@Keane you've convinced me to sign up for audible. Starting with Enlightment Now by Steven Pinker purely based on getting the most value for my credit.
Should I be looking out for any particular narrators?
@Keane you've convinced me to sign up for audible. Starting with Enlightment Now by Steven Pinker purely based on getting the most value for my credit.
Should I be looking out for any particular narrators?
Not something I would ever check before buying a book. Some are probably better than others but can't remember any being bad to a noticeable degree.
I always listen at 1.5X speed which is worth giving a try if you want to squeeze in more books.
Finished Why We Sleep and now onto Thinkning, Fast and slow. A concenpt I've already thought about a lot so it will be interesting to see what the book is about.
The sleep book is good, solid scientific book, could have been 10 times more concise as I'd say only 10% of it really were what I wanted to know.
Harari's new book is out now btw, as of yesterday.
Jesus Theodore Dalrymple is an incredible writer, even if his pessimism and cynicism is occasionally a bit too much (even) for me, he makes Peterson seem like a teddy bear. Considering he was writing in the mid-nineties I can only imagine what he thinks of the world today and the intelligentsia on twitter.
A project I have for the next few years is to make it through the complete works of Shakespeare. I'd like to watch them all too, is there any particular theatre company I should look at for the less popular plays? Think BBC is the trick but I've never seen any of those productions
Initially the adaptations received generally negative reviews, although the reception improved somewhat as the series went on, and directors were allowed more freedom, leading to interpretations becoming more daring. Several episodes are now held in high esteem, particularly some of the traditionally lesser known and less frequently staged plays
Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To...View Post
Vaguely remember liking the first Cavanagh one. Would you recommend The Cross or Thirteen next?
Loved Hillbilly Elegy.
That Moscow book looks a bit depressing?
The Cross is just a novella that somewhat stands alone, so I would go for Thirteen next.
Personally was enamoured by Hillbilly Elegy, I'm not sure quite what I expected going in to it tbh. Not the biggest fan on non fiction though it must be said.
Give A Gentleman in Moscow a whirl, anyone I've recommended it to so far has liked it.
The sport that unites Catholic, Protestant and dissenter has had its day of days. Pity anybody who can't enjoy it. Some day. Gerry Thornley 23/3/09
Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide To...View Post
50% into Stone Junction. And wow! - I've loved every word I've read and have absolutely zero idea where it is going. What a book. Suspect it's only going to get better too.
Awesome! so glad someone decided to read it.look forward to hearing your thoughts once finished.
Not something I would ever check before buying a book. Some are probably better than others but can't remember any being bad to a noticeable degree.
I always listen at 1.5X speed which is worth giving a try if you want to squeeze in more books.
An initial problem with audio books that I didn't think of in regards to non-fiction but when a book has graphs & tables like Enlightment Now, unless you're listening at home you can't look at them plus even if you are, are you going to go and download the accompanying PDF.
Just something for me anyway as I listen to them in the car
Yeah there are a good few mentions of graphs and tables in thinking fast and slow but luckily he explains the point anyway so I don't feel I need them. Could be a lot worse if they don't go into detail.
Suggestions for books on Israeli-Palestinian conflict is what I'm after next. Happy to have relatively bias views of both to read, it's a work related thing as I'm off to Israel for training in a few weeks by myself so a decent grasp of it would be beneficial plus I'm genuinely interested too.
Suggestions for books on Israeli-Palestinian conflict is what I'm after next. Happy to have relatively bias views of both to read, it's a work related thing as I'm off to Israel for training in a few weeks by myself so a decent grasp of it would be beneficial plus I'm genuinely interested too.
SP might have some podcasts too
Foreign Affairs had an issue dedicated to Israel a while back, could be worth reading if you can get your hands on a copy/PDF.
A collection of articles from the July/August 2016 issue of Foreign Affairs, including in-depth analysis, commentary, and book reviews from experts in domestic and foreign policy.
Worth a subscription in general? I signed up to the NewStatesman via Kindle but outside of formatting you can't read on Kindle Desktop so I'll change to their site
I was googling around for the best audiobook version of LOTR as I want to listen to it again and know there are a good few versions available. I saw several glowing recommendations of a BBC dramatisation from a long time back that is apparently excellent as well as fairly faithful to the text.
Better again it is available to download for free from here:
Guilty pleasures. books you've read so many times you just can't remember, but you'll still probably read them 10 times more:
Ender's trilogy (ender's game, speaker for the dead and xenocide) by Orson Scott Card. from the battle room, to the piggies to the hive queen, i just never tire of these stories. It probably also helps that i read them when very young so they always stayed fresh in my mind.
The Hyperion and Endymion series by Dan Simmons: My favorite Sci fi series ever. I've read them countless times and still get excited at every re-read.
