books to read

[Freelancevagrant]

I’m a huge sucker for high strangeness and the occult so I’m reading The Secret Cypher of the UFOnauts.

Also because I’ve been working in Kentucky and Tennessee a lot lately and I’m trying to see some fucking goblins.

[white guy in a durag]

Working my way through this bad boy

It's good, but it's also written entirely in a thick glaswegian accent, so proceed with caution.

[Peter Zagreus]

Working my way through this bad boy

It's good, but it's also written entirely in a thick glaswegian accent, so proceed with caution.

Meant to read this, but never got around to it. Do remember quite liking this one though:

Got a friend who won't shut up about Wyndham Lewis (despite his perhaps bad politics), so I picked up this book of short stories, and plan to pick one or two off before bedtime

[Sluggloaph]

The great game, by Peter hopkirk.
It's pretty much a text book,, but very well written and gives a interesting history of the "middle east" as far as western occupation goes.

[Deputy Wendell]

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Working my way through this bad boy

It's good, but it's also written entirely in a thick glaswegian accent, so proceed with caution.

[close]

Meant to read this, but never got around to it. Do remember quite liking this one though:

Got a friend who won't shut up about Wyndham Lewis (despite his perhaps bad politics), so I picked up this book of short stories, and plan to pick one or two off before bedtime

i know this encompasses more than just literature, but it's crazy how much creativity and brilliance there is to be found amongst the early modernists, and also how many awful political perspectives and actions. right off of the bat, i always think of F.T.Marinetti and the Italian Futurists, a number of which were thugs for Mussolini at points. also, i was bummed to discover that Louis-Ferdinand Celine was pro-fascism and anti-semitic at points, because Journey to the End of the Night and Death on the Installment Plan are two of my absolute favorite novels. i have no idea how someone could end up espousing those ideals who had previously written this about his experience in WWI:

"I'd never felt so useless as I did amid all those bullets in the sunlight...

...A vast and universal mockery....That colonel, I could see, was a monster. Now I knew it for sure, he was worse than a dog, he couldn't conceive of his own death. At the same time I realized that there must be plenty of brave men like him in our army, and just as many no doubt in the army facing us. How many I wondered. One or two million, say several millions in all? The thought turned my fear to panic. With such people this infernal lunacy could go on for ever...

...Could I, I thought, be the last coward on earth?

How terrifying!...All alone with two million stark raving heroic madmen, armed to the eyeballs?...With and without helmets, without horses, on motorcycles, bellowing, in cars, screeching, shooting, plotting, flying, kneeling, digging, taking cover, bounding over trails, sputtering, shut up on earth as if it were a loony bin, ready to demolish everything on it, Germany, France, whole continents, everything that breathes, destroy, destroy, madder than mad dogs, worshipping their madness (which dogs don’t), a hundred, a thousand times madder than a thousand dogs, and a lot more vicious!

...Men are the thing to be afraid of, always, men and nothing else."

i know this post is long, but i also stopped in to mention that i am once again tussling with John Updike's Rabbit Tetralogy, specifically, Rabbit Redux and Rabbit is Rich (actually, Delillo may be playing a part as well). i'm researching and writing the third chapter of my dissertation, which is looking at how "working-class conservatism" amongst whites is tied to the "local," and how the local is tied to access to the single-family house and lot, and those two novels are my primary texts for this chapter. i know Updike isn't everyone's cup o' tea, but i'm enjoying the reading again...

[childhood]

The great game, by Peter hopkirk.
It's pretty much a text book,, but very well written and gives a interesting history of the "middle east" as far as western occupation goes.

Cool, thanks for the rec, just downloaded this. Definitely seems extensive, but looks good.

I recently read this book detailing the formation of ISIS, and the factors that contributed to its growth & spread:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Flags:_The_Rise_of_ISIS
and have been wanting to do more reading on similar topics.

[HombreezysShittyPasta]

Yall read some sus books

[Sluggloaph]

Expand Quote

The great game, by Peter hopkirk.
It's pretty much a text book,, but very well written and gives a interesting history of the "middle east" as far as western occupation goes.

[close]

Cool, thanks for the rec, just downloaded this. Definitely seems extensive, but looks good.

I recently read this book detailing the formation of ISIS, and the factors that contributed to its growth & spread:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Flags:_The_Rise_of_ISIS
and have been wanting to do more reading on similar topics.

Word. Yeah looks sick. I'm pretty interested in the totality of the situation there. If you ever saw or read charlie wilsons war, there's a lot there. Will def read this jawn...plus this boul went to temple?! Doap. Thanks pal!

