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  #811  
Old 12-02-2020, 07:31 AM
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paredown paredown is offline
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The great thing about living in this house is that my wife quietly acquires stuff, and then leaves them around--or puts them under my nose so that I will pick them up and read them.

I went back to a very short classic on the weekend, because I was trying to articulate why non-truth telling is corrosive of democracy. This started life as an essay that kept getting reproduced and then ended up as a tiny book, "On Bull****" (author was an emeritus professor of philosophy):
https://www.amazon.com/Bull****-Harr...6911770&sr=8-1

The second one I picked up (a library delete) is 'Modern Garden Design'--which is an historical survey of roots of 'modern' (since 1900) gardens--but it includes parks and estates. One tidbit--planting with native plants started way earlier that you would think! It also led me to an unknown-to-me designer (and plan) for Stanley Park in Vancouver from 1913--think a British version of Olmstead...

The third (probably only of interest to a few) is a recent work 'Tolerance among the Virtues'--an abiding interest of mine from my academic days:
https://www.amazon.com/Tolerance-amo...6912154&sr=8-1
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  #812  
Old 12-02-2020, 08:52 AM
BryanE BryanE is offline
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Anatomy Of A Murder
The Onion Field
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  #813  
Old 12-02-2020, 09:24 AM
beartrapper beartrapper is offline
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Recently started reading The Uncertainty Mindset from Vaughn Tan.
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  #814  
Old 12-02-2020, 10:06 AM
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Vientomas Vientomas is offline
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"The Great Influenza" - John M. Barry. Only 70 pages in, but so far quite a compelling history of the practice of medicine, medical education and the progression of medical science.
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  #815  
Old 12-02-2020, 11:22 AM
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redir redir is offline
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I'm continuing my understanding of the Cambodian genocide with this one. It's fiction but it's about what really happened.

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  #816  
Old 12-02-2020, 12:09 PM
yarg yarg is offline
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Just finished "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami. Quick read, but I am still thinking about it, good book.
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  #817  
Old 12-26-2020, 08:51 PM
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William William is offline
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Turns out a gift (book) I purchased for somone already had one. Doh! I went back to the bookstore I purchased it from to exchange for something else, while there decided I wanted to find something to read for myself while there. I didn't have anything specific in mind, just wandered around looking. I came upon the Tolkien section and paused, I have never read any of his work other than the Hobit and LOR. I noticed two copies of The Silmarillion, one hard cover the other soft. The softcover was a bit worn but the hardcover was in pretty good shape. I decided to give it a go and grabbed the hardcover...might be interesting to read the sort of pre-history to the Hobbit and LOR.

Getting home I opened the book and started reading the forward. In doing so I started to note the condition of the book which was pretty amazing for a used book...even the cashier had commented on it. I then noticed that it was actually a first edition. Wow, pretty cool for only ten dollars and in great condition. I think I'll hang on to this one!

Picture just to illustrate, the one I picked up is in better condition.







W.
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  #818  
Old 12-26-2020, 09:10 PM
Gummee Gummee is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by William View Post
Turns out a gift (book) I purchased for somone already had one. Doh! I went back to the bookstore I purchased it from to exchange for something else, while there decided I wanted to find something to read for myself while there. I didn't have anything specific in mind, just wandered around looking. I came upon the Tolkien section and paused, I have never read any of his work other than the Hobit and LOR. I noticed two copies of The Silmarillion, one hard cover the other soft. The softcover was a bit worn but the hardcover was in pretty good shape. I decided to give it a go and grabbed the hardcover...might be interesting to read the sort of pre-history to the Hobbit and LOR.

Getting home I opened the book and started reading the forward. In doing so I started to note the condition of the book which was pretty amazing for a used book...even the cashier had commented on it. I then noticed that it was actually a first edition. Wow, pretty cool for only ten dollars and in great condition. I think I'll hang on to this one!

Picture just to illustrate, the one I picked up is in better condition.







W.
Uhhh yeah.. Think Bible with the begets and begats and you'll have the beginning of that book. After the beginning it gets more interesting.

Course, Ready Player Two includes some bits of that book in it. I won't spoil anything in case you want to read RPO or RP2

M
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  #819  
Old 12-26-2020, 09:32 PM
BryanE BryanE is offline
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One of the murderers was from my hometown.
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  #820  
Old 12-27-2020, 01:16 AM
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William William is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gummee View Post
Uhhh yeah.. Think Bible with the begets and begats and you'll have the beginning of that book. After the beginning it gets more interesting.

Course, Ready Player Two includes some bits of that book in it. I won't spoil anything in case you want to read RPO or RP2

M
Begets and begats, why to fors, how to fors, etc etc... Interesting. I came into this with no expectations what so ever. Just curious to see where it goes. I'll add the other two to my list.




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  #821  
Old 12-27-2020, 09:14 AM
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Tz779 Tz779 is offline
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Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton

It is on Netflix as The Midnight Sky, which I began watching until buffering interrupted. It was interesting, and needed a new book to read.

Dystopian novels are my fav!
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  #822  
Old 12-27-2020, 09:54 AM
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paredown paredown is offline
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Just finished a book that ended up in my hands because a friend wanted me to read it first!: "Vermeer's Hat"

Years ago, we saw the Vermeer show at the National Gallery in DC--it spawned a cottage industry in Vermeer studies--and this book is kind of a second take--the commercial and explorationist/expansionist drive behind the Dutch Republic's huge success in the 16th/17th century--seen through the Vermeer paintings. (And it starts with a cycling anecdote!)

The author is a Chinese history specialist, so it does an amazing job of describing the Euro/Sino interactions over trade:

https://www.amazon.com/Vermeers-Hat-...080790&sr=8-23

Also just started my Christmas book-- "The '60s" by Todd Gitlin--a friend uses it as a teaching text and after telling me about it, bought it for me as a Christmas present:

https://www.amazon.com/Sixties-Years...9080927&sr=8-1

Last edited by paredown; 12-27-2020 at 09:57 AM.
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  #823  
Old 12-27-2020, 01:16 PM
schwa86 schwa86 is offline
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Motherless brooklyn

Reading Motherless Brooklyn and quite enjoying it. It is sort of a noir-Pynchon mashup, kind of absurdist, great sense of place. Protagonist has Tourette’s, don’t know how accurately depicted, but interesting to follow. My understanding is the movie vastly departs from the book, but may watch it for the hell of it.
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  #824  
Old 12-29-2020, 06:47 PM
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tumbler tumbler is offline
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This one:


And also this one:
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  #825  
Old 12-29-2020, 07:05 PM
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williammmm williammmm is offline
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