What Are You Reading Now?

[BigPiney]

Somewhere in the mountains, Piney is cursing.

LOL, Just shaking my head.

BTW, I am almost done with Reservoir 13, which was longlisted for the Booker. I really liked it and think you would like it.

[SteelBlue]

LOL, Just shaking my head.

BTW, I am almost done with Reservoir 13, which was longlisted for the Booker. I really liked it and think you would like it.

You are the only one from whom I will accept criticism of this book. As you know, I loved it but hey, agree to disagree. I will definitely check out Reservoir 13. My library is slow to get the good new stuff and I haven’t been reviewing nearly as much lately.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Thanks (and I mean that) to SB, BP and JL, I finally picked up a copy of The Nix and have been immensely entertained. I have about 100 pages to go and I'm already sad it's nearing a very uncertain conclusion. The main story is interesting and very well-written, but it's the many side characters and stories that enrich the experience. Before turning off the light last night, I read what seemed like a multipage sentence about pwnage's effort to finally give up Elfcraft (a WoW-like computer game) and it was deeply touching. Between pwnage, Periwinkle, Laura, Bishop, Charlie Brown, and a few others, not to mention the primary narrative, I'm having a great time. Thanks for the rec.

I also just finished The Taking of K-129, the story of how the U.S. conspired with Howard Hughes (or at least his minions) in an attempt to recover a Soviet nuclear sub more than three miles beneath the ocean's surface in the early '70s, which was probably the most elaborate and expensive spy caper in history. Throughout the 80s, I always wondered what that monstrous boat, the Glomar Explorer, was doing moored amongst many dozens of mothballed freighters in the bay near San Francisco. Now I know. The book has more technical detail than I cared about, but how they came up with the technology to scavenge the distant ocean floor was still interesting.

[happyone]

I finished Ben MacIntyer's book on Kim Philby

A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...-among-friends

excellent look at the Soviet Spy ring that was operating in the British Gov't in the 40's and 50's. Philby rose to be head of MI6's counter intelligence and at one point was MI6's representative to the CIA. Really good look at just how he was able to infiltrate MI6 and stay one jump ahead of the CI guys in MI5. He also looks at his friend Nick Elliot - who was not KGB and rose to the highest levels in MI6 and defended Philby to the last. James Angleton of the CIA, who MacIntyer says just about destroyed the CIA looking for moles in the aftermath of Philby's exposure, also figures prominently.

I am currently reading Dan Jones new Medieval History

The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...6-the-templars

A fairly complete look at them, not only their battle history in the Holy Land, but their operations else where including Spain and how they became the prototype international bankers.

I haven't typed up my complete thoughts on either one just yet

[SteelBlue]

Read Madame Bovary for the first time and enjoyed it immensely. A great story of a transformation and downward spiral that strangely reminded me of Breaking Bad more than once. I found it especially interesting that Flaubert and his publisher were prosecuted at the time of the book's publication for insulting public morals and religion when it wouldn't cause even the most prude of modern readers to blush.

[CardiacCoug]

I finally got around to reading The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee — what a great book. I loved his book about cancer and this is even better. I feel like I know a lot of the stories but the way he puts the history into such a compelling and connected narrative is awesome.

I’ve started Age of Anger and liking it too so far — then Homo Deus and maybe The Nix (to insert a little fiction) will be on my list.

[clackamascoug]

Just finished today - (36 hours) of Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life.

It was very listenable - and captivating at times. Lots of early information about how Warren became Warren, even to the point where he stole golf balls from Sears as a young teenager to make side money as he fenced his booty. Learned horse handicapping, and bought a farm at 14 with $2000 he had saved leasing it to a man for 50/50 split of the net profit. His story continues along the arc that we all know... until he has so much cash on hand (40+ billion) that he almost runs out of ideas of how to spend it. The book also gives a clear insight into his infamous marriage... and how much he loved his wife even though they didn't live together past 1979. Talks about Bill Gates a lot, but not as much as I thought it would.

My ideal book is one that I'll listen to twice - I'll sit on this a few months and redoit next year.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I finally got around to reading The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee — what a great book. I loved his book about cancer and this is even better. I feel like I know a lot of the stories but the way he puts the history into such a compelling and connected narrative is awesome.

I’ve started Age of Anger and liking it too so far — then Homo Deus and maybe The Nix (to insert a little fiction) will be on my list.

Heh.

http://www.cougarstadium.com/showthr...=1#post1338196

I am about 1/3 of the way through The Gene. I agree that it is even better then the cancer book that won the Pulitzer. Really fascinating stuff.

I had no idea that the eugenics stuff went as far as it did in the USA. Blows my mind that the SCOTUS voted 8-1 to approve forced sterilization of poor people.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Thanks (and I mean that) to SB, BP and JL, I finally picked up a copy of The Nix and have been immensely entertained. I have about 100 pages to go and I'm already sad it's nearing a very uncertain conclusion. The main story is interesting and very well-written, but it's the many side characters and stories that enrich the experience. Before turning off the light last night, I read what seemed like a multipage sentence about pwnage's effort to finally give up Elfcraft (a WoW-like computer game) and it was deeply touching. Between pwnage, Periwinkle, Laura, Bishop, Charlie Brown, and a few others, not to mention the primary narrative, I'm having a great time. Thanks for the rec.

