What Are You Reading Now?

[PaloAltoCougar]

I’m finishing up Homo Deus and just getting into Leonardo Da Vinci (with Grant on deck), but I had to drop the somewhat heavy reading temporarily in favor of listening to Fire and Fury, Inside the Trump White House. The book will likely confirm everyone’s biases, regardless of what those are. Trump defenders will observe, correctly in this instance, that Trump’s critics are never objective and often unfair. Trump’s detractors will have their most negative suspicions about Trump and his inner circle confirmed.

Critics of the book (mainly Trump supporters, beginning with Sarah Huckabee Sanders) have said it’s an untrue and fabricated fantasy. Although no doubt there are some errors, it seems very accurate. It’s filled with loads of quotations from named sources and so many other details that could be easily refuted or contradicted, and yet, so far as I am aware, none have been. Indeed, there are so many direct quotes from Bannon alone that haven’t been denied or refuted (by him or others) that it lends support to the veracity of the other sometimes surprising statements.

Other than a detailed description by Ivanka about how her dad constructs his hair over a completely hairless dome (an lol moment which can be embarrassing if one is listening on earphones with others nearby), there’s not a great deal new about Trump. But one picks up a greater understanding of the changing and petty rivalries between the Bannon and Jarvanka factions, and why we should all be praying for the good health of Messrs. Kelly, Mattis and Tillerson. Although I still think he’s a terrible person, Bannon comes off somewhat better than I expected. He's certainly more savvy politically than the inner Trump circle who are political dunces. Hope Hicks is a spineless sycophant who may be facing some legal problems due, among other things, to helping Trump on Air Force One to craft the utterly false explanation of the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians (although I felt sorry for her when, after explaining why she wanted to help Cory Lewandowski, an erstwhile lover, with his post-campaign career, Trump declared in the presence of others, “Why help him? You’re the best piece of tail he’ll ever have.”). And newsflash, Don Jr. comes off as a dope. I like that he’s referred to as Fredo by Bannon and others still on the WH staff.

I feel a little unclean for having listened to it, but it’s been an entertaining experience.

[Pelado]

I’m finishing up Homo Deus and just getting into Leonardo Da Vinci (with Grant on deck), but I had to drop the somewhat heavy reading temporarily in favor of listening to Fire and Fury, Inside the Trump White House. The book will likely confirm everyone’s biases, regardless of what those are. Trump defenders will observe, correctly in this instance, that Trump’s critics are never objective and often unfair. Trump’s detractors will have their most negative suspicions about Trump and his inner circle confirmed.

Critics of the book (mainly Trump supporters, beginning with Sarah Huckabee Sanders) have said it’s an untrue and fabricated fantasy. Although no doubt there are some errors, it seems very accurate. It’s filled with loads of quotations from named sources and so many other details that could be easily refuted or contradicted, and yet, so far as I am aware, none have been. Indeed, there are so many direct quotes from Bannon alone that haven’t been denied or refuted (by him or others) that it lends support to the veracity of the other sometimes surprising statements.

Other than a detailed description by Ivanka about how her dad constructs his hair over a completely hairless dome (an lol moment which can be embarrassing if one is listening on earphones with others nearby), there’s not a great deal new about Trump. But one picks up a greater understanding of the changing and petty rivalries between the Bannon and Jarvanka factions, and why we should all be praying for the good health of Messrs. Kelly, Mattis and Tillerson. Although I still think he’s a terrible person, Bannon comes off somewhat better than I expected. He's certainly more savvy politically than the inner Trump circle who are political dunces. Hope Hicks is a spineless sycophant who may be facing some legal problems due, among other things, to helping Trump on Air Force One to craft the utterly false explanation of the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians (although I felt sorry for her when, after explaining why she wanted to help Cory Lewandowski, an erstwhile lover, with his post-campaign career, Trump declared in the presence of others, “Why help him? You’re the best piece of tail he’ll ever have.”). And newsflash, Don Jr. comes off as a dope. I like that he’s referred to as Fredo by Bannon and others still on the WH staff.

I feel a little unclean for having listened to it, but it’s been an entertaining experience.

Sounds like a lot of fun.

[happyone]

I’m finishing up Homo Deus and just getting into Leonardo Da Vinci (with Grant on deck), ...

Chernow's Grant? I've heard great things about it. I got the DeVinci book with my B&N gift cards and I hope to start it this month.

If you read fiction, I just finished a HF novel about the 4 yrs De Vinci and Michelangelo were in Florence at the same time (1501-1505), De Vinci painting the Mona Lisa (among other things) and Michelangelo sculpting his David.

Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo by Stephanie Storey
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...oil-and-marble

I thought it was a solid 4 star read.

[wuapinmon]

Was ready player one any good? I've had it sitting unopened on my kindle for a couple of years.

It's really fun. I was very proud of myself for figuring out a couple of things before the book told me. I, however, would've never found the Copper Key.

[Surfah]

Was ready player one any good? I've had it sitting unopened on my kindle for a couple of years.

Read it last week while on business out of town. Loved it. Been meaning to get to it for years and the trailer that recently released pushed me to finally do it. Fun and fast paced.

