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Forums › Free Speech › Product, Book, Movie & Music Reviews › Right Now I’m Reading
This is one of my favorite topics on the old igx.
Currently reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke.
So far not feeling it. Very british. Kind of dull. Magic in England in the 1800s. Some magician (Mr. Norrell) can actually do magic while all these other dudes only studied it. Hijinks ensue and now there is another dude who can also due magic.
Really fucking british. Slogging through it.
Finished Twelve Kings of Shrakhai by Bradley P Beaulieu.
I actually liked this. It is perfectly average fantasy. Set in some desert like world, there is a city ruled by twelve kings who have lived for hundreds of years. Woman fighter whose mother was killed by the kings. World building is fine. Action is fine. Writing is perfectly capable. Easy reading and great if you like fantasy and want something easy and enjoyable. One thing – it is a series and this one ends with nothing really resolved. That being said, I finished it and feel perfectly fine if I read the next one and perfectly fine if I do not.
Silver Pine. Great mystery set in small mountain town. Dialog is IGx approved.
New to the forum, but not new to IGX. I took the opportunity of the new site to actually register rather than just lurking …
I read non-fiction almost exclusively. I have been on a kick to read about medal of honor recipients. In the last few months I read:
I am currently reading The Davidian Massacre. I picked it up in Waco a while back. I happen to be traveling there and took a morning to drive out to the Branch Davidian compound. It was odd … the gate was open but they had a No Trespassing sign hung on it. I was with my daughter and she really wanted to check it out so we drove in. There is a small visitor center just inside the gate that was closed, but there was a hand written sign on the door to call a phone number for service. My daughter called and a women agreed to meet us and give us a personal tour of the property. It was really cool. She was a member of the Davidians but she and her husband left before all the shit went down because Koresh was sleeping with all the women (and girls) in the group. After the “event” she and her husband went back and are managing the property now. It was really cool to talk to her about what happened. She was very honest about things and gave a first hand account of what was really going on. She recommended the book as an alternate account to what you see in the documentaries on Netflix, etc. The book is not written in story format, but it goes in-depth to all the bullshit going on with the BATF that lead up to the event. Koresh was clearly a kook, but the BATF had no business going in there the way they did.
No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith by Fawn M. Brodie
Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder by Harold Schindler and Dale Bryner
…finishing up my Utah reading.
I’m looking for any interesting books on the mountain men of the American frontier era like Jim Bridger, Jedidiah Smith, or Kit Carson. Let me know if you have any good recommendations.
The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling. I’d read and enjoyed the Harry Potter series (started while babysitting a younger cousin), and this is her first children’s book outside of that Universe.
I generally like kid’s fiction, partly because it’s not as dark as adult fare. But this book had plenty of murders and misery. Overall, enjoyed it.
7.5/10
“Never Split the Difference”
This is a how-to on negotiation, written by former head FBI kidnapping investigator Chris Voss.
100% counter-intuitive. It’s heart-breaking seeing how I’ve approached discussions before, but this book gives me hope in addressing my biggest current obstacle as a personal trainer:
Effectively changing a client’s nutrition.
There are so many great techniques, accompanied by the occasional relevant anecdote, and with an overall philosophy of empathy and curiosity.
Highly recommended!
Well, attempt number 3+ to post in this thread – they just don’t seem to ‘take’…
Mickey’s recommendation of the Comfort Crisis has proven excellent. I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s already been well worth the time invested.
Also reading “Software Design for Flexibility” – excellent book. Lots of gripes in the Amazon reviews from people who apparently aren’t familiar with the author, or his prior work – tough shit!
Stick
Someone, I think Bram, recommended Waitzkin’s “Art of Learning”. I’m about 2/3 through and it’s just not resonating. As an autobiography it is probably fine (there’s plenty of interesting reading), but as a self-help / self-improvement book, I’m not grokking it. I liked it at first, but it just doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The author draws a lot of parallels between chess and Tai-Chi (two of my favorite subjects to ignore…) but I cannot make the leap from his “insights” to actionable insights into my own endeavors. Unless I find something quickly, I may forsake finishing the book in lieu of more gratifying reading.
-Stick
That probably was me who rec’d it.
I go back and forth on Josh, he had a great podcast with Tim Ferris (I believe Tim’s second podcast ever). He’s been on since then and the later interviews seems like a bunch of nonsense.
I think Josh is a smart guy with success in a number of areas, but sometimes your intelligence can be a trap — he has a lot of theories that seem profound at first glance, but end up being hard to integrate.
