What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by bengal22 »

"Leave the gun....Grab the Cannoli." An interesting read on the making of The Godfather movie.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by stoptothink »

"The Invisible Kingdom" by Meghan O'Rourke. Supposed to be about her journey figuring out all her autoimmune issues. I picked it up because I have three autoimmune conditions which are incurable and have me on daily medication (probably for the rest of my life). It would be an interesting read if the author actually focused on her story and not going off on irrelevant rants (mostly about intersectionality) every other paragraph. I almost never do not finish a book, but I'm a little over halfway done and will probably walk to the library today to return this one.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by sschullo »

Finished "Damn Right!" Behind the scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger by Janet Lowe.
I wrote a review on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-revi ... B07ZQNCDGD
But that review was before I read Appendix D. It's Munger's speech to his Harvard Law School graduating class 50-year reunion in 1998.
Two concepts struck me:
1. Munger argued for a multidisciplinary approach in academia for all students. He goes on and suggests the importance of psychology in the investment world. He cites Thaler and his work that human beings are not as rational as we think. Much work in the last 24 years proves that without a doubt.

2. Munger literally said the same thing about the implications of paying for professional advice that Ben Graham wrote in The Intelligent Investor. Only Munger cites psychology and the unconscious by saying that financial advisers have a different "psychology" because their incentives differ from the clients (I am not so sure it's unconscious!) Munger doesn't mince words as he said, "If, in your thinking, you rely entirely on others, often in the purchase of professional advice, whenever outside a small territory other than your own, you will suffer much calamity."
Never in the history of market day-traders’ has the obsession with so much massive, sophisticated, & powerful statistical machinery used by the brightest people on earth with such useless results.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by PhoebeCoco »

Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Uninteresting characters, both in the present and in the 1850s, revolving around the story of a famous racing horse, Lexington. I gave up at 61%, according to my Kindle, and once I gave up, I remembered that I have tried reading many of Geraldine Brooks' books and always give them up. At my age, I just don't force myself to read books that make me sigh when I pick them up.

Recipe for Life: The Autobiography by Mary Berry. Loved it! I discovered Mary Berry on PBS, through "Mary Berry's Country House Secrets". Immediately falling in love with her - those eyes! those outfits! that cooking! that accent! - I "devoured" all her shows, then bought her Autobiography. She is old-school British, had polio when young, did not do well in school except for Domestic Science, but never complained about anything and just got on with it (i.e. life) and became a great success. She has recently been made a Dame, showing that success in academic subjects is not the only kind of success available.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Caboose »

The Pacific War Trilogy by Ian Toll - outstanding work; if you have an interest in WWII about the war in the Pacific with a focus on the naval campaigns, don't miss this.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by AnnetteLouisan »

Not a book, but close: this week’s The Economist feature, “A Dark State,” on Russia.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by sid hartha »

Currently reading - "Being You: A New Science of Consciousness " by Anil Seth- I give it a strong recommendation.

What does it mean to “be you”—that is, to have a specific, conscious experience of the world around you and yourself within it? There may be no more elusive or fascinating question. Historically, humanity has considered the nature of consciousness to be a primarily spiritual or philosophical inquiry, but scientific research is now mapping out compelling biological theories and explanations for consciousness and selfhood.

Now, internationally renowned neuroscience professor, researcher, and author Anil Seth is offers a window into our consciousness in BEING YOU: A New Science of Consciousness. Anil Seth is both a leading expert on the neuroscience of consciousness and one of most prominent spokespeople for this relatively new field of science. His radical argument is that we do not perceive the world as it objectively is, but rather that we are prediction machines, constantly inventing our world and correcting our mistakes by the microsecond, and that we can now observe the biological mechanisms in the brain that accomplish this process of consciousness.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ruralavalon »

