What are you reading?

[smittycl]

Recently read How to avoid a climate disaster, found it rather preachy. As i scientist I find Vox populi books patronising.
Will certainly read this trio and recommend if good.

Mann’s is very data driven and alarmed but against panic. Did you read David Wallace-Wells’ The Unihabitable Earth?

 

[Joffrey]

Forgot to provide some updates.

I thought I posted about this when I started this over 6 months ago. Well I'm still grinding through it. It's not particularly boring but I simply don't care. The book is about how to view modern art as I was hoping to learn what to consider when looking at abstract pieces. Unfortunately, the advice is to simply think for yourself which is not unreasonable. I'm committed to finishing it to assuage my inevitable guilt. I have about 30-40 pages to go so I'll commit to finishing it by December 31.

Just started this. First time borrowing from the library in years. Have looked forward to light (?) reading before I dive back into Caro's LBJ series (I haven't read the 4th book yet).

Just finished this. Mostly enjoyable memoir of U.S. born food journalist based in Paris. There are some odd asides but I went though it quite quickly.

A few chapters in and I have given up on the Steve Jobs book - I'm not enough of a fan to care about much of his life apart from him as a businessman however I'm not interested in skimming or jumping through the book. So will return to the library in the next few days (I'd likely have stuck with it if I purchased the book).

Meanwhile, I just purchased. Love his books so looking forward to finishing up the series (for now).

 

[edinatlanta]

Got about halfway through this and while it was a good read i realized I just don't care to finish this story at the expense of others

 

[smittycl]

Read all three of these. All very well done. The Deluge was Book of the Year for me.

 

[Veremund]

Read all three of these. All very well done.

Peter Frankopan’s Silk Roads was very enjoyable indeed. I may have to check out this new one of his.

 

[Kaplan]

Christmas haul. More SF - mostly classic, one a bit more modern. With a sprinkling of some Sword & Sorcery.

 

[Fueco]

Christmas haul. More SF - mostly classic, one a bit more modern. With a sprinkling of some Sword & Sorcery.

View attachment 2098339

Morcock is my favorite pr0no…

 

[Veremund]

My current read. I love his humor/humour.

 

[smittycl]

My current read. I love his humor/humour.

View attachment 2098393

Had to look up the author. Thought it was “Cloud Atlas” David Mitchell at first.

 

[edinatlanta]

I went to the thrift store and for some reason this popped out to me.

It cost a quarter. I had no quarter. The shop volunteer said she would pay for it.

Reviews are good but all things considered I am giving this book a short leash.

 

[ValidusLA]

My current read. I love his humor/humour.

View attachment 2098393

Nice. Also read recently. Big David Mitchell fan. Perhaps a bit toooo tongue in cheek at times.

 

[am55]

I went to the thrift store and for some reason this popped out to me.

It cost a quarter. I had no quarter. The shop volunteer said she would pay for it.

Reviews are good but all things considered I am giving this book a short leash. View attachment 2100783

Are you familiar with Len Deighton's other works?

He was refreshing in his time. If James Bond is the Walter Mitty fantasies of a middle class man who has never seen action, written whilst on holiday in the tropics (literally by his pool in Jamaica), and Le Carre is its hand wringing emo counterpart, Deighton has Orwell's analytical skills whilst retaining a cheery British "well, that's just how the world is, might as well roll with it" mindset that helps characters and readers alike cope with it.

I love this scene from the 1965 movie of the Ipcress Files:
capturing both demographic and lifestyle changes for the population as modernity rolls in. The boss, aristocratic and used to others waiting on him, is very uncomfortable and out of place in this middle class, city supermarket. Caine's character represents a new breed of normal-born-but-capable, cultured, independent thinking and confident, clashing a little with the system but rolling with it. You can see traces of the end of empire in Deighton, but also the end of the fantasy novel.

The world he perceived arising is so normalised today that his books faded away. But I don't regret picking up the 4-5 Deightons I did and watching a couple Harry Palmer movies.

 

[smittycl]

I read a lot of Deighton as a kid. Ever read Alastair MacLean? Excellent WWII and spy adventures from a great 1960s-70s writer.

Alan Furst is a modern writer who writes Noir spy fiction and is very readable.

 

[edinatlanta]

Are you familiar with Len Deighton's other works?

He was refreshing in his time. If James Bond is the Walter Mitty fantasies of a middle class man who has never seen action, written whilst on holiday in the tropics (literally by his pool in Jamaica), and Le Carre is its hand wringing emo counterpart, Deighton has Orwell's analytical skills whilst retaining a cheery British "well, that's just how the world is, might as well roll with it" mindset that helps characters and readers alike cope with it.

I love this scene from the 1965 movie of the Ipcress Files:
capturing both demographic and lifestyle changes for the population as modernity rolls in. The boss, aristocratic and used to others waiting on him, is very uncomfortable and out of place in this middle class, city supermarket. Caine's character represents a new breed of normal-born-but-capable, cultured, independent thinking and confident, clashing a little with the system but rolling with it. You can see traces of the end of empire in Deighton, but also the end of the fantasy novel.

The world he perceived arising is so normalised today that his books faded away. But I don't regret picking up the 4-5 Deightons I did and watching a couple Harry Palmer movies.

I am not acerbic enough to speak to Len vs the other authors but reading up on him a bit it was clear that he is a third lane of spy writers. I suppose, in a world of Arnold v Sylvester v Dolph he is the Dolph Lundgren.
I'm also enjoying the book. You get intimidated sometimes seeing the books are 500 pages but then you remember it is large print on small pages with a fast pace.

 

[am55]

Well all of these guys were on PEDs (legal and normal then) so you'd want to look at whoever was promoting natty at the time. But obviously such a person would not become famous when Arnold or even Mike Mentzer took the limelight; and today, would be nothing special in a sea of Instagrammers with giant traps training 3 times a day to failure whilst claiming to be powered only by chia seeds and a sprinkling of pea protein.