Whatcha reading?

[Dylan383 6]

Just finished the Other Side of Prospect by Nicholas Dawidoff. It’s about a guy in New Haven falsely convicted for murder but it’s so much more. Covers the class divide in and history of New Haven. Dawidoff worked eight years on it. He’s a great writer.

[HamsterHookah 112]

On 12/12/2022 at 4:34 PM, petscii said:

I just read The Passenger/Stella Maris.  I think it's a wonderful story.  I'm going to let it age a bit and then read them again.  I really want to re-read them again now but want some time to reflect on what I've read.

I've only read No Country For Old Men and The Road of his before.  I then took a break.  

Suttree is what I will probably ready of his next when I get back into that frame of mind.  I just worked my way through a cancer battle and the subject matter of Stella Maris/The Passenger really resonated with me.

 

Still have yet to start these, but saw a funny review of it I thought I'd share:

“Reading it is like immersive theatre: one of those elaborate warehouse productions where you stumble about from tableau to tableau, trying to piece the story together … The novel is long on atmosphere and short on sense. There are slick, movie-style conversations with a private investigator, a Vietnam vet, and a trans woman; long lunches with a garrulous criminal friend; flashbacks to Alicia’s hallucinations; the obligatory bit of survivalism (would it even be a McCarthy novel without an episode involving tinned foods and roadkill?) …

James Joyce is invoked. An oblique reminder that great literature requires hard work? But McCarthy’s difficulty is perverse. The decision to open The Passenger with an impenetrable conversation between Alicia and her hallucinations; the quantum mechanics; the pinball structure; the confusing dialogue—all this just makes the novel hard to read. Nothing meaningful is gained. It’s a shame because at times these books are more interesting than McCarthy’s key works … We think these books are unflinching. Really, they are kitsch: McCarthy’s is an art of exaggeration. A con trick is being practised … That’s how you garner comparisons to Hemingway and Faulkner—when, in fact, you’re a mediocre hybrid of both.”

–Claire Lowdon on Cormac McCarthy’s The Passenger (The Sunday Times)

[Gil Bang 25960]

so for the Longmire fans, Craig Johnson dropped his annual Christmas short story.  They are all good.

 

https://www.craigallenjohnson.com/post-its.htm

 

 

[Hefeweizen 5324]

Finished A Gentleman in Moscow, it’s one of my top five books ever right now.  Fantastic how Towles made that story work in such a small setting with great characters.  The Bishop was a great antagonist.

 

 Reading From Strength to Strength (a sort of guide to retiring) and seeing a lot of the reasons I feel like it’s time to hang it up articulate much better than I could.  It is a little hokey on some of the advice but the decline in skill and liquid intelligence is real.  I have seen it in other people and I’m noticing it in my career now, starting at 25 years in (I am over 27 years in now).

[Post Oak 20218]

6 minutes ago, Hefeweizen said:

Finished A Gentleman in Moscow, it’s one of my top five books ever right now.  Fantastic how Towles made that story work in such a small setting with great characters.  The Bishop was a great antagonist.

 

 Reading From Strength to Strength (a sort of guide to retiring) and seeing a lot of the reasons I feel like it’s time to hang it up articulate much better than I could.  It is a little hokey on some of the advice but the decline in skill and liquid intelligence is real.  I have seen it in other people and I’m noticing it in my career now, starting at 25 years in (I am over 27 years in now).

Loved Gentleman in Moscow. I also enjoyed Rules of Civility. Not as much as GIM but it was good and I would recommend. 

I was eagerly awaiting his latest release Lincoln Highway. Made it about 100 pages and put it up.

 

[Hefeweizen 5324]

1 hour ago, Post Oak said:

Loved Gentleman in Moscow. I also enjoyed Rules of Civility. Not as much as GIM but it was good and I would recommend. 

I was eagerly awaiting his latest release Lincoln Highway. Made it about 100 pages and put it up.

 

The other author he reminded me of in characterization was Mark Helprin, who wrote two books I really like - A Soldier in the Great War and Memoir from Antproof Case.  His other work isn’t nearly as good.  My opinion of course.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2835]

Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind 2014 (audio)

Sure he's talking out his ass but it's pretty entertaining and certainly has me with the best of intentions planning to follow up on some of his stories/history.  Admire him for just putting it all out there and I espeically like it when he pontificates about shit no one can prove. 

Final line:  Is there anything more dangerous than dissatisfied and irresponsible gods who don’t know what they want?

[DaysOff 7951]

I loved that book. Really strengthened my hatred for humanity and organized religion.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2835]

2 hours ago, DaysOff said:

I loved that book. Really strengthened my hatred for humanity and organized religion.

It's interesting that instead of trying to focus on how good we can be as a species or what we can accomplish, our goals really should be simply just doing less bad shit. 