Caboose wrote: Sun Jul 31, 2022 5:26 pm The Pacific War Trilogy by Ian Toll - outstanding work; if you have an interest in WWII about the war in the Pacific with a focus on the naval campaigns, don't miss this.
+ 1, an outstanding series.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by sschullo »

sid hartha wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:05 am Currently reading - "Being You: A New Science of Consciousness "
Now, internationally renowned neuroscience professor, researcher, and author Anil Seth is offers a window into our consciousness in BEING YOU: A New Science of Consciousness. Anil Seth is both a leading expert on the neuroscience of consciousness and one of most prominent spokespeople for this relatively new field of science. His radical argument is that we do not perceive the world as it objectively is, but rather that we are prediction machines, constantly inventing our world and correcting our mistakes by the microsecond, and that we can now observe the biological mechanisms in the brain that accomplish this process of consciousness.
Love you name as you probably already know that it is not so radical as Buddha taught this 2500 years ago. But for us Westerns, yeah! it's radical. Especially the part where our brain is "constantly inventing our world".
Never in the history of market day-traders’ has the obsession with so much massive, sophisticated, & powerful statistical machinery used by the brightest people on earth with such useless results.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Sandtrap »

“Mao...The Unknown Story”
by Jung Chan, Jon Halliday.

Heavily researched over a period of 10 years, with lst hand accounts and verifications.

Another “bubble popping”, “mythbusting”, “anti spin”, well written, though exhaustive (very thick book) work.

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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

With the constant help of my Portuguese teacher, I have finally gotten through Reinaçoes de Narizinho, "The Adventures of Little Pug-nose," by Monteiro Lobato. This is the first book in the series collectively known as Sítio de Pica-pau Amarelo, "Yellow Woodpecker Ranch." I did buy a copy of an English translation, but I didn't read each chapter until I had first gone through it in Portuguese.

The series, written from 1920 to 1940, is a pioneering effort in Brazilian children's literature.

It is a children's book--in the sense of "written to be read to children." It is challenging in many ways, because Lobato has a sly sense of humor, and because he uses invented words... and, at times, somewhat out-of-date language. An example of the kind of thing I'm talking about is
E canários cantando, e beija-flores beijando flores, e camarões camaronando, e caranguejos caranguejando, tudo que é pequenino e não morde, pequeninando e não mordendo.
which translates as
The canaries sang, the hummingbirds hummed, the shrimps shrimped, the crabs crabbed, everything little that didn't bite was littling and not biting.
Narizinho's doll, Emilia, is cured of being mute and starts to talk... and talks in Portuguese spoonerisms.

The Brazilians I've talked to know the series--it's famous--but they know it from a television adaptation, not from the original books... just as relatively few people in the US have actually read L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

I don't understand this very well, but Lobato weaves into the series dozens of characters from fairy tales of other countries. For example, one book of the series is simply called "Peter Pan," and is apparently a re-telling of the James M. Barrie story.

The series has come under fire in Brazil for incorporating racial stereotypes, but it is apparently mostly because of a single book in the series. Indeed, one problem with reading it in translation--by Lobato's great-granddaughter--is that it is "translated and adapted," to "make it even more relevant to our society's current struggled." I don't know what that means, and I didn't notice any places in the text that were obviously different.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Zeno »

nisiprius wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:42 pm With the constant help of my Portuguese teacher ….
That’s unbelievable, nisiprius.
Last edited by Zeno on Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ChrisC »

PhoebeCoco wrote: Sun Jul 31, 2022 2:27 pm Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Uninteresting characters, both in the present and in the 1850s, revolving around the story of a famous racing horse, Lexington. I gave up at 61%, according to my Kindle, and once I gave up, I remembered that I have tried reading many of Geraldine Brooks' books and always give them up. At my age, I just don't force myself to read books that make me sigh when I pick them up.

Recipe for Life: The Autobiography by Mary Berry. Loved it! I discovered Mary Berry on PBS, through "Mary Berry's Country House Secrets". Immediately falling in love with her - those eyes! those outfits! that cooking! that accent! - I "devoured" all her shows, then bought her Autobiography. She is old-school British, had polio when young, did not do well in school except for Domestic Science, but never complained about anything and just got on with it (i.e. life) and became a great success. She has recently been made a Dame, showing that success in academic subjects is not the only kind of success available.
Hmmm, I just finished Horse early last week and my wife a few days ago; we both loved the book and thought the characters and their development, including Lexington, against the backdrop of slavery, horse racing, and contemporary matters of race -- was quite a compelling weaving of different vantage points across time. I also learned a lot about the Smithsonian which was fascinating to me even though I spent 35 years in the Washington DC area, visiting most of the Smithsonian's grounds. We're going to read some of her other books. For others interested in this historical fictional account, I posted a link to the NY Times review of the book, upthread.

