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geekhack Community => Other Geeky Stuff => Topic started by: funderburker on Tue, 29 March 2016, 15:31:06

Title: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Tue, 29 March 2016, 15:31:06
Searched for a thread about books and reading but didn't find anything. Thought I'd make it then.

So the idea is simple - tell about what you're reading.

Let's start off with a few guidelines:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading right now:

About to start reading:

Habits:
     Can't read in a moving vehicle. Got a Kindle as a Christmas gift and started reading again more actively after a year off from books. Now I'm in search of finding the best reads out there. Now I'm trying to read every night before bed but usually reading 2-4 nights a week.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: jdcarpe on Tue, 29 March 2016, 15:45:07
There is a book thread somewhere, but it's old, and this is a good place to start a new one.

Currently reading: Station Breaker, by Andrew Mayne.

Next up:
- Citadel 32, by Tom Merritt
- The Life Engineered, by JF Dubeau
- CTRL ALT Revolt!, by Nick Cole
- The Big Fear, by Andrew Case

Habits: I do all my reading either on a Kindle, or by audiobook. The Kindle app on my Fire also does text-to-speech, when no audiobook version is available. I do lots of driving, so the ability to "read" while driving is a great thing.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: demik on Tue, 29 March 2016, 15:51:09
Gonna pick up the hell's super series.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: chyros on Tue, 29 March 2016, 16:02:36
The Necronomicon by H. P. Lovecraft. I tend to read mostly classics and/or horror, or in this case, a horror classic. I've read it before but it's fun enough to read again, and they're all short stories anyway.

My "going-to-read" list is mostly horrible chemistry bibles I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy xD .
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Tue, 29 March 2016, 18:00:41
Recently finished: "Words Without Music" by Philip Glass - wonderful! - http://www.amazon.com/Words-without-Music-A-Memoir/dp/1481529153

Read halfway and had to return to the library, will finish later: "Destiny & Power" Jon Meacham - excellent - http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Power-American-Odyssey-Herbert/dp/1400067650

Just finished: "Diamond Dogs/Turquoise Days" by Alastair Reynolds

Currently reading: "The Year's Best Science Fiction" edited by Gardner Dozois

Up next, maybe?: "Steve Jobs"
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: OfTheWild on Tue, 29 March 2016, 18:05:40
Currently reading:
A Thousand Acres - Smiley, Jane
Out of Sorts - Valognes, Aurélie
Caliban's War (Expanse, #2) - Corey, James S.A.
Mistborn: The Final Empire - Sanderson, Brandon
The Scourge of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood, #3) - Wheeler, Jeff

I usually read about 5 books at a time. I tend to keep it to about 30-45 min per book just like you might watch TV shows. If something grabs my attention i might burn through it though like I did recently with the first book of The Expanse series.

I love my kindle. Partially because i can haul around my whole library in my pocket but honestly its mostly because i can read in bed while the wife's asleep and not disturb her. I also really love that "X minutes left in chapter" which keeps me reading. I have definitely started buying up used hardbacks on amazon though. Theres just something great about manually flipping paper pages.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: ketsumi on Tue, 29 March 2016, 18:19:32
Just started again, "The Raven Boys" by Maggie Stiefvater. The fourth and final book is coming out later this spring so I'm re-reading the earlier ones. This will be my fourth time through this one and then on to "The Dream Thieves" and "Blue Lily, Lily Blue". They are amazing! YA fantasy, if you're in to that sort of thing. They are incredible works of story telling and full of snark. Definitely recommend them and anything she has written.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: sek1ne on Tue, 29 March 2016, 21:24:54
Just finished the expanse series after watching the show. I'm not sure what to read next.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: thatsmrdoctortoyou on Tue, 29 March 2016, 21:26:34
Just finished The Girl in the Spider's Web. Pretty good read although the ending left something to be desired.

If you haven't read the Lisbeth Salander series I recommend it!
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Tue, 29 March 2016, 21:29:19
Reading volume 24 of The Walking Dead and one of the SoIaF books; I forget their titles.

Was reading new translation of Don Quixote but studies got in the way and haven't had a chance to get back to it. I have my master's in English literature, and yet I don't really read much these days. It makes me sad. ;_;
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: paicrai on Wed, 30 March 2016, 06:29:48
i bought 1984 last summer on holiday cuz they ****ing had it in english
its aight
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Signature on Wed, 30 March 2016, 06:30:35
i bought 1984 last summer on holiday cuz they ****ing had it in english
its aight
I take it as you haven't read the end  :))
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: paicrai on Wed, 30 March 2016, 06:32:55
i bought 1984 last summer on holiday cuz they ****ing had it in english
its aight
I take it as you haven't read the end  :))
course i havent
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Wed, 30 March 2016, 06:37:39
i bought 1984 last summer on holiday cuz they ****ing had it in english
its aight
I take it as you haven't read the end  :))
course i havent

:D

Haven't read that one but probably won't for some time either. Was in my high school "to read" list and I just read the cliff notes. :D
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Wed, 30 March 2016, 07:22:41
i bought 1984 last summer on holiday cuz they ****ing had it in english
its aight
I take it as you haven't read the end  :))

The ending was the only good part.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: xtrafrood on Wed, 30 March 2016, 08:41:46
Currently - 2001: A Space Odyssey

About to start sometime this year - The Expanse series, Captain Victory and The Galactic Rangers, American Gods, Breaking The Chains Of Gravity, Nein., Starship Troopers, Old Man's War, and Gospel Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Habits - I prefer to read ebooks. Less books on the shelf = less stuff I have to pack in boxes in the future. I like paper better but I found out that I can just as easily read the lines on my phone as I can read the lines on paper. If I ever settle down I will probably have shelves on shelves on shelves  :))

 
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Wed, 30 March 2016, 08:51:25
The Real World Ocaml.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: ketsumi on Wed, 30 March 2016, 08:53:33
Habits - I prefer to read ebooks. Less books on the shelf = less stuff I have to pack in boxes in the future. I like paper better but I found out that I can just as easily read the lines on my phone as I can read the lines on paper. If I ever settle down I will probably have shelves on shelves on shelves  :))

I'd prefer if I could read ebooks for exactly that reason, but I have given up, mostly because I already have a mini library and two, it just isn't the same having an author sign your e-reader as when they vandalize a nice chunk of a tree...
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: xtrafrood on Wed, 30 March 2016, 09:23:33
Habits - I prefer to read ebooks. Less books on the shelf = less stuff I have to pack in boxes in the future. I like paper better but I found out that I can just as easily read the lines on my phone as I can read the lines on paper. If I ever settle down I will probably have shelves on shelves on shelves  :))

I'd prefer if I could read ebooks for exactly that reason, but I have given up, mostly because I already have a mini library and two, it just isn't the same having an author sign your e-reader as when they vandalize a nice chunk of a tree...
Fair enough. Displaying an ereader or cell phone on a shelf doesn't carry as much weight as displaying a hardcover on a shelf.  :-[
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iLLucionist on Wed, 30 March 2016, 09:33:43
Too much to post what's on my reading list, but currently reading The Corporation by Joel Bakan.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Wed, 30 March 2016, 09:38:43
Habits - I prefer to read ebooks. Less books on the shelf = less stuff I have to pack in boxes in the future. I like paper better but I found out that I can just as easily read the lines on my phone as I can read the lines on paper. If I ever settle down I will probably have shelves on shelves on shelves  :))

I'd prefer if I could read ebooks for exactly that reason, but I have given up, mostly because I already have a mini library and two, it just isn't the same having an author sign your e-reader as when they vandalize a nice chunk of a tree...
Fair enough. Displaying an ereader or cell phone on a shelf doesn't carry as much weight as displaying a hardcover on a shelf.  :-[
You need to carry so much weight during house move though :-[
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iLLucionist on Wed, 30 March 2016, 09:45:44
Habits - I prefer to read ebooks. Less books on the shelf = less stuff I have to pack in boxes in the future. I like paper better but I found out that I can just as easily read the lines on my phone as I can read the lines on paper. If I ever settle down I will probably have shelves on shelves on shelves  :))

I'd prefer if I could read ebooks for exactly that reason, but I have given up, mostly because I already have a mini library and two, it just isn't the same having an author sign your e-reader as when they vandalize a nice chunk of a tree...
Fair enough. Displaying an ereader or cell phone on a shelf doesn't carry as much weight as displaying a hardcover on a shelf.  :-[

I tried going digital with books but it just doesn't work. I love the smell of paper. I like how a book doesn't need batteries and doesn't shine bright in the evening. And I like to *own* my books. If you buy books officially on Kindle or iBooks you legally own them, but never physically.

Perhaps I'm old fashioned already, but I like paper more.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: CPTBadAss on Wed, 30 March 2016, 10:07:50
I just finished the 33 1/3 book covering the Super Mario Bros music. And I've been reading the New Morality Zine #3 and the few Zine of Strengths that have came out. I gotta finish up my HyperPlay zine too.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: ketsumi on Wed, 30 March 2016, 15:06:55
Habits - I prefer to read ebooks. Less books on the shelf = less stuff I have to pack in boxes in the future. I like paper better but I found out that I can just as easily read the lines on my phone as I can read the lines on paper. If I ever settle down I will probably have shelves on shelves on shelves  :))

I'd prefer if I could read ebooks for exactly that reason, but I have given up, mostly because I already have a mini library and two, it just isn't the same having an author sign your e-reader as when they vandalize a nice chunk of a tree...
Fair enough. Displaying an ereader or cell phone on a shelf doesn't carry as much weight as displaying a hardcover on a shelf.  :-[
You need to carry so much weight during house move though :-[

Yea, it is, but I've resigned myself to the fact that, by weight, some 60-70% of my stuff is books or cooking related. (Cast iron will kill ya)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Signature on Wed, 30 March 2016, 15:22:53
Crime and Punishment was a interesting piece
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: vivalarevolución on Wed, 30 March 2016, 20:07:01
Right now, I am reading book called "Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself" by Kristen Neff.  My brother sent it to me so I feel obligated to read it.  I know people may groan with any mention of self help (I certainly did at one point until realizing that was my arrogance speaking), but it is actually somewhat enriching and informative.  Although the cheesiness occasionally surfaces in any "self help" books, but I take the good with the bad.

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 30 March 2016, 20:08:07
Right now, I am reading book called "Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself" by Kristen Neff.  My brother sent it to me so I feel obligated to read it.  I know people may groan with any mention of self help (I certainly did at one point until realizing that was my arrogance speaking), but it is actually somewhat enriching and informative.  Although the cheesiness occasionally surfaces in any "self help" books, but I take the good with the bad.



(http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/sweetdrop-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862522)


Tp4 sending you digital hugs... feel better..
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 30 March 2016, 20:11:04
In my opinion..  If you've watched The Next Generation..  You can skip the majority of written fiction.. there's nothing new to be had..  TNG didn't do it first,  but it did it well, and more than adequately represented all the possible story arcs..
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: vivalarevolución on Thu, 31 March 2016, 10:28:56
In my opinion..  If you've watched The Next Generation..  You can skip the majority of written fiction.. there's nothing new to be had..  TNG didn't do it first,  but it did it well, and more than adequately represented all the possible story arcs..

The entirety of written English fiction summarized right here.  Amazing stuff here.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Wannabe on Thu, 31 March 2016, 10:34:37
Just started Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. His stuff always has a way of sucking me in.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Photekq on Thu, 31 March 2016, 11:06:12
I've been slowly but surely reading The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler. I'm having to do a lot of extra reading, as I have little knowledge of much of the history that he discusses, however I'm determined to finish it as the ideas presented so far resonate with me very much.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: vivalarevolución on Thu, 31 March 2016, 16:42:10
Just a suggestion, I think this thread is a better fit in Other Geeky STuff subforum.  It's a good thread, but I think it might get lost in the off topic.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Fri, 01 April 2016, 02:55:24
Just a suggestion, I think this thread is a better fit in Other Geeky STuff subforum.  It's a good thread, but I think it might get lost in the off topic.

Can I move it there or does some mod have to do it? I just didn't know where to make this so off-topic it was.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: vivalarevolución on Fri, 01 April 2016, 16:06:12
Just a suggestion, I think this thread is a better fit in Other Geeky STuff subforum.  It's a good thread, but I think it might get lost in the off topic.

Can I move it there or does some mod have to do it? I just didn't know where to make this so off-topic it was.

Yea, a mod would have to do it.  You could ask one to do it for you.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Wed, 06 April 2016, 16:21:56
Just a suggestion, I think this thread is a better fit in Other Geeky STuff subforum.  It's a good thread, but I think it might get lost in the off topic.

Can I move it there or does some mod have to do it? I just didn't know where to make this so off-topic it was.

Yea, a mod would have to do it.  You could ask one to do it for you.
Oh darn, I forgot! Will do it in the morning though, need to go to bed now.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: katushkin on Wed, 06 April 2016, 16:48:44
I haven't really read anything since I last went on holiday...

I need to go on holiday again...
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: OfTheWild on Wed, 06 April 2016, 21:10:21
Just started Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. His stuff always has a way of sucking me in.

I just grabbed a used copy of Cryptonomicon on amazon for like $3... didnt realize it was a 1200 page book  :eek:  You suggest dedicating that much time to it though?
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: jdcarpe on Wed, 06 April 2016, 22:08:03
Just started Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. His stuff always has a way of sucking me in.

I just grabbed a used copy of Cryptonomicon on amazon for like $3... didnt realize it was a 1200 page book  :eek:  You suggest dedicating that much time to it though?
I got through Reamde in audio format just fine, but I only made it about a third of the way through Cryptonomicon. I just couldn't get into it, and Stephenson jumps around so much, with so many different characters, that I didn't have the attention to finish it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iLLucionist on Thu, 07 April 2016, 07:23:48
Anybody in good legal / psychologica thrillers like patricia cornwell and john grisham?
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Wannabe on Thu, 07 April 2016, 09:12:28
Just started Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. His stuff always has a way of sucking me in.

