Whatcha reading?

[Mach 1 1677]

 

Interesting read.  I had no idea how important Kit Carson was to the conquest of the West.

Spoiler

He won a lot of battles .. but when it came to the Comanches, no dice.

 

[Gunsup 56]

On 9/23/2021 at 3:36 PM, BearSchlong said:

Had a bunch of drive time lately and some Audible credits to burn. . .

Yep-I'm listening to that audio book now too-kinda spicy.  Not too surprised about anything that comes out of that book about Trump, but I'm a little shook about Milley and what was going on behind the scenes around the time of the insurrection-I mean, the protest.  To think that those discussions were necessary in regards to what Trump might've been able to do just makes me hate that asshole even more.  

[Bogeywon 2519]

Any musician should read this. He really nails what it feels like playing live and the feeling you get. He’s a really good story teller and im enjoying the audiobook 

[KaiserSoze 998]

On 10/8/2021 at 3:25 PM, Bogeywon said:

Any musician should read this. He really nails what it feels like playing live and the feeling you get. He’s a really good story teller and im enjoying the audiobook 

 

I picked this up yesterday and am ~300 pages into it- very entertaining and well paced.

[wild_turkey 3159]

 

I liked it but thought it dragged a little bit in places. Pretty insightful and sad overview of the Osage tribe.

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by wild_turkey

[wild_turkey 3159]

Technically didn't read this but listened to the audio book (narrated by MM). I think that's the best way to do it because he's very good at telling his own stories. I really enjoyed it. Learned a lot about MM that I didn't know previously. He's had a very interesting life.

Edited October 15, 2021 by wild_turkey

[wild_turkey 3159]

Bought this on a whim in an airport bookstore and ended up liking it quite a bit. It's a relationship drama about a couple of young people in Ireland, which I thought did a pretty good job of depicting people struggling to get through their early 20s. It was also made into a TV show which I also thought was great and started a thread about.

[wild_turkey 3159]

 

I was fairly disappointed by this one. I kept seeing it in bookstores and on book lists but the description didn't draw me in. Once I saw it won the Pulitzer, I finally thought it was worth reading. It felt like the plot was pretty boring and just meandered along without much development. I was happy to have it end and move on to something else.

[wild_turkey 3159]

I've had this book laying around the house for a while now but I thought it would be too cliché or cheesy so I put off reading it. Finally picked it up and I liked it way more than I expected to. It was a quick and easy read. It looks like the movie comes out next summer and will feature Daisy Edgar-Jones (who by the way, gets naked a lot in the Normal People TV show I mentioned upthread).

[wild_turkey 3159]

I saw a couple people discussing this earlier in the thread. I thought it was good and entertaining but not as good as The Martian. I do love the way Andy Weir can weave science lessons into the chapters of a novel and it amazes me the random shit he thinks up. Worth reading for that part alone.

[hookem2010 2623]

Bunch of Native American books popping up recently. I've read a bunch of them, and agree that Empire of the Summer Moon was perhaps the best. I recently read 'The Earth is Weeping', which essentially was a summary of all the Indian wars I had read about previously, but consolidated and abridged a bit. Great way to learn about all the western tribes (and how they were routinely, and predictably fucked by the US Govt).
The Ice at the End of the World was a great book about Greenland, spanning epic Scandinavian explorers to the present-day scientists giving us a front-row preview of how and why climate change is going to fuck our shit up. Great combination of non-fiction adventure and science.
I'm currently reading 'Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art'. It gets a bit dry when talking about stone technology, but the information archaeologists are able to tease out of shattered bones, chipped rocks and ash deposits on rock walls is crazy. I also learned about Bruniquel Cave for the first time. It kind of looks like a Paleolithic Thujone creation, but imagining hominids nearly 10,000 GENERATIONS ago creating something that is clearly symbolic and not simply functional blows my mind. I would love to go back and observe the world 50,000-100,000 years ago, as the Neanderthal, human and insane ice age world collided.

[hookem2010 2623]

Covers of the books mentioned above

[SimonBolivar 10957]

 

A new release on the Rossetta Stone that does a good job with explaining Egyptian culture.

[Dylan383 6]

Have been getting into ufo books lately. Nice recent book on that.


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[Dylan383 6]

Bunch of Native American books popping up recently. I've read a bunch of them, and agree that Empire of the Summer Moon was perhaps the best. I recently read 'The Earth is Weeping', which essentially was a summary of all the Indian wars I had read about previously, but consolidated and abridged a bit. Great way to learn about all the western tribes (and how they were routinely, and predictably fucked by the US Govt).
The Ice at the End of the World was a great book about Greenland, spanning epic Scandinavian explorers to the present-day scientists giving us a front-row preview of how and why climate change is going to fuck our shit up. Great combination of non-fiction adventure and science.
I'm currently reading 'Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art'. It gets a bit dry when talking about stone technology, but the information archaeologists are able to tease out of shattered bones, chipped rocks and ash deposits on rock walls is crazy. I also learned about Bruniquel Cave for the first time. It kind of looks like a Paleolithic Thujone creation, but imagining hominids nearly 10,000 GENERATIONS ago creating something that is clearly symbolic and not simply functional blows my mind. I would love to go back and observe the world 50,000-100,000 years ago, as the Neanderthal, human and insane ice age world collided.

