What book(s) are you reading right now?

[DigDog]

False Economy (Alan Beattie) - unremarkable collection of historical economy facts leading to vague conclusions. A poor copy of Freakonomics.

 

[thebestMAX]

Just started "Master and Commander" by Patrick O'Brian.

Hope I like it, there are 21 books in the series.

I also got "A sea Of Words", the companion book that gives all the definitions of the nautical terms, battles, people and slang of the day.

 

[RearAdmiral]

I think I should start this series soon.

Recently listened to the first Expanse book and finished listening to the Altered Carbon trilogy, I think Jaws was in there at some point. Finished reading A Fire Upon the Deep, Doctrines of Grace, and Dark Matter(managed this in three days). Only book I'm on right now is God for Us for my church fellowship group, that I have to occasionally lead discussion on, which is scary.

 

[clamum]

I'm just about done with Bryan Cranston's memoir "A Life in Parts" (I'm listening to the audiobook version). I've enjoyed it a lot; he gives stories about growing up and his life, some behind the scenes stories about acting, and acting philosophy and tips. I'm not interesting in acting, particularly, but I've found it very interesting. Definitely recommend it if you liked Breaking Bad or any of Cranston's other work.

Started book 2 of Nicholas Sansbury Smith's "Hell Divers" series. My co-workers tell me after book 3 it goes downhill, apparently because the author originally wanted to stop at 3 but his publisher goaded him into extending it. But I really liked the first one so I'm looking forward to at least the next couple, and I'll most likely at least check out the further ones.

 

[JTsyo]

Finished SevenEves. That was a slog. The story was good but there was so much details. If it's not a trilogy it seems like he wasted a lot of time to build up that world just for one book.

 

[ringtail]

False Economy (Alan Beattie) - unremarkable collection of historical economy facts leading to vague conclusions. A poor copy of Freakonomics.

I'm YET AGAIN (for maybe 4th time) re-reading "1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus" by Charles C. Mann.
This time it's about trying to grok the concept Mann set forth, with GOOD supporting evidence, that the Amazon rainforest was the intentionally planted and carefully cultivated GARDEN of some prehistoric human civilization presently unknown to science. The thing is, Mann presents EVIDENCE.... PHYSICAL DATA. If true, then it implies our current orthodox understanding of human history is crazily wrongheaded and ignorant of HUGE things occuring in pre-history.

For me personally it leans toward validating some concepts I've gradually been forming + accepting, that are based on LOTS of things seen by me personally in my extensive world travels.... Based on things I've personally seen I'm leaning toward the general idea that human history extends vastly further back than the 200K years we're taught. Into the millions of years further back.

Anyway, based on Charles C Mann, today's Amazon jungle isn't there by chance evolution. It was PLANTED there by a prehistory civilization having knowledge at least on par with ours today, or maybe more advanced.

So here I am again re-reading Charles C. Mann.

 

[DigDog]

wow that is really an exceptional claim.

 

[RearAdmiral]

wow that is really an exceptional claim.

Why yes it is.

 

[clamum]

I got bored with the "History of Life" audiobook from The Great Courses that I was listening to, so I started a book my co-worker has talked about, "Run" by Blake Crouch (I got the Kindle version and the audiobook was only $4.99 more; cancelled my Audible subscription a little while back).

It kinda starts in medias res and is a bit confusing since you don't know wtf is going on, but he said things are eventually explained. Right now it appears some poop has gone down and civilization is falling apart (like a civil war or something).

 

[clamum]

Ho-lee poop did I end up enjoying Run. It's one of my favorite books ever now. Damn.

After that I've kinda been on a Blake Crouch kick. I listened to his novels Snowbound and Abandon and while both were good and I definitely enjoyed them, they didn't quite reach Run epicness.

Well I just finished his novel Dark Matter and dang, that one comes close. It's about a guy who invents time travel to parallel worlds via quantum mechanics. Man I loved it.

My former coworker says Crouch's book Recursion is also very good; that'll be on my list coming up.

Listening to an Audible Original right now, Caffeine (about... caffeine). I'm liking it so far. I can get bored sometimes pretty easily with non fiction books, unless I'm in the right mood, but I'm liking it.

As for actual reading, I've been re-reading through A. American's "Going Home" series. I wasn't too impressed by it when I originally bought the first several books in 2015 but I'm really into it this time around. That happens to me sometimes, haha. I'd recommend it if you like SHTF/apocalyptic fiction, although I don't think it's written as well as stuff in that genre by Franklin Horton, Arthur Bradley, and Lou Cadle.

