What are you reading right now?

Finished up the Silverwing trilogy. (Have yet to read Darkwing and I'm not sure if I'll ever get to it.)

Loved this series in middle school, and I still love it now. For a series aimed towards kids, it does a great job at respecting its audience's intelligence and it tackles some surprisingly mature and dark themes. (The second book Sunwing has a part in the story which was inspired by "Project X-Ray". A plan where the US tried to use bats as bomb carriers during WW2 which ultimately got canned.)

I noticed there was some contention over the third book "Firewing" and especially how it ended. Personally, while I do feel Silverwing and Sunwing share a neatly written and complete story that didn't call for a third book, Firewing does explore some interesting themes and it really is satisfying seeing how far Shade has come and how much he's matured.

Overall, this series really does make me think a lot about how much an author for younger readers has to consider when writing and what they can get away with when compared to one who writes books made with adults in mind.
 
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Albert Einstein’s Ideas and Opinions seems like a good book to read regarding his thought process on being a genius. It would have been interesting to see his scientific approach on how the “cancel culture” mentality as affected the idea on how the hard sciences has been used for political gain.

Also:

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This Gad Saad book is really well-written and well-done as far as how parasocial relationships can affect one’s ability to make credible and highly informed decisions.
 
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Finished Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie, it's a detective mystery set in ancient Egypt. I managed to have a good idea who is the killer and the methods, but eventually discounted it identity because it had no motivation for murder that I can gleam, and in the end it was revealed it killed because it liked killing, which is an incredibly shitty copout.
Also the setting of ancient Egypt kind of goes to waste, and you could easily transplant the story to any aristocratic family in a monarchical society in the last 4000 years.

It's overall alright but there are a lot of better Agatha Christie material.

I kind of wish Agatha Christie would have went full fantastical mystery instead of having an ordinary explanation for every event.
 
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I'm looking for a 'self help' book, but a specific one.

I don't remember the title, but I remember the whole tone of the book was sarcastic, and it gave generally bad advice not to follow.

I know one of the chapters was "hell is other people" and described how you feel better by blaming other people and finding someone to blame.
 
On a whim picked up Sakamoto Days since I decided the premise looked fun. Have been enjoying it ever since; the author really hit their stride after the first dozen or so chapters.

Action comedy that follows a former top hitman who quit the business for his family, let himself go, and he now runs a grocery store. Despite that, he can still kick ass, which given he's targeted by his former employers is a good thing.

It was probably around the amusement park arc where it really hit its stride.
 
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Read Born Evil, about Hadden Clark. It got a lot of great reviews so I was surprised to find it so disappointing. An entire chapter is devoted to the irrelevant life of Clark's prison snitch at the beginning, and it was really a foreshadowing of things to come. The book promised all sorts of things, saying that it'd provide the details of Clark's confessions as a cannibal necrophile serial killer. It swore that the author was in contact with Clark himself. I kept reading, waiting for those revealing letters and interviews, and all the details of Clark's unknown crimes. All bullshit. It was frustrating the way the author obsessed over a possible connection between Clark and the Lady of the Dunes, especially since she's recently been identified and chances are pretty good that she was murdered by her husband. I strongly wonder if the author deliberately avoided specific details of all of Clark's alleged unknown crimes because he knew that it was all bullshit.
 
I'll be honest, I didn't "read" it but listened to an audiobook at work. The Screwtape Letters and Screwtape Proposes A Toast. Love both of them so much I've started listening to The Problem Of Pain. Even if you're not religious I think everyone should read/listen to TSL, I found it strangley cheered me up and made my work alot more enjoyable.
 
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  • Don Corleone : We have known each other many years, but this is the first time you've come to me for counsel or for help. I can't remember the last time you invited me to your house for a cup of coffee, even though my wife is godmother to your only child. But let's be frank here. You never wanted my friendship. And you feared to be in my debt.
    Bonasera : I didn't want to get into trouble.
    Don Corleone : I understand. You found paradise in America. You had a good trade, you made a good living. The police protected you and there were courts of law. So you didn't need a friend like me. Now you come and say "Don Corleone, give me justice." But you don't ask with respect. You don't offer friendship. You don't even think to call me "Godfather." You come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married and you ask me to do murder - for money.
    Bonasera : I ask you for justice.
    Don Corleone : That is not justice. Your daughter is alive.
    Bonasera : Let them suffer then as she suffers.
    [the Don is silent]
    Bonasera : How much shall I pay you?
    [the Don turns away dismissively, but Bonasera stays on]
    Don Corleone : Bonasera, Bonasera, what have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully? If you'd come to me in friendship, this scum who ruined your daughter would be suffering this very day. And if by some chance an honest man like yourself made enemies they would become my enemies. And then, they would fear you.
    Bonasera : Be my friend... Godfather.
    [the Don at first shrugs, but upon hearing the title he lifts his hand, and a humbled Bonasera kisses the ring on it]
    Don Corleone : Good.
    [He places his hand around Bonasera in a paternal gesture]
    Don Corleone : Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, consider this justice a gift on my daughter's wedding day.
    [a gratified Bonasera offers his thanks and leaves]
    Don Corleone : [to Hagen] Give this job to Clemenza. I want reliable people, people who aren't going to be carried away. I mean, we're not murderers, in spite of what this undertaker thinks...
 
