Books I read 2012

dogchild · Post by **dogchild** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 2:50 am

1: The Ghost Brigades - John Scalzi
This is a good series (Old Man's War is the first) much in the vein of Heinlein's 'Starship Troopers'. If you liked that, you will probably enjoy this series. The later books have less war and more diplomacy. One thing I don't like, it's hard for me to remember all the alien races and what they are supposed to look like.

2: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing John Bogle
I will sum up the book: It is better to invest in Index Funds with low fees than managed funds (where the manager will fee you money and you will lose compound interest. The way funds are marketed suffers from survivor bias). At the end of 2011 I read the Black Swan by Nassim Taleb and I found these two ideas to be in interesting contradistinction from one another.

3: Ghost Story - Jim Butcher
Read this completely on my phone. I don't like reading on my phone very much, but now I have a Nook that I have painfully rooted and installed the kindle app on, so now I can read whatever I please. I don't recommend this to any but the hardest of core nerds right now. This is like book 13 or something in the Harry Dresden series. I obviously enjoy it since I've made it so far. Good if you liked the Anita Blake series until it became soft-core porn. 'Urban Fantasy' about a modern-day wizard/private eye who tangles with nasty supernatural stuff.

4: Context - Cory Doctorow
Available with all the author's other stuff for free online: http://craphound.com/
Felt more disjointed than 'Content', it's predecessor. Still, I think that few people see the world I live in with as much clarity as Doctorow. He blogs on boingboing as well.

5: Mindset - Carol Dweck
Sum up the book: you can have one of two mindsets. You can have a fixed mindset, which means that people basically are what they are and few changes can be made. Or you can have a growth mindset, which holds that people can get better at things. Dweck describes a few studies that she's done about this. Spoiler alert: it's better to have a growth mindset.

Here's something that is more succinct than the book. If you like this, you may want to pick up the book at the library to skim the sections that are interesting to you.

http://amix.dk/blog/post/19487

6: The Last Colony - John Scalzi
Another 'Old Man's War' book.

7: Conquistador - S.M. Stirling
Got about 4/5 or 5/6 of the way through this and then couldn't tolerate the Mary Sue characters any more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquistador_(novel)

8: Every Hand Revealed - Gus Hansen
Poker book that describes every hand played by the winner of the 2007 Aussie Millions, by that same person. I don't know why I picked this book back up; I've read it before, and I wonder if poker has continued to innovate in the same way in the last 3-4 years as it did between, say, 2003-2007, when everything changed. For what it's worth, I liked this book. I don't know how good the advice is any more, though.

9: Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff - Dinah Sanders
Picked this one up because it was $2.99 and I liked the blurb from Boing Boing (http://boingboing.net/2012/01/03/discar ... f-jus.html).

This book seemed disorganized, but I read it completely as an ebook. I feel like this changes the 'flow' of reading a book. It's like if you took some decluttering books, smashed a getting things done book in, and mashed it up with some internet boards. That doesn't make the advice in it bad, just... there's no over-arching theme there. Again, this may be rectified by reading a paperback version. I'm not sure any of the ideas in it were new to me, but that probably just shows that I've mined out the genre rather than that it didn't have bad advice in it.

10: The Easy Way to Stop Smoking - Alan Carr
I read this to help me stop using dip. I'm not sure if it helped or not. This was an older edition.

11: Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-limit Hold 'em Poker Tournaments and Sit-n-go's - Nelson, Streib, and Lee

This was the original version. It had a bunch of basically incomprehensible charts in it which basically reminded me of how much I had forgotten. I got it for sale for like 4 bucks shipped and it had been on my list since I played online and in a weekly live game, so I read it. The advice that I could discern seemed solid, but they have a tendency to use math instead of helping you learn the intuitively right thing to do. I believe you have to approximate the mathematical solutions at the table, so learning intuition is best. I guess this is why I prefer "Every Hand Revealed" as it walks you through the thought process of every hand.

12: The Rapid Fat Loss Handbook: A Scientific Approach to Crash Dieting -Lyle McDonald
This is an old 2005 edition. Basically a PSMF without shakes. Good to be able to pull out of my back pocket if I get too far behind in the fatty wager, I guess.

13: Body by Science: A Research Based Program to Get the Results You Want in 12 Minutes a Week - Doug McGuff
I did not realize that this book was HIT bullshit when I picked it up. I couldn't finish it once I saw them demonstrating the barbell moves.

I may, someday, use a 4-6 week HIT cycle. This is not that week.

More exciting reviews to come as I finish more books.

Holland Oates · Post by **Holland Oates** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:28 am

Scalzi is awesome. I read the first two or three of the Old Man War books and just stopped for no reason. The Dresden Files are book crack.

Shafpocalypse Now · Post by **Shafpocalypse Now** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 9:02 pm

McGuff's "Body By Science" is legitimately terrible.

He ignores any state of the art training practices in lieu of Carpinelli et al's antiquated and biased research.

Holland Oates · Post by **Holland Oates** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:33 am

I'm on a Landadale reading marathon. Damn you SHAF!

