Post: #26

Im reading Napoleon Hill's The Law of Success right now. About the size of a big telephone book. Not sure if ill finish it in 2 weeks though.

Post: #27

I read "Marching Powder" a 400 page book in 1 day. I honestly could not put it down from the 1st page....A great read!

Post: #28

Napoleon Hill was eye opening for me.

Are you finding "The Law of Success" to be much better or add much more above and beyond "Think and Grow Rich"?

(12-13-2012 05:05 AM)w00t Wrote:  Im reading Napoleon Hill's The Law of Success right now. About the size of a big telephone book. Not sure if ill finish it in 2 weeks though.

Post: #29

If you'd like a big, sweeping American history, Bill Cronon's Nature's Metropolis is a brilliant take on the development of the American west. Gonna re-read it for this challenge, starting this weekend hopefully.

Also, for guys who prefer fiction, Céline's Journey To The End Of The Night is about 500 pages. It's hilarious, raunchy, endlessly quotable, and it's the quintessential 'red pill' novel.

Post: #30

I'm going to read Plutarch's Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans.

It's a huge book with the biographies of more than 40 great men of the ancient world.

Post: #31

(12-13-2012 05:19 AM)Technics Wrote:  Napoleon Hill was eye opening for me.

Are you finding "The Law of Success" to be much better or add much more above and beyond "Think and Grow Rich"?

(12-13-2012 05:05 AM)w00t Wrote:  Im reading Napoleon Hill's The Law of Success right now. About the size of a big telephone book. Not sure if ill finish it in 2 weeks though.

I am only on lesson two but so far it is fantastic and if you like "Think and Grow Rich" I think you would enjoy it as well. It is really a complete blueprint for achieving success and goes more in-depth than Think and Grow rich (its 600 pages vs. about 200).

I'm a big fan of Napoleon HIll, have read Think and Grow Rich, Outwitting the Devil and I'm also gonna buy his audio course "Your Right to be rich" once I finish the book. All of his materials are top notch IMO and have influenced me tremendously.

Post: #32

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Post: #34

I've had A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson sitting on my bookshelf for awhile now. This challenge is a good motivator to read it.

I'm nearly finished with King Warrior Magician Lover so I'll start it tomorrow.

Post: #35

The Gulag Archipelago is my favorite book of all time. It's kind of hard and laborious to read but the insights into the human psyche are invaluable.

This is a legit review of The Gulag Archipelago:





I'm surprised no one has mentioned "In Search of Lost Time" by Marcel Proust. I've never read it but it's like 3,200 pages or some shit. I think it's the longest book in all of literature.

Post: #36

I'm going to get in on this over Christmas. Going with Patriot's History because I already have it and I need a good refresher on all things American history. I've started it and it's written in an entertaining way...not like a textbook. And at 932 pages...definitely qualifies as "big ass".

Post: #37

Ugh I'm addicted to short books, OK I'm somewhat lazy. I beleive a Big Ass books should be interesting from the start, or I'll quite after less than 15 pages in.

Post: #38

(12-13-2012 12:52 PM)NuMbEr7 Wrote:  Anyone know where you can get The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich on kindle for free?

You don't want to pay $8 for a 1000 page book?

Post: #39

My recommendations thus far.

"My Life" by Bill Clinton
Benjamin Franklin AutoBiography
The Count of Montecristo by Alexandre Dumas


Two great men of American history and one undisputed french classic.

Post: #40

Elsewhere you recommended Kindle books to travellers for not having the mess of dragging books from one place to another.

I don't see advantages in buying Big Ass books if they are not downloadable to a Kindle.

Post: #41

Believe I'm going to tackle Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson starting in a week or so. Have heard good reviews.

Post: #42

(12-14-2012 07:44 AM)michelin Wrote:  Elsewhere you recommended Kindle books to travellers for not having the mess of dragging books from one place to another.

I don't see advantages in buying Big Ass books if they are not downloadable to a Kindle.