I just grabbed a used copy of Cryptonomicon on amazon for like $3... didnt realize it was a 1200 page book  :eek:  You suggest dedicating that much time to it though?

I'm personally a huge fan of Stephenson, but he's definitely not for everybody. His books always jump around between a few different characters with intersecting storylines. He'll go off on technical tangents and go into extreme detail about scientific principles. For example in Seveneves he spends a bunch of pages just describing orbital mechanics, which greatly helps you understand the book better and get a good picture in your head of what's going on, but it can definitely feel like its dragging a bit. But I still love his mix of action and speculative fiction. Cryptonomicon isn't my personal favorite of his but its still a great book and I learned an incredible amount about actual cryptography. Snow Crash is my favorite book by him, though I'm almost done with Seveneves and it might be my new favorite.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: xtrafrood on Thu, 07 April 2016, 09:29:48
Just started Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. His stuff always has a way of sucking me in.

I just grabbed a used copy of Cryptonomicon on amazon for like $3... didnt realize it was a 1200 page book  :eek:  You suggest dedicating that much time to it though?

I'm personally a huge fan of Stephenson, but he's definitely not for everybody. His books always jump around between a few different characters with intersecting storylines. He'll go off on technical tangents and go into extreme detail about scientific principles. For example in Seveneves he spends a bunch of pages just describing orbital mechanics, which greatly helps you understand the book better and get a good picture in your head of what's going on, but it can definitely feel like its dragging a bit. But I still love his mix of action and speculative fiction. Cryptonomicon isn't my personal favorite of his but its still a great book and I learned an incredible amount about actual cryptography. Snow Crash is my favorite book by him, though I'm almost done with Seveneves and it might be my new favorite.

I really liked Airframe by Michael Crichton. Neal Stephenson sounds like my kind of author
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: sek1ne on Thu, 07 April 2016, 12:10:44
Just started Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. His stuff always has a way of sucking me in.

I just grabbed a used copy of Cryptonomicon on amazon for like $3... didnt realize it was a 1200 page book  :eek:  You suggest dedicating that much time to it though?

I'm personally a huge fan of Stephenson, but he's definitely not for everybody. His books always jump around between a few different characters with intersecting storylines. He'll go off on technical tangents and go into extreme detail about scientific principles. For example in Seveneves he spends a bunch of pages just describing orbital mechanics, which greatly helps you understand the book better and get a good picture in your head of what's going on, but it can definitely feel like its dragging a bit. But I still love his mix of action and speculative fiction. Cryptonomicon isn't my personal favorite of his but its still a great book and I learned an incredible amount about actual cryptography. Snow Crash is my favorite book by him, though I'm almost done with Seveneves and it might be my new favorite.

I really liked Airframe by Michael Crichton. Neal Stephenson sounds like my kind of author

I'd give Snow Crash a shot then. It is a bt ridiculous and a lot of fun.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: OfTheWild on Thu, 07 April 2016, 15:56:19
Just finished the expanse series after watching the show. I'm not sure what to read next.

Did you do all 9 books or just the trilogy? I'm only just starting book 2 but i'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on doing them in chronological vs. release order.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: KRKS on Thu, 07 April 2016, 16:02:20
Being a weeb, I obviously read mostly Japanese fantasy/supernatural novels, but I sometimes dabble in local stuff(The Witcher, Wędrowycz series, Vampire from M-3, etc.) and some popular things like LoTR.

Habits:(these also apply to mangas/comics, but this is a book thread so I omit them)
I often read in my bed, and try to read the whole volume in one go or at least with as few breaks as possible. I usually use digital only if I can't get something in paper(including libraries/borrowing from friends).

author - title (tags) (completion if applies)

Just read:
Eiji Mikage - The Empty Box and the Zeroth Maria(Action Drama Mystery Psychological Romance Supernatural) (vol.1 out of 7)
A friend of mine misrecommended it to me, and I got kinda bummed for not getting what I've been promised(he said it's an urban fantasy, so I was thinking more in the direction of Toothbrushgatari(w) or Vampire from M-3), but I still like it. However after some time a few things became a bit obvious. Also the first volume kinda works standalone, and many people say it changes with time, so I wonder what they'll bring to the table.

Yuyuko Takemiya - Toradora(Comedy Drama Romance) (completed)
Do yourself a favor and watch the anime adaptation instead. JC Staff didn't change much(except the last volume which was released as it aired, so they changed a fair bit there), but all of the changes are for the better.

Plan to read:
Andrzej Pilipiuk - Deer's Eye series(Action Comedy Historical Supernatural)
I liked every Pilipiuk's book I read so far, and since I've been told I may not enjoy The Cousins I decided to try these next. But then again the same person misrecommended me Maria, so maybe I should try them instead?

Jin - Kagerou Daze(Comedy Drama Mystery Romance Supernatural)
It's based on a series of songs by the same autor, and I think the songs themselves range from meh to abysmally bad. However, since books don't include music, I decided to give them a try. It's not like I haven't dropped a series before(/me looks at where Mirai Nikki manga used to be on the shelves).

Ryougo Narita - Durarara!(Action Comedy Mystery Supernatural)
Kotori delivers hard with their licenses(the only time they didn't is SAO but it pays for better stuff so I don't mind). I'm very hyped to read this, even though I'm aware it's a bit chaotic at the start. And they're rumored to have an even better license coming, but I'm gonna knock on wood for now. But then again, it's not gonna be hard to beat the worst piece of trash from the "rip-off trying to cover plot holes with fanservice" bin Waneko recently announced(No Game No Life for those wondering). And no, I don't dislike fanservice, but if it's the only thing in a book/manga/anime/whatever that doesn't suck then I'm not even gonna touch it. And NGNL fails there too because I'm not into lolis.

That was a long post.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Thu, 07 April 2016, 16:19:11
i bought 1984 last summer on holiday cuz they ****ing had it in english
its aight
I take it as you haven't read the end  :))
:thumb: :)) :)) :))
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Leslieann on Thu, 07 April 2016, 18:05:44
Just finished The Martian, then had to watch the movie again, they glossed over some really cool stuff.

Adam Savage interviewed the author on Tested, and it was interesting how the book came about and the research involved. If you think the film is far fetched, that was Hollywood taking liberties, the book is actually more realistic, in fact quite a many scientists assisted in correcting it as it was written.

Also a really good interview if you are interested in writing or self publishing.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: sek1ne on Thu, 07 April 2016, 18:15:44
Just finished the expanse series after watching the show. I'm not sure what to read next.

Did you do all 9 books or just the trilogy? I'm only just starting book 2 but i'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on doing them in chronological vs. release order.

Just the trilogy, I think. I just read them in release order.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: PadawanGeek on Fri, 08 April 2016, 02:24:42
The last 'heavy' reading I'd had as of late was One Punch Man manga.....volumes 1 -4. :p ;D But seriously, the last series of books that I was really into was the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley, awesome stuff, wonder why nobody'd made a movie series on them.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: appleonama on Fri, 08 April 2016, 02:56:08
this thread
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: GreyAmbience on Fri, 08 April 2016, 06:30:39
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. For the 3rd time.

 Makes me calm and happy. It's a interesting story about a father and sons road trip, with a a lot of philosophy and reality contemplating
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Signature on Fri, 08 April 2016, 06:52:17
So reading is geeky after all Hoffman?  :'(
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: NewbieOneKenobi on Fri, 08 April 2016, 10:20:06
The Wealthy Freelancer:

http://thewealthyfreelancer.com/

And Peyton Young's something about equitable distribution, but can't get the English title (I only have a translated version) without waking my cat. (The book's under my pillow.)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Fri, 08 April 2016, 10:58:50
The Wealthy Freelancer:

http://thewealthyfreelancer.com/

And Peyton Young's something about equitable distribution, but can't get the English title (I only have a translated version) without waking my cat. (The book's under my pillow.)
[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Floody on Mon, 27 June 2016, 19:08:06
Started reading Before We Get Started by Bret Lott. Starts off kinda slow but once you get past the first chapter it's hard to put it down. Sometimes it feels like a motivational book but it provides an insight on writing throughout the whole text.
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160627/b8736ef9ec63ead0e07ef47bcf04c7ca.jpg)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: tacnificent on Sun, 03 July 2016, 14:36:13
Reading: About Face (https://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Odyssey-American-Warrior/dp/0671695347/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467574251&sr=1-1&keywords=about+face) by Col. David Hackworth

Just read: Extreme Ownership (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250067057/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250067057&linkCode=as2&tag=jockpodc-20&linkId=JLIWL6YB57FZPTS2) by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: CPTBadAss on Sun, 03 July 2016, 16:36:13
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160703/8212b88a605096800542f883f3d868c4.jpg)

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160703/83db012860e7f68d525448bba31cd746.jpg)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 03 July 2016, 17:06:25
I just finished HHhH by Laurent Binet and spent my Apple e-book lawsuit payout on a dead tree copy of The Winter Fortress by Neal Bascomb. So, kind of a non-fiction WWII commando story theme going on here atm.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: SBJ on Mon, 04 July 2016, 03:09:43
Currently got some Star Wars books to read, I don't remember what series it is, but it was recommended to me.
Then I've got some Star Wars comics from Dark Horse Comics that I need to get through as well.

I kinda love Star Wars.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Mon, 04 July 2016, 03:43:28
Just finished "Annihilation" by Jeff Vandermeer. That's **** dope but I read it only in the daytime because I got scared easily and couldn't sleep. Probably will continue with the second book from trilogy.

Read a bunch of self-learning books, mainly procrastination-related. I'm having problems getting stuff done because I ALWAYS find an excuse. I hate that & it's starting to make my life quite ****ty due to making future plans with my GF and me not following through.

Been focusing more on programming books because of starting to get into freelancing. Want to buy "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby" by Sandy Metz and waiting on my colleague to give me "The RSpec Book" so I can learn a bit more about testing.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Floody on Sat, 16 July 2016, 11:33:56
Started re-reading Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Think this will be the second time I re-read it this year, although the first time was for a class assignment
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 16 July 2016, 11:37:59

Just finished "Annihilation" by Jeff Vandermeer. That's **** dope but I read it only in the daytime because I got scared easily and couldn't sleep. Probably will continue with the second book from trilogy.

Great books! My old college roommate gave me a 3-in-1 edition and it took a while to plow through. The ending was peculiar and unsatisfying, but then so was everything else .....

I am partway through this behemoth right now. If you read the whole wikipedia entry you might be able to skip the book:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Better_Angels_of_Our_Nature
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: spiritanimals on Tue, 26 July 2016, 10:22:31
Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan. Such a humbling read.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Tue, 26 July 2016, 10:39:41
Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan. Such a humbling read.

Been meaning to read that.
Meanwhile I'm still slugging through SoIaF, which I started four years ago...
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: dgneo on Tue, 26 July 2016, 10:42:24
Finally getting around to Neuromancer by William Gibson.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Purp on Tue, 26 July 2016, 10:50:49
Finally getting around to Neuromancer by William Gibson.

Gibson definitely had a vision, this narrative is a fantastic read to say the least. I never read the complete book, but it's something that I'm definitely going to do in the near future, I love the theme so Neuromancer is a must.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: spiritanimals on Tue, 26 July 2016, 10:54:06
Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan. Such a humbling read.

Been meaning to read that.
Meanwhile I'm still slugging through SoIaF, which I started four years ago...

What book are you on? It took me a while to finish the series as well. It can be overwhelming at times. It gets easier after subsequent read-throughs. :P If you ever feel burnt out, I'd suggest switching back and forth between audio book and book or even checking out GRRM's novella series: The Tales of Dunk and Egg, set in the same universe just a few generations before the events in ASoIaF.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: CPTBadAss on Tue, 26 July 2016, 10:54:12
Just finished Slice Harvester: A Memoir in Pizza by Colin Hagendorf. Halfway through Highsnobiety #12.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: pmck on Mon, 22 August 2016, 06:06:05
Recently finished: "Words Without Music" by Philip Glass - wonderful! - http://www.amazon.com/Words-without-Music-A-Memoir/dp/1481529153

Read halfway and had to return to the library, will finish later: "Destiny & Power" Jon Meacham - excellent - http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Power-American-Odyssey-Herbert/dp/1400067650

Just finished: "Diamond Dogs/Turquoise Days" by Alastair Reynolds

Currently reading: "The Year's Best Science Fiction" edited by Gardner Dozois

Up next, maybe?: "Steve Jobs"



Hows Diamond Dogs/Turquoise Days?

Im reading the dark tower series at the moment, on wizard and glass at the moment. Just finished the Martian.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 22 August 2016, 07:25:03

Hows Diamond Dogs/Turquoise Days?

Good but very different, set in Revelation Space universe.

Diamond Dogs is ultra-creepy with considerable death and obsession and body-mutilation ("enhancement").
Frankly, although Reynolds is a master in that macabre realm, it sometimes gets to be too much for me.

Turquoise Days deals with the Pattern Jugglers, who fascinate me and I wish that he would delve into their realm more.

PS - I am currently reading the gigantic tome "The Better Angels of Our Nature" by Steven Pinker and it is awesome and uplifting - a rare optimistic look at the future.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: pmck on Mon, 22 August 2016, 08:30:40
Sounds almost like dead space. I might pick it up its fairly cheap on amazon.

The better angles sounds nice, I just re read 1984 before i started on the dark tower, wouldn't hurt to have a nice uplifting read.

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 22 August 2016, 08:41:35

The better angles sounds nice,

In a later review for The Guardian, written when the book was shortlisted for the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, Tim Radford wrote, "in its confidence and sweep, the vast timescale, its humane standpoint and its confident world-view, it is something more than a science book: it is an epic history by an optimist who can list his reasons to be cheerful and support them with persuasive instances.... I don't know if he's right, but I do think this book is a winner."