Consume less, asshole.  It won't make you happier than consuming more, but at least you'll be less of an asshole.

[Dewey 3286]

On 1/14/2023 at 8:57 AM, Post Oak said:

Loved Gentleman in Moscow. I also enjoyed Rules of Civility. Not as much as GIM but it was good and I would recommend. 

I was eagerly awaiting his latest release Lincoln Highway. Made it about 100 pages and put it up.

 

GIM is also one of my favorites, loved every page of it. 

Currently finishing Where the forest meets the stars, different, but good. 

Just got Lincoln Highway, ugh

[Hefeweizen 5324]

I’m not reading Lincoln Highway based on what I’ve seen but rules of civility is in my queue.

[HamsterHookah 112]

On 1/15/2023 at 9:08 PM, The Original Greaser Bob said:

Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind 2014 (audio)

Sure he's talking out his ass but it's pretty entertaining and certainly has me with the best of intentions planning to follow up on some of his stories/history.  Admire him for just putting it all out there and I espeically like it when he pontificates about shit no one can prove. 

Final line:  Is there anything more dangerous than dissatisfied and irresponsible gods who don’t know what they want?

I read his Cancer tome, Emperor of All Maladies and dropped it about a 1/3 of the way through and didn't like it. Maybe I'll try this or GIM with these reviews

[NorthLoop 14209]

On 12/12/2022 at 4:34 PM, petscii said:

I just read The Passenger/Stella Maris.  I think it's a wonderful story.  I'm going to let it age a bit and then read them again.  I really want to re-read them again now but want some time to reflect on what I've read.

I've only read No Country For Old Men and The Road of his before.  I then took a break.  

Suttree is what I will probably ready of his next when I get back into that frame of mind.  I just worked my way through a cancer battle and the subject matter of Stella Maris/The Passenger really resonated with me.

 

I highly recommend All The Pretty Horses. If you like it then read the next two in the trilogy. 

[Post Oak 20218]

Don't let me dissuade you on Lincoln Highway. 

Interested in yalls review of Rules of Civility when you read it.

[HamsterHookah 112]

On 1/17/2023 at 12:53 PM, NorthLoop said:

I highly recommend All The Pretty Horses. If you like it then read the next two in the trilogy. 

I read and enjoyed All The Pretty Horses some years back and never continued with the trilogy. Maybe I’ll revisit.

[HamsterHookah 112]

I’m reading Rick Rubin’s “Creative” latest release right now which is equal parts genius and imbecilic about a quarter of the way in.

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886#immersive-view_1674099308689

[HamsterHookah 112]

13 hours ago, HamsterHookah said:

I’m reading Rick Rubin’s “Creative” latest release right now which is equal parts genius and imbecilic about a quarter of the way in.

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886#immersive-view_1674099308689

https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/30nkWnfRzX3NaRVAwKc0s3YPQI4JLI0w/

[The Original Greaser Bob 2835]

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.  Been trying to get around to this for about 40 years. I actually thought it was pretty good.  I thought it terrible on why God exists and there was some pretty dated nonsense, but I thought he did a good job on Christian discipline - faking it until you make it, what "it" is, understanding that you may waiting in the hall and not already admitted, and I liked his explanation as to why Christians are likely to be assholes.

 

 

[HamsterHookah 112]

2 hours ago, The Original Greaser Bob said:

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.  Been trying to get around to this for about 40 years. I actually thought it was pretty good.  I thought it terrible on why God exists and there was some pretty dated nonsense, but I thought he did a good job on Christian discipline - faking it until you make it, what "it" is, understanding that you may waiting in the hall and not already admitted, and I liked his explanation as to why Christians are likely to be assholes.

 

 

I need to re-read this, thanks for sharing.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2835]

The Streets of Laredo (1993)

I like hors as much as the next feller but I don't really like them talking or being critical parts of the story.  I thought this was a great story, but good god, McMurtry takes a long ass time to wrap things up once the main part of the story is over.  (This is my first McMutry fiction.)

I really didn't like the Maria character.

I generally like that McMurtry gives his characters who don't have any natural fighting skills about .0001% chance of survival -- it lends some realism to the thing. 

Except when it comes to hors.  They are pretty much ninjas.

[Texzilla58 4739]

I picked up Blackout by Simon Scarrow at Sam’s. I’ve never heard of him but he’s a prolific military fiction writer who generally focuses on a variety of Roman campaigns like the conquest of Britain, or Napoleonic era campaigns.

This is a WWII crime thriller set in Berlin in December 1939 during the faux war period. A murder of the wife of a ranking Nazi, and a apolitical police detective is assigned the case which entails all kinds of traps that can piss off party folks as he isn’t one.

