DIY Get Smart

OR You Are What You Read

I went shopping this morning on Kevin Rudd but no frivolous purchases, I assure you. That would be like blowing uniform money on a Slurpee/chips and gravy spree and I had enough of that fun in highschool.

So I went on a quest to compile a list of books that might grow me some synapses, get the grey matter crackling and look cool lying around the place when people drop by (Note; people never drop by, this is a sad fantasy. Those that do, don't read English... and would never consider me cool even if a gentle, face-caressing breeze blew through the room every time I entered it.)

My purchases were thus;

The God of Small Things: A Novel by Arundhati Roy
Won the Booker Prize in 1997, I have a bit of a thing for books set in the East and this is set in the 60's in a politically charged India.




Midnight's Children: A Novel by Salman Rushdie
Love Rushdie! Also set in India, this novel apparently plays around with Magical Realism my favourite genre - how can I go wrong with this combo?





The Modern Mind: An Intellectual History of the 20th Century
by Peter Watson
He has written for the NYT, The Spectator, The Observer, The Times and Punch, this is his gallop through the intellectual landscape of the last century or so.






Hotel World by Ali Smith
Recommended by a very clever cookie in my tutorial class. I liked the reviews I read on it so giving it a whirl.




Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Have always loved the name but never read the book! By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. But this is not Shakespeare, rather a fantasy/horror about a travelling carnival.



Altas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Rand, who I always read about but have never read, dreamt up a philosophy called Objectivism. This is meant to be her best book, so will tackle!






Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence by Robert M Pirsig
I have a friend who has this book. It's a bit of a running joke because he always mentions it/pseudo-quotes from it but I don't believe he has ever read it. But he did manage to get me curious.





After scouring the Best Books Ever and Books You Must Read Before You Die lists that abound on the internet, this list seemed to fill in the mosts gaps for me.

Random House's Modern Library had the coolest recommendations, I reckon, though I cast my eye over New York Times lists as well for good measure.

Either way, it's going to be an awesome package to receive (they really kicked me in the guts with postage, though, $AUD65 bucks!)

Now for shoes.... (joking.)

What are you spending your stimulus money on?