Books you read in 2021

Discussion in 'TMB Book Club' started by The Blackfish, Jan 1, 2021.

  1. dcon79

    dcon79 Nailed it
    Donor TMB OG

    1) These Truths: A History of the United States 9/10
    2) The Invisible Life of Addie Larue 8.5/10
    3) Silence of the Lambs 7.5/10

    Nice page turner and enjoyed it. Always enjoyed the movie and could tell it stayed pretty true to the book overall.
     
  2. Kevintensity

    Kevintensity Poster/Posting Game Coordinator
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    1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling 10/10
    2) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 9/10
    3) American Assassin by Vince Flynn 10/10
    4) Darth Bane Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
    5) Darth Bane Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn 8.5/10
    6) Darth Bane Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
    7) Meat Market by Bruce Feldman 8/10
    8) Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray 10/10
    9) NBA Jam by Reyan Ali 7.5/10
    10) The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel 8/10
    11) Kill Shot by Vince Flynn 8.5/10
    12) Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Carol 8.5/10
    13) How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates 9/10
    14) The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter 10/10

    Favorite book I've read in some time, definitely recommend.
     
  3. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Finally someone else read it! Tau Tafari!
     
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  4. Fargin' Icehole

    Fargin' Icehole 50% soulless
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    Ok Rage of Dragons is on deck.
     
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  5. clemsonvianj

    clemsonvianj Well-Known Member
    Donor

    1. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder (7.5/10)
    2. From Fish to Philosopher by Homer by William Smith (7/10)
    3. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant (7.5/10)
    4. The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (9/10)
    5. Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji's Olympic Dream by Ben Ryan (8/10)
    6. Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman (9/10)
    7. The Italian Job by Gianluca Vialli and Gabriele Marcotti (7/10)
    8. Run Fast: How to Beat Your Best Time Every Time by Hal Higdon (6.5/10)

    helpful running book. good for beginner/intermediate runners.
     
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  6. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    I used his training schedules for my first distance runs when I got started. Didn’t know he wrote a book
     
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  7. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

    1. A People’s History of the United States - Howard Zinn (8.25/10)
    2. Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 - John Maxwell (6/10)
    3. The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - John Perkins (7/10)
    4. The Institute - Stephen King (7.5/10)
    5. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate - Naomi Klein (8/10)
    6. The Burning Case for a Green New Deal - Naomi Klein (7.5/10)
    7. The Dead Zone - Stephen King (9/10)
    8. Grant - Ron Chernow (10/10)
    9. Bleak House - Charles Dickens (9/10)

    Up Next: Great Expectations - Dickens
     
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  8. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    Never read any dickens, not in unabridged format anyway. How long did it take? What’s the best book to start with?
     
  9. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

    It was a 43 hour audiobook. I I’ve only read A Tale of Two Cities and Bleak House as an adult. A little over halfway through Great Expectations now. I enjoy reading classics and tend to rate them highly. Maybe A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations would be a better starting point than Bleak House, but I find them all pretty accessible. The first two are just shorter.
     
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  10. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    [​IMG]
     
  11. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    1. Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive #4) - Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
    2. The Queen’s Gambit - Walter Tevis (9/10)

    Two very different books but I enjoyed them both a lot.
     
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  12. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    How different was the book from the tv show?
     
  13. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    The show was very true to the book
     
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  14. Kevintensity

    Kevintensity Poster/Posting Game Coordinator
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    1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling 10/10
    2) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 9/10
    3) American Assassin by Vince Flynn 10/10
    4) Darth Bane Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
    5) Darth Bane Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn 8.5/10
    6) Darth Bane Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
    7) Meat Market by Bruce Feldman 8/10
    8) Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray 10/10
    9) NBA Jam by Reyan Ali 7.5/10
    10) The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel 8/10
    11) Kill Shot by Vince Flynn 8.5/10
    12) Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Carol 8.5/10
    13) How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates 9/10
    14) The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter 10/10
    15) Spark by John Rate 7/10

    Some interesting information, some of the deeper dives into science I skimmed through as it read more like a textbook at times.
     