Appreciate you giving it a try and sorry to hear it didn’t resonate 🙂
That probably was me who rec’d it. I go back and forth on Josh, he had a great podcast with Tim Ferris (I believe Tim’s second podcast ever). He’s been on since then and the later interviews seems like a bunch of nonsense. I think Josh is a smart guy with success in a number of areas, but sometimes your intelligence can be a trap — he has a lot of theories that seem profound at first glance, but end up being hard to integrate. Appreciate you giving it a try and sorry to hear it didn’t resonate
Oh, the irony! I cracked the book once more and found a nugget wrt interval training, and enhanced recovery time. Now that’s something I can (and will!) bite into. I’ll continue the reading as well.
I think I get exactly what you’re saying – Josh is definitely smart, and accomplished, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he knows how he got there. His epiphanies are not necessarily the epiphanies that the next guy (even in chess or Tai-Chi) will need. I used to teach people to shoot – one of the first things you realize is that not everyone struggles with the same things you struggled with. It’s much harder to train someone who’s having a problem with something that’s never been a problem for you!
-Stick
I used to teach people to shoot – one of the first things you realize is that not everyone struggles with the same things you struggled with. It’s much harder to train someone who’s having a problem with something that’s never been a problem for you! -Stick
I struggle with this as a trainer. My problem wasn’t motivation, but in using the right approach and right diet. But the biggest challenge I see in clients is committing to an effective diet. And, to a lesser degree, putting forth the effort necessary (aka “busting their ass”) to force adaptation.
Glad you found a nugget in there 🙂 If nothing else, Josh is a personal role-model for tackling a variety of big goals (with his passions in chess, Tai Chi, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, corporate consulting, foil boarding).
You’re fortunate not to have struggled with motivation. That seems to be the killer for most people’s physical goals (including mine). You’re also in a tough racket – it happens everywhere, but it seems that with physical health especially people expect a pill or surgery to give them what they want, with no effort on their part. At least in other disciplines those same people recognize that there’s work involved and say “Bah! Too much work!” – but not health – no, they must need thyroid medication because it couldn’t possibly be the 16 hours of daily television and phone time combined with three 32-oz Caramel Machiados that’s the problem…
I can see how being able to be more selective in your clientele would be dramatically more rewarding than dealing with the random ‘walk-in’ public. More power to you!
-Stick
Unless someone is an outright asshole, I’m happy to train anyone and look at it as a personal challenge to get them to love exercising and eating well.
One of my favorite clients is an overweight 11-year old. We got him to cut his lemonade and chocolate milk habit and he dropped probably 20 pounds just from that. This was a kid who would do maybe 4 minutes of exercise in an hour session with his dad, now he’s up to around 40 minutes — and just this week was working hard when I wasn’t watching — a big improvement! They’re also playing paddle ball before I show up, and he never was willing to do ANY physical activity (catch, etc.) with his dad before this.
Another client, in his mid-30’s, had never exercised much his whole life, tomorrow he flies to Hawaii to do a hiking trip with his wife. After building up leg strength, via working out, he found he loves hiking and his last few vacations have been centered around it.
Things like that keep me motivated to believe in everybody 🙂
The Shaking Reeds by John Pedersen
John’s a close friend of my deceased father, and I spent many, many days listening to him play music and tell stories.
Picked up this book without expecting much, then absolutely loved it.
Great protagonist, fun (and funny) mystery, and shocked at how damn good of a writer he is. As someone who grew up in Marin and San Francisco, he paints an accurate picture of the abusive weather and overall feel of the area.
Highly recommended 🙂
Atomic Fitness: the Alternative to Drugs, Steroids, Wacky Diets, and Everything Else That’s Failed by Steve Michalik…this book is well beyond Justa levels of insanity. I can’t really do it justice but if I remember later I will try to post a few of the zanier passages. If you’re into the weird fringes of fitness and bodybuilding, by all means pick this up because it’s fucking bananas.
This is one of my favorite topics on the old igx. Currently reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke. So far not feeling it. Very british. Kind of dull. Magic in England in the 1800s. Some magician (Mr. Norrell) can actually do magic while all these other dudes only studied it. Hijinks ensue and now there is another dude who can also due magic. Really fucking british. Slogging through it. Finished Twelve Kings of Shrakhai by Bradley P Beaulieu. I actually liked this. It is perfectly average fantasy. Set in some desert like world, there is a city ruled by twelve kings who have lived for hundreds of years. Woman fighter whose mother was killed by the kings. World building is fine. Action is fine. Writing is perfectly capable. Easy reading and great if you like fantasy and want something easy and enjoyable. One thing – it is a series and this one ends with nothing really resolved. That being said, I finished it and feel perfectly fine if I read the next one and perfectly fine if I do not.
