Post: #176

Totall Recall- The Arnold Schwarzenegger autobiography

Seems like everybody here who reads has already read it. Good book, definitely gets you in the mood to go out and start a business. I think he held back a bit on controversial topics like his affairs, but as a politician that is to be expected.

Post: #177

No Excuses! : The Power of Self-Discipline - Shout out to Honorable Man for recommending this one. Easily one of the best self-improvement books I have read.

Post: #178

Glad I could point you in a helpful direction. Since you enjoyed it, I would also recommend his work Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.

Post: #179

The Rational Male by Rollo Tomassi:

During the past months I had seen this book being mentioned and referred to on this forum and elsewhere. I had also briefly perused Rollo's blog and listened to one of his interviews. I planned to read the book and ordered it online and received it a few weeks ago. I was definitely expecting something, but after I read it cover to cover I call this one of the most valuable books any man can read. Mostly I'm glad about putting money in the pocket of a guy whose blog is free to read.
In short if I was permitted to say only one thing about TRM it's this - if you thought you would never see the mind of females, you were wrong and now there's no excuse.

This treatise by Rollo is detailed so the reader should be patient and read while fresh. There are drawbacks at times such as a small font, spacing is inadequate, spelling errors, wonky sentence construction, illegible graphs, and some repetition. However these do not detract from the fine content. Rollo shows a man what the universe of male and female relations looks like - this book is not a how-to guide. It will show you what you've failed to see even though your eyes have been open all along. You should look in the mirror and be honest. I enjoyed how Rollo went from the philosophical to the practical with such great timing that the 'light bulb' moments will draw a reaction from you perhaps a dozen times or more.

All in all a great effort by Rollo. This is one of the most compelling texts that most men have never heard about.

Post: #180

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

Absolutely incredible. I can't believe I'm enjoying these books so much as an adult, maybe even more than I did when I was growing up with them! They're so rich in detail and imagination, and the plot here is so ambitious and pulled off with such competence. She truly is a great writer.

Post: #181

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
I never would have imagined that I would enjoy a long-ass soap opera about Russian aristocrats, but I did. It was great! There is a great red pill analysis of it on ROK

The book is massive, but the writing flows with grace and harmony.

Definitely recommended

Post: #182

Spillover: Animal Infections And The Next Human Pandemic
David Quammen


Really good book on several diseases (mostly viral) that have transitioned from animal hosts to humans--from SARS to Lyme Disease to Ebola to HIV.

The writer focuses on the ecological impact of humans encroaching on unspoiled wilderness, and how it forces viruses to adapt or go extinct with their old hosts. Some people don't like this style of journalism where the author inserts himself in the narrative, but I'd rather read a personal account than a rehash of hundreds of research papers.

This was really the first time I've read someone spelling out the exact path (more or less) that HIV took to escape from Cameroon and make its world debut. The only part of the book I thought was boring was the author's completely plausible but entirely hypothetical account of the man who originally contracted HIV, and how he came to pass on the virus. It's not even anecdotal--it's just fiction, and not very good fiction, at that. Fortunately it's only a small part of the book. If you have any interest in learning more about zoonotic diseases, you can't go wrong with Spillover.

Post: #183

When Captain Flint was a Good Man by Nick Dybek, excellent novel by an author who has a great eye for the quirks of humans both interior and exterior written in clear but lyrical prose. Very compelling plot, I hate it when people say 'I couldn't put this book down' but it was sometimes very difficult to drag myself away from it.

Post: #184

The Copywriter's Handbook : A Step to Step Guide to Writing that Sells by Robert W. Bly.

This is the best copywriting book I have read. Other copywriting books give general concepts and tips. This book shows everything step by step. From creating a headline to how to write for all the different forms and mediums of copywriting. Anybody who is interested in copywriting should get this book. I bought it for Kindle and will buy it in paperback as well, so I can highlight it and flip through it more easily. It almost feels more like a textbook that thoroughly covers the subject, rather than a book that briefly goes over concepts.

