As I said in my last blog, I'm spending a lot of this summer reading and I even put the question out there on twitter - "what books should I pick up?" I love reading and always have. I grew up in a really quiet area in the countryside of Northern Alberta and there really wasn't that much to do, especially when we'd get snowed in during the -50 degree weather that would hit us sometimes in the winters. So, we read a lot. My parents always valued literature and the arts and certainly instilled a love for books into my brother, sister and I. We had a fairly strict bedtime curfew growing up but if we were good, we could each earn an extra half an hour of 'reading time' before it was lights out. Smart people, my parents. They knew that making reading a privilege and a treat instead of a chore, was certain to create a hunger for books in us. They were right.

So last week I had took the disjointed list of books which I'd compiled based on random recommendations, many I've never heard of, and put a big order into Amazon. The first one that I picked up was recommended by the lovely Jess Welman who works in the poker media - 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.' I loved it. It's the story of a family dealing with generations of loss as told by the 9 year old son. It's much like 'Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime' as the point of view is so unusual and interesting. It's never explicitly discussed but as well as struggling with grief over the loss of his father during 9/11, the boy also seems to see the world through a filter somewhat like Aspergers. I know that I'm not making it sound like a barrel of laughs but really, it is so, so, so worth a read. There is a tenderness and a reality in it which made me cry but the writer doesn't ever lean towards the maudlin and sentimental.

The second book was unfortunately the "California Driver's Handbook." I've been a driver in both Canada and the UK for a LONG time (it kind of surprised me when I realised just how long) but I need to get my license here as well. I had my written test yesterday and passed. Phew. Now I need to pass the actual driving test. I get text anxiety but I have yet to fail a drivers' exam in any other country, so we'll see. The best part of the book was the forward by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The idea that he is actually the Governor of California is so absurd that I think my brain just won't retain the information. So anytime I see him in a photo (like in the Driver's book) sitting behind his official desk, it makes me giggle.

The third book I picked up was Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis. It's pretty short and I read it one afternoon this week while I was stuck on the sofa with flu. I'm not sure whether it was the fever or if it was just the book itself but DEAR GOD it was unremittingly grim and full of the kind of people I just detest. I know that's the author's usual thing and I know he doesn't exactly write light and fluffy books (Less than Zero, American Psycho) but... just, wow. It was also very well written and as another poker journalist pointed out to me, it has one of the best final lines ever "I'm afraid of people and I never liked anyone." That kind of sums it up really. Every single character is just devoid of the nicer bits of humanity. I'm glad I read it but it's certainly not one I'll keep to read again.

As a complete contrast, tonight I picked up 'Eat Pray Love' which was recommended by a number of people (all women as you can imagine). It's not the sort of book I normally read and although I don't think I'm going to fall in love with it, I am certainly enjoying it right now.

Before I got back to Santa Barbara, I read "Lost Vegas" by Paul 'Dr Pauly' McGuire who many of you will know through his work on Tao of Poker, Pokerati etc. It's a really cool book and totally worth picking up. I bought a copy through Lulu online and Pauly signed it for me in Vegas which means it'll be getting pride of place on my bookshelf. It's a great collection of tales centered around the WSOP over the past years and it'll give you a peek into the Series as seen from behind a media badge. It's also a really compelling look at some of the big names in poker and the unbelievably unhealthy lifestyle that spending 6 weeks crammed into the Amazon Room breeds. You should buy it for two reasons a) it's a really interesting and well written book and b) Pauly is a cool guy and 'one of us' in poker. It's always great when 'one of us' does well.

Oof, thats way too long of a blog. I need to do shorter ones more often rather than these!! If anyone is actually still reading, I'm amazed and thank you. I'll try to be more pithy next time. It doesn't come naturally.