The Gospel of Dale is so simple, and yet it's so easy to not think about how easy these steps (and those in How to Stop Worrying) are to apply to our lives. I can't recommend these books enough.

Vonnegut's best, which also says a lot since Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions, + Cat's Cradle are incredible. From the 101 statements of "so it goes," the dark humor flows through the destruction of Dresden and the life of Billy Pilgrim's visions.

Joseph heller's classic leaves the individual Yossarian to battle through the absurdity of a military unit in WW2 that dysfunctional doesn't even begin to describe. As this antihero seeks to live by escaping the increased missions that he is forced to fly, we are drawn into the humor and horror until there is only one choice left.

Even with Jack Black in the movie, the book is better. The major difference is more scenes, the increased presence of a character played horribly by a certain rejected Cosby kid, and the story being set in Britain. If you lived in indie record stores, you'll truly appreciate this book.

Bill Simmons is everything that a great blog journalist should be. He not only knows his stuff, but he's clued in to pop culture, and he's completely aware that he's awesome, but still remains like the friend you always wanted to have.

Chuck Klosterman grows up in North Dakota and discovers heavy metal. One can read it as a book or as individual essays. No matter how one digs into it, it's definitely an incredible piece of music journalism by an incredibly ego-driven individual.

The power of the West + time spent rangering at Arches National Park to create a written force to stand up for individuality + the freedom of the desert to remain wild + dare I say "spiritual."

A testament to the greatness of men who protect us from the horrors of the world by giving their lives to stop evil while chained by society as a whole. Even more, Luttrell expresses his fallen companions' heroism + his conflict with having survived while they died.

Ok, so Rudy is a jerk, but he's not here to be nice + that's what works. We don't want people to be nice to terrorists or give false comfort. We want that parental figure who is going to go in + ring Osama's neck so that we can live happily ever after. Solid leadership strategies once you overcome the slowness of chapter 2. It's a shame that he's not in charge now, but alas...

The story here is in the poems, all of which are written in epitaph form. As you see the lives of families, friends, lovers, historical figures, and bitter enemies entwine, there is a grand and preserved vision of the American heartland here.

When I want to daydream about being on the Colorado Plateau, no travel book is better.

Yes, I'm a Yankee hater, but Torre was a great manager for a great team, and he did survive his years with Steinbrenner (if only to put up with Manny in LA). Even if you don't like baseball, it's still about the leadership and management contained within.

This is the Dustbowl fury that led to an even greater destructiveness in the fields of California. While the story itself is very good, it's the between chapter poeticized visions of America losing its promise that really stand out (like Dos Passos' in the USA Trilogy).

The selfishness of a Mississippi family on a collision course with disaster as they attempt to bury the mother that never really liked the dad all that much anyway. The depravity is true Faulkner. If Oprah told you to spend a summer with the man, just save your $, you won't understand it anyway.

The history of the first astronauts and test pilots to move from ww2 to the speed of sound to space. Tom Wolfe's drool is evident on every page, but these guys are true heroes worthy of every bit of praise imaginable. A very fast and classic read (and movies as well).

The rats come in and die, ushering in the wave of horror that comes with the death of many of Oran's citizens as its leaders rise from the corpses and the shadows to fight back against the tyranny that has taken over.

Ok, so Jack was great in the movie, but once again, the book is better (only Last Temptation of Christ was better as a movie). Sure, it's easy to dismiss it as another counter culture tale of individuality in face of madness and hostility in a metaphorical psych ward, but if it works...

As a companion piece to Spoon River Anthology, more midwestern dreams and sorrows told through the pen of a jouranlism student to be. The first section summarizes it all in the words of advice to our someday hero.

William Barrett creates the greatest existential work I've ever read, which I should add that I ended up doing by undergraduate thesis on. All of the major authors and the history of the philosophy are discussed in a very readable format. Definitely worth recommending to you as I found from its recommending to me.

I did my undergrad thesis on crisis of faith, and this was one of the works I used. The power of man to overcome meaninglessness and the existential void in a simple showing of faith. A very moving and at the same point emotionally draining account of Tolstoy's life.