Favorite books

I limited myself to books I've read more than once. I think that proves their mettle. Each description is followed by the number of times I've read it.

"Oranges" by john McPhee You might think it's dull. It's about early Florida Orange growers, but that slice of culture was totally unknown to me and very endearing. 2

"Where Strange Roads go Down" by Mary Del Villar about 2 beatniks walking across rural Mexico. 2

"Where Rivers Ran Backward" by William E. Merrit was also great. Another Vietnam biopic, I liked his continual interspersing of rock lyrics to lock the story to the era. 3

"The Devil and Sonny Liston" by Nick Tosches which many would find crude and borderline offensive. It's the biography of the baddest man who ever lived, who happened to be a famous boxer. 5

Stephen King: "The Dark Tower" say what you will. He wrote it at the height of his drug-induced mania. It's brilliant. I think it stands alone as the rest of the series is strictly downhill. 3

Jim goad wrote a book called "the Redneck Manifesto" that was patently profane and indecent and borderline obscene. Alternately it was some of the most original and thought provoking literature I've ever read. 2

Russell Hoban writes books that are hard to follow, difficult to read and often totally unsatisfying to finish. But his use of language is a weapon. He invents new words, sometimes whole new languages. Each book of his I've read is it's own struggle to finish and comprehend. "Riddley walker" is about post apocalyptic future written in a devolved English language replete with new words, new grammar and new spellings. His book "Klienzeit" is even harder to follow and a long narrative that I think supposes existentialism is wrong and metaphysics are right and nothing
is real. Or it's just absurd. I don't think I understand it. 2

"The Crossing" Cormac McCarthy, He is unstoppable in all his gothic western glory. 2

Hunter S. Thompson..It's hard to limit myself to one book... I own most of them, but "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign trail of 72'" is a tad better than the classic "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." 2 (each)