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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:20:14 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: OP you might like Serpent in the Sky by John Anthony West and his podcasts. I finished The Inner Citadel recently, aka the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. You may like it given your op. I will put Meditations on my list. Thx. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:20:56 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Shitty place to die and stay forever, frozen to the fucking mountain. Unless, of course you end up in a crevasse. Or squashed in the ice field when a block tips over. Fuck all that. Or have your face frozen off like the doctor from Texas. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:21:52 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Count of Monte Cristo. Its honestly the best book that I've ever read and would recommend to anyone - it made my heart pound from adrenaline at parts, I literally cried at other parts, and most of all it taught me life lessons and helped me gain a new perspective on life and get over a break up |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:22:21 PM EDT
[#4]
 Read it. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:22:59 PM EDT
[#5]
Patriots: A novel of survival in the coming collapse.....
Read it over 12 years ago, and changed the trajectory of my life hands down. Recently re-read it and scary as hell considering where we are currently. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:22:59 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted: I just finished a book that blew me away. '"The Cave and the Light: Plato vs. Aristotle and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization" by Arthur Herman. Along with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are the "holy trinity" of Greek philosophers without whom Western Civilization would not have been possible. There were similarities in their philosophies, but some big differences as well. The author follows the influence of both through the ages, up through the early 20th century. Mind blowing to see how influential these guys were 2,000 years after they lived. It has been said that the best books are the ones you can't stop reading. I have found that the best books are the ones that blow my mind so often that I have to put them down for a while and think about it. Then I pick it up and start the page over. This latest book was like that, and I estimate that I actually read it 3 times because it was so dense with ideas. Took me 5-6 weeks to finish it, very unusual for me. A typical novel (crime, mystery) is done in 2-3 days. Other mind blowing books on my list: The Bible. Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics". Aristotle's "Metaphysics". Plato's "Republic". Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations". Steven Hawking's "A Brief History of Time". This is a partial list, and I don't pretend to understand everything in them. Quite the contrary, each can be studied for years and not know everything about them. That's why they're so damned good. What books have blown your mind? Share them with me, GD. Edit: "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. Jeez, how could I possibly forget this? Forgive me, Mr. Frankl. 
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:23:00 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Last And First Men by Olaf Stapeldon 1984 by George Orwell The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey The Principia by Isaac Newton The Baseball Codes by Jason Turbow I read Monkey Wrench Gang. Not an Abbey fan. Reminds me of Lefty radicals who will say and do anything to justify their ends. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:24:18 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryThose are some sad lookin' mofos. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:25:13 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Can't decide between Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn. Both fine books. You're a racist if you read them now. Beware. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:29:02 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Add Anathem and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Blew my mind and changed my life? I could go on for a long time but here are the ones that immediately come to mind. Sapiens by Yuval Harari. Absolutely life changing - especially the part where he analyzes human happiness through history. Just damn . . . Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I was forced to read this by Major Leland at VMI . . . he said it was "the book that he knew that I needed". While folks bag on Rand due to her trying to make an entire philosophic world out of her thoughts she hits it right on the goddamn head in this book. A is A and a man who lives for others is a slave. Anthem by Ayn Rand. I found this book due to a recommendation from a friend - the last 10 paragraphs absolutely changed my life. Check out my story if you're bored . . . . Snowcrash and Cyptonomicon by Neil Stephenson. So much goodness here . . . if you're a nerd these two books are the Bible. The Lord of the Rings. Freaking Tolkien INVENTED a genre and still hasn't been surpassed. I've read these books every fall since I was 13. A Demon Haunted World and A Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan. The guy was a lefty all the way - but his view of rationality changed my life. Amazing writing. Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein. I get my libertarian streak from him and reading these books. Add Anathem and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:30:05 PM EDT
[#11]
Anything from Tolkien will completely suck me in and I'll lose track of time. Even after many read throughs.
As I'm not the first to mention a King book I thought it was really good (series was as well)  Attached File |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:32:26 PM EDT
[#12]
I just got finished with Leckie's books Helmet for My Pillow and Okinawa: The Last Battle of World War II the war in the Pacific. Those and Sledge's With the Old Breed just blew me away with their descriptions of the war/battles in the Pacific.
