What was the last book you read? How was it?

[bernard]

One of my favorite movies.

Book is just as good.

All of Heinlein's books are great.

They're supposedly written for young adults, but that just makes them easy to read. They're still a lot of fun if you're into sci-fi.

 

[Boy]

Book is just as good.

All of Heinlein's books are great.

They're supposedly written for young adults, but that just makes them easy to read. They're still a lot of fun if you're into sci-fi.

I'm reading Starship Troopers now, have Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress on the nightstand waiting their turn.

 

[tziahs]

Wake in Fright (initially released as Outback outside Australia), amazing Australian shenanigans. With Donald Pleasence, who is an awesome actor.
I really recommend it to anyone who is looking for something different.

 

[bernard]

I'm reading Starship Troopers now, have Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress on the nightstand waiting their turn.

Nice, those are supposed to be the "political" books. I believe that some see Starship Troopers as the "argument for fascism" and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as an argument for libertarianism and Stranger in a Strange Land as an argument for progressivism.

Reminds me I need to finish The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I also liked Farmer in the Sky.

 

[ToffeeLa]

Nice, those are supposed to be the "political" books. I believe that some see Starship Troopers as the "argument for fascism" and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as an argument for libertarianism and Stranger in a Strange Land as an argument for progressivism.

Reminds me I need to finish The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I also liked Farmer in the Sky.

Yes, The Forever War by Joe Haldeman was supposed to be a response to Starship Troopers.

If you like this style of sci-fi, the the John Scalzi Old Man's War series is also very good.

 

[bernard]

Yes, The Forever War by Joe Haldeman was supposed to be a response to Starship Troopers.

If you like this style of sci-fi, the the John Scalzi Old Man's War series is also very good.

I'll look into those. I've been putting them off for being too political, I also didn't finish those Heinleins, but I've been wanting to read some good sci-fi again.

 

[thisishatred]

Book is just as good.

All of Heinlein's books are great.

They're supposedly written for young adults, but that just makes them easy to read. They're still a lot of fun if you're into sci-fi.

Just bought on Amazon

Cheers @bernard

 

[ToffeeLa]

I'll look into those. I've been putting them off for being too political, I also didn't finish those Heinleins, but I've been wanting to read some good sci-fi again.

Also try the Frontlines series by Marko Kloos (first book is Terms of Enlistment).

 

[Boy]

Also try the Frontlines series by Marko Kloos (first book is Terms of Enlistment).

Those books are fantastic! They got me into the whole space opera genre.

 

[bernard]

Regarding space opera, the Foundation Series on Apple TV is pretty good. It made me want to read the books, which I didn't feel were that great originally, at least not sci-fi wise, they felt a bit dated.

 

[thisishatred]

Book is just as good.

All of Heinlein's books are great.

They're supposedly written for young adults, but that just makes them easy to read. They're still a lot of fun if you're into sci-fi.

Just bought on Amazon

Cheers @bernard

Got it Friday - Finished on Sunday; Fantastic read.
Any other suggestions? - Saw a few above I might have to check out.

Also if this isn't a thread/topic already - maybe we should start one for "What was the last book you read? How was it?"

 

[Éowyn]

If you like sci-fi, Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu is awesome. The first novel can be read like a standalone. And the ending was actually good, not a dumpster fire. I recommend the ebook version because the footnotes are useful. For worldbuilding, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is fun. Way of Kings too but I didn’t finish/stopped temporarily, so can’t really say. Mistborn is better if you want to see if you like Sanderson`s writing style. He wrote like 10 new novels recently.

 

[thisishatred]

If you like sci-fi, Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu is awesome. The first novel can be read like a standalone. And the ending was actually good, not a dumpster fire. I recommend the ebook version because the footnotes are useful. For worldbuilding, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is fun. Way of Kings too but I didn’t finish/stopped temporarily, so can’t really say. Mistborn is better if you want to see if you like Sanderson`s writing style. He wrote like 10 new novels recently.

Added those three to check out later.

Just started "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman last night. I was a fan of Joe Navarro's book "What Every Body is Saying" and the above seems to work into those concepts too.

Also I'm not big on eBooks or audiobooks at all; I find I can rarely retain the information.

 

[bernard]

Nothing like stacking that bookshelf (stb.com)!

It's not quite sci-fi, but if you want something that is equally quick and fun to read as Heinlein, then I can recommend H.P. Lovecraft who you might know already.

He's the guy who invented the entire genre of cosmic horror aka "Call of Cthulhu" and many other short and unnerving horror stories. I like "At the Mountains of Madness" and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth".

Not everyone will like this and they can be legitimately unsettling.

They were written in the 1920s and 1930s, so they're clearly a form of reaction to modernism, with reminding rational and scientific people that there's more at play.

Another series of short stories that I'd recommend, is "Conan The Barbarian", yes that Conan, written at the same time as Lovecraft, by a friend of his, Robert E. Howard.

The original Conan short stories, from the 20s and 30s, not the later ones, are a lot of fun, they're pseudo-archeology, snake cults, black magic, beautiful women in need of saving and plenty of well deserved violence. Perfect reading to pick up and put down.

Both are free because of expired copyright.

 

[Ryuzaki]

@bernard, check out this tome:

Anyone into horror should absolutely read everything Lovecraft wrote except his letters. I just mean the stories, even the ones he ghost wrote. This has it all, plus notes about the stories and why they were written (like someone wanted a simple ghost style story and he needed the money, or Harry Houdini wanted a story he could pretend was real).