Perfume:the story of a murderer by Patrick Suskind. The story of grenouille is just such an incredible journey. Gripped from the first page to the last every time. If you haven't read it or don't know it, just pick it up and read it. A crime novel like no other.
Stone Junction by Jim Dodge. Not sure why, but i never mention this book, even though it's one of my favorites. i read it every other year and this since the early 90s. Some might say a spiritual book dressed up as an adventure, full of amazing characters. It never ceases to put a smile on my face, and makes me want to believe in magic.
I'll think of a few more but those just spring to mind straight away.
Read stone junction. Good book, but give it 7/10.
SPOILER
ending ruined it for me tbh. Bit sloppy
No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity, but I know none, therefore am no beast.
Juggling at the moment;
Dr.Sleep (sequel to the Shining)
Why we sleep
Fear: Trump in the whitehouse
Homo Deus
it can get a little confusing
People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
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Watching that Icarus documentary, decided to see if I could get some sort of Putin book because whatever else he's an interesting character. Still have audible credits to use so going to give All the Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin a go.
Had an attempt at the Putin book mentioned above a little while ago but couldn't stick it. The cunt doing the narration with the cardinal sin of attempting fake Russian accents in a non-fiction book. Why, like.
In the meantime I finished the full catalogue of Sherlock Holmes books. Very enjoyable but there were very few I hadn't read before.
Since then I read through A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, mostly because I liked the sound of the name and because it was short. It's a nice little book, almost like Hermann Hesse doing fantasy in terms of style. There seem to be two more books in a trilogy and a few more set in the same world as well. I might give them a spin at some stage but wouldn't be in a great hurry.
I also listened to Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold, which is Stephen Fry's take on (some of) the myths of ancient Greece. It was entertaining enough but wasn't exactly a deep or meaningful treatment of the stories. I wouldn't warn anyone off it but wouldn't go so far as to actively recommend it either.
The one I have most recently finished is The City & the City by China Mieville. This one now I thought was excellent. It is basically what they describe as a 'police procedural' where a cop finds a dead body and goes on a murder investigation. As seems to be usual with Mieville what makes his stories interesting is his setting. In this case the setting are the cities Beszel and Ul Qoma. The two cities occupy the same geographical position but are in some hard to define way separated from one another. I wouldn't go into much more detail than that except to say I found this most enjoyable.
I'm now listening to Return of the Crimson Guard which is my second foray into Ian Esselmont's Malazan novels. People are always falling over themselves to say these aren't as well written as the Erikson books, but I think there's more in praise of Erikson there than in criticism of Esselmont, who is far from the worst fantasy author I've come across.
Also reading Neuromancer, a classic of the cyberpunk genre. I found this started off well but I've been languishing at about 20% of the way through for a while for whatever reason. I'll persevere with it for the sake of saying I've read it if nothing else. I'm sure it must be good as I've always had the impression it's highly regarded.
Had an attempt at the Putin book mentioned above a little while ago but couldn't stick it. The cunt doing the narration with the cardinal sin of attempting fake Russian accents in a non-fiction book. Why, like.
In the meantime I finished the full catalogue of Sherlock Holmes books. Very enjoyable but there were very few I hadn't read before.
Since then I read through A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, mostly because I liked the sound of the name and because it was short. It's a nice little book, almost like Hermann Hesse doing fantasy in terms of style. There seem to be two more books in a trilogy and a few more set in the same world as well. I might give them a spin at some stage but wouldn't be in a great hurry.
I also listened to Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold, which is Stephen Fry's take on (some of) the myths of ancient Greece. It was entertaining enough but wasn't exactly a deep or meaningful treatment of the stories. I wouldn't warn anyone off it but wouldn't go so far as to actively recommend it either.
The one I have most recently finished is The City & the City by China Mieville. This one now I thought was excellent. It is basically what they describe as a 'police procedural' where a cop finds a dead body and goes on a murder investigation. As seems to be usual with Mieville what makes his stories interesting is his setting. In this case the setting are the cities Beszel and Ul Qoma. The two cities occupy the same geographical position but are in some hard to define way separated from one another. I wouldn't go into much more detail than that except to say I found this most enjoyable.
I'm now listening to Return of the Crimson Guard which is my second foray into Ian Esselmont's Malazan novels. People are always falling over themselves to say these aren't as well written as the Erikson books, but I think there's more in praise of Erikson there than in criticism of Esselmont, who is far from the worst fantasy author I've come across.
