[OT] What are you reading right now?

Sugarloaf snow report and looking forward to 12" new on Wednesday

I read da shit truck winners circle quarterly

The Beatles: The Biography....by Bob Spitz

this book is 990 some pages. i'm only on page 109 (only had the book for 3 weeks) and this book is incredible. its very interesting and i'm loving it.

i'm trying to start reading more. over the years i haven't been one who reads for fun. however, if it something that really interests me, i enjoy it

Heinlein is good. I prefer Bradbury.

I belong to the shit truck positivity winners circle book club. I read the Thank Shit And Grow Rich by Mapolean Dill

I also read how to Dump Loads and Influence Shitheads by Maynard Carnage


This one helped me get real good at filling basements to the brim

I love this subject

Bradbury... "Fahrenheit 451" is an obvious but worthy choice. Short story collections, "R is for Rocket" and "The Illustrated Man".

My favorite fiction book is Mark Wank and Dingleberry Sawyer. He was a badass at making other people do his work.

When I get time I am going to finish reading about Moby's Dickless. I look forward to the ending and dat wale kicking those ass pirates clowns to Chinese

Last read was Grisham’s The Guardians, also read Dave Barry’s last book I’m a fan of his and Carl Hiassen, as well as Elmore Leonard read more fiction now than when I was younger then I read a lot of biographies and business books looking for self improvement now just read for pleasure

Elmore Leonard is pretty great.

If you like Leonard, then try "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" by George V. Higgins.

Read that a few years ago enjoyed it. I also liked Tom Clancy’s novels my favorite was The Cardinal of the Kremlin, but I’m not much of a fan of the new books written in his name since he died.

I'm reading TUSCL right now...

But to answer the question, I'm re-reading the Flashman novels of George MacDonald Fraser. These are the funny, extremely non-PC adventures of Harry Flashman, a Victorian soldier who earns undeserved honors while acting as a bully, cad, bounder, coward, poltroon, and lecher.

As for non-fiction, I'm reading "A History of the Jews" by Paul Johnson.

I am seriously rooting for the wale

You are a Cool guy heaving

Currently reading nonfiction: Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

Not too far into it yet, but it’s been a fun read so far. In short, insight into people based off their internet searches. 😁

Last book I read was My Horizontal life by Chelsea Handler. I thought it was good. Some of her annectodal one night stands

Great reads: The fifth profession and Assumed Identity - David Morrell

Heinlein is great. My favorite was Starship Troopers. Much better than the movie. I had forgotten about the Flashman series of novels. Read them 30+ years ago. They were great too.

The best science fiction author was Gene Wolfe, who recently passes away. Read The Book of the New Sun.

I've read only a few short stories by Gene Wolfe, but I enjoyed them.

First of all, absolutely ❤❤❤ Chelsea Handler and am dying to read her stuff, just haven't gotten there yet... What I'm currently reading: The Celestine Prophecy. I'm almost done, and I would recommend it to anyone!
❤
🔆

I'm currently reading this great site called TUSCL. The best fictional entertainment you will ever read.

As for non-fiction, I prefer to feel my entertainment rather than read it.

Just finished the Sixth Extinction. Currently working on Moby Dick and Pre-suasion.

Currently reading 1984 by George Orwell.

Government oppression, thought control and authoritarian rule is becoming more and more present in our world and it's terrifying. Nothing scares me more than censored thought and the idea of a police state

For fiction, Purity by J. Franzen.
For nonfiction, The Last Days of the Incas.

Check out Animal Farm by Orwell, 1984 is about unchecked capitalism, but animal farm is a study in corruption applied specifically to the beginnings of the Soviet Union.

@heaving I will definitely check out Brave New World!

@25 I have read Animal Farm! I loved it and I loved how each character was symbolic of certain key figures in Soviet Union

Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution
By
T. J. English

"Brave New World" and "1984" are two great books to read one right after the other.

I alternate between books I want to read and books I should have read, according to people who think they now. Right now I’m reading Anna Karenina.

