Just Having a Rig ol' Bead!

I like sports, i like my friends, i like not politics, so what else can i write about, well i like to read, so why don't i do a quick little nerdy book review/recommendation. I will suggest one book that i loved and why i loved it, followed by one book i hated and why i hated it.

Book: Barney's Version
Author: Mordecai Richler
Should you read it: HELL YEAH!
Why?: Ok so Mordecai Richler, well he's one of Canada's best writers, if not the best writer we've ever produced. This coming from someone who knows nothing about Canadian Authors. But i know's what i likes, and i likes me some Mordecai. Now some of you might not recognize the name but the odds are you've read a book or two by him without knowing. "Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang" ring a bell? Or the sequel "Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur"? What about "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz"? Some of you may have read that one in school like i did.

These are all fantastic books, but the one that stood out for me was "Barney's Version". Now this book is as you maybe predicted, about a man named Barney. Basically Barney is in a sense writing his memoirs throughout the book, taking you back through his life over the years and explaining his 'version' of events. I say his version because essentially Barney is a pretty despicable person. He's had multiple wives, multiple jobs, screwed over multiple people, and possibly committed murder. And don't worry i'm not ruining the book cause you find all this out pretty much right away. Barney is still in love with his ex-wife but he fucked that one up pretty royally.

The reason i found this book so incredible, is for the shear amount of effort required to read it. When i started reading it, there were many times that i almost abandoned it. To read 20 pages was mentally exhausting, and it's not a short book. There are countless characters to remember, and i love that Richler basically said "fuck it" to the average reader when writing this book. If you don't read alot, like every single night, then i wouldn't bother, cause you'll come back and be lost. He jumps from time period to time period, subject to subject, and location to location. The first 100 pages you'll almost find yourself angry with him for putting you through this kind of mental torture.

However a strange thing seems to happen along the way, even though you're reading the memoirs of such a vile human being. You start to sympathize with him, you start to laugh with him, you start to see his side of the story and he slowly turns into one of the most interesting characters you could ever hope for. The read starts to get easier because you've done your homework in the beginning so the characters are finally falling into place and you're not so confused anymore. And Richler, is a literary genius, and a comedic one aswell. I'm not one of those people who shows much emotion when reading a book. I almost never laugh out loud, (LOL!), i won't cower under a blanket, and i think a book has made me cry only a couple times. However there were several times while reading "Barney's Version" that i was chuckling to myself, or just had a smile plastered on my face. Plus Barney is a massive Habs fan throughout the book since most of it takes place in the Jewish suburbs of Montreal, which helped me identify with him.

So i would defintely recommend this book but take heed of all my warnings above and don't come to me saying, "Grimes what the fuck, i started to read that book and it was impossible!" Just stick with it, it'll be worth it. I won't say what happens, but the book has without a doubt, my favorite ending of any book i've ever read. The last page left me laughing to myself and convinced that Richler is Canada's best writer.

Book: Happy Days - Fonzie goes to College
Author: Unknown
Should you read it?: FUCK NO!
Why?: Cause it Fuckin sucked. At one point in Australia, i was reading a shitload, and me and the boys were camping out at some campsite. In the main building they had a box of books that you could just have, i caught a glimpse of "Happy Days: Fonzie Goes to College" and figured it would be funny to read. Probably the worst half hour of my life was to follow. Fonzie starts his own college with some other shitheels. They play a football team against another school where Fonzie scores a touchdown riding his fuckin motorcycle. At one point The Fonz is looking for a lawnmower, and he spots a toolshead and says "AAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY......TOOLSHED!" And then he opens the toolshed and says, "AAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY.....LAWNMOWER!" Now the only thing i really want to know is who the fuck bought that book in the first place? I mean yeah i read it out of sheer boredom, but it was free so all i really lost was my dignity, but someone paid money for that horseshit and if i ever find out who it was then i'm going to grab a video camera and film my own "Nutshot of the Day".