Also reading Neuromancer, a classic of the cyberpunk genre. I found this started off well but I've been languishing at about 20% of the way through for a while for whatever reason. I'll persevere with it for the sake of saying I've read it if nothing else. I'm sure it must be good as I've always had the impression it's highly regarded.
jeez, you're on a tear!!! Never really enjoyed le Guin. Read a few as she's obviously a legend, but never enjoyed her pacing. FWIW, Goro Miyazaki, son of the great one, did a film based on the tales of Earthsea.
jeez, you're on a tear!!! Never really enjoyed le Guin. Read a few as she's obviously a legend, but never enjoyed her pacing. FWIW, Goro Miyazaki, son of the great one, did a film based on the tales of Earthsea.
I wouldn't have gotten through a fraction of all that if it wasn't for audiobooks. I haven't really staked out a reading nook in my house yet and the TV is on most evenings so I tend to just put on the headphones and pass a few hours listening to something.
I've only managed to get through 10 books in print out of ~30 I think.
Actually I think I might spend the afternoon planning that reading nook!
Loved Return of the Crimson Guard and all the sidebooks I've read really. I have annoying memories about it as I bought it one christmas in book form (probably last real book I've bought for myself) and lugged it home to Sligo, where my mother thought it was an old book and prompty threw it out when "cleaning". I was one chapter in and didn't read it until ages after. Still pains me.
Personally, i really like it, but i can definitely see why some people wouldn't. Nevertheless, glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah, it was full of very interesting characters, so some of the story held together very well. But at the same time I felt it was trying a little bit too hard and some of it felt a bit forced. Wierd, but like you noted earlier, very heavy on the spiritual element.
No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity, but I know none, therefore am no beast.
@Keane, I wasn't a big fan of Neuromancer either, read it about a year ago and expected to be really blown away but it just didn't grab me at all and my lack of interest meant I found the story increasingly confusing as time went on.
Another book to add to the 'not great' pile is Old Man's War, which I added to my backlog as it was included on a list of the 50 best sci-fi books I found on Good Reads so I assumed it would be decent. It was not. Had to pack it in about 20% of the way in, I don't think I liked anything about it, story was 'meh', I couldn't deal with how American-centric it was, not a fan of the writing style.
Have started Sagan's Contact instead and while it isn't blowing me away either I'm cautiously enjoying it. Gonna re-read Hyperion and the Forever War books afterwards, at least I'm certain I'll enjoy those
Really brilliant premise. post apocalyptic future where calories are currency and "clean" strands of plants/food without infection/mutation are worth fortunes to those who hold them and are able to feed their population. Add to that a sentient sex doll who aims to please, and you have a background with huge potential. Unfortunately the author made a complete hatchet job of the second half of the book, and what starts out great, ends as a bit of a damp squib.
Something that may be of interest to Goodreads users, there is a stats page that shows you how many books/pages you have read over the years if you go here:
Something that may be of interest to Goodreads users, there is a stats page that shows you how many books/pages you have read over the years if you go here:
Gonna sign up to this goodreads thing, suppose it would be good to keep track of what I've read, no idea if it does anything else.
Be good to have a reread amount as well, not sure of the read amounts of some of them as it's high over decades!
The above also just says for me "You haven't set "date read" for any of your books!"
When you mark a book as read you will have an option to set the date on which you finished it. Goodreads doesn't assume you finished the book on the day you mark it as read I don't think.
There's a group here with a couple of us in it, you will get updates about what people are reading and what they've marked as 'to read' etc if you add other people
@Keane, I wasn't a big fan of Neuromancer either, read it about a year ago and expected to be really blown away but it just didn't grab me at all and my lack of interest meant I found the story increasingly confusing as time went on.
Funnily enough this has been my experience as well.
I've taken the unusual step of finding some chapter by chapter summaries as 66% of the way through I found I had no idea what I was reading. The summaries confirm there is a really cool story going on that for whatever reason I hadn't managed to grasp.
I hope that having reestablished who the various characters are and what is going on that I will be able to keep pace the rest of the way through.
I'm now listening to Return of the Crimson Guard which is my second foray into Ian Esselmont's Malazan novels. People are always falling over themselves to say these aren't as well written as the Erikson books, but I think there's more in praise of Erikson there than in criticism of Esselmont, who is far from the worst fantasy author I've come across.
Finished this last night, another excellent Malazan story. These books are beyond compare in the genre IMO.
Funnily enough this has been my experience as well.
I've taken the unusual step of finding some chapter by chapter summaries as 66% of the way through I found I had no idea what I was reading. The summaries confirm there is a really cool story going on that for whatever reason I hadn't managed to grasp.
I hope that having reestablished who the various characters are and what is going on that I will be able to keep pace the rest of the way through.
This seems to have been a good idea as when I settled in to read some of it yesterday I was much more engaged and enjoying it a lot more.
The audiobook I've moved onto after Return of the Crimson Guard is this personal finance philosophy yoke that seems to have captured the imagination in the last couple of years Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It's short at ~200 pages which should be around a four hour listen.