Sorry, you didn't finish the book; it actually ended on uplifting notes.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by sid hartha »

sschullo wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 11:18 am
sid hartha wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:05 am Currently reading - "Being You: A New Science of Consciousness "
Now, internationally renowned neuroscience professor, researcher, and author Anil Seth is offers a window into our consciousness in BEING YOU: A New Science of Consciousness. Anil Seth is both a leading expert on the neuroscience of consciousness and one of most prominent spokespeople for this relatively new field of science. His radical argument is that we do not perceive the world as it objectively is, but rather that we are prediction machines, constantly inventing our world and correcting our mistakes by the microsecond, and that we can now observe the biological mechanisms in the brain that accomplish this process of consciousness.
Love you name as you probably already know that it is not so radical as Buddha taught this 2500 years ago. But for us Westerns, yeah! it's radical. Especially the part where our brain is "constantly inventing our world".
I know right. These are ideas I already had in my head from reading about Eastern Religion and things like Krishnamurti. But it's totally wild when modern neuroscience arrives at many of the same conclusions as the ancient mystics.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

Zeno wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 7:02 pm
nisiprius wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:42 pm With the constant help of my Portuguese teacher ….
That’s unbelievable, nisiprius. Is your teacher in-person or something else? And are you studying Portuguese for your personal education or are you planning a trip/experience of some kind?
Solely as a pastime. And not a very serious one. I've sort of stalled or plateaued on Spanish at an intermediate level, so I thought I would try Portuguese. My teacher lives in Granada, Spain, speaks Portuguese and Spanish but not English, and teaches by videocall.

I am a volunteer tutor in English for speakers of other languages, just a few hours a week, and it was partly because at the time I was tutoring more Portuguese than Spanish speakers.

The relation between Portuguese and Spanish is both fascinating and maddening, being a beginner in Portuguese when you are already intermediate in Spanish poses a completely different set of obstacles than learning Spanish from scratch. I don't know how people that learn multiple Romance languages do it. But at least the guttural Portuguese RR is easier for me to pronounce than the Spanish rolled RR. And Portuguese words with English cognates--our Latin-derived words--are closer, the Latin F's in words like facer and fungus stay F's (fazer, fungo) instead of turning into H's (hacer, hongo).

To keep this on-topic for the thread, I am reading (in English!) Brazil: A Biography by Louisa M. Scwarcz and Heloisa M. Starling, and it is excellent and very well written. I'm just dipping into it here and there, not reading it systematically from start to finish. I never really thought about a South American colony become "independent," not by becoming a republic, but by becoming a monarchy!
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ekid »

Zeno wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 7:02 pm
nisiprius wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:42 pm With the constant help of my Portuguese teacher ….
That’s unbelievable, nisiprius. Is your teacher in-person or something else? And are you studying Portuguese for your personal education or are you planning a trip/experience of some kind?
Nisi is a "man of parts". I believe it.

Yes it's impressive.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by bf0123 »

sid hartha wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:00 am
sschullo wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 11:18 am
sid hartha wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:05 am Currently reading - "Being You: A New Science of Consciousness "
Now, internationally renowned neuroscience professor, researcher, and author Anil Seth is offers a window into our consciousness in BEING YOU: A New Science of Consciousness. Anil Seth is both a leading expert on the neuroscience of consciousness and one of most prominent spokespeople for this relatively new field of science. His radical argument is that we do not perceive the world as it objectively is, but rather that we are prediction machines, constantly inventing our world and correcting our mistakes by the microsecond, and that we can now observe the biological mechanisms in the brain that accomplish this process of consciousness.
Love you name as you probably already know that it is not so radical as Buddha taught this 2500 years ago. But for us Westerns, yeah! it's radical. Especially the part where our brain is "constantly inventing our world".
I know right. These are ideas I already had in my head from reading about Eastern Religion and things like Krishnamurti. But it's totally wild when modern neuroscience arrives at many of the same conclusions as the ancient mystics.
I always appreciate Talebs idea of putting modern ideas through the filter: is there an ancient progeny to this idea? If not, disregard
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Barbarians at the Gate.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Radical Technologies: the design of everyday life by Adam Greenfield
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by mega317 »

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.
I'm about 1/3 of the way through this one and came to see what the Bogleheads thought. I'm about to quit; there has been no science at all just anecdote and conjecture. Not one claim has been backed up. I can't find one bad review online so I'm assuming it gets better?
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

heartwood wrote: Wed Jul 27, 2022 3:01 pm I postponed reading the new Daniel Silva novel, Portrait of an Unknown Woman, to take advantage of A Lucky Day book loan from my library: Ruth Ware's, The It Girl. It's an all right murder story set primarily in Oxford University. Lots of chapters, all prefaced by "before", "on the" and "after". The constant time shifts of between each chapter are annoying, and IMO, detract from the book. Still probably worth a read.

