~ Reviews & Recommendations ~
~ Recommended Books ~
– “A Reasonable Life” by Ferenc Maté’ – One man’s perspective and associated rants on the absurdity of modern life…definitely worth a read. ARL gives it a grade of: A- . Read more review comments here.
– “Worse Than War” by Daniel Jonah Goldhagens‘ – Haven’t read it yet, but look for a future review….feel free to submit one.
– “A Conflict of Visions” by Thomas Sowell. A well rated book by all accounts. Again, on the reading list. Described as “a provocative analysis of the conflicting visions of human nature that have shaped the moral, legal and economic life of recent times. ” Mr. Sowell, it may be noted, is the Milton Friedman senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and is one of the most highly regarded economists and social critic of our times. You can read more of his work in a variety of places including here and here.
– Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand – The classic, a libertarian case against collectivist control of the individual’s productive talent.
– The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek – “…a true classic: essential reading for everyone who is seriously interested in politics in the broadest and least partisan sense.” – Milton Friedman
– Every book by G.K. Chesterton. Favorites include: “The Man Who Was Thursday,” “Orthodoxy,” and “Outline of Sanity.”
– “The Strange Music,” and “The Deluge,” , poetry by G. K. Chesterton.
– Likewise for C.S. Lewis, check out Amazon’s full listings. Highly recommended: Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, and The Abolition of Man.
– Meltdown by Thomas Woods – Perhaps the best explanation for the current economic crisis. Also recommend Woods’ other books, such as The Politically incorrect guide to American History.
~ Recommended Movies ~
– “Brazil” – More fun than 1984, ha, ha. ARL gives this an A+
– “Miami Blues” – Another cult-classic that kind of makes you wonder about who wants to carry a badge (or be president.) ARL gives this a B+, due to nudity and language.
– “Office Space” – Yet another cult-classic about the absurdity of modern working environments.
– “Idiocracy” – Not for everyone, but it very well could be the most accurate depiction of our nation’s future…devolution runs it’s course.
~ Favorite Music ~
– Locust Street Taxi! – Check out this great PNW band.
– “Stop Making Sense” – 25th Anniversary release of the Talking Heads, beautifully filmed, seminal 1984 “rockumentary”. See more review comments here. ARL give this performance an A+.
– Jeff Beck’s performance at Ronnie Scott’s – Just ordered a copy for the archives ….really fabulous, highly recommended. Check out the following clip with Imogen Heap.
A Reasonable Life 