Both Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress are awesome reads. Heinlein’s social and political commentaries are pretty shallow, but both books are really fun reads.

StripperWeb

It's part of the delusional genre

Never been one to read for entertainment although I think reading is a great way to acquire knowledge and/or seeing/thinking-about things one may have never thought about or looked at in a particular way.

I enjoy reading articles of things that interest me - I just have not seen myself being able to invest the time and sticking-to-it required of reading books.

Ken Liu - Grace of Kings
Kevin Kwan - Rich People Problems
Martin Lindstrom - Brandwashed
Brian K. Vaughn - Saga (Space Opera Graphic Novel with a lot of violence & nudity)

No problem - if you enjoy that I know of a few others of similar genre.

While animal farm's two main characters were both pigs, Napoleon represented Stalinm and Snowball represented Trotsky. 1984, a book I have read and re-read every year since 1969 is not a diatribe against capitalism, although Orwell, a socialist, hated capitalism. The book is an attack on Soveit style Big Government Communism, which Orwell hated far more. If you do not read 1984 more than a few times you will miss alot, but there is no doubt that what Orwell predicted is coming true, just decades later. A surveillance society; Government exterminating and then changing hisotry; lack of privacy; words mean everything and actions nothing; the destruction of the nuclear family and its replacement by the state and on and on. Never forget that Winston Smith's job was to go back in time and change the "news" to reflect what was currently going on. Never forget that one of his co-workers was tasked with reducing the language to 600 words, because that was the amount needed to conduct everyday life and commerce, but using more words than that allowed people to think for themselves and consider abstract ideas. His co-worker of course was disappeared and whenever I read this part of the book I think of how stupid ppl seem to be when texting, which is today's version of 600 words...

@heaving & skibum
In 1984 Big Brother represented unchecked capitalism just look at what the most powerful companies are today, only a few actually manufactured a product (Apple) the rest just intellectual capital (Facebook, Google). You can disagree all you like but it’s right there in black and white.

^That was the point their products ensure that the government knows more about you than you like and make no bones about it it’s not a conspiracy theory it’s a big suck out of your pocket

Bah. I want less of the talk about dystopian novels and politics and more of the novels about shit.

About... actual feces?

I mean, I don't know. Who am I to judge...?

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot.

Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean.
True story of the Mann Gulch Fire that overran a crew of smoke jumpers in 1949.

I’m not much of a fiction reader. I am reading The liberal industrial complex by Mark dice. Finished fake news by Mark Dice. The book, On Kiilling By lieutenant colonel David Grossman. On Combat by Lieutenant Colonel David Grossman. Tons of History online. Lots of pharmacotherapy literature. My own book to see if I need to re-print republish rewrite. Takes a lot of time out of your day to do that though.

Since he’s getting ready to publish a new one, I’m rereading (actually listening this time) Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series.

If you want really, really good fantasy, that one is top notch, along with Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy.

"Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress" by Christopher Ryan

Happy New Year.

I can't lie, I haven't read a legit book in a long time. But I bought a few books that I've been planning to read, based on my love of trains. Transit Maps of the World, and BART.

And I have to say that I'm absolutely shocked that SJG hasn't responded to this thread with a fuck ton of books.

TFP... SJG blocked me.

You're welcome.

"... Once someone thought I was working on trains when I said I was an engineer ..."

What kinda engineer are you?

War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength

Actually, I am reading "Flyboys" by James Bradley, who also wrote "Flags of Our Fathers". It's the story of nine Navy pilots who were shot down over Chichi Jima. Of the nine, the only one who was rescued was George H.W. Bush. The others were captured tortured and executed under horrendous circumstances. Just started this one.

^ seems like a real pick me up

Heaving is a suave chemical engineer who prefers to tip dances for their time instead of buying dances. 😇

heaving is probably a data scientist, along those lines. Don't worry - Austin has a lot of jobs like this so you are still anonymous enough.

