1. Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition by Scott Young - 8.5/10 2. You Can't Be Serious by Kal Penn - 9/10 3. Ego is the Enemy: The Fight to Master Our Greatest Opponent by Ryan Holiday - 7.5/10 Really, really enjoyed the Kal Penn autobiography. It both made me laugh and feel really angry at times, which I think is the intended effect. probably not for everyone (i.e., if you are more conservatively aligned, I do not think you will enjoy it as much) though I think everyone can appreciate some of his stories. Ego is the Enemy is a great re-read for assholes like myself. most of the "Stoic" books by Holiday are good as re-reads and I'm going through "The Daily Stoic" again this year.
1. Power and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages - Dan Jones (8/10) 2 Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star - Claudia Gray (9/10) 3. The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States, by Walter Johnson (9.5/10) Star Wars - another great entry to The High Republic Era. They're doing such a good job with this. Gray is my favorite SW author. She's just great Broken Heart of America - This was fantastic. Tells the history of the US, through StL via a leftist lens. Starts with the Lewis and Clark Expedition and ends with Ferguson. Learned so much. Really dove into free soilers vs abolitionist, capital vs workers redlining ect. Basically all the endemic and systemic issues you read about , localized to familiar places I grew up around and familiar names I grew up hearing about. Felt like this book was written specifically for me. Sadly the people who really need to read this never will, or wouldnt last 10 pages before completely melting. I could go on and on about it so I'll just shut up.
1. The Mismeasure Of Progress: Economic Growth And Its Critics / Stephen J. Macekura (6.5/10) 2. Guitars: A Celebration Of Pure Mojo / David Schiller (9/10) 3. Mountain Men: The Remarkable Climbers And Determined Eccentrics Who First Scaled The World's Most Famous Peaks / Mick Conefrey and Tim Jordan (9.5/10) Hooked on the climbing stuff right now. This book is just a book form of a series that aired on Discovery at one point. It was great Up Next: Speaking of good, this one's off to an amazing start. Who else has read? I put down 150 pages in the first sitting
1. Tiamat’s Wrath (The Expanse #8) - James S.A. Corey (9/10) 2. Auberon (The Expanse #8.5) - James S.A. Corey (7/10) 3. Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) - James S. A. Corey (8.5/10) Satisfying ending to the series. Really enjoyed my reread. Next: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 7/10 2. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 7/10 3. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy - 9/10 4. Our Country Friends by Gary Shytengart - 7.5/10. A group of friends quarantine at a country house during the beginning of the pandemic. Touches on all the ups and downs at the beginning of the pandemic...the initial rush of having to stay inside and find new shows to watch, uptick in drinking alcohol, sit and read, work from home, etc. while poking at the privilege this groups of people had to be able to do that. A great beginning and sad ending, it did drag on for a little in the middle, but enjoyed it overall.
1. The Mismeasure Of Progress: Economic Growth And Its Critics / Stephen J. Macekura (6.5/10) 2. Guitars: A Celebration Of Pure Mojo / David Schiller (9/10) 3. Mountain Men: The Remarkable Climbers And Determined Eccentrics Who First Scaled The World's Most Famous Peaks / Mick Conefrey and Tim Jordan (9.5/10) 4. The Lost City Of Z: A Tale Of Deadly Obsession In The Amazon / David Grann (10/10) Fanfuckingtastic. Which is better between this and his other book "Killers of the Flower Moon"? I honestly can't say. Both gripped me and taught me a lot
One of these four will be my next if anyone wants to try to influence me: The Great Influenza: The Epic Story Of The Deadliest Plague In History / John M. Barry Sultans, Spices And Tsunamis: A Brief History Of Indonesia / Tim Hannigan Salt: A World History / Mark Kurlansky The Island At The Center Of The World: The Epic Story Of Dutch Manhattan And The Forgotten Colony That Shaped America / Russell Shorto
3. Being Heumann: An Unrepentent Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist - Judith Heumann 4. Finding Ultra - Rich Roll
1. A Memory of Light (Wheel of Time #14) - Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson (10/10) 2. Reaper (Cradle #10) - Will Wight (8.5/10) 3. The Last Wish (The Witcher #1) - Andrzej Sapkowski (8.5/10) 4. Sword of Destiny (The Witcher #2) - Andrzej Sapkowski (8/10)
1. Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition by Scott Young - 8.5/10 2. You Can't Be Serious by Kal Penn - 9/10 3. Ego is the Enemy: The Fight to Master Our Greatest Opponent by Ryan Holiday - 7.5/10 4. Head Strong by Dave Asprey - 5/10 5. Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and David Evans - 7/10 Head Strong is interesting to me in the way that watching Fox News is. the "science" in it is better than the "facts" in Fox News yet I really read it to understand why some people ascribe to so much of what Asprey (and others like him) say. though I will hand it to him, his Bulletproof Coffee is good. Designing Your Life is like a self-help book for people "stuck in life." even if you don't feel stuck (in a bad job, situation, etc.), it has helpful tricks/tips. pretty short too (~225 pages with big font).
