‘The worst book ever written’

Today my boyfriend shared with me a book review on Amazon.com. It’s fantastic. How lovely to meet (what appears to be) such horrible writing with such genius writing.

Read it here. This sums it up quite nicely:

THE SHADOW GOD is the perfect example of everything that’s wrong with publishing in today’s world. Anyone with the notion–talent or not–can write a “book”, then contact a place like AuthorHouse (“publisher” of this fine volume and, I’m sure, Rayburn’s second novel which I don’t care enough to look up the title to), and unleash this mess on an unsuspecting world. And then we wonder why no one reads anymore. Why should they? If this is the kind of stuff they’re being subjected to.

If you love that, then also visit Pajiba!, which lives by its mantra, “Scathing reviews for bitchy people.” I check it nearly every day.

Books on my “To Read” list.

I’m in this strange phase at the moment, where reading books sounds like so much fun. So I browse the Barnes and Noble aisles, or borrow from a friend, or grab one of my roommate’s books. And now, since I also have this habit of starting and never finishing, I have a stack of books that I want to read.

A long time ago I read “A Long Way Down” by Nick Hornby, given to me by a friend and coworker. It was the first novel I had finished in a long time, and it’s still one of my favorite books. So for Christmas I asked for more Nick Hornby books, and I got “How to Be Good,” which isn’t nearly as… good.

This phase started with Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar,” which I read over a weekend at my roommate’s cabin. I finished it and loved it so much that I wanted to keep it going.

Next on my list was “The Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama. I got through the first four or five chapters, but then so badly wanted to start on “Running with Scissors” by Augusten Borroughs. And I did, and read most of the book, but it trailed off toward the last few chapters and I abandoned it.

Then I bought “A Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood (which I started and liked, but just never got around to continuing) and “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy after reading an online list of books you should read before you die or something.

At work, I took part in a workshop and got this book “Why Should the Boss Listen to You?” by a guy with a long last name. I figured it might come in handy, being new to the corporate world and all.

Then my psychologist lended to me a book of Billy Collins poetry, which is nice because I can just flip through and choose a poem and I’m set for a bit.

I also bought the play Equus, after reading about Daniel Radcliffe’s current stint on Broadway. That one’s short so I shouldn’t have much problem finishing it.

This is the story of my life. I’m so overwhelmed by the choices and possibilities that I fail to follow through with any of them.

In other news, I have a take-home midterm I need to work on, my bedroom to clean…

Just some quotes I’d like to share with you.

John 8.3-7
3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle.
4 They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.
5 Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
6 They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
7 But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Matthew 7.1-5
1 “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
2 For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
3 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye?
5 You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.

“Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” –St. Francis of Assisi

“Reflect upon your blessings, of which every man has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” –Charles Dickens

“All of the above.” –Amy Lavergne

Anyway, I made this in Photoshop.