For you sci-fi guys, some of the greats like Arthur C. Clarke clearly were influenced by Lovecraft. His 3 part series about the Silver Key (The Statement of Randolph Carter, The Silver Key, Through the Gates of the Silver Key) are worth doing because the 3rd one is a sci-fi extravaganza. One of the best ever, but you have to go through all three, which start as horror.

This is what I'm about to finish reading. I usually read non-fiction in the mythology, spirituality, mysticism, psychology areas:

This book will probably appeal to nobody, and it's not even particularly good. It's a woman's account of permanently losing her sense of self and trying to understand it from a Christian perspective when realizing all the Christian contemplatives like St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila never went this far (or never documented what's past it). And she didn't particularly care for the Buddhist ideas about the experience, even though they're the authority on it. It's interesting that she connects the dots to the psychological afflictions of derealization and depersonalization, too, but still concludes it's a spiritual journey.

And this is up next, which is uncharacteristically fiction again:

This is the English translation of Borges best grouping of short stories in my opinion. His stories are always mind-bending and related to like... levels of implementation or meta-realities or whatever. It's hard to explain in non-technological simulation-based language, which he didn't have access to.

It's got killer stories that are short and you can listen to on Youtube like The Circular Ruins, The Library of Babel, The Secret Miracle, etc. Those 3 are a great starting point if you like short stories with mind-bending twists or concepts.

 

[Boy]

I bought a complete anthology of H.P. Lovecraft a few years back (that B&N $7 special), and I'm not going to lie: it's hard to read. Just too ancient of a text to find enjoyable. Reads like a 19-year-old that wants to be a writer, so they write the most obtuse nonsense with thesaurus.com bookmarked.

Must have donated it because I don't see it on my bookshelf.

 

[bernard]

@Ryuzaki I get a little anxious looking at all those ego-death books. I personally had some unpleasant experiences with that kind of contemplation about the self while on some prescription drugs. In the end it probably was a transformative experience for the better, maybe even necessary, but actual ego-destruction, dissolving the ego, which I experienced for a brief period was extremely unpleasant.

 

[Ryuzaki]

I bought a complete anthology of H.P. Lovecraft a few years back (that B&N $7 special), and I'm not going to lie: it's hard to read. Just too ancient of a text to find enjoyable. Reads like a 19-year-old that wants to be a writer, so they write the most obtuse nonsense with thesaurus.com bookmarked.

Must have donated it because I don't see it on my bookshelf.

Lovecraft's prose took me about 6 stories or so to pick up on and then I was reading through it as smooth as butter. Totally worth acquiring the taste and the adjustment phase. You find out that he only has a handful of archaic words he sticks too, maybe like 20 total. You learn those and then you're off to the races. He doesn't do it for fun or to seem smart. It absolutely sets the atmosphere of reading occulted manuscripts and all that hidden knowledge/experience.

@Ryuzaki I get a little anxious looking at all those ego-death books. I personally had some unpleasant experiences with that kind of contemplation about the self while on some prescription drugs. In the end it probably was a transformative experience for the better, maybe even necessary, but actual ego-destruction, dissolving the ego, which I experienced for a brief period was extremely unpleasant.

Yeah, I had my run with meditation and psychedelics. I don't recommend it as a pursuit for anyone. I'm not convinced it's a spiritual experience or a direction we as humans were intended to go. A healthy ego and personality with preferences and discernment is a good thing. It is what it means to be human. The idea that we are transcending it is a seductive misunderstanding, in my estimation. I'd say it's a regression to try to destroy it. Fortunately it's temporary in most cases, even in those who write books and call it permanent. Having gone through it and having read all the accounts I can get my hands on about it in book form or online, even in forums from everyday people, I'd venture to just flat out label it Depersonalization and Derealization (DPDR) and move on, and I'd slap a giant warning label on all of it for the naive newcomer, too. It's one of those "That was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me" kind of ordeals, but the ordeal doesn't really end. You can't close some doors, unsee some things, unring a bell, etc.

 

[bernard]

A healthy ego and personality with preferences and discernment is a good thing. It is what it means to be human. The idea that we are transcending it is a seductive misunderstanding, in my estimation. I'd say it's a regression to try to destroy it. Fortunately it's temporary in most cases, even in those who write books and call it permanent. Having gone through it and having read all the accounts I can get my hands on about it in book form or online, even in forums from everyday people, I'd venture to just flat out label it Depersonalization and Derealization (DPDR) and move on, and I'd slap a giant warning label on all of it for the naive newcomer, too. It's one of those "That was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me" kind of ordeals, but the ordeal doesn't really end. You can't close some doors, unsee some things, unring a bell, etc.

The ego is the soul imo and yes, losing it has a name and that's definitely depersonalization and it's not a good experience when you weren't expecting it.

Regarding can't unsee what you've seen, yes. Losing the ego, and finding it again through being authentic, also means you being inauthentic feels extremely uncomfortable, because you get that feeling of derealization tugging at you. At least that was my experience.

Lovecraft's prose took me about 6 stories or so to pick up on and then I was reading through it as smooth as butter. Totally worth acquiring the taste and the adjustment phase. You find out that he only has a handful of archaic words he sticks too, maybe like 20 total. You learn those and then you're off to the races. He doesn't do it for fun or to seem smart. It absolutely sets the atmosphere of reading occulted manuscripts and all that hidden knowledge/experience.

It's also just a fad of the times. I tried to read "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad and it was deliberately obtuse, like how Lovecraft can be perceived, I actually gave up on it.

It's not because it's old, it's a deliberate stylistic choice. I've read very modern and simple writing from the time.

 

[Rooster]

Project Hail Mary was the last one I finished and it was really good.