Books
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I heard a story on NPR about the disappearance of mass market paperbacks. It makes me a little sad, actually. https://one.npr.org/?sharedMediaId=nx-s1-5651272:nx-s1-9587639
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My Dad was talking about the Endurance the other day. Never really read much about it so it's going on the list!
Paula bought me a hardback version of Finding Endurance for our recent anniversary. She knows how much it moved me, so she wanted me to have one to keep.
Let me know when you have finished your current reads and you can borrow it....
"OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011
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its funny how the old algorithm works. i just added this to my 'to-read' pile (thanks for the recommendatio!) and once i opened youtube, this was one of the first suggestions
long-ish but fun watch about the HMS Victory.
Thanks for the video share @tenuin. I hope to visit the Victory this week if I can manage it. It looks like an incredible feat of engineering and appetite for destruction.
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I have not read Lansing yet, but will do soon. As I have said above, I found the Bristol-Bovey book remarkable for his personal insights, and for that, I suspect it is a more rounded, but less detailed account. I suspect that Lansing will be a meticulous account with fewer personal insights....
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@Giles nailed it. Both are worthy reads for those differences. Reading the details and how their mentalities were was a fun angle in the Lansing one. He interviewed a bunch of them and has access to journals so really nice.
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@Giles @mclaincausey thanks for your feedback on the Endurance accounts; I’ve ordered the one by Bristol-Bovey as the initial read. Enjoy reading historical accounts of those who overcome daunting obstacles to survive.
No one’s happiness but my own is in my power to achieve or to destroy.
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@John-Galt said in Books:
those who overcome daunting obstacles to survive
Shackleton had a couple of those.....
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Shackleton’s own account is worth a read as well.
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@John-Galt enjoy. I’m obsessed with the story. It’s the most staggering example of human fortitude in an exploration that I’ve come across. I watched an episode of “Tales From the Explorer’s Club” about it and a history channel documentary about an attempt to reach the site that must have just pre-dated its discovery.
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I am not a prolific reader by any means, choosing audiobooks often over traditional books. My wife knocked off 75 books last year, which is just madness to me. But I certainly want to get some more under my belt this year. One of my favorite comedians, Anthony Jeselnik is doing a book club for 2026. 1 Book per month as a way for people to dip their toes back into it. He recently released the first book for January, The Getaway by Jim Thompson. I just picked it up yesterday and am now pretty excited to see what each month brings.
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Have just finished Seize the Fire by Nicolson, fascinating.
Although I have a big backlog of unread stuff at home, I have just bought these:
Recommended by a friend:
Another by Adam Nicolson, which looks up my alley:
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I am glad you enjoyed Seize the Fire @Giles
I enjoyed Nicolson's writing (and he clearly does a lot of research). I'm keen to try his other work too.
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I'm slacking with my reading, I read 52 books in 2024 and 22 in 2025... Still a lot considering I only got into reading during covid.
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Trying different ways to release anxiety so giving Thich Nhat Hanh a go with his Peace is Every Step.
Unfortunately with mindfulness books I tend to forget everything that's in them as soon as I've finished reading. Suppose that's why it needs to be a practice and not a book reading 'event'. -
@corralitos I highly recommend meditating under the guidance of the audiobook of Hanh’s “The Art of Mindful Living,” which is some recordings of him guiding meditations at a retreat. It helps me internalize the teachings, though I also enjoy reading him, and hear the narration in his reedy voice when I do.
The sutras that open this book are ones I use all the time, including in the sauna or steam room. I wish I could also in the cold plunge but mere survival is all I can focus on there
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@mclaincausey I'll have to check it out, thanks for the recommendation. Dunking my head in cold water a la cold plunge sounds like the right kind of in-your-face meditation that could work on me