Bill Gates wrote that "Steven Pinker shows us ways we can make those positive trajectories a little more likely. That's a contribution, not just to historical scholarship, but to the world." He considers it one of the most important books he's ever read. On the BBC program Desert Island Discs, he also selected this as the book he would take with him to a deserted island.

Clive Cookson, reviewing it in the Financial Times, called it "a marvelous synthesis of science, history and storytelling, demonstrating how fortunate the vast majority of us are today to experience serious violence only through the mass media."
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: noisyturtle on Mon, 22 August 2016, 18:56:43
Confessions of an Economic Hitman. Really interesting stuff about how the US keeps poor countries in debt by offering them a way out of Third World Living. How the government controls invisible money and puppets other countries politics via resources and debt. It is not some tin-foil-hat conspiracy **** either, this is written by a guy who lays awake in bed at night trying to come to terms with what he has done to make his mass fortune. Good read, great eye-opener. Not that educated people don't already have a jist of this kind of thing, but this book gives you exacting and dirty details.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-1yK2skJL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)

Also don't forget to pick up The Man Who Knew Infinity and check out the film coming out on Bluray and Netflix on Aug. 23.
It's a true story about a brilliant Indian mathematician who started from an impoverished background in India and was plucked out of obscurity to change the world.
(http://www.robertkanigel.com/images/9781476763491_mti_cover-210.jpg)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Capnmycraw on Tue, 23 August 2016, 11:11:39
Cryptonomicon
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Wed, 24 August 2016, 23:24:05
People suing each other.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: OfTheWild on Sun, 28 August 2016, 00:22:51
Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan. Such a humbling read.

One of my favorites.  :thumb:

I'm fighting through "Ancillary Justice" the first book in a series. I find it a little far fetched for me to follow so i'm pretty sure book 1 is where I abandon ship on this. I did the same with "Her majesty's dragon" the first book in a series that I had high hopes for - Napoleon era war ships and adding dragons.. unfortunately book 1 was 300 pages of nothing, 10 pages of battle, and 100 more pages of nothing. Probably the most boring book i've ever read. No thats not true, but close. I did finish book 2 of The Expanse... loved it just as much as book1. Those guys are really amazing writers. Also working on a book called "Symptoms of Being Human" by Jeff Garvin. A friend of mines brother in law wrote it about a gender fluid teen. Seems well thought out.


Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fublamchu on Fri, 02 September 2016, 20:12:10
Extremely generic choice, but reading through Huck Finn at the moment. I just love the attention to detail Twain had towards getting the dialogue of the characters right down to their very accents. Even though some of the reading is a tad bit hard to follow, the book is still amazingly fun to read!
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Fri, 02 September 2016, 20:59:21
Caravan to Vaccares by Alistair MacLean
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Dr_Alphabet on Fri, 02 September 2016, 21:25:09
In addition to the comics I'm reading, I just started Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicles. I used to read a **** ton but stopped for a while only to have picked it up again recently. I'm also listening to Diskworld on audio book while drifting off to sleep which makes for some great dreaming fodder.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sat, 10 September 2016, 00:05:05
Cockroaches by Jo Nesbř
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Beanhead on Fri, 16 September 2016, 11:21:05
Fiction: Just finished Grey Matter Splatter, now reading Dune for the millionth time.

Nonfiction: Finally reading Warthog. Great read so far.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Thu, 22 September 2016, 13:57:26
Rama II by Arthur C. Clarke, Gentry Lee
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Thu, 22 September 2016, 18:35:33
The Passionate Programmer: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development (2nd Edition)  (https://www.amazon.com/Passionate-Programmer-Remarkable-Development-Pragmatic/dp/1934356344) by Chad Fowler
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Thu, 22 September 2016, 20:09:14
Case books are consuming my life. No time for comics or ASoIaF.  :(
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Beanhead on Fri, 23 September 2016, 08:53:05
Finished Warthog. Great read if any of you are interested in the A10 or combat aviation in general.

About to start Dagger-22.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: JamesGoblin on Sat, 24 September 2016, 10:05:27
To my shame, I "discovered" Proust much later than I should.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Sun, 25 September 2016, 00:17:27
To my shame, I "discovered" Proust much later than I should.

Proust is overrated.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: decker on Sun, 25 September 2016, 01:05:15
Leviathan Wakes (Expanse, #1) - Corey, James S.A.

I loved the tv show so much I want to get ahead of it with the books...
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 25 September 2016, 01:25:51
Leviathan Wakes (Expanse, #1) - Corey, James S.A.

I loved the tv show so much I want to get ahead of it with the books...

I've really enjoyed all of these books and am eagerly awaiting "Babylon's Ashes", the next in the series (Dec 6 release date here in the US). I've had a few letdowns in the Honor Harrington series and The Expanse series reinvigorated my taste for swashbuckling SciFi.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: JamesGoblin on Sun, 25 September 2016, 05:30:49
To my shame, I "discovered" Proust much later than I should.

Proust is overrated.

That's quite possible, tho I didn't start because of ratings or recommendations - it was more-less random stumbling across. To make it worse, I am enjoying it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Dwarlorf on Tue, 27 September 2016, 19:17:51
Adrian Goldsworthy - Augustus: First Emperor of Rome

I tend to buy my history books in paper. The rest I read on my ereader apart from some sf books / authors I collect
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Grona on Thu, 29 September 2016, 20:44:00
Currently reading:
Going Postal - Terry Prachett

To read:
Dune - Frank Herbert
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Dwarlorf on Fri, 30 September 2016, 05:35:56
Currently reading:
Going Postal - Terry Prachett

To read:
Dune - Frank Herbert
American Gods - Neil Gaiman

Dune is amazing. If you intend to read the rest of the Dune saga. Don't quit if Children of Dune or God Emperor of Dune bore you.  Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune are amazing books as well.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 30 September 2016, 08:10:08
I read a lot of heavy ponderous tomes, and occasionally I need a break.

Currently reading "Life" by Keith Richards and it is amazingly good. Deeply insightful along with the "wild and crazy" stuff.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Grona on Sun, 02 October 2016, 22:14:53
Currently reading:
Going Postal - Terry Prachett

To read:
Dune - Frank Herbert
American Gods - Neil Gaiman

Dune is amazing. If you intend to read the rest of the Dune saga. Don't quit if Children of Dune or God Emperor of Dune bore you.  Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune are amazing books as well.

Good to know, I can't wait to get started on it. Have you read any of the books that Brian Herbert continued writing? I've been told to stay away from those.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Dwarlorf on Mon, 03 October 2016, 09:50:20
Currently reading:
Going Postal - Terry Prachett

To read:
Dune - Frank Herbert
American Gods - Neil Gaiman

Dune is amazing. If you intend to read the rest of the Dune saga. Don't quit if Children of Dune or God Emperor of Dune bore you.  Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune are amazing books as well.

Good to know, I can't wait to get started on it. Have you read any of the books that Brian Herbert continued writing? I've been told to stay away from those.

Yes, I have them all and read them all. I don't think they're that bad as long as you temper your expectations and don't expect them to be on par with the original series. They're a nice and easy read. But read them after you've read the originals.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Dongulator on Mon, 03 October 2016, 09:50:56
Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Grona on Mon, 03 October 2016, 11:57:35
Currently reading:
Going Postal - Terry Prachett

To read:
Dune - Frank Herbert
American Gods - Neil Gaiman

Dune is amazing. If you intend to read the rest of the Dune saga. Don't quit if Children of Dune or God Emperor of Dune bore you.  Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune are amazing books as well.

Good to know, I can't wait to get started on it. Have you read any of the books that Brian Herbert continued writing? I've been told to stay away from those.

Yes, I have them all and read them all. I don't think they're that bad as long as you temper your expectations and don't expect them to be on par with the original series. They're a nice and easy read. But read them after you've read the originals.

Good to know, thanks for the info :D.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: SRTroN on Sat, 08 October 2016, 05:57:50
Just started the Shadow Saga which is a companion series to the Ender's Game novels. So far so good!
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sat, 22 October 2016, 00:15:16
Clea's Moon by Edward Wright
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Fri, 28 October 2016, 12:38:20
A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: DanB on Tue, 01 November 2016, 19:03:29
Finally getting around to Neuromancer by William Gibson.

I would follow that up with Neal Stephenson's Snowcrash, if you have not read it already.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 02 November 2016, 07:54:27

Finally getting around to Neuromancer by William Gibson.

I would follow that up with Neal Stephenson's Snowcrash, if you have not read it already.

Those 2 are the cream of the crop.

For those of us, like myself, who read Neuromancer before I had ever even touched a "personal computer" with my own hands, it seemed far-fetched but plausible. We would not have imagined how quickly these notions would be absorbed into film and the popular culture in general.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 06 November 2016, 12:43:10
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sun, 06 November 2016, 16:40:46
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

LeGuin is one of my favorite writers. I consider "The Dispossessed" to be her masterpiece, with the original Hainish series being her science fiction pinnacle.

On first read, back in the day, I found her fantasy stuff less compelling, but, now, years later, I think that the Earthsea cycle is some of the best fantasy ever written. I particularly appreciate her conception of magic as a subtle thing to be deftly woven into the fabric of reality, as opposed to the Harry Potter-type stuff where you point a stick and a building blows up.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 06 November 2016, 16:45:29
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

LeGuin is one of my favorite writers. I consider "The Dispossessed" to be her masterpiece, with the original Hainish series being her science fiction pinnacle.

On first read, back in the day, I found her fantasy stuff less compelling, but, now, years later, I think that the Earthsea cycle is some of the best fantasy ever written. I particularly appreciate her conception of magic as a subtle thing to be deftly woven into the fabric of reality, as opposed to the Harry Potter-type stuff where you point a stick and a building blows up.

This'll be my first from her. A bit shameful, really, since she's a Portland girl & I was born here.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sun, 06 November 2016, 17:23:14

This'll be my first from her.


"Semley's Necklace" (aka the first chapter of "Rocannon's World") will lock you in.

Read the original Hainish trilogy: Rocannon's World + Planet of Exile + City of Illusions - and then move on from there.

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Mon, 07 November 2016, 01:55:01
Wow, cool to see this thread is live and well. My most active thread yet. :D

Been reading up on climate change recently because of that Leonardo Di Caprio movie he made.

Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know?  (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0173R4EJK) by Joseph Romm
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Fri, 18 November 2016, 22:06:59
"Tea from an Empty Cup" by Pat Cadigan
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Spopepro on Fri, 18 November 2016, 22:36:00
The Oresteia, or Ὀρέστεια, if you please. Both the Ted Hughes and the Anne Carson* translations back to back. The choices each make are fascinating.


*recognizing that the Carson is a mix of Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles, so not the pure trilogy. 
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Sun, 20 November 2016, 20:58:48
The Oresteia, or Ὀρέστεια, if you please. Both the Ted Hughes and the Anne Carson* translations back to back. The choices each make are fascinating.

I read two of them and now I don't remember which.  :'(
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Fri, 09 December 2016, 10:08:17
"The Last Policeman" by Ben H. Winters
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Mon, 19 December 2016, 14:13:30
"Babylon's Ashes" by James S.A. Corey
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: dmbldrk on Wed, 21 December 2016, 08:15:11
The Color of Magic. Been meaning to read the discworld series for quite a while. Starting to budget time towards reading again. Hopefully I'll make some good progress over the holidays.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: C5Allroad on Thu, 22 December 2016, 02:17:48
Currently, "Mr. Mercedes" by Stephen King
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: rabbitfire on Sun, 25 December 2016, 04:27:30
Novels from Jin Jong
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Fri, 20 January 2017, 08:23:37
"Tatiana" by Martin Cruz Smith. I'm a big fan of the Arkady Renko novels.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: jal on Fri, 20 January 2017, 09:15:32
Currently rereading Blindsight by Peter Watts. In my opinion, possibly the best hard science fiction author currently writing. A first-contact novel that explores a number of philosophical issues in generally depressing ways. Next is a reread of Echopraxia, which continues the story. I wanted to read them back to back; last time I read them several years apart.

I tend to read multiple books in parallel, depending on mood or what I'm doing. But Blindsight is the one that lives in my bag ATM. Other current reads: Pikhal, by Anne & Alex Shulgin (nonfiction about hallucinogenic drugs); Drawn To Trouble, by Eric Hebborn (autobiography of an art forger); The Hunting of the President, by Joe Conason (political nonfiction about the Clinton political war).

And a messy pile of books, printouts, websites and notes about milling machines, electronics, and stepper motor control, because I'm desperately trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing with my new, partly broken milling machine.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 20 January 2017, 09:34:54

Blindsight by Peter Watts
Pikhal by Anne & Alex Shulgin
Drawn To Trouble by Eric Hebborn
The Hunting of the President, by Joe Conason


These all look very interesting and I have not read any of them.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Heist on Fri, 20 January 2017, 09:53:05
Just started Cloud Atlas
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: jal on Fri, 20 January 2017, 10:38:51

Blindsight by Peter Watts
Pikhal by Anne & Alex Shulgin
Drawn To Trouble by Eric Hebborn
The Hunting of the President, by Joe Conason


These all look very interesting and I have not read any of them.

I heartily recommend Peter Watts to anyone who likes hard science fiction. If you're a thinker, he tends to be depressing, and if you're not, you won't like his work. But really first rate, if you like that sort of thing.

