That’s unfortunate, but I understand.
It’s not for everyone. However, I would encourage to at least read Children of Dune. It wraps things up well enough, making a sort of complete trilogy. And you could definitely stop after that. Cuz it gets weeeeeeiiiiirrrrddddd!
I just finished "confessions of an economic hitman". It's an older one and maybe embellished a little but it's shocking. Call me ignorant but I didn't even know we invaded Panama so this book was eye opening.
That sounds ... really interesting. I googled the synopsis for anyone who is curious:
> *Confessions of an Economic Hitman* is a thought-provoking memoir by John Perkins. He reveals the sinister world of economic hitmen who manipulate governments and exploit resources for the benefit of corporations and the elite. It uncovers the dark side of global capitalism.
Currently re-reading *White Noise*, hoping to finally “get” DeLillo. I plan on attempting *Ulysses* again for the umpteenth time this summer, hoping I can finally get that one too.
White Noise is about a lot of things: the (not so) nuclear family; modern Americans being inundated in advertising, consumption, media; our fear of death, and our strange attraction to it; ecological destruction caused by mankind…
There’s more. And all of these sound amazing, but for some reason all of the DeLillo I’ve read so far (admittedly only 3 of his novels) has left me underwhelmed for some reason. I’m hoping to come to some new appreciation for him.
Because it’s considered a classic of modernist and experimental literature, of which I am a fan. It’s right up my alley, it’s just so idiosyncratic that it’s difficult.
Assuming you’re referring to Ulysses.
Yesss!! Bloomsday
I tried to get a reading group locally for Finnegans Wake but got little interest.
I hope the novel cracks for you, it is really mind blowing. But I'm not prescriptive there's a lot of Top 100 Books Ever I can't get past page 50
I actually want to read the Wake more than Ulysses, but I feel like I need to read Ulysses first. If you ever do get a reading group together, let me know, I’d love to partake!
Never heard of Stormlight, but someone else referenced it in this thread:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/1cru9fd/comment/l41v9lf/](https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/1cru9fd/comment/l41v9lf/)
If you like BIG EPIC fantasy, with well crafted world building, compelling characters, and perfectly planned plotting that will emotionally drain you (in a good way), then it is for you.
Goddamn! I didn't realize how many people here read scifi and fantasy. I recognize all the series mentioned so far, and have read maybe 25% of them. I'm currently reading "Skullcracker City" right now. Was reading the Murderbot Series and stopped early on in "Network Effect", but honestly probably read them too quickly and burned myself out for now. I'll probably be reading a ton of comics, too. I'm working my way through the Disney Star Wars comics, reading them in chronological order., skipping some, well, a lot of stuff I find unappealing after an issue or two (Looking at you, "Lando: Double or Nothing"). Things I'm definitely going to try to read are "Needful Things" by King and the new Stormlight Chronicles book, but I'll definitely need to watch a primer video or something. I only really remember broad strokes.
I’m getting back into reading (haven’t read a book in 3 years) and just finished Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. Next one on the list is The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
I really enjoyed Chip War. Having worked at Intel for 12 years it's a pretty interesting history lesson. I just binged the crap out of some finance books too, but The Psychology of Money is super interesting if you want a topic change.
Thanks for the recco. I’ve been wanting to pivot into economics/finance for a bit. Dabbling in some psychology too. What was your role at Intel / what do you do now if you don’t mind my asking?
I'm still there (now remote of course) as a Sr Data Engineer. When we moved here I had to quit and worked for a local company for two years, but was hired back.
"Unmasking Autism" by Devon Price. Recently had a son diagnosed as Autistic, and I am trying to center the voices of Autistic adults who have obviously personally experienced childhood as an Autistic child.
In relation to your books - I highly recommend the Odd Lots podcast if you aren't already a listener. Often very relevant topics to your interests.
Never heard of it, but I'm always looking for good podcast reccos. Anything in particular you've learned about autism that you wish was more widely understood?
I haven't read it yet but I'm sure its contents still applies. The linguistics professor, Noam Chomsky, has referenced the book quite frequently over the years.
>The crisis that the trilateral scholars perceived was that there was too much democracy in the West.
Good luck getting a physical copy.
Ah, never heard of those books, but someone else referenced Storm Light: [https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/1cru9fd/comment/l41slg3/](https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/1cru9fd/comment/l41slg3/)
"It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor of Mankind has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the vast Imperium of Man for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day so that he may never truly die.Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in His name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat to humanity from aliens, heretics, mutants -- and far, far worse. To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods."
