What are you reading? Books Suggestions

I searched for the book thread on mobile, but it said the thread did not exist anymore. Fucking 24/7.

Who's got one? I want to learn something. Sports or history I'm thinking. Basketball would be cool.

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:

*I can look for a job and read a book at the same time so let's skip those jokes, eh?

Nah.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Empire-Strikes-Out-Baseball/dp/1595581952

Anything by Dave Zirin. Writes for The Nation and does some good work on sports and politics.

Confederacy of dunces

I'll fucking mail it to you if you promise to read it.

This is fucking awesome too.

tTy wrote:This is fucking awesome too.

Great for history majors.

DWags wrote:

tTy wrote:This is fucking awesome too.

Great for history majors.

Great for people that "want to learn something".

tGreenWay wrote:

DWags wrote:Confederacy of dunces

Good one!

Also:

Nicholas Dawidoff: The Catcher Was a Spy (the story of Moe Berg)

Fucker died broke too. If he lived know he would have been a superstar in either the via or the major leagues.

Thanks so far guys. Will have to check what the library has.

Politics, basketball, war, anything thought provoking I am fucking in for.

tTy wrote:

DWags wrote:


Great for history majors.

Great for people that "want to learn something".

So if societies are "superior" often times due to blind luck of geography or events brought about by pre conditions, do you feel an obligation to be empathetic to less fortunate world populations? Or just kind of say fuck it I was born in the latitude and longitude and even though I was basically born on third base I really believe I hit a fucking tripple?

DWags wrote:

tTy wrote:

Great for people that "want to learn something".

So if societies are "superior" often times due to blind luck of geography or events brought about by pre conditions, do you feel an obligation to be empathetic to less fortunate world populations? Or just kind of say fuck it I was born in the latitude and longitude and even though I was basically born on third base I really believe I hit a fucking tripple?

Me personally? Of course I am empathetic. I'm not going to run out and join fucking Peace Corps though. I got a mortgage to feed and mouths to pay motherfucker! Ain't nobody down with my struggle but me and my wife...

G, G, and S is a hell of a book, though. Matter of fact, I might read it again. Haven't even really thought about it in a decade or so.

Alexander Hamilton biography by Ron Chenow

tTy wrote:

DWags wrote:

So if societies are "superior" often times due to blind luck of geography or events brought about by pre conditions, do you feel an obligation to be empathetic to less fortunate world populations? Or just kind of say fuck it I was born in the latitude and longitude and even though I was basically born on third base I really believe I hit a fucking tripple?

Me personally? Of course I am empathetic. I'm not going to run out and join fucking Peace Corps though. I got a mortgage to feed and mouths to pay motherfucker! Ain't nobody down with my struggle but me and my wife...

G, G, and S is a hell of a book, though. Matter of fact, I might read it again. Haven't even really thought about it in a decade or so.

The point is, that struggle of yours and mine is nothing compared to the lives of some mother fuckers in this world and it becomes hard for us to wrap our minds around reasons people join radical groups and strap bombs to their balls and walk into cafes cause all we wanted was a latte.

I'm not down with that, I'm not trying to get any of you left or right wing polititards to try to understand them, I still feel outraged, but in my old age and reading shit like ggs you take a step back and say, fuck I'm pretty damn lucky and I can't imagine their frustrations.

Then, I get a beer and watch the game on tv.

Merica

tGreenWay wrote:

DWags wrote:

Fucker died broke too. If he lived know he would have been a superstar in either the via or the major leagues.

Yep. And think about Toole with Dunces. That didn't get published until a decade or more after his suicide.

They can't seem to make s movie out of it. But I see jack black as a perfect lead if they do.

DWags wrote:

tTy wrote:

Me personally? Of course I am empathetic. I'm not going to run out and join fucking Peace Corps though. I got a mortgage to feed and mouths to pay motherfucker! Ain't nobody down with my struggle but me and my wife...

G, G, and S is a hell of a book, though. Matter of fact, I might read it again. Haven't even really thought about it in a decade or so.

The point is, that struggle of yours and mine is nothing compared to the lives of some mother fuckers in this world and it becomes hard for us to wrap our minds around reasons people join radical groups and strap bombs to their balls and walk into cafes cause all we wanted was a latte.

I'm not down with that, I'm not trying to get any of you left or right wing polititards to try to understand them, I still feel outraged, but in my old age and reading shit like ggs you take a step back and say, fuck I'm pretty damn lucky and I can't imagine their frustrations.

Then, I get a beer and watch the game on tv.

Merica

I am totally with you dude. Thought about all that a million times. I don't even try to understand that "strapping 6 kilos of c4 to your nuts" bullshit, though, not worth my time and worries. Worrying about that shit isn't going to get out of bed every AM at 6:45 to get my two 5 year olds ready for Kindergarten all by itself every morning. Matter of fact, I'd like to see them fuckin goat fuckers walk a mile in my super comfy morning slippers one day....

If you like baseball, and you should, the book eight men out, that the movie is based on is really good. It's cheap too.

Rocinante wrote:If you like baseball, and you should, the book eight men out, that the movie is based on is really good. It's cheap too.

Bang the drum slowly.

Three others to consider:

The Power of Habits by Charles Duhiggs.
It's about how our habits and data about are used by marketers and business. Like how Target used tracking purchases to send baby related promotions to a home before the father knew his teenager was pregnant.

The Arms of Krupp by William Manchester. The history of the House of Krupp that armed Germany from the 1500's to 1968. It's an older book but it's on Amazon and in libraries.

Connections by James Burke. A British author who hosted a PBS series of the same title. Covers how one historical event and inventions change history. Like how the British had to replace pine tar they had gotten from the colonies to waterproof their ships lead to chemistry advances that began extracting a replacement from coal.

The Frontiersman - Allen Eckert

The Frontiersmen: A Narrative



Enjoyable, semi historically accurate and part of a series if you want more.

My favorite book is Killing Rage by Eamon Collins. It's a very captivating inside look at the 80's Irish Republican Army campaign by a former (and now murdered/deceased) IRA intelligence analyst.

DWags wrote:

tTy wrote:This is fucking awesome too.

Great for history majors.

The social sciences in general. Very relevant to political science as well. Excellent read.

my last 3 books on tape:

the martian - really enjoyed it but the science might bore some.

Room - holy shit. good book and the movie looks like it's going to be great.

the wright brothers - about 1/2 way thru. good shit about wilbur and orville. that david mccullough can write a good book.

NigelUno wrote:

I'm not giving you a book. Buy your own damn book.

Gray Mountain by John Grisham was pretty good. Fiction about how the people of appalachia are getting f'ed by the coal companies.

Skip fiction.

Went with Ty's suggestion. Hopefully I don't regret that.

After not getting through much of Ty's suggestion posted above before being forced to return it, I'm giving Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden a try until I can get guns germs and steel back.

You seem like a simple guy

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:After not getting through much of Ty's suggestion posted above before being forced to return it, I'm giving Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden a try until I can get guns germs and steel back.

Read the fucking book.

Then get confederacy of dunces.

If you've ruined yourself on Hunter Thompson by watching that abortion of his masterpiece fear and Loathing, pick up hells angels and then F&L in Vegas and F&L on the campaign trail 1972.

Read these fucking bucks.

tGreenWay wrote:Is it worth reading Hitchhiker's Guide or should I go with Kyle Mills writing In place of Vince Flynn?

Hitchhikers. Solid choice

tGreenWay wrote:Is it worth reading Hitchhiker's Guide or should I go with Kyle Mills writing In place of Vince Flynn?

Read the Flynn thing and let me know if it stays true to the character so I won't waste my time if it sucks.