Now back to Mr.Silva's Gabriel Allon.
I thought Silva's Portrait of an Unknown Woman was mediocre at best and very flabby. The last 50 or so pages might have been edited down to 5 or 10 pages. This is not an Israeli Office novel, although he runs past many (most!) of his stock characters. It's an art painting story set in several places: Venice, London, Paris, NY, Corsica, etc.

I finished James Patterson and Michael O. Born's Shattered in about a day and a half. Very good read. It's billed as a Michael Bennett Thriller. I'd not heard of the Bennett series, but this is the 14th! Albeit the first nine had Michael Ledwidge as Patterson's co-author. I've got something to read when I run out of more current books

I'd given up on Patterson years ago, but find much to enjoy in so many of his co-authored books. I've probably read a dozen of his co-authored books in the last two years.

I'm currently in the middle of Armored by Mark Greaney, the author of The Gray Man series that has 14 novels and recently a Netflix movie of that title. It's subtitled as Joshua Duffy Book 1. I guess it might be classed as a "military thriller". Much centers around Close Protection Agents, read mercenaries. It's got Mexican cartels (multiple), the UN and more.
Last edited by heartwood on Tue Aug 02, 2022 3:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

mega317 wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 3:19 pm
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.
I'm about 1/3 of the way through this one and came to see what the Bogleheads thought. I'm about to quit; there has been no science at all just anecdote and conjecture. Not one claim has been backed up. I can't find one bad review online so I'm assuming it gets better?
I started it in 2020(?) as a very hyped book with great reviews and several book of the year kudos. I share your comments. It did not make a good impression on me; I'm certain I did not finish it.

Yet we appear to be in the minority?

https://www.amazon.com/Breath-New-Scien ... 188&sr=1-1
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by sid hartha »

heartwood wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 3:54 pm
mega317 wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 3:19 pm
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.
I'm about 1/3 of the way through this one and came to see what the Bogleheads thought. I'm about to quit; there has been no science at all just anecdote and conjecture. Not one claim has been backed up. I can't find one bad review online so I'm assuming it gets better?
I started it in 2020(?) as a very hyped book with great reviews and several book of the year kudos. I share your comments. It did not make a good impression on me; I'm certain I did not finish it.

Yet we appear to be in the minority?

https://www.amazon.com/Breath-New-Scien ... 188&sr=1-1
I also feel that this book was mostly a waste of time. I did find the part about the perfect breath and breathing through the nose more to be helpful though and incorporated it into exercise as well as relaxation. I think this book's helpful parts could probably be distilled down to one page.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by black jack »

sid hartha wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 10:47 am
heartwood wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 3:54 pm
mega317 wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 3:19 pm
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.
I'm about 1/3 of the way through this one and came to see what the Bogleheads thought. I'm about to quit; there has been no science at all just anecdote and conjecture. Not one claim has been backed up. I can't find one bad review online so I'm assuming it gets better?
I started it in 2020(?) as a very hyped book with great reviews and several book of the year kudos. I share your comments. It did not make a good impression on me; I'm certain I did not finish it.

Yet we appear to be in the minority?

https://www.amazon.com/Breath-New-Scien ... 188&sr=1-1
I also feel that this book was mostly a waste of time. I did find the part about the perfect breath and breathing through the nose more to be helpful though and incorporated it into exercise as well as relaxation. I think this book's helpful parts could probably be distilled down to one page.
I recently read this book and found it very interesting (I read it along with Nestor's book Deep, about free divers).

"There has been no science at all..." Have you looked at the notes and bibliography at the end of the book?

