Books! The good Reads thread

[Allentown]

Reading some sort of political action/thriller my brother bought for me after hearing about it on Joe Rogan. It's 100% Fox News Porn. Basically the exact plot of the first season of Punisher on Netflix, but with constant jams at how spineless and nasty the Democrats are, and how awesome waterboarding is, and how someone needs to put a bullet in Snowden, and Benghazi.

Is this the book the Navy SEAL wrote?

It is.

[deant]

I just finished "Washington's Crossing" by David Hackett Fischer. I despise reading history books and pretty much every battle summary book that I endured at West Point and beyond was mind numbingly dull. This book completely changes my mind about reading history. It was well written and enjoyable to read. He makes outstanding connections and doesn't gloss over the critical decision points and how those decisions were reached. George Washington provides an example of leadership that each of us can only hope to emulate.

My son and I read this book over the 4th of July because it seemed like an appropriate time and he was required to read it before reporting to West Point in July. 10/10 - highly recommend

[Hanley]

I just finished "Washington's Crossing" by David Hackett Fischer. I despise reading history books and pretty much every battle summary book that I endured at West Point and beyond was mind numbingly dull. This book completely changes my mind about reading history. It was well written and enjoyable to read. He makes outstanding connections and doesn't gloss over the critical decision points and how those decisions were reached. George Washington provides an example of leadership that each of us can only hope to emulate.

My son and I read this book over the 4th of July because it seemed like an appropriate time and he was required to read it before reporting to West Point in July. 10/10 - highly recommend

Will read it.

And huge congrats to your son on West Point.

[deant]

And huge congrats to your son on West Point.

Thanks John. Let me know your thoughts on it. We have two copies so I can send one your way if you want it.

Yeah, he reports 0630 14 July. We have a pass so we can drive him on post (post is closed right now). We take him to the prep school, open the door and out he goes. 18 years passes in a single moment. Kid is ready...dad...not so much. His twin bro doesn't understand how oppressively loving his mom and I will be toward him until he goes to college in August. ha ha Kid will be scratching at the door to get out of here.

FWIW - West Point son hit the following numbers on your program a couple weeks ago: squat: 350, Bench: 240 and DL: 375 at 6'2" and 170.

[hsilman]

While not a book of course, The Revolutions Podcast on the American Revolution is to this day one of the best things I've ever digested. Really loved every minute of it.

https://www.revolutionspodcast.com/2014 ... world.html

Starts there.

Anyway, wrapping up ROTK just have the shire parts left, like 30 pages.

I found myself more emotionally invested and interested in the interaction between Faramir and Eowyn than with the entire chapter leading up to the destruction of the ring. Sam and Frodo just weren't interesting to me. There is a strong chance this is due to me already knowing how it ends? There was no real tension for me the whole time.

I am enjoying the "post-ring wrap up" more than I thought I would.

Once I finish, I've got a copy of Thinking, Fast & Slow waiting for me. This is due almost exclusively to @SeanHerbison's unceasing propagandizing.

[SeanHerbison]

Once I finish, I've got a copy of Thinking, Fast & Slow waiting for me. This is due almost exclusively to @SeanHerbison's unceasing propagandizing.

Yeeeeeeeesss.

[JonA]

I've been listening to Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. He's got a great narration voice, and I've learned a lot about the subject. I'm surprised at how weak the Norse gods are. I never knew much about the details, just the names and a bit of their stories here and there.

I loved this book so much! Agree, Gaiman's oration is outstanding.

When the one God was killed by the two mortals who just got him drunk and drained his blood I was surprised at their weakness as well. He came back to life though, so there's a resilience there that partlybmakes up for lack of strength.

Slightly related, I really enjoyed his American Gods. I read it completely blind without seeing any reviews or summaries or anything and was, well, blind sided by the ending.

[aurelius]

Slightly related, I really enjoyed his American Gods. I read it completely blind without seeing any reviews or summaries or anything and was, well, blind sided by the ending.

