Strat wrote:I love having a kindle. Im reading pretty regularly these days and i couldn't be happier about that.
Since getting my Kindle in June I've read the following:
The Nepali Flat by Gordon Alexander (fun fun fun read for those outdoorsy types)
Born to Run - Bruce Bloodline - Yea star wars
What You Did by Claire McGowan (Really enjoyed this little mystery. Some heavy topics, some good twists)
Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger (Cork O'connor series? I hope this one gets turned into a movie. Fucking excellent writing. Super layered story)
Hard to Handle by Steve Gorman of Black Crowes
Time for another! Not sure which direction I want to head though (fiction/non fiction)
Strat wrote:I love having a kindle. Im reading pretty regularly these days and i couldn't be happier about that.
Since getting my Kindle in June I've read the following:
The Nepali Flat by Gordon Alexander (fun fun fun read for those outdoorsy types)
Born to Run - Bruce Bloodline - Yea star wars
What You Did by Claire McGowan (Really enjoyed this little mystery. Some heavy topics, some good twists)
Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger (Cork O'connor series? I hope this one gets turned into a movie. Fucking excellent writing. Super layered story)
Hard to Handle by Steve Gorman of Black Crowes
Time for another! Not sure which direction I want to head though (fiction/non fiction)
About three quarters through. It's really helping certain puzzle pieces click into place for me.
so it is a confirmation of ideas you already had kind of book, or is it a I hadn't thought of it that way and now it makes more sense kind of book?
Both I guess? He's arguing for and against a few different things here, but I'm definitely on board with his criticism of utopianism. The first two parts (out of four) are arguments for historicism, so it's fairly evenhanded I think.
The basic idea is that it's logically impossible to determine the course of humanity through analysis of history, and that we can't use it to justify implementing all-encompassing systems like communism or fascism on society. It was written just after WWII so you can see why that would be on his mind.
He also argues that historicism is a very old idea dating back to the Greeks and not some modern idea as many claim.
Wally Roux, Quantum Mechanic by Nick Carr, William Jackson Harper (Narrator)
listened to this yesterday and it's fantastic. It's an Audible Original and less than two hours long. It covers so many topics like quantum reality, adoption, coming of age, puberty, bullying, alternate realities, and first crushes were all glanced over here. It's like a series of vignettes and all of them are great. The narrator is Chidi from The Good Place and he does a brilliant job here.
I know it's mildly YA and it's mildly verboten but it's a fun story.
Right now I'm listening to the William Gibson version of Alien 3. They have a decent voice cast, but at this point I'm not sure if one of them is a robot in real life or just plays one on TV.
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 2:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
Strat wrote:perhaps Ill do one of Chuck Klostermans fiction books.
The one about the invisible man was pretty good. Never read Fargo Rock City. Love his non-fiction.
Tried reading this. I kept trying, and trying, and trying but I had to stop.
I used to love Klosterman and was hoping i'd love his non fiction but it became a drag. There were so many things I loved about it and wanted to continue onward but often times it just felt like Klosterman was entertaining himself. It is a bit of a rambling mess that would stray too far from, what i felt, were the important pieces of the story.
I love reading but im learning that when it takes me forever to get through a little bit of a book and rarely feel the desire to go back, that i just have to give it up and move on.
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sun January 11, 2026 2:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
BurtReynolds wrote:Yeah I've read it a couple of times, but its been a long time.
It's the book. Don't know why I grabbed that image. Looks cool.
I need to read it again. first time was early 00s so it was insane seeing how many pop culture references I was pulling from it that were stolen for movies and tv and other books.
is there a consensus on the sequels? i.e. yay or nay.
