43 books in 2021, shooting for 52 this year. 1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 8/10. Perfect long drive listen. Entertaining and can already picture the Hulu limited series coming
3 books so far.(well audio I can’t read for pleasure without falling asleep). 1 The Club - Joshua Robinson, Jonathan Clegg - 6/10 - interesting, really informative if you’re curious about the EPL but pretty dry. 2. Bitcoin Billionaires - Ben Mezrich - 9/10 - I really enjoy pretty much everything Ben writes. 3. The Amateurs - David Halberstam - 3/10 - was mentioned in bitcoin billionaires as something everyone who rows crew must read. Found it somewhat informative but if it wasn’t so short of a read I would have just given up.
The hunt for 25 starts: 1. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins - 10/10 - one of the TMB's favorites, this was a reread and it's just as good a second time, years later
This is the "American Nations" guy -- really liked that book. I'll have to look out for this one. Have you watched the new pirates series on Netflix?
1. Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition by Scott Young - 8.5/10 really enjoyed this. some of his stories/examples have been highlighted in other books/media (such as the Polgar sisters/family) though was great to hear how Young learned 4 new languages in a year (spent 3 months literally only speaking Spanish/Portuguese/Mandarin/Korean) and did other projects.
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 7/10. 2. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 7/10. Cool, violent crime novel that touches on homophobia, racism, transphobia. Two dads join forces after their married sons are murdered. Some of the language was so over the top but it was still fun.
1. Francis I: the Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda (7/10). Light but fun while traveling around France.
1. Power and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages - Dan Jones (8/10) Medieval age was a bit of a blind spot. Learned a ton and a very easy read for a denser book
4. Straight Flush - Ben Mezrich - 5/10 - like I said I’m a sucker for Mezrich books. And this was a trip down memory lane from the online poker boom. But was really annoying how much they talked about the fraternity the guys were in back in college. Plus felt a little one sided.
1. The Mismeasure Of Progress: Economic Growth And Its Critics / Stephen J. Macekura (6.5/10) Mostly too dry for me. Written more for an academic audience than a layman. I do think the question of what should be "counted" by the economy besides money is interesting, and the middle of the book taught me some new stuff in that regard. Basically we need to do a lot better than "GDP" to find a metric for measuring how countries are doing. Up Next:
1. The power of influence-Robert Cialdini 2. The Republic of Pirates-Colin Woodard 3. Alone on the wall-Alex Honnold Bio about Alex, pre-free solo 4. Shattered Air- Bob Madgic About the 1985 lighting strikes on Half Dome
1. A Memory of Light (Wheel of Time #14) - Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson (10/10) 2. Reaper (Cradle #10) - Will Wight (8.5/10)
The hunt for 25 starts: 1. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins l 2. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling - reading the series with my almost-9yo; he’s seen most of the movies but it’s been a while so the story already has some surprises - wish this were my first read because I’m only doing them at 1 or 2 chapters at a time, so this would have been perfect for a full Truman review. I might start one from his perspective starting with book 2 Currently reading: The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow(will start HP2 when I get back in town in a week)
Jump in here Fusiontegra https://www.the-mainboard.com/index.php?threads/truman-reads-the-harry-potter-series-tc-too.167890/
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 7/10. 2. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 7/10 3. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy - 9/10. Enjoyed this more than All the Pretty Horses. Can't wait for the finale
1. The Mismeasure Of Progress: Economic Growth And Its Critics / Stephen J. Macekura (6.5/10) 2. Guitars: A Celebration Of Pure Mojo / David Schiller (9/10) Pretty much just a guidebook to collectible guitars. Picked up a lot of new info.
1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - 7/10. 2. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 7/10 3. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy - 9/10 4. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari - 8/10. Good read to kick off the new year.
1. Tiamat’s Wrath (The Expanse #8) - James S.A. Corey (9/10) 2. Auberon (The Expanse #8.5) - James S.A. Corey (7/10)
1. Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby 7/10 (pretty much the exact same thoughts as Upton) Had a down year last year, trying to get 20+ this year (including more nonfiction) and be diligent about updating
Well #1 is finishing A Brief History of Humankind since I've started & stopped it 3 times over the last couple years. Definitely open to recommendations (I basically use this board to find books to read - just started The Library at Mount Char). I haven't been really good about seeing through nonfiction books so I guess I need to find some that have good storytelling. Just feel like I need to be a little more diverse than reading 100% fiction/fantasy type novels.
I think you are talking about the book "Sapiens" -- that is definitely among my favorites. Read "Guns Germs and Steel" next if you like that one. In the straight up page-turner category for nonfiction, "Devil in the White City" and "Killers of the Flower Moon" are both totally gripping books that will teach you something about US history along the way
Im currently reading this https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51343985-the-broken-heart-of-america Other NFs on my to-read list https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57359691-invisible-child https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56269264-the-dawn-of-everything https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49524790-the-quiet-americans https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693503-gangsters-of-capitalism https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53968549-x-troop
Yup talking about Sapiens. Thanks for the bolded - think that's exactly where I'll look to start since going from 1 extreme to the other wasn't working for my simple mind
I think both of those books I mentioned are easier to finish than Sapiens. I love Sapiens, but it's all over the place. Not a story to just sit down and read. Devil in White City and Killers of Flower Moon are much more narrative oriented. KotFM is the shorter of the two but both keep up the furious pace
2. My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones. 9/10. Brutal and thought provoking with a healthy amount of inspiration for film viewing inside.
It's right up my alley. There's a bit too much liberal-academic-psychology, but getting some Indian perspective and some existential horror. *chefs kiss*
1. A Memory of Light (Wheel of Time #14) - Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson (10/10) 2. Reaper (Cradle #10) - Will Wight (8.5/10) 3. The Last Wish (The Witcher #1) - Andrzej Sapkowski (8.5/10)
3. The Sun King: Louis XIV in Versailles by Nancy Mitford. 5/10. Some good information but gossipy and horribly disorganized. Author’s voice was cloying.