 

[snoopy7548]

I'm currently reading Prozac Nation, almost finished with it. Really good, and I found myself having to stop and think about certain things I just read - a good portion of it relates to how I've felt for a long time.

 

[Muse]

Brokerage Fraud
What Wall Street Doesn't Want You to Know
by Tracy Pride Stoneman, Douglas J. Schulz
- - -
Serpent on the Rock by Kirk Eichenwald (who wrote a forward to Brokerage Fraud)
- - -
Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K. Randall
- - -
Mental Radio by Upton Sinclair

 

[Exterous]

Three and Out about Rich Rod and the Michigan Wolverines. Pretty interesting 3 year behind the scenes look at the Football program. Also an unexpected tie in with All or Nothing behind the scenes with the Phily Eagles on Prime as I got to read a bit about Brandon Graham at UofM and then see him now with the Eagles.

 

[JujuFish]

The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin. I mainly mention it because the chapters focusing on Essun are a new experience to me. Weird, but I like it.

About halfway through and enjoying the book so far.

 

[clamum]

Read the "Commune" series by Joshua Gayou recently and it's one of the better apocalyptic fiction books/series I've read. Really enjoyed it and it was more well written than most in the genre. Great characters that you actually care about. Just excellent.

Also started Mat Best's book "Thank You for My Service" but haven't finished it yet. If you like Mat you'll prob like the book.

Listening to the second book in Blake Crouch's "Wayward Pines" series. As with most of his stories, there's more going on than what seems to be and there's some interesting twists. Liked the first one for sure.

They actually made this into a TV series a few years ago, with Crouch's involvement, and I watched a couple episodes but didn't think it was too great. Might revisit it at some point.

 

[Muse]

Books I have right beside me that I'm working on in various stages:

Inner Engineering (A Yogi's Guide to Joy) - Sadhguru

A Distant Mirror (The Calamitous 14th Century) - Barbara W. Tuchman

The Druid of Harley Street (The Spiritual Psychology of E. Graham Howe) - Edited from Howe's writings by William Strange

I, Shithead a life in punk - Joey Keithley (of D.O.A.)

Dune - Frank Herbert (yes, although I've love science fiction longer than any other type of writing, I've never read this! As you can see from my list here I haven't been reading any other fiction.)

Cadillac Desert (The American West and its Disappearing Water) - Marc Reisner

The Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham

The Portable Thoreau - Edited by Carl Bode

Letters to a Young Poet - Rilke

 

[clamum]

Finished Crouch's third and final book in the "Wayward Pines" series. Quite good. I'd give the series 8/10 overall.

I'd rank my Crouch books in the following order, from best: Run, Dark Matter, Wayward Pines, Abandon, Famous, Snowbound, Recursion. I think I'm gonna re-listen to Run again soon. Man it's good.

Finished Mat Best's book. You'll like it if you like Mat and the Black Rifle guys.

I was really excited for Ken Follett's new book in the "Kingsbridge" series, The Evening and the Morning, and while I enjoyed it, I didn't like it as much as I liked the previous two books in the series. I dunno, I guess I didn't care for the characters as much and I feel like there wasn't as many characters and storylines as in his previous books. I also liked in the previous books how the stories spanned decades. But I'd still give it maybe 7.5/10.

I read Kyla Stone's "Edge of Collapse" series. It was one of the better SHTF series I've read and I enjoyed it a lot. I'll give it 8/10 overall.

I've read a few others but those were the best ones. I really enjoy Crouch's fiction. I think his "Run" novel and M. T. Anderson's "Feed" (especially the latter in audiobook form!) are the two best books I've read in the past couple years.

 

[JujuFish]

Finished Crouch's third and final book in the "Wayward Pines" series. Quite good. I'd give the series 8/10 overall.

I went through this series the last time I had Kindle Unlimited and I liked it a lot more than the TV series they made out of it. I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise; books are always better.

 

[clamum]

I went through this series the last time I had Kindle Unlimited and I liked it a lot more than the TV series they made out of it. I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise; books are always better.

Yeah I was surprised to see it was a TV series after I had finished the first book and it was even better that Crouch was apparently involved in some capacity but I kinda lost interest after a couple episodes, and it was a bummer that it was canceled after a season or two anyway.

I feel like a dark and tense tone tends to fit Crouch's work the best and I didn't really get that from the show.