Post: #185

"Proof of Heaven" By Eben Alexander III M.D.
An agnostic neurosurgeon suddenly brain dead and in a coma due to a rare disease finds the afterlife and returns to tell about it. After a week on life support he awakens and recounts his incredible journey.

Great, thought provoking and at times an emotional read. Loved this book.

Post: #186

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, which is one of the greatest red pill warning manuals alive-

1. Putting pussy on a pedestal will ruin your life
2. Women are vindictive
3. Beauty is fleeting
4. Women can be violent, ungrateful and manipulative
5. Help out your fellow man
6. But don't succumb to their ills

The list goes on

Post: #187

(04-21-2015 09:34 AM)RickyGP Wrote:  Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
I never would have imagined that I would enjoy a long-ass soap opera about Russian aristocrats, but I did. It was great! There is a great red pill analysis of it on ROK

The book is massive, but the writing flows with grace and harmony.

Definitely recommended

Which translation, can I ask?

In passing, this is one of the issues I find whenever touching on books written in other than English: invariably you're not reading the original work, you're reading somebody's approximation of the original work, especially when the original work contains a lot of cultural or local references of which you're ignorant. I accidentally picked up two translations of The Odyssey and the difference was astounding: one was translated to make it sound like Lord of the Rings, the other was translated to make it sound like No Country For Old Men.

Some translations are said to be better than others, but I constantly wonder whether my impatience with Doesteyevsky is because I've picked up an inferior version or something.

Post: #188

(04-23-2015 08:30 PM)Paracelsus Wrote:  

(04-21-2015 09:34 AM)RickyGP Wrote:  Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
I never would have imagined that I would enjoy a long-ass soap opera about Russian aristocrats, but I did. It was great! There is a great red pill analysis of it on ROK

The book is massive, but the writing flows with grace and harmony.

Definitely recommended

Which translation, can I ask?

In passing, this is one of the issues I find whenever touching on books written in other than English: invariably you're not reading the original work, you're reading somebody's approximation of the original work, especially when the original work contains a lot of cultural or local references of which you're ignorant. I accidentally picked up two translations of The Odyssey and the difference was astounding: one was translated to make it sound like Lord of the Rings, the other was translated to make it sound like No Country For Old Men.

Some translations are said to be better than others, but I constantly wonder whether my impatience with Doesteyevsky is because I've picked up an inferior version or something.

You bring up a great point. Sometimes Quora is good for comparing book translations. I'm rereading The Arabian Nights right now, and people generally say the version I'm reading is the "best," and that one of the older versions is considered "racist" (keeping in mind these are stories written over a thousand years ago...of course we'd think they're racist). I intend to read the "racist" version in the coming months because I don't want to deprive myself of getting as close to the source as possible.

Then you have another translation that reads like Disney stories--no sex, no racism. I'm really glad you mentioned translations; I'm going to be much more mindful of that moving forward.

Post: #189

The Devil In The White City about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death.

I actually listened to the audio version, and didn't listen to much of the World's Fair story...though it sounded pretty interesting. The story about the serial killer with his murder hotel.

If you've never heard much about HH Holmes, the serial killer, he's fascinating.


Unlike other serial killers. He lured many beautiful young women into his 'murder castle', even stole his employee's beautiful wife...incredibly charming guy.

Anywho, they're making the movie in a year or two, Leonardo DiCaprio as the serial killer (the player himself, how appropriate).

Post: #190

I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe.

This book describes life in a contemporary college, with all the status jockeying and pressure that accompanies it.

It was quite brutal in its depiction of the sexual marketplace. Charlotte Simmons, a beautiful naive girl from the country, winds up befriending a nerdy journalist student named Adam. Surprising to no one, Adam is in love with Charlotte. She strings him along knowing he likes her, kissing him once in awhile but stopping whenever he tries to go further. Ultimately she loses her virginity to a popular frat boy (and well-known player) named Hoyt.