Drawn to Trouble might not be all that great, unless you have an interest in the history of art forgery. Hebborn is the ultimate unreliable narrator, so if you're trying to figure out what actually happened, you have to read it with a lot of other books/documentation, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. He was also insufferably arrogant, and indulges that in spades. Depending on what interests you, some other starting points might be The Man Who Made Vermeers (Jonathan Lopez - well-written history of an accomplished forger, complete with nearly unbelievable cons, detective work and Nazis), False Impressions (Thomas Hoving - a fluffier airport book  of famous forgeries; not great, but it hits the high points), or The Art Forger's Handbook (Eric Hebborn again - nuts and bolts techniques for aging paper, mixing period paints, etc. Again, not a great book - these are less recipes than descriptions of what he did, with lots of jumping-off points for self-aggrandizment. But still a fun book. Out of print and a bit notorious, the price is frequently insane, but if you're patient you can find it for a reasonable price.) Generally, most books about art forgery tend to be fluffy general-audience or academic, without much decent stuff in between.

Hunting of the President is a good read. As is obvious from the title, it picks a side. It is well researched and documented and I mostly trust it. Given recent US politics (and more specifically, my complete and utter lack of desire to discuss them here), I'll leave it at that.

Pihkal (there's also a sequel of sorts, Tihkal, haven't read it) is really interesting, hard to describe, and dense. A lot of chemistry that's beyond me (not to mention I that have no desire to get in to drug synthesis) combined with subjective stories of their effects, autobiography and story telling. If you've ever read Gödel, Escher, Bach, think of this as GEB:math::Pihkal:psychedelics. But even that doesn't work well as a comparison.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 20 January 2017, 11:15:45
I guess my favorite hard science fiction writer is Alastair Reynolds.

Art forgery is not anything that I want to do, but it seems like the basis for a good read. "The Man Who Made Vermeers" sounds interesting.

"The Hunting of the President" is probably old news to those of us who lived through it, a "Part 2: The Hunting of the President's Wife 20 Years Later" would probably be better and more topical.

I am not a chemist or even a user (at least not in recent decades) but "Acid Dreams" by Lee and Shlain was fascinating.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: jal on Fri, 20 January 2017, 12:01:41
I like Reynolds a lot, too. Greg Egan is another, but he's one of those you read for the ideas, not the plot or writing.

I'm not a forger either, just one of those random interests I somehow picked up. The Man Who Made Vermeers is probably your best bet.

I'm going through Hunting of the President because it became disturbingly relevant again. I lived through it, too (the first Clinton term was my first opportunity to vote), but had forgotten just how insane some of that was. And I'd be willing to wager that there's a political reporter somewhere typing away a sequel as I write this.

I want to read Acid Dreams, but haven't yet (And my experimentation days are long past, too). Still find this stuff fascinating. I thought of a better way to describe the book - if erowid.org were a coherent book and also included (what I'm told are) reliable synthesis methods, it would be Pihkal.

Seems like you and I have rather compatible reading habits.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 20 January 2017, 15:08:42
I recently finished a rather small but amazingly helpful book by Steven Pinker called The Sense of Style (a title which may be misleading - as in "the sense of smell) about writing and how to assemble and analyze written words. It was incredibly refreshing as it clarified a lot of things to me that have come into common and accepted usage but are still frowned upon by sticklers, as well as how to avoid bad writing in general.

And of course, his magnum opus The Better Angels of Our Nature is a truly monumental work that any serious thinker should read.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Dwarlorf on Sun, 22 January 2017, 05:08:39
I finished Iain M. Banks' Consider Phlebas which was good with a surprising ending. I've just started The Player of Games which is the second book in the Culture series . I'm only at page 54 but I like it a lot because it's quite funny. If this keeps up it'll be better than Consider Phlebas.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: FLOCKA on Sun, 22 January 2017, 09:44:17
(http://i.imgur.com/RaMua1B.jpg)

Stephen King's Joyland. I'm about 1/4 in and am liking it so far with the introduction of the characters and plot setup. Reminds me a bit of the movie Adventureland.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: jal on Mon, 23 January 2017, 09:23:12
I recently finished a rather small but amazingly helpful book by Steven Pinker called The Sense of Style (a title which may be misleading - as in "the sense of smell) about writing and how to assemble and analyze written words.

I've been meaning to read that for a while. You've prompted me to order it, and it will go on the backlog pile.

Trying to think of other fun books that I think deserve wider reading. One that I found useful for dealing with the inevitable conflict that happens is Verbal Judo[/] by George Thompson. The title sounds like a stupid self-help book, but it is actually quite good. Even though it is mainly about handling conflict, I found it immensely helpful for getting over my inability to sell myself when I was freelance. (I still suck at selling myself, but I'm no longer incapable.) Not really the same thing but topically linked, a book called The Dance of Anger[/] (Harriet Lerner) is a self-help book, but quite good. It is an exploration of how people who are close (concentrates on normal binary-pairing, but it is applicable to any long-term relationships) engage in harmful behaviors that become embedded in the relationship and very difficult to change.

Which, in a warped way, is a nice lead-in to...

Choice and Consequence by Thomas Schelling is a fun one. Technically, it is an academic political economics book, but for an academic text it is a very easy read. It is largely about the application of game theory to lots of different topics (bargaining, organized crime, war, but his most famous example is trying to meet someone in a city without a plan or communications, which gave us the term "Schelling Points". But there's quite a bit more to it. Well written, and if you enjoy thinking about these things, certainly the sort of thing you'll like. And game theory is actually useful in daily life.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Mon, 30 January 2017, 01:29:32
"The Poisoned Pawn" by Peggy Blair
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: meiosis on Thu, 02 February 2017, 05:31:41
Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg

Revitalizing my book collection while taking my sabbatical as my new hobby.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Wed, 08 February 2017, 10:25:22
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Puddsy on Wed, 08 February 2017, 17:41:08
A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe. Nearly done, just gotta read the last 30 pages when I get a minute.

Presumably to be followed by the ever-present meme of a book, DFW's Infinite Jest.

Lots of history textbooks, too. College has been very kind to me on the book front.

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 17 February 2017, 15:31:34
Very excited!

Just got in The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu. Haven't started yet, but it is sure to be good.

His The Master Switch is a must-read, too, if you haven't read it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: hanoipho on Sat, 18 February 2017, 05:25:36
Harry Potter  :))
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Sat, 18 February 2017, 06:35:00
Eloquent Ruby (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321584104/) by Russ Olsen

Been working with Rails for like seven months but still have some problems wrapping my head around Ruby idioms. Started reading this yesterday and just want to get a cup of Joe and read this all weekend. It's real easy to read and understand.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: thatsmrdoctortoyou on Sat, 18 February 2017, 11:03:36
Grunt by Mary Roach.

Pretty interesting read so far (only a few chapters in). Lots of history of military medicine including some quite interesting military requirements for everyday objects. Shirt buttons for instance - I had no idea the amount of regulation/research/testing the military put into an everyday button... I guess at that point I should just call it an 'everyday' button, more like a 'military extreme-duty, built-Ford-tough' button.

Anyway, its a good read for anyone interested in medicine, military or just like Mary Roach's style of writing; Stiff is one of my favorite reads of all time simply due to Roach's style.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 18 February 2017, 11:26:18

or just like Mary Roach's style of writing; Stiff is one of my favorite reads of all time simply due to Roach's style.

She is really funny but gets to be too much after a while. I heard about Grunt on NPR and have almost started it a couple of times. Gulp is good, too.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Blanched_Almond on Sun, 19 February 2017, 05:50:18
Just some random online stuffs.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 19 February 2017, 16:01:12
Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith. I don't usually re-read books but read this in 1984 so I don't think there will be too many spoilers. And I've enjoyed the series so much it'll be fun to return to the beginning.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: ArchDill on Mon, 20 February 2017, 01:09:30
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: sek1ne on Mon, 20 February 2017, 01:12:25
Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/RaMua1B.jpg)


Stephen King's Joyland. I'm about 1/4 in and am liking it so far with the introduction of the characters and plot setup. Reminds me a bit of the movie Adventureland.

I did not know that this had even been released. I'll have to head over to the library and see if they have it. Have you finished it?
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: FLOCKA on Mon, 20 February 2017, 21:25:15
Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/RaMua1B.jpg)


Stephen King's Joyland. I'm about 1/4 in and am liking it so far with the introduction of the characters and plot setup. Reminds me a bit of the movie Adventureland.

I did not know that this had even been released. I'll have to head over to the library and see if they have it. Have you finished it?

I'm ashamed to admit that I stopped midway... I've been re-reading old textbooks to prepare for a certification exam and it's completely sapped me of the will to pleasure-read. I would definitely pick it up, especially if you're getting it for free from the library. It's a short book (<300 pgs) so you should be able to get through it much faster than I have   :-[
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: nickheller on Mon, 20 February 2017, 21:31:46
this thread
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Tue, 21 February 2017, 01:22:51
this thread

Nice one, Nick.  :thumb:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iMav on Tue, 28 February 2017, 22:30:08
Currently reading Acts and Ezekiel.  I try to read some in the morning and some in the evening.  It doesn't always work out, however.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Tue, 28 February 2017, 23:06:28
Currently reading Acts and Ezekiel.  I try to read some in the morning and some in the evening.  It doesn't always work out, however.

Currently my second run from Genesis to Revelation. Forgot how long Psalm 119 was.  :-\
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Shapey Fiend on Wed, 01 March 2017, 06:53:26
Blindness by José Saramago

Maybe a hundred pages into this. Really enjoying it. It's a sort of post apocalyptic scenario in which people are being struck down by contagious blindness. The writing style is pretty odd all these pagelong paragraphs and none of the characters have actual names but it's very tense and readable at the same time.

Before that was Masters of Doom, which definitely delivers. The level of research the guy did is phenomenal. Makes the parts written from the first person of Romero and Carmack work way better than I'd expect. The best videogame book I've sampled along with maybe The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers.

The book I read before that was Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The best thing I've read in a year or two. It's a beautifully written scifi novel with an a very elaborate zoology bent. Half the books from a human perspective and the other halves from genetically engineered super spiders switching back and forth chapter to chapter.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: gallowgeek on Wed, 01 March 2017, 09:02:33
I am currently reading Thinking fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It's about Psychology and it relates to everyday life.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Thu, 16 March 2017, 08:47:54
High Noon: The Hollywood blacklist and the making of an American classic by Glenn Frankel. I've read many times that John Wayne saw in High Noon a liberal political statement and hated the film for it. Some years later Wayne and Howard Hawks put together Rio Bravo as a conservative polical response to High Noon.

I'm not good with politics. I've watched these films and, even knowing what I was looking for, I can't see a "political statement" in either one - if it's there it's lost on me. Glenn Frankel is a pretty well respected film historian so I'm looking forward to learning more about this film and the political climate of the time.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: jal on Thu, 16 March 2017, 10:31:21
I talked about High Noon with my grandmother, who of course lived through that period.

The red scare was really intense at the time. It is hard for a lot of folks who weren't alive at the time to understand it, but I think there are clear comparisons to things going on now - at the risk of politicizing (not easy to avoid in this sort of discussion), it is not that different than the panic over Muslims today in some circles. (When looking at the similarities, it is worth noting that a lawyer named Roy Cohn was a close collaborator of Joe McCarthy's, and later became something of a mentor to Trump, after a stopover as Nixon's lawyer.)

Anyway, as I recall, the director of the movie was targeted as a communist by the whisper campaigns that were going on at the time. Being subject to those rumors brought everything you did under scrutiny, so plot points were looked at in the worst-possible light. Really, it probably didn't matter what the plot was - it could have been all flags and apple pie, and people would find sinister intent. Again, not too different than politics now, except that we haven't quite reached the same fever pitch. Yet.

Over the long term, nations tend to have semi-predictable recurring events. The U.S. really enjoys periodic witch slave-organizer Japanese commie Muslim hunts. (I know I'm missing a few.) Not to say other countries don't do similar things, but ours have their own special twang.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: robertdane101 on Tue, 04 April 2017, 01:29:53
These days I am reading a book Outliers. It is a book about success. Can everyone become successful? Yes, but how? Well, read the book to know that.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Tue, 04 April 2017, 05:20:15
These days I am reading a book Outliers. It is a book about success. Can everyone become successful? Yes, but how? Well, read the book to know that.

Half way through myself. Interesting read, huh?  :)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: brennan08512 on Tue, 04 April 2017, 16:45:04
Looking to get back into reading for fun and not just for school. If anybody has a good psychological thriller or something along the lines of that they they recommend, hit me up.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Jhors2 on Sat, 08 April 2017, 17:11:54
I just finished Orwell's 1984, and about to start some works by Noam Chomsky.  The last quarter of 1984 is a wild ride.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Sat, 08 April 2017, 19:29:15
I just finished Orwell's 1984, and about to start some works by Noam Chomsky.  The last quarter of 1984 is a wild ride.

Yeah, that's about the only part that got me. The beginning and ending were great, but the rest was super flat to me. Could've been written way better.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Air tree on Sun, 09 April 2017, 13:24:55
Arthur Schopenhauer, The World As Will And Representation

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120AZ using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sun, 09 April 2017, 15:23:48
The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_and_the_Brightest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_and_the_Brightest)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 09 April 2017, 16:45:10
The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_and_the_Brightest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_and_the_Brightest)

Thanks for the tip. A good companion read would be The Brilliant Disaster by Jim Rasenberger (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9730379-the-brilliant-disaster).
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 16 April 2017, 13:46:22
Echoes of Honor by David Weber
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iLLucionist on Mon, 17 April 2017, 16:33:01
Neuromancer by Gibson, somewhat the book that started cyberpunk SF subgenre. AND IT SUCKS. Anybody care to suggest proper cyberpunk books? I'm technically obsessed with the universe: megacorporation and high technology basically gone wrong in the nearby future, seems realistic
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Mon, 17 April 2017, 16:43:23
Neuromancer by Gibson, somewhat the book that started cyberpunk SF subgenre. AND IT SUCKS. Anybody care to suggest proper cyberpunk books? I'm technically obsessed with the universe: megacorporation and high technology basically gone wrong in the nearby future, seems realistic

You might like Virtual Light (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22326.Virtual_Light), the first of the "bridge trilogy". Bruce Sterling's Islands in the Net (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218571.Islands_in_the_Net) is an old, but pretty good one. And I'm sure everyone would recommend Snow Crash (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash) by Neal Stephenson.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iLLucionist on Mon, 17 April 2017, 16:44:13
Neuromancer by Gibson, somewhat the book that started cyberpunk SF subgenre. AND IT SUCKS. Anybody care to suggest proper cyberpunk books? I'm technically obsessed with the universe: megacorporation and high technology basically gone wrong in the nearby future, seems realistic

You might like Virtual Light (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22326.Virtual_Light), the first of the "bridge trilogy". Bruce Sterling's Islands in the Net (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218571.Islands_in_the_Net) is an old, but pretty good one. And I'm sure everyone would recommend Snow Crash (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash) by Neal Stephenson.

