Snakester's BEST Written Works

This list and the worst to follow is probably the biggest stretch for me that any list could be. I didn't read much until high school. And then I mostly read Stars Wars books cause they were the only thing that has interested me enough to spend time reading it. So my best and worst lists come from a pretty limited sampling.

10. Around the World in Eighty Days - Jules Verne: I think I read this one in junior high and became a little obsessed with Jules Verne for about a year. I read several of his books but this was by far my favorite. Maybe because it was Sci Fi at the time it was written but really still seemed realistic. I forever remember time zones and how crossing the international date line will help you gain a day from this book.

9. Gemba Kaizen - Masaaki Imai: This is my most recent read and was needed for my work. But it has been around awhile and I could easily tell where the praise came from. Very simple theories and ideas on how to improve the work place. While the books kind of focuses on manufacturing, there is easy relevance to any industry. The part I like best is how the author slams western managers throughout the whole book and is very blatant in the statement that they will teach us their ways because they know we won't follow through on them.

8. I, Jedi - Micheal Stackpole: The adventure follows Coran Horn as he learns that he poses Jedi powers and was written to coincide with another set of books that had been written years before. Unlike most Star Wars books that just follow the same characters from the movies, Stackpole had created Horn in his X Wing series and developed him through those books. This is a stand alone title but having a background of Horn definitely helps. Luke has a prominent part in the story as he trains Horn, but really the fact that it all centers around a new character makes it a fantastic story.

7. Dude, Where's My Country - Micheal Moore: I reached a phase right after college in which I was trying to decide my political views. I stumbled onto this book and enjoyed Moore's humor and the valid points he made throughout. I just remember being very entertained by the book that I read it twice.

6. Half Blood Prince/Deathly Hallows; Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling: I started out just watching the first 5 Harry Potter movies having never even cracked one of the books. But after I watched Order of the Phoenix and was caught up in the buzz of the final Potter book, I had to know what happened next. Being the age that I am, I believe this was a good time to jump into reading the books. The last 3 books/movies were far more interesting and climatic than the first 4. I am not going to give anything away but I was hooked to having to read them every night. It just kept building and getting darker the entire time. I cannot wait to see what the movies will look like.

5. Brain Droppings - George Carlin: This was a mixture of some of his classic bits and new material written out. I know I read this book several times through and carried it around quoting it for a long time. It got me in trouble one time in study hall because I could not keep myself from laughing out loud while I was reading it.

4. Have A Nice Day - Mick Foley: By far the best autobiographer I will ever read. I think this would be entertain to anyone who isn't a wrestling fan. Mick certainly has had an interesting life and his take on everything is special. He did find a gift to write stories and I am sure made the WWE plenty of money.

3. Friday Night Lights: H. G. Bissinger: I remember my mom bought this book for me. That was odd in itself but I am glad she did. Probably more than anything was the time that I read it being a high school football player myself. I could really relate to the book and some of the pressure and issues that were faced. I could feel the heartache of the player that lost his season and career to an injury. I also was very disappointed in the movie and TV series that followed.

2. Specter of the Past/Vision of the Future - Timothy Zahn: This book is written around the Hand of Thrawn, a military group setup by the deceased Grand Admiral Thrawn that was created by Zahn in an earlier trilogy. This one has a mix of characters from the Star Wars movies as well as some Zahn had developed himself. I remember being actually nervous reading through this book as to whether Luke and Mara would make it out. These two books are by far the thickest in the Star Wars library but it was a real sense of accomplishment for me once I finally finished this pair.

1. The Love You Make: An Insiders Story of the Beatles - Peter Brown & Steve Gaines: My Grandmother found this book for me in a thrift store. I had never heard of it before which shocked me. I was even more shocked by some of the stuff in the book. These guys spent some time close to the Beatles and especially Brian Epstein. This lead to a lot of deeper secrets of the book. The book outlined more than just the music and the happy times. I thought it was the most realistic view of the Beatles I still have ever read. It made them human again and showed me some of their darker and wilder sides that kind of got swept up in Beatlemania.