Ughubughughughughughghlug said:
  • Don Corleone : We have known each other many years, but this is the first time you've come to me for counsel or for help. I can't remember the last time you invited me to your house for a cup of coffee, even though my wife is godmother to your only child. But let's be frank here. You never wanted my friendship. And you feared to be in my debt.
    Bonasera : I didn't want to get into trouble.
    Don Corleone : I understand. You found paradise in America. You had a good trade, you made a good living. The police protected you and there were courts of law. So you didn't need a friend like me. Now you come and say "Don Corleone, give me justice." But you don't ask with respect. You don't offer friendship. You don't even think to call me "Godfather." You come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married and you ask me to do murder - for money.
    Bonasera : I ask you for justice.
    Don Corleone : That is not justice. Your daughter is alive.
    Bonasera : Let them suffer then as she suffers.
    [the Don is silent]
    Bonasera : How much shall I pay you?
    [the Don turns away dismissively, but Bonasera stays on]
    Don Corleone : Bonasera, Bonasera, what have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully? If you'd come to me in friendship, this scum who ruined your daughter would be suffering this very day. And if by some chance an honest man like yourself made enemies they would become my enemies. And then, they would fear you.
    Bonasera : Be my friend... Godfather.
    [the Don at first shrugs, but upon hearing the title he lifts his hand, and a humbled Bonasera kisses the ring on it]
    Don Corleone : Good.
    [He places his hand around Bonasera in a paternal gesture]
    Don Corleone : Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, consider this justice a gift on my daughter's wedding day.
    [a gratified Bonasera offers his thanks and leaves]
    Don Corleone : [to Hagen] Give this job to Clemenza. I want reliable people, people who aren't going to be carried away. I mean, we're not murderers, in spite of what this undertaker thinks...
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The best character in that scene was the cat.
 
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Right now I'm reading The Ottoman Endgame, by Sean McMeekin. He's a pretty good historian, even though I think some of the events he treats deserve their own book, he's not getting slowed down by the sweep of events or the extremely colorful characters who played a role in the Ottoman Empire's ultimately futile, but valiant attempts at restoration. The best thing about the book is that, in part because it's a history of a moderately obscure subject with a very fictitious popular understanding, there's a very real feeling that somehow, the Turks might just pull it off. I'm not so far in right now where the end is clear, but it's got me inspired to learn more about WW1.

He has some other books on the Russian Revolution and the Soviets, not a fan of the commies it seems.

Also, one fun fact that's been exposed so far, the British could have at any time in 1915 not only stopped the Armenian genocide, but they also could have cut the Ottoman Empire effectively in half with a landing at Alexandretta, and basically forced Ottoman capitulation, but the unbearable burden of being British proved too great to manage.
 
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Getting back into reading the Greeks with these following books:

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Ever since I read Friedrich Nietzsche in my spare time, I sought some more of his books only to find that these ones were surprising on the recommended list on Goodreads. They’re rather interesting to look into.
 
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Just finished listening to the Caphius Cain series, kinda reminded me of Hornblower.

I enjoyed it but it' didn't really get me hyped for any other WH40k books.
 
User names must be unique said:
Just finished listening to the Caphius Cain series, kinda reminded me of Hornblower.

I enjoyed it but it' didn't really get me hyped for any other WH40k books.
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I'm listening to False Gods (2nd Horus Heresy book), and have laughed twice today. Once when Astartes trample civilians, the other when Ezekyle Abaddon is stressed out and using servitors as punching bags.
 
I just finished reading Borne by Jeff VanderMeer, and it was alright. It is set in a bio-tech apocalypse where bio engeeneiring has run amok and made many strange creatures that overran the companies that created them, chief among them a many stories high flying bear named Mord. The main character finds an unrecognized bio-tech creature tangled in a sleeping Mord's fur which she names Borne. With all this weirdness, the actual plot of the book mainly revolves around the protagnist Rachel raising Borne as it slowly reveals itself and grows and they develop an almost mother-child relationship while the dangers of the world grow around them... with Borne perhaps being the most dangerous of all. It's a srange book for sure and it's odd setting is why I picked it up, but the emotional core was not what I was expecting and got me invested.
 
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