[happyone]

I finally finished the bio of Marin Luther I was reading - Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...-martin-luther

I found it to be a slog to get through. While there was some interesting facts that I didn’t know, I felt the author goes way too deep into the weeds on theological matters. Some of this is necessary due to the nature of Luther’s work, but I think she went overboard on some matters. For example she spends more than 50 pages discussing the nature of the communion and the effect it had on the Reformation. Basically Luther kept the Catholic understating of the communion, while others adopted the dogma that the Body and Blood of Christ were not actually in the communion, but his only his spirit. The author also covers works v grace, where spiritual knowledge/practices come from (bible only v church tradition, church councils and the bible), the importance of clergy. There also quite a lot on his views of sex – he was in favor of it 

All in all this has an academic feel to it (not surprising since the author is an Oxford Professor of Religion) and it a little dry.

I'm starting Ken Follett's new HF novel tomorrow - A Column of Fire
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...om_search=true

Its the third entry into in his series on Kingsbridge Cathedral and is set in the 1500s

It's very popular at the library and I have a short turnaround time to get it read - probably most of the week end will be spent reading it

[SteelBlue]

It's very popular at the library and I have a short turnaround time to get it read - probably most of the week end will be spent reading it

Oh, please, you're not fooling anyone. You'll probably finish 3 books this weekend.

[happyone]

- it is 900 pages, I'll have to devote my entire weekend to it to avoid overdue charges

[pelagius]

Was ready player one any good? I've had it sitting unopened on my kindle for a couple of years.

Read it last week while on business out of town. Loved it. Been meaning to get to it for years and the trailer that recently released pushed me to finally do it. Fun and fast paced.

It's really fun. I was very proud of myself for figuring out a couple of things before the book told me. I, however, would've never found the Copper Key.

This was my most recent audio book listen. I didn't like it near as much as you guys. It was ok (enjoyable overall), but ... I don't know ... it's basically the Neuschwanstein Castle of books. Also, the audio book is read by Whil Wheaton; I wonder how much my view is tangled up in not liking him as the reader.

[falafel]

This was my most recent audio book listen. I didn't like it near as much as you guys. It was ok (enjoyable overall), but ... I don't know ... it's basically the Neuschwanstein Castle of books. Also, the audio book is read by Whil Wheaton; I wonder how much my view is tangled up in not liking him as the reader.

I hated Will as the reader. Got the audiobook and them turned it off after a bit because he is so annoying. He reads Armada too.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Just finished Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, a historian from Israel. NYT bestseller that has been discussed here. SeattleUte referenced it a couple of times.

I both loved and hated this book at the same time. It is a history of homo sapiens. Starts out with a great history of evolution, breaking down the various human species. There were five "human" species and homo sapiens were the only ones to survive (we probably wiped out the others, and there was some interbreeding). Then it gets into the transition from hunter-gatherer to agriculture then to the industrial revolution. Very interesting discussion of the development of money and how that changed everything.

Overall, it was a fascinating overview of human history, but the book has some flaws. On on page he would write something that was deep and insightful and on the next page he would write something that makes your eyes roll. For example, he repeatedly claims that moral codes, religions, etc are all myths. At one point he states:

“Any meaning that people prescribe to their lives is just a delusion.”

Everything is molecules and biology and chance, and nature doesn't care about anything and nothing has any long-term meaning whatsoever. Then at the same time, he repeatedly hops up on a soapbox to condemn the way humans treat animals. He says the modern animal industry could be "the greatest crime in the history of the world".

He also stated that scientists have proven that there is no human soul.

Traditional roles for men and women such as fighting in wars, raising children, etc. have nothing to do with biology and are purely based on cultural myths.

Rich people having nicer homes and living a nicer neighborhoods and getting better education is equivalent to racial discrimination.

Sometimes I wonder if some of these things just sound goofy due to translation. A direct quote:

“People everywhere have divided themselves into men and women, and almost everywhere man have gotten the better deal.”

He also predicts that humans will be replaced by cyborgs in the next 100 years. Some merit to his hypothesis, but it is a real stretch overall.

So this is the same guy that wrote Homo Deus. Some of you (PAC?) have read this. I have it in my queue on Audible, but now I am wondering if I want to bother with it.

[LiveCoug]

I hated Will as the reader. Got the audiobook and them turned it off after a bit because he is so annoying. He reads Armada too.

I actually was ok with Will narrating, but you have to listen to him at 1.2 speed.

Scott Brick is the only narrator that I hate with the fire of a thousand suns. Uggh, he is so awful.

[pelagius]

I actually was ok with Will narrating, but you have to listen to him at 1.2 speed.

I don't know ... I listened to it at 2.3x; he was still annoying.

[LiveCoug]

I don't know ... I listened to it at 2.3x; he was still annoying.

Ha.

Also, Armada was so dumb. All y'all can just skip that one.

[CardiacCoug]

Of all the things to disagree with you highlight his point that throughout history it’s been better to be a man than a woman?That’s funny. That’s gotta be the least controversial thing in the whole book.

And I’m sure you understand that “myth” isn’t perjorative. I liked the comparison of the myth of religion to the myth of the corporation. Just because it’s a myth doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial or even necessary for a civilized society.