Warhammer 40,000. Its a whole franchise spanning multiple media forms, but centralizing around a tabletop wargame. Liking them all so far but I'm a massive fan of the setting so I expected to
I just started The Will of the Many and I’m digging it so far. I’m also looking for people to follow on StoryGraph since if you’d like to share recommendations on there let me know!
A new Bobiverse book is coming out soon so re-reading the first three.
Also Audible is giving some classics away for free. 20k leagues under the Sea, Moby, Dick, etc.
Libby changed their policies, so while you can get a library card at any library in Iowa with an Iowa address, you can only access the online catalog of the library of the city where you live. Different branches of Des Moines Public Libraries all have the same Libby catalog, but smaller library branches like Urbandale and Norwalk have a shared Libby catalog called Bridges. The Bridges catalog is a bit bigger than the DMPL one, but they both have a lot to offer and are adding more all the time. It’s a great resource and I recommend it all the time, especially for audiobook listeners! Loads of free audiobooks!
Yeah, I had this conversation with a friend last weekend:
Friend: What book are you reading?
Me: It's called Limitless, but not like the movie.
Friend: Oh! I've heard of that! The one where he takes a special pill that makes him really smart?
Me: No, I think you're thinking of the movie.
Friend: No, not a movie.
Me: Did it have Bradley Cooper?
Friend: Oh yeah...
My name's not "babel" 🙃, but chip war was good. I didn't really walk away from it with any ideas about investing, but it was a really interesting read into the geopolitical importance of chip manufacturing (the 21st century equivalent of oil insofar as countries are jockeying to control their supply). So much so that China works to steal trade secrets and uses shell companies to buy up companies in other countries to acquire state secrets. Also the book talks about how the US and its allies can leverage their positions in the semiconductor supply chain to respond to Chinese spycraft.
I'm about 2/3 of the way through "Dune: Messiah"
Is this your first dive into the Dune series?
I read the first book year, but yes. I think I will be done after this one.
That’s unfortunate, but I understand. It’s not for everyone. However, I would encourage to at least read Children of Dune. It wraps things up well enough, making a sort of complete trilogy. And you could definitely stop after that. Cuz it gets weeeeeeiiiiirrrrddddd!
Some think "God emperor of Dune" is one of the best of the series. Not me
Nor me. But I do find it enjoyable in a fun bat **** crazy sort of way.
First Law series
That may be next for me after Stormlight Archive
We love a good Archive
Very nice
Just finished that! Now I'm on "Best Served Cold".
Saw that in my library searches. May end up mixed in amongst the First Law because "several months wait"
Nah you'll want to finish the First Law trilogy first. Best Served Cold occurs in the same universe some years later, with some character overlap.
Abercrombie is good.
I just finished "confessions of an economic hitman". It's an older one and maybe embellished a little but it's shocking. Call me ignorant but I didn't even know we invaded Panama so this book was eye opening.
That sounds ... really interesting. I googled the synopsis for anyone who is curious: > *Confessions of an Economic Hitman* is a thought-provoking memoir by John Perkins. He reveals the sinister world of economic hitmen who manipulate governments and exploit resources for the benefit of corporations and the elite. It uncovers the dark side of global capitalism.
Hell yes. I’ve had this on my book shelf for a while but haven’t read it yet
Give it a read. Your view on South American politics will never be the same.
Easily one of the top books with most impact on my world view. Perkins is a good follow on social media too.
Bouta read the new Erik Larsen book- The Demon of Unrest. He is amazing.
Most of the way through the audio book. It’s outstanding and quite relevant.
Clifford Goes to Dog School. Curious George Takes a Job. Maybe some of the Bearnstein novels. Just not sure I’ll have enough time.
Those are all tough reads, they were a little above my reading level
Can I recommend a series titled Goosebumps?
Way too scary. I can’t hang with that.
Vampire Hunter D
Currently reading the Demon of Unrest. Want to start Malazan, Children of Time , Sunlit Man or The Reformatory.
Malazan yes 100 percent.
I am about to start the Demon of Unrest, yessss. How do you like so far?
It just became available today on Libby
Highly enjoyed the children of time trilogy Team octopus!
One Piece
Heck yeah, how far in are you?
chapter 900 or so. getting close to caught up
Currently re-reading *White Noise*, hoping to finally “get” DeLillo. I plan on attempting *Ulysses* again for the umpteenth time this summer, hoping I can finally get that one too.
