Kathy

Maybe this book is TMI but for a Phil Dick fanatic like myself it is juicy behind the scenes real life meets sci-fi meets am I insane or are those really CIA/FBI/Aliens following me. Dick's 3rd wife Anne tells every bit of her side of the story in this frank account of their years together in Point Reyes. She follows this up with a thoroughly researched accounting of PKD's descent into after he left her and moved to the East Bay and later Southern California. The book likely enraged Dick fans around the world but it's a fascinating read. Not only because Philip K. Dick is one of the most fascinating people to have lived but also because Anne Dick manages to remind us what life was like for an American wife and woman in the Fifties and Sixties. Everything, including most people's neurotic behavior, was blamed on the mother. Heck, at one point the Point Reyes sheriff comes out to their house, talks calmly with Phil Dick, and trundles Anne off to a mental hospital for 72 hours observation! Those were the days.

By far the best book on Brautigan I have read. Most reviewers just never “got” Brautigan and the subsequent works on his life and writing reflected those misconceptions, misunderstandings, and plain mistruths. Keith Abbott not only paints a loving portrait of the author, poet, and friend but provides us with what is perhaps the best literary analysis and review of Brautigan's writing.

I whole heartedly recommend this book not only for the Brautigan fanatic but I think it would make a great introduction to the reader just embarking on a study of Brautigan.

From the author bio at the end of the book:

INGO SWANN is America's most researched super-psychic, a fine artist, and a gifted writer. His credentials are unique - he is “a cosmic psychonaut who probably has a better grasp of parapsychology than most professional researchers” ... a “sensitive” who has caused temperature changes in remote targets by pure force of will, and who used out-of-body astral projection to correctly predict the major scientific surprise of the Mariner 10 Mercury probe! His powers have been irrefutably demonstrated at the prestigious Stanford Research Institute.

Read more about Swann in the Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingo_Swann

“Power Shift” really should be required reading for all. This book clearly and concisely explains the evolution of mankind's use of energy and the role of energy in our rise as dominant species of planet Earth.

Anyone involved in the climate debate or the impact of fossil fuel use on the climate should read this book. Our educators should read this book. In fact, I would recommend everybody read this book.

Don't think that because Stayton provides a clear and concise explanation of the science and evolution of energy use by humans that this book will not inform the scientific community. I have a Ph.D. in Mathematics, a rich history of study in the physical sciences, and a lifelong career as a computer scientist yet every page of this book managed to inform me in ways I had not previously connected.

Read it.

Really well researched details of Todd's work in the recording studio producing artists like Robbie Robertson, Patti Smith, XTC, Sparks, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, Cheap Trick, Grand Funk, The Psychedelic Furs, The Tubes, Todd's solo works, and his own band Utopia. Lots of great interviews with the artists and Todd himself. A really great read.

As you would expect - hilarious! But, what I did not expect, it's a self help book! And, I don't mean bed wetting - although I would imagine someone with that problem would get a lot of help out of reading this book. I mean, Silverman imparts life lessons in here. Really great stuff plus it is such a fun read.

This extensively researched history of the Comanche should be required reading for every American. Gwynne manages to transform what could be an exhaustively detailed dry account into a gripping tale of historical scale. Not for the squeamish, Gwynne pulls no punches in his account - a major plus as far as I am concerned as the truth in this chapter should not be edited. The book contains tons of fascinating fact. For instance, did you know that Buffalo Hump (born ca. late 1790s to early 19th century — died 1870) was a Native American War Chief of the Penateka band of the Comanche Indians. His Nʉmʉ tekwapu (Comanche) name, properly transliterated, was Po-cha-na-quar-hip which meant “erection that won't go down” ? Or, that Isa-tai (“Wolf's Vulva” c.1840 — c.1890) was a Comanche warrior and medicine man of the Quahadi band. Originally named Quenatosavit (White Eagle), after the debacle at Adobe Walls he was known as Isa-tai which translates as “wolf's vulva” or “coyote vagina” ?