Thanks! I'll check 'm out.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Mon, 17 April 2017, 16:59:03
Also, Pat Cadigan has been called the "Queen of Cyberpunk". I'd start with Synners (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/304806.Synners).
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iLLucionist on Mon, 17 April 2017, 17:10:51
Also, Pat Cadigan has been called the "Queen of Cyberpunk". I'd start with Synners (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/304806.Synners).

Thanks! Time to get up on ol' Amazon and order me some thick paper and crawl up on the couch for some good reading time.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 17 April 2017, 17:30:15

somewhat the book that started cyberpunk SF subgenre. AND IT SUCKS.

megacorporation and high technology basically gone wrong


At the time it came out it was revolutionary, but it has not aged well.
Likewise "The Difference Engine" to steampunk (but the chapter with the prostitute near the middle of the book is extraordinary).

As for "basically gone wrong" it is hard to beat Philip K ****.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 17 April 2017, 17:30:55
double post, sorry

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iLLucionist on Mon, 17 April 2017, 17:34:55

somewhat the book that started cyberpunk SF subgenre. AND IT SUCKS.

megacorporation and high technology basically gone wrong


At the time it came out it was revolutionary, but it has not aged well.
Likewise "The Difference Engine" to steampunk (but the chapter with the prostitute near the middle of the book is extraordinary).

As for "basically gone wrong" it is hard to beat Philip K ****.

Thanks for the background info. I really want to like cyberpunk, it sounds intriguing. I've been trying to get back into literature lately, getting away from the screen more. I used to be into thrillers. So I bought "The Stand" unabridged from Stephen King, thinking I could make it through 1300 pages. I read 1100 of em and the book is god afwul. I haven't touched a book since Neuromancer. Been halfway through it, hate it. Superficial, too much colloquial unexplained terms, not enough about how places look etc, setting the stage. Pace and speed are good though. It odes read as a thriller.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 17 April 2017, 18:39:51

I really want to like cyberpunk, it sounds intriguing.


Both cyberpunk and steampunk "seem" better as concepts than they actually read, 98% of the time.

Cyberpunk is scratching at the edge of a venue that science fiction has been exploring for decades.

I will submit Alastair Reynolds as a spectacular writer with mind-boggling ideas.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Nexg3nz13 on Mon, 17 April 2017, 21:34:32
Anyone pick up the new Thrawn book? I want to grab it this weekend and get to it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Tue, 18 April 2017, 21:11:15
I put Honor Harrington back on the shelf and switched to When Gravity Fails (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/132694.When_Gravity_Fails) by George Alec Effinger. I was intrigued enough when I read a description I couldn't wait.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sat, 22 July 2017, 18:23:22
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. I want to read The Gripping Hand, the sequel, but I thought I should re-read Mote first.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fleischverpackung on Fri, 18 August 2017, 12:21:18
Dune.
Man, that was much better than the movie.
And what a shame it was done by Lynch and not Jodorowsky  :mad:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: yuppie on Fri, 18 August 2017, 12:32:54
The Good Earth
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Giorgio on Fri, 18 August 2017, 13:19:13
In addition to the comics I'm reading, I just started Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicles. I used to read a **** ton but stopped for a while only to have picked it up again recently. I'm also listening to Diskworld on audio book while drifting off to sleep which makes for some great dreaming fodder.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I find Murakami very plain, I don't like his style. Maybe it has something to do with the Italian translation. Just to make an example of what I like, I name Philip Roth and Oe Kenzaburo
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Fri, 18 August 2017, 14:18:24
Freaking stupid textbooks.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 18 August 2017, 17:27:40
The Brilliant Diaster by James Rasenberger

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9730379-the-brilliant-disaster (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9730379-the-brilliant-disaster)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Findecanor on Fri, 18 August 2017, 17:28:46
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. I want to read The Gripping Hand, the sequel, but I thought I should re-read Mote first.
I didn't know there was a sequel. Now I have to go get it! I found "Mote" thought-provoking ...

And what a shame it was done by Lynch and not Jodorowsky  :mad:
I'm not so sure. As much as Lynch's Dune has weak points and is weird in places, Jodorowsky's Dune would have been an LSD trip ...
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 18 August 2017, 19:17:51

I found "Mote" thought-provoking ...

As much as Lynch's Dune has weak points and is weird in places, Jodorowsky's Dune would have been an LSD trip ...


My thoughts too.

I was a huge Niven fan in the 1960s-1970s, and still think that the "known space" cycle was a great and particularly satisfying science fiction epic opera. "Mote" was fascinating and probably deserves a re-read. Niven's work could be mined for multiple wonderful films.

Dune deserves a good clean modern treatment. Jodorowsky and Lynch were notorious for being wild and weird back in the day, which Dune really isn't, despite its counterculture reputation in its time due to its drug references. Ultimately, it is a good strong straightforward science fiction story that really needs and merits a proper film adaptation. 
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sat, 19 August 2017, 10:20:52
The Brilliant Diaster by James Rasenberger

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9730379-the-brilliant-disaster (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9730379-the-brilliant-disaster)

Ooohh.. I really enjoyed that one. A really fascinating, detailed telling of a bit of history.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: OfTheWild on Wed, 23 August 2017, 17:44:38
About half way through Dawn of Wonder; It was recommended after I was reading The Name of the Wind... its similar and just as good so far:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51FFxLj4tvL._SY346_.jpg)

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: ghostdeini on Wed, 23 August 2017, 20:08:44
(http://i.imgur.com/9vTZo8J.jpg)

Any other true crime fans in here? Right now I'm reading The Devil in the White City, which is all about H.H. Holmes and his murder castle. Going into it, I thought the book would solely be about Holmes, but it actually jumps back and forth as the author details the planning and construction of the world's fair in Chicago. I'm liking it so far... and a while back I heard that Scorsese was planning on turning the story into a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Wed, 23 August 2017, 20:25:01
Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/9vTZo8J.jpg)


Any other true crime fans in here? Right now I'm reading The Devil in the White City, which is all about H.H. Holmes and his murder castle. Going into it, I thought the book would solely be about Holmes, but it actually jumps back and forth as the author details the planning and construction of the world's fair in Chicago. I'm liking it so far... and a while back I heard that Scorsese was planning on turning the story into a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio.

I really enjoyed that one and also his book Thunderstruck. You might also enjoy American Lightning by Howard Blum.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Engels on Sun, 27 August 2017, 10:12:39
"Steve Jobs"
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sun, 27 August 2017, 10:27:00
"Steve Jobs"

The one by Isaacson? That was a good one. And I thought his biography of Eienstein was even better.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: pixelpusher on Sun, 27 August 2017, 10:46:43
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Wind

[attach=1]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: yuppie on Sun, 27 August 2017, 12:10:50
Just got done reading The Good Earth, need to find something else now.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: wesleyjhere on Mon, 28 August 2017, 12:43:16
Has anyone listened to/read "We are legion [we are bob]"?
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: bearz42 on Sat, 09 September 2017, 09:20:31
Reading Soul by Andrei Platonov right now.

It's pretty great. I'm a big fan of Russian lit so that's usually what I read.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: xtrafrood on Sat, 09 September 2017, 10:38:08
First go-round with 1984. Please be kind :-[ :))
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sat, 09 September 2017, 10:49:23
First go-round with 1984. Please be kind :-[ :))



I think this type of dystopian construct take very large liberties with a human's ability to _remain_ dedicated.


You might join a cult,    but once the honeymoon period's over,   and they're not doing the free shrimp buffets no more.. 

WHY STAY ??


Brain washing is one thing,   but it's actually tremendously difficult to keep people in that state without creating debilitating mental trauma..  so much so that they wouldn't be able to procreate effectively or DO WORK..


So, then they give you the argument, well, this is the imagining of a totalitarian regime at its worst..


Yea, but what has history shown, NONE of these types of regimes stand for very long..   



So it's not a dystopian future,   it's more of a dystopian civil war regime.. 



Either way,  there's nothing to fear for humanity if the timescale is lengthened beyond 20-30 years.


Skynet is much more realistic..


Though of course Tp4 is already 100% skynet compatible.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Findecanor on Sat, 09 September 2017, 11:02:46
Right now, I am reading The Bartimeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. I am nearing the end of the second book The Golem's Eye.
It is set mostly in present-day London but in an alternative universe where Britain has a big empire because of magicians having seized power during the Victorian age. "Magicians" however, perform no magic on their own: all of their power comes from more or less invisible demons of various types that they have summoned and forced to obey.
Each chapter is told from the perspective of a teenage boy magician, a young girl in the underground anti-magician Resistance ... or the age-old djinn Bartimeus.

I was a huge Niven fan in the 1960s-1970s, and still think that the "known space" cycle was a great and particularly satisfying science fiction epic opera. "Mote" was fascinating and probably deserves a re-read. Niven's work could be mined for multiple wonderful films.
The Mote series was co-authored with Jerry Pournelle. I read just now that Pournelle passed away yesterday. His family posted about it on their his web site.

Pournelle was also a columnist in Byte magazine when that existed. It used to be the most significant computer magazine in the '80s and '90s.
I have also read Niven and Pournelle's book "Footfall": about an alien invasion of Earth. In that one, the aliens had invaded only to spread their religion in which they worship a third, now extinct race that had once manipulated their genes for having as semi-intelligent slaves.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Sun, 10 September 2017, 12:10:35
Reading Soul by Andrei Platonov right now.

It's pretty great. I'm a big fan of Russian lit so that's usually what I read.
russian literature best literature
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 10 September 2017, 12:51:59
russian literature best literature

Not exactly literaturee but I enjoyed both Roadside Picnic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadside_Picnic) and Metro 2033 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_2033) quite a lot. I'd like to read more Russian SciFi.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sun, 10 September 2017, 13:03:33
russian literature best literature

Not exactly literaturee but I enjoyed both Roadside Picnic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadside_Picnic) and Metro 2033 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_2033) quite a lot. I'd like to read more Russian SciFi.



Congratulations,  You've just made the list @ NSA Skynet.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Shapey Fiend on Sun, 10 September 2017, 14:35:19
I read both those Name of the Wind books last year. They're really good, bar a little bit of stupid power fantasy **** in the second installment.

Reading After On: A Novel of Silicon Valley by Rob Reid. It's sort of a sci-fi apocalypse novel about social networking and AI. I'm only a third of the way through but it's pretty entertaining thus far. Definitely an improvement on the guys last book which had a funny and promising premise but didn't live up to it very much.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: bearz42 on Sun, 10 September 2017, 16:23:26
Reading Soul by Andrei Platonov right now.

It's pretty great. I'm a big fan of Russian lit so that's usually what I read.
russian literature best literature


It really is though. Something always draws me back to russian writers. I love a long, dry, bleak read so it's kind of the perfect for me.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Tue, 12 September 2017, 14:34:21
Reading Soul by Andrei Platonov right now.

It's pretty great. I'm a big fan of Russian lit so that's usually what I read.
russian literature best literature


It really is though. Something always draws me back to russian writers. I love a long, dry, bleak read so it's kind of the perfect for me.
Then Leskov might be the ideal author for you.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: yuppie on Tue, 12 September 2017, 15:08:04
Too Like the Lightning: http://a.co/625pqLd

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51uOp10QKeL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: PadawanGeek on Fri, 15 September 2017, 20:42:12
Bought a number of epubs/ebooks from Play Store, got into this sea monster phase so I've bought Steve Alten's MEG series and Vostok. I was surprised that MEG is in the process of being made with a release date next year, that it has a budget of 150 million bodes well since SFX is gonna play a major part in the film. Also read Kronos by Jeremy Robinson and have just bought 'Below' by Ryan Lockwood.......can't get enough sea monsters. I have also gotten film novelizations of 'Aliens' by Alan Dead Foster, Suicide Squad by David Ayer and Interstellar by Greg Keyes. Will get into these after I'm done with my 'sea monster' books.....
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 16 September 2017, 10:44:09

got into this sea monster phase


You can go "old school" with this one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_World (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_World)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: bearz42 on Sat, 23 September 2017, 06:53:49
Reading Soul by Andrei Platonov right now.

It's pretty great. I'm a big fan of Russian lit so that's usually what I read.
russian literature best literature


It really is though. Something always draws me back to russian writers. I love a long, dry, bleak read so it's kind of the perfect for me.
Then Leskov might be the ideal author for you.

I put him on my to-read list. I'm halfway through Platonov's  soul, then I'm going to start on some Krzhizhanovsky next. Might hit up Leskov after that.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Tue, 26 September 2017, 14:05:55
Read "Caesar" by Shakespeare.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: OfTheWild on Wed, 27 September 2017, 18:48:38
Finished the dawn of wonder. Pretty good. Moving on to Robin Hobb though. Starting with Assassins apprentice:
(https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464570795l/77197.jpg)

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Thu, 28 September 2017, 05:41:57
These days I am reading a book Outliers. It is a book about success. Can everyone become successful? Yes, but how? Well, read the book to know that.

Half way through myself. Interesting read, huh?  :)

Lol, was really busy and just finished the book two days ago. :D About to start the second book in South Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer called Authority.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 28 September 2017, 06:40:56

About to start the second book in South Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer called Authority.

