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Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter shuke
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kupcho1
Footballguy
kupcho1
Footballguy
I just finished re-reading Neal Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle. I read it when it first came out (almost 20 years ago now) and was just as impressed now as I was then. It's in my top 10 all time.
Jack Shaftoe - King of the Vagabonds, L'Emmerdeur, Half-Cocked Jack, Quicksilver, Ali Zaybak, Sword of Divine Fire, and Jack the Coiner - is one of the best characters in the history of fiction. I will not argue this point with anyone.
I highly recommend it.
I agree. Mantel's trilogy was good, but The Baroque Cycle is the better book by far.
Jack Shaftoe - King of the Vagabonds, L'Emmerdeur, Half-Cocked Jack, Quicksilver, Ali Zaybak, Sword of Divine Fire, and Jack the Coiner - is one of the best characters in the history of fiction. I will not argue this point with anyone.
I highly recommend it.
TheBaylorKid
Footballguy
Wow 20 years ago, time flies. I’m impressed you reread it. It has crossed my mind to do the same, but then I remember they are three Neal Stephenson books which means long, long reads. I was inspired to read more about Issac Newton because of this series. I agree with and also recommend but read Cryptonomicon first.
I’m reading Termination Shock right now and loving it, doesn’t hurt I lived in the places described in the first 40 pages.
Barry
Footballguy
I stopped JS & MN after 200 pages. I wanted and tried to get into it but I couldn't. good writing and original but I suck some times.
Joe Mammy
Footballguy
No. Some are written in first person and some are in third. Also, the timelines bounce around from in the Army times to bounced out of the Army times.
Isn't that true for every Reacher book?
I've enjoyed every book and hope Lee Child's little bro can hold the jock.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Read Greg Wyshynski’s Take Your Eyes off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey by Knowing Where to Look. I’ve enjoyed his stuff for years on Puck Daddy, ESPN, Twitter, and podcast. I thought this book could have been better, with more on strategy though — seemed to go for more jokes than insight at times. I was hoping for something that could help me watch hockey a bit smarter; I got some of that, but was hoping for more.
Started this weekend on Michael Schur’s How to Be Perfect. Another author that I’ve been a fan for years, going back to his KenTremendous posts on the Fire Joe Morgan blog, and fan of his work on The Office, Parks and Rec, and The Good Place. This book is a bit of an offshoot of The Good Place, and trying to create an accessible book on philosophy and ethics. Pretty good and funny so far.
Started this weekend on Michael Schur’s How to Be Perfect. Another author that I’ve been a fan for years, going back to his KenTremendous posts on the Fire Joe Morgan blog, and fan of his work on The Office, Parks and Rec, and The Good Place. This book is a bit of an offshoot of The Good Place, and trying to create an accessible book on philosophy and ethics. Pretty good and funny so far.
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BeTheMatch
Footballguy
Norco '80 was fantastic. Thank you to whoever recommended it.
Sleestak
Footballguy
The Warmth of Other Suns - Isabel Wilkerson
I had heard of Jim Crow, but this was an eye-opener. About the Great Migration of blacks from the American South to the North and West from WWI to 1970 or so, much of it told in the personal histories of three people, interspersed with major or illustrative events during that time period.
Some pretty wild stuff. And by "wild" I mean awful.
I had heard of Jim Crow, but this was an eye-opener. About the Great Migration of blacks from the American South to the North and West from WWI to 1970 or so, much of it told in the personal histories of three people, interspersed with major or illustrative events during that time period.
Some pretty wild stuff. And by "wild" I mean awful.
kupcho1
Footballguy
First, I am not trying to dissuade anyone from reading anything they'd like. I've read a bunch of Reacher books and enjoyed a few of them. However, to say that they aren't repetitious is disingenuous at best, particularly the most recent ones (excluding any written as a tag team with Child's brother as I've not read any of them).Joe Mammy said:
Reacher hitchhikes (which by the way he's far too successful at. For one, hitchhiking is illegal in many US states. Secondly, who exactly is picking up someone the size of the incredible hulk?) or buses into town.
Then Reacher uncovers some troubling activity or secret in the town which always involves a...
Hot chick that he bangs
Interspersed are several ###-kickings, he kills a few people and solves the mystery and metes out justice
Are they entertaining? Sure. Repetitive? Absolutely. Whether the book is written in the first or third person, or takes place in the present or the past, the events/situations in the books are pretty much the same. Credit to Childs for the creative ###-kickings and mysteries. Obviously they have to differ.
Too say they aren't formulaic just doesn't hold water.
Poke_4_Life
Footballguy
He doesn't always hookup w/ a lady. Over the course of the series it's probably 50/50. Early on it was rare (first book was an exception). Seems to be more common later in the series. Sex sells!