Thanks for the recs. Want to read on both subjects.


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[salonghorn 204]

Assassin's  Quest by Robin Hobb

[tantric superman 4667]

20th anniversary made me finally get around to this.  Was terrific. (Audio)

[TwiceHorn 31436]

As mentioned upthread, I have been jonesing for moar naval warfare fiction, bonus if WWII themed.

I stumbled across this:

About a destroyer at Leyte Gulf.  Pretty decent.  The author has no tics that I perceived, and, he served on a Fletcher Class DD in the Vietnam era, so he knows of what he speaks.  And, he wove a fictional narrative among historical events pretty well, with accuracy.  Also, a sideplot involving steam locomotives and trains, which are a perennial interest.

He has a whole series of naval fiction books.  I can recommend that one, at least.

Edited November 25, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[TexPx 2322]

 
I liked it but thought it dragged a little bit in places. Pretty insightful and sad overview of the Osage tribe.
 

Yeah, his writing is very dry but a fascinating story. Scorcese movie should be out soon I think.


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[TonyTexas 10505]

Must read for any baseball fan

 

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

On 11/26/2021 at 8:23 AM, TexPx said:

Yeah, his writing is very dry but a fascinating story. Scorcese movie should be out soon I think.


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I've only seen a release date for next year (22) but perhaps things picked up a little this year. That's where I grew up, and the story has been a long time coming. I may have mentioned it earlier, but another read about it is the one below, which meanders a bit, but it's a personal take by the author (it was his grandmother):

[Dylan383 6]

Book one of the wheel of time series.


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[MillerEP 30447]

12 hours ago, Dylan383 said:

Book one of the wheel of time series.


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You're in for a great ride. I'd backtrack to read New Spring (technically book 0.5), before continuing the rest of the series.

[BearSchlong 8083]

Was in the mood for something different and this did not disappoint.  Got pretty emotional but hey it's sports so that was ok right?

[NorthLoop 14180]

 

Didn't realize that this was a sequel to The River, which I thought was fantastic. About 3/4 through this one and it's almost as good. 

[MillerEP 30447]

Book 9 (The final one) of The Expanse just released this week. 

[WhatTheBuck 28772]

On 11/21/2021 at 10:09 AM, tantric superman said:

20th anniversary made me finally get around to this.  Was terrific. (Audio)

I’m reading something related.

It’s a good read. Soufan mentions Wright and his Pulitzer Prize winning book. He also mentions that Wright wrote a profile on him for The New Yorker. Here’s that article:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/07/10/the-agent

[txfight 40]

A Payroll to Meet. I've read it before, but my son is 12 and decided to grab it off the shelf a couple of weeks ago, so I am rereading it now.  As someone who grew up when SMU was winning (and cheating and got the Death Penalty), it is still very interesting to me.

[tantric superman 4667]

The Artist's Way.  So I could get motivated to get on the typer and write some doggerel.

It was kind of a repetitive beating but that's kind of the point.  Being creative is a repetitive beating for the most part. 

[Bama Llama 1450]

1. Audiobook of Mel Brooks' biography "All About Me!"  Only about 30% through it and it's a real peach, better than I had expected.  Mel must've recorded it within the past year and he's 95 fuckin years old.  His voice is still strong and he's sharp as ever. Very engaging with some good backstory.

2. "The Lost City of the Monkey God," by Douglas Preston (nonfiction).  Fascinating glimpse at a civilization which flourished in Central America independently of the Maya. Any intrepid traveler planning a back to nature visit to the jungles of Honduras should read this book before spending money or booking a flight. One word: Leishmaniasis (skin disease will fuck you up). Another word, hyphenated: Fer-de-Lance.  Pizen snake will also fuck you up.  It's a well done audiobook revealing the numerous obstacles to jungle archaeology, including but not limited to politics, drug cartels, deadly snakes, jaguars and diseases, monsoons, difficult topography and remote location, to name a few.  There are payoffs to the curious reader - the advent of LIDAR and the discovery of strange sculptures and totemic shit at multiple sites.  NATGEO has some articles too.

[SimonBolivar 10957]

On 11/21/2021 at 9:09 AM, tantric superman said:

20th anniversary made me finally get around to this.  Was terrific. (Audio)

I read/listen to this book about once a year. Lawrence Wright reading his own books are fantastic.

Edited December 25, 2021 by SimonBolivar

[SimonBolivar 10957]

On 12/1/2021 at 2:34 PM, MillerEP said:

Book 9 (The final one) of The Expanse just released this week. 

Damn it I stopped after 6 a year and half ago and lost my place. Worth it restart with 7 and finish?