That was a long and difficult read. For me it was equal parts fascinating and frustrating, but ultimately unsatisfying. No doubt that was the intent all along.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Thu, 28 September 2017, 10:21:16

About to start the second book in South Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer called Authority.

That was a long and difficult read. For me it was equal parts fascinating and frustrating, but ultimately unsatisfying. No doubt that was the intent all along.

The first book was a quick read but gotta say it was both fascinating and frustrating too. Have heard quite a few people saying that series are engaging but at the same time a bit boring and all over the place. I liked the first one but it's probably the first horror book I've read. Unless you count some Latvian classics (not horror but a lot of sad stories about unhappy unlucky people doing all the wrong choices and thus suffering their whole life).
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Thu, 28 September 2017, 15:38:40
I just started One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I first watched the film about a year ago and have been ruminating on it since. It really made an impression on me and I wanted to see how the book it's based on compares to it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: I_am_not_me_ on Thu, 28 September 2017, 16:47:28
Been reading a lot of Lovecraft lately. I was always curious but his work intimidated me. And with good reason too since I can't read his stuff without google to look up a word every 3 lines lol but I love his stuff. My gf bought me a big ass book with most of his published stories and I can't get enough.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Sat, 30 September 2017, 11:34:27
Been reading a lot of Lovecraft lately. I was always curious but his work intimidated me. And with good reason too since I can't read his stuff without google to look up a word every 3 lines lol but I love his stuff. My gf bought me a big ass book with most of his published stories and I can't get enough.

I've been meaning to get into Lovecraft, myself. I know what you mean about having to look up fancy words. I kept a pocket dictionary bundled with my Lord of the Rings books (pre-internet days) for just that reason.  :thumb:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: I_am_not_me_ on Sat, 30 September 2017, 11:49:50
Been reading a lot of Lovecraft lately. I was always curious but his work intimidated me. And with good reason too since I can't read his stuff without google to look up a word every 3 lines lol but I love his stuff. My gf bought me a big ass book with most of his published stories and I can't get enough.

I've been meaning to get into Lovecraft, myself. I know what you mean about having to look up fancy words. I kept a pocket dictionary bundled with my Lord of the Rings books (pre-internet days) for just that reason.  :thumb:

It really feels like a steep learning curve but he uses a lot of the same words throughout his stories so once you get over the hump, it's not so much of a problem. Really worth it though. You really should check his stuff out. Not sure if you've checked out any of hos stuff but I recommend Shadow Over Innsmouth :)


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Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Sat, 30 September 2017, 12:43:58
Been reading a lot of Lovecraft lately. I was always curious but his work intimidated me. And with good reason too since I can't read his stuff without google to look up a word every 3 lines lol but I love his stuff. My gf bought me a big ass book with most of his published stories and I can't get enough.

I've been meaning to get into Lovecraft, myself. I know what you mean about having to look up fancy words. I kept a pocket dictionary bundled with my Lord of the Rings books (pre-internet days) for just that reason.  :thumb:

It really feels like a steep learning curve but he uses a lot of the same words throughout his stories so once you get over the hump, it's not so much of a problem. Really worth it though. You really should check his stuff out. Not sure if you've checked out any of hos stuff but I recommend Shadow Over Innsmouth :)

He's on my ever-expanding list of authors I need to check out. I've played the tabletop RPG Delta Green, which is based off of Call of Cthulhu, which is based off of Lovecraft's works.

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Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: I_am_not_me_ on Sat, 30 September 2017, 12:52:13
Been reading a lot of Lovecraft lately. I was always curious but his work intimidated me. And with good reason too since I can't read his stuff without google to look up a word every 3 lines lol but I love his stuff. My gf bought me a big ass book with most of his published stories and I can't get enough.

I've been meaning to get into Lovecraft, myself. I know what you mean about having to look up fancy words. I kept a pocket dictionary bundled with my Lord of the Rings books (pre-internet days) for just that reason.  :thumb:

It really feels like a steep learning curve but he uses a lot of the same words throughout his stories so once you get over the hump, it's not so much of a problem. Really worth it though. You really should check his stuff out. Not sure if you've checked out any of hos stuff but I recommend Shadow Over Innsmouth :)

He's on my ever-expanding list of authors I need to check out. I've played the tabletop RPG Delta Green, which is based off of Call of Cthulhu, which is based off of Lovecraft's works.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


A lot of people start off reading Call of Cthulhu and I did as well. Personally I think it wasn't the best way to go since the story feels like a chunk of a larger story taken out of context (which it is if you consider Lovecraft's universe as the larger story). I was lost until I read some of his other stories. I'd love to check out Delta Green but sadly none of my friends are into tabletops


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Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Sun, 13 October 2019, 11:20:39
Just finished reading The World in My Pocket by James Hadley Chase

Thanks for resurrecting this thread! Even I forgot this existed lol. :D
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Sintpinty on Wed, 16 October 2019, 14:10:34
to kill a mockingbird in class
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: xtrafrood on Wed, 16 October 2019, 14:35:24
The Fires of Heaven 
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: sarahnicole on Wed, 16 October 2019, 15:15:56
to kill a mockingbird in class

An American public school rite of passage
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 18 October 2019, 10:00:34
Everything Trump Touches Dies by Rick Wilson

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39312362-everything-trump-touches-dies (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39312362-everything-trump-touches-dies)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: kwerdenker on Fri, 01 November 2019, 15:50:59
"David Mogo Godhunter" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Started reading it because I read in a description the term Nigerian Godpunk genre and was very interested in that. Does not dissapoint in that regard btw.

Next up is one of these:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Sintpinty on Mon, 25 November 2019, 12:13:08
Reading merchant of venice by william shakespeare for school project
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 25 November 2019, 13:46:09
Second Founding by Eric Foner

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43726565-the-second-founding (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43726565-the-second-founding)

Much more concise and less intimidating than his magnum opus:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/132913.Reconstruction?from_search=true&qid=9POyYIbg6U&rank=2 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/132913.Reconstruction?from_search=true&qid=9POyYIbg6U&rank=2)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Mon, 09 March 2020, 07:17:26
Damn this thread is a phoenix, resurrecting from time to time. Have forgotten about this. :D
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: biothermal on Mon, 09 March 2020, 07:24:42
Working my way though the Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan. I'm 32 days in and on book #6, Lord of Chaos

edit: okay, 72 days in, definitely slowing down. Just read book 0 and now I've started book #11, Knife of Dreams

edit edit: 80 days in, had to speed up. 25% through book 14. I don't want to finish this series.

edit edit edit: 81 days. It was an ending.


I wish I was a slower reader. Guess I'll have to do it all again sometime...
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 09 March 2020, 08:27:21
"A Conspiracy So Immense" by David Oshinsky
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: noisyturtle on Fri, 17 April 2020, 19:01:42
I just discovered Cormack McCarthty, what an absolutely brilliant writer. Currently reading Blood Meridian. It's very very good.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 18 April 2020, 07:45:28
I just discovered Cormack McCarthty, what an absolutely brilliant writer. Currently reading Blood Meridian. It's very very good.

My favorite has always been "Suttree" because it is the one that felt the most immediate and relevant to the actual time and place where he lived. The other ones have felt more contrived.

PS - the "All the Pretty Horses" movie truly sucked in comparison to the book, even more so than usual
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: gipetto on Sat, 18 April 2020, 13:28:17
I've just started the holographic universe by michael talbot. I find it heavy reading as it aims at being a scientific text.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Sat, 18 April 2020, 16:32:32
I just discovered Cormack McCarthty, what an absolutely brilliant writer. Currently reading Blood Meridian. It's very very good.
My nephew gave me to Blood Meridian about a year ago. I've had it on my book shelf for almost a year (I'm a slow reader) and decided to pick it up recently. Whoa...that's some deep, violent sh*t! Now I wanna read more of Cormac McCarthy.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: noisyturtle on Sat, 18 April 2020, 16:34:58
I just discovered Cormack McCarthty, what an absolutely brilliant writer. Currently reading Blood Meridian. It's very very good.
My nephew gave me to Blood Meridian about a year ago. I've had it on my book shelf for almost a year (I'm a slow reader) and decided to pick it up recently. Whoa...that's some deep, violent sh*t! Now I wanna read more of Cormac McCarthy.

Judge Holden is one of the greatest bad guys ever written. Seriously.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: -Jerry- on Sat, 18 April 2020, 16:50:43
I'm currently re-reading a lot. Sometimes comfort comes in the familiar.

I'm re-reading Ready Player One at the moment and after that I'll be re-reading The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, because I felt like I didn't keep track well enough the first time, haha.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Sat, 18 April 2020, 17:15:42
I just discovered Cormack McCarthty, what an absolutely brilliant writer. Currently reading Blood Meridian. It's very very good.
My nephew gave me to Blood Meridian about a year ago. I've had it on my book shelf for almost a year (I'm a slow reader) and decided to pick it up recently. Whoa...that's some deep, violent sh*t! Now I wanna read more of Cormac McCarthy.

Judge Holden is one of the greatest bad guys ever written. Seriously.
I just got introduced to him in my latest chapter. Can't wait!
McCarthy has a writing style that I'm not familiar with so it's taking me more time than normal to get through the book. He blows through 3 or 4 scene changes in a single sentence!
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 18 April 2020, 17:20:17

I'm re-reading Ready Player One at the moment


Off-topic, but I never saw the movie because I heard that it was really awful. Did anybody here think it stood up to the book?
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Sniping on Sat, 18 April 2020, 17:22:29
i hardly read. most recently e-flipped through the new google site reliability engineering book that dropped a week ago with my friend.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tinman39 on Mon, 25 May 2020, 17:35:07
I just finished Artemis by Andy Weir (same author who wrote The Martian) and started reading Alpha and Omega by Harry Turtledove.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: noisyturtle on Mon, 25 May 2020, 17:55:21
Reading through Prey by Michael Crichton
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 25 May 2020, 18:28:22
Almost finished "Island" by Aldous Huxley.

It was his last book and the one he was most proud of, and one of the best utopian novels I have read. Recommended.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: biothermal on Wed, 27 May 2020, 11:43:24

I'm re-reading Ready Player One at the moment


Off-topic, but I never saw the movie because I heard that it was really awful. Did anybody here think it stood up to the book?

They tried to make it live up to the book in weird ways--giving it a totally different narrative emphasis. The movie was pretty **** compared to the book.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Tue, 02 June 2020, 11:15:51
Book 4 in the Vatta's War Sci-Fi series.

[attach=1]

But the biggest news is I just got a(nother) new E-reader, a Kobo Libra H2O.
This is very nice.

[attach=2]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: phinix on Wed, 03 June 2020, 04:45:54
Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett - I actually listening to audiobooks, almost finished sixth book in this series, last one.
First one, Chemistry of Death is awesome! If someone likes this kind of criminal/murder stories, I would definitely recommend!

[attachimg=1 width=400]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: BrickParade on Thu, 23 July 2020, 12:28:22
doesn't look like this thread gets used very much but I'm always curious about what others are reading.

I recently finished "Spring Snow" by Yukio Mishima. I'm a big fan of his writing and though I don't always go for upperclass courtly drama novels I got drawn in pretty quick with this one. I'd really like to continue with the rest of the Sea of Fertility tetralogy but I haven't been able to go to my library due to lockdowns.

In the meantime I have started (though don't really expect to finish) "Male Fantasies," Klaus Theweleit's extensive analysis of the German "Freikorps" from the end of WWI to the start of WWII. It's very interesting but extremely dark. Turns out when you get a bunch of angry, alienated men together they start to do some really unchill ****.

Other than that I am slowly picking away at some electronics textbooks, trying to fill the (fairly substantial) gaps in my knowledge.

I'd love to hear what books you all are working through or have recently finished!
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 23 July 2020, 12:44:05
Here is one that I recently finished. It was quite eye-opening and draws connections and conclusions that I had not recognized before. Sometimes he gets a little too personal and subjective, but you can overlook that in the greater scheme of things. Also, it is a few years old now, perhaps he has updated his emotions somewhat.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7655375-god-is-not-one?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=MY4WYKio0V&rank=1 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7655375-god-is-not-one?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=MY4WYKio0V&rank=1)

This is the one that I am currently on, it is mostly extremely good but spins off into "goofy" territory occasionally. But still well worth reading. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: BrickParade on Thu, 23 July 2020, 15:30:46
Here is one that I recently finished. It was quite eye-opening and draws connections and conclusions that I had not recognized before. Sometimes he gets a little too personal and subjective, but you can overlook that in the greater scheme of things. Also, it is a few years old now, perhaps he has updated his emotions somewhat.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7655375-god-is-not-one?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=MY4WYKio0V&rank=1 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7655375-god-is-not-one?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=MY4WYKio0V&rank=1)

That looks interesting, I might have to check it out. I don't know if I'd agree with him but I'd like to read the author's conclusions

This is the one that I am currently on, it is mostly extremely good but spins off into "goofy" territory occasionally. But still well worth reading. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens)

How does it get goofy? It looks like a great read but seems like if it was anything it would be dry.

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 23 July 2020, 16:26:44

How does it get goofy? It looks like a great read but seems like if it was anything it would be dry.