If you liked American Gods, give Neverwhere a read.

SpoilerShow

Did you figure out who Shadow is?

[Inverstone]

Deant, Have you ever given any of these a try? https://www.google.com/search?client=sa ... 8&oe=UTF-8
McCullogugh really has a gift for bringing historical figures and events to life and making you feel like you "are there" or get a real sense of their personalities/makeups. They're some of the least boring Historical books around.
Big fan, obviously...
They can be a little "thick" but pretty easy reading overall. The Wright Bros. bio. revealed a lot we'd never been taught in school but it was much simpler/basic in it's writing style than his others. The guy is getting up there in age, to be fair.

I grew up touring Lexington and Concord, Fort Tioconderoga, Williamsburg, etc. etc. and lived on Washington's
Cannonball Trail" growing up (used to find tiny ball fragments in the woods) so appreciate authors who can really bring this stuff to life.

[jake241983]

I've been listening to all the Raymond Feist audiobooks in order lately. I think I'm around 15 books in so far. The original ones about Pug and the ones about Mara are my favorites. The later ones are only okay. Cool that they span a lot of years and it's the great grandchildren of the original characters in the later books. They also have more mistakes than any books I've ever read. Like conversations between two characters they'll have again with different outcomes or it'll be like they didn't have certain ones at all. Like the author forgot what he wrote in earlier books.

Took a break last week from those to listen to the two latest Anne Rice books in The Vampire Chronicles. They were okay. That series kind of peaked early on. The newest ones take place in modern times and the historical fiction aspect of the older books is one of the things I liked most.

[omaniphil]

I've been listening to all the Raymond Feist audiobooks in order lately. I think I'm around 15 books in so far. The original ones about Pug and the ones about Mara are my favorites. The later ones are only okay. Cool that they span a lot of years and it's the great grandchildren of the original characters in the later books. They also have more mistakes than any books I've ever read. Like conversations between two characters they'll have again with different outcomes or it'll be like they didn't have certain ones at all. Like the author forgot what he wrote in earlier books.

Took a break last week from those to listen to the two latest Anne Rice books in The Vampire Chronicles. They were okay. That series kind of peaked early on. The newest ones take place in modern times and the historical fiction aspect of the older books is one of the things I liked most.

Feist is great. I re-read the Riftwar Saga (Magician, Silverthorn, Darkness at Sethanon) every couple of years because they're just so enjoyable and easy popcorn reading. The Empire trilogy with Janny Wurts was pretty good too, but I think I've only read it once. I read the Serpentwar Saga, and it was just ok. I stopped reading once the Krondor series started - I just couldn't keep up anymore, and the characters were kind of boring.

[brkriete]

Couple suggestions for fantasy series if you like Feist and similar. I actually think most of these are better written / plotted:

1) First Law Trilogy and subsequent same-universe novels by Joe Abercrombie
2) Glen Cook Dark Company series
3) Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

[jake241983]

Feist is great. I re-read the Riftwar Saga (Magician, Silverthorn, Darkness at Sethanon) every couple of years because they're just so enjoyable and easy popcorn reading. The Empire trilogy with Janny Wurts was pretty good too, but I think I've only read it once. I read the Serpentwar Saga, and it was just ok. I stopped reading once the Krondor series started - I just couldn't keep up anymore, and the characters were kind of boring.

I'm on the first Conclave of Shadows book called Talon of the Silver Hawk. I had to skip the Krondor ones because for some weird reason the first one was said it was unavailable to purchase in my country or region. Looked it up and apparently it's some kind of glitch or something that's fairly common. A lot of people were saying it's fine to skip. So I went to Honored Enemy, which takes place during the Rift War. I think Conclave is back on the regular timeline, but can't tell yet as I'm still early on.

I'll probably just keep plowing through till the end. I'm driving 10-12 hours a day during the week and go through a lot of audiobooks anyway.