It was one of six books shortlisted by the Royal Society for its 2021 Science Book Prize, which highlights "the very best in popular science writing from around the world." (the 2021 winner was Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures by biologist and writer Merlin Sheldrake).
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by TomatoTomahto »

ekid wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 11:36 am
Zeno wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 7:02 pm
nisiprius wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:42 pm With the constant help of my Portuguese teacher ….
That’s unbelievable, nisiprius. Is your teacher in-person or something else? And are you studying Portuguese for your personal education or are you planning a trip/experience of some kind?
Nisi is a "man of parts". I believe it.

Yes it's impressive.
Most impressive is that Nisi appears to have solved the problem of there only being 24 hours in a day.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by stoptothink »

mega317 wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 3:19 pm
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.
I'm about 1/3 of the way through this one and came to see what the Bogleheads thought. I'm about to quit; there has been no science at all just anecdote and conjecture. Not one claim has been backed up. I can't find one bad review online so I'm assuming it gets better?
I read it a few years ago. I'm actually a scientist somewhat in this realm. I genuinely don't remember how much (if anything) discussed is contemporary research-based, but I did enjoy the book and I wasn't professionally "offended" by the lack of research (which I have been with another book I just read). "Deep", which he also wrote, was also good.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by pezblanco »

TomatoTomahto wrote: Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:01 am
ekid wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 11:36 am
Zeno wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 7:02 pm
nisiprius wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:42 pm With the constant help of my Portuguese teacher ….
That’s unbelievable, nisiprius. Is your teacher in-person or something else? And are you studying Portuguese for your personal education or are you planning a trip/experience of some kind?
Nisi is a "man of parts". I believe it.

Yes it's impressive.
Most impressive is that Nisi appears to have solved the problem of there only being 24 hours in a day.
Ummmm, not to rain on the love/adulation fest, but you do realize that there are lots of people that study languages, right? I.e. it's not that unusual to be able to speak one or two languages other than your own.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by TomatoTomahto »

pezblanco wrote: Thu Aug 04, 2022 2:23 pm
TomatoTomahto wrote: Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:01 am
ekid wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 11:36 am
Zeno wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 7:02 pm
nisiprius wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:42 pm With the constant help of my Portuguese teacher ….
That’s unbelievable, nisiprius. Is your teacher in-person or something else? And are you studying Portuguese for your personal education or are you planning a trip/experience of some kind?
Nisi is a "man of parts". I believe it.

Yes it's impressive.
Most impressive is that Nisi appears to have solved the problem of there only being 24 hours in a day.
Ummmm, not to rain on the love/adulation fest, but you do realize that there are lots of people that study languages, right? I.e. it's not that unusual to be able to speak one or two languages other than your own.
English is not my native language, and I'm still okay at German and very poor at Spanish. A relative was a multi-lingual translator (spoke at least 5), so yeah, I get it.

Otoh, we aren't as accomplished at graphing concepts as Nisi is, don't tutor anyone in English, etc. I'm not suggesting it's superhuman, just that it's a lot of stuff to fit in a day.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by LadyGeek »

Please stay on-topic.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by LilyFleur »

Our next book club selection is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

I'll be listening to it on Audio.

For most of my life, I've read actual books, enjoying the experience of holding a physical book and turning the pages, but lately I'm trying to shake it up a bit to stretch my brain and keep cognitive decline at bay. I've not ever been good at audio learning, so listening to a novel is an expansive activity for me.

(Note: I deleted a compliment for Nisiprius in order to keep it on topic. :sharebeer )
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jebmke »

"Indelible City" by Louisa Lim

Anyone who has spent much time in Hong Kong before and after the handover would appreciate this book. The last time I was there was in 2003 but before the Article 23 demonstrations. I have kept in touch with a few friends. Their communications have become much more cryptic but I know them well enough to read between the lines. A lot has transpired since my last time there.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by MP173 »

I am plugging away at "Enough Rope" by Lawrence Block...520 pages into 883 pages.

This is a collection of Block's short stories. There are about 40 misc character short stories, then shorts based on his novel characters - Chip Harrison, MartinEhrengraf, Bernie (the burgler) Rhodenbarr, Keller (the killer), and Matthew Scudder

This is a collection of treasures. Block is one of my favorite authors, who always has one foot in the dark side of life...sometimes two.

Our library has quite a selection of his novels and I have read most (if not all). It was a nice surprise to pull this off the shelf.

If you enjoy Block, or any of his character novels, this is worth reading.

ed
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Sandtrap »

reading....again....again...

