What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
User avatar
familythriftmd
Posts: 772
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:15 am
Location: Wisconsin

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by familythriftmd »

An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler
Just finished The New Coffeehouse Investor
User avatar
heartwood
Posts: 2700
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2013 12:40 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

heartwood wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2019 7:26 am I'm enjoying working my way through the Slough House series of spy novels by Mick Herron. I'd never heard of him before a month or so ago. Then the latest book in the series, Joe Country, was either recommended somewhere or popped up on a best seller list. I saw that there are eight in the series, some having won various Brit awards. So I started on the first, Slow Horses, a reference to Slough House, a Brit intelligence London building where they send disgraces agents, giving them tedious, dead-end tasks, hoping they'll quit rather than have to fire them. The first quarter was a slow read getting the characters straight, then it picked up and ended well. I'm now on the second, Dead Lions, enjoying it as well. Some enjoyable characters, some not well fleshed-out, lots of Briticisms.
Nearly two years later I'm just starting the 6th book in the Slough House series, just out a week or so ago. This one is actually called "Slough House".

Still having trouble keeping the lesser characters straight. I wish I'd jotted notes when I started the first volumes. No Problem keeping the main characters straight, like Jackson Lamb or Diana Taverner. Herron continues to write well giving me lots of chuckles as well.

The series has now been produced for Apple TV with Gary Oldman as Lamb and Kristin Scott Thomas as Lady Di. (not the Lady Di, she's head of the spy service and it's nickname). I'll have to look into Apple TV.
MP173
Posts: 2609
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 5:03 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by MP173 »

Brian Thiem - "Red Line".

The author is a retired Oakland Policeman (Homicide Commander) and also 28 year US Army and Reserve Vet (LT. Col, Deputy Commander of Criminal Investiagation Group). Ok....he has experience, but can he write?

Yes he can.

Comparison to Michael Connelly, yes that high of comparison. His Matt Sinclair character has similarities to Bosch - Army vets with lots of nasty experiences and both have difficult relationships with the Police Chiefs, and both are very effective.

Here is the bad part - only three books out and none since 2017. That is a shame as he spins a good story.

After 6 consecutive non-fiction books, I was ready for a good mystery.

Ed
User avatar
quantAndHold
Posts: 10141
Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:39 pm
Location: West Coast

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by quantAndHold »

nbseer wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 7:17 pm Anything by Peter Hessler. He's lived in and written about China and Egypt. A great writer who learns the language and establishes relationships with the people. A mix of sociology and journalism.
I read all of his China books before I went to China. He has a great feel for modern China. The story of him getting a Chinese drivers license is both hilarious and fascinating.
abuss368 wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:42 pm I have gotten to the point where I have read enough finance and investing books that I am not so sure I am gaining much of anything for a stay the course total market investor.

Does anyone ever feel this as well?

Tony
Absolutely. I stopped reading books about personal finance and investing several years ago. For Bogleheads, there are really only a small number of topics. The rest is just repetition.


I just finished Uncanny Valley, by Anna Wiener. A nontechnical woman moves to San Francisco and works for a couple of startups. Her story is more over the top than mine was, but close enough that it rhymes.
User avatar
ruralavalon
Posts: 26351
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:29 am
Location: Illinois

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ruralavalon »

Kingdom of the Blind, by Louise Penny.

This novel mixes together an unusual will and the threat of a new highly dangerous opioid on the streets for a complicated mystery.
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
protagonist
Posts: 9277
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:47 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by protagonist »

I just started reading The Tenth of December....a collection of weird, quirky short stories by an excellent writer, George Saunders.  This one was highly recommended to me by my daughter.

Based on the few stories I have read so far I would highly recommend this book....unlike the previous book I discussed here by Cormac McCarthy this one is really fun to read, even if you don't like reading much.    It is, however, probably not for everybody....the style is very modern and unique.
protagonist
Posts: 9277
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:47 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by protagonist »

nisiprius wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 8:41 am

Re-read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (a student of mine is going to read it) and again am struck both by its strengths and weaknesses. Apparently he showed the first three chapters to J. R. R. Tolkien right after he'd written them, and Tolkien thought they were "as bad as bad can be."
I read that, and one or two others in the series, with my daughter when she was young, and both of us agree with Tolkien. I recall the symbolism in the book to be ridiculously transparent. We both wondered what all the fuss was about. But this book is so well-loved....I would be interested to know if you like it better the second time around.