1. Francis I: the Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda (7/10). Light but fun while traveling around France. 2. My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones. 9/10. Brutal and thought provoking with a healthy amount of inspiration for film viewing inside. 3. The Sun King: Louis XIV in Versailles by Nancy Mitford. 5/10. Some good information but gossipy and horribly disorganized. Author’s voice was cloying. 4. The Damnation Game by Clive Barker. 7/10. This was a really weird one. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I never reached for it, so it took like five months to finish. But it was very intense, very visceral, and easy to immerse yourself in. 5. The Dragon's Path (The Dagger and the Coin #1) by Daniel Abraham. 9/10. Loved the world, the characters, and even the strange fascination with medieval banking. Can't wait to read the rest of this quartet. interesting. I liked the first half of Z but it totally lost me at some point.
1. Tiamat’s Wrath (The Expanse #8) - James S.A. Corey (9/10) 2. Auberon (The Expanse #8.5) - James S.A. Corey (7/10) 3. Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) - James S. A. Corey (8.5/10) 4. The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett (8/10) Next Up: The God is Not Willing - Steven Erikson
1. Born to Run - Christopher McDougall (9/10) 2. How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith (9/10) 3. Being Heumann: An Unrepentent Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist - Judith Heumann (6/10) 4. Finding Ultra - Rich Roll (7.5/10) 5. Buddhism for Beginners - Thubten Chodra (6/10) - lots of Buddhism has always appealed to me. This was a pretty decent short primer and it goes into Buddhist thought on some current events and social issues which I found interesting Next up is How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur
I heard about that Schur book a couple years ago when he signed the deal for it. Then I assumed it got tossed in the COVID hopper. Didnt know it was out. Definitely will be reading that
1. Power and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages - Dan Jones (8/10) 2 Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star - Claudia Gray (9/10) 3. The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States - Walter Johnson (9.5/10) 4. Damnation Spring - Ash Davidson 8.5/10 Finished this up this morning. Novel set in 1970s NorCal about a logging community whose people are being poisoned by herbicides needed to maintain their stand of trees and their livelihoods. Great writing. Not a ton of novels are all that emotionally moving, but this one had be choked up a few times. It's good to feel things. If it wasnt for the devine goes to arkanslaw thread, it would have been the most riveting thing I read this weekend
should finish up The Heart is a Lonely Hunter tonight. Been getting after it the past few months 1- The Big Rock Candy Mountain - Wallace Stegner (8.5/10) 2- Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston* (7.5/10) 3- All the Little Live Things - Wallace Stegner (5/10) 4- The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen (9.5/10) 5- A Burning - Megha Majumdar (9/10) 6- Going After Caciatto - Tim O'Brien (7.5/10) 7- The Ballad of the Sad Cafe - Carson McCullers (7/10) * denotes a re-read
1. Francis I: the Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda (7/10). Light but fun while traveling around France. 2. My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones. 9/10. Brutal and thought provoking with a healthy amount of inspiration for film viewing inside. 3. The Sun King: Louis XIV in Versailles by Nancy Mitford. 5/10. Some good information but gossipy and horribly disorganized. Author’s voice was cloying. 4. The Damnation Game by Clive Barker. 7/10. This was a really weird one. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I never reached for it, so it took like five months to finish. But it was very intense, very visceral, and easy to immerse yourself in. 5. The Dragon's Path (The Dagger and the Coin #1) by Daniel Abraham. 9/10. Loved the world, the characters, and even the strange fascination with medieval banking. Can't wait to read the rest of this quartet. 6. Sick House by Jeff Strand. 6/10. Kind of absurd? But fun? Really gross. Not my usual horror style, but funny in a Strand way. 7. Kraken by China Mieville. 7/10. Another one that's really hard to rate. It is impressive, like truly dazzlingly so, but it's not that great of a story. I dunno. I'll give him another shot and if I don't enjoy it more, I'm probably done with him. Even though his politics are great.
1. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby 7/10 (pretty much the exact same thoughts as Upton) 2. The Library at Mount Char 10/10 - I have no idea wtf I just read but man did I love it
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 7/10 2. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 7/10 3. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy - 9/10 4. Our Country Friends by Gary Shytengart - 7.5/10 5. Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby - 6.5/10. Enjoyed Razorblade Tears better but this was still fun
1. Born to Run - Christopher McDougall (9/10) 2. How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith (9/10) 3. Being Heumann: An Unrepentent Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist - Judith Heumann (6/10) 4. Finding Ultra - Rich Roll (7.5/10) 5. Buddhism for Beginners - Thubten Chodra (6/10) 6. How to be Perfect: The Correct Moral Answer to Every Question - Michael Schur (9/10) - I loved this book, although it was not really what I expected (not a bad thing). It is a humorous take on moral philosophy presented in an easy to understand, timely, and digestible manner. I listened to the audiobook, which is read by the author along with quotations presented by the cast of The Good Place. Schur is obviously quite funny but also a very thoughtful and down-to-earth person. Great read if you're interested in philosophy or ethics.
1. Liberty or Death: The French Revolution by Peter McPhee - 8/10 2. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti - 4/10 3. Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him - 8/10 1 - a nice comprehensive history of the French Revolution. It also focuses on differences between regions of the republic during the revolutionary years, which I found the most insightful. Learned a lot. 2 - was on vacation and needed a new e-book, and this was included in a Kindle “Daily Deals” email and looked interesting. The first bit was a nice story but then the book got weird and by the end I was happy I was finished with it. 3 - tells the history of Henry VIII by focusing on his relationships with other men including his father, King Francis I of France, advisors like Wolsey and Cromwell, other courtiers, and even the royal fools. I went in knowing a decent amount about this time period, but still learned quite a bit and enjoyed the book.
1. Born to Run - Christopher McDougall (9/10) 2. How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith (9/10) 3. Being Heumann: An Unrepentent Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist - Judith Heumann (6/10) 4. Finding Ultra - Rich Roll (7.5/10) 5. Buddhism for Beginners - Thubten Chodra (6/10) 6. How to be Perfect: The Correct Moral Answer to Every Question - Michael Schur (9/10) 7. The Sanatorium - Sarah Pearse (4/10) - run of the mill mystery, utterly forgettable. Kept my attention but that’s about it.
1. Power and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages - Dan Jones (8/10) 2 Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star - Claudia Gray (9/10) 3. The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States - Walter Johnson (9.5/10) 4. Damnation Spring - Ash Davidson 8.5/10 5. Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire - Johnathan M Katz (7.5/10) Just ever so slightly disappointed in this book. I was hoping for more about The Business Plot, but there wasnt a whole lot on it. If youre not an idiot like me and actually set your expectations on the sub title, it's a very good book. Does a very good job covering all the empire we built at the behest of private business, and the fall out. Pretty incredible one guy had his hands in so much of it
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 7/10 2. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 7/10 3. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy - 9/10 4. Our Country Friends by Gary Shytengart - 7.5/10 5. Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby - 6.5 6. The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis - 5.5/10. Eh. Felt like I was reading a watered down version of Thinking Fast and Slow where Lewis just rehashed a bunch of the stuff from there and their other work with some biographic bits mixed in. Just read Thinking Fast and Slow instead imo
1. Born to Run - Christopher McDougall (9/10) 2. How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith (9/10) 3. Being Heumann: An Unrepentent Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist - Judith Heumann (6/10) 4. Finding Ultra - Rich Roll (7.5/10) 5. Buddhism for Beginners - Thubten Chodra (6/10) 6. How to be Perfect: The Correct Moral Answer to Every Question - Michael Schur (9/10) 7. The Sanatorium - Sarah Pearse (4/10) 8. Why Buddhism is True - Robert Wright (8/10) - the title is misleading. The book is more about evolutionary psychology and meditation and is really only tangentially about how secular Buddhism relates to the two. I’m into that stuff so I enjoyed it. Quite informative although a bit too long. I’m about 15% into The Library at Mount Char and have no idea wtf I’m reading.
