Right now I'm reading

[Fat Cat]

Actually, read Bronze Age Mindset. Maybe the most insightful book of our time. It echoes with Burroughs, Nietzsche, and the Una-bomber.

I'm looking at the Musil book now.

[Sangoma]

You won't believe it, but a few days ago I came across the Bronze Age Mindset on Amazon and bought it. Did not like it at all, so I returned it. Different tastes I guess.

[Bram]

^^^I have had a few reading experiences like that, where once i finally push through an initial block I love the book.

It's good to have them, I gave up on the sequel to Altered Carbon in the first two paragraphs, but I heard that book sucked.

This one is 700 pages and it was partly the size, coupled with the slow start, that made me not persevere at first.

[JimZipCode]

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. This is an unfinished fantasy trilogy. It took me 4 tries to break free of the first 20 pages as I found it sluggish. But once I hit page 50 and the story truly begins, I have been hooked.

Nothing all that novel so far - a young hero and his trials, with his wins and losses along the way. But there's definite poetry in the telling of it.

I fucking hated that book. The prose is lovely, but the storytelling is so twee and precious that, ugh, I couldn't stand it. I only finished it because my brother-in-law gave it to me as a present: he was so proud of the gift, and I really like & respect him. Looking it up on wikipedia, I see that Rothfuss wrote it as a college student. Boy does that show.

Nice definition of magic, though. Clever mechanics.

Maybe the sequel is better. He wouldn't have been a student anymore when he wrote it; and there are book series where the writing gets tighter and more assured as the writer gets more accomplished.

[JimZipCode]

Just to undercut the highbrow pretentiousness of that last post, here's what I picked up at the library yesterday to take a stab at:

Mr Mercedes, by Stephen King.
The Godwulf Manuscript, by Robert Parker. (first Spenser for hire book, 1973)

[Fat Cat]

You won't believe it, but a few days ago I came across the Bronze Age Mindset on Amazon and bought it. Did not like it at all, so I returned it. Different tastes I guess.

Haha wow what are the odds? Well I can't say I blame you, it's a weird book but I also find it pretty amazing and unique.

[Sangoma]

Another book currently on the active screen of my Kindle: The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. The basics of Adlerian psychology. Very good. Apparently it sold over 3 million copies - which is usually is not a good sign.

https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Be-Disli ... ref=sr_1_1

[Bram]

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

I fucking hated that book.

heh. I leant it to my friend first who also hated it, but he ended up reading the whole thing too.

[Fat Cat]

The Courage To Be Disliked

Expert Level +1000

[Sangoma]

The Courage To Be Disliked

Expert Level +1000

When I first looked at it I thought it's about how to be a dick. But then I realised that Japanese simply could not write a book like this. Personally, I don't think this is a book for most in the IGx throng, but is worthwhile to look at so that you can recommend it for poor sods that need this kind of advice. Even then, I find it useful for myself.

[Bram]

Finished Name of the Wind which I give an 8.8 to, immediately started the sequel The Wise Man's Fear, great so far - a continuation of the same story without missing a beat.

[Sangoma]

I am re-reading parts of The Black Swan by Taleb. Very good overall, though there are some serious inconsistencies.

[Fat Cat]

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

...also finished Sun and Steel by Yukio Mishima over the weekend.

[JimZipCode]

In the mood for a page turner, after we had a family tragedy last week. Unexpected.

Knocked out Mr Mercedes by Stephen King. Solid King, delivers what you want. There's a sequel that I might look at, Finders Keepers.

Also picked up the first Spenser book by Robt Parker, The Godwulf Manuscript. Just ok so far: the most fun part is the descriptions of what people are wearing. The absolute height of 1974 fashion.

[johno]

In his first few Spenser books, Parker noticeably grows as a writer. If Godwulf strikes you as merely OK, stay the course because things greatly improve.

[JimZipCode]

In his first few Spenser books, Parker noticeably grows as a writer. If Godwulf strikes you as merely OK, stay the course because things greatly improve.

Thanks! Makes sense.

[Bram]

Finished "Tapped Out" by Matthew Polly. Polly previously wrote "American Shaolin" about his experience training at the Shaolin temple for 2 years in his early 20's if memory serves. I loved that book and found he had written another martial arts book.

In Tapped Out, it's now been 15 years and he's in his late-30's and 50lbs overweight. He gets pulled into training for an MMA bout to have another book come to market. It's 2008 and so he fawns over GSP - training with his BJJ and Muay Thai coaches, moves to Vegas to train with a who's who of the elites and eventually fights (which you can quickly find on youtube).

It was a fun, quick read. A little too much with the self-effacing humor, but he comes across as an honest, likable guy with a little bit leftover from his training with the monks.

[Fat Cat]

I read an advance copy of American Shaolin and I thought it wasn't a great story, but that he was a very funny guy.

[Fat Cat]

Hotel Bemelmans by Ludwig Bemelmans

Next up is...

Campaign in Russia: The Waffen SS on the Eastern Front by Léon Degrelle

[Bram]

Just picked up Matthew Polly's latest, "Bruce Lee: A Life" - supposed to be the authoritative biography on him.

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy American Shaolin more Fattie

[nafod]

Just finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. Won the Pulitzer Prize, but I'd never heard of it until I saw it at the bookstore and liked the cover art. Great story that involves the golden era of comic books back in the 30s - 50s, along with magic performing and other adventures. Two thumbs up.

[JimZipCode]

Just finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon.

Loved that book. I also really enjoyed some of his books of essays, and The Yiddish Policeman's Union. That one won the Nebula & Hugo awards for best science fiction novel of the year; which is confusing because there aren't any overt "science fictiony" elements in it. But I think what qualifies it is the Alternate History elements.

My wife gave me Telegraph Avenue for my birthday one year. I haven't read it yet.

Chabon went to the high school up the street from my house (I didn't live here then), so I'm always kind of interested in his career.

[Fat Cat]

Just picked up Matthew Polly's latest, "Bruce Lee: A Life" - supposed to be the authoritative biography on him.

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy American Shaolin more Fattie

No, like I said, I just enjoyed it more for humor than story line. No harm in that.

[Bram]

Just picked up Matthew Polly's latest, "Bruce Lee: A Life" - supposed to be the authoritative biography on him.

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy American Shaolin more Fattie

No, like I said, I just enjoyed it more for humor than story line. No harm in that.

Agreed. You might get a kick out of Tapped Out, though it's a bit dated. He definitely jokes around quite a bit in that book as well.

[vern]

Finished Name of the Wind which I give an 8.8 to, immediately started the sequel The Wise Man's Fear, great so far - a continuation of the same story without missing a beat.

Funny you should mention Name of the Wind, a friend just loaned me his copy a few months back. I don't read a lot of fiction but gave it a crack today and have loved it so far.

I've recently finished Mao:A Life by Philip Short and Churchill' s WWII volumes.