[botefdunn]

Yall read some sus books

hahaha, what a way to introduce yourself to the thread.

Go ahead and surprise me, love to hear what you are reading? A little R.L. Stine perhaps?

[white guy in a durag]

Expand Quote

Yall read some sus books

[close]

hahaha, what a way to introduce yourself to the thread.

Go ahead and surprise me, love to hear what you are reading? A little R.L. Stine perhaps?

R.L. Stine is a king; I do not appreciate the tone of this post.

[oyolar]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Working my way through this bad boy

It's good, but it's also written entirely in a thick glaswegian accent, so proceed with caution.

[close]

Meant to read this, but never got around to it. Do remember quite liking this one though:

Got a friend who won't shut up about Wyndham Lewis (despite his perhaps bad politics), so I picked up this book of short stories, and plan to pick one or two off before bedtime

[close]

i know this encompasses more than just literature, but it's crazy how much creativity and brilliance there is to be found amongst the early modernists, and also how many awful political perspectives and actions. right off of the bat, i always think of F.T.Marinetti and the Italian Futurists, a number of which were thugs for Mussolini at points. also, i was bummed to discover that Louis-Ferdinand Celine was pro-fascism and anti-semitic at points, because Journey to the End of the Night and Death on the Installment Plan are two of my absolute favorite novels. i have no idea how someone could end up espousing those ideals who had previously written this about his experience in WWI:

"I'd never felt so useless as I did amid all those bullets in the sunlight...

...A vast and universal mockery....That colonel, I could see, was a monster. Now I knew it for sure, he was worse than a dog, he couldn't conceive of his own death. At the same time I realized that there must be plenty of brave men like him in our army, and just as many no doubt in the army facing us. How many I wondered. One or two million, say several millions in all? The thought turned my fear to panic. With such people this infernal lunacy could go on for ever...

...Could I, I thought, be the last coward on earth?

How terrifying!...All alone with two million stark raving heroic madmen, armed to the eyeballs?...With and without helmets, without horses, on motorcycles, bellowing, in cars, screeching, shooting, plotting, flying, kneeling, digging, taking cover, bounding over trails, sputtering, shut up on earth as if it were a loony bin, ready to demolish everything on it, Germany, France, whole continents, everything that breathes, destroy, destroy, madder than mad dogs, worshipping their madness (which dogs don’t), a hundred, a thousand times madder than a thousand dogs, and a lot more vicious!

...Men are the thing to be afraid of, always, men and nothing else."

i know this post is long, but i also stopped in to mention that i am once again tussling with John Updike's Rabbit Tetralogy, specifically, Rabbit Redux and Rabbit is Rich (actually, Delillo may be playing a part as well). i'm researching and writing the third chapter of my dissertation, which is looking at how "working-class conservatism" amongst whites is tied to the "local," and how the local is tied to access to the single-family house and lot, and those two novels are my primary texts for this chapter. i know Updike isn't everyone's cup o' tea, but i'm enjoying the reading again...

It's not 100% fair. Lewis did renounce his far-right views eventually while Marinetti is an interesting case. In an introduction to Marinetti's Critical Writings, either Doug Thompson (translator) or Gunter Berhaus (editor) [I can't remember off the top of my head and my copy isn't with me right now] explains that the Futurists aligned themselves with Italian Fascism / Mussolini when it was still in an odd third position between left and right especially as he wrestled with WW1 and its impacts and the reason was because of Italian Fascism's revolutionary rhetoric. Marinetti and other members personally believed awful things in certain spheres (mostly misogynistic things), but their attraction to Italian Fascism was because they thought it was a revolutionary political perspective that would compel Italy past its Roman roots, forcing it to stop relying on its past for its identity, and into modernity. As the traditional / mythological roots of fascism (Italian and global) took hold, Marinetti was actually a vocal critic of Mussolini up until it became a death sentence to do so. Then, he kissed Mussolini's ass to try to make Futurism the state sanctioned art (to protect himself and his friends) and when it became clear that that would never be the case and in fact, that Futurism was actively subversive to Italian Fascism, he basically shut up so he and his friends wouldn't get killed.

Early 20th century politics and arts, particularly post-WW1, are really interesting because there was so much upheaval that so many artists threw themselves into that a lot ended up on the wrong side of history. While it is important to not just forgive people for being "part of their time," it is important to remember that for many years (in Europe especially), it wasn't clear where a lot of these waves would end up. Obviously, there are people like Hitler who made their genocidal tendencies known early on and those people shouldn't be given leeway. But there are people like Nietzsche whose work was misinterpreted and weaponized by many groups including anti-Semites and the Nazis and it is somewhat important to keep some historical context in place, even if a lot of these people were shitty in other areas.