I had a hard time with JS & Mr N. Didn’t finish it, in fact.
“With Winning In Mind” by Lanny Bassham. I read it before, years ago. It’s really about developing the mental aspect of your competitive game. The author was an Olympic Gold Medal shooter, but it’s not really sport-specific. It also provides some pretty good insight into what it takes to compete at that level (all you’ve got, and then some).
-stick
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Novel by Quentin Tarantino. If you like the way the guy writes, it’s a fun read. Not a fan? Easy pass.
How does it compare with the movie?
I’ve been pretty lazy about reading this. Only a few chapters in. So far, I’d say it’s quite a lot like the movie only with substantially more narration. Expands on the characters quite a bit and it all reads like the flick plays out with some slight differences here & there. It really all hinges on if you liked the characters enough to do a deeper dive on em.
The End: Get the Gains and Leave by Truthseeker
What is this? A quick google search reveals nothing. N/M – Found it. How is it?
It’s not bad, more of a booklet than a book. Basically, it’s a philosophical pessimist’s approach to weight training. Are you interested in reading it?
“With Winning In Mind” by Lanny Bassham. I read it before, years ago. It’s really about developing the mental aspect of your competitive game. The author was an Olympic Gold Medal shooter, but it’s not really sport-specific. It also provides some pretty good insight into what it takes to compete at that level (all you’ve got, and then some). -stick
Have this on my bookshelf. Am a fan.
Just finished Neuromancer by William Gibson.
This book birthed the Cyber-Punk genre, and initially I loved it, with the opening line — “The sky above the port was the color of a television, tuned to a dead channel.” — instantly hooking me. It’s a kick-ass story, but as the book continues it gets harder and harder to read. A blend of real-life, cyberspace, and waking hallucinations, with crazy fucks operating on each level…it gets challenging to sort through.
8/10
Finished The Premonition by Michael Lewis.
It concerns pandemic responses in general, with the last third of the book dealing with the response to Covid-19.
It’s a mixture of very interesting people, set out to do good, contrasted with bureaucratic systems (namely the CDC) and individuals more concerned with not being left holding the bag than dealing with things in a helpful way.
I read a review on Amazon that said this was an anti-Trump book, from a reviewer who admittedly skimmed all but the first chapters, but Trump factors relatively small in the telling. More that pandemic responses are tough. Sometimes a pandemic will be a disaster, sometimes it won’t. And it comes down to asking, “What’s the worse possible outcome?” then acting from that standpoint — with the associated risks of over-reacting and looking dumb, or reacting correctly and saving lives.
8.5/10
Eat Like a Fish, by Bren Smith.
Bren was a long-time fisherman who watched the industry collapse and then turned to shellfish and seaweed farming.
He talks about his youth of drugs, living a reckless life, and repeatedly losing purpose…then finally finding meaning and hope in this new venture.
He’s won a bunch of awards for his work, and collaborated with some of the top chefs and leading environmentalists in the world. He calls this kind of farming “regenerative” because seaweed and shellfish capture or process carbon and nitrogen. The more of it we have, the more of a boon on the environment. And neither requires anything more than to sit there in the water to grow. The book outlines how to do this yourself (it’s not expensive to create your own ocean farm) as well as recipes for various types of seaweed dishes.
I very much enjoyed it and found it hopeful.
Shadow Tyrants by Clive Cussler.
The guy has written something like 84 books, and I assume they are all similar to this one: tons of action sequences, high stakes, likeable characters, low consequences for the good guys.
I enjoyed it, went to the library, found about 50 more of his titles in the stacks, and opted for something else. But I’ll probably return when I need a light, fun read.
The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson.
The book covers the first year of Winston Churchill’s tenure as Prime Minister of England during World War II.
It’s funny, sad, uplifting, and an absolute page-turner. The horrors of war are contrasted with young people in love; Winston’s tendencies to dance, crack jokes, be frank, but still optimistic and resolute in his belief in victory — which carried over to his country at large; as well as what the Germans were up to….a well-rounded telling of that fateful year.
The Happiness Industry by William Davies.
Found this in the stacks at the library, thinking it would be a good counter-point to all the self-help shit I read.
Challenging, but found much value. Basically, Davies blames much of global unhappiness on current economic and social structures. Societies where inequality are prevalent (like the United States) have a much higher rate of poor mental health. Competitive cultures are much the same. As are work situations where you have little autonomy.
He views the “Happiness Industry” (health, fitness, meditation, gratitude practices, etc.) as one that puts the fault and solution in the individual. Not in changing the system itself.
“If consumption and materialism remain both cause and effect of individualistic, unhappy cultures, then the vicious cycle is a profitable one for those involved in the marketing.”