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  15. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

    1. A People’s History of the United States - Howard Zinn (8.25/10)
    2. Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 - John Maxwell (6/10)
    3. The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - John Perkins (7/10)
    4. The Institute - Stephen King (7.5/10)
    5. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate - Naomi Klein (8/10)
    6. The Burning Case for a Green New Deal - Naomi Klein (7.5/10)
    7. The Dead Zone - Stephen King (9/10)
    8. Grant - Ron Chernow (10/10)
    9. Bleak House - Charles Dickens (9/10)
    10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (9/10)

    I hadn’t read this since I was a sophomore in HS. Enjoyed it immensely now, not so much then.

    Up Next: A Tale of Two Cities - Dickens (reread)
     
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  16. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    I’ve reread most of the books from high school. Except for The Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye. The former was my least favorite form HS, the later my fave.

    I’m not sure I want to have my opinion changed on either :ohdear:
     
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  17. Arliden

    Arliden Well-Known Member
    Donor

    I read both about a month ago, first one took about half the book to really get me but then I was in. Think the second is even better.
     
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  18. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    They’re two of the best books I read last year. I was worried the 2nd wouldn’t be as good. It met high expectations
     
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  19. dcon79

    dcon79 Nailed it
    Donor TMB OG

    1) These Truths: A History of the United States 9/10
    2) The Invisible Life of Addie Larue 8.5/10
    3) Silence of the Lambs 7.5/10
    4) The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions 8/10
     
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  20. CBH

    CBH Well-Known Member
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    1. The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris 8/10
    2. Total Power (Mitch Rapp #19) by Kyle Mills 7/10
    3. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama 9/10

    4. Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden 9/10 Really enjoyed this and it was a quick read as well. Some very interesting things mentioned about his time as Vice President and his son's death.

    5. Deadly Heat (Nikki Heat #5) by Richard Castle 7/10 This was the first book that I have read in the series, it was just okay. Not exactly what I normally read but after the first 100 pages it was something that I wanted to finish.

    6. American Traitor (Pike Logan #15) by Brad Taylor 8/10 This was pretty good, more what I normally read for my easy reads. The story was good and enjoyed it being focused around China.

    7. Battle Tactics of the Civil War by Paddy Griffith 6/10 This was a slog, even at only about 200 pages it was full of information but written for a very focused few historians it felt like. Very in-depth information about the civil war, the weapons, type of fighting formations, and generalship during the war.
     
  21. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    1. The Space Between Worlds by Miciah Johnson (7.5/10)
    2. Star Wars The High Republic : Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (8/10)
    3. Black Buck by Mateo Askiripur (8/10)
    4. I am Legend by Richard Matheson (7.5/10)
    5. Moonflower Murders (Susan Reyland #2) by Anthony Horowitz (7.5/10)
    6. The List (Orphan X #5,5) by Gregg Hurwitz (8/10)
    7. Prodigal Son (Orphan X #6) by Gregg Hurwitz (8.5/10)
    8. Remote Control by Nnedi Okafor (7/10)
    9. Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark, by Claudia Gray (8/10)
    10. To Be Honest, by Michael Leviton (7/10)
    11. The Assassination of Fred Hampton, by Jeffrey Haas (8.5/10)
    12. The Orchard by David Hopen (10/10)
    13 Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and Crippling of American Democracy, by Adam Jentleson (8/10)
    14. We Could Be Heroes, by Mike Chen (6.5/10)
    15. Winter World (The Long Winter #1) by AG Riddle (8./10).
    16 The Solar War (The Long Winter #2) by AG Riddle (7.5/10
    17. The Lost Colony (The Long Winter #3) by AG Riddle (7.5/10)
    18. Beartown (Beartown #1) by Fredrik Backman (10/10)
    19. Us Against You (Beartown # 2) by Fredrik Backman (8.5/10)


    Long Winter Trilogy - Sci-fi story that's kind of like Independence Day meets Day After Tomorrow. Climate change is turning the earth into a snowball. Aliens are involved. I wouldnt say these are good literature, but they're fun, action packed and fast paced. A good change of face after some heavier reading.