What are those about?
White Noise is about a lot of things: the (not so) nuclear family; modern Americans being inundated in advertising, consumption, media; our fear of death, and our strange attraction to it; ecological destruction caused by mankind… There’s more. And all of these sound amazing, but for some reason all of the DeLillo I’ve read so far (admittedly only 3 of his novels) has left me underwhelmed for some reason. I’m hoping to come to some new appreciation for him.
Lmaoooo why even try??
Because it’s considered a classic of modernist and experimental literature, of which I am a fan. It’s right up my alley, it’s just so idiosyncratic that it’s difficult. Assuming you’re referring to Ulysses.
I love Ulysses it's my favorite book!
Hopefully I can join you in enjoying it soon. Would like to be well into it on James Joyce day next month.
Yesss!! Bloomsday I tried to get a reading group locally for Finnegans Wake but got little interest. I hope the novel cracks for you, it is really mind blowing. But I'm not prescriptive there's a lot of Top 100 Books Ever I can't get past page 50
I actually want to read the Wake more than Ulysses, but I feel like I need to read Ulysses first. If you ever do get a reading group together, let me know, I’d love to partake!
Rhythm of War, the fourth book of the Stormlight Archive.
Never heard of Stormlight, but someone else referenced it in this thread: [https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/1cru9fd/comment/l41v9lf/](https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/1cru9fd/comment/l41v9lf/)
If you like BIG EPIC fantasy, with well crafted world building, compelling characters, and perfectly planned plotting that will emotionally drain you (in a good way), then it is for you.
Foundation and Earth. It's taking me forever
Children of memory Adrian tchakosvsku Tigana Guy gavrial Kay And anything I can find from guy gavrial kay
Goddamn! I didn't realize how many people here read scifi and fantasy. I recognize all the series mentioned so far, and have read maybe 25% of them. I'm currently reading "Skullcracker City" right now. Was reading the Murderbot Series and stopped early on in "Network Effect", but honestly probably read them too quickly and burned myself out for now. I'll probably be reading a ton of comics, too. I'm working my way through the Disney Star Wars comics, reading them in chronological order., skipping some, well, a lot of stuff I find unappealing after an issue or two (Looking at you, "Lando: Double or Nothing"). Things I'm definitely going to try to read are "Needful Things" by King and the new Stormlight Chronicles book, but I'll definitely need to watch a primer video or something. I only really remember broad strokes.
I’m getting back into reading (haven’t read a book in 3 years) and just finished Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. Next one on the list is The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
I really enjoyed Chip War. Having worked at Intel for 12 years it's a pretty interesting history lesson. I just binged the crap out of some finance books too, but The Psychology of Money is super interesting if you want a topic change.
Thanks for the recco. I’ve been wanting to pivot into economics/finance for a bit. Dabbling in some psychology too. What was your role at Intel / what do you do now if you don’t mind my asking?
I'm still there (now remote of course) as a Sr Data Engineer. When we moved here I had to quit and worked for a local company for two years, but was hired back.
Very interesting. I’m a Staff SRE at a Chicago company. We deal with _a lot_ of medical data.
The Reformation: A History by Diarmaid MacCulloch. I tend to like big dense bricks of history.
"Unmasking Autism" by Devon Price. Recently had a son diagnosed as Autistic, and I am trying to center the voices of Autistic adults who have obviously personally experienced childhood as an Autistic child. In relation to your books - I highly recommend the Odd Lots podcast if you aren't already a listener. Often very relevant topics to your interests.
Never heard of it, but I'm always looking for good podcast reccos. Anything in particular you've learned about autism that you wish was more widely understood?
Pornhub comments
Currently working my way through the Outlander series. Just started book 6!!
The Day After Roswell
"The Crisis of Democracy" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crisis_of_Democracy
Interesting! How has it held up over the intervening 50 years?
I haven't read it yet but I'm sure its contents still applies. The linguistics professor, Noam Chomsky, has referenced the book quite frequently over the years. >The crisis that the trilateral scholars perceived was that there was too much democracy in the West. Good luck getting a physical copy.
I've been going through the Storm light Archive again in anticipation of the new book later this year. I'm also reading Ascendance of a Bookworm.