Fuzzy Dunlop · Post by **Fuzzy Dunlop** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:01 am

You've read 13 books in less than 40 days? Jesustittyfuckingchrist.

Shafpocalypse Now · Post by **Shafpocalypse Now** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:39 am

Lansdale is on facebook all the time.

Damn if he isn't my favorite author.

Holland Oates · Post by **Holland Oates** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:10 am

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:Lansdale is on facebook all the time.

Damn if he isn't my favorite author.

Yeah I added him after you steered me that way.

SAR · Post by **SAR** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:51 pm

what lansdale do I start with?

Shapecharge · Post by **Shapecharge** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 7:45 pm

As a surgeon shouldn't you be reading books like "How To Take Out a Kidney for Dummies!" and other associated materials? Fiction is cool for us mouth breathers but we kinda expect a little something extra out of our doctors. More focused reading would cut down on things like removing the wrong foot, leaving tools inside people, and such.

SAR · Post by **SAR** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 10:33 pm

thanks shape....btw, how's that anoplasty working out for you? Did I make it tight enough to please even your least endowed lovers?

Shapecharge · Post by **Shapecharge** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 10:44 pm

Well, I would have preferred talking about this privately but, yes you did a good job on everything. Thanks. You're not a very nice person.

Shafpocalypse Now · Post by **Shafpocalypse Now** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:23 am

My first was "Mucho Mojo" which was a stronger book than Savage Season, the first in the Leonard and Hap series. Things seem pretty normal at first...the stories get progressively more and more gonzo.

I'd consider going with Lost Echos and Leather Maiden as stand alones.

Lansdale's buddy, Andrew Vachss is also a wicked storyteller, much darker than Joe though, but just as recommended.

dogchild · Post by **dogchild** » Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:11 am

coop wrote:You've read 13 books in less than 40 days? Jesustittyfuckingchrist.

I don't watch a lot of TV or play a lot of video games. Also, 45 min bus commute each way = reading for me. I walk a lot and listen to audio books.

14. Zoe's Tale, Scalzi, Old Man's War Series. Good and fills in some of the holes from the last book, as it occurs at the same time as the previous book in the series.

dogchild · Post by **dogchild** » Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:15 am

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:McGuff's "Body By Science" is legitimately terrible.

He ignores any state of the art training practices in lieu of Carpinelli et al's antiquated and biased research.

I already gave this book away on Paperback swap so I can't quote you chapter and verse, but there's this one quote where he talks about 'Every PROPERLY designed study shows ..." and then some HIT claptrap. I literally laughed out loud at that part.

I was hoping to get something like Zatsiorsky dumbed down for me, and instead I got complete garbage.

dogchild · Post by **dogchild** » Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:38 am

15. First audio book(s) of the year: Mega Memory and Advanced Mega Memory by Kevin Trudeau.

First off, the methods do work. He uses versions of the Major System, Peg system, method of loci and other classic mnemonic techniques, but it kind of rubs me the wrong way that he gave no credit or historical basis for the techniques described. He also pilfers a bit from NLP and some other techniques. Not a bad way to intro to the topic, but certainly not the be-all end all.

If you want to read about memory techniques for free, I recommend the mentat wiki at http://www.ludism.org/mentat

Also, for longer-term memory, you might wish to use something like mnemosyne http://www.mnemosyne-proj.org/
(Reasons described in this article http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/mag ... ntPage=all)

I'm currently experimenting with a Da Mo's cave (from Glenn Morris) + Memory Palace (Classic Western Technique) + Red Gold (especially co-Pers) techniques for memory/visualizations as well. I haven't fully fleshed out everything that I want to do with this yet but it may be interesting.

dogchild · Post by **dogchild** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:57 am

16. Heft on Wheels: a field guide to doing a 180 by Mike Magnuson. I must like this book, I think it's the 3rd time I've read it. Basically the story of how Mike turned his 255 pound, alcoholic, chain smoking ass into a lean, mean cycling machine. I've read two of his other books, the Right Man for the Job and Lummox, and liked both very much as well. His writing really resonates with me. Recommended.

http://mikemagnuson.blogspot.com/ (Just found this this week, don't know if it's good, but this is the guy)

17. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. Reads like a greatest hits album of M G. You can read here: http://www.gladwell.com/archive.html to get an idea of what to expect, but I imagine if you like non-fiction you should know who Malcolm Gladwell is. If you don't, you're probably not really a reader. Number five on this list, but for dudes instead of women: http://open.salon.com/blog/jlsathre/201 ... _bookstore

The list of essays is as follows:

'The Pitchman"
'The Ketchup Conundrum'
'Blowing Up'
'True Colors'
'John Rock's Error'
'What the Dog Saw'
'It was like driving down the interstate looking through a soda straw'
'Enron, Intelligence, and the Perils of Too Much Information'
'Million-Dollar Murray'
'The Picture Problem'
'Something Borrowed'
'Connecting the Dots'
'The Art of Failure'
'Blowup'
'"He'll be wearing a double-breasted suit. Buttoned." - And He Was.'
'Late Bloomers'
'Most Likely to Succeed'
'Dangerous Minds'
'The Talent Myth'
'The New-Boy Network'
'Troublemakers'
That's it for now. More coming as I crank through some of the longer/harder stuff I've been reading for a while.

dogchild · Post by **dogchild** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:07 am

17. Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard. Leonard writes crime fiction and has a strong ear for dialogue. This one somehow didn't ring true to me, but was still enjoyable.