It is not dry, the author worked hard to keep it peppy. But the last 2 chapters are titled "And They Lived Happily Ever After" and "The End of Homo Sapiens" so that might tell you something.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Z41N on Fri, 24 July 2020, 19:31:01
Reading right now: Bluets by Maggie Nelson
- Completely different than what I usually read (Sci-Fi, Mystery stuff)

Last read: Re-read Ready Player One. (DAT CATACLYSM MMMMF)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: BrickParade on Fri, 24 July 2020, 20:46:16
Reading right now: Bluets by Maggie Nelson
- Completely different than what I usually read (Sci-Fi, Mystery stuff)

what do you think of Bluets so far? I have a few friends who really like it but I've tried to start it a couple times and its never quite clicked.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: strongly-typed on Tue, 28 July 2020, 22:59:07
The pandemic has made me a more productive redaer this year. So far I've made it through (or gotten halfway):

Now I'm currently going through a few books at the same time:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: -Jerry- on Wed, 29 July 2020, 02:49:09
Currently re-reading: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

I loved The Night Circus, up there as one of my favourite books of all time, and had high hopes for The Starless Sea. Felt a little disappointed the first time round, but I speed read it, so I'm taking the time to go back over it and see if I still feel the same way.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Thu, 06 August 2020, 00:44:08
Taboo material, apparently.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: greys on Wed, 09 September 2020, 01:56:31
I just finished Mona Lisa Overdrive from William Gibson's The Sprawl Trilogy.
it's a interesting series.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: brokenglasshero on Thu, 15 October 2020, 20:35:11
Halfway through the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. I'm loving it so much i'm trying to savour the journey by not reading too fast...
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 16 October 2020, 09:49:08
Currently about 2/3 of the way through "It Was All a Lie" by Stuart Stevens, Republican strategist and advertiser.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/48806578-it-was-all-a-lie (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/48806578-it-was-all-a-lie)

It is similar to "Everything Trump Touches Dies" by Rick Wilson but better, more serious and less dark humor.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39312362-everything-trump-touches-dies?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=UFrFxynBS2&rank=1 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39312362-everything-trump-touches-dies?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=UFrFxynBS2&rank=1)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Wed, 25 November 2020, 18:53:10
Reading through Prey by Michael Crichton
Prey is also on my shelf, waiting in the queue. It seems that by the time I get around to reading any Crichton books the story is already dated  :))

I just finished Mona Lisa Overdrive from William Gibson's The Sprawl Trilogy.
it's a interesting series.
How was it? I've started Neuromancer twice so far and quit about halfway through both times. I'll try one final attempt to get through it and if I don't succeed...I'll burn it.

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Wed, 25 November 2020, 19:58:00
I just started The Gonzo Way by Anita Thompson. I'm hoping that I'll bring away from it something that'll change my life for the better. This year took me by the cruffs and pinned me to the warehouse wall. Here's hoping for new horizons in 2021. :thumb:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: biothermal on Thu, 03 December 2020, 09:46:23
Reading through Prey by Michael Crichton
I just finished Mona Lisa Overdrive from William Gibson's The Sprawl Trilogy.
it's a interesting series.
How was it? I've started Neuromancer twice so far and quit about halfway through both times. I'll try one final attempt to get through it and if I don't succeed...I'll burn it.
This is me as well. I need to try and give Neuromancer another shot, especially while in lockdown again.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 03 December 2020, 10:09:05

give Neuromancer another shot


Although it was highly significant and revelatory at the time (before personal computers were commonplace except for very early adopters, and years before the interwebs were "a thing") it has long since lost its luster.

When I read 1984 in school in the 1960s, that date seemed a long way off. Some components of that one still seem implausible, but "doublethink" (aka "alternative facts") is all around us and growing exponentially amongst the under-educated. 
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Thu, 03 December 2020, 11:11:38
As someone who actually lived in a totalitarian country, I find 1984 underwhelming.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Sintpinty on Thu, 03 December 2020, 22:06:10
ready player two sucked because of trans hate
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 04 December 2020, 07:27:11
As someone who actually lived in a totalitarian country, I find 1984 underwhelming.

I do not doubt that. We in the West can hardly imagine what it was like, and Orwell probably got it far wrong when he focused more on the personal level rather than a societal one.

My invocation of the 1984 book in relation to Neuromancer was because we are now "as far in the future" from that book today as we were from 1948 in 1984. Both made some startlingly accurate predictions but were mostly off-base.
 
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: andy55 on Wed, 06 January 2021, 12:23:20
Cloud Atlas. David Mitchell just has a way of making every single character seem so human and relatable, even those with whom the reader shares absolutely nothing in common.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: andy55 on Mon, 25 January 2021, 10:14:27
Vonnegut's novel Breakfast of Champions. It's one of my favorite novels
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Darthbaggins on Mon, 25 January 2021, 10:30:13
Almost done with this one, need to order the next in the line (loving Destiny lore):
(https://i.imgur.com/E7yAOCa.jpg)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: yui on Mon, 25 January 2021, 10:45:41
just finished Asimov's Foundation series and started "l'espace d'un an"  ("The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" in english it seems) from Becky Chambers because the title seemed interesting in the SF aisle, not regretting it so far, although i may bey only about a 1/6 of the way trough it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 13 February 2021, 21:34:04
House of Trump House of Putin

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40728633-house-of-trump-house-of-putin (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40728633-house-of-trump-house-of-putin)

Not too long or difficult for people who are casual readers.

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sat, 13 February 2021, 22:01:34
Alternate history for a bit of a change.
[attach=1]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: xtrafrood on Sat, 13 February 2021, 23:32:49
Lord of Chaos (Wheel of Time), and Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: alertArchitect on Thu, 18 February 2021, 17:19:32
ready player two sucked because of trans hate

Can confirm, trans hate = suck automatically.

Also, I'm re-reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Favorite author, and I got in a mood for the specific style of story the Mistborn books are. Afterwards I'll probably finally get around to reading Way of Kings again, and from there work my way into finally reading books 3 and 4 of the Stormlight Archive.

Another on my list is Gideon the Ninth, as my sister loved it, heartily recommends it, and her, my mother, and I are doing a little book club thing for it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: biothermal on Thu, 18 February 2021, 17:57:24
ready player two sucked because of trans hate

Can confirm, trans hate = suck automatically.

It also just... wasn't anywhere near as good. Got way too esoteric in its niche, made it not as universal as the first one.

Quote
Also, I'm re-reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Favorite author, and I got in a mood for the specific style of story the Mistborn books are. Afterwards I'll probably finally get around to reading Way of Kings again, and from there work my way into finally reading books 3 and 4 of the Stormlight Archive.

Another on my list is Gideon the Ninth, as my sister loved it, heartily recommends it, and her, my mother, and I are doing a little book club thing for it.

Big props to not only 3 and 4 of stormlight, but also 3.5. Dawnshard was dope. Especially compared to Edgedancer (at least in my opinion, I wasn't really a huge fan of that one)

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: franciscourant on Fri, 05 March 2021, 18:36:55
I was reading principles of anatomy and physiology, very interesting, especially the chapters on cells and tissues. I stopped reading because I'm too addicted to the computer it seems.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sat, 06 March 2021, 13:16:30
[attach=1]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 10 March 2021, 08:11:52
Tim Wu will be a special adviser to President Biden on technology. This is great news! He is a brilliant thinker and an astute observer.

I am sure that I posted these 2 books way far back in this list, but I will bring them forward here. In my opinion, these are seminal books of recent years that should be read by everybody who is interested in the changes to our society precipitated by the explosion of technology and its near-universal adoption.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8201080-the-master-switch?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=KMr196jChj&rank=1 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8201080-the-master-switch?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=KMr196jChj&rank=1)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28503628-the-attention-merchants?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=4clvlO0KnS&rank=1 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28503628-the-attention-merchants?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=4clvlO0KnS&rank=1)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: andy55 on Tue, 16 March 2021, 04:12:53
The Bear Comes Home by Rafi Zabor. It’s about a jazz musician struggling to make it in New York, going through his failed friendships/relationships, his struggle to get a record contract
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: cthalupa on Sun, 21 March 2021, 02:40:08
ready player two sucked because of trans hate

Can confirm, trans hate = suck automatically.

Also, I'm re-reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Favorite author, and I got in a mood for the specific style of story the Mistborn books are. Afterwards I'll probably finally get around to reading Way of Kings again, and from there work my way into finally reading books 3 and 4 of the Stormlight Archive.

Another on my list is Gideon the Ninth, as my sister loved it, heartily recommends it, and her, my mother, and I are doing a little book club thing for it.

I need to re-read the first three Stormlight books - I went to pick up the new one and realized I barely remembered what had happened.

I have mixed feelings on Gideon. The setting is interesting, the book is well written, and it's great to see more LGBTQIA+ representation in sci-fi/fantasy. But (slight spoilers, though nothing that I think isn't apparent from the Amazon description of the novel) I think the power imbalance makes things feel a bit Stockholm Syndrome-y to me.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: alertArchitect on Mon, 22 March 2021, 08:54:42
I need to re-read the first three Stormlight books - I went to pick up the new one and realized I barely remembered what had happened.

I have mixed feelings on Gideon. The setting is interesting, the book is well written, and it's great to see more LGBTQIA+ representation in sci-fi/fantasy. But (slight spoilers, though nothing that I think isn't apparent from the Amazon description of the novel) I think the power imbalance makes things feel a bit Stockholm Syndrome-y to me.

That's fair. Honestly, though, my sister gushes over it and she's the one out of us that's already read it, so I'll be going into it with a critical eye, if for no other reason than so we can discuss the book and not just how much we love the book, and actually go into discussing the themes and events in it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: DELLA KEY on Tue, 13 April 2021, 10:51:30
Catia is reading a 3D modeling book!
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Foxxi on Fri, 07 May 2021, 21:45:22
I'm currently reading Game of Thrones! And the book is better than the movie.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Herman on Mon, 17 May 2021, 09:46:30
Hey, a book thread! Maybe this will motivate me to read even more.

Just finished A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.
I loved it, thought it was really easy to digest, which is rare for books about quantum gravity and general relativity.

Just ordered five books to dive into during my thirty minute work commute this summer.

1. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
           I really enjoyed Bryson's nonfiction and voice with his most famous work, A Short History of Everything, so
           thought this would be a nice read.
2. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott
           Going in blind. I know nothing about this book.
3. 1984 by George Orwell
           Never read in middle school so I feel like I owe it to myself to get through it quickly.
4. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
           Same dig as 1984, but actually excited for this one
5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
           A man can dream can't he?

Recommends/Avoids?
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 17 May 2021, 10:11:57

Just finished A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.


Another long-view book that covers a lot of ground is:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens)


When I was in school 1984 was generally paired with Brave New World by Huxley as a compare/contrast sort of opposite viewpoint, which I recommend. But actually, I prefer Huxley's last book, Island as a more advanced treatment and/but a much more utopian perspective, which may partially short-circuit the dystopian comparisons. 

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Herman on Mon, 17 May 2021, 12:46:18

Just finished A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.


Another long-view book that covers a lot of ground is:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens)

Funny you mention Sapiens! I'm more or less three quarters through that book and I thought it was absolutely fantastic and thought provoking. I just bought it digitally and I'm a slug when it comes to reading digitally. Haven't opened that book in a few months, good time to jump back in.  :p
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Signature on Fri, 21 May 2021, 05:45:57

Just finished A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.


Another long-view book that covers a lot of ground is:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens)
Can also recommend Homo Deus and 21 questions from the same author!

Best recent read for me have been Into thin air, and when school gives the time I will start Gödel, Excher, Bach :)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: phinix on Wed, 26 May 2021, 10:00:13
Jo Nesbř "The Bat"
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Wed, 26 May 2021, 10:41:21
Jo Nesbř "The Bat"
That's a good one. I've very much enjoyed that series.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 15 December 2021, 20:53:56
This is one is not a quick read but it is well worth it.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52593654-nose-dive (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52593654-nose-dive)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: phinix on Thu, 16 December 2021, 05:23:45
It's a shame this thread is not visited that often.
Maybe we just dont have time to sit and read a good book these days.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: dankthropod on Thu, 16 December 2021, 06:35:49
Reading right now: The Linux Bible, by Christopher Negus
Want to read: Head-first Java by Kathy Sierra
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 16 December 2021, 07:32:53

It's a shame this thread is not visited that often.


I have tried to post here regularly, but went half a year this time.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Thu, 16 December 2021, 13:39:47
I decided to learn English, so I'm reading "Ship or Sheep?"
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 16 December 2021, 13:45:44
Next you can read Eats, Shoots, and Leaves
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Thu, 16 December 2021, 16:37:28
I was thinking Macbeth, but this also works
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Signature on Thu, 16 December 2021, 16:39:03
It's a shame this thread is not visited that often.
Maybe we just dont have time to sit and read a good book these days.
GH book-circle when?

Yall can add me on Goodreads in the meantime if ya want :)

https://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?invite_token=YjRjNThlMzItODc3YS00NTY5LTk0MjItZGMyY2MxOThiMzYz
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Mon, 20 December 2021, 08:19:54
It's a shame this thread is not visited that often.
Maybe we just dont have time to sit and read a good book these days.

True, I completely forgot about this thread myself. Maybe the big readers don't have time to browse GH? :D

Recently read "Digital Minimalism" by Cal Newport, now reading "Deep Work" by the same author.
On work-related stuff, I'm reading "Kanban in Action" by Marcus Hammarberg and Joakim Sundén.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Signature on Mon, 20 December 2021, 08:36:36
It's a shame this thread is not visited that often.
Maybe we just dont have time to sit and read a good book these days.

Recently read "Digital Minimalism" by Cal Newport, now reading "Deep Work" by the same author.

How are you enjoying it? Been thinking about getting a copy of either.

Currently reading Psycho-cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz and Breath by James Nestor. Both really interesting but Breath is falling off a bit in the second half, for me atleast.

Next pick ups are When breath becomes air and The almanack of naval Radikant :thumb:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: noisyturtle on Mon, 20 December 2021, 14:36:47
Just got done with Based On A True Story by Norm Macdonald. It is so odd that never having met the man, still not a day goes by I don't think about his passing.

