Books/What are you reading?

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Lotha
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Lotha »

Yeeeeeeeee go Andy, go!
I never got the WoT fatigue most people complain about, burned through it as fast as I could after reading the initial five books. The third sealed the deal for me, that one was so great I used to start re-reading the series from it, lol. Fourth and fifth were also good, ninth was great, as well as 11th... I think I wasn't that impressed with 7th and 8th only but I still found them solid.

I don't know if the TV show is gonna be 14 seasons though, it's probably gonna be less. They'll probably cut a lot of the filler space (though in my opinion Jordan doesn't have filler in the normal sense of the word, there's always great characterization even when there's not much stuff happening, but I can see that not translating well to a TV show in most cases).
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Timotheus »

For everybody's sake, I hope it's better than the Shannara adaption from last year. Wew, that was awkward.

I read the first Wheel of Time book and it didn't grab me enough to read the rest, but I'd be interested in checking out the TV show. Usually these type of shows fail though. The Sword of Truth also was pretty bad.
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Lotha
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Lotha »

Oh yeah, I heard Shannara was a mess. Fortunately I wasn't invested into it :D

Sony's making it, whatever that's worth... hoping it turns out at least decent if not able to rival GoT.
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Re: How Google Works, Schmidt and Rosenberg

Post by gbruin »

Just read How Google Works by ex-CEO Eric Schmidt and former VP Jonathan Rosenberg. It had some interesting anecdotes and it would probably appeal to people in management or start up and tech industry types, but a lot of it was lost on me. It makes an admirable attempt to describe the model for how Google bucked many traditional business philosophies to become then amazing innovator and industry leader it is, but so much of the book's advice is subjective and intangible and really evident only in retrospect. "Hire great people who will be great assets for your company and give them great support" is certainly fine advice, and if it were as easily done as said then I guess this book wouldn't have been written. That said, it sounds like they have created a business environment and framework where people have a great opportunity for growth and success, and I can sure see the attraction to work there. Alas, I'm no programmer. I do work for a lot of people who could sure stand to hear the authors' recommendations on supporting and enabling their employees and putting their users ahead of immediate profits.
The book is well written and organized, and it does offer some entertaining and interesting behind-the-scenes stories, though I would have liked a lot more of that. Management types would probably get a lot out of this book.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

Just finished reading The Gunslinger. After so much babbling about The Dark Tower from Cameron and Timo, I had to give it a try. Ordered the second book in the series too, so I'll start working my way through this series.

Also ordered The Eye of the World so I don't possibly irritate Jana by further delaying my start of The Wheel of Time. :D I'll most likely rotate between these two series for a while
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Lotha
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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Woooooooo
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One Drew Remains
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by One Drew Remains »

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz.
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anguyen92
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by anguyen92 »

Chris Charlton's Lion's Pride: The Turbulent History of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Basically tells the story of NJPW's beginnings (and the beginning of what Japanese wrestling was like in post-WWII) to being one of the two absolute top promotions in Japan (them and AJPW, I believe, actually outdrew WWE and WCW at some point in the 90s.), to having a massive decline to rebuilding themselves into a strong and growing company again.

The guy that wrote it has some great credibility. Understands Japanese and knows history and puroresu and unofficially translates NJPW wrestlers' interviews and post-match speeches and articles on Twitter. It's a good read so far. I suggest it to people that is intrigued of the history of puroresu (Japanese pro wrestling).

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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by gbruin »

I've read a ton of things lately, so I'm behind, but here's a couple that focus on some the extremes of some US history.

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee - Dee Brown. A lot of people read this in school but somehow I missed it. It looks at the roughly 40 year period from 1840-1880 when the US Government had an unofficial war with the Native American tribes west of the Mississippi. Most Americans today realize the Natives were treated poorly during westward expansion, but the details show an even more vile and tragic and calculated and disgraceful history that invariably ends with the subjugation, if not total decimation, of the numerous tribes that called that land home for centuries before Europeans came to North America. It is a sad, but necessary, read.

Ghost Soldiers - Hampton Sides As the US was island hopping its way to Japan in the later stages of WWII, the Japanese Army began massacring groups of allied POWs. Discovering this, the US Army launched a mission to liberate a POW camp behind enemy lines in the Philippines where the last few hundred of the survivors of the Bataan Death March were held. Sides is a fantastic writer and really brings his histories to life, so I'm on a kick of reading his books, and this lesser known story is really well done.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by One Drew Remains »

Andy, what we're your thoughts on the Dark Tower? I also just read the Gunslinger for the third or fourth time.

Thinking of reading Revival by SK as well.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

One Drew Remains wrote:Andy, what we're your thoughts on the Dark Tower? I also just read the Gunslinger for the third or fourth time.
I thought the Gunslinger was interesting but a little slow moving. The Drawing of the Three was where it started getting really good for me. I liked the story and thought the pacing improved over the first novel. I've liked them enough so far to keep buying them. The Wastelands will probably be my next book to read.

I just finished The Eye of the World a few days ago. Been reading a short Rothfuss novella for the past day or two, The Slow Regard of Silent Things.
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One Drew Remains
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by One Drew Remains »

The Waste Lands Imo is the best if the series. The journey through Lud is an awesome part of the story.

Glad you're enjoying it.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by gbruin »

Just finished See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War Against Terrorism, a memoir by Robert Baer, one of the CIA's most experienced case officers who spent much of his career in the Middle East. It is a riveting account that touches on many issues including the inner workings of the CIA, the shadowy role that Iran plays in international terrorism, how the CIA has devolved into an anemic bureaucracy and missed on 9/11, and the degree to which our government has sold its soul for oil. Man, to have a cup of coffee with this guy.

We live in a crazy, no good, shameful, fucked up, insane world.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Merinda »

Not Dead Yet. Phil Collins memoir. He's bloody brilliant.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

Tor is releasing 3 chapters of Stormlight Archive 3 every Tuesday until its release in November. Stoked to be able to start reading that today.
One Drew Remains wrote:The Waste Lands Imo is the best if the series. The journey through Lud is an awesome part of the story.

Glad you're enjoying it.
Just finished the first section of the book last night. Getting ready to start book two on Lud.
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One Drew Remains
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by One Drew Remains »

Awesome. One of my favorite parts of the series.
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Lotha
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Lotha »

Thank you Andy for getting me into Stormlight Archive.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

Lotha wrote:Thank you Andy for getting me into Stormlight Archive.
I think you're gonna finish the 3rd book before I do...
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Lotha
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Lotha »

Yeah, because you need to get to WoT book 2!
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

It's on the shelf, along with book 3...

But all other books will cease progress come November 14. :D
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