18. The Flinch by Julien Smith (free ebook). This is basically how fear is ruining your life for no good reason. Worth the free download and it goes quickly. http://www.amazon.com/The-Flinch-ebook/dp/B0062Q7S3S

The Crawdaddy · Post by **The Crawdaddy** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:08 pm

1. Jim Butcher - Storm Front - Dresden FIles Book 1 - decent quick read. Got it via kindle(app version) from my son. Nothing splashy and not literature or anything, but a decent read for mindlessness in the midst of thesis writing.

2. Running Critical - Patrick Tyler. Old book about Naval Reactors and Electric Boat during the 1970's design and build of the 688 and OHIO class subs. Some decent depiction of Rickover and his legendary antics. Good background for the current GDEB relationship since I am headed to the OHIO replacement program office this summer.

3. Never Let Go - Dan John. Toilet reader. Lot's of good stuff. Plenty of review already.

Holland Oates · Post by **Holland Oates** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 3:25 am

The Crawdaddy wrote:1. Jim Butcher - Storm Front - Dresden FIles Book 1 - decent quick read. Got it via kindle(app version) from my son. Nothing splashy and not literature or anything, but a decent read for mindlessness in the midst of thesis writing.

BEWARE! The Dresden Files are book CRACK!

nafod · Post by **nafod** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 12:53 pm

Here's an interesting recommended reading list from some interesting person...

http://www.edgework.info/recommended_reading.html

Protobuilder · Post by **Protobuilder** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 6:07 am

Ed Zachary wrote:
The Crawdaddy wrote:1. Jim Butcher - Storm Front - Dresden FIles Book 1 - decent quick read. Got it via kindle(app version) from my son. Nothing splashy and not literature or anything, but a decent read for mindlessness in the midst of thesis writing.
BEWARE! The Dresden Files are book CRACK!

+ 1,000

My wife and Butcher are friends and she has all the books - some time back I decided to read a few chapters to see what they were like, despite disliking "that sort of thing".

I didn't like the first three that much.

The next ten flew by.

dogchild · Post by **dogchild** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 4:25 am

Moving sucks so I haven't had time to update.

19. The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind is not light reading--I've been working on it on and off for literally years, and it's more like reading a Jeopardy board from the 70s with Greek Myth, neurobiology, abnormal psychology, Bible Stories, ancient Sumeria, fortune telling, trance states, and the Mayan Civilization as some of the categories. This book is a real mind-bender, but I'm not sure I completely bought it. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun in a way, just challenging. It's about how man hasn't been fully conscious for very long and before that, we may have basically heard 'god' or 'gods' literally talking to us in a semi-schizophrenic state.

Bobby · Post by **Bobby** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:25 pm

Jsut started Dalton Fury`s "Black site" and when I finish that I`m going to read David Gibbins "The gods of Atantis".

dogchild · Post by **dogchild** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 12:04 am

20. Astronauts and Heretics - Thomas Marcinko is a buck on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Astronauts-and-He ... 920&sr=8-1 and features stories about Elvis, Jesus, Superheroes and science fiction. Not my cup of tea, but not bad either.

21. Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield was probably bad-ass when it came out, but it came across as nothing special in 2012. Probably for grip completists only.

22. Mr. America: How Muscular Millionaire Bernarr Macfadden Transformed the Nation Through Sex, Salad, and the Ultimate Starvation Diet by Mark Adams. An interesting bio of a Physical Culture pioneer. Recommended if only because I didn't know anything about him, but he pioneered or helped popularize so many of the ideas in both media and exercise that are still popular today.

23.The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Audiobook). Basically interesting story in the first half about cell culturing, research, and science and how one poor black woman was the source of the cells that provided dozens or hundreds of scientific breakthroughs. This seems to fall through a bit as the second half concentrates on her surviving children and grandchildren who are (surprise surprise) still poor and still black. Worth reading, but I felt the audiobook dragged because I couldn't skip some of the family stuff.

Dunn · Post by **Dunn** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:37 am

Terry B. wrote:
Ed Zachary wrote:
The Crawdaddy wrote:1. Jim Butcher - Storm Front - Dresden FIles Book 1 - decent quick read. Got it via kindle(app version) from my son. Nothing splashy and not literature or anything, but a decent read for mindlessness in the midst of thesis writing.
BEWARE! The Dresden Files are book CRACK!
+ 1,000

My wife and Butcher are friends and she has all the books - some time back I decided to read a few chapters to see what they were like, despite disliking "that sort of thing".

I didn't like the first three that much.

The next ten flew by.

He describes his own stuff as popcorn fantasy and nothing special. I subsequently have all the books now and I am waiting on him to put out another. I was genuinely surprised at how much I liked it and as mentioned before, they are a great way to break away from the deeper more studious stuff.

IGX

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