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Tue, 04 January 2022, 14:28:54
Macbeth

Hot take: Shakespeare sucks
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: noisyturtle on Wed, 05 January 2022, 00:41:09
Macbeth

Hot take: Shakespeare sucks

I heard he doesn't even write his own material.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: jennyluce on Tue, 18 January 2022, 00:02:08
I have heard alot about this book from my friends. is it really worth to read
 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Tue, 18 January 2022, 08:24:08

Shakespeare sucks


Watching a live theater performance really brings those archaic words to life in a way that is much more satisfying than reading them.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Thu, 20 January 2022, 01:54:24
It's a shame this thread is not visited that often.
Maybe we just dont have time to sit and read a good book these days.

Recently read "Digital Minimalism" by Cal Newport, now reading "Deep Work" by the same author.

How are you enjoying it? Been thinking about getting a copy of either.

I do enjoy it, have yet to fully commit to some of the techniques for distancing and sorting out my own digital habits. If you're a person who knows how it was living before being "always connected", it makes you step back and think about the real necessity of our modern digital habits and how/why they've become so ingrained into our daily lives. We definitely over-use unnecessary technology, in some way or another, even if we don't see it as an issue.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Fri, 11 February 2022, 09:18:13
I recently dusted off Stephen King's "Skeleton Crew" after watching a short film on Youtube that some kid made. In the film the kid develops technology that allows him to live in VR without physical time constraints so, in essence, he's thousands of years old. The film reminded me of a short story in Skeleton Crew called "The Jaunt". The subject of how we perceive time fascinates me greatly. I recommend watching the film and reading the story, if you're into that kind of sci-fi alt-world-in-your-mind kind of stuff.
Here's the short film:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: vkeycaps on Sun, 13 February 2022, 02:30:46
Homo Ludens
by Johan Huizinga
Just started, so not much to tell about it
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Sun, 13 February 2022, 04:52:41
Marat Gabidullin's In the Same River Twice. Interesting topic, but it's a bit hard to read due to the author's clunky language (though not as bad as Shakespeare's).
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tastenplatte on Fri, 25 February 2022, 08:17:57
Bargaining for advantage, great book.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: sandywhite on Wed, 23 March 2022, 10:12:50
Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 23 March 2022, 12:37:49
Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind

Wow, hard to believe that it has been almost year since that was discussed.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=80900.msg3051716#msg3051716 (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=80900.msg3051716#msg3051716)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: phinix on Thu, 24 March 2022, 04:04:39
Stefan Ahnhem - Victim without a face.
First part of Fabian Risk series. Interesting.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Versaknight on Tue, 12 April 2022, 09:24:06
Age of turbulence- alan greenspan
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: xtrafrood on Sat, 23 April 2022, 11:08:46
(https://i.imgur.com/95GJcxI.jpg)


Escape from Cubicle Nation
by Pamela Slim

I just finished Start Finishing by Charlie Gilkey, and Atomic Habits by James Clear.

I'm also reading Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern (omnibus), and A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan. 

All them charity/thrift Ebay listings during the thing :-*
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: foxieze on Tue, 03 May 2022, 00:45:32
Computing with Quantum Cats by John Gribbin
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Fri, 06 May 2022, 16:03:46
Have dropped off and not reading a lot past few months but gotta say - thanks guys for resurrecting this thread from time to time. Long Live GH bookworms! :thumb:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 06 May 2022, 16:20:46

Long Live GH bookworms!


Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 26 May 2022, 22:18:26
Have you guys noticed that Books actually have less in them than it looks like from the outside.

Even big plump ones, the density of information is actually quite low. Taken all together, you'd expect to know more by the end of it, but not really, not by much anyway. 
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 06 July 2022, 09:29:56
This is an awesome book if you like classic rock music :

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57094201-lightning-striking (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57094201-lightning-striking)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Wed, 06 July 2022, 09:37:44
[attach=1]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: phinix on Thu, 07 July 2022, 02:58:47
(Attachment Link)

Oooh, this looks interesting.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: phinix on Thu, 07 July 2022, 03:00:22
Stefan Ahnhem - Motive X.
4th part of Fabian Risk series.

(https://cdn.waterstones.com/bookjackets/large/9781/7866/9781786694621.jpg)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Thu, 07 July 2022, 04:37:34
(Attachment Link)

Oooh, this looks interesting.
I'm halfway through and, yes, a very interesting book.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: phinix on Fri, 08 July 2022, 03:03:15
(Attachment Link)

Oooh, this looks interesting.
I'm halfway through and, yes, a very interesting book.

I always liked Panama / Cuba story. Sounds like a good read for fans  :)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 08 July 2022, 09:07:00
My daughter gave me this book and it is an excellent read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465709-braiding-sweetgrass (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465709-braiding-sweetgrass)

It would be a good companion read to "Finding the Mother Tree" by Suzanne Simard that I recommended last year.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Tue, 26 July 2022, 22:30:00
Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human by K. W. Jeter. I'm halfway through it, and I must say, I'm liking the story more than the sequel film Blade Runner 2049—and I love the sequel film.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 27 July 2022, 08:31:53
I remember reading Jeter's first book, Dr Adder, in the early-1980s and it was one of the most horrifying and repugnant things that I had ever seen. People who talked about the "decaying dystopian future Los Angeles" after seeing Blade Runner had no idea ....

The story behind the book, and his relation to his hero and mentor, Philip K ****, are also pretty interesting.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Wed, 27 July 2022, 15:48:20
I remember reading Jeter's first book, Dr Adder, in the early-1980s and it was one of the most horrifying and repugnant things that I had ever seen. People who talked about the "decaying dystopian future Los Angeles" after seeing Blade Runner had no idea ....

The story behind the book, and his relation to his hero and mentor, Philip K ****, are also pretty interesting.
Dr. Adder is on my reading list. I've read The Glass Hammer and Farewell Horizontal, the latter being the most bizarre story I've ever read, as far as the genius of his world-building and outside-of-the-box story premise. A freelance graphic designer living on the outer surface of a humungous skyscraper ruled by biker gangs and tech conglomerates...what?? I still have a difficult time wrapping my head around the physics of it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 27 July 2022, 17:33:13

living on the outer surface of a humungous skyscraper ruled by biker gangs and tech conglomerates

I still have a difficult time wrapping my head around the physics of it.


That reminds me a bit of Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds, who also tossed in some exquisite steampunk for good measure.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: ArchDill on Thu, 08 September 2022, 16:48:21
(https://magazine.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/styles/facebook_sharing_1200x630/public/2019-08/Books_Range-social.jpg?itok=47KKmGxm)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 18 September 2022, 13:16:31
ArchDill , that's a very intriguing book. Marked to-read.

Here's what I'm reading now - very interesting book.
[attach=1]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 24 October 2022, 08:50:52
Somebody should merge these 2 threads.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Tue, 08 November 2022, 19:48:01
Have you guys noticed that Books actually have less in them than it looks like from the outside.

Even big plump ones, the density of information is actually quite low. Taken all together, you'd expect to know more by the end of it, but not really, not by much anyway. 

I've noticed this phenomenon with nonfiction, specifically in the self-help genre. Fiction, not so much...depends.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Tue, 08 November 2022, 22:50:15
Just finished The Four Levels of Healing by Shakti Gawain, and prior to that, The Game of God by Arthur Hancock & Kathleen Brugger. Yeah, I'm going through some sh*t right now. :(
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Wed, 23 November 2022, 18:04:28
Been reading a book written by a friend: The Flight of the Magician. Part fiction, part memoir.
(http://[attach=1])
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: noisyturtle on Tue, 13 June 2023, 19:50:19
Cormack McCarthy passed away today at the ripe age of 89.
60 years of being an American writing legend, and my personal favorite author.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Tue, 13 June 2023, 20:27:28

Cormack McCarthy passed away today


His work is breathtaking but excruciating. I guess I need to pick The Road back up, a couple of years ago I got about a quarter of the way through it and it was just too bleak and painful.

As a multi-generational Knox County descendant, I always liked Suttree the best because it felt the most genuine and realistic.

- and if this is to be the preferred thread going forward - I want to re-post my current book here -

An Immense World  by  Ed Yong  is one of the most mesmerizing books that I have ever read. You owe it to yourself to read it.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/59575939
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Tue, 20 June 2023, 20:33:20
Cormack McCarthy passed away today at the ripe age of 89.
60 years of being an American writing legend, and my personal favorite author.
Damn shame, right there. Blood Meridian is one of the best books I've ever read, maybe the best. It's been years since I've read it but I still think about it regularly. It's actually the only McCarthy book I've read, thus far. The Road is waiting in line on my book shelf, right now. I hear it's a downer.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: mathisart on Thu, 13 July 2023, 22:26:18
The Holy Bible. Praise Jesus.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Sun, 23 July 2023, 19:46:10
Brushing up on my hero's journey.
(http://[attach=1])
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 24 July 2023, 10:56:31
This is a surprisingly refreshing and uplifting read:

https://www.goodreads.com/zh/book/show/87040.Gathering_Moss (https://www.goodreads.com/zh/book/show/87040.Gathering_Moss)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: romevi on Thu, 27 July 2023, 19:24:55
Brushing up on my hero's journey.
Show Image


Hey, nice. Recently listened to Alan Watts reference it.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: J_C___ on Fri, 28 July 2023, 08:03:15
Started re reading the red rising series in anticipation for the new book coming out soon! Just finished Morning Star

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Thu, 10 August 2023, 11:18:07
I recently finished reading "Glucose Revolution" (https://www.amazon.com/Glucose-Revolution-life-changing-power-balancing/dp/178072523X) by Jessie Inchauspe.
Haven't delved into any diets or stuff like that but very informative book about how the body processes food and its impact on glucose/fructose/insulin levels, referring to recent studies etc.
Have followed the tips throughout this book and have felt very good - no brain fog, better sleep, energy levels are steady throughout the day. And I've lost a few kilos as well, just like I wanted. Without really switching out any particular food or the occasional snack.

Next in line is "Scary Smart" (https://www.mogawdat.com/scary-smart) by Mo Gawdat, about AI and such. Given the AI craze, it's probably best to not be too naive and be vary on its impact in the near future.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Sun, 13 August 2023, 17:35:45
Brushing up on my hero's journey.
Show Image


Hey, nice. Recently listened to Alan Watts reference it.
I didn't really know how in depth this book got until I finally gave it a read. In my opinion there is just way too much info—which might sound weird, I know—but it is packed with story example after story example. There are great, inspiring points throughout, but man, it's kind of a slog.

This is a surprisingly refreshing and uplifting read:

https://www.goodreads.com/zh/book/show/87040.Gathering_Moss (https://www.goodreads.com/zh/book/show/87040.Gathering_Moss)

I would not expect a book with this title to be of any interest to me. But man, it has hellogood ratings.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: smarmar on Sun, 13 August 2023, 19:49:05
(http://[attach=1])
I love me some Stephen King.  :cool:
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sat, 19 August 2023, 06:08:57
[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: PlayBox on Mon, 21 August 2023, 15:55:32
dune, the third time at this point :D also been picking up some christian literature lately (don't judge)
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Tactile on Sun, 03 September 2023, 10:04:36
[attach=1]
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: Rhienfo on Sun, 03 September 2023, 18:56:49
Chainsaw man by Tatsuki Fujimoto I guess. It's hard for me read so I mostly just read manga because there is a more visual element to it (I can't picture things in my mind so manga helps me picture something a lot better as well). The new chapters are kinda slow at the moment but still really like it and looking forward to what happens with all of this buildup with the weapons trying to kill everyone or something. Need more asa too, one of my favourite characters in the whole series

I tried reading the hobbit a while ago and while I did enjoy reading it, just haven't had the commitment to sit down and finish the whole book. Maybe one day I'll go back and finish reading it, I know how important reading is and my younger self used to obsess with reading so maybe I could get back into reading.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: iri on Wed, 20 September 2023, 14:25:29
highly doubt that it took Pirsig 4 years to write less than 94 words
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Wed, 13 March 2024, 15:04:12
This one was eye-opening. It is controversial and sometimes probably over the top, but quite enlightening nonetheless.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6072353-jewish-history-jewish-religion (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6072353-jewish-history-jewish-religion)

Not a terribly long slog, less than 200 pages.

 
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: phinix on Thu, 14 March 2024, 08:06:53
This one was eye-opening. It is controversial and sometimes probably over the top, but quite enlightening nonetheless.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6072353-jewish-history-jewish-religion (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6072353-jewish-history-jewish-religion)

Not a terribly long slog, less than 200 pages.

Thanks for sharing this one - I will try and find it in my language and buy it. I've read reviews and sounds like a good book to learn a lot about Jewish religion and its history.
Maybe it will help me to understand more that whole war between Jews and Palestinians...
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 14 March 2024, 08:56:01

I will try and find it in my language and buy it.


It is hard to find. Although he was born in Poland and moved to Palestine in 1945, he wrote the book in English (he had taught Chemistry in the US for several years in the 1960s so he was quite fluent). If you are comfortable in English, that is how you should probably read it. Translations are usually problematic anyway.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: phinix on Thu, 14 March 2024, 13:49:40

I will try and find it in my language and buy it.


It is hard to find. Although he was born in Poland and moved to Palestine in 1945, he wrote the book in English (he had taught Chemistry in the US for several years in the 1960s so he was quite fluent). If you are comfortable in English, that is how you should probably read it. Translations are usually problematic anyway.

I don't read in English, so will try and hunt one down in Polish, I've seen some copies on sale on Polish ebay, so will try there.
Title: Re: What ya reading?
Post by: funderburker on Sat, 16 March 2024, 12:18:59
It's so awesome to see this thread being resurrected from time to time and that - PEOPLE STILL READ!

Since my last post, I've been reading books on happiness, men's initiation rituals and other psychotherapy-related topics to fix up my traumas and turn bad habits and behaviours into good ones that serve me right.

Currently, I'm reading "Build The Life You Want" by Arthur Brooks & Oprah Winfrey. Has some cool nuggets, would recommend if anyone has hard time seeing the good parts of life.