This was a more complex book than I expected, and I'll post a longer review at some point.

Post: #191

(04-28-2015 01:16 PM)heavy Wrote:  The Devil In The White City about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death.

I actually listened to the audio version, and didn't listen to much of the World's Fair story...though it sounded pretty interesting. The story about the serial killer with his murder hotel.

If you've never heard much about HH Holmes, the serial killer, he's fascinating.


Unlike other serial killers. He lured many beautiful young women into his 'murder castle', even stole his employee's beautiful wife...incredibly charming guy.

Anywho, they're making the movie in a year or two, Leonardo DiCaprio as the serial killer (the player himself, how appropriate).

Dude that book is on my reading list, I'm really excited to hit it eventually.

Post: #192

100 minds that made the market / (1993)
By Fisher, Kenneth L.

Annuities for dummies / (2008)
By Pechter, Kerry H.

Automate this : how algorithms came to rule our world / (2012)
By Steiner, Christopher.

Barron's real estate handbook. (1984)

The buy side : a Wall Street trader's tale of spectacular excess / (2013)
By Duff, Turney.

The complete book of real estate contracts (+CD-ROM) / (2005)
By Warda, Mark.

A concise guide to macroeconomics : what managers, executives, and students need to know / (2007)
By Moss, David A., 1964-

Confessions of a Wall Street analyst : a true story of inside information and corruption in the stoc (2006)
By Reingold, Dan, 1953-

Foodopoly : the battle over the future of food and farming in America / (2012)
By Hauter, Wenonah.

The frackers : the outrageous inside story of the new billionaire wildcatters / (2013)
By Zuckerman, Gregory.

Home buying for dummies / (2006)
By Tyson, Eric

J.K. Lasser's new rules for estate and tax planning : [keep more today, leave more to your heirs tom (2012)
By Welch, Stewart H.

J.K. Lasser's real estate investor's tax edge : top secret strategies of millionaires exposed / (2010)
By Estill, Scott M., 1961-

Legal forms for everyone / (2006)
By Battle, Carl W.

The legal guide for starting & running a small business. (1992)

Plutocrats : the rise of the new global super-rich and the fall of everyone else / (2012)
By Freeland, Chrystia, 1968-

The real estate agent's business planner : practical strategies for maximizing your success / (2005)
By McCrea, Bridget.

Renters' rights. (1999)

Sweet and low : a family story / (2006)
By Cohen, Rich.

Trading with the enemy : seduction and betrayal on Jim Cramer's Wall Street / (2002)
By Maier, Nicholas W., 1968-

The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman
Rost, Peter

Introductory Mining Engineering
Hartman, Howard L.

Introduction to Mineral Exploration
Charles J. Moon

Post: #193

How was Foodopoly?

Post: #194

Really liberal leaning, but had some cool facts/history and diagrams.

I usually try to look at things from a big business standpoint (staying on the winning side- cost equation which low end consumers value), but try to grasp the reality of the situation and potential pitfalls of big business.

One big take-away is that farming and meat industry is undergoing heavy consolidation because the refineries (food processors) and pipelines(distribution) are all held by the big boys. Its similar to the Rockefeller consolidation of oil based on his nationwide control of refineries+ pipelines. Even most organic foods go through the same food processors and distribution networks.

4 big companies control all the meat in the USA. 20 major food companies control most of all food on the shelfs. 4 largest grocery store chains control all consumer facing interactions. Walmart is equivalent to the next largest 3 combined (Krogers, Costco and Target) in that order. Agriculture boom is probably going to be a bust. Then you got Monsanto, Deere and Caterpillar squeezing farmers from the growing side.

Subsidies and lobbying keep the big boys big. Supply chain management keep small guys out.

Potential grey swans (black swans to execs) is food contamination when you handle food like this in bulk. Every few years there is another food contamination from improperly processed foods. Probably a good time to pick up stock of these companies.