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:34:04 PM EDT
[#13]
George Orwell’s essay on Charles Dickens
It will improve all of your reading. Apology of Socrates by Plato It will never leave you. It gets more and more entertaining as the years go by. It is both riveting and hilarious at the same time. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:35:21 PM EDT
[#14]
Rich Dad, Poor Dad when I was 22
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:37:04 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yup, on my list. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The best selling book of all time . The Bible !! Yup, on my list. same. One book a friend of mine challenged me to read was Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge. So good to read that one. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:39:12 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The one book I read in Jr.High that stuck with me , (and I just re read it a couple years ago) that STILL makes a impression is On The Beach. I dare say there's a scene or a situation that strikes at each reader's center. I was going through a rough time with my Mother, and the scene where he helped HIS Mother take the pill resonated. Never read the book, but the movie is a gut punch. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:42:40 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Never read the book, but the movie is a gut punch. Yup. Read it, saw it. Depressing. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:42:57 PM EDT
[#18]
The White Plague is a 1982 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert that explores madness and revenge on a global scale.
It is a good read, but it is scary as hell because it is a how to manual to a global genocide. Just need the science to create the virus to kill groups of people based on genetics. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:44:26 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Rich Dad, Poor Dad when I was 22 "Millionaire Next Door" changed my life. Made me "wealthy", by some standards. It took a while, though. It's a get rich slowly plan, as opposed to get rich quickly. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:48:04 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: George Orwell’s essay on Charles Dickens It will improve all of your reading. Apology of Socrates by Plato It will never leave you. It gets more and more entertaining as the years go by. It is both riveting and hilarious at the same time. Almost everything about Socrates was written by his student, Plato. Socrates wrote almost nothing, or if he did, it didn't survive. So, in a way, Socrates is an invention of Plato. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:48:25 PM EDT
[#21]
Catcher in the Rye.
Couldn’t believe how shitty it was. Blew me away. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:49:15 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Catcher in the Rye. Couldn’t believe how shitty it was. Blew me away. Never read it, now I'm less likely to. Life is too short to read lousy books. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:50:05 PM EDT
[#23]
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Red Rising Triology by Pierce Brown Endurance by Alfred Lansing 1984 by Orwell Selfish Gene reading Gulag |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:50:34 PM EDT
[#24]
The Pillars of the Earth
Infinite Jest The Life of Pi The Road |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:53:19 PM EDT
[#25]
Didn’t blow me away, but I did really enjoy Trainspotting. Hard to read Scottish.
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:54:58 PM EDT
[#26]
Everything I've read by Cormack McCarthy.
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:55:03 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Almost everything about Socrates was written by his student, Plato. Socrates wrote almost nothing, or if he did, it didn't survive. So, in a way, Socrates is an invention of Plato. Yes, true. Have you read Apology of Socrates by Plato? |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:55:05 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Pillars of the Earth Infinite Jest The Life of Pi The Road Saw the movie Life of Pi. Enjoyed. Tried to read The Road. Good gawd, too depressing and dark, had to quit. But it was well written. I assume that's the thing McCarthy was going for. What's the one by McCarthy about the wolf trapper? Another downer. I bet he was no fun at parties. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:55:18 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yes, true. Have you read Apology of Socrates by Plato? No. |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:56:07 PM EDT
[#30]
Word War Z....scary book.
LOTR Ender's Game As a kid I loved Dragon Lance books and I read almost every Star Wars novel that was written. Based on this thread I just put in an order for Starship Troopers |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:58:21 PM EDT
[#31]
Time to go to bed a read a while, & have a sip of brandy. I'm on a crime novel spree right now.
Some great replies here, folks, thank you. Keep posting! Will check back tomorrow! |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:58:40 PM EDT
[#32]
The Brothers Karamazov
The Border Trilogy |
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Posted: 1/26/2021 11:59:31 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Saw the movie Life of Pi. Enjoyed. Tried to read The Road. Good gawd, too depressing and dark, had to quit. But it was well written. I assume that's the thing McCarthy was going for. What's the one by McCarthy about the wolf trapper? Another downer. I bet he was no fun at parties. The Crossing. Yeah, it's all fucked up but it's probably reality. The one book he wrote that I can't understand at all is Outter Dark. I've read it several times and I can't understand what meaning he's trying to convey. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:01:56 AM EDT
[#34]
Men to Match my Mountains