    Beartown - This was one of the best books I read. The author is an outstanding writer, especially w character development. So good. Us Against You is also good, but the plot is a little more vanilla and didnt grip me as much. Still very good. Beartown has been on my to-read list forever. Glad I finally read it. Will definitely seek out more books by Backman.
     
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  22. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

    1. A People’s History of the United States - Howard Zinn (8.25/10)
    2. Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 - John Maxwell (6/10)
    3. The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - John Perkins (7/10)
    4. The Institute - Stephen King (7.5/10)
    5. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate - Naomi Klein (8/10)
    6. The Burning Case for a Green New Deal - Naomi Klein (7.5/10)
    7. The Dead Zone - Stephen King (9/10)
    8. Grant - Ron Chernow (10/10)
    9. Bleak House - Charles Dickens (9/10)
    10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (9/10)
    11. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (reread) (8/10)

    Up next: Nicholas Nickelby - Dickens. Never really planned to make my way all the way through Dickens but I’m in now and they’re all free through my Audible Membership. I think I’m going to do Oliver Twist, Hard Times and end on David Copperfield then stop. Inevitably reading all of them so quickly back to back to back they will eventually all intertwine in my memory.
     
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  23. Kevintensity

    Kevintensity Poster/Posting Game Coordinator
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    Loved Beartown as well. I ended up reading all of backman's books in the year or so after Beartown. After these two, A man called Ove is probably my favorite.
     
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  24. Kevintensity

    Kevintensity Poster/Posting Game Coordinator
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    1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling 10/10
    2) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 9/10
    3) American Assassin by Vince Flynn 10/10
    4) Darth Bane Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
    5) Darth Bane Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn 8.5/10
    6) Darth Bane Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
    7) Meat Market by Bruce Feldman 8/10
    8) Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray 10/10
    9) NBA Jam by Reyan Ali 7.5/10
    10) The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel 8/10
    11) Kill Shot by Vince Flynn 8.5/10
    12) Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Carol 8.5/10
    13) How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates 9/10
    14) The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter 10/10
    15) Spark by John Rate 7/10
    16) Flash Boys by Michael Lewis 8/10
    17) Do the Work by Steven Pressfield 5/10
    18) Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho 8.5/10
    19) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang 9/10

    Flash Boys: Written by the author of Moneyball. A look inside high frequency trading and some inner workings of the stock market.

    Do the Work: came across this in a YouTube video from someone who makes interesting productivity related videos. It read like a motivational YouTube video. It was a very quick read, or else I wouldn't have finished it.

    Uncomfortable Conversations: easy and informative read that expanded my knowledge a bit and will lead me to reading more on this topic.

    Stories of your life: Includes the short story that Arrival is based on. Sort of reminded me of Black Mirror as I was reading. Will read more from this author.
     
    #124 Kevintensity, Mar 18, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2021
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  25. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

    Michael Lewis has a lot of great books. Liar’s Poker and The Big Short are two of my favorites
     
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  26. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
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    1. Blue Mind-Wallace Nichols
    2. Elantris-Sanderson
    3. The Stand- Stephen King
    4. The girl with seven names-Hyeonseo Lee
    5. Nothing to Envy-Barbara Demick
    6. Atomic Habits-James Clear
    7. White Hunters-Brian Herne
    8. The Lost City of the Monkey God-Douglas Preston
    9. Cadillac Desert- Marc Reisner
    10. Skyward- Sanderson Really enjoyed, even for a YA novel
    11. Killer Clown- Terry Sullivan Interesting book about Gacy, written by a detective and talks about the cops interactions with him while he was being investigated before his arrest
    12. Blueprint-Nicolas Christakis about genes, evolution, societies, cultures and civilizations
    13. American's Bitter Pill-Steven Brill Talks about the cluster that was Obamacare and Health care in general
    14. Handmaids Tale-Margaret Atwood Didnt realize this was published in 1985
     