1. The power of influence-Robert Cialdini 2. The Republic of Pirates-Colin Woodard 3. Alone on the wall-Alex Honnold Bio about Alex, pre-free solo 4. Shattered Air- Bob Madgic About the 1985 lighting strikes on Half Dome 5. Sandman Act II-Neil Gaiman 6. Hero with 1000 faces- Joseph Campbell 7. Bottle of Lies-Katherine Eban - how generic drugs came about and how deceitful those companies are 8. The Vikings and their Enemies-Phillip Lane 9. Chasing the Scream-Johann Harl Really well done book on how useless the War on drugs is. 10. Darkwater Bride- Marty Ross
1) The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson 9/10 2) The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter 8/10 3) Founding Martyr: the life and death of Dr. Joseph Warren by Christian Di Spigna 7.5/10
1. The Mismeasure Of Progress: Economic Growth And Its Critics / Stephen J. Macekura (6.5/10) 2. Guitars: A Celebration Of Pure Mojo / David Schiller (9/10) 3. Mountain Men: The Remarkable Climbers And Determined Eccentrics Who First Scaled The World's Most Famous Peaks / Mick Conefrey and Tim Jordan (9.5/10) 4. The Lost City Of Z: A Tale Of Deadly Obsession In The Amazon / David Grann (10/10) 5. Salt: A Word History / Mark Kurlansky (8.5/10) It's chock full of good info. Definitely a recommended read. Only reason it's not higher is because it rambles a bit like clemsonvianj said. At a certain point you feel like you're just reading a history of food. He could have maybe cut 100 pages and not been as comprehensive. I will never look at a map the same way again after understanding how many place names have to do with salt Up Next:
1. Francis I: the Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda (7/10). Light but fun while traveling around France. 2. My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones. 9/10. Brutal and thought provoking with a healthy amount of inspiration for film viewing inside. 3. The Sun King: Louis XIV in Versailles by Nancy Mitford. 5/10. Some good information but gossipy and horribly disorganized. Author’s voice was cloying. 4. The Damnation Game by Clive Barker. 7/10. This was a really weird one. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I never reached for it, so it took like five months to finish. But it was very intense, very visceral, and easy to immerse yourself in. 5. The Dragon's Path (The Dagger and the Coin #1) by Daniel Abraham. 9/10. Loved the world, the characters, and even the strange fascination with medieval banking. Can't wait to read the rest of this quartet. 6. Sick House by Jeff Strand. 6/10. Kind of absurd? But fun? Really gross. Not my usual horror style, but funny in a Strand way. 7. Kraken by China Mieville. 7/10. Another one that's really hard to rate. It is impressive, like truly dazzlingly so, but it's not that great of a story. I dunno. I'll give him another shot and if I don't enjoy it more, I'm probably done with him. Even though his politics are great. 8. House of Windows by John Langan. 7/10. Whew, this was brutal. It was supposed to be, but we covered domestic violence, dead sons, estrangement, haunting, 9/11, the War in Afghanistan, etc. Effective, but really taxing. 9. Leviathan Falls (Expanse #9) by James SA Corey. 9/10. Fitting end. Got me in my feels, even if it as a standalone book it was really extraordinarily boring. 10. Nightfall (Nightmareland Chronicles #1) by Daniel Barnett. 5/10. Weird. More like a novella. Will continue. 11. The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones. 8/10. Raw and underdeveloped but the promise is there. Mandatory reading for horror nerds.
Just finished “Once upon a Time in Hollywood”. Great book Going back and finishing “The Name of the Wind” now but wanting to find some more books so following the thread now. May just finish The Kingkiller Chronicles first
Has anyone read “Gwendy’s Button Box” trilogy from Stephen King? I saw where the 3rd book is coming out but never heard of the series and thought about giving it a shot.
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 7/10 2. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 7/10 3. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy - 9/10 4. Our Country Friends by Gary Shytengart - 7.5/10 5. Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby - 6.5/10 6. Forget the Alamo by Bryan Burrough/Chris Tomlinson - 8/10. A historiography of the Alamo and how almost every we're taught growing up is complete bullshit. Slavers fought and died to be able to keep slavery in Texas against the abolitionist Mexican government. They then tell the story since the actual battle of how 'historians' were able to bastardize what actually happened flash forwarding to all of your favorite Texas politicians like Abbott and Patrick arguing that leftists want to 'cancel' the Alamo. They're actually forcing book stores and museums to cancel any discussion of it: https://www.kxan.com/news/national-...s-criticism-at-texas-gop-lawmakers-behind-it/
1. Born to Run - Christopher McDougall (9/10) 2. How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith (9/10) 3. Being Heumann: An Unrepentent Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist - Judith Heumann (6/10) 4. Finding Ultra - Rich Roll (7.5/10) 5. Buddhism for Beginners - Thubten Chodra (6/10) 6. How to be Perfect: The Correct Moral Answer to Every Question - Michael Schur (9/10) 7. The Sanatorium - Sarah Pearse (4/10) 8. Why Buddhism is True - Robert Wright (8/10) 9. The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins (9/10) - Strange, weird, bizarre; I couldn’t put it down. Really enjoyable read and unlike anything I’ve read before. Started the new Michael Connelly last night.