It dives deep into the issues of everyday life in early war Nazi Germany, something you don’t see often, and how a nonparty member had to maneuver thru life each day. I’m about a third of the way in and it’s fantastic

[Texzilla58 4739]

Michael Connelly "Desert Star" comment
 
Spoiler

In response to Gil's comment above, yes, he is.  Losing Harry will be tough.  I've been right along side him since the Eleanor Wish days.  I knew this day would come, and I am dreading it.  I think Harry will make an appearance in the next Mickey Haller novel.

 

I go back to Bosch with the first book. Renee seems to be a capable character and I’m wondering if his daughter becomes a starring character as a detective. I’ve read every one of them. I wish Connelly’s love letter to LA was what I could enjoy when I visit and I don’t see it anymore.

We all know Harry is aging as a Vietnam vet. I hope he can continue in a role on cold case squad but I’d really like MC to dive into Harry’s younger days as a patrolman and younger days with Hollywood detectives.

[ScottS 1065]

The next Bosch novel is another Bosch and Haller adventure.

https://therealbookspy.com/2023/02/03/michael-connellys-next-harry-bosch-mickey-haller-novel-announced/

Quote

On November 7th, 2023, Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller are back in Resurrection Walk, the highly-anticipated new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly.

...

Defense attorney Mickey Haller is back, taking the long shot cases, where the chances of winning are one in a million. He agrees to represent a woman in prison for killing her husband, a sheriff’s deputy. Despite her conviction four years earlier, she still maintains her innocence. Haller enlists his half brother, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, as investigator. Reviewing the case, Bosch sees something that doesn’t add up, and a sheriff’s department intent on bringing a quick search for justice in the killing of one of its own.

The path to justice for both the lawyer and his investigator is fraught with danger from those who don’t want the case reopened. And they will stop at nothing to keep the Haller-Bosch dream team from uncovering what the deputy’s killing was really about.

 

[Texzilla58 4739]

Sounds like another good yarn for this crew.

[JOSEYWALES66 1802]

On 11/23/2022 at 1:09 PM, Carl Spackler said:

Veteran's Day and re-watching portions of Band of Brothers and The Pacific set me off reading this one.  So far it's okay, but I'm only about 75 pages in.  The heavy shit has yet to occur.

Just finished this one.   Had me in tears the last part of the book.  

Thanks for the rec.

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

The passenger.  Loved it

[Hefeweizen 5324]

Been reading the Slow Horses, really quality writing and the show nailed the feel of the books.  
 

Really increased my volume of reading by decreasing time spent on line to about zero outside of wordle and surly.  It is amazing how freeing putting away the phone is.  And I got rid of my personal computer so I use my company laptop only anymore.

 This could have gone in the whiny old person thread I see, but one more recommendation which I may or may not have previously made : Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahnemann, great book about the tricks our brains play on us.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

Went back and reread Without Remorse.  There are some advantages to being old.  One of Clancey’s better book I think.  What a fail the movie was.

[Carl Spackler 3483]

On 2/16/2023 at 6:04 AM, JOSEYWALES66 said:

Just finished this one.   Had me in tears the last part of the book.  

Thanks for the rec.

Yep, the sacrifices that were made and the losses that were endured were truly terrible.  Reading that book caused me to resolve to go to the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford at some point before I die.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2835]

Guns Germs and Steel (1997)

A bit of a slog after the freestylling of Sapiens.  I thought it would be a natural follow up and it did feel a good deal more researched and focused, although a lot less fun.  Four thousand years is a long time to wait for a good bowl of frijoles.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2835]

Unmasked (2022) by Paul Holes

Eh.  As a police procedural, I thought it covered too many cases and so it didn't have a lot of depth of character.  Other than the writer, who injected his married life into the story which kind of hurt it, since I thought he was kind of a jerk about marriage, family, etc. 

But ultimately, his story -- I can always find another true crime book about the ________Killer, etc.

[texasdago 7573]

Slogging through "big wonderful thing" by Stephen Harrington.  Really well done and I appreciate that he doesn't shrink from controversial subjects. And I only say slogging because it's over 800 pages

[Hefeweizen 5324]

On 2/27/2023 at 7:36 PM, texasdago said:

Slogging through "big wonderful thing" by Stephen Harrington.  Really well done and I appreciate that he doesn't shrink from controversial subjects. And I only say slogging because it's over 800 pages

Thanks for mentioning this book.  Was not in my radar at all and now boughtened and awaiting finishing the Slow Horses series which has had my attention for a few weeks.

I am 26 books into 2023 right now, which is almost double what I read last year.  Side effect of moving to a quiet town, working from home, and gaining a few hours a day not commuting…

[Hefeweizen 5324]

If you like noir in general, you owe it to yourself to read Izzo’s Total Chaos.  It’s spectacular, gritty, and his description of violence, food, and drink is remarkably good.

 

Great story and a genre I didn’t know existed- Mediterranean Noir.

[Red Five 40859]

Finished The Big Dark Sky by Dean Koontz. I do not recommend. Interesting premise but peters out about halfway through.