  27. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
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    Somehow this is already in my library
     
  28. clemsonvianj

    clemsonvianj Well-Known Member
    Donor

    1. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder (7.5/10)
    2. From Fish to Philosopher by Homer by William Smith (7/10)
    3. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant (7.5/10)
    4. The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (9/10)
    5. Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji's Olympic Dream by Ben Ryan (8/10)
    6. Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman (9/10)
    7. The Italian Job by Gianluca Vialli and Gabriele Marcotti (7/10)
    8. Run Fast: How to Beat Your Best Time Every Time by Hal Higdon (6.5/10)
    9. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (9/10)

    really enjoyed it. basically autobiography that skims through his life up until politics and then goes into increasingly more depth on the time period of like 2000-2012. felt he was more candid than I thought he would be regarding his opinions of things/people.
     
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  29. Tangman

    Tangman Well-Known Member
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    1. The Border (Don Winslow) - 7.5/10
    2. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (James W. Loewen) - 8/10
    3. The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World (Vincent Bevins) - 9.5/10
    4. The Stranger Beside Me (Ann Rule) - 5/10 - This was decent I guess but has some major flaws. I really didn't know much about Bundy aside from an outline of his transgressions so it was useful from that perspective. Some background on his upbringing and Rule obviously has a unique vantage point due to working with him (and corresponding with him for years afterward). However, I can only say this plainly: she is not a good writer. Her prose is overwrought, cliche-ridden, and repetitive to the point of annoyance. This book catapulted Rule's writing career and for readers of her other works, I can only hope she improved. If you're more familiar with the Bundy story, I'd avoid this one but a decent option if you're not I guess.
    5. The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product that Defined America (Allan M. Brandt) - 9/10 - This was a terrific work of history. A detailed look at the cigarette industry from all angles starting with a background on tobacco use in America before the cigarette and all through the Cigarette Century. It's hard to look at some large corporations operating today and not seeing Big Tobacco as the inspiration for at least part of their modus operandi. One thing that struck me is how the industry was able to use regulation to their benefit (due in large part of course to wide-scale lobbying, something the industry basically wrote the book on). Included are some pretty wild asides; for just one example, the AMA composed a study in the early '90s showing that children between 3 and 6 recognized Joe Camel at the same rates as they recognized Mickey Mouse. It bogs down a bit when describing the studies in the '50s and '60s conclusively linking smoking and cancer but it's not tough to read otherwise. Recommended to those interested in the topic.
    6. The Anatomy of Fascism (Robert O. Paxton) - 9/10 - Another strong read. Paxton might be the world's leading authority on fascism and flexes his muscles here. He looks more at how fascists came to and exercised power than, say, the psychology of its practitioners and the body politic. Taking a pretty strict view of the "fascist minimum" and thus the book is almost exclusively devoted to Germany and Italy; he doesn't feel that any other governments in the 20th century hit enough of the minimum to qualify. Well-written and argued, he included some interesting stories that I didn't know: for example, he mentioned that the first person named as a national socialist was the frenchman the Marquis de Mores. Mores tried his hand at cattle ranching in North Dakota before returning to France in the 1890s and had his squad wear 10-gallon hats and related cowboy garb while terrorizing Jewish shopkeepers in Paris (making cowboy wear the first fascist uniform). Highly recommended and I look forward to reading his book on Vichy France.

