CULTURE & LIFE
What to Read While Getting High
9 books
Nine books chosen for the specific quality of attention they reward when the reader's perceptual framework has been usefully loosened — books that reward the kind of lateral, associative thinking that cannabis in particular tends to produce. The list covers fiction that plays with form and reality, nonfiction that makes unexpected connections, humor that works on multiple levels simultaneously, and a few books that are simply better when you're paying the kind of attention that ordinary life doesn't usually allow. The list takes the subject seriously without being solemn about it, because the combination of seriousness and solemnity is the one thing most likely to ruin a good high.
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Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties
Tom O'Neill
Getting stoned is the perfect time to dive into someone else’s 20-year obsession with one of the most notorious murder sprees in modern memory. Chaos takes a second look at the infamous Manson murders, as depicted in the best-selling book Helter Skelter. It starts with author Tom O’Neill’s 1999 assignment to write a retrospective about those two notorious nights in LA, then follows him as he falls down an investigation rabbit hole of conspiracy theories about CIA misconduct, government cover-ups, and more. “O’Neill gets deep into all these conspiracy theories that surround the Manson murders, which is right in my wheelhouse,” says Gabrus.
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Inherent Vice
Thomas Pynchon
If hobbits hopping around the Shire isn’t your speed, even with the help of mary jane, Gabrus recommends this classic tale about a dope-loving private detective in the waning days of the psychedelic sixties by literary heavy-hitter Thomas Pynchon. “Is it kind of cliche for a reading list that revolves around getting high?” he says. “Sure. But it’s still a great read.”
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Warlock
Jim Starlin
graphics, fantastical storylines, and organized panels. This is what the comic book genre was made for. Gabrus is currently passionate about Adam Warlock, a being genetically engineered to become the next evolution of humanity. Warlock first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1967 and enjoys frequent story arcs as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. “If there’s a comic author and character combination that better lends itself to mind-expanding consumption, I don't know about it yet,” Gabrus says.
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The Dawn Patrol
Don Winslow
Take a hit or two (or more) and fire up your fantasies of living the surfer life with this beach-themed crime noir. In The Dawn Patrol, ex-cop turned reluctant private eye Boone Daniels, who wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his days out amongst the breakers, has to choose between solving the biggest case of his career and missing the biggest swell of his life. “Yes, that's the actual premise, and it’s executed perfectly by the legend Don Winslow,” Gabrus says.
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The Braindead Megaphone
George Saunders
This collection of essays marks Saunders’ first foray into non-fiction. The Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo turns his certified genius-level talents to the worlds of literature, politics, and travel, with stories about his trips to Nepal, Dubai, and the Mexican border, among others. “It’s highbrow, funny writing that’s perfect for some stony reading,” Gabrus says. “And chopping it up into short stories to fight THC-induced ADHD is clutch.”
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The Complete Far Side
Gary Larson
According to Gabrus, this tome of more than 1,100 comics by the weird genius that is Gary Larson is the perfect stoner read. “What’s better than single-panel comics that make you laugh?” he says. “Depending on how strong your grass is, a single panel may be all you can handle.”
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The Fellowship of the Ring
J.R.R. Tolkien
A hundred years hence, these novels, regarded as a trilogy though conceived as one sprawling epic, will still remain a high watermark of the fantasy genre, a genre that in many ways, J.R.R. Tolkien created with his 1937 novel The Hobbit and then perfected over the next 10 years with The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Even if you have seen the LOTR films many a time, these books still more than deserve a reading. Not only will you come to know the characters and story more intimately, but you will enjoy writing and see the very foundation on which almost all recent and contemporary fantasy fiction stands. You can also check out our list of books that were better than the movies for more options like this. Buy at Amazon
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The Two Towers
J.R.R. Tolkien
A hundred years hence, these novels, regarded as a trilogy though conceived as one sprawling epic, will still remain a high watermark of the fantasy genre, a genre that in many ways, J.R.R. Tolkien created with his 1937 novel The Hobbit and then perfected over the next 10 years with The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Even if you have seen the LOTR films many a time, these books still more than deserve a reading. Not only will you come to know the characters and story more intimately, but you will enjoy writing and see the very foundation on which almost all recent and contemporary fantasy fiction stands. You can also check out our list of books that were better than the movies for more options like this. Buy at Amazon
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The Return of the King
J.R.R. Tolkien
A hundred years hence, these novels, regarded as a trilogy though conceived as one sprawling epic, will still remain a high watermark of the fantasy genre, a genre that in many ways, J.R.R. Tolkien created with his 1937 novel The Hobbit and then perfected over the next 10 years with The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Even if you have seen the LOTR films many a time, these books still more than deserve a reading. Not only will you come to know the characters and story more intimately, but you will enjoy writing and see the very foundation on which almost all recent and contemporary fantasy fiction stands. You can also check out our list of books that were better than the movies for more options like this. Buy at Amazon