What have you read recently?

[Lsbcal]

I just started A Cold Day in Paradise. A former Detroit police officer is now a private investigator on the upper Michigan peninsula. I've read about 20% and so far like it. I hope it give me a feel of life in the back woods of Michigan and is not just another murder mystery that happens to take place in the back woods of Michigan.

This is my first attempt at using AI to find a book series that is similar to one I have already enjoyed reading (Joe Pickett, Wyoming game warden). ChatGPT recommended this series along with several others I already knew about.

Good idea. I tried using Bard (Google tool) to find authors who wrote like Ann Cleeves. I will try out a book by Elly Griffiths which sounds good in the reviews.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

I just finished "The Happiness of Pursuit" (Chris Guillebeau). It was okay, but a bit more "Meh" than I had hoped.

 

[anethum]

A Likely Story is a good first novel about writers by Leigh McMullan Abramson.

The Body by the Sea is the latest in a mystery series set in and around Concarneau, Brittany. The author goes by Jean-Luc Bannalec, which is the pen name of a German author. I've read several in the series and enjoyed them. They're translated from German.

 

[indiajust]

Cialdini, Influence.

I was unaware of the lithuanian jewish connection to japan, via their ambassador Sugihara-san. He handed out thousands of travel visas and the japanese refused german access because the rabbis identified themselves convincingly as asian, not aryan.

Written with reader letters scattered throughout the book illustrating concepts in action. Car sales, sports fans, advertising, negotiating, religion, war, plus a bit of politics, hazing rituals, relationships and covid.

Even New Coke makes an appearance.

Expect to find a past source of confusion around human behavior explained somewhere in the book, from Jim Jones to jury selection.

He finishes with a guarded optimistic note on unity and cooperation on ever larger scales, which meshed nicely with my subsidiarity and minimalist constitutional approach to government.

Good end of chapter summaries if you get bogged down in any particular chapter and just want to forge ahead or come back later.

I had a similar book in grad school, Influencing with Integrity. It is not as thorough as Cialdini's, though the original publication date in the 80's places them in a similar context. Influence has been freshened up with current examples so it does not feel dated.

 

[Trailwalker]

Just finished Amok, the recent novel by Barry Eisler. I've read all of his books. They are a different flavor of spy thriller.

 

[anethum]

I read 3 good mysteries:

The Rising Tide is the 9th book in Ann Cleeves' Vera series.

The Last Devil to Die is the latest in the wonderful Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. The book is darker than the previous books in the series.

The Maid is an unusual mystery by Nita Prose. It's written in the first person by an idiosyncratic hotel maid.

 

[Kings over Queens]

Many of my book ideas come from watching C-Span. I saw Grabar on that channel a few weeks ago, a rerun of his June appearance.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?528543-1/qa-henry-grabar

I found an email address for him, as I have some questions about the book.

I finished Paved Paradise recently, very good book, really enjoyed it. Thanks again.

 

[frayne]

Two thirds of the way through, American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

Pretty good insight into why the US is the way it is.

 

[Lsbcal]

I read The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths. From Amazon:

Just back from maternity leave, forensic archeologist Ruth is finding it hard to juggle motherhood and work when she is called in to investigate human bones that have surfaced on a remote Norfolk beach. The presence of DCI Harry Nelson, the married father of her daughter, does not help. The bones, six men with their arms bound, turn out to date back to World War II, a desperate time on this stretch of coastland.

Good discussion about relationships and some WW2 era history with mystery.

 

[anethum]

A loved the short 180 page novel Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson. I was engaged immediately in this well-told and satisfying tale.

I enjoyed The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. The story revolves around an English-language library in Paris just before WWII & during the Nazi occupation, and moves back & forth to a small town in Montana in the 1980s.

 

[indiajust]

Algorithms to live by.

This is a fabulous read about the intersection between explicit compsci decision making and the implications for ordinary human versions such as marriage, dating, apartment hunting, organizing papers and filing methods.

Good intuitions and common sense come out on top, with compsci justifications and research to backstop.

