Posted on 01/23/2024 5:03:13 AM PST by Tanniker Smith
A long time ago, there was a Free Republic Book Club ... mostly because I opened my mouth and a bunch of people told me to organize one. I haven't pinged it in a long time. (Actually, another book club started, so I stopped.)
Any way, has anyone read any good books lately. Fiction, non-fiction, genre, mainstream. Anything you want to share?
Has anyone WRITTEN any good books that the rest of us should check out?
Very Old Book Club Ping List ping
I’m reading the other Dune books by Frank Herbert.
I really enjoyed Dune, so I figured give the rest a chance.
Not an exciting choice, just borrowed an updated version of a book I read before from the library, The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein (a personal finance/investing book)
tl;dr Wall Street isn’t your friend, use index funds
For the past year or so I’ve been into Amazon’s Audible, lot’s of free books to listen such as the Bible, Count of Monte Cristo, Sun Tzu etc. As I walk at least an hour a day it a pleasure listening, also by listening I discover things I missed when I read the book.
I have long been a fan of Herriot’s work! Love it!
I think they did a great job on the new PBS series based on his work. It is the only time I ever watch PBS for anything, but...given that I pay for it, I darn well think I should watch it.
Their pathetic and snotty entreaties to “Viewers Like You” only increases my enjoyment, because I am not “Like Them”!
“In The Heart Of The Sea” - Nathaniel Philbrick.
“Framed” - Robert F. Kennedy jr.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” - David Grann
“Mayflower” - Nathaniel Philbrick
“Heart of Darkness” - Joseph Conrad
On the to do list
“I am the Central Park Jogger” Trisha Meill
My daughter gave me a book from a cheese shop in NH called “Sixty Years of Cuttin The Cheese”.
I read that prior to retiring.
Your advice is spot on.
I’m currently reading “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith, but I could recommend “James and Dolley Madison: America’s First Power Couple” by Bruce Chadwick. I mentioned it a few days ago on a thread about which was the best First Lady.
Lol! Love the title.
To the Ends of the Earth, Rites of Passage - William Golding. I found a used copy. Just started reading it.
The Toxic War on Masculinity by Nancy Pearcey has helped me to clearly state why I believe what I believe regarding marriage, family, roles and responsibilities.
Man is to be the first in the family to forgive, love, humble himself, lead,... (One of the many truths that make me think.)
It’s actually a series of four books. I read them all several times in high school.
A friend posted on Facebook how many books and pages he’d read over the last year.
I asked my daughter, a book editor and certified bibliophile her count.
112 books.
Stoner was very good. Never heard of it. Glad I read it. On the par with My Antonia.
A Gentleman in Moscow -
All of the Mick Herron “Slough House” series
House of Silk - a newly written faux Sherlock Holmes mystery
The Vertigo Years: Europe from 1900 to 1914
Two excellent recommendations: “Rape of the Mind” by Merloo , and “They Thought They Were Free”. The Merloo book is about mind control and was written by a psychologist who lived in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation. The latter is about interviews with German citizens post WWII and how they tolerated the rise of Nazism and survived the Third Reich. These books provide real insight as to what is happening now. I know a guy who said he couldn’t finish the Merloo book because it terrified him. They should be required reading for anyone who considers themselves to be enlightened.
Repetition - keep repeating facts we already know. Keep dwelling on how someone feels.
Overly descriptive - “the expensive draperies were made in China from brocaded cotton damask in a mostly green Paisely pattern tied back with matching gold braided silk cords...
Most female characters - they are always in power and have authority, kicking ass and never wrong. Meh
Anything woke - the minute the author tries to take a dig at conservative values, I ditch it.
Rarely do I find a book that keeps me going to the end.
Everybody should read and understand Lord of the Rings. If you’re not reading that at least every five years, you are failing to really educate yourself politically.
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