“On The Shortness of Life”
by
Lucius Annaecus Seneca

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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Sandtrap »

jebmke wrote: Thu Aug 04, 2022 2:45 pm "Indelible City" by Louisa Lim

Anyone who has spent much time in Hong Kong before and after the handover would appreciate this book. The last time I was there was in 2003 but before the Article 23 demonstrations. I have kept in touch with a few friends. Their communications have become much more cryptic but I know them well enough to read between the lines. A lot has transpired since my last time there.
Interesting

will download it

thanks!
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Fallible »

sid hartha wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:05 am Currently reading - "Being You: A New Science of Consciousness " by Anil Seth- I give it a strong recommendation.

What does it mean to “be you”—that is, to have a specific, conscious experience of the world around you and yourself within it? There may be no more elusive or fascinating question. Historically, humanity has considered the nature of consciousness to be a primarily spiritual or philosophical inquiry, but scientific research is now mapping out compelling biological theories and explanations for consciousness and selfhood.

Now, internationally renowned neuroscience professor, researcher, and author Anil Seth is offers a window into our consciousness in BEING YOU: A New Science of Consciousness. Anil Seth is both a leading expert on the neuroscience of consciousness and one of most prominent spokespeople for this relatively new field of science. His radical argument is that we do not perceive the world as it objectively is, but rather that we are prediction machines, constantly inventing our world and correcting our mistakes by the microsecond, and that we can now observe the biological mechanisms in the brain that accomplish this process of consciousness.
I put the book on my long list after reading a Kindle sample that surprised me by relating to consciousness in nonhuman animals, which may relate to a new book I just started, An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, by noted science writer Ed Yong. The Introduction quickly draws the reader into an "imaginary menagerie" of nonhumans and one human and shows how they might perceive one another, how "Each is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of an immense world."
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Zeno »

Just wrapped up Steven L Peck’s “A Short Stay in Hell.”
Last edited by Zeno on Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Elsebet »

"Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe - really short, very sad novel. Easy read, tough subject, but I really enjoyed it. If you liked "Empire of the Summer Moon" you will probably like this one. Ironically the plot is somewhat related to the first chapter of the other book I am currently reading, which is...

"A people's history of the United States" by Howard Zinn. I'm only on the second chapter. So far it is a bit of a different perspective on the history of the US than what I was taught in school.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by stoptothink »

Elsebet wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:26 am "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe - really short, very sad novel. Easy read, tough subject, but I really enjoyed it. If you liked "Empire of the Summer Moon" you will probably like this one. Ironically the plot is somewhat related to the first chapter of the other book I am currently reading, which is...

"A people's history of the United States" by Howard Zinn. I'm only on the second chapter. So far it is a bit of a different perspective on the history of the US than what I was taught in school.
I read both of these books as a sophomore in high school, one in honors English and the other AP US History. I assume I am younger than you, Zinn's work is literally what I was taught on U.S. history in school...and IMO considering it is very ideologically biased (as Zinn himself admits) and has some scary omissions or claims that are simply false, IMO that isn't a good thing.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by bertilak »

stoptothink wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:44 am Zinn's work is literally what I was taught on U.S. history in school...and IMO considering it is very ideologically biased (as Zinn himself admits) and has some scary omissions or claims that are simply false, IMO that isn't a good thing.
Anything that includes "people's ..." is suspect. Kinda like the "People's Republic of China."

"People's" often means "Socialist state's (on behalf of the people)."

Any country's history will have both good and bad aspects. What differs is which aspects are seen as essential to the definition.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by stoptothink »

bertilak wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 8:45 am
stoptothink wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:44 am Zinn's work is literally what I was taught on U.S. history in school...and IMO considering it is very ideologically biased (as Zinn himself admits) and has some scary omissions or claims that are simply false, IMO that isn't a good thing.
Anything that includes "people's ..." is suspect. Kinda like the "People's Republic of China."

"People's" often means "Socialist state's (on behalf of the people)."

