Post: #76

Right now I'm working on:

How To Win Friends And