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Thread: What are you reading?

  1. #1081
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    Re-reading this life-changer - can't tell if it's in a good or a bad way. There's only one thing I can tell you: if you're over-thinking almost everything before reading this one, then you'll probably be over-thinking everything after reading it.



    PS: The only thing I cannot stand of this book is this F-in pencil trace on the cover, which I wish I could erase.
    Last edited by holehead; 11-16-2020 at 06:57 AM.

  2. #1082
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    Finished: “Ideal War” by Christopher Kubasik … quite good. I like the Knights of the Inner Sphere concept. Cover art had nothing to do with the novel… It might have been for “Decision At Thunder Rift” ("Ideal War" is Vallejo cover and the other two "The Saga Of The Gray Death Legion" novels have Vallejo covers but "Decision At Thunder Rift" does not... so... that's my theory... oh and no Marauder was ever mentioned in "Ideal War" and the cover for it features one prominently with the Gray Death Legion logo on the side).

    Starting: “Main event” by Jim Long
    Last edited by MrLobster; 11-17-2020 at 10:24 AM.

  3. #1083
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    Side note (which is weird because this is the first thing you're going to read) I'm cross-posting this because it's not just a review of the book, so apologies for that.



    This was without a doubt the best book I've read about parenting. Which is funny because there's a whole section about parenting books and the dumb people who recommend them.


    See, I feel like those books and their message is based on a particular set of experiences and those don't happen universally. So if you get a book recommended to you and you're like "this is ridiculous" then the experiences they had to write the book don't match the ones you are having with your kid. Which makes these things difficult as far as recommendations go because no one knows what you're going through other than you so you have to read a bunch of books until you get the one where you're like "ah ha!". And for me, this is that book.


    So here's the thing about that: my son is 15. So technically this book is "late" for me and any parenting tips should be wasted, right? Well, no. Because what this book did for me was put my fears and thoughts into a form that to me said "you aren't the only one who thought this, who went through this."


    And if you watched the special on Netflix? Hey there's lots here that are extra. Sure some of the stories are verbatim from the show but so what? It is interesting piecing together where/when the stories here take place in regards to not only that show but also the other one "Thank God for Jokes". Which is only an aside but I personally like that meta info so I can place things. I'm weird, eh.


    The nakedness of what he and his wife share in this book is at times both refreshing and also so intimate it's like you should be covering your eyes (ears?) or something. It's like you have private thoughts that you have and you don't share with anyone because you feel they are damaging and he's doing the audiobook equivalent of "I worked on this story for a year and he tweeted it out". And maybe I'm unique in this but my pet peeve is "Am I the only one who..." because when there are this many people in the world you aren't. Ever. So stop it! Anyway.


    This part is the hardest for me to write about because they are deep thoughts of the sort you never say out loud because they scare you so much that you're afraid of scaring someone else when you share them. Like how when he mentions the story about him doing dishes? And then hours later in the book he talks about how there is never one side to a story and shares his wife's side where she says “You tell that story about me breast-feeding at the kitchen table. The only part that isn’t true is that you do the dishes.” And this leads him (condensing a bit here) to realizing that he needs to change as well. His wife changed from a wife to a mother and he doesn't feel like a father. So he changes a lot of things in his life and he becomes one. I can't say how slow or fast this happened, not all of the book has dates on it after all and it's his story-style to jump quickly sometimes, but it happens.


    The only part of the book I was not a complete fan of was the poetry and that is only because I am not a poetry person. Some of them are just as nakedly honest as the book portion and that, I am ashamed to say, is part of it because it made me uncomfortable. This is not a good or bad thing, poetry does that, but in a review of a book that is at least a little bit about being honest with yourself and others it's important to say. And not in a conservative/ban-the-book kind of way, just in a way that art can make you feel sometimes. It's not a bad thing (I'm speaking to a figurative version of Mike's dad right now, I think) to feel like that, it's part of being a person.


    The last thing I want to touch on is the "intern" aspect of being a father, as well as the “I get why dads leave.” I see a lot on the internet about dads and how they "babysit" their kids. (let's set aside the whole wife/husband/partner thing for this conversation just so I don't have to type it out every time; assume the correct descriptor for your situation as appropriate) This is (rightfully) derided when it is brought up. *You* aren't babysitting *your* kids - for one thing you're not being paid! - so his use of intern makes a little more sense at least, but seriously it's not something you should ever say. It's a partnership, you should be taking turns and trying to not hold each other back. (See: Vows, A. in the book) So if it seems imbalanced, it's not going to be that way forever. But it feels that way sometimes, especially when you're running on whatever fumes you have plus trying to not let things change your lives (see: Vows, addendum 1). You should have rational conversations about this, but I refer you back to the fumes you have to work with at this time. To describe it as a tight rope is being kind to the tight rope.