For those with kids (or even not), I would highly recommend the Moomintroll series by Tove Jansson....I loved them as an adult reading them to my daughter as much as my daughter did- hard to put down. They have been highly popular in Europe for decades though they never really caught on in the USA. A great series if you want your child to grow up with a sense of the absurd. Start with Moominland Midwinter. IMHO CS Lewis can't hold a candle to Jansson as a fantasy writer.
finfire
Posts: 322
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 1:52 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by finfire »

Local author's debut book: The Black Hand by Andrew Stack

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Hand-Andre ... 1734968206

Worth the read !
User avatar
FreeAtLast
Posts: 802
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2014 8:08 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by FreeAtLast »

"The Story Of Evolution in 25 Discoveries", by Donald R. Prothero (Columbia University Press 2020)

The author is a protege of of the late Stephen Jay Gould. His effort is a great bookshelf reference on the subject of evolution. Pick a chapter and prepare to be overwhelmed with detailed evidence for various aspects of evolution. How did the elephant of 2021 get its trunk? How did today's Horse gradually develop from its minuscule precursor of 56 million years ago? Why are there vestigial organs and structures in many species? I especially enjoyed the chapters demonstrating convincingly how birds arose from dinosaurs and how a complicated organ like Man's eye developed among multiple species over millions of years. Prothero is a dedicated academic whose writing can become a little bit dry at times. However, I like him a lot more than Richard Dawkins, whom I found to be unnecessarily arrogant in his writings and interviews (YMMV). Just present the evidence; it speaks for itself.
Illegitimi non carborundum.
Thales
Posts: 34
Joined: Mon Nov 04, 2013 1:18 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Thales »

Little People Big Dreams - John Lennon .

It’s a kids book.

Brilliant.
jebmke
Posts: 25474
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jebmke »

Eddie's Boy, by Thomas Perry. Fourth (latest) book in the Butcher's Boy series.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
JustUs4Justice
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:31 am
Location: VA, USA

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by JustUs4Justice »

I'm currently doing my first ever reading of Your Money or Your Life (2018 version). I know I'm a bit late to the party. :beer
murdockFan
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:24 am
Location: CT USA

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by murdockFan »

Hello, Thanks to the moderators who give unselfishly of their time, and to the contributors of this thread. this my first post. I thought I would finally share after reading the first 20 pages of this thread.
I’ve recently become excited by audiobooks and so came to find this good group. I spent a month ( more or less ) listening to “The House of Barrymore” by Margot Peters. When I had come to my third listening of John Barrymore’s life, I felt I had sufficient knowledge to finally move on and watch the 1 man show of “Barrymore” by Christopher Plummer.
Next I chose audiobooks of the same narrator as “Barrymore” especially because she did such a great job switching accents with the origin of the character speaking. And so I listened to my first Ngaio Marsh, and Muriel Spark’s “Loitering with Intent”. I think in Muriel Sparks I may have found my successor to Iris. The author is a character in her own book and the characters and dialog are rich. Her era is the one I look for, bohemian postwar, pre-70’s London. Thanks for reading
Last edited by murdockFan on Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
The rain assaulted the windscreen, obliterating in a second the frenetic strivings of the windscreen wipers. Little demonic faces composed of racing raindrops appeared and vanished. — Iris Murdock
User avatar
ruralavalon
Posts: 26351
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:29 am
Location: Illinois

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ruralavalon »

Welcome to the forum :) .

murdockFan wrote: Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:16 am Hello, Thanks to the moderators who give unselfishly of their time, and to the contributors of this thread. this my first post. I thought I would finally share after reading the first 20 pages of this thread.
I’ve recently become excited by audiobooks and so came to find this good group. I spent a month ( more or less ) listening to “The House of Barrymore” by Margot Peters. When I had come to my third listening of John Barrymore’s life, I felt I had sufficient knowledge to finally move on and watch the 1 man show of “Barrymore” by Christopher Plummer.
Next I chose audiobooks of the same narrator as “Barrymore” because she did such a great job including accents and and so listened to my first Ngaio Marsh, and Muriel Spark’s “Loitering with Intent”. I think this latter author is playing with the reader by “making it up as she goes along”. The plot is thin and flexible, while the characters and dialog are the main objectives. Her era is the one I look for, bohemian postwar, pre-70’s London. I think in Muriel Sparks I may have found my successor to Iris. Thanks for reading
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
Dave55
Posts: 2017
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:51 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Dave55 »

"The Night Watchman" by Louise Erdrich.