Joe Mammy
Footballguy
Just finished Play It As It Lays from Joan Didion and I liked it. She's a fascinating writer. Lots of Hemingway comparison with short and punchy sentences. it's a super easy read and heavy on dialog.
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MindCrime
Footballguy
Don't Toews Me
Footballguy
Finished a few recently:
"The New Rules for War" by Sean McFate. Dr. McFate is a professor at the National Defense University and a former officer in the 82nd Airborne Division as well as a former mercenary. He paints a chilling view that the US is not equipped for the future of war. As the US continues to spend massively on conventional weaponry, he thinks their impact will be muted in future conflicts. He shapes his view of the world off of what he sees as "durable disorder." Essentially, many of the rules we've followed since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 are becoming undone, such as only nations having the ability to wage war (rise of PMCs and mercenaries), rules based international system failing (half of all peace agreements fail in 5 yrs), the growing number of failed states and actors that fill these vacuums left behind, etc. Chilling, but eye opening. The US must recover its ability to wage unconventional war.
"When the Tempest Gathers" by Andy Milburn. Milburn is a retired Marine Colonel who served for 31 years and commanded a CJSOTF in the fight against ISIS. Interesting character and back story. Born in and grew up in Britain to an American mother, he enlisted in the Marines after law school in Britain. Eventually became an officer. Well-written. Lots of ups and downs in this one as he details losing friends in war as well as losing his young daughter. Additionally, lots of leadership bits of advice. He voices frustration that he experienced as commander of a CJSOTF dealing with a difficult 1-star Army General (who he doesn't name). One of the better post 9/11 war memoirs I've read.
"The Age of AI" by Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher. Each man tries to provide his analysis and opinion on how AI will shape our world. Felt this one was more written for policy makers than your average everyday person. But they presented plenty of interesting philosophical realities that will need to be tackled with the rise of this new technology. Some discussion on the implications for diplomacy and national security. I think the high-profile status of each author maybe had my hopes higher, so perhaps I expected too much. It was decent.
"The New Rules for War" by Sean McFate. Dr. McFate is a professor at the National Defense University and a former officer in the 82nd Airborne Division as well as a former mercenary. He paints a chilling view that the US is not equipped for the future of war. As the US continues to spend massively on conventional weaponry, he thinks their impact will be muted in future conflicts. He shapes his view of the world off of what he sees as "durable disorder." Essentially, many of the rules we've followed since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 are becoming undone, such as only nations having the ability to wage war (rise of PMCs and mercenaries), rules based international system failing (half of all peace agreements fail in 5 yrs), the growing number of failed states and actors that fill these vacuums left behind, etc. Chilling, but eye opening. The US must recover its ability to wage unconventional war.
"When the Tempest Gathers" by Andy Milburn. Milburn is a retired Marine Colonel who served for 31 years and commanded a CJSOTF in the fight against ISIS. Interesting character and back story. Born in and grew up in Britain to an American mother, he enlisted in the Marines after law school in Britain. Eventually became an officer. Well-written. Lots of ups and downs in this one as he details losing friends in war as well as losing his young daughter. Additionally, lots of leadership bits of advice. He voices frustration that he experienced as commander of a CJSOTF dealing with a difficult 1-star Army General (who he doesn't name). One of the better post 9/11 war memoirs I've read.
"The Age of AI" by Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher. Each man tries to provide his analysis and opinion on how AI will shape our world. Felt this one was more written for policy makers than your average everyday person. But they presented plenty of interesting philosophical realities that will need to be tackled with the rise of this new technology. Some discussion on the implications for diplomacy and national security. I think the high-profile status of each author maybe had my hopes higher, so perhaps I expected too much. It was decent.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
I was just reading that Christopher Nolan started production on a film based on American Prometheus. Super excited for that one.
Over the weekend, started up Xochitl Gonzalez's Olga Dies Dreaming. Debut novel for the author; released earlier this year, and another one that looks set to make the jump to the screen (Aubrey Plaza signed up for the pilot). Pretty good so far. Focus is on a Latinx character in Brooklyn who is a wedding planner, and her brother (a Congressman); their mother is an estranged radical Puerto Rican activist. From the description/review (as not quite there yet), I understand things will reach a bit of a crescendo when Hurricane Maria hits Puerto Rico.
Brony
Footballguy
Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don't Have To - David Sinclair
I stumbled upon the author through a reddit comment on aging and it got me intrigued in the topic. From my podcast rotation, I probably heard this guy previously but it didn't click. Anyway, the author is head of the Aging Lab at Harvard and has been investigating how organisms age and the implications for humans for the past 20+ years. He lays all of the DNA and epigenome science out in this book and while it's a little heavy at times, he's always quick to translate it through an analogy and I got the gist of it.
