What book are you reading right now?

[Beaver]

Pretty fucking weak; as a book and as porn.

I've got to agree. I made it through but don't plan on reading the others.

On the positive side, my wife is now reading it and horny.

[Scotsman50]

Whoah - 5 years later and I'm reading Book 8 - Toll the Hounds. Yes I read several dozen other books in between...

I read all 10 books in succession...it took me nearly 6 months. I went through a grieving process when they were all finished. Great series.

[TBS]

Recently finished On Killing by Lt Col Dave Grossman. Author is a West Point psychology professor. Describes what it takes to make humans kill each other, and how modern media is affecting the behavior. A maggot (AKPogue IIRC) recommended this to me in the wake of the Aurora shootings. Very enlightening although somewhat of a slog.

Currently working my way through The Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell - a series of novels based around late 9th century Britain and the Norse invasions. Am staying up way too late many nights reading these.

If anybody is interested in American History, I highly recommend


It describes the early 19th century beaver trapping expeditions and their contribution to settling the American west. Amazing stories.

[adam]

Just finished rereading
Underworld-DeLillo

Reading
Labryinths-Borges
Freedom-Franzen

[::: :::]

Where'd you go Bernadette?
Maria Semple

fun read, witty, contemporary to our device-addled lives (i have not seen the movie)


Pimp: The Story of My Life
Iceberg Slim

character study & interesting slice of life that you don't see in history books (i have not seen the movie)


Stronghold: One Man's Quest to Save the World's Salmon
Tucker Malarkey

reads well for a conservation biography (pacing/engagement not dry), very interesting for salmon fishermen & specifically Oregonians

[glademaster]

Stronghold: One Man's Quest to Save the World's Salmon
Tucker Malarkey

If Tucker has any aspirations of making a career out of writing non-fiction, it sure seems like he should change his name.

[Woodsy]

[schindlerpiste]

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay ...again
next:
The Great Believers
The Overstory (Pulitzer prize in fiction 2019)

[Buke]

Lately, I've had a lot of time to listen to audiobooks so I'm finally doing the "reading" that I never had time for.

- How Not to be Wrong by Jordan Ellenberg, I loved it although a friend pointed out that he couldn't pin down a thesis. He's right. It's just interesting quirks of math and how understanding them can help us make better decisions. I guess that's the thesis but the breadth of topics is a little jumbled.

- The Future of Capitalism by Paul Collier was a really insightful read about the current issues in politics and economics. I like that he's very much a pragmatist and he doesn't have much love for idealogues on either the right or the left of the political spectrum.

- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, pure fun entertainment.

- Our Oriental Heritage, The Story of Civilization, Volume 1, by Will Durant. First published in 1935, this book is just as relevant today as ever and is full of quotable sections such as: “There is hardly an absurdity of the past that cannot be found flourishing somewhere in the present. Underneath all civilization, ancient or modern, moved and still moves a sea of magic, superstition and sorcery. Perhaps they will remain when the works of our reason have passed away.”

[The Reverend Floater]

I'm a bit of an insomniac so I read a lot but probably couldn't name ten books I've read in the last year, even though I've probably read over 75.

Some memorable ones:

All the Pretty Horses by McCarthy. Forget Matt Damon or whatever. This is a beautiful book about untamed northern Mexico around world war one. If you liked it, continue on and finish McCarthys Border Trilogy. And for those of you who read Blood Meridian or The Road, it's all of the good style of Cormac's writing without the gore or baby brisket.

Dog Star...read it before, enjoyed it again. Dystopian survival story with a very personal aire about it.

Fight Club...if you haven't read it, do it. The movie didn't even come close.

Speaking of movies that didn't compare to the book, Black Hawk Down. You'll learn a lot.

Empire of the Summer Moon:. Simply a must read. Should be required reading for all Americans.

Astro Physics for People in a Hurry by DeGrasse Tyson. A fantastic read for nerds or folks who like to be reminded that we are immeasurably insignificant.

Where the Crawdads Sing: I really enjoyed this one.

And I read Shogun about once every two years. Still one of the best books of all time.

[Buster Highmen]

All the Pretty Horses is like Me and My Uncle gone way blood bad. Made a dent.

[idahospud]

I don't spend nearly enough time each day reading.

Lonesome Dove - should've read this years ago. Pretty sure Gus is someone I've met many times before and enjoyed his company every single time.

Coming Into the Country - I keep finding myself wondering if bush Alaska has changed all that much since this was written.

Colonel Roosevelt - the third book in a series about TR's life and while it's fascinating, it's dense as hell.

[The Reverend Floater]

All the Pretty Horses is like Me and My Uncle gone way blood bad. Made a dent.

That is a brilliant comparison.

[The AD]

I've been reading "A Brief History of Seven Killings" by Marlon James. I must say it's a bit of a slog and I can't really recommend it yet. That said, I haven't wanted to give up in it--it's just not a page turner.

[Meathelmet]

After couple of months of reading papers and whatnot, finally enough time for some quality time on my own.

The Order of Things - Foucault
Being and Time - Heidegger
Mossad - Bar-Zohar & Mischal
The Total Library - Borges

[Meadow Skipper]

M Train, by Patti Smith. Beautifully written. Just Kids was great.

[garyfromterrace]

The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay. Good yarn, first I've read of him but the wife suggested I try him out.
Like! Historical fiction a'la viking norse saga.

[~mikey b]

Beneath A Scarlet Sky

[PassTheDutchie]

Trying to finish "Infinite Jest." 300 pages in... Enjoying it, but a slog at the same time.

[ex-powderbroker]

Post Office by Bukowski, finished it in a weekend. It's easy cruising and the dude is funny as hell.

Don't know why I resisted it for so long.

[::: :::]

After couple of months of reading papers and whatnot, finally enough time for some quality time on my own.

The Order of Things - Foucault
Being and Time - Heidegger
Mossad - Bar-Zohar & Mischal
The Total Library - Borges

This is your free time reading...?!

That’s the sort of stuff it takes me an hour to read a page...

[::: :::]

If Tucker has any aspirations of making a career out of writing non-fiction, it sure seems like he should change his name.

I’m sure she’ll get right on that...

[SkiCougar]

Divine Justice by balducci.

he has written over 40 books, I've read at least 30.

[wooley12]

Berlin Diary by William Shirer - Good stuff. 1941 Best Seller. Spooky. "First-hand account of the rise of Nazi Germany and its road to war, as witnessed by the American journalist William L. Shirer.[ Shirer, a radio reporter for CBS, covered Germany for several years until the Nazi press censors made it impossible for him to report objectively to his listeners in the United States"...........wikipedia

[dan_pdx]

Pimp: The Story of My Life
Iceberg Slim

I picked that up from a hostel "leave your old books here" shelf and found it way more interesting than I expected.

Just finished Chaos Monkeys by Antonio Garcia Martinez. It is an amusing/depressing look at Silicon Valley by someone who understands what a load of BS the whole thing is while actively participating in it.

Gotta give a plug for "The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance too" - highly recommended if you have any interest in history.