    It's rough, and it can cause problems with both of you. Hmm, 'can' is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Can? Well, for a lot of people it's more like "will". And you can intuit from the book that it doesn't matter how settled you are in life. We were in our late 20s when we had a child and Mike was late 30s. Most of the experiences were the same, and we were way less OK in our life/work situation at the time. I remember telling my wife that he likes her way more than me. She was (and is) smarter than I though and said it would change. And it has. But the point is I readily identified with Mike when he says "I’m not in 'we' anymore? I'm a founding member of 'we'."


    I've said a lot about this book. More than I think I've said about any other book here. The part that resonated with me the most is the end where he talks about what I've mentioned already, those thoughts that are so deep in yourself that you feel like exposing them would be akin to exposing yourself. But you have to share them with the person you're living with. If you don't, resentment can form. The first six years were fraught, the next couple were tense, but we have both grown to where we're way more honest with each other and it's due to the increase in sharing instead of bottling things up. Hell, there's at least two more paragraphs I could do about bottling things up but that's being drifty.


    Also never ever use the babysitter argument! I wish I could go and take that argument back, to my eternal shame. College and exams are fleeting, spending time with your young child isn't. Well it is but it lasts for a nominally longer amount of time but then they just keep growing.


    one final thought because it doesn't have anything to do with the book as a whole: the part where they talk about putting their cat down wrecked me. We had to put our cat of 18 years down in the spring of 2019 and the way he describes it is spot on. It's maybe the hardest I've ever cried and it was indeed a very naked feeling. The other time I'd cried that hard is at my dad's funeral, which surprised me because we weren't close but it just hit me because of the emotional turmoil of the previous three years plus other stuff sorta mentioned above. At any rate, I was driving while listening and it was raining and yeah it was tough to drive.


    Ok two final thoughts. The opposite of the above happened frequently where I found myself positively cackling while listening to him describe a situation. I don't really do jokes so much as funny stories with some embellishment so I can really appreciate them when he cracks one off. The one about everyone in the YMCA hearing him 'brag' about his dad bod? As a man with a dad bod that had me going. I'm so glad I was alone while driving because it would have been weird to be near anyone who could hear me laughing that hard because I would have had to try to stifle it from fear of embarrassment.
    Last edited by allegate; 11-17-2020 at 01:09 PM.

  4. #1084
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    Finished: “Main event” by Jim Long … nice start to the Black Thorns but I’m wondering if there should have been an epilogue to wrap up what had happened on the planet. Seems like it was just cut short... maybe to have more impact of the final battle. I still liked it.

    Starting: “Assumption Of Risk” by Michael A. Stackpole

  5. #1085
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    At the moment I prefer to listen to audiobooks as there is a huge deficit of free time. Now I am listening to Ben Elton's "Time and Time Again". Aa really great book! Strongly recommend to give it a go

  6. #1086
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    Finished: “Assumption Of Risk” by Michael A. Stackpole … I liked it. Good to revisit those characters again. Cover does reflect the story but not at all in a way I expected (but I would have liked to have had a definitive conclusion to that plot branch).


    Starting: “Blood Of Heroes” by Andrew Keith

  7. #1087
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    The Sheltering Sky

  8. #1088
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    Finished: “Blood Of Heroes” by Andrew Keith; took a moment to get into but I liked it. Nice to have more details on that plot branch from "Assumption Of Risk"; but it's still not done either. There's a dong typo on page 307.

    Starting: “D.R.T.” by James D. Long.

    (annnnd now I've started to mind map the BattleTech novels for my own clarity... and sense of geography and time. Sure, it means going back over the previous 20 novels and skim-reading them details but whatever, not like I was planning on anything for 2021 anyways)
    Last edited by MrLobster; 12-09-2020 at 02:17 PM.

  9. #1089
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    Been listening to Moby Dick on my way to work and back every day for like a few weeks already. I wasn't expecting the kind of book it turned out to be. You know, the way he goes off on tangents and explains stuff about whales, ships, people, etc. for pages and pages.