All this to be said that there's no reason to provide any sympathy or understanding to fascists or the far right today. We already know what they want and where it leads.

[Grind King Rims]

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Yall read some sus books

[close]

hahaha, what a way to introduce yourself to the thread.

Go ahead and surprise me, love to hear what you are reading? A little R.L. Stine perhaps?

[close]

R.L. Stine is a king; I do not appreciate the tone of this post.

Arf Arf
Arf Arf Arf

[childhood]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

The great game, by Peter hopkirk.
It's pretty much a text book,, but very well written and gives a interesting history of the "middle east" as far as western occupation goes.

[close]

Cool, thanks for the rec, just downloaded this. Definitely seems extensive, but looks good.

I recently read this book detailing the formation of ISIS, and the factors that contributed to its growth & spread:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Flags:_The_Rise_of_ISIS
and have been wanting to do more reading on similar topics.

[close]

Word. Yeah looks sick. I'm pretty interested in the totality of the situation there. If you ever saw or read charlie wilsons war, there's a lot there. Will def read this jawn...plus this boul went to temple?! Doap. Thanks pal!

I'm a Temple alumni too! My dad was a professor there as well, until he retired like a year ago.


Brandon Novak - Dreamseller Book Report:


I read Brandon Novak’s memoir all the way through yesterday. It’s decently short (288 pages), and drug stories are always entertaining, so it was a pretty quick read.

Some of the writing itself is actually better than expected, and he gains some style points for constructing the book in a non-chronological & un-linear format (like Pulp Fiction or something), but overall it's mostly mediocre, and follows a pretty generic and un-insightful addict-to rehab-to sobriety arc. Pretty much just as good (or bad) as you’d expect the autobiography of someone from the CKY videos to be.

Like I said, drug stories are great, but some of Novak's definitely seem like BS. There’s a section in the book where he talks about a period of his life where he was smuggling cash for a heroin dealer, taping $100,000+ to his body and flying across the country, while he was still an underage teenager riding for Powell. The way it's written definitely doesn’t seem credible.

For me, the highlights of the book are the sections where you get to read about some behind the scene details on the filming of CKY3 and Haggard. Unsurprisingly, Brandon was smacked out for all of this.

It was also interesting to get a better understanding of the inter-personal dynamics within the CKY crew. I guess I always assumed that they were all bros, but the way that Novak writes it, he and Ryan Dunn really weren’t close at all, and it often sounds like Dunn actually actively hated him really.

Overall Score: 6.1/10

[Sluggloaph]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

The great game, by Peter hopkirk.
It's pretty much a text book,, but very well written and gives a interesting history of the "middle east" as far as western occupation goes.

[close]

Cool, thanks for the rec, just downloaded this. Definitely seems extensive, but looks good.

I recently read this book detailing the formation of ISIS, and the factors that contributed to its growth & spread:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Flags:_The_Rise_of_ISIS
and have been wanting to do more reading on similar topics.

[close]

Word. Yeah looks sick. I'm pretty interested in the totality of the situation there. If you ever saw or read charlie wilsons war, there's a lot there. Will def read this jawn...plus this boul went to temple?! Doap. Thanks pal!

[close]

I'm a Temple alumni too! My dad was a professor there as well, until he retired like a year ago.


Brandon Novak - Dreamseller Book Report:


I read Brandon Novak’s memoir all the way through yesterday. It’s decently short (288 pages), and drug stories are always entertaining, so it was a pretty quick read.

Some of the writing itself is actually better than expected, and he gains some style points for constructing the book in a non-chronological & un-linear format (like Pulp Fiction or something), but overall it's mostly mediocre, and follows a pretty generic and un-insightful addict-to rehab-to sobriety arc. Pretty much just as good (or bad) as you’d expect the autobiography of someone from the CKY videos to be.

Like I said, drug stories are great, but some of Novak's definitely seem like BS. There’s a section in the book where he talks about a period of his life where he was smuggling cash for a heroin dealer, taping $100,000+ to his body and flying across the country, while he was still an underage teenager riding for Powell. The way it's written definitely doesn’t seem credible.

For me, the highlights of the book are the sections where you get to read about some behind the scene details on the filming of CKY3 and Haggard. Unsurprisingly, Brandon was smacked out for all of this.