Gwynne uses the life of Quanah Parker and Quanah's family as his focus to tie the epic saga together and provide a bigger than life character the reader can bond with. The Parker family could have their own book and the story of Quanah Parker is uniquely apropos as a microcosm of the larger story of the Native American tribes. If I could recommend only one book and it couldn't be any Brautigan or Vonnegut or Dick or Steinbeck or Robbins or McMurtry plus it had to be non-fiction then this would be it! :)

Wow. More than you ever thought possible to know about the relationships and characters involved in the evolution of consciousness from 19th Century mysticism to to origins of superhero comics and sci-fi to the nuclear age and UFO's - aliens, remote viewing, psychics, mystics, artists, Marvel/DC, et al. This book is large and packed. Well researched and easy to read. I would say my only quibble would be the academic tone at times - ok, ok, I get it ... no need to tell me what you are going to tell me then tell me then tell me what you told me.

Great bathroom reader. Definitely deserving of 5 stars.

Is Flannery O'Connor the greatest short story writer of our time ? Perhaps. Anyway, I love her. What a great read this collection is, including her letters. How does she manage to be so dark and so funn ? Love her stories about her peacocks. I wonder what the Mark Twain re-writers will do when they discover O'Connor's use of the N-word ?

I finally got around to reading the Tom Robbins memoir “Tibetan Peach Pie”. What a fascinating life! And, as one would expect, Robbins does to memoirs what he previously did to the novel - this is much more than a simple recounting of a remarkable life, he manages to provoke a sense of wonder and awe even in this non-fiction format and continues to dazzle with the brilliance of his prose. Full of great funny provocative stories that reflect on not just the man and his writing but on our culture, consciousness, evolution, place in nature, the cosmic comedy, and everything.

Thanks Tom Robbins!

The story of David Milarch is fascinating and a good read. Robbins is easy to read, informative, and presents the science well. I learned a lot - the book is inspiring and informative. However, he could have left out the mystical mumbo jumbo which tends to undermine the credibility of the author and actors in this extremely important narrative. Still, just ignore those passages, there is plenty of hard science in here to support the program.

Man. Another new author (to me). This guy reminds me of Cormac McCarthy or Faulkner (if Faulkner was an easier read). But, he's got a similar feel for a very harsh micro-subculture - for Woodrell it's the Ozarks along the Missouri/Arkansas border. I've been there and he's not far from the mark although I didn't rub shoulders with the crank culture. This novel manages to be sweet, harsh, despairing, and gritty. Maybe not everybody's cup of tea but I loved it.

Perhaps his best book? Better than [b:Snow Crash 40651883 Snow Crash Neal Stephenson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530057753l/40651883.SX50.jpg 493634]? Maybe. I love the way he uses [a:Philip K. Dick 4764 Philip K. Dick https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1264613853p2/4764.jpg] like future slang in this book. The stories from the illustrated primer are great. Nell is an absolutely absorbing character in a coming of age tale. Molecular nanotechnology is omnipresent in the novel's world, with Stephenson extrapolating nanotechnology use and implementation in a variety of astounding ways including the integration of nanotechnology with artificial intelligence. The book deals with issues of social class, ethnicity, the effect of stories and education on the development of human personality, and the nature of artificial intelligence. Many of the technological advances are speculative but many are reasonable extrapolations of existing technology such as smart paper.If you are a little confused by all the nanotech in this novel then a good introduction to nanotechnology can be found in the book [b:Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology 83596 Engines of Creation The Coming Era of Nanotechnology K. Eric Drexler https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320504490l/83596.SY75.jpg 80705] by [a:K. Eric Drexler 599584 K. Eric Drexler https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1365796028p2/599584.jpg].The ending is a bit rushed. Thanks Neal!

I really loved this novel. Sort of a hybrid between a hard-bitten detective novel by Raymond Chandler and a surreal fantasy world of Richard Brautigan. I wonder if Murakami was influenced by Brautigan who, later in his career, became famous in Japan and even moved there for a while.

This book was such a pleasure to read. I'm sad I've finished it. However, I have plenty more of Murakami to read.