    Next Up: 1) Portnoy's Complaint 2) The Battle Cry of Freedom 3) The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy
     
  30. Kevintensity

    Kevintensity Poster/Posting Game Coordinator
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    1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling 10/10
    2) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 9/10
    3) American Assassin by Vince Flynn 10/10
    4) Darth Bane Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
    5) Darth Bane Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn 8.5/10
    6) Darth Bane Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn 9/10
    7) Meat Market by Bruce Feldman 8/10
    8) Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray 10/10
    9) NBA Jam by Reyan Ali 7.5/10
    10) The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel 8/10
    11) Kill Shot by Vince Flynn 8.5/10
    12) Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Carol 8.5/10
    13) How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates 9/10
    14) The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter 10/10
    15) Spark by John Rate 7/10
    16) Flash Boys by Michael Lewis 8/10
    17) Do the Work by Steven Pressfield 5/10
    18) Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho 8.5/10
    19) Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang 9/10
    20) Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing by Jacob Goldstein 9.5/10

    Interesting read on the development of money and banking over time. Fun fact: As of 2010, there was a staff of ~30 in Greece (including a driver for the president of this agency) that were responsible for supervising the draining of a lake. That draining was completed back in 1957.
     
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  31. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
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    1. White Night (Dresden Files #9) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    2. Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    3. Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    4. Changes (Dresden Files #12) - Jim Butcher (9.5/10) (reread)
    5. Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) - Jim Butcher (8/10) (reread)
    6. Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    7. Skin Game (Dresden Files #15) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    8. Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16) - Jim Butcher (8/10)
    9. Battle Ground (Dresden Files #17) - Jim Butcher (9/10)
    10. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
     
  32. clemsonvianj

    clemsonvianj Well-Known Member
    Donor

    1. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder (7.5/10)
    2. From Fish to Philosopher by Homer by William Smith (7/10)
    3. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant (7.5/10)
    4. The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (9/10)
    5. Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji's Olympic Dream by Ben Ryan (8/10)
    6. Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman (9/10)
    7. The Italian Job by Gianluca Vialli and Gabriele Marcotti (7/10)
    8. Run Fast: How to Beat Your Best Time Every Time by Hal Higdon (6.5/10)
    9. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (9/10)
    10. Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers by Nick Offerman (7.5/10)

    Offerman waxing poetic about historical figures (George Washington, Frederick Douglass), cultural icons (Yoko Ono, Carol Burnett), and other amazing "artists" (writers, wooden shipbuilders, etc.). he's funny and the mini-biographies are enjoyable.
     
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  33. dcon79

    dcon79 Nailed it
    Donor TMB OG

    1) These Truths: A History of the United States 9/10
    2) The Invisible Life of Addie Larue 8.5/10
    3) Silence of the Lambs 7.5/10
    4) The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions 8/10
    5) The Hod King (The Books of Babel, #3) 9.5/10

    I have really enjoyed this series. The world the author created is imaginative and there are a great cast of characters. Excited for the fourth book to come out this fall.
     
  34. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
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    Clemson TigersCarolina Panthers

    1. White Night (Dresden Files #9) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    2. Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    3. Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    4. Changes (Dresden Files #12) - Jim Butcher (9.5/10) (reread)
    5. Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) - Jim Butcher (8/10) (reread)
    6. Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    7. Skin Game (Dresden Files #15) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    8. Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16) - Jim Butcher (8/10)
    9. Battle Ground (Dresden Files #17) - Jim Butcher (9/10)
    10. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
    11. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
     
  35. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

    I think Words of Radiance is my favorite of the 4.
     
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  36. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Missouri TigersSt. Louis CardinalsChicago BullsSt. Louis BluesEvertonBook Club