It was also interesting to get a better understanding of the inter-personal dynamics within the CKY crew. I guess I always assumed that they were all bros, but the way that Novak writes it, he and Ryan Dunn really weren’t close at all, and it often sounds like Dunn actually actively hated him really.

Overall Score: 6.1/10

Oh I didn't go to college. I skated at temple and partied there. That's sick you went an yer da held it down there, what was he a prof of? If you don't mind me asking.
Novak is and has been a piece of work. I'll agree with drug stories being entertaining for sure. But him an dunn  seemed like they thought of the other as that other friend to bam bam. And I've been there with shithead/junkie friends and having reggie friends not be tight with it. Sounds lika a nice pulp-ish read tho.
Also what'd you major in? Again, if you don't mind me asking.

[childhood]

I was an anthropology major/ english minor, took all of the most useless classes (in terms of getting a job in that field post college). My dad taught business/finance type courses though.


Howard Zinn - A People's History of the United States
https://b-ok.cc/book/873319/cd8701

Possibly the only book approved of by both AJ Soprano, and Dan Drehobl.

[GardenSkater77]

Talking to my dad on Thanksgiving he just finished a book called White Trash about the history of the underclass in America. It sounds really interesting. Anybody read it? It’s been out about 4 years or so. I am attaching a Google book’s preview in case anyone is interested.

https://books.google.com/books?id=kse3CgAAQBAJ&pg=PR5&source=kp_read_button

[Sluggloaph]

I was an anthropology major/ english minor, took all of the most useless classes (in terms of getting a job in that field post college). My dad taught business/finance type courses though.


Howard Zinn - A People's History of the United States
https://b-ok.cc/book/873319/cd8701

Possibly the only book approved of by both AJ Soprano, and Dan Drehobl.

Sick. My girl majored in anthro and minored in russian. Zinns good stuff, and if ol corpsey backs it so much the better.

[Atiba Applebum]

Expand Quote

I was an anthropology major/ english minor, took all of the most useless classes (in terms of getting a job in that field post college). My dad taught business/finance type courses though.


Howard Zinn - A People's History of the United States
https://b-ok.cc/book/873319/cd8701

Possibly the only book approved of by both AJ Soprano, and Dan Drehobl.

[close]

Sick. My girl majored in anthro and minored in russian. Zinns good stuff, and if ol corpsey backs it so much the better.

What did Good Will Hunting say about it when he wrecked that Harvard guys shit?

[childhood]

Something about apples? "What are your feelings about apples?!" is the line, I think
I kinda hate that movie actually, only watched it once cause Elliott Smith was on the soundtrack


I've been feeling bad for myself lately, so I'm rereading The Indifferent Stars Above (a book about the Donner party), to remind myself of how awful life can truly be. Like, yeah it sucks the girl I like got a boyfriend, but at least I'm not eating my dad's boiled bones or something.

[Lloyd Braun]

First post in this thread, didn’t know about it so kinda stoked.

I just finished 10:04 by Ben Lerner, I liked it although it was strange changing the narration back/forth. I’ve read leaving the atocha station which I really liked. Thinking of picking up Topeka School. Anyone read Lerner? What’s your take?

Just got Walker Ryan’s book Top of Mason and gonna give it a read today.

I’m looking for more novel suggestions, I was into Michael Connelly and Lee Child but want a change. I’m so bad at explaining what I like to read but anything with an interesting story and isn’t crazy “deep” or intellectual that the real meaning goes over my head. Open to any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

[oyolar]

I don’t know Connelly or Child so can’t help there but I’m happy to try to give recommendations if you can share some more authors, titles, styles, etc. that you like.

I’m reading a sociology book right now that’s taking me a while because I always read academic texts much slower than novels. It’s super good though. It’s all about the ways that psychedelics researchers are navigating legitimizing psychedelic psychology in the wake of Leary. It’s called Acid Revival by Danielle Giffort. I actually know her from my “academia days” and she’s a great researcher/sociologist and a nice person so I highly recommend it if you’re ok with academic texts.

After that, I’m going to re-read You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman, an amazing author and book that I read a few years ago. It had such a visceral impact on me the first time I read it so I’m excited to jump back in. I have a few other sociology, history, and theory books to read as well but I might try to re-read Transparent Things by Nabokov when I’m back at my parents’ over the holidays since I read it early in my fandom for Nabokov and I feel like I missed a lot.

[L33Tg33k]

I'm sure a lot of you have read it already, but I think it's worth suggesting anyway, A People's History of the United States is a great historical tome through the eyes of the oppressed that every introspective American should read. Get to it if you haven't already.