 

[IronWing]

RADIX by AA Attanasio
The language is top shelf but the protagonist is unlikable by design and I don’t like him.

 

[DigDog]

I'm YET AGAIN (for maybe 4th time) re-reading "1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus" by Charles C. Mann.
This time it's about trying to grok the concept Mann set forth, with GOOD supporting evidence, that the Amazon rainforest was the intentionally planted and carefully cultivated GARDEN of some prehistoric human civilization presently unknown to science. The thing is, Mann presents EVIDENCE.... PHYSICAL DATA. If true, then it implies our current orthodox understanding of human history is crazily wrongheaded and ignorant of HUGE things occuring in pre-history.

For me personally it leans toward validating some concepts I've gradually been forming + accepting, that are based on LOTS of things seen by me personally in my extensive world travels.... Based on things I've personally seen I'm leaning toward the general idea that human history extends vastly further back than the 200K years we're taught. Into the millions of years further back.

Anyway, based on Charles C Mann, today's Amazon jungle isn't there by chance evolution. It was PLANTED there by a prehistory civilization having knowledge at least on par with ours today, or maybe more advanced.

So here I am again re-reading Charles C. Mann.

you know .. i read this book. Because you recommended it. Thank you; this was in fact a very insightful book and i have to agree that the evidence is well presented and the claim is realistic. I did a bit of digging afterwards and i see that there is still some conflict on this subject in the academia, but in my ignorance, i'm with Mann.
i ain't even kidding

good book. got it for three bucks 2nd hand from Amazon.

 

[DigDog]

i also read Memoires Of A Geisha

and the book (ghost)written by the same lady who allegedly Memories is based on, Geisha, A Life.

Memoires is a nice fiction book, with a villain, a protagonist character arc, challenges to overcome, antagonistic secondary characters, everything you'd expect from a perfect story. It's no surprise that it's bullshit, mostly. But it's a decent read.

A Life is more down to earth and nowhere near as interesting from .. a plotline point of view.

Both books describe the ascent of the most famous (and stupidly rich) Geisha of the WW2 period. In Memoires, she is a poor baby girl dressed in rags, carrying heavy buckets of water but determined to master the arts. She endures defloration, betrayal, jealousy, cruel teachers, faux pas misunderstandings, eventually overcoming adversity through her dedication to the dance.

In the second book, she is a particularly handsome young girl who is earmarked for success, and a troupe of experienced professionals build her up into what is essentially a fashion model.

The first book is more interesting as a fable, the second is more interesting as a snapshot of what was essentially japan's last moment of "ancient times" before the postwar modernization. Which of these two books you would find more interesting, is down to what you expect out of a book.

Neither book is great, but, they were not a waste of time. I would say "average".


i am currently reading Ivanhoe. My dad bought me a (different) copy of this book which i have not yet read, and that was 30 years ago - i better get to it.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Been reading some of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books. My library had a few of them and I needed something to read. Basically another Anne McCaffrey's Pern style of series only horses instead of dragons and more straight fantasy rather than Sci-Fi.

 

[clamum]

Wow, that's quite the claim from Mann. I'm hugely sceptical of that, I mean there's been plenty of rainforests around before humans walked around. I tend to believe in the whole "simpler explanation" in most cases, without other evidence or knowing anything else.

That being said I haven't read the book but it sounds like he presents actual evidence. Sounds interesting!

I'm currently reading David Achord's "The Fifteens" (book in his zombie apocalypse series). It's your typical zombie fare I'd say. I listened to most of the series on audiobook and would be laughing a lot in my car listening to it just because of some of shit the guy writes I found hilarious (like the main character had a girlfriend and they had a, uh, 'exciting' night together, and the next morning she says something like "I have cock breath" lmfao). You'd think the books were written by a teenager but it's a middle aged man lol.

Also listening to Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World. Man I can't imagine the pressure he felt after being told he was president. Definitely was a small town guy too.

 

[DainBramaged]

I just finished The Border by Don Winslow. It was by far my favorite book of the series. I also really enjoyed The Force by him, as well.

Currently, I'm really super-excited about Sid Meier's Memoir! A Life in Computer Games. I'm loving reading about the beginnings of some of his masterpieces. It's also entertaining to read about some of his flops. Learning what processes he goes through when planning a new game idea is really insightful.

I'm also reading Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World, by Robert Gates, Secretery Defense for both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Being in the military, I've have a high respect for someone who values what he believes in more than political party affiliation. I don't always agree with what his claims; however, I respect them and realize I may be the wrong one.