There is an especially lovely touch of game theory implications in the final chapter. A resolution to the tragedy of the commons in the final chapters, as well as an existence proof of game theoretic optimum public policy substitution. I'm looking up Vickrey auctions and a guy named Roger Myerson who won a Nobel in this area, now known as the "revelation principle". That's a revelation to me. I call it a christmas miracle.

 

[indiajust]

I hesitate to broadly pan a book/author, but John Dewey of Democracy and Education is by far the worst read I have ever suffered. Chapter summaries don't. No author voice. Random word salad mixed with blather and pronouncements. This guy owes me money for pain and suffering. How such a chucklehead managed to influence society and gain laurels for impact on education cannot be determined from his work.

I spoke at length with 2 staunch defenders. They confirmed his inability to communicate via written word. In fact, they said it was his BEST effort among 20 books. Somehow, he is credited with experientlal learning. It cannot be determined from the evidence.

The pat phrases "our democracy" and "our public education" emanated from this philosophical gibberish. No idea how since it is emphatically not to be found.

 

[donheff]

After noting Anethum and Lovetoride's posts, I got Outlive, by Dr. Peter Attia. I like it a lot. It endorses much of what was described in "Younger Next Year" a while back. That was basically, workout hard, every day, for the rest of your life. With a lot of science, I would say Attia points to "yes, but not too hard - just enough to get some zone 2 endurance in and a bit of lifting to keep your muscles in shape. The book links to some excellent videos on several key exercises.

 

[gayl]

Not sure this counts but I've been reading a lot more stories like this:
https://www.the-sun.com/news/9998478/wells-fargo-bank-account-drained-zelle-scam-california/
I'm not sure why the bank is liable for her stupidity. Yes, I feel sorry for her for 2 reasons: (1) she was duped (2) she got to be at least middle aged without realizing that scams exist. But is Wells Fargo responsible for her willingly sending $$ to someone via zelle?


Also read MALACHITE TIGER, a 1st hand view of an African trip by someone who had never before ventured outside of his local area

 

[John Galt III]

A collection of short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Human interest. Take place in Poland and U.S.

 

[anethum]

I really enjoyed Stephen McCauley's latest novel, You Only Call When You're in Trouble. It's an interesting story with some amusing social commentary throughout the book.

Barbra Streisand's memoir, My Name is Barbra, is 1,000 pages long and surprisingly interesting reading. There were a few tedious passages I would skim through, but most of it was quite enjoyable.

 

[braumeister]

Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand: Fifty Wonders That Reveal an Extraordinary Universe

A most enjoyable survey of strange and interesting (true) wonders in our world.

With brilliant clarity and wit, bestselling author Marcus Chown examines the profound science behind fifty remarkable scientific facts that help explain the vast complexities of our existence.

• Fact: You could fit the whole human race in the volume of a sugar cube.
• Fact: The electrical energy in a single mosquito is enough to cause a global mass extinction.
• Fact: You age more quickly on the top floor than on the ground floor.

 

[Koogie]

Rereading Dune in anticipation of the next movie coming out in March.

Can't believe it's been 35 years since I last read it.

 

[Kork13]

A friend just published his first book, so I got it & gave it a read ... And enjoyed it alot! Running Red. Story about a college cross country team, and gives a good look at the mindset of runners. It was fun.

 

[ls99]

Carmen, in English translation.
Les Miserables in Hungarian translation.

 

[wearefinishedworking]

Braiding Sweetgrass

If you love gardening, or just caring for the earth, this is a good read.

 

[Flyfish1]

Just finished Homo Deus.
Now reading: The Blue Machine How The Ocean Works by Helen Czerski. Very good writer.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Machine...refix=The+Blue+Machin,digital-text,114&sr=1-1

 

[steady saver]

Currently reading (listening to) Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman, subtitled Time Management for Mortals. The subtitle, I think, is unfortunate because it gives out the vibe that it's another time management book. It's really more of an exploration of the concept of how we view and "use" time (too pressured, too productivity oriented is the message). He starts with the idea that, on average, people today live for roughly four thousand weeks and he goes on to discuss the freedom of realizing and accepting the finiteness of the time while here on earth. I've found it interesting, thought-provoking and worth my time...

 

[brett]

Just finished: Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman.

It is a secret history of Israel's targeted assassinations.

Very good read.

 

[ncbill]

Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Goggins