Some amazing books listed here! I think we’d make a pretty good Flame book club…
I’ve just picked up Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance after yeeeeears, and there are some really interesting parallels with our work, perspective, philosophy, and the objective/subjective notion of “quality” amongst other things…
If you’re into some really interesting science fiction that has some great action and dystopic future societal breakdown themes, “Snowcrash” by Neal Stephenson is a page turner. Book was written in the 90s, and was way ahead of it’s time. That’s one I’d actually like to re-read as well.
+1 on The Alchemist. Also for a soul-satisfying quick read, Siddartha is a good one.
I need to read some of these suggested books too! Gotta find/make time to read… Bookmarking this thread…
Mythos - Stephen Fry
A Pocket History of Human Evolution - Silvana Condemi
You Look Like a Thing and I Love You - Janelle Shane
Sandworm - Andy Greenberg
Liquid Rules - Mike Miadownik
How To - Randall Munroe
Little Brother - Cory Doctorow
Gödel, Esher, Bach - Douglas R. Hofstadter
Loads of good suggestions here. If you’re looking for something quick, I just read Steve Martin: Born Standing Up. Yep it’s an autobiography but highly enjoyable.
The short stories of Jorge Luis Borges make for great fictional thought experiments and operate in nice bite-sized chunks that, however, do take you in deep and you know you’ve had an experience. Read, for example, The Secret Miracle and see how cinematic it is with frozen “physical time” moments when mental time lasts a year! Someone would have great fun compositing that!
If you have a lot of time and energy on your hands, now is the time to really bite the bullet and read Heidegger’s Being and Time. A life changer that’s all about authenticity and being-towards-death and shloads about hammers being ready-to-hand! If you like Zen then this is next level sht. Get a copy of Dreyfus’s Being-in-the-World as a walkthrough/helpguide/instruction manual.
I’m reading Derrida’s Life Death seminars at the moment and they are blowing my mind.
Yes the Martian!! that was a great read. Well listen, I listen while I do the dishes at night, chores, mow the lawn. It’s the best way to catch up on books.
I do disagree with Artemis, I liked it! but I can see your point!
Wanted to add “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” to this list. This short read managed to instill both a sense of interconnected-ness and smallness in me as I flipped the pages and I hope that other might read it and feel the same. Plus Neil deGrasse Tyson is just an awesome human being.
Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite authors as well - The Wind Up Bird Chronicle I can highly recommend.
Exhalation by Ted Chiang - some really cool Short Stories but partially Sci Fi.
The Overstory by Richard Powers and Washington Black by Esi Edugyan were both great and have been a good escape while being stuck inside!
Just started Steve Pressfield’s “War of Art” and just to close the loop with the imposter syndrome thread, it’s already proving to be a quintessential read for anyone with creative pursuits. Things may change but it’s an absolutely wonderful read so far.
I’m super late to the party on this one as well but I just finished reading David Goggin’s “Can’t Hurt Me” and it was absolutely riveting. Obviously it toes the line between autobiography and self-help but his story is literally bananas…
Now excuse me while I run my second 10k for the day—where did I leave the damn nipple tape?
Aha ! 10k’s are like a light stretch for him ! You aren’t Gogginsing it until you are doing 200miles with a busted knee and having to stop only to p%#s blood ! (In his own kinda words !) go hard !
I loved his chats on Joe Rogan, as you say, an incredible story. Although I am finding him rather one dimensional these days, A bit of a caricature ?! Same with Joco Wilink !
Have you read the Mark Divine books they are really interesting. I find him a lot more conscious and with more depth and subtlety, than the other ex Seal guys.