Rediscovering the joy of reading for fun after law school and 13 years of the legal profession nearly destroyed it. The book that got me back into it: The Goldfinch. One of the best things I’ve ever read. Especially good if you had a somewhat fucked up childhood/adolescence, like myself.
1. Liberty or Death: The French Revolution by Peter McPhee - 8/10 2. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti - 4/10 3. Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him - 8/10 4. The 1619 Project created by Nikole Hannah-Jones (with contributions from ~30 others) - 9.5/10 Very powerful and sad. Brings to light just how deeply entrenched American racism is and how the nation was founded on slavery. I’d say nearly all of us on TMB are now well familiar with present-day racial inequality, but it was interesting to see how the topics presented (e.g. medicine, self-defense) can be directly tied to slavery and how many nostalgic American ideals fall apart immediately once analyzed across racial lines. Anyway, time to jump back on the fiction train.
1. Tiamat’s Wrath (The Expanse #8) - James S.A. Corey (9/10) 2. Auberon (The Expanse #8.5) - James S.A. Corey (7/10) 3. Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) - James S. A. Corey (8.5/10) 4. The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett (8/10) 5. The God is Not Willing (Witness Trilogy #1) - Steven Erikson (7/10) This book probably deserves a higher rating. Takes place 10 years after the final book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series and it’s been a few years since I finished it. I read all of those on my kindle but listened to this on audiobook and found my mind wondering a lot. I’ll reread before the next book comes and probably increase the score. Got more into it towards the end and liked it a lot. Next Up: Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus - Rick Perlstein
1. Born to Run - Christopher McDougall (9/10) 2. How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith (9/10) 3. Being Heumann: An Unrepentent Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist - Judith Heumann (6/10) 4. Finding Ultra - Rich Roll (7.5/10) 5. Buddhism for Beginners - Thubten Chodra (6/10) 6. How to be Perfect: The Correct Moral Answer to Every Question - Michael Schur (9/10) 7. The Sanatorium - Sarah Pearse (4/10) 8. Why Buddhism is True - Robert Wright (8/10) 9. The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins (9/10) 10. The Dark Hours (Ballard/Bosch #4) - Michael Connelly (8/10) - will read anything Bosch related until he stops putting them out.
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 7/10 2. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 7/10 3. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy - 9/10 4. Our Country Friends by Gary Shytengart - 7.5/10 5. Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby - 6.5/10 6. Forget the Alamo by Bryan Burrough/Chris Tomlinson - 8/10 7. The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli - 6.5/10. It was fine. Got caught up in the “this book will change the way you see the world” reviews lol oh well
1. A Memory of Light (Wheel of Time #14) - Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson (10/10) 2. Reaper (Cradle #10) - Will Wight (8.5/10) 3. The Last Wish (The Witcher #1) - Andrzej Sapkowski (8.5/10) 4. Sword of Destiny (The Witcher #2) - Andrzej Sapkowski (8/10) 5. Blood of Elves (The Witcher #3) - Andrzej Sapkowski (8/10)
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 7/10 2. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 7/10 3. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy - 9/10 4. Our Country Friends by Gary Shytengart - 7.5/10 5. Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby - 6.5/10 6. Forget the Alamo by Bryan Burrough/Chris Tomlinson - 8/10 7. The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli - 6.5/10 8. A Legacy of Spies by John le Carre - 7/10. My first le Carre novel and might have been a bad choice at it seems like there was some backstory I should have known from his previous Smiley novels. Couldnt put it down though, and the ending was fantastic.
1. Liberty or Death: The French Revolution by Peter McPhee - 8/10 2. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti - 4/10 3. Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him - 8/10 4. The 1619 Project created by Nikole Hannah-Jones (with contributions from ~30 others) - 9.5/10 5. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue - 8.5/10
I realize it’s probably not cool, but I just finished Sooley by John Grisham. Very disappointed in the ending.