What Are You Reading Now?

[Green Monstah]

Sapiens. Great book on the history of humankind.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Sapiens. Great book on the history of humankind.

I really liked parts of it. And hated other parts.

Corporations aren't real? This is supposed to be a deep insight?

[BigPiney]

I have been reading so much lately, and yet my list of books to read and number of books on my kindle and audiobooks I have downloaded still outpaces my ability to get through them.

I set a goal to read/listen to 52 books this year. Just finished # 50 last night. Crazy.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I'm wrapping up Adrian Goldsworthy's biography of Julius Caesar. It has helped fill a large void in my knowledge of Roman history, and the book is very thorough and well-written, but it's been like a long homework assignment. Way too many names to keep track of. Recommended only if you're already into Roman history, but I also picked up a lot of info about the Ptolemaic rulers in Egypt, including Cleopatra.

[BigFatMeanie]

I have been reading so much lately, and yet my list of books to read and number of books on my kindle and audiobooks I have downloaded still outpaces my ability to get through them.

I set a goal to read/listen to 52 books this year. Just finished # 50 last night. Crazy.

Care to share your list of 50?

[Jeff Lebowski]

I have been reading so much lately, and yet my list of books to read and number of books on my kindle and audiobooks I have downloaded still outpaces my ability to get through them.

I set a goal to read/listen to 52 books this year. Just finished # 50 last night. Crazy.

Holy cow. Impressive.

[Green Monstah]

I really liked parts of it. And hated other parts.

Corporations aren't real? This is supposed to be a deep insight?

He was interviewed on the "People I Mostly Admire" podcast, and he mentions that some of the concepts he presented were banal, but the readers thought they were mindblowing. I wonder if he'd put corporations as a fiction in that category. For me, I thought lumping theistic religion and non-theistic ideologies in the same bucket was thought provoking. Since he's a secular Buddhist, I think it makes some sense.

[Jeff Lebowski]

He was interviewed on the "People I Mostly Admire" podcast, and he mentions that some of the concepts he presented were banal, but the readers thought they were mindblowing. I wonder if he'd put corporations as a fiction in that category. For me, I thought lumping theistic religion and non-theistic ideologies in the same bucket was thought provoking. Since he's a secular Buddhist, I think it makes some sense.

I thought he was way over the top on his veganism. And his predictions for the future had my eyes rolling. But every now and then he would write something deeply profound. I really love this quote from the book:

“Contradictions are an inseparable part of every human culture. In fact they are culture’s engines, responsible for the creativity and dynamism of our species. Just as when two crashing musical notes played together force a piece of music forward, so discord in our thoughts, ideas, and values compel us to think, reevaluate, and criticize. Consistency is the playground of dull minds. If tensions, conflicts, and irresolvable dilemmas are the spice of every culture, a human being who belongs to any particular culture must hold contradictory beliefs and be riven by incompatible values. It's such an essential feature of any culture that it even has a name: “cognitive dissonance”. Cognitive dissonance is often considered a failure of the human psyche. In fact it is a vital asset. Had people been unable to hold contradictory beliefs and values it would probably have been impossible to establish and maintain any human culture. If say, a Christian really wants to understand the Muslims who attend that mosque down the street, he shouldn't look for a pristine set of values that every Muslim holds dear. Rather, he should inquire into the catch-22’s of Muslim culture; those places where rules are at war and standards scuffle. It's at the very spot where the Muslims teeter between two imperatives that you'll understand them best.” -- Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari

[SteelBlue]

I have been reading so much lately, and yet my list of books to read and number of books on my kindle and audiobooks I have downloaded still outpaces my ability to get through them.

I set a goal to read/listen to 52 books this year. Just finished # 50 last night. Crazy.

Nice! I have the same goal every year. I usually come close or exceed. I'm really struggling this year and I'm not sure why.

[BigPiney]

Nice! I have the same goal every year. I usually come close or exceed. I'm really struggling this year and I'm not sure why.

You read lots of smart books. I like to mix dumb books in there, that helps. Can’t wait for the Stephen King that comes out next week.

but it also time to read the next Dickens I was planning.

[SeattleUte]

I read Europe Central by William T. Vollman recently. A very long novel set in Central Europe spanning both world wars and Stalin. It's comprised of linked novellas and short stories from various points of view, and in the past I've just read some of the novellas and stories, bouncing around. This time went straight through it. One of my all-time favorites. Last year I read Life and Fate, but I prefer Europe Central for similar subject matter. My favorite parts are General Paulus's story, the destruction of his Sixth Army at Stalingrad, his defection to the Soviet Union and inability ever to see his beloved wife again, and Dmitri Shostakovich as a sort of anti-hero to the Soviet Union, as he struggled to remain true to his art and his humanism and fell prey to his love for beautiful brilliant women, as the regime pressured him to compose propaganda music and denounce his friends.

I also finished the first volume of Kotkin's biography of Stalin. This actually was very helpful to getting the most out of Europe Central.

Yes, I seem to be really drawn to art set in totalitarianism.

I'm closing in on finishing Infinite Jest, a novel I swore I'd never read. I'm largely impressed. More on that later.

[SeattleUte]

I thought he was way over the top on his veganism. And his predictions for the future had my eyes rolling. But every now and then he would write something deeply profound. I really love this quote from the book:

You don't have to agree with everything that is a great read. Homo Deus and Sapiens are great. Among what makes them great is they are captivating even where you disagree. There is much in these books for everyone to disagree with, which is why they weren't among The NY Times best ofs. But if you prefer confirmation bias, they're maybe not for you.

[Jeff Lebowski]

You don't have to agree with everything that is a great read. Homo Deus and Sapiens are great. Among what makes them great is they are captivating even where you disagree. There is much in these books for everyone to disagree with, which is why they weren't among The NY Times best ofs. But if you prefer confirmation bias, they're maybe not for you.

Lol. You could’ve said that without sounding so condescending.

And I already very clearly said they were parts of it that I really liked.

[LiveCoug]

Just finished book two of the Power of the Dog series by Don Winslow.

Really fun listen with great characters and storyline

[BigPiney]

Just finished book two of the Power of the Dog series by Don Winslow.

Really fun listen with great characters and storyline

Thanks, will have to check that out.