[Armybrat 40850]

Just finished this…

 

[CycleTex87 2970]

About 2/3 of the way through this.  Not sure yet.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2835]

On 2/27/2023 at 9:36 PM, texasdago said:

Slogging through "big wonderful thing" by Stephen Harrington.  Really well done and I appreciate that he doesn't shrink from controversial subjects. And I only say slogging because it's over 800 pages

It's a really terrible title and cover.  I mean, I don't think a cowboy has to be on the cover or Texas in the title, but you look down at the thing and there is no impetus to pick it up. I bought it for my son in law, and am going to start reading it when I go over to visit. 

[The Original Greaser Bob 2835]

Educated by Tara Westover (2018)

Okay, I admired the woman but at some point relatively early in the book I just got to the point where I couldn't tolerate her asshole family or her attempts to stick it out.  I empathize with it and I completely understand it, but it made the book a bit frustrating.   

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

6 hours ago, CycleTex87 said:

About 2/3 of the way through this.  Not sure yet.

I loved it. 

[HamsterHookah 112]

This is an interesting, and very short, treatment on a well-worn AI-cum-evil master trope from the 60's called "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream". If you fancy yourself well-read or transgressive or a technologist (like one of those guys who quotes Snow Crash when talking about Metaverse), it's worth your 20 minutes: https://wjccschools.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/01/I-Have-No-Mouth-But-I-Must-Scream-by-Harlan-Ellison.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_No_Mouth,_and_I_Must_Scream

[South Austin 52515]

Picked up this one at the airport heading out on Spring Break with my kids:

It's really a fascinating read.  The 90s are to me what the 60s were to my dad.  He graduated from high school in 1962 and college in 1966, and I graduated from high school in 1992 and college in 1996.  Both decades were our formative years transitioning from childhood to adulthood.  However, the 60s always seemed to me to have the richness and significance that the 90s never did.  I'm sure that comes with perspective, and Klosterman's book attempts to do that, as he's a couple years older than I am.

The book takes a deep dive into the 90s in subjects such as politics, music, film and TV, what it means to be a member of Generation X, and the advent of the internet.  He does a good job articulating the significance of a decade that many (like me) thought wasn't so significant.  Or maybe he's creating the significance.  I don't know.  But it's a great book, even apart from the incredible trip down nostalgia lane.  Highly recommend.

[Armybrat 40850]

Son?

[abuelo gringo 321]

Just finished this one:

Previously read this:

I enjoyed the Frank Smith one the most.  I could remember most of the news reporting of the Rabb incident at the time it happened, as I came to Austin in 1965.

I had heard of Timmy Overton, but didn't know much about him and his escapades.  Both interesting looks at Austin at the time.

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

Just finished Green Lights. Talk about a beating (and I’ve always liked McConaughey).

I’m on to this next…

Edited June 3, 2023 by ImissWallyPryor

[Mach 1 1677]

Recently finished this after listening to Dan Carlin's Supernova in the East podcast.

The details of his war are intense and heartbreaking.  Just fucking horrible stuff.  His final paragraph was kind of a shock:

"Until the millenium arrives and countries cease trying to enslave others, it will be necessary to accept one's responsibility and to be willing to make sacrifices for one's country - as my comrades did."

He looked forward and thought the future held a better world, that insane actions by evil madmen and war-like countries would end.  Wrong; I suppose it's the only way to sanely carry on with his life after what he experienced.

[jdhorn92 1552]

Just ordered this one. Will start tomorrow. 
 

 

[jdhorn92 1552]

On 3/23/2023 at 10:01 PM, The Original Greaser Bob said:

Educated by Tara Westover (2018)

Okay, I admired the woman but at some point relatively early in the book I just got to the point where I couldn't tolerate her asshole family or her attempts to stick it out.  I empathize with it and I completely understand it, but it made the book a bit frustrating.   

Agreed. Overall enjoyed it. After I finished it, I watched several of her interviews. She’s kind of hot. 

[Hefeweizen 5324]

On 4/4/2023 at 7:43 PM, jdhorn92 said:

Just ordered this one. Will start tomorrow. 
 

 

One depressing book.  Worth reading for insight into the modern Russian soldier.  Horrible stuff.

[Chad Fuck 17684]

Recently finished this after listening to Dan Carlin's Supernova in the East podcast.

The details of his war are intense and heartbreaking.  Just fucking horrible stuff.  His final paragraph was kind of a shock:
"Until the millenium arrives and countries cease trying to enslave others, it will be necessary to accept one's responsibility and to be willing to make sacrifices for one's country - as my comrades did."
He looked forward and thought the future held a better world, that insane actions by evil madmen and war-like countries would end.  Wrong; I suppose it's the only way to sanely carry on with his life after what he experienced.

Hands down the best personal narrative of the war.