[botefdunn]

First post in this thread, didn’t know about it so kinda stoked.

 Anyone read Lerner? What’s your take?

I read 10:04 and some other one (,ame escapes me). I am not a fan. I feel like he epitomizes the insular, hierarchical nature of mainstream contemporary fiction, with attention given to the craft as "ordained" but with no real chances being taken or anything of substance being said. There's something impersonal and sad about his work that I'll admit is a very recognizable depiction of middle class capitalism, but I do what I can to not spend more time in that world than I have to. I once said something to this effect on the first day of grad school writing workshop and made some enemies.

Recommendation-wise, sounds like you might like Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore check it out. Be curious to hear how you like the Walker Ryan book.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

Just finished this one and I must say that I do understand all the hype around Rutger Bregman. It's been a long while since I've read a book by a more optimistic progressive public intellectual. I really liked that Bregman makes the case for "progressive" issues such as the universal basic income or open borders not from a moral standpoint (as is often the case) but from a rational, human, common-sense point of view, backing up his thesis with data and examples from history. Enlightening and refreshing!



If you're not familiar with Bregman, watch his unaired interview on Fox News. Just great!



I finally picked up Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby and after the first 40 or so pages, I have to conclude that I've never really been the football (=soccer) enthusiast I thought I was. At least in comparison to Hornby. What a nutcase (in the best way possible)! I admire his passion for football and his club Arsenal FC (which I've always found a little lackluster tbh). I'm simultaneously glad and bummed that I missed out on so many matches of my own club Werder Bremen (including some of their biggest successes). But it also made me realize how much I miss watching a match on the terrace.

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

My mom asked me what she should get me for Christmas and I told her Obama's memoir A Promised Land. Anyone else reading this?

I don't think I've ever read a politician's book, but I'm interested in some behind-the-scenes stuff.

[Lloyd Braun]

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First post in this thread, didn’t know about it so kinda stoked.

 Anyone read Lerner? What’s your take?

[close]

I read 10:04 and some other one (,ame escapes me). I am not a fan. I feel like he epitomizes the insular, hierarchical nature of mainstream contemporary fiction, with attention given to the craft as "ordained" but with no real chances being taken or anything of substance being said. There's something impersonal and sad about his work that I'll admit is a very recognizable depiction of middle class capitalism, but I do what I can to not spend more time in that world than I have to. I once said something to this effect on the first day of grad school writing workshop and made some enemies.

Recommendation-wise, sounds like you might like Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore check it out. Be curious to hear how you like the Walker Ryan book.

As far as Lerner, I think he goes a bit over my head tbh but the stories are interesting enough. Not my favorite by any means but decent. A lot of what you said went over my head too haha.

For Walker Ryan's book, I like it, I'm like 75 pages in and I just got it yesterday. I think he's doing a good job of making an interesting story involving skating that's not corny, skating is part of the context not the focus. I'm stoked to keep reading I read like 5 straight chapters yesterday. I'll post up once I Finnish too.

I''l check out Mr. Penumbra's sounds like an interesting read, thanks for the recommendation.

[Alan]

My mom asked me what she should get me for Christmas and I told her Obama's memoir A Promised Land. Anyone else reading this?

I don't think I've ever read a politician's book, but I'm interested in some behind-the-scenes stuff.

Most political memoirs are self-serving fluff. I don't think there's much value in them. Maybe just borrow it from a library?

[AnotherHardDayAtTheOffice]

Expand Quote

My mom asked me what she should get me for Christmas and I told her Obama's memoir A Promised Land. Anyone else reading this?

I don't think I've ever read a politician's book, but I'm interested in some behind-the-scenes stuff.

[close]

Most political memoirs are self-serving fluff. I don't think there's much value in them. Maybe just borrow it from a library?

I hear that. I feel like Obama's different though. At least he probably didn't hire a ghostwriter. Or maybe I'm wrong and will be disappointed.

[Alan]

Regardless, I think that there are better ways of spending ~20 euros...

[Lloyd Braun]

Finished walker Ryans Book “Top of Mason”. I enjoyed it, fun easy read. I finished it in a few days. I recommend it.

Got Mr. Punmbras 24 hour Bookstore otw as well as My sister the serial killer, If I fall I die and None of the Bad Ones by Andrew Brown.

In the meantime, reading Diablo Guardián by Xavier Velasco. Any Spanish speaking PALs with book recommendations I’d like to read a few more novels in Spanish.