Geez. Looks like I'll have to add a reread of some Isaac Asimov soon. :)
Geez. Looks like I'll have to add a reread of some Isaac Asimov soon. :)
MadScientistMatt said:Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. It's an entertaining read even if I'm over 400 pages into it and still haven't figured out the plot.
I loved that book, but probably only managed it because I was on jury duty for six days and had a lot of stuck-in-a-hallway waiting time. It also may have helped put me in my future wife's good graces, as I'm not remotely the bookworm she is, but I'd just read it when we met. We still laugh about how she thought I read a lot... Well, I do, but most of it is more like the John Bradley book above.
I did totally grind to a halt partway through Quicksilver. The first chunk was fun, but even though it's kind of related to Cryptonomicon, it just... I was done with it for months before I realized and gave up.
Just bought this because I drive past it every night on the way home through two clouds of steam from grating which just adds to the atmosphere. 
vitters said:Recently I read The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. Very interesting book, that was published in 1962 and it's an analysis of the history of science. The main idea of the book - scientific knowledge develops spasmodically, through scientific revolutions. The book (as well as the assignment.essayshark.com/math-help.html) helped me to understand the basics of mathematical statistics, which I'm currently studying at the university and showed how to use probability theory.
I think I have that one unread somewhere. I did also just add this one recently. BTW both are above my pay grade.
In reply to Duke :
I've read the first part of a at that time unfinished two parts biography of Heinlein. He was apparently a Truman/Kansas City political machine Democrat who in California had to constantly fight the Communist takeover of the state party. I wonder if that has influenced his portrayal as a right winger versus his ideas on citizenship.
Just finished Bad Blood by John Carreyrou; about the Theranos debacle. It’s pretty good although very much written like a magazine article.
Educated - - by Tara Westover. Girl raised by a family of survivalists, got out at 16.
College was the first time she ever heard the word Holocaust. Thrilling, sad, enlightening, disturbing.
Last Open Road
Clive Cussler - Typhoon Fury
Haven't read a paper book in years, finally have time to sit down and rest for once.
914Driver said:Educated - - by Tara Westover. Girl raised by a family of survivalists, got out at 16.
College was the first time she ever heard the word Holocaust. Thrilling, sad, enlightening, disturbing.
My wife is reading this now, I’m reading it next
my wife said they lived near ruby ridge but she didn’t realize it was a known thing; she thought it was one of her dads stories.
I can’t get out of my ww2, Cold War rut. I just finished MacArthur’s Spies about Americans and Filipinos in Japanese occupied Philippines working as spies, aiding, anti Japanese fighters and prisoners. It was a good read about a part of WW 2 I had never heard much about.
Now I’m reading Ike’s Bluff. It covers mostly Eisenhower’s foreign policy of trying to keep the US out of wars through a combination of letting people think he was a bit slow and that he was comfortable using nukes like regular weapons. He is a far more interesting person than I thought and he had a real skill for playing people while letting them think they were the ones getting over on him. It’s an interesting way to lead and seemed to work well for him in a rather tricky time in our history.
MadScientistMatt said:Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. It's an entertaining read even if I'm over 400 pages into it and still haven't figured out the plot.
The plot is spread through several books. Enjoy the journey.
Brett_Murphy said:MadScientistMatt said:Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. It's an entertaining read even if I'm over 400 pages into it and still haven't figured out the plot.
The plot is spread through several books. Enjoy the journey.
I'm currently reading Cryptonomicon, too, based on several recommendations here. I'm a little less than 2/3 of the way through and I am enjoying it thoroughly...
...but I can't say I'm eagerly looking forward to having to read another couple thousand pages to get plot resolution.
In reply to Wally :
I probably shouldn't point out I just added this to my Amz wishlist. 
In reply to nutherjrfan :
Thank you, I am always looking for something else to read.
My wife bought me Firefly Big Damn Hero, im planning on starting it tomorrow
I am currently reading "Roar" by Cecelia Ahern. It is a collection of feminist short stories. However, these stories don't come off as preachy or too strong on bearing the torch of feminism. In fact, the author has taken a rather comical, sometimes heartwarming take on the insecurities and issues faced by women across all age-group, ethnicities, professions, etc.
In reply to Shirin189 :
I'm only interested in feminist short stories that include canoes. does any of those short stories have canoeing in them?
A Network+ certification textbook. I'd rather be reading almost anything else.
Monsoon, by Wilbur Smith. My first foray into the Courtney series, but a grand adventure that was great fun to read.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-312-20339-9
imprecatory psalms of the bible...........
Night Sky by Clare Francis
Funny thing, Annie and I had a recent trip to Palm Springs, CA. (That's not the funny part. And "funny" not meaning comical, but rather meaning different or unusual). I had picked up Nelson DeMille's "The Cuban Affair" to read on the trip. I read it on the airplane on the way out and got about halfway through. Good story. So then we got to our boutique hotel in Palm Springs. We've been there before. They have a library in every room. Old school hard cover books. I investigated the offering, found Night Sky, and was hooked. It's written by Clare Francis, and was her first novel, done in 1983. It covers the years 1935-1945 in England and France, pre-war, war, and post-war Europe. She brings a number of disparate characters together into a very climactic ending. Well researched, and well written. Highly recommended.
I haven't finished The Cuban Affair yet.
The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille
(See above)
Got back home after two weeks away, and had six car magazines in the mail. So that's what I'll be reading.
I just bought this one w/Amz. Never heard of the guy before. Can't even remember which book I searched for that led to him ( now I remember it was an economic historian ) and then to this particular book but I was sufficiently intrigued. Pretty certain it'll cause offense and I'm okay with that.
Motoring is My Business, by John Bolster, copyright 1958, published by Autosport magazine.
Sorry for the ensuing diatribe, but I think this is quite a good story. (Yes, the book is good too). I'm reading this book now for the second time in the past couple years. A bit of background on how I acquired this copy of this book, and why I'm reading it again: I've subscribed to Octane for years, and before subscribing I bought it monthly at Barnes & Noble almost since the first issue in 2004. So in Octane issue #167 (around 22 months ago), Mark Dixon, Deputy Editor, wrote a review for the monthly feature "Collector's Book." It was a very good review of this book. John Bolster and his brother Richard built a hillclimb special back in the 1920s and named it "Bloody Mary." It evolved over the years and became quite successful. That car is a British classic today. I'm a big fan of vintage British motorsports, so I was already aware of Bloody Mary. I wanted a copy of that old book, long out of print. In Mark Dixon's review, he stated that one could probably pick up a used copy for around thirty quid. I searched, and found a copy from a vintage bookseller in the UK ... for thirty quid (around $40). When I received the book it was signed inside the front cover as the property of "Mr. Bill Beedie." I emailed Mark Dixon of my find, wondering who Mr. Bill Beedie might be. Mark printed my email in a subsequent issue of Octane, and we hoped somebody might recognize the original owner of my new treasure. Nobody responded, and after reading the book the first time, I put it away in my bookcase, figuring I'll never know who the original book owner was. Until recently! Octane issue #185 (Nov. 2018) had a great piece on the 1964 Elva GT160 LeMans car, written by contributor and racer Mark Hales. In the article, Mark Hales stated that "in late 1964 the car was sold to amateur racer Richard Wrottesley, who contacted Bill Beedie of East Anglian Racing to prepare the car for LeMans in 1965." Bingo! So while I have no definitive proof, I'm quite sure that this is the very same Mr. Bill Beedie who originally owned and signed the book I now own. So that prompted me to read it again.
You'll need to log in to post.