Even if he's only 25% right about his science, this is pretty groundbreaking info. The fundamentals of how/why cells age is a lot more simplistic than, for example, cancer. As a result, the potential treatment pathways are much shorter and we'll likely see some treatments in our lifetimes. For guys getting older like me, this was inspiring info.
Reading this and also recently Code-Breakers makes me feel like we're in an exciting time for bio, which is pretty cool to sink into. Very different than the typical historic nonfiction I read which happened before I was born.
I stumbled upon the author through a reddit comment on aging and it got me intrigued in the topic. From my podcast rotation, I probably heard this guy previously but it didn't click. Anyway, the author is head of the Aging Lab at Harvard and has been investigating how organisms age and the implications for humans for the past 20+ years. He lays all of the DNA and epigenome science out in this book and while it's a little heavy at times, he's always quick to translate it through an analogy and I got the gist of it.
Even if he's only 25% right about his science, this is pretty groundbreaking info. The fundamentals of how/why cells age is a lot more simplistic than, for example, cancer. As a result, the potential treatment pathways are much shorter and we'll likely see some treatments in our lifetimes. For guys getting older like me, this was inspiring info.
Reading this and also recently Code-Breakers makes me feel like we're in an exciting time for bio, which is pretty cool to sink into. Very different than the typical historic nonfiction I read which happened before I was born.
Sand
Footballguy
So who would have thought that the biggest kickstarter ever would be an author?
Brandon Sanderson has put up 4 brand new secret books and has gotten 23M in 4 days. Holy moly. I'm in for $40. That's cheaper than I'd ever get the ebooks once published.
Brandon Sanderson has put up 4 brand new secret books and has gotten 23M in 4 days. Holy moly. I'm in for $40. That's cheaper than I'd ever get the ebooks once published.
rockaction
Footballguy
Trust by Francis Fukuyama (Political, Non-Fiction), 1995.
A study of social capital and trust in countries throughout the world. It's an interesting read. He asserts, as of 1997, that America is in a crisis because it no longer has the social capital it once did. He goes on to posit that American society is in a crisis of trust that is caused, strangely and paradoxically enough, by its animating religious impulse, Protestantism.
A study of social capital and trust in countries throughout the world. It's an interesting read. He asserts, as of 1997, that America is in a crisis because it no longer has the social capital it once did. He goes on to posit that American society is in a crisis of trust that is caused, strangely and paradoxically enough, by its animating religious impulse, Protestantism.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I read that a while back. Same guy who wrote The Martian, I think. It was a lot of fun to read.
The Gator
Footballguy
Thanks, I didn’t know that. I haven’t had a chance to research the author yet. I just did and will check out Artemis next. (Narrated by Rosario Dawson :wub)
MindCrime
Footballguy
Brony
Footballguy
Just finished this. Great stuff. The first half reads like a fiction book and is non stop action. Second half was a little slow but still a good read. Thanks!
kupcho1
Footballguy
Well that took a while. Worth it to get to what I think is one of the greatest paragraphs ever written
Now a re-read of Jennifer Egan's a visit from the goon squad, as the sequel, The candy house, is due out at the beginning of April. From wiki:
If you haven't read it, it is definitely worth checking out.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
krista4
Footballguy
Many people whose opinions on books I greatly respect love this one, and I've tried 2-3 times and never finished it either. I was convinced I was the only one who felt that way.
Barry
Footballguy
finished All Systems Red by M.Wells. Good sci-fi, will read the next book in series Murderbot Diaries.
Amazon kindle has The Library of Mount Char on sale for $1.99. One of my favorite books. accurate quote “Freakishly compelling . . . through heart-thumping acts of violence and laugh-out-loud moments, this book practically dares you to keep reading.”—Atlanta Magazine
Amazon kindle has The Library of Mount Char on sale for $1.99. One of my favorite books. accurate quote “Freakishly compelling . . . through heart-thumping acts of violence and laugh-out-loud moments, this book practically dares you to keep reading.”—Atlanta Magazine
skol asylum
Footballguy
Sounds interesting. 1.99 on Nook too. Added to my 900+ ebook pile. When am I going to read all this?
TheBaylorKid
Footballguy
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Eephus
Footballguy
Egan's Manhattan Beach is more accessible without the structural flights of fancy of Goon Squad. I loved them both but I was a sucker for Goon Squad because parts were set during a period in SF that is personally near and dear.
Barry
Footballguy
my pile is 8.Sounds interesting. 1.99 on Nook too. Added to my 900+ ebook pile. When am I going to read all this?
Eephus
Footballguy
On the other end of the spectrum, I'm currently reading Tarantino's novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
QT is an terrible writer but the book is kind of fun. He mostly takes short scenes from the movie as jumping off points for long digressions of character backstories and asides about 60's Hollywood.
