literally.

[lauralh]

I read lots of books over the holiday, most recently Under the Banner of Heaven, which was initially captivating and then gruesome to the point that you had to finish it, because you were gonna have bad dreams of marauding Mormons either way. But as a result I didn't fall asleep till like nearly 2am and got up before 7, so I'm feeling a bit woogly today.

Other books I read:

Hell's Angels, Hunter S. Thompson. One of his earlier pieces, before he developed his disassociative incoherent brand of writing that he's more noted for, but that's not a bad thing. Very compelling.

The Illuminati Papers, Robert Anton Wilson. Just a bunch of essays that are really rather optimistic, inspiring, and hopeful, despite most of the overall themes.

Still Life with Woodpecker, Tom Robbins. It was pretty obvious that he wrote it before, you know, he got good. "The throwaway plot and the characatures[sic]  that inhabit the Robbins written world can be incredibly tiresome and obnoxious."

I did not read The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, because I hate hippies so much I just couldn't bear it after a hundred pages. Besides, the Wilson papers were a much better read about LSD.

Comments

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed "Banner Under Heaven". It was downright freaky at times and at various points I wondered, "What the heck does this have to do with that" yet he completely brought it around which was even more spooky.

I think it also made me a little more sympathetic to them, because as a Catholic we have tons O creepy shit in our closet and it is nice to know they have some things that make the Catholics seem a little less freaky.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

see, I knew sort of the vaguaries of that shit, but only because I actually researched it after leaving the Church. Pretty much it's all hushed the hell up. Having your childhood idols thrust into your face as merely men, and not very nice ones at that, is disturbing and disconcertening.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

I do sympathize with that. There are a couple of really nice priests that I knew and it they were accused of molesting kids. But then it is kind of a lesson in the dangerous of idol-worship I suppose.