Hard to overstate how much I loved this novel. You are right, it is character driven. Funny you should mention that about pwnage. I had the same reaction: repulsed at first, but eventually became sympathetic. Ditto for Laura Pottsdam. Ditto for Sam's mother ("How could you abandon your son?!"). Ultimately, I think this is one of the central themes of the book. I enjoyed this passage near the end:

“Because if you see people as enemies or obstacles or traps, you will be at constant war with them and with yourself. Whereas if you choose to see people as puzzles, and if you see yourself as a puzzle, then you will be constantly delighted. Because eventually, if you dig deep enough into anybody, if you really look under the hood at someone’s life, you will find something familiar. This is more work of course, than believing they are enemies. Understanding is always harder than plain hatred. But it expands your life. You will feel less alone."

[PaloAltoCougar]

Hard to overstate how much I loved this novel. You are right, it is character driven. Funny you should mention that about pwnage. I had the same reaction: repulsed at first, but eventually became sympathetic. Ditto for Laura Pottsdam. Ditto for Sam's mother ("How could you abandon your son?!"). Ultimately, I think this is one of the central themes of the book. I enjoyed this passage near the end:

A strong quote, and helped eliminate what was a growing sense that the ending was going to be disappointingly weak or formulaic. I love the last few paragraphs of the book.

One other note... My morning commute includes a 1.5 mile-long exit lane for those of us moving from one freeway to another. Typically, the lineup in the lane is more than a mile long, with latecomers or jerks trying to sneak in near the front of the line, while everyone behind seethes at this injustice. I therefore loved this observation:

There is no place less communal in America—no place less cooperative and brotherly, no place with fewer feelings of shared sacrifice—than a rush-hour freeway in Chicago. And there is no better test of this than watching what happens where there is a hundred-car line in the far-right lane, which there is when Samuel reaches his exit. How people bypass the line and dive into any available cranny in front, skipping all the drivers patiently waiting, all of whom are now enraged at this because they each have to wait incrementally longer, but also a bigger and deeper rage that the asshole didin’t wait his turn like everyone else, that he didn’t suffer like they suffer, and then also a tertiary inner rage that they are suckers who wait in line.

To my shame, these are my feelings exactly.

[Jeff Lebowski]

A strong quote, and helped eliminate what was a growing sense that the ending was going to be disappointingly weak or formulaic. I love the last few paragraphs of the book.

One other note... My morning commute includes a 1.5 mile-long exit lane for those of us moving from one freeway to another. Typically, the lineup in the lane is more than a mile long, with latecomers or jerks trying to sneak in near the front of the line, while everyone behind seethes at this injustice. I therefore loved this observation:



To my shame, these are my feelings exactly.

Ha! I remember that quote. I marked it and played it for my wife.

Ditto for the first exchange between Sam and Laura when he caught her cheating. The audiobook version of that was brilliant and had us both laughing to tears.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Ha! I remember that quote. I marked it and played it for my wife.

Ditto for the first exchange between Sam and Laura when he caught her cheating. The audiobook version of that was brilliant and had us both laughing to tears.

The Sam/Laura exchange was hilarious, and I wondered if you and others in the needlenecked wankers crowd (no offense!) had had similar experiences. That would make for a wonderful movie scene.

[SteelBlue]

Finished L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy. Long a favorite film, I've been wanting to read the book that inspired it. One of the more complex crime novels I've come across especially compared with the movie. I have to say that film adaptation is brilliant, reducing eight major plot lines to 3ish. Excellent book and so different from the movie that the reading experience didn't feel redundant at all. The biggest difference, in the book every detective is dirty and the Lt. Exley character has as many flaws and skeletons as anyone else, probably more.

[happyone]

I recently finished The Great Quake

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...he-great-quake

It the story of the 1964 Alaska Earth Quake. At this time it is the strongest earthquake ever measured in North America 9.2 on the Richter Scale
Not only is this the story of people who went through the quake and the damage it did, but the author also tells how it affected the acceptance of contenential drift and plate tectonics.

It's a little dry is spots, but I found rather fascinating. I can actually remember seeing reports of this on the news.

[Eddie]

Hard to overstate how much I loved this novel. You are right, it is character driven. Funny you should mention that about pwnage. I had the same reaction: repulsed at first, but eventually became sympathetic. Ditto for Laura Pottsdam. Ditto for Sam's mother ("How could you abandon your son?!"). Ultimately, I think this is one of the central themes of the book. I enjoyed this passage near the end:

A strong quote, and helped eliminate what was a growing sense that the ending was going to be disappointingly weak or formulaic. I love the last few paragraphs of the book.

One other note... My morning commute includes a 1.5 mile-long exit lane for those of us moving from one freeway to another. Typically, the lineup in the lane is more than a mile long, with latecomers or jerks trying to sneak in near the front of the line, while everyone behind seethes at this injustice. I therefore loved this observation:

To my shame, these are my feelings exactly.

Those quotes remind me quite a bit of the Arbinger Institute stuff.