Post: #195

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

I'm now taking a break from Harry Potter for a while, and then I'll finish the last three massive books. That said, this book was an absolute pleasure in almost every possible way. The twist is extremely clever and the ending was very bleak. I always appreciated how Rowling wasn't afraid to have beloved characters die and this is the first time it happens. The only part of this book that was awful (and this was intentional) was that all of the main characters were going through puberty and were insufferable due to it.

Post: #196

Bride Of New France by Suzanne Desrochers, I like to read books about Canadian history and this was one that seemed interesting, usually I read non-fiction but this was a fictional count based on the King's Daughters, wards of the state in France who were sent to Quebec, Canada to populate the new colony in the 1600's, here's a summary of the book I found online:

As a graduate student at Toronto's York University, Desrochers chose to study the well-known but little-investigated story of the filles du roi, women of uncertain origin exported by royal decree into the faltering, almost wholly male colony in the late 17th century to serve as breeding stock for a new European population. Over the course of some virtuous process, her thesis blossomed into a fully imagined but deeply grounded novel about Laure Beausejour, the fictionalized daughter of Parisian street people who is swept up by police and incarcerated for years in the nightmarish Salpêtrière Hospital, a prison housing thousands of indigent, ill and insane women, before resigning herself to an even more appalling fate: exile in Canada. Desrochers's opening chapters are rich in horrors that strain the modern imagination because they are true. There is nothing in Dickens to compete with the institutional cruelty of the Sun King's Salpêtrière, and Laure's experience there sets a context that travels easily across the ocean with her. More suffering awaits in the new land when she is married off to a lout who abandons her in a half-built shack with a pig for her first winter. In her most daring act of plausible imagination, Desrochers gives Laure a native lover, but her treatment of the affair is rigorously realistic and its result, inevitably, is tragic.

I doubt that many non-Canadians or non-history buffs would enjoy the book much, it was a bit dry at times but was an interesting look into the daily lives of the women who made the voyage to New France and the shitty conditions that they had to live in. Next up I'm reading Haiti: After The Earthquake by Paul Farmer, I should have this one read in a couple of weeks.

Post: #197

Finished Impro by Keith Johnstone

Post: #198

Grace of Kings, Ken Liu.

Retelling of the three kingdoms.

Decent, and fast read

Post: #199

So... I lied about taking a break from Harry Potter book. Fortunately there is only one left!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

A fantastic book despite the fact that Harry is getting to be quite insufferable. This kinda works though, since everyone was an annoying narcissistic asshole at the age of 15. The twists are really clever and the death at the end is extremely tragic.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

This one though, goddamn. The overall plot is the most interesting and intense that it has ever been, the twist at the end is absolutely brilliant, and the death is by far the most tragic in the entire series. I even shed a tear or two at the end when *spoilers* Bill is slashed by Fenrir Greyback, is horribly disfigured, and may have some werewolf-ish tendencies. Molly is devastated, upset that "he was going to be married." Then Fleur says the following to Mrs. Weasly:

And what do you mean by zat? What do you mean "he was going to be married?"... You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore? You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?... Because 'e will! It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!... You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per'aps, you hoped? What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall do zat.

She takes the medicine and starts treating Bill, and Molly offers Fleur her great-Aunt's tiara to wear in the wedding; Fleur thanks her coolly, and then the two collapse into a hug and cry hysterically. Throughout the book, Molly Weasley, convinced that Fleur Delacour was a vain, shallow, and snobby girl, was dead-set against Fleur and Bill's wedding. I really appreciate how J. K. Rowling gave the most beautiful woman in the book a really feminine and deep characterization. No wonder this book came out in 2005, if it came out today Fleur would probably be a fat tranny who set off to kill the werewolf out of revenge because that's the only way she could be a strong female character. Instead, she comforts and marries the man she loves.

Post: #200

Day Bang by Roosh
Influence
Bang