If anyone wants to give Jonathon Waterman’s books a shot, this is the one I recommend starting with:
He has several other very good books. He is an excellent writer imo.
About a woman who worked in Silicon Valley. I read it in one go because I liked the sardonic humor in it. Not super insightful about Silicon Valley itself, more of a coming of career age story. She never uses any company names but I could easily guess all the companies except for the analytics company she worked for.
I thought I had put in here but I read
about a company creating a 32 bit minicomputer in the late 1970’s. Reads like an extended Harvard case. Good reporting to drive down and get the people’s experiences and thoughts as it was going on.
1 Like
It was God wiping out humanity with pestilence and plagues and floods, like a mashup of Noah and the flood, and the rapture, except nobody goes to heaven because humans are awful and there is no heaven. No, really..
And it was brillliant:
In the woods you had this sense of something you couldn’t see no matter how you tried. There were bugs, dun-colored toads holding still, mushrooms in fantastical shapes that seemed accidental, the sweet smell of rot, inexplicable damp. You felt small, like one of many things, and the least important too.
Maybe, maybe, something had happened to them. Maybe something was happening to them. For centuries there was no language to describe the fact that tumors blossomed inside lungs, beautiful volunteers like flowering plants that take root in unlikely places. Not knowing what to call it did not change it, death by drowning as your chest filled with sacs of liquid.
Rose felt eyes on her, but then she pretended, often, that she was being watched. She saw herself at the remove of a cell-phone camera. She was young and didn’t understand that was how everyone saw themselves, as the main character of a story, rather than one of literal billions, our lungs slowly filling with salt water.
1 Like
https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Brothers-Nicaragua-Afterword-American/dp/0674025938
I’ve read a half dozen books on Nicaragua recently. These two are amazing.
If anyone is curious about the Nicaraguan revolution and this fascinating country in general - I highly recommend reading the top one first for a good overview of the revolution from an observer, then the second for an inside look from a participant - who’s also just a fascinating woman with a ton to say and an epic life.
3 Likes
My bookshelf is trending on Reddit
4 Likes
Finished Fall of Hyperion - enjoyed it a lot. Different structure than Hyperion but I feel like it wrapped up everyone’s stories really well. I’ll probably read the Endymion books, but gonna take a break first.
Just started Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Short novel presented as the journal of Piranesi, who lives in a seemingly endless house (containing water, clouds, climates, tides, a million or so statues, etc) with one other person (called simply “The Other”) with no access to the outside world and possibly no outside world to access. Seems like it’s going to be a quick read, and I’m enjoying the style of writing.
3 Likes
I forgot i used to list things i was reading in here, im going back to late last year for some of these. I’ll just say if it was good or not and anything else i can remember if you want to know more i’ll try to remember.
RIP GOP, Stanley Greenberg: Was interesting, basically the same kind of demographics arguments we know, seems a bit off the mark after last election though.
Trump, anatomy of a monstrosity by Nathan Robinson - pretty standard anti trump book, anyone here will know most of the material but was still good imo
If it Bleeds, Stephen King - I don’t remember any particular stories but if you like his short stories you will like these. I liked it alot.
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Preston Douglas - @suzzer99 recommended this and it was pretty good although not as exciting as I was hoping
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - thoughts above in the thread when i read it, was ok but execution coulda been better on the premise
Reasons to Stay Alive by same guy as midnight library - not a self help book per say more of an autobiography i dunno, can’t really recommend
The Beatiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates - everyone should read all of his books. Its about him growing up.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - really good, read it if you are interested in these types of books
Later by Stephen King - I liked alot but stephen king is my favorite, i think the reviews are kinda mixed
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon - I didn’t look to see whether author is like this or just the way he wrote it but the story didnt really go anywhere imo and the writing style bothered me alot, i think thats the main draw is the writing style showing autistic thinking i believe, if i’m wrong please correct me
The Things they Carried by Tim Obrien - I tried this a few years ago and couldn’t get through it but tried it again and went through it quick, great book if you like war stuff although its not really about the war.
Alcohol Explained by William Porter - great book if you want to stop drinking or drink less, someone recommended it here
Radicalized by Cory Doctorow - i gave this a 3 out of 5, when i bought it was looking for big time radicalization stories but while the story setting were good the stories weren’t that great imo, they built up and then kinda went no where imo
The mental game of poker by Jaren Tendler - great book about the mental game if you play poker any decent amount, which I don’t really but i’m trying to
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman - talked about by others above in the thread, it took me 3 tries to really get into it but I’m glad i stuck with it as it does pay off in the end. Good story about humans and love.
Twilight of the Elites by Chris Hayes - its about 10 years too old but actually chronicles the failing of institutions and mistrust of govt/leaders in all walks of american life pretty well. Its definitely interesting reading his thoughts pre trump on where things were going.
I just started Ghost Wars by Steve Coll about Afghanistan from Soviets to day before 9/11. Its been sitting on my shelf for a good while and its really highly rated so i figured it was a good time to learn. Its pretty lengthy so it’ll be a bit
how does it compare to the old 22 thread on GOP’s death?
haha probably about the same in terms of optimism. @simplicitus read it too and probably has a better memory of it than me.
+1 to The Things They Carried
Fav book
1 Like
And… done Piranesi
Highly recommend. The plot isn’t groundbreaking or anything, and the reader discovers what’s happening more quickly than the protagonist catches on, but it’s nonetheless a fun ride. But the world building is just beautiful, the characters feel comfortable (there are some minor references to the Narnia books and I think it evokes similar vibes to Lion/Witch/Wardrobe), and the epistolary format really keeps things moving.
I don’t think there’s necessarily one intentional allegory or theme of the book, but it’s got a lot to think over when you’re done.
2 Likes
Did you read it on a tablet device or pick up the hard cover edition? I’ve been waiting for the paperback to come out for a while now. Looks like it comes out Sept 1st here.
Were you familiar with her from Jonathan Strange?
I read it on the kindle app on my phone.
I tried reading Jonathan Strange years ago and quit pretty early on. The premise always sounds interesting to me, but my recollection is that it was just a really dense read. I might go back and give it another shot.
I enjoyed Piranesi too, and I was also a fan of Jonathan Strange. In case this is why you’re asking, Piranesi is far more suitable for mobile reading than Jonathan Strange. Trying to click back and forth between all of the footnotes in JS on Kindle is completely miserable, but Piranesi doesn’t have any of them, so it’s all good.
Just finished this one, highly recommend.
2 Likes
ereaderiq is way too much of a gateway app. I end up buying probably a e book a week.
I just downloaded Deacon King Kong. I assume it will bring back memories of growing-up in NYC during that time period.
A couple of years ago I really enjoyed Paul Beatty’s “The Sellout.”
1 Like
Is anyone reading any of the Grishaverse books? I’m halfway through one, it’s okay. Feels destined to be a part of a Netflix series or a cinematic universe. I like it more than the Game of Thrones books I read, that’s my hot take.
+1 to Piranesi being good.
it literally is a netflix series, lol