Dave
"Reality always wins, your only job is to get in touch with it." Wilfred Bion
Barkingsparrow
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:09 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Barkingsparrow »

Japanese Destroyer Captain - Capt Tameichi Hara

Memoirs of a Japanese naval captain who fought and survived something like 12+ major engagements in WW2. Very interesting to see things from the Japanese point of view - and he holds nothing back relative to his contempt for the inflexible Japanese command structure which seemed unable to learn from it's mistakes and adapt it's techniques. There's some nits - he glosses over the Rape of Nanking, called it "exaggerated", and the book ends rather abruptly, he survives the Yamato suicide mission to Okinawa.... then done. Very worthwhile read for WW2 history buffs.
murdockFan
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:24 am
Location: CT USA

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by murdockFan »

I finished my Muriel Spark audiobook “Loitering With Intent”. It was during my regular tramp through a leafy backwood that I started “A Far Cry From Kensington” by the same author. I enjoy British Movies such as “Goodbye Mr. Chips” and so am enjoying the elegance of these fictional tales of the literary world in 1950’s London. The narrator of “Kensington” leaves nothing to be desired and my fondness for the first narrator I enjoyed in “Loitering” remains intact.
The rain assaulted the windscreen, obliterating in a second the frenetic strivings of the windscreen wipers. Little demonic faces composed of racing raindrops appeared and vanished. — Iris Murdock
User avatar
ruralavalon
Posts: 26351
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:29 am
Location: Illinois

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ruralavalon »

Barkingsparrow wrote: Sat Apr 03, 2021 11:21 am Japanese Destroyer Captain - Capt Tameichi Hara

Memoirs of a Japanese naval captain who fought and survived something like 12+ major engagements in WW2. Very interesting to see things from the Japanese point of view - and he holds nothing back relative to his contempt for the inflexible Japanese command structure which seemed unable to learn from it's mistakes and adapt it's techniques. There's some nits - he glosses over the Rape of Nanking, called it "exaggerated", and the book ends rather abruptly, he survives the Yamato suicide mission to Okinawa.... then done. Very worthwhile read for WW2 history buffs.
I just finished this book, its very good. I highly recommend it.
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
User avatar
abuss368
Posts: 27850
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:33 pm
Location: Where the water is warm, the drinks are cold, and I don't know the names of the players!
Contact:

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by abuss368 »

Sam Zell “Am I being subtle enough?”

Love it.

Tony
John C. Bogle: “Simplicity is the master key to financial success."
rockstar
Posts: 6326
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:51 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by rockstar »

Two books right now.

* Ghetto Cowboy (basis for Concrete Cowboy on Netflix)

* The Splendid and the Vile
mancich
Posts: 1219
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2014 2:05 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by mancich »

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre. Fascinating true story spy
Calhoon
Posts: 242
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:29 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Calhoon »

Breath by James Nestor was very good.

As the title implies, it's a book about breathing. I never would've guessed that a book on breathing would be as interesting as what it was.
George Theo
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2015 5:30 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by George Theo »

The Warmth of Other Suns
The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
by Isabel Wilkerson
chipperd
Posts: 1674
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2011 5:58 am
Location: here and now

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by chipperd »

Calhoon wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 7:36 pm Breath by James Nestor was very good.

As the title implies, it's a book about breathing. I never would've guessed that a book on breathing would be as interesting as what it was.
Yes. I was fascinated by this book.
Currently reading "Becoming" by M. Obama.
"A portfolio is like a bar of soap, the more it's handled, the less there is." Dr. William Bernstein
User avatar
heartwood
Posts: 2700
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2013 12:40 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

Every Vow you Break by Peter Swanson. Not recommended at all. I almost quit at the half way point but saw I only had about a hundred pages to go and soldiered. A mistake, it got worse in the same and new ways.

I've moved on to Mark Greaney's Relentless, the 10th novel in the Gray Man series. As usual in the series, an over the top James Bond type story. "Over the top James Bond", is that redundant? Generally recommended.
murdockFan
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:24 am
Location: CT USA

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by murdockFan »

I enjoyed my second Muriel Spark, “A Far Cry From Kensington”. The characters and dialog are rich and elegant. The story interesting and satisfying. I’m starting the same author’s signature work “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”, again on audiobook.
The rain assaulted the windscreen, obliterating in a second the frenetic strivings of the windscreen wipers. Little demonic faces composed of racing raindrops appeared and vanished. — Iris Murdock
User avatar
ruralavalon
Posts: 26351
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:29 am
Location: Illinois

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ruralavalon »

Into Oblivion, by Arnaldur Indridason.