The advantage for me is that I derive pleasure from reading on paper and holding / carrying the book. If I was traveling I would buy the Big Ass book used, read the hardback within 2 weeks and give it to someone else or leave it at a cafe.

Post: #43

I recently finished Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky as well as Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Although both are fictional, I think they belong here because of the authors themselves - both were influential thinkers of their own time, and their perspectives are still valid today. That said, I wouldn't recommend Atlas Shrugged to first time Ayn Rand readers - instead I would highly recommend The Fountainhead. No other book has taught me more about myself and the motivations of men around me.


The Case For Audiobooks:

Sometimes I have trouble getting through Big-Ass-Books, by the nature of their size, so when I need a jumpstart, I will download the unabridged audiobook from: http://www.Audible.com which is about $15/month. You can download directly to your smart phone and listen anywhere, it's a fantastic service.

Some people think audiobooks are cheating, but I've found them to enhance the reading experience. It's the same exact content, so long as you get the unabridged version.

Audiobooks help me get through slower parts of a long novel, or otherwise help keep me interested when I'm not in the mood to read. And for those of us that are commuting to work each day, it's a productive way to pass the time. Sometimes I will even listen when I am cooking dinner, cleaning up my apartment, etc.

I'd also recommend audiobooks for those out there that are simply not big time readers. It's not to say anyone is dunce, but I know many people out there, sometimes myself included, that just can't keep their focus long enough to get through a 750+ page book. For me, audiobooks solve that problem, and can be a huge help in getting through something you really want to read, but just can't find the time or focus to do so.

Post: #44

(12-13-2012 04:01 PM)Lucky Wrote:  I've had A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson sitting on my bookshelf for awhile now. This challenge is a good motivator to read it.

A Short History of Nearly Everything should be on every players bookshelf for one simple reason: the content serves as endless conversation starters.

So many tidbits of fascinating information in that book, you'll find yourself saying "did you know..." ten times a day.

Post: #45

Note to Roosh: I think you should hyphenate "ass" in "Big Ass Book." Otherwise, it seems like a book about big asses which, although good, gets us salivating about some kind of guide to scoring fat booty rather than reading about the Peloponnesian War.



Incidentally, you guys should read Herodotus's Histories, if you want some bad-ass ancient shit. Some good stuff on "ring game" in the early chapters. That's all I'm going to say.

Post: #46

(12-13-2012 12:52 PM)NuMbEr7 Wrote:  Anyone know where you can get The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich on kindle for free?

The library? It's a 14 day challenge...

Post: #47

(12-13-2012 12:52 PM)NuMbEr7 Wrote:  Anyone know where you can get The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich on kindle for free?

It's precisely this attitude that the big-ass book challenge is designed to cure.

Post: #48

I'm in, just started American Caesar by William Manchester about General Douglas MacArthur. I'm going through a WWII phase. Over the summer I read two big ass books by James Michener, Hawaii and Caribbean. They were both excellent but I thought Hawaii was just a little better.

I re-read The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey over the weekend, love that book but it doesn't quite make the length requirement.

Post: #49

(12-14-2012 08:00 PM)painter Wrote:  I'm in, just started American Caesar by William Manchester about General Douglas MacArthur. I'm going through a WWII phase. Over the summer I read two big ass books by James Michener, Hawaii and Caribbean. They were both excellent but I thought Hawaii was just a little better.

I re-read The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey over the weekend, love that book but it doesn't quite make the length requirement.

Michener is good. I read Chesapeake a while back. I like his books, fiction filled with facts, and easily exceed 500 pages.

Post: #50

(12-12-2012 03:06 AM)Vicious Wrote:  Heh, the James Clavell or George R R Martin books are page turners that I've comfortably been finishing within 14 days previously. These days I have problems finding good new material though.

If you liked the song of ice and fire books you should give wheel of time by Robert Jordan a look. Also the Dark tower series by Stephen King is worth a look, much harder to read through though.