Couple suggestions for fantasy series if you like Feist and similar. I actually think most of these are better written / plotted:

1) First Law Trilogy and subsequent same-universe novels by Joe Abercrombie
2) Glen Cook Dark Company series
3) Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

I finished Mistborn a few months ago. I read there's supposed to be a seventh one coming out maybe this year? Also impatiently waiting on Stormlight Archive book 4.

Dark Company is on my list. First Law I'm not familiar with, but will look up. Being behind the wheel so much I tear through a few audiobooks a week.

[5hout]

Couple suggestions for fantasy series if you like Feist and similar. I actually think most of these are better written / plotted:

1) First Law Trilogy and subsequent same-universe novels by Joe Abercrombie
2) Glen Cook Dark Company series
3) Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

First Law I'm not familiar with, but will look up. Being behind the wheel so much I tear through a few audiobooks a week.

I really like Abercrombie's work, but the First Law Trilogy is easily his weakest work (imo), especially the first book. One of those "Get through it, b/c it's ok and sets up a ton of other good reading"

[jake241983]

I really like Abercrombie's work, but the First Law Trilogy is easily his weakest work (imo), especially the first book. One of those "Get through it, b/c it's ok and sets up a ton of other good reading"

I felt like that about the first Dark Tower book and it's my favorite series. Some people loved loved the first book and I thought it was painfully slow at times.

[Rhavok82]

Been liking the book Atomic Habits, and Getting Things Done

[hsilman]

I really like Abercrombie's work, but the First Law Trilogy is easily his weakest work (imo), especially the first book. One of those "Get through it, b/c it's ok and sets up a ton of other good reading"

I felt like that about the first Dark Tower book and it's my favorite series. Some people loved loved the first book and I thought it was painfully slow at times.

I liked the ending, but the whole bit leading up to the last chapter or two was a drag.

Just finished the Scouring of the Shire. Actually enjoyed it, nice and quick and more of a "these fuckers have been to war, bullies with sticks aren't going to intimidate them". Seemed a silly end to Saruman though, he really should have just not shown up again.

[5hout]

Just finished the Scouring of the Shire. Actually enjoyed it, nice and quick and more of a "these fuckers have been to war, bullies with sticks aren't going to intimidate them". Seemed a silly end to Saruman though, he really should have just not shown up again.

I like him as the villain, but it is a bit odd of a shift in tone from him leading a giant army to not being able to handle a few hobbits. It's like you suddenly go from LoTR to the Hobbit for the last chapter. Still one of my favorites. Never liked the the him turning to dust thing, even if it makes sense from the HOME perspective.

[jake241983]

I'm almost finished with the last Raymond Feist book. It really picks back up in the later books. They're centered more around Pug and the other main characters again.

Just downloaded the first The Black Company book, so will start that in the next day or so.

[zappey1]

A few week ago I read "Starvation Heights"


It is a true story about a lady that lived in the same county as me. In the early 1900's she had a starvation treatment that would supposedly cure anything administered in a sanatorium in the woods around here. Several people died (at least 12) and they all signed over their possessions while under her "treatment" (most were rich eccentrics. She only got 18 months in jail! Annnd shadow practice "medicine" after getting out!

I just finished an anthology of H.P. Love Craft. It had Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, and like 5 other stories.

I'm almost done with "Lovecraft Country".


Generally speaking I like it. They are making a series about it butttttt I don't like TV very much so I decided to read the book. It is interesting. It is about Black People in the 40's in Lovecraft type adventures. It deals with lots of discrimination topics along with Cosmic Horror. The only issue I have is it deal with lots of black experiences with racism. It handles this pretty well buttttttttttt the author is white AF. Soooooooooo some of the experiences seem cliche and not authentic IMO. I just don't think a white guy living in Seattle is woke enough to provide an authentic black perspective on discrimination.

It is still pretty good with likable characters in one of my favorite settings. I hear the show has Jordan Peele directing so hopefully he can bring a more authentic less cliche black perspective.