An apparent murder and a decades old missing person's case present mysteries around a U.S. airbase near Reykjavik, Iceland.
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
murdockFan
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:24 am
Location: CT USA

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by murdockFan »

Still reading “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” but switched from audiobook to paper so I can linger. She is quite an experience.
The rain assaulted the windscreen, obliterating in a second the frenetic strivings of the windscreen wipers. Little demonic faces composed of racing raindrops appeared and vanished. — Iris Murdock
Mr. Rumples
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:16 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Mr. Rumples »

Wandering Dixie: Dispatches from the Lost Jewish South by Sue Eisenfeld

As a southern Jew whose family has deep roots in the south (the first Jewish man arrived in VA in 1621), I am often amused by my northern brethren who think we down here are the new arrivals (as they wither under our blistering heat). This book explores the deep roots of Jews in the American south dating back to before the Revolution. She explores some of our unique customs and can even explain why some Jewish cemeteries in the south have Chinese graves (segregated cemeteries divided into three categories: white, black and other). Sometimes she gets off course mentioning current events, but I suppose its OK since its not exactly a history book but an exploration and how she relates to the past.

She misses some things which might be of interest, such as early Jewish settlers who did not marry (George Washington's physician Dr. John de Sequeyra), and the Confederate Jewish military cemetery in Richmond, but its a fun book in many ways.
"History is the memory of time, the life of the dead and the happiness of the living." Captain John Smith 1580-1631
qwertyjazz
Posts: 2000
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2016 3:24 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by qwertyjazz »

nisiprius wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 8:35 pm The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone, by Brian Merchant. It's wonderful. I'll say that even though I'm only 38% through. The title is a little misleading. It's not limited to what was happening at Apple. It's as good a book as I've ever read about how technology is developed and how innovations happen. It is all about identifying and pulling together the threads of technology whose confluence resulted in the touchscreen smartphone as we know it. It is not about debunking Steve Jobs' claim that Apple invented the iPhone or trying to take all the credit away from one person and give it to another (think Antonio Meucci or William Friese-Greene or Alberto Santos-Dumont). His point is that the touchscreen smartphone needed to have multiple new technologies in it, all of which were really essential--capacitive multitouch screens, lithium batteries, inertial sensing, etc.

I don't know if Cathie Wood is the real goods or not, but certainly anyone who wants insight into innovation--whether they can use it to pick stocks or just for its own sake--should read this book.
Excellent read - thank you for the suggestion
It does a great job of busting ‘the great man’ theory of invention and even of science in general.
G.E. Box "All models are wrong, but some are useful."
User avatar
Elsebet
Posts: 1606
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 1:28 pm
Location: Erie, PA

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Elsebet »

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Very easy and enjoyable read although quite sad overall.
"...the man who adapts himself to his slender means and makes himself wealthy on a little sum, is the truly rich man..." ~Seneca
Nicolas
Posts: 4923
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:41 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Nicolas »

nisiprius wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 8:35 pm The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone, by Brian Merchant.
By coincidence I just picked up a hardcover bio of Steve Jobs at my local Goodwill store yesterday. I’ve heard some good things about it so I grabbed it: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Walte ... 198&sr=1-4
User avatar
familythriftmd
Posts: 772
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:15 am
Location: Wisconsin

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by familythriftmd »

The Walls Around Us by David Owen.

I will start reading Strong Towns next.
User avatar
quantAndHold
Posts: 10141
Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:39 pm
Location: West Coast

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by quantAndHold »

Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell.

Historical fiction, in which O’Farrell takes the bare bones of what we know about Shakespeare’s life, and fills it out with a love story, a son that dies of the plague, and the parents’ grieving aftermath. Quite interesting.
Nicolas
Posts: 4923
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:41 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Nicolas »

I'm reading The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, the Finca Vigia Edition.