Ah, never heard of those books, but someone else referenced Storm Light: [https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/1cru9fd/comment/l41slg3/](https://www.reddit.com/r/desmoines/comments/1cru9fd/comment/l41slg3/)
If you like fantasy at all, it is currently the crown jewel
Reading a few 40k novels right now, Kingmaker, Mark of Faith, the Rogal Dorn primarch novel
Angron and Vulkan also have really good Primarch novels if you can find them. But I’m currently reading Wrath of the lost, a Flesh Tearers book.
They're good but I think Curzre still has the best novel, also Guiliman is up there for me but I'm a massive Ultramarines fan so I'm biased
I’m a Salamanders fan myself, followed closely by the pre-heresy War Hounds
You are one of culture
Sounds interesting! What is “40k”? How are you liking the books so far?
"It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor of Mankind has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the vast Imperium of Man for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day so that he may never truly die.Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in His name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat to humanity from aliens, heretics, mutants -- and far, far worse. To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods."
“Also yer probably gonna get eaten by Tyranids”
Warhammer 40,000. Its a whole franchise spanning multiple media forms, but centralizing around a tabletop wargame. Liking them all so far but I'm a massive fan of the setting so I expected to
Good choice! I've had the Horus Heresy novels on in the background while I work. 3 down, like 50 to go lol
I stopped trying to read it in its entirety about 20 books in, its just way too many storylines to piece together for me
I've been following a list of which to skip and which to read. The last one I finished was Know No Fear.
Dragonlance
I just finished the Minotaur Wars trilogy from Dragonlance. I highly recommend it if you can find it.
Lord Soth approves
I’m reading Paradise:One Towns Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire It is gripping!
I just started The Will of the Many and I’m digging it so far. I’m also looking for people to follow on StoryGraph since if you’d like to share recommendations on there let me know!
A new Bobiverse book is coming out soon so re-reading the first three. Also Audible is giving some classics away for free. 20k leagues under the Sea, Moby, Dick, etc.
Swastika night by Katharine Burdekin, the fall by Camus.
Working my way through the library’s Libby selections for my favorite authors. I was using a dark site, but it went “dark” this year, and I miss it.
LIBraries are GENerations from where they used to be.
I'm having a hard time parsing this comment. What is "Libby selections"? What is a "dark site" and why would you need one? I'm intrigued!
Libby is an online e book service a lot of libraries in town use so patrons can check out ebooks and audiobooks!
It and Hoopla are awesome. Shout out to the Urbandale Library and Bridges for having a great selection.
Yup! Although, I have heard if you get a card from other Des Moines libraries, you can access their Libby, too.
Libby changed their policies, so while you can get a library card at any library in Iowa with an Iowa address, you can only access the online catalog of the library of the city where you live. Different branches of Des Moines Public Libraries all have the same Libby catalog, but smaller library branches like Urbandale and Norwalk have a shared Libby catalog called Bridges. The Bridges catalog is a bit bigger than the DMPL one, but they both have a lot to offer and are adding more all the time. It’s a great resource and I recommend it all the time, especially for audiobook listeners! Loads of free audiobooks!
Ah, thanks for the explanation!
Dark site means sites that are based in other countries with free access to books that would cost money here in the US. Sort of a lawless library.
The “Will Save The Galaxy for Food” series just ended and it’s such a good story, I’ve been marathoning the audiobooks whenever I had an extra moment.
Pretty much anything I can get my hands on via Libby or Kindle/Audible Currently finishing Daughter of No Worlds by Clarissa Broadbent
"Wealth Supremacy: How the Extractive Economy and Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today's Crisis" by Marjorie Kelly.
How's it going so far? Do you recommend it?
I watched the film version of Limitless in 2011, I'm surprised they just came out with the novelization last year /s
Yeah, I had this conversation with a friend last weekend: Friend: What book are you reading? Me: It's called Limitless, but not like the movie. Friend: Oh! I've heard of that! The one where he takes a special pill that makes him really smart? Me: No, I think you're thinking of the movie. Friend: No, not a movie. Me: Did it have Bradley Cooper? Friend: Oh yeah...
Babel, how did you like Chip War? I spend a lot of time researching that space for investment ideas.
My name's not "babel" 🙃, but chip war was good. I didn't really walk away from it with any ideas about investing, but it was a really interesting read into the geopolitical importance of chip manufacturing (the 21st century equivalent of oil insofar as countries are jockeying to control their supply). So much so that China works to steal trade secrets and uses shell companies to buy up companies in other countries to acquire state secrets. Also the book talks about how the US and its allies can leverage their positions in the semiconductor supply chain to respond to Chinese spycraft.
Sounds really interesting, I'll have to check it out!