QT is an terrible writer but the book is kind of fun. He mostly takes short scenes from the movie as jumping off points for long digressions of character backstories and asides about 60's Hollywood.
The Gator
Footballguy
Atremis was okay, it was short enough that the meh parts weren't a big time sink.
Started listening to Dune Monday, this is pretty solid so far. Crazy they use so may narrators.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Don Quixote
Footballguy
I've been reading a couple of nonfiction lately. Read Steve Coll's Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. It was published in 2004, and probably been on my bookshelf for about that long. After watching the documentary "Flee" (about a refugee from Afghanistan during that time period), decided it was past time to give it a read. Pretty good recent history in Afghanistan leading up to the 9/11 attacks, and I can see why it won the Pulitzer.
Currently on Ted Widmer's Lincoln on the Verge. It is about Lincoln's train trip from Springfield to Washington leading up to his inauguration. I'm about halfway through. Engaging read; feels like you are there along for the ride, while history is happening all around, the pressures faced by Lincoln as the country is fracturing, and the assassination threats faced by Lincoln on his trip. (Other Widmer book that I've read was his book on Martin Van Buren when I was working my way through bios of each President.)
When I finish that one, I've got Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine up next. I've read a number of her novels and a fan of her work, but haven't read that one (her debut novel) yet.
Currently on Ted Widmer's Lincoln on the Verge. It is about Lincoln's train trip from Springfield to Washington leading up to his inauguration. I'm about halfway through. Engaging read; feels like you are there along for the ride, while history is happening all around, the pressures faced by Lincoln as the country is fracturing, and the assassination threats faced by Lincoln on his trip. (Other Widmer book that I've read was his book on Martin Van Buren when I was working my way through bios of each President.)
When I finish that one, I've got Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine up next. I've read a number of her novels and a fan of her work, but haven't read that one (her debut novel) yet.
Hov34
Eephus's Great Great Great Love Child
Blew through the trilogy and on to "Best Served Cold" and liking it almost as much as the original trilogy.
I really hope Amazon or HBO makes this into a series and does it right.
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matuski
Footballguy
Talking To Strangers. Gladwell.
Had to fight through the introductory police brutality/racial justice garbage. Beyond that I found the book to be interesting.
Defaulting to what is familiar over presented facts... seems to strike at the heart of how and why our world is so susceptible to fake news.
Breaking it down, it reveals human traits that I recognize in my sales career as resistance to changing habits.
Had to fight through the introductory police brutality/racial justice garbage. Beyond that I found the book to be interesting.
Defaulting to what is familiar over presented facts... seems to strike at the heart of how and why our world is so susceptible to fake news.
Breaking it down, it reveals human traits that I recognize in my sales career as resistance to changing habits.
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Don Quixote
Footballguy
Tomorrow is one of the more stacked book release days that I can remember.
Egan's The Candy House, follow-up to A Visit from the Good Squad, has been mentioned already. I've got a pre-order in for the new one by Emily St. John Mandel, Sea of Tranquility. I'm also intrigued by Douglas Stuart's Young Mungo (author won the Booker for Shuggie Bain). Tara Stringfellow's Memphis getting pretty good buzz for a debut novel. And a new poetry collection (Time is a Mother) by Ocean Vuong (loved his On Earth, We're Briefly Gorgeous).
My plan is to take the Sea of Tranquility with me on the kiddo's spring break next week, and then will have to decide what to read after that.
Egan's The Candy House, follow-up to A Visit from the Good Squad, has been mentioned already. I've got a pre-order in for the new one by Emily St. John Mandel, Sea of Tranquility. I'm also intrigued by Douglas Stuart's Young Mungo (author won the Booker for Shuggie Bain). Tara Stringfellow's Memphis getting pretty good buzz for a debut novel. And a new poetry collection (Time is a Mother) by Ocean Vuong (loved his On Earth, We're Briefly Gorgeous).
My plan is to take the Sea of Tranquility with me on the kiddo's spring break next week, and then will have to decide what to read after that.
steelerfan1
Footballguy
Tom Skerritt
Footballguy
brun
Footballguy
Finished the Wayward Pines trilogy last year. Just started Wayward Pines: Genesis. IMO, Steven Konkoly doing a great job providing a prequel to Crouch's work. Thumbs up so far.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I pre-ordered this one, too. I really like her books.
I'm doing 15 days in Mexico in about a month and am loading up. I'll save Mandel's for then. I've also got the first several of Joe Lansdale's Hap & Leonard books in the chamber. Whitehead's Zone One, too. And a re-read of Lonesome Dove is long overdue, so that's waiting. Plus a few strays I've got left that I want to clean up.