A Pessimists Guide to History Indian Deprivations in Texas |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:03:18 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Crossing. Yeah, it's all fucked up but it's probably reality. The one book he wrote that I can't understand at all is Outter Dark. I've read it several times and I can't understand what meaning he's trying to convey. Second book in the border trilogy. Best trilogy ever written. Cormac McCarthy is the best American fiction writer of our time. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:05:42 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Atlas Shrugged. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:05:48 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Entertaining yes, not mind blowing. Read it again. On the third reading, I paid particular attention to the social commentary and especially the prediction of the fall of the country. Predicted accurately in the 50s. On the fourth reading, I paid particular attention to the commentary regarding effective military training, in particular the Officer corps. The actual action sequences, like the initial planetary assault, are exciting, but there aren't many of them in the book. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:06:10 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Brothers Karamazov The Border Trilogy Kudos on your recommendation of D’s The Brothers Karamazov. I must finish it but what I’ve read of it is just incredibly well done. What I’ve read of it has been mind blowing. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:08:05 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Second book in the border trilogy. Best trilogy ever written. Cormac McCarthy is the best American fiction writer of our time. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The Crossing. Yeah, it's all fucked up but it's probably reality. The one book he wrote that I can't understand at all is Outter Dark. I've read it several times and I can't understand what meaning he's trying to convey. Second book in the border trilogy. Best trilogy ever written. Cormac McCarthy is the best American fiction writer of our time. Do you have any insight as to what Outter Dark is ultimately about? It bothers me that I can't see what he meant. Incest is bad, yes, but there has to be a deeper meaning and I just can't see it. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:08:38 AM EDT
[#40]
The Overton Window
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:08:44 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Kudos on your recommendation of D’s The Brothers Karamazov. I must finish it but what I’ve read of it is just incredibly well done. What I’ve read of it has been mind blowing. IMO its the single best work of fiction ever produced. It should be mandatory reading for all adults. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:09:27 AM EDT
[#42]
Empire of the Summer Moon
You think people were just name-calling when they branded them "savages"? |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:09:52 AM EDT
[#43]
The Bible (really 66 books) I wish I had read it through earlier in life.
Atlas Shrugged / The Fountainhead, 1984 - little did I know I was reading a vision of the future. Passages - i read it at the right time in my life to understand what was going on around me, Adult Development. Guns, Germs and Steel - not that it was correct, but it unlocked another way of thinking about how societies develop. The 48 Laws of Power - read it at the right time in my life to apply its principals. Nonzero - Game theory applied to life. Blood lands - Woke me up to history that is often overlooked. Gone with the Wind - I admired Scarlet's and Rhett's tenacity, adaptability and refusal to give up. Deep Survival - Who lives, who dies and why Liberal Fascism - the modern left, unmasked On War / Principals of War - understanding Civil War, WW1&2. Combined arms. Kipling's poems, much better grounding than Siegfried Sassoon. And a host of others... |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:10:07 AM EDT
[#44]
Grapes of wrath
Of mice and men A wrinkle in time Blood red snow The road Alas babylon The scarlet letter |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:15:53 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Do you have any insight as to what Outter Dark is ultimately about? It bothers me that I can't see what he meant. Incest is bad, yes, but there has to be a deeper meaning and I just can't see it. Outer Dark, and The Orchard Keeper are his two works i have not had a chance to read. I will eventually, I have heard his work of the 60's was emulating Faulkner a bit, so perhaps comparing and contrasting some of Faulkners work might lead you in the right direction. Wish i could add more than that, but i need to get around to reading them first. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:20:28 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Red Storm Rising Alas Babylon Old Man's War Red Storm Rising |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:30:24 AM EDT
[#47]
A Century of war
The creature from jekyll island Behold a Pale Horse 1984 Brave new world Animal farm Anarchists farm Do androids dream of electric sheep Memnoch the devil The communist manifesto TEOTWAWKI one second after Lucifer's Hammer the moon is a harsh mistress the stand uncut... FSK the fountainhead ill wind the pale green pants by Dr. Seuss So many others Just can't remember. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:31:03 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Time to go to bed a read a while, & have a sip of brandy. I'm on a crime novel spree right now. Some great replies here, folks, thank you. Keep posting! Will check back tomorrow! Fiction Anything by Agatha Christie writing as Agatha Christie not as Mary Westmacott. Non fiction I can recommend with great enthusiam: Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935 Paperback – Illustrated, November 30, 2009 by Patrick Downey (Author) Publisher : Barricade Books; Illustrated edition (November 30, 2009) Language : English Paperback : 328 pages ISBN-10 : 1569803617 ISBN-13 : 978-1569803615 And The Mob and the City: The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York Hardcover – Illustrated, May 6, 2014 by C. Alexander Hortis (Author), James B. Jacobs (Foreword) Publisher : Prometheus; Illustrated edition (May 6, 2014) Language : English Hardcover : 382 pages ISBN-10 : 161614923X ISBN-13 : 978-1616149239 |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:40:39 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Walden. Above anything else. Beyond that, nineteen eighty-four and We. Since you read 1984 and We, I would suggest Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler. Well known anti-Communist fiction work, shows the origins of Room 101 in 1984, and more. Published in 1940. Still in print. |
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Posted: 1/27/2021 12:41:28 AM EDT
[#50]
With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge.
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