[tantric superman 4667]

Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday

I thought this was really pretty terrific (audio).  Drives right down the middle of the road.  Arguably just a primer on some Stoic and Buddhist ideas, it really reads like a collection of essays just to help you get your shit together.  Great gift for a workaholic or anyone who is obsessed about something that is not good for them. 

[Hozz 1017]

In the Heart of the Sea.  Book on the real life incident that somewhat inspired Moby Dick.  Whaling was some brutal, hardcore shit.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2819]

Green Lights (Audio)

I guess you can get some insights from someone who is the polar opposite of you in just about 95% of you in terms of his approach to life.  Probably would have enjoyed this a bit more if it were just about the process of acting and filming and less prescription for a well lived life.  Dude is who he is.

[Elmer_Fudd 22198]

Currently reading this, about 4/5 the way through.

 

[bluto 4912]

On 1/12/2022 at 1:59 PM, Hozz said:

In the Heart of the Sea.  Book on the real life incident that somewhat inspired Moby Dick.  Whaling was some brutal, hardcore shit.

Really solid story and great job describing the intricacies of the job. I’d get stoned, turn lights off besides a couple candles and audio book it through my stereo. 

[Hozz 1017]

6 hours ago, bluto said:

Really solid story and great job describing the intricacies of the job. I’d get stoned, turn lights off besides a couple candles and audio book it through my stereo. 

Have you read any Erik Larson?  All of his stuff is pretty good but Devil in the White City and Dead Wake are particularly good IMO.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2819]

14 hours ago, Hozz said:

Have you read any Erik Larson?  All of his stuff is pretty good but Devil in the White City and Dead Wake are particularly good IMO.

I'm stoked.  The only Erik Larson I have read is Isaac's Storm, and that was fucking fantastic. 

[Hozz 1017]

10 hours ago, The Original Greaser Bob said:

I'm stoked.  The only Erik Larson I have read is Isaac's Storm, and that was fucking fantastic. 

I almost mentioned that one too, that is my third favorite of his.  His most recent is Churchill/Battle of Britain and also pretty great.

[salonghorn 204]

Scorpion by Andrew Kaplan

[bluto 4912]

On 1/16/2022 at 7:42 AM, Hozz said:

Have you read any Erik Larson?  All of his stuff is pretty good but Devil in the White City and Dead Wake are particularly good IMO.

Yep… garden of beasts, dead wake, and white city. For some reason storm never grabbed me. 

[CycleTex87 2965]

I'm about halfway through.  Honestly, it's not quite as engaging as his other books.  Maybe it picks up steam on the second half.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2819]

Norm McDonald's semi-faux biography.  The ghost writer sidetracks are pretty funny and I liked the book but boy it got dark at times.  Was great hearing Norm read the thing.  (Audio)

 

 

 

[Post Oak 20205]

On 1/18/2022 at 4:46 PM, CycleTex87 said:

I'm about halfway through.  Honestly, it's not quite as engaging as his other books.  Maybe it picks up steam on the second half.

Excited about this one.  Hopefully it picks up.  I loved Gentleman and was surprised by how much I enjoyed Rules of Civility.

 

I'm reading this one. 

 

[bluto 4912]

Really gave Lincoln’s highway a shot but it just didn’t come close to the interesting characters of G in Moscow. And the little brother is an ass whip 

[CycleTex87 2965]

On 1/24/2022 at 1:00 AM, bluto said:

Really gave Lincoln’s highway a shot but it just didn’t come close to the interesting characters of G in Moscow. And the little brother is an ass whip 

I've finished the book.  It was engaging to the end.  The ending leaves room for part 2 in my opinion.  Beautifully written and crafted novel, some poignant moments, and not as good as Gentleman in Moscow.

[Post Oak 20205]

16 minutes ago, CycleTex87 said:

I've finished the book.  It was engaging to the end.  The ending leaves room for part 2 in my opinion.  Beautifully written and crafted novel, some poignant moments, and not as good as Gentleman in Moscow.

 

On 1/24/2022 at 1:00 AM, bluto said:

Really gave Lincoln’s highway a shot but it just didn’t come close to the interesting characters of G in Moscow. And the little brother is an ass whip 

Good to know. GIM is one of my favorite books of the last 10 years.  I'll adjust my expectations on Lincoln Highway and hopefully I'll be rewarded. I did the same with Rules of Civility and it worked out 

[wild_turkey 3159]

I just finished Lincoln Highway and liked it but not as much as Gentleman in Moscow. Can’t decide if I like the ending or not. Would love to discuss it more but obviously don’t want any spoilers here.

+rep to NorthLooo for informing me that Peter Heller has a new book out. I’ve loved all of his books so far. The Guide will go in my short list.

And yes, Erik Larson is fantastic.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2819]

The Accommodation by Jim Shutze (originally published 1987).  

Very good history of Dallas race relations in the 50s and 60s.  I would have liked less editorializing and more back story on the Dallas players, but it was pretty fascinating stuff.