Any country's history will have both good and bad aspects. What differs is which aspects are seen as essential to the definition.
My AP U.S. History teacher was very outwardly a fan of "people" ideologies, if you know what I mean. I thought it was cool when I was a 14yr old 1st generation citizen in an inner-city LA public school, wearing my Rage Against the Machine and Che Guevara t-shirts, but it's scary now. This gentleman still teachers AP U.S. history at my former high school.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by mrmass »

Crying in H Mart. A quick simple story about a young mixed race woman that comes home to reconnect with her mom and heritage after the mom develops terminal cancer.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

Just finished Child's Play, one of the Dalziel and Pascoe novels by Reginald Hill, written in 1987. It was excellent. I don't want to include any spoilers, but, in general, the way in which Dalziel handles a situation involving involving Wield was great.

The mystery itself was... too complicated and convoluted for me, including, I lost track, more than one case of mistaken identity and a case of (I think) mistaken mistaken identity, and an identifying birthmark which is or is not what it seems, and... gee...
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by bertilak »

nisiprius wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 6:45 am Just finished Child's Play, one of the Dalziel and Pascoe novels by Reginald Hill, written in 1987. It was excellent. I don't want to include any spoilers, but, in general, the way in which Dalziel handles a situation involving involving Wield was great.

The mystery itself was... too complicated and convoluted for me, including, I lost track, more than one case of mistaken identity and a case of (I think) mistaken mistaken identity, and an identifying birthmark which is or is not what it seems, and... gee...
I loved the Dalziel and Pascoe show on BritBox.

Dalziel was played by Warren Clarke who was Dim, one of the Droogs, in Clockwork Orange, way back in 1971. He was in many British TV shows, like Midsomer Murders, Marple, Inspector George Gently, Inspector Lewis. He had a very strong "screen presence" and often stole the show. He passed away at the age of 67 in 2014.

I'll have to get one of the books.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by h82goslw »

stoptothink wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:44 am
Elsebet wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 7:26 am "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe - really short, very sad novel. Easy read, tough subject, but I really enjoyed it. If you liked "Empire of the Summer Moon" you will probably like this one. Ironically the plot is somewhat related to the first chapter of the other book I am currently reading, which is...

"A people's history of the United States" by Howard Zinn. I'm only on the second chapter. So far it is a bit of a different perspective on the history of the US than what I was taught in school.
I read both of these books as a sophomore in high school, one in honors English and the other AP US History. I assume I am younger than you, Zinn's work is literally what I was taught on U.S. history in school...and IMO considering it is very ideologically biased (as Zinn himself admits) and has some scary omissions or claims that are simply false, IMO that isn't a good thing.
I’m reading People’s History in between others that I finish….just because it’s so darn heavy. This book, and the biography about the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma really question my faith in humanity.
I read Dave Grohl’s autobiography last month and it was a great, easy read. Highly suggest it if you’re a Nirvana or Foo Fighters fan.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Drew31 »

Read (or re-read?) Millionaire Next Door. I know I started it about a decade ago but can't recall if I actually finished it through. Regardless, I feel it resonated more with me now reading through.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Zeno »

Just wrapped up Carlo Rovelli’s “Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution.” Helgoland is where Werner Heisenberg, at age 23 in 1925, collected his thoughts. A great read.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Spooky »

I read “The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World”

It describes Cholera epidemics in London in the 1800s before there was any understanding of bacteria causing disease. One of the physicians who played a large role in figuring out that there was some source of disease in the water was an early anesthesiologist and epidemiologist. Fascinating look at how science has evolved.

Another book I read recently was “The Seamstresses of Auschwitz,” which I thought might be a kind of “based on a true story” sort of book, but it is a history book. Utterly gripping, but not with the dialogue that you see in novelizations of historic events. But I didn’t miss the dialogue at all. Would recommend.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by johnegonpdx »

Just finished The Three-Body Problem. Starting The Dark Forest.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by LadyGeek »

FYI - The Three-Body Problem is discussed in Good Modern Science Fiction
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by roamingzebra »

heartwood wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 1:04 pm
breakaway wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 12:34 pm Today I am reading "The 6:20 Man" by David Baldacci. This is his newest book and a new series. I like his writing and style of "who did it" books.
I am also reading "Abaddon's Gate" by James S. A. Corey (The Expanse series)
I just finished The 6:20 Man" yesterday. Baldacci is a favorite author of mine. It was a good read.
"The 6:20 Man" is the perfect beach read.

It reminded me of early Grisham somehow.

For those who haven't read a synopsis, the 6:20 refers to a Manhattan commuter train.
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