Fiction:

Original title: Le Petit Prince
Author/ Illustrator: Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry,

Theme:

“The main theme of The Little Prince is the importance of looking beneath the surface to find the real truth and meaning of a thing. It is the fox who teaches the Prince to see with one's heart instead of just with one's eyes. ... “

Non-fiction

Original title: Traité sur la tolérance
Author: François-Marie Arouet nom de plume Voltaire

Theme:

“The Treatise on Tolerance on the Occasion of the Death of Jean Calas from the Judgment Rendered in Toulouse (Pieces Originales Concernant la Mort des Sieurs Calas det le Jugement rendu a Toulouse) is a work by French philosopher Voltaire, published in 1763, in which he calls for tolerance between religions, and targets religious fanaticism, especially that of the Jesuits (under whom Voltaire received his early education), indicting all superstitions surrounding religions.”

Madness and civilization by Foucault

I'm in the middle of several books right now. The first ones to come to mind are The User Illusion and Eastern Mind, Western Body, which or both psychology books. The other is some fiction garbage I downloaded on Kindle app. Unfortunately, none have really held my interest and I don't have that much time for reading.

"To ho or not to ho" - by Dr Juice Box Phd

Examining the positive effects ho-ing has on our society ranging from economic stimulation to stress relief.

Considered the defining work in the area of ho-ing with over a decade of research.

^ highly recommend

I got burned out on reading when I was stationed in Japan during 1964/65. 1 program a week in English on Japanese TV, 1 new movie a week at the base theater and the USO club showed some old reruns of TV shows once a week. So I was reading 5-6 books a week in between drinking, playing cards and getting laid.

25 Big Brother represented ourt of control government forcing people to think the same way - reminds of when Obam,a said "When the Con stitution conflicts with Offical Govermnent Policy, the Con stitution must bend". A Government running production is communism not capitalism and feel free to disagree all you like. There is no question that the Government controlled every aspect of life, including the truth in 1984, and that is Left wing Government, not capitalism.

^ I guess you know more than George Orwell, he’s the source where The information for my book report comes from

I wish I had the time to read for pleasure. I was an avid reader until I had children. Now the only chance I get is when I'm on a plane.

The System by Rick Dugan, it’s an old fashioned guide to getting hos cheap 😁

"The Little Engine That Could"

One of the most inspirational works of our time.

I need to be reading Foucault myself.

SJG

Just finished Run spot Run
Gonna try papi’s recommendation the little engine that could hope the words aren’t to big for me to sound out.

Spygate

Anarchist Cookbook
https://www.amazon.com/Anarchist-Cookboo…

SJG

Just finished "FDR at War," a trilogy by Nigel Hamilton. An easy read about the politics, ego clashes and strategic planning during WWII. Hamilton's goal was to write the history that FDR did not live to write and to correct the record written by Winston Churchill in his "History of the Second World War." Hamilton explains the history that led to the creation of the United Nations, NATO and the other agreements that have kept the peace in Europe for 75 years.

Now reading "World in Disarray," by Richard Haas, which explains how all of the arrangements put in place after WWII are coming undone.

Bitcoin price chart

'Atlas of a lost world', about the arrival and spread of human beings in North America. Quite fascinating speculation about people that were essentially like us.

Before that was 'The Goldfinch'.

Never been much of a book reader, but trying to cultivate such as I near retirement.

I guess SJG amended his ignore list. Sorry CMI, seems you didn't make the cut this time around.

I think that SJG's Ignore List is really an "Ignore List".

Meaning, I'm pretty sure that he has no one on ignore.

Chicago - January to date , total homicides=23 . total shot=98 from a chicago web site on crime

I was orienting this thread more towards books, but thanks.

I read (listen rather) purely for entertainment. I’m an unapologetic sci-fi dork.

I’ve enjoyed the cradle series - sort of an eastern martial arts series. I explained it bad but it’s excellent.

Galaxys edge series is a sci-fi military type series that blatantly rips off Star Wars, but pulls it off far better.

The expanse books are great too.