    1. The Space Between Worlds by Miciah Johnson (7.5/10)
    2. Star Wars The High Republic : Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (8/10)
    3. Black Buck by Mateo Askiripur (8/10)
    4. I am Legend by Richard Matheson (7.5/10)
    5. Moonflower Murders (Susan Reyland #2) by Anthony Horowitz (7.5/10)
    6. The List (Orphan X #5,5) by Gregg Hurwitz (8/10)
    7. Prodigal Son (Orphan X #6) by Gregg Hurwitz (8.5/10)
    8. Remote Control by Nnedi Okafor (7/10)
    9. Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark, by Claudia Gray (8/10)
    10. To Be Honest, by Michael Leviton (7/10)
    11. The Assassination of Fred Hampton, by Jeffrey Haas (8.5/10)
    12. The Orchard by David Hopen (10/10)
    13 Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and Crippling of American Democracy, by Adam Jentleson (8/10)
    14. We Could Be Heroes, by Mike Chen (6.5/10)
    15. Winter World (The Long Winter #1) by AG Riddle (8./10).
    16 The Solar War (The Long Winter #2) by AG Riddle (7.5/10
    17. The Lost Colony (The Long Winter #3) by AG Riddle (7.5/10)
    18. Beartown (Beartown #1) by Fredrik Backman (10/10)
    19. Us Against You (Beartown # 2) by Fredrik Backman (8.5/10)
    20. The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease and the End of an Empire by Kyle Harper (8/10)
    21. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (5.5/10)
    22. The Last One, by Alexandria Oliva (5/10)
    23. The Sum of Us: What Racims Costs Everyone, by Heather McGhee (8.5/10)
    24. The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson (7/10)


    The Fate of Rome - Title is pretty self explanatory. Basically Rome changing it's enviornment by deforestation, and also expanding beyond it's natural borders helped unleash and introduce disease and famine. There also was a weather epoch/ mini warm age that helped them survive the earlier famines. As that went away, they couldnt. Really interesting

    The Echo Wife - Speculative fiction about a married couple of scientist who are working to develop cloning. Husband ends up leaving the wife for her clone. Husband is murdered and the wife and clone have to work together. Premise interested me, but the execution sucked. The main character being very hateable, and not in a fun way didnt help either

    The Last One - About a survivor type reality show that goes haywire. Again, interesting premise, horrendous execution. The Echo Wife sucked just because it was dull. This sucked becasue the plot was soooo bad. The ending made me made. Like she couldnt figure out how to end it and just pulled somethign out of her ass.

    The Sum of Us - Again, title is pretty self explanatory. A bunch of examples how racism fucks over us whites. As mundane as people rather have closed swimming pools than have them integrated, denying themselves the enjoyment of the pool - to how laws and policies they perceive to harm POCs hurt themselves. The right has done a good job of making politics seem liek a zero sum game ect.

    The Jigsaw Man - This is about a detective hunting a serial killer. Premise is a knock off of Silence of the Lambs, but it's not a rip off. She's hunting a serial killer and needs to interview a previous one she's locked up to solve the case ect. Liked it. I think it's the first in a new series. will probably read the next one when it comes out.
     
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  37. CBH

    CBH Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Michigan WolverinesDetroit Red WingsEastern Michigan EaglesUnited States Men's National Soccer TeamBook Club

    1. The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris 8/10
    2. Total Power (Mitch Rapp #19) by Kyle Mills 7/10
    3. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama 9/10
    4. Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden 9/10
    5. Deadly Heat (Nikki Heat #5) by Richard Castle 7/10
    6. American Traitor (Pike Logan #15) by Brad Taylor 8/10
    7. I Choose You by Danielle Leduc McQueen 10/10
    8. Battle Tactics of the Civil War by Paddy Griffith 6/10

    9. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream 9/10 This was very good, obviously much more political talk in it and was something I wished I had read years ago. Though I probably wouldn't have been as strongly in agreement with it at that time.

    10. V2: A Novel of World War II by Robert Harris 8/10 I really enjoyed this book about the V2 missiles during the latter stages of World War II.

    This has been a very poor start to the year for reading for me, I wanted to get to 60 books and I am far off that pace right now. Need to find some more time to read but have a job interview next week for a new position and hopefully that will help.
     
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  38. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Clemson TigersCarolina Panthers

    1. White Night (Dresden Files #9) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    2. Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    3. Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    4. Changes (Dresden Files #12) - Jim Butcher (9.5/10) (reread)
    5. Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) - Jim Butcher (8/10) (reread)
    6. Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    7. Skin Game (Dresden Files #15) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    8. Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16) - Jim Butcher (8/10)
    9. Battle Ground (Dresden Files #17) - Jim Butcher (9/10)
    10. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
    11. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
    12. Edgedancer (Stormlight Archive #2.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10) (reread)
     
  39. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Clemson TigersCarolina Panthers

    Hard to beat the duel scene and the end.
     
