IGX

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.

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.

Fat Cat wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 10:35 pm ^^^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.

Bram wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 10:10 pmThe 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.

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)

Sangoma wrote: ↑Tue Sep 25, 2018 6:19 am 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.

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

JimZipCode wrote: ↑Tue Sep 25, 2018 1:47 pm

Bram wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 10:10 pmThe 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.

Sangoma wrote: ↑Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:53 pm The Courage To Be Disliked

Expert Level +1000

Fat Cat wrote: ↑Wed Sep 26, 2018 12:34 am

Sangoma wrote: ↑Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:53 pm 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.

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.

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

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

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

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.

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.

johno wrote: ↑Thu Oct 04, 2018 2:30 pmIn 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.

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.

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.

Hotel Bemelmans by Ludwig Bemelmans

Next up is...

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

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

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.

nafod wrote: ↑Tue Oct 30, 2018 12:40 pmJust 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.

Bram wrote: ↑Tue Oct 30, 2018 1:59 am 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.

Fat Cat wrote: ↑Tue Oct 30, 2018 6:59 pm

Bram wrote: ↑Tue Oct 30, 2018 1:59 am 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.

Bram wrote: ↑Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:50 am 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.