Mcdougall

There are many popular books available over distance running and the amazing people who find running marathons just a little too easy. The quality of these books runs the spectrum from great to something that’s only great as kindling. Ultra Marathon Man was a very good read, Finding Ultra was not. The best of these books, by far, is Born to Run. The pinnacle of the running genre covers many topics in running and it details a tribe of distance runners in Mexico who can run amazing distances. The main treatise of the book is that the root cause of the pain many runners feel today is because of their shoes. If you’re looking for the start of the barefoot/minimalist running craze, this is it.

Vibram Five-Fingers have seen an explosion in sales over the past few years and they can trace that back to the success of this book. I have a pair of Five-Fingers myself, and I will smugly say that I got them back in 2009 before they were the “in” thing to wear. Five-Fingers are the “toe-shoes” that you see everyone wearing around. If you haven’t seen these shoes before you either live under a rock or haven’t interacted with a group of physically active people in a very long time.

Wear you’re minimalist gear around other runners and they almost always come talk to you about running and “the book”. There’s no need to even call the book by name. We all know what it is. Minimalist wearers are almost like Motorcycle riders now in that we will wave at other motorcyclist while inwardly believing our gear is better.

Oh, you have Fila Skele-toes? You should really upgrade to Vibrams

 Even if you aren’t an avid runner the book is still a great read. McDougall’s prose is very good and the book is able to pull off the difficult task of providing a good deal of scientific information while still being humorous.

2. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

The title of this book sums up very well what the book is about. Everything. It is still the most accessible science book I have ever read. In fact, I’ve read this book multiple times. Bill Bryson is one of my favorite writers and is known for his hilarious writing detailing his travels around the world. Another of Bryson’s best books is a memoir about growing up at his childhood home of Des Moines, so if you’re from Iowa go check out The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid.

What makes A Short History of Nearly Everything great is that Bill Bryson is not a scientist, and approaches every subject with a layman’s point of view. What science topics does he cover? Everything from cosmology to chemistry to meteorology to mathematics.  Did you know that the average adult has enough potential energy stored in their body to explode with a force of 30 large hydrogen bombs? If only we could liberate it somehow.

But it’s not just about the science, every topic includes views into the lives of the scientists who achieved great breakthroughs in their fields, often quite humorously. Bryson says that chemist, "Pilatre de Rozier tested the flammability of hydrogen by gulping a mouthful and blowing across an open flame, proving at a stroke that hydrogen is indeed explosively combustible and that eyebrows are not necessarily a permanent feature of one's face." There are many interesting stories throughout the book, but the greatest thing you’ll takeaway from the book is that, “There are three stages in scientific discovery. First, people deny that it’s true, then they deny that it is important; finally they credit the wrong person.”  

1. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

If you don’t recognize the title of this book series you may know it better by the first book published: Game of Thrones. Anyone who has ever watched HBO, instantly knows what I am talking about. The television series based on these books is the most popular show HBO has ever had.

I was introduced to this series by a college roommate. When I asked about the books on his shelf, he got a glowing look in his eye as if he was about to let me in on state secret that most poor schmucks will never know. My roommates exact word about reading the books were this, “These books will ruin your life.” Yep, that sounds like a good endorsement to me. Where do I sign up?

A Song of Ice and Fire is another epic fantasy, but it has very adult themes. The fantasy elements are really played down, so it’s basically a political thriller with a medieval/fantastic background. It is the opus of the genre, without question. And it was all written by this guy

Keep working on your writing kids and you could be just like me

What makes these books great is the emotional investment one has with every character, and it is well known that no character is safe. In most books and movies we all know that our hero will make it through. They paid Johnny Depp all that money; Jack Sparrow isn’t going anywhere.

Those who saw the ending of season 1 of the TV series know that even the best character in the show is not immune, but that’s nothing compared to another event that happened in book three which was possibly the saddest moment in my reading history. That doesn’t happen if you don’t care about the characters. What’s more, we see get to see characters from both sides of the struggle which means no matter which side wins, one of our favorite characters will lose. If you can’t tell, I really like this series and have had to wipe saliva off the keyboard several times. When the latest installment, A Dance With Dragons, came out, I read it in 4 days…all 1040 pages of it.

The drawback to this series is, once again, that it’s not finished yet. The first book was written in 1996. The fifth book came out in 2011 and there are two more left in the series. Frankly, I’m just hoping it gets finished within this decade. And you may have noticed from the picture above, Martin isn’t exactly a young man. Hopefully he doesn’t discover a new-found love of dying anytime soon.

Martin, you better be writing right now!

When the boukz ahhr compleze, you haz my purmishun to die