Wh...wha... what? Huh? Wow. (Book 36)

A friend convinced me that I needed to read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Hunter S. Thompson) . I always assumed the book was akin to William S Burrough's Naked Lunch, which I tried to read in high school and just didn't have it in me to get past the first 20 pages, but I was surprised to find it really engaging.

Though most of the book, I was completely shocked that anyone would want to purposefully pound their brain with so many drugs that they go completely panic-attack-paranoid and the carpet bleeds, everyone turns into lizards, you try to kill your friends, and then spend hours puking into your shoes and thinking that the maid is going to kill you. I have too many control issues and can't even begin to know how to let go of reality like that. However, it was fascinating to look into the mind of an adrenaline junkie... always pushing the limits and getting off on the ultimate high of being able to get away with it all. Thompson writing style is engaging and vivid. I felt immediately sucked into that crazy world of 1971 Vegas, which was proven by the multiple nightmares that I had about lizard people and rattlesnakes attacking me. Even with that, I really enjoyed the book.

To follow, I watched the movie adaptation. Hollywood usually likes to kill great books, but they did a really fantastic and true portrayal of the book. The acting was great, but the best part was the way they did the scenes... a few times, I thought that spans of the hotel rooms would make me puke in my shoes. And, poor Johnny Depp having to wear those shorts the whole time with his skinny little legs. Anyway, being a true bibliophile, I still  definitely recommend reading the book first, but the movie is available for streaming on Netflix and to rent from Amazon if interested.

Also, this was my 36th book for the year, which is 10 past my goal. I'm going to stop counting now, but I will keep updates on the good ones that I read.