    BP and The Blackfish like this.
  40. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

    1. A People’s History of the United States - Howard Zinn (8.25/10)
    2. Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 - John Maxwell (6/10)
    3. The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - John Perkins (7/10)
    4. The Institute - Stephen King (7.5/10)
    5. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate - Naomi Klein (8/10)
    6. The Burning Case for a Green New Deal - Naomi Klein (7.5/10)
    7. The Dead Zone - Stephen King (9/10)
    8. Grant - Ron Chernow (10/10)
    9. Bleak House - Charles Dickens (9/10)
    10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (9/10)
    11. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (reread) (8/10)
    12. Nicholas Nickelby - Charles Dickens (8.5/10)
    13. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (8/10)

    Next Up: David Copperfield - Dickens

    then I’m done with Dickens and likely on to some fantasy.
     
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  41. Fargin' Icehole

    Fargin' Icehole 50% soulless
    Donor
    Georgia BulldogsAtlanta BravesAtlanta HawksBayern Munich

    Was pretty good. How's the sequel?
     
  42. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Missouri TigersSt. Louis CardinalsChicago BullsSt. Louis BluesEvertonBook Club

    I rated Rage of Dragons a 10 and Fires of Vengeance a 9 or 9.5
     
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  43. Arliden

    Arliden Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Both are good books.

    For me personally I enjoyed Fires of Vengeance a small notch above Rage of Dragons. Partially cause it took about half of Rage of dragons to really set up the character and story for me.
     
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  44. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Clemson TigersCarolina Panthers

    1. White Night (Dresden Files #9) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    2. Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    3. Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    4. Changes (Dresden Files #12) - Jim Butcher (9.5/10) (reread)
    5. Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) - Jim Butcher (8/10) (reread)
    6. Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    7. Skin Game (Dresden Files #15) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    8. Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16) - Jim Butcher (8/10)
    9. Battle Ground (Dresden Files #17) - Jim Butcher (9/10)
    10. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
    11. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
    12. Edgedancer (Stormlight Archive #2.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10) (reread)
    13. Oathbringer (Stormlight Archive #3) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
     
    dcon79, clemsonvianj and Kevintensity like this.
  45. Lorne Malvo

    Lorne Malvo Aces!
    Staff Donor TMB OG

    1. These Truths: A History of the United States - Jill Lepore (9/10)
    2. The Great Gatbsy - F. Scott Fitzgerald (6.5/10)
    3. The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris (8/10)
    4. Rabbits - Terry Miles (8.5/10)
    5. Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy - Adam Jentleson (7.5/10)
    6. Beartown - Fredrik Backman (10/10)

    Lambs: I haven’t seen the movie in over a decade, so most of this was fresh for me, which made it all the better. The cat and mouse with Buffalo Bill ended a quicker than I expected late, but otherwise I thought the pacing was excellent. Lecter chapters were obviously the highlight, but the chemistry and conversations between Clarice and Jack Crawford were excellent as well.

    Rabbits: Got an advanced copy of this (comes out in June). I loved this book. It didn’t end in the way in which I expected, and not every question was answered, but that didn’t bother me. I never really knew exactly where it was going, and it made for a super fun ride. It’s like Ready Player One (without an annoying protagonist), All Our Wrong Todays, and Dark Matter rolled up into one. I think people are gonna dig it.

    Kill Switch: Depressing, but well researched, it left me wanting more. I was excited to read a “short” history book after the multiple 800+ page books I read in 2020 and the start of 2021. But I wanted more. More on specific stories that got passing mention, more on now this just continues to happen, etc. Don’t get me wrong, it really good. But there is more I would have read. Still, infuriating.

    Beartown: Fairly confident that this is the best sports book I’ve ever read. And it easily vaults into a short list of favorite books ever. I cannot get over how good the writing was. Story was great, characters were so well drawn, setting was vivid, etc. But I won’t ever forget the way it was written. The prose. Incredible.
     
