What Are You Reading Now?

[chrisrenrut]

Just finished Eric Idle’s autobiography “Always Look in the Bright Side of Life”.

Like all autobiographies, it’s a bit self indulgent, and he can name drop like crazy, but he can back them all up. It’s a fun history of Monty Python, and quite funny throughout. Lots of great stories, and touching at times. He has a part where he pays tribute his friendship with Robin Williams that is great.

I recommend the audio book, since it is narrated by the author.

[happyone]

It has been so long since I contributed to this thread, I won't try and list everything I read in the last year, but I just finished a new one by Evan Thomas about the end of WWII and the A bombings

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...d-to-surrender

It looks at the events in June/July/Aug of '45 through the eyes of 3 men -
Henry Stimpson - the US Secretary of War
Carl Spaatz - The Strategic Bomber Commander (LeMay's Boss)
and he Japanese Foreign Minister

A couple of take aways - The A Bombs were NOT designed to bomb Japan, but Germany
After the bloodbath that was Okinawa the US high command (not to mention the rank and file military) was desperate to find a way to get the Japanese to quit on he Allies terms (Unconditional Surrender)

Even after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki the Japanese Military high command was not going to surrender. Togo later said that dropping a bomb as a demonstration would not have changed anyone's mind, in fact he thought that just one bomb wouldn't have made any difference. It seems that the Japanese also had a Nuke program and knew just how hard getting fissiable materail was. It took two to convince the Japanese that the US could continue indefinately with the a-bombings.

The US targeters really wanted to put the old Japanese capitol of Kyoto on the target list, but Stimpson keep crossing it off. It seems he had spent some time there and couldn't bear to see it destroyed. He also insisted that the potental targets have military value. Hiroshima was troop center and Army HQ, Nagasaki was a port and had heavy industry - thus "qualifing"

Good read;

[SteelBlue]

Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago. Death decides to take some time off in one isolated country and the joy of eternal life quickly fades as the country starts doing the math on what it means for society. The second half of the book finds Death as the protagonist as she attempts to solve the problem of one individual human who has had the ability to thwart her (death's) methods Funny and philosophical it's an interesting take on life's great mystery by the Portugese genius.

[Donuthole]

The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O'Donnell. Highly recommend to all. Victorian inspired murder mystery that also manages to be incredibly funny.

I started reading this about a year ago and then it got pushed aside for some reason. I picked it back up over the holidays and finished it. Really enjoyed it. Bliss and Cutter are both hilarious characters. It seems tailor-made for the screen, but I don't know if a single movie could do it justice. It would be the perfect period-piece for a 4 episode mini series.

[Clark Addison]

I started reading this about a year ago and then it got pushed aside for some reason. I picked it back up over the holidays and finished it. Really enjoyed it. Bliss and Cutter are both hilarious characters. It seems tailor-made for the screen, but I don't know if a single movie could do it justice. It would be the perfect period-piece for a 4 episode mini series.

I read this book in January of 2022, and liked it quite a bit (I gave it 4 stars in my personal rating sheet, which puts it in the top 18% of books that I finish), yet even after reading a summary of it, I basically have no recollection of it. I assume this is more about me than the book.

Maybe that is a side benefit of getting old. All of my favorite books can be new again.

[SteelBlue]

I started reading this about a year ago and then it got pushed aside for some reason. I picked it back up over the holidays and finished it. Really enjoyed it. Bliss and Cutter are both hilarious characters. It seems tailor-made for the screen, but I don't know if a single movie could do it justice. It would be the perfect period-piece for a 4 episode mini series.

I agree wholeheartedly with this assessment. I wish I had the means to speculate on the film rights to novels like these when I come across them. A quick google search seems to indicate the film rights have not yet been sold. A buy low and pitch high film rights business would be a lot of fun for a voracious reader. Until it wasn't.

[Donuthole]

I read this book in January of 2022, and liked it quite a bit (I gave it 4 stars in my personal rating sheet, which puts it in the top 18% of books that I finish), yet even after reading a summary of it, I basically have no recollection of it. I assume this is more about me than the book.

Maybe that is a side benefit of getting old. All of my favorite books can be new again.

So I posted that right before I drove across town to a depo. I fired up Spotify Premium and listened to the first chapter on my way back from the deposition, and I really like the reader. I might listen to the entire thing.