The only nonfiction I read these days is code documentation and legal stuff

I enjoy The Expanse TV series but haven't read the books. Heard good things, though.

Expanse books are great and the narrator for the audiobooks is good. A narrator makes or breaks a book. Game of thrones narrator is awful and ruins it over just reading the books.

Forgot to mention the last kingdom books. Viking historical fiction good stuff

reading “learning to speak spanish with lessons in your sleep”.

Highly effective, I imagine, if you want to speak Spanish when talking in your sleep.

twentyfive Dec 30
Read that a few years ago enjoyed it. I also liked Tom Clancy’s novels my favorite was The Cardinal of the Kremlin, but I’m not much of a fan of the new books written in his name since he died.


I also thought the original Clancy books were great. Think my favorites were Executive Orders and Rainbow 6. Newer stuff is okay but just not as good.

I am reading the shit truck digest

I enjoyed Tom Clancy's earlier stuff once and a while. Clancy employed a number of ghost writers toward the end of his career.

In that genre, I was more of a Ludlum / le Carré guy.

"Start a Successful Business " by Colleen DeBaise in paperback format.

In digital format: "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham
"Influence: The psychology of persuasion" by Robert B. Cialdini

The next book (at least for understanding the stock market portion ) I planned to read after is "Securities Analysts" also by Benjamin Graham. That's crap looks heavy tho.

I've been having a very hard time finding fiction that I actually enjoyed after I had long finished the Harry Potter and Eragon book series.

Also I like educating myself.

Estefador said "I've been having a very hard time finding fiction that I actually enjoyed after I had long finished the Harry Potter and Eragon book series."

Look at the "His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman.

You could benifit a lot from reading the rags to riches section of the shit truck digest. Good read and smart talk

Another decent series I am reading is the reckoners by Brandon Sanderson. Definitely YA stuff but still pretty good. It’s about people that hunt down and kill evil superheroes. Sort of like The Boys on amazon.

@Call.Me.Ishmael, I completely agree about Ludlum. Some of it is a bit dated now, but if you ignore those references, they're still excellent to outstanding.

In addition to Butcher's Dresden, Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" and "Starship Troopers" are always gonna be high on my list.

If you like alternate history/one way time travel, Eric Flint's 1632 series. Not your typical sequential read, but worth reading the series timeline to get the "right" order. :)

For Space Opera, try Weber's Safehold or Honor Harrington series. Both get pretty wordy and cover a *lot* of plot territory towards the end, but I enjoyed both of them.

For pure, simple fantasy, try Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms series. Kind of a sideways take on some classic fairy tales. For instance, the first one is The Fairy Godmother, and tells the story of what might have happened to Cinderella if the prince *hadn't* taken her away to marry him.

Piers Anthony's Xanth series is a good read.

If you play D&D, Weber's Bazell series (starting with Oath of Swords) is truly excellent. A talented DM's alternate D&D world, and it works well.

Another excellent alternate history/time travel one is Stirling's Nantucket Event trilogy. He also write a longer series about what happened in the world left behind when the Event happened. That one is called "The Change" and starts with "Dies the Fire".

For Star Wars fans, Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy is really probably the best Star Wars story ever. It's no longer canon, but it's still excellent. And I hear he's re-writing it to fit in the current Disney canon.

^^^ That's a fine list of recommendations. Haven't read them all, but I know of most.

For me, the Xanth series was the first book only. I thought it declined precipitously after that.

These are some cool fiction novels, but we got any more non fiction/business/stock market book recommendations?

I believe there are a few further up the thread.

https://www.amazon.com/Saint-Martin-Phil…

A. E. Waite (1857 - 1942) was a boni fide British Occultist and Golden Dawn veteran. He wrote many many books, they continue to be reprinted. What I am reading is a 1970 reprint of a 1901 publication.

I think it essential that those who are out of school, develop and pursue their own reading plan. What you get from reading one book is HUGE. And you know best, what kinds of books will be most important for you.

SJG