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  46. Fargin' Icehole

    Fargin' Icehole 50% soulless
    Donor
    Georgia BulldogsAtlanta BravesAtlanta HawksBayern Munich

    Enjoyed both Evan Winter books (8/10)
    Feel like there's some plot holes and I'm nervous some questions don't really get answered and we just get more questions. I'll definitely tune in to find out when the next book drops though.
     
    Truman likes this.
  47. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Clemson TigersCarolina Panthers

    1. White Night (Dresden Files #9) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    2. Small Favor (Dresden Files #10) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    3. Turn Coat (Dresden Files #11) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    4. Changes (Dresden Files #12) - Jim Butcher (9.5/10) (reread)
    5. Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) - Jim Butcher (8/10) (reread)
    6. Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) - Jim Butcher (8.5/10) (reread)
    7. Skin Game (Dresden Files #15) - Jim Butcher (9/10) (reread)
    8. Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16) - Jim Butcher (8/10)
    9. Battle Ground (Dresden Files #17) - Jim Butcher (9/10)
    10. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
    11. Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) - Brandon Sanderson (10/10) (reread)
    12. Edgedancer (Stormlight Archive #2.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8.5/10) (reread)
    13. Oathbringer (Stormlight Archive #3) - Brandon Sanderson (9.5/10) (reread)
    14. Dawnshard (Stormlight Archive #3.5) - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) (reread)
     
  48. clemsonvianj

    clemsonvianj Well-Known Member
    Donor

    1. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder (7.5/10)
    2. From Fish to Philosopher by Homer by William Smith (7/10)
    3. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant (7.5/10)
    4. The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (9/10)
    5. Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji's Olympic Dream by Ben Ryan (8/10)
    6. Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman (9/10)
    7. The Italian Job by Gianluca Vialli and Gabriele Marcotti (7/10)
    8. Run Fast: How to Beat Your Best Time Every Time by Hal Higdon (6.5/10)
    9. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (9/10)
    10. Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers by Nick Offerman (7.5/10)
    11. Lies My Teacher Told Me; Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen (7.5/10)

    good book that I believe has been discussed in this forum before. probably would've enjoyed it more if I had read it when it came out (since I felt like "yeah, doesn't everyone know this?" when he was talking about things like Columbus, US support of dictatorships, etc.).
     
  49. clemsonvianj

    clemsonvianj Well-Known Member
    Donor

    1. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder (7.5/10)
    2. From Fish to Philosopher by Homer by William Smith (7/10)
    3. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant (7.5/10)
    4. The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (9/10)
    5. Sevens Heaven: The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji's Olympic Dream by Ben Ryan (8/10)
    6. Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman (9/10)
    7. The Italian Job by Gianluca Vialli and Gabriele Marcotti (7/10)
    8. Run Fast: How to Beat Your Best Time Every Time by Hal Higdon (6.5/10)
    9. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (9/10)
    10. Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers by Nick Offerman (7.5/10)
    11. Lies My Teacher Told Me; Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen (7.5/10)
    12. The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli by Lisa Abend (7/10)

    follows stagiaires (basically interns) at what was the best restaurant in the world. nice to hear their stories, the different backgrounds they come from, and their experience at a very unique place.
     
  50. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
    Donor
    Atlanta BravesGeorgia BulldogsAtlanta Falcons

    1. Blue Mind-Wallace Nichols
    2. Elantris-Sanderson
    3. The Stand- Stephen King
    4. The girl with seven names-Hyeonseo Lee
    5. Nothing to Envy-Barbara Demick
    6. Atomic Habits-James Clear
    7. White Hunters-Brian Herne
    8. The Lost City of the Monkey God-Douglas Preston
    9. Cadillac Desert- Marc Reisner
    10. The Sandman- Gaiman Really interesting world
    11. Breath- James Nestor How breathing thru you nose is better . Author plugged his nose and only breathed thru his mouth for 10 days.
     
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