    It's a great book.

  10. #1090
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    Quote Originally Posted by r_z View Post
    Been listening to Moby Dick on my way to work and back every day for like a few weeks already. I wasn't expecting the kind of book it turned out to be. You know, the way he goes off on tangents and explains stuff about whales, ships, people, etc. for pages and pages.

    It's a great book.


    That video adds some context to the book that you might find interesting....

  11. #1091
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    Yeah, I know about The Essex. Its story was turned into the movie Heart Of The Sea a few years back. Melville even mentions the incident in the book.

  12. #1092
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    Can someone please give me a good reason to finish the last 10th of the book Anna Karenina? I've been white knuckling this book for soooo long. Don't get me wrong, I understand that it is GREAT literature. It is wonderfully written and some aspects of the "Russian society of that time" is insteresting but....this book is not my type of book. Fantasy is more my world. The every day novel drama aspect is...ugh. Am I supposed to have cared for Anna Karenina? Because she annoyed me the same way almost everyone did. The one character I feel sort of invested in is Levin but....anyways, I put the book down and it takes me forever to pick it back up again. It's been sitting with me all year and I'm at the point where Kitty finally gave birth.

    Should I care about how it all ends? Should I finish it just to say I finished it? I don't need reasons as to why I should "like this book" because I understand why it's good, I just also understand why it doesn't "capture my attention". The storyline is simply boring to me...

    Anyways, to end this on a good note. What marked this year for me was reading The Road for the first time and it blew me away, it made me cry- it was that powerful. Now I'm re-reading American Gods and I'm loving it even more the second time around!

  13. #1093
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    Quote Originally Posted by r_z View Post
    Yeah, I know about The Essex. Its story was turned into the movie Heart Of The Sea a few years back. Melville even mentions the incident in the book.
    The video is also about the cultural context that gave rise to the industry which lead the Essex...

  14. #1094
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    Quote Originally Posted by MrLobster View Post
    The video is also about the cultural context that gave rise to the industry which lead the Essex...
    Yeah, that was great, thank you!

  15. #1095
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    Quote Originally Posted by halloween View Post
    Can someone please give me a good reason to finish the last 10th of the book Anna Karenina? I've been white knuckling this book for soooo long. Don't get me wrong, I understand that it is GREAT literature. It is wonderfully written and some aspects of the "Russian society of that time" is insteresting but....this book is not my type of book. Fantasy is more my world. The every day novel drama aspect is...ugh. Am I supposed to have cared for Anna Karenina? Because she annoyed me the same way almost everyone did. The one character I feel sort of invested in is Levin but....anyways, I put the book down and it takes me forever to pick it back up again. It's been sitting with me all year and I'm at the point where Kitty finally gave birth.

    Should I care about how it all ends? Should I finish it just to say I finished it? I don't need reasons as to why I should "like this book" because I understand why it's good, I just also understand why it doesn't "capture my attention". The storyline is simply boring to me...

    Anyways, to end this on a good note. What marked this year for me was reading The Road for the first time and it blew me away, it made me cry- it was that powerful. Now I'm re-reading American Gods and I'm loving it even more the second time around!
    You could say, the ending of Karenina's arc is important, because it's about wether she suceeds (or at least not fails) in having tried to break the rules of society.

    Fun fact: There's a short story by Murakami called "Sleep". It's about a woman living a seemingly normal life with husband and children, who's suddenly unable to fall asleep. In her new spare time she goes on to read, as that's a time when everybody else is sleeping and nobody bothers her. The book she chooses to read over and over again is Anna Karenina!

  16. #1096
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    I read Sleep! I loved it. It might have been the inspiration to finally pick up my copy of Anna Karenina after having on my shelf for a few years. Mmmm, I guess it will be interesting to see how society resolves itself in relation to Anna... Thank you!

  17. #1097
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    Just finished “troubled blood”. It was long

  18. #1098
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    Finished: “D.R.T.” by James D. Long; another Black Thorns book. I liked it but Jereimah Rose is a fanatic. Cover art depicts an event in the story.

    Starting: “Close Quarters” by Victor Milán

  19. #1099
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    Everybody Loves Our Town: A History of Grunge, by Mark Yarm.

