What Are You Reading Now?

[Mormon Red Death]

It’s interesting that Harari, Pinker and Easterbrook all develop essentially the same narrative—thanks to Christopher Columbus, the West broke of its Christian torpor and married imperialism, science and capitalism, which proceeded on a journey that, despite the terrible cost to the planet and human life at discrete places and times, ultimately arrived at a place where humans in the aggregate, in terms of standard of living, improving the planet, and longevity, are far better off since hunter gatherers, and everything keeps improving. But Harari’s takeaway is pessimism and nihilism, and the other two’s is purpose and optimism. Harari’s is by far the most engaging read, even though my own outlook is closer to that of the other two.

Harari is interesting and his ideas/insights can be mind blowing. I'm just biased to Eastbrooke for all the joy he's brought me from his football column. long live TMQ!

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[Mormon Red Death]

Bullshit jobs https://www.strike.coop/bullshit-jobs/
I loved this book.



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[LiveCoug]

Finished The Dark Tower series today. Sad that I'm done.

What a fun journey that was, with some great characters.

Ranking of books from favorite to least favorite:

1. Drawing of the Three.
2. Wolves of Calla
3. Wizard and Glass
4. The Wastelands
5. The Dark Tower
6. Song of Susannah
7. The Gunslinger

[SteelBlue]

Paris Trout by Pete Dexter. Found it on a list of award winners that have been largely forgotten. Won the National Book Award back in '88.

[BigPiney]

Paris Trout by Pete Dexter. Found it on a list of award winners that have been largely forgotten. Won the National Book Award back in '88.

That looks really good. Just checked it out of the library.

[SteelBlue]

That looks really good. Just checked it out of the library.

I'm 2/3 in and it's been great. Surprisingly relevant to current events. Pete Dexter also wrote Deadwood on which the HBO show was based.

[Walter Sobchak]

I’ve always fancied myself a mix of Steinbeck and Homer

I'm a mix of Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Horacio Quiroga, and John Kennedy Toole.

Not sure why I picked it up, but I just finished "A Confederacy of Dunces" by Toole. Very entertaining book. By the time you are done, it is hard not to think of it as an autobiography written by wuap TBH.

[BigPiney]

Not sure why I picked it up, but I just finished "A Confederacy of Dunces" by Toole. Very entertaining book. By the time you are done, it is hard not to think of it as an autobiography written by wuap TBH.

I actually had the same thought while listening to it.

[old_gregg]

rip ijr

[Flystripper]

Not sure why I picked it up, but I just finished "A Confederacy of Dunces" by Toole. Very entertaining book. By the time you are done, it is hard not to think of it as an autobiography written by wuap TBH.

loved that book

[Pelado]

Just finished reading Michael Vey: Battle of the Ampere to my 10-year-old. She likes the series quite a bit.

[happyone]

A couple of HF novels I've read recently

To Wake the Giant
Jeff Shaara's newest on Pearl Harbor. IMO Shaara is one the best writing Military HF right now - this is up to his standards. The novel covers the year leading up to the attack. The Japanese side is told through Adm Yamamoto, while the American perspective is told through the Sec of State - Cordell Hull and a young seaman on the Arizona, Tommy Biggs (Fictional, I think). Most of the novel is the diplomatic struggle between Japan and the US. The actual attack is only about a fifth to a quarter of the novel. Interesting factiod from his authors note: 335 crewmen survived the sinking of the Arizona, when he started research on the novel in 2018 there were 6 left. When he finished in late 2019 there were 2. He speculated that when the reader picked up the novel there would be 0. Something I read when the last WW I veteran died is very appropriate now- WW II is fast slipping from memory becoming history. When I finished this, I googled survivors of the Arizona and there were still 2 left.

The Land Beyond the Sea
Sharon Kay Penman's new novel on the Outremer/Crusades - set in the 1160s through the Crusader debacle at the Horn's of Hattin in 1187, leading to the Christian loss of Jerusalem ( haven't quite got there yet). I'm about 4/5ths of the way done, and so far this has mainly been the story of the leper King, Baldwin III and his efforts to keep the "Franks" from splitting into factions, leading to inevitable Christian defeat and explusion from the Holy Land. ( which is what happened after he died) There are some great scenes and the battle sequences are not particularly graphic or frequent.

[SteelBlue]

The Double Death of Quincas Water-Bray by Jorge Amado.

[SteelBlue]

Ran across this list and while I'd make several changes, it's a respectable best of the 2010's list for a site like EW. Thought readers here might find it interesting.

https://ew.com/books/2019/11/25/best-of-the-decade-top-10-fiction-books/

Of their 10 Best I've read 8. Of their Next 10 I've read 7. So, I feel like I can talk about their list without completely bullshitting. Every book they've selected (that I've read) is indeed worthy of consideration on such a list however, their top 3 selections wouldn't make my personal top 20. In any case, it's a nice list for selecting future reads.

Some personal notes: Lebowski will be happy to know that Underground Railroad did not make either list. Piney will be thrilled that Lincoln in the Bardo is nowhere to be found (though Tenth of December is there and rightly so). For my money, Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing gets the #1 slot.

Side note: in thinking about my own top 20 I’m realizing that Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow would very likely appeal to those of you who just finished All the Light We Cannot See.

[Pelado]

Ran across this list and while I'd make several changes, it's a respectable best of the 2010's list for a site like EW. Thought readers here might find it interesting.

https://ew.com/books/2019/11/25/best-of-the-decade-top-10-fiction-books/

Of their 10 Best I've read 8. Of their Next 10 I've read 7. So, I feel like I can talk about their list without completely bullshitting. Every book they've selected (that I've read) is indeed worthy of consideration on such a list however, their top 3 selections wouldn't make my personal top 20. In any case, it's a nice list for selecting future reads.

Some personal notes: Lebowski will be happy to know that Underground Railroad did not make either list. Piney will be thrilled that Lincoln in the Bardo is nowhere to be found (though Tenth of December is there and rightly so). For my money, Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing gets the #1 slot.

Side note: in thinking about my own top 20 I’m realizing that Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow would very likely appeal to those of you who just finished All the Light We Cannot See.

Intrigued, I just went and looked up Sing, Unburied, Sing. After reading through the blurb, I was embarrassed to realize that I've already read it, and just didn't remember it by its title. Obviously, it made a huge impression.