Concurrently I’m watching Hemingway, a Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick on PBS, which is excellent, as expected from anything by Ken Burns, et al.
Last edited by Nicolas on Mon Apr 19, 2021 6:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
nisiprius
Advisory Board
Posts: 52211
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:33 am
Location: The terrestrial, globular, planetary hunk of matter, flattened at the poles, is my abode.--O. Henry

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

Finished The One Device, by Brian Merchant, which is sensational. "Even" the chapters matching what I thought the book would be about--the development of the iPhone itself at Apple--were interesting, although I actually found the rest of the book more interesting. To me the most shocking revelations were what an SOB Steve Jobs really was. During the launch of the iPhone he demonstrated how to delete entries from from a contact list by swiping right. During the rehearsals he had just used random names, but during the actual launch, the name he chose to delete for the demo was the Apple exec who had headed the rival team that had developed a rival iPhone design. In other words, it was a cruel in-joke, understood by everyone at Apple, announcing to the world that the exec was going to be fired.

Finished A Horseman Riding By, by R. F. Delderfield. which was very good--I think I'm going to slowly nibble my way through more of his books--but not as good as The Avenue. So I'm going to give it a rest before tackling the other two books in the same trilogy.

R. F. Delderfield reminds me that there is a kind of book the British seem to be able to write better than Americans, what I will call the "novel of sustained accomplishment." Nevil Shute is another author who does this. What I mean is that the storyline of the novel talks about some enterprise, some achievement, some worthwhile thing, and the storyline of the novel is about the progress of the thing--in this case, a country estate in Devon in the early 1900s. You have characters and personalities and incidents but the thread holding it together is of somebody getting something big done. Are there US novels like this? I can't think of any offhand.

Started Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester, perhaps best known for The Professor and the Madman.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
ScoobyDoo
Posts: 199
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:51 pm
Location: Dallas

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ScoobyDoo »

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Just finished. Great writer and such an intriguing story. I’m just so upset it took me this long to find out and read it. There are so many books that are pure garbage and some that are just Okay. It’s not often I find a book I really like. This is a great book and page turner, once you get past the slow burn...But the slow burn is nonetheless excellent and still engrossing!
ScoobyDoo!
chuckb84
Posts: 628
Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2015 10:41 am
Location: New Mexico

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by chuckb84 »

I've read all of these before, but decided to get a concentrated dose:

Hackers by Levison.
Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson
The Information by James Gleick

If you have interest in computers/computing and how we got here, these are a great start.
User avatar
ruralavalon
Posts: 26351
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:29 am
Location: Illinois

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ruralavalon »

Stargazer, by Anne Hillerman.

Navajo police officer Bernadette Manuelito must help an old friend who has confessed to the murder of her astronomer husband. I liked this book.
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
Finridge
Posts: 1096
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 7:27 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Finridge »

Why Didn't They Teach Me This in School?: 99 Personal Money Management Principles to Live By, by Cary Siegel

I was reading through this to see if it had tips I could use, or to see if this is something I should recommend to my kids.

Generally, I thought this book was full of good advise, including tips that many of us take years to learn.

Some nits I had with it though:

- It recommends getting a service contact to cover household utilities. I think this is generally a bad idea and see it as similar to buying an extended warranty on a consumer good (something this book rightfully recommends against).
- It recommends a subscription to Money Magazine--seems sort of like a "dated" recommendation although this book isn't that old (it was published in 2013). I would recommend frequenting the Bogleheads forums instead.

I think that this is a good book for young people or people who are otherwise learning about good personal finance purposes. But I would not see it replacing books like The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing, The Four Pillars of Investing, Your Money or Your Life, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, and The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need.
Finridge
Posts: 1096
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 7:27 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Finridge »

I also finished reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo.

Katherine Boo is an American journalist who spend significant time in a slum right outside the Mumbai airport and writing about some of its people. I was initially resistant to start reading this book because I thought it would be depressing and heavy reading. While the portrait painted by this book is disturbing, it is a page-turner. It is well-written and I found it to be mesmerizing. It is on of the best books I read over the last several years. I recommend this book.
Last edited by Finridge on Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
TomatoTomahto
Posts: 17158
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:48 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by TomatoTomahto »

nisiprius wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 6:54 pm To me the most shocking revelations were what an SOB Steve Jobs really was. During the launch of the iPhone he demonstrated how to delete entries from from a contact list by swiping right. During the rehearsals he had just used random names, but during the actual launch, the name he chose to delete for the demo was the Apple exec who had headed the rival team that had developed a rival iPhone design. In other words, it was a cruel in-joke, understood by everyone at Apple, announcing to the world that the exec was going to be fired.
I did not purchase an iPhone until after Jobs died. He was a despicable human being.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
Finridge
Posts: 1096
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 7:27 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Finridge »

TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:00 pm
nisiprius wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 6:54 pm To me the most shocking revelations were what an SOB Steve Jobs really was. During the launch of the iPhone he demonstrated how to delete entries from from a contact list by swiping right. During the rehearsals he had just used random names, but during the actual launch, the name he chose to delete for the demo was the Apple exec who had headed the rival team that had developed a rival iPhone design. In other words, it was a cruel in-joke, understood by everyone at Apple, announcing to the world that the exec was going to be fired.
I did not purchase an iPhone until after Jobs died. He was a despicable human being.
The book by his daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, Small Fry: A Memoir was a good read. It is well-written and interesting, even for (or maybe especially for) people who don't care much for Steve Jobs. Among other things, it can be used as a book in how NOT to parent a child. But that said, the book is about Lisa, not Steve Jobs.
93Boiler
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2020 8:24 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by 93Boiler »

The Data Detective by Tim Harford
jpelder
Posts: 1106
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 2:56 pm
Location: Concord, NC

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jpelder »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:58 pm Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell.

Historical fiction, in which O’Farrell takes the bare bones of what we know about Shakespeare’s life, and fills it out with a love story, a son that dies of the plague, and the parents’ grieving aftermath. Quite interesting.
That one is on my hold list at the library. The same friend who recommended that one to me also suggested The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which I just finished a few weeks ago.

I'm currently working my way through a re-read of the Dune series, which I first read way back in high school. I appreciate them much more as an adult than I did as a teenager. I just finished Children of Dune, and I'm a few chapters into God Emperor. Things are getting weird!
User avatar
pezblanco
Posts: 752
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:02 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by pezblanco »

The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession and Death on Mount Everest by Mark Synnott. This book just came out. For those of you who like books about Himalyan mountain climbing and its history, this is a very good read. I couldn't put it down ...
User avatar
krafty81
Posts: 685
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2018 2:01 pm
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by krafty81 »

ColoradoRick wrote: Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:18 am Non Fiction Lovers:

Charlie Munger The Complete Investor by Then Griffin
12 Rules for Life by Jordon B. Peterson (awesome!)
The Road to Character David Brooks
+1 Man's Search for Meaning Viktor Frankel
Correction TREN Griffin. A relative of mine and great writer!
User avatar
krafty81
Posts: 685
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2018 2:01 pm
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by krafty81 »

Finridge wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 1:48 pm Why Didn't They Teach Me This in School?: 99 Personal Money Management Principles to Live By, by Cary Siegel

I was reading through this to see if it had tips I could use, or to see if this is something I should recommend to my kids.

Generally, I thought this book was full of good advise, including tips that many of us take years to learn.

Some nits I had with it though:

- It recommends getting a service contact to cover household utilities. I think this is generally a bad idea and see it as similar to buying an extended warranty on a consumer good (something this book rightfully recommends against).
- It recommends a subscription to Money Magazine--seems sort of like a "dated" recommendation although this book isn't that old (it was published in 2013). I would recommend frequenting the Bogleheads forums instead.

I think that this is a good book for young people or people who are otherwise learning about good personal finance purposes. But I would not see it replacing books like The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing, The Four Pillars of Investing, Your Money or Your Life, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, and The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need.
Do you mean a warranty for household appliances and systems? I think these are worth it and mine has paid for itself several times over. For magazines, I do like Kiplingers.
protagonist
Posts: 9277
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:47 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by protagonist »

I just started Lincoln in the Bardo, a novel by George Saunders, after finishing the very quirky collection of dark comedy short stories by the same author "Tenth of December" and really enjoying it.

That was on my daughter's recommendation, who also loved Tenth of December, and said that Saunders is the hottest item these days in literary circles.
User avatar
bertilak
Posts: 10725
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:23 pm
Location: East of the Pecos, West of the Mississippi

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by bertilak »

krafty81 wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 4:40 pm
ColoradoRick wrote: Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:18 am Non Fiction Lovers:

Charlie Munger The Complete Investor by Then Griffin
12 Rules for Life by Jordon B. Peterson (awesome!)
The Road to Character David Brooks
+1 Man's Search for Meaning Viktor Frankel
Correction TREN Griffin. A relative of mine and great writer!
I read Tren Griffin's Charlie Munger book. Anyone interested in "investing like Warren Buffett" needs to read this.
May neither drought nor rain nor blizzard disturb the joy juice in your gizzard. -- Squire Omar Barker (aka S.O.B.), the Cowboy Poet
Post Reply