    This thing is fucking GREAT for people who came of age in the nineties. It's almost all made out of interviews, and chronicles the Melvins, Green River, and Mother Love Bone and such, as they give way to Soundgarden and Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
    It's REALLY fucking cool.

    While I'm here, I wonder if anyone can recommend any other rock books. I'm normally a hardcore literature guy, but my favorite books of the past few years have been Maynard's book, Tricky's book, and Scar Tissue, by Anthony Keidis.
    I just love this official (and unofficial) rock and roll stuff. When I was younger, I got a huge kick out of The Lives of John Lennon, a couple of Led Zep books including Hammer of the Gods, and even a few about Elvis: Elvis, Priscilla and Me, I think?
    I also loved the John Belushi book, Wired, and the book about Nirvana called Heavier than Heaven.

    I've got the Tom Petty biography on deck, alongside Matthew McConaughey's book.

    Can you guys recommend any other rockstar/actor books?

  20. #1100
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  21. #1101
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    Quote Originally Posted by elevenism View Post
    Can you guys recommend any other rockstar/actor books?
    Low Side of the Road about Tom Waits, the biography on Bob Dylan, and Life by Kieth Richards.. especially that last one, wow does that get entertaining.

  22. #1102
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    Finished the audio book Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes, narrated by Scott Aiello, Marc Vietor, and Tavia Gilbert as well as a whole host of other people for the random characters in the book. Brilliant story and a brilliant cast Spoiler: right up until it wasn't.

    I had already read something about the book and the meta narrative surrounding it so there was something off about it that bugged me. still does. keeps me from enjoying it fully. I truly do love the book though and how well it trod the line of scoundrel and fair play and Narrative, it could make an excellent television show or something, like a medieval Burn Notice or something.

    Hell, that just popped into my head but it really would work...Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, and Bruce Campbell as those three characters? Granted you couldn't do it now but prime Burn Notice years with today's CG tools? definitely.

  23. #1103
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    I've randomly started reading this fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson called the Stormlight Archives. These books are obscenely long, and while I really am hungry for escapism, and they are very fun books (so far), I just don't know if I want to invest so much time into reading these.

  24. #1104
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jinsai View Post
    I just don't know if I want to invest so much time into reading these.
    Do it...

    (haven't read the books but just endorsing the idea in general... think of it this way, if you're enjoying the books who cares how long each one takes, what's the alternative? Reading another book you like? It's still just pages and pages and pages and pages...)

  25. #1105
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    Quote Originally Posted by elevenism View Post
    Can you guys recommend any other rockstar/actor books?
    Have a Nice Day by Mick Foley... wrestling is a form of acting, right?
    Last edited by MrLobster; 12-15-2020 at 05:06 PM.

  26. #1106
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jinsai View Post
    I've randomly started reading this fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson called the Stormlight Archives. These books are obscenely long, and while I really am hungry for escapism, and they are very fun books (so far), I just don't know if I want to invest so much time into reading these.
    Which one?

    I started Hyperion to try some different Sci-fi, but it's kinda slow going so far.

  27. #1107
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    Quote Originally Posted by Magnetic View Post
    Which one?

    I started Hyperion to try some different Sci-fi, but it's kinda slow going so far.
    The first book is called The Way of Kings. it's really good stuff, just each book is basically a brick

  28. #1108
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    Not if you have a kindle.

  29. #1109
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jinsai View Post
    I've randomly started reading this fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson called the Stormlight Archives. These books are obscenely long, and while I really am hungry for escapism, and they are very fun books (so far), I just don't know if I want to invest so much time into reading these.
    DO IT. I started the series earlier this year (each book took about a month) and am now in the middle of the fourth. If you're liking The Way of Kings, that's by far the least good in my opinion (though still good); it gets way better from there!! You also don't have to do it all at once, though if you're like me and forget an entire book's plot after 3 months, you may want to.

    The Mistborn series by the same author is also amazing, and probably my favorite of his output. (Those books are also shorter, and a completed trilogy, as opposed to the 10-book behemoth to-be-completed-in-2040-or-later event that is the Stormlight Archive.)

    And I didn't even know I liked fantasy before reading these...

  30. #1110
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    Quote Originally Posted by elevenism View Post
    Can you guys recommend any other rockstar/actor books?
    "The Dirt" by Motley Crue. One of the funniest damned books I've ever read.

    Also, "Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk." I read it in one sitting, could not put it down.
    Last edited by allegro; 12-16-2020 at 07:07 PM.

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