I'm 15% of the way through already and the message he appears to be trying to put across in the introduction is the standard US attitude that poor people are poor because they are entitled, stupid, lazy and fearful. This includes his poor dad whose entitlement, stupidity, laziness and fear made him decide to be a school teacher instead of a titan of industry.
I'm pretty sceptical that I will get anything out of this book beyond an ulcer but I will finish it out anyway.
The audiobook I've moved onto after Return of the Crimson Guard is this personal finance philosophy yoke that seems to have captured the imagination in the last couple of years Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It's short at ~200 pages which should be around a four hour listen.
I'm 15% of the way through already and the message he appears to be trying to put across in the introduction is the standard US attitude that poor people are poor because they are entitled, stupid, lazy and fearful. This includes his poor dad whose entitlement, stupidity, laziness and fear made him decide to be a school teacher instead of a titan of industry.
I'm pretty sceptical that I will get anything out of this book beyond an ulcer but I will finish it out anyway.
I'm now about two thirds of the way through this and I have to say it's just awful. The opening section is basically a diatribe against people who think it's a good idea to look for jobs that have good benefits. There is a sensible - but very brief - exhortation to look out for lifestyle creep as you begin to earn more money. There is then a fairly long description of morally dubious ways to evade tax by setting up a corporation - buying your wife a 'company' car, having your vacation in Hawaii at the same time as your 'annual shareholders' meeting' etc. He also baldly encourages insider trading - 'that's what friends are for' - I shit you not.
He then moves on to tell us his own story of success. He starts off working for Xerox, describing how he sold shitloads of whatever he used to sell during a boom market. He puts this down to his own enthusiasm - he knew there was a boom so he needed to sell loads so he could start investing in the boom. He does not seem to attribute any of it to the actual boom.
Without going into too many details he tells us he somehow had a million quid in the bank when the financial crash happened. He describes how easy it was to become super wealthy by buying real estate in distressed/depressed markets and selling them at higher prices when the market got better. He doesn't parlay any of this into general advice, it's more the laughable sort of stuff of 'you too can do this in some other arena as long as you have the mindset I have'.
I see from a quick google that there are a lot of people lambasting the nonsense in this book, it is mind-boggling that it gets so many mentions and has such a reputation.
It's like the sort of book a cynic would write if they wanted to cash in on poor Americans hating other poor Americans.
I will probably finish this and come back to have another rant just to relieve the tension and disgust I feel from spending my time on it.
I read that as a kid, surprised it's still a popular thing, most of the book is nonsense and he's a scam artist. Think I remember a section he had in it (or one of his other books) where he talked about giving free tickets to one of his seminars to a young couple, and they didn't turn up, ergo, the only way to really get the value of his seminars is to pay the money, cause otherwise you won't value the advice.
Sorry I didn't see that you were reading it earlier, would have saved you the pain 4.0 on goodreads? Jaysus.
edit: his bit about lifestyle creep, getting passive income above expenses, and not viewing things that drain money as assets might have some value I guess. It's a bit like "millionaire next door", there's a difference between what wealthy people put their money into, and what people who want to feel or look wealthy put their money into.
Watching that Icarus documentary, decided to see if I could get some sort of Putin book because whatever else he's an interesting character. Still have audible credits to use so going to give All the Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin a go.
Had an attempt at the Putin book mentioned above a little while ago but couldn't stick it. The cunt doing the narration with the cardinal sin of attempting fake Russian accents in a non-fiction book. Why, like.
I got inspired to give this Putin book another go by hearing some of the talk around the McGregor - Khabib fight, with the references McGregor apparently made to shady oligarchs Khabib is involved with and that scary dude Kadyrov who runs Chechnya.
With a great effort I have been able to get over the bizarre impressions the gobshite narrator does of the people he is quoting (his impression of George W Bush is actually quite amusing).
I have no idea how good a treatment of the subject this is but it is very interesting tbf.
Juggling at the moment;
Dr.Sleep (sequel to the Shining) Finished this...excellent
Why we sleep
Fear: Trump in the whitehouse Finished this....An actual interesting view into the chaos there, woodward never really goes for the fantastical and approaches all playeers pretty evenly and without visible bias. Even Jared looks good for the Saudi trip.
Homo Deus
it can get a little confusing
Also went off on a mini adventure of reading all the Mr.Mercedes books again as I'm just a fucking glutton for stephen king books.
And then read the outsider, which is a kinda sorta linked book he released last year.
If you haven't read them, I highly recommend them.
I've also got my reading order muddled up so missed why we sleep and homo dues and went straight to Factfulness by Hans Rosling based on recommendations here by Keane
People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
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