Books
-
At some point every year I look at the nominees for the Hugo awards and get an idea of what's considered (subjectively of course, but nonetheless consensus) the best recent sci fi. I picked up and read The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (which ended up winning best novel) and Adrian Tchaikovsky's Alien Clay, both of which were f'n excellent.
-
@endo No, I haven't read it, but the title is very intriguing for a wannabe zen guy like me :).
I'll definitely try to get a copy!
-
Thinking of reading Lonesome Dove as my next book, is it really as good as everyone says?
-
-
@Tago-Mago Then it is the best book to start. It’s getting wild thereafter…
-
@Tago-Mago I love that cover, enjoy.
-
-
@Bridger Thank you for the recommendation. I love to read and wanted to know more about the areas that I have been visiting. It started by growing up in areas heavily affected by battles of the Civil War and visiting those battle fields. Now a bit older and visiting different parts of the world, wanting to know more about them and their histories.
-
That makes sense @goosehd.
I really should do more reading about the history of places I visit.
I am off to Japan next year. Any reading recommendations from the forum are welcome.
-
@SKT can recommend anything by Portis.
The Coen Bros version is masterful. -
@steelworker I've started a list of his works and I loved the Coen bros version (but I love almost everything they do).
@popvulture finished The Tainted Cup and looking to read the sequel…have you read? Really enjoyed it but had to keep my mind sharp to follow the Holmes-esque attention to detail.
-
Man that cover is cool!
I haven’t read the sequel to TC yet, been waiting til it comes out in paperback. I’ve gotten back to reading Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, which is enormous but hilarious and rewarding so far. I started it earlier this year but had to restart because I put it down to read a couple easier books
-
Great name for a doom metal band
-
A few audio books I have read of late. I have mentioned some of these no doubt:
- James: A Novel by Percival Everett. This one has gotten a lot of praise and recognition. Everyone should read it. It is a retelling of Huck Finn from Jim's perspective. The narration on the audiobook is fantastic by Dominic Hoffman
- Ray Porter is a gifted narrator, and several of his are great in the hard-ish sci-fi domain. These would be worth reading, but he brings them to life in the same way Hoffman does James:
** Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, soon to be adapted to film.
** The Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor. Very nerdy sci-fi by a former software engineer about a man who becomes a von Neumann probe that explores the galaxy. One of my favorite pieces of sci fi I've ever experienced
** Flybot, also by Dennis E. Taylor. This is a one-off in a near future about an artificial intelligence. A bit of a detective story, similarly nerdy to Bobiverse but much more terrestrial
Nonfiction, I will skip most of the business and product strategy books I've been reading, but this one has general applicability to anyone and the others are interesting:
- Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, by Chip and Dan Heath. This incorporates a lot of psychology and behavioral economics to reveal things that impact effective dexisionmaking and a framework to get around those things.
- The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber, David Wengrow
- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber
- Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man's Fight for Justice by Bill Browder: reads like a biography crossed with a suspense novel
- Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals by Gary Paul Nabhan Ph.D., David Suro Piñera: this one gets you so deep into the weeds about mezcal, amazing stuff
- Finding Mezcal: A Journey into the Liquid Soul of Mexico, with 40 Cocktails by Ron Cooper, Chantal Martineau: great coffee table book, kind of biographical by the founder of del Maguey
-
@mclaincausey some great stuff. +1 for James, one of the best things I’ve read in the past few years. Will add some of your recommendations to my list