[Northwestcoug]

"Notes on Complexity", by Neil Theise. Took a break from fantasy after I listened to a Radiolab podcast about him. He's a pathologist who has branched out in complexity theory and the metaphysical realm. As a 'materialist' myself (I well remember my BYU virology professor teaching that 'everything in the universe can be explained by the movement of electrons'), there were some theories that initially didn't sit great with me. But I ended up appreciating the effort. There's a nice primer on quantum theory and eastern philosophy. It's also a quick read. Give it a go if you want to hear a new theory of everything that incorporates the subatomic realm to the universe and everything in between, and how eastern concepts of consciousness fit in.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Just finished Benjamin Park's American Zion--A New History of Mormonism and enjoyed it very much. The second half (the Church in the 20th Century) is especially interesting, including the unending battle between modernists and the orthodox hardliners.

The decade from 1923 to 1933 proved to be the high-water mark for modernist reform within Mormonism. Franklin Harris pushed and prodded to bring BYU and its scholarly mission more in line with America's academic currents; Amy Brown Lyman paved the way for integrating the faith's charitable efforts within the larger societal vision for progressive uplift; B.H. Roberts researched, wrote, and argued his way into an LDS theology that was conversant with broader questions.

Because of hardliners like George Q. Cannon, J. Reuben Clark, J.F. Smith, Harold B. Lee, and Bruce R. McConkie over the ensuing decades, things took a decided turn toward traditional orthodoxy. A student poll at BYU in the mid-30s shocked the brethren because of the wide-range of beliefs and devotion. They produced a lot of statements that now, given the cultural and societal shifts that took place, are pretty disturbing, some even simply stupid. Enjoy!

So many interesting tidbits about disagreements among the GAs, and how the current issues surrounding LGBTQ etc. and the shifting attitudes among younger members will be a source of ongoing disagreements and (likely) change.

[BigPiney]

Just finished Benjamin Park's American Zion--A New History of Mormonism and enjoyed it very much. The second half (the Church in the 20th Century) is especially interesting, including the unending battle between modernists and the orthodox hardliners.

Because of hardliners like George Q. Cannon, J. Reuben Clark, J.F. Smith, Harold B. Lee, and Bruce R. McConkie over the ensuing decades, things took a decided turn toward traditional orthodoxy. A student poll at BYU in the mid-30s shocked the brethren because of the wide-range of beliefs and devotion. They produced a lot of statements that now, given the cultural and societal shifts that took place, are pretty disturbing, some even simply stupid. Enjoy!

So many interesting tidbits about disagreements among the GAs, and how the current issues surrounding LGBTQ etc. and the shifting attitudes among younger members will be a source of ongoing disagreements and (likely) change.

I just finished his first book about Nauvoo a few weeks ago. It was really good. But wow, polygamy was nuts in the secrecy. Hyrum didn't know about it for almost a year and a half.

This one is locked and loaded on the Kindle.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I just finished his first book about Nauvoo a few weeks ago. It was really good. But wow, polygamy was nuts in the secrecy. Hyrum didn't know about it for almost a year and a half.

This one is locked and loaded on the Kindle.

Polygamy and its enduring effects even today gets a fair amount of coverage in the book. His writing style is very good and fun to read.

[Pelado]

Polygamy and its enduring effects even today gets a fair amount of coverage in the book. His writing style is very good and fun to read.

I've been meaning to get both of those books.

[Clark Addison]

For those who have enjoyed Mick Herron's Slough House/Slow Horses books, maybe you are smarter than I, but I missed seeing the release of "The Secret Hours" last year because it isn't officially part of the series. Having said that, it may as well be, as it exists in the same universe and several of the main characters are from the SH books. None of the actual slow horses appear, which I assume is why it isn't part of the series. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and would put it in the top tier of books from the series. It adds a little more color to some of the characters and gives some backstory that is interesting, being set partly in the present and partly in early/mid 1990s Berlin. If you like the series I would definitely read this one.

[BigPiney]

For those who have enjoyed Mick Herron's Slough House/Slow Horses books, maybe you are smarter than I, but I missed seeing the release of "The Secret Hours" last year because it isn't officially part of the series. Having said that, it may as well be, as it exists in the same universe and several of the main characters are from the SH books. None of the actual slow horses appear, which I assume is why it isn't part of the series. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and would put it in the top tier of books from the series. It adds a little more color to some of the characters and gives some backstory that is interesting, being set partly in the present and partly in early/mid 1990s Berlin. If you like the series I would definitely read this one.

It was good.

The new Tana French came out and I am happy to be reading her again.

[eldiente]

Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson - consideration of historical events with modern resonance. Not complimentary of Reagan.
Fire Weather by John Vaillant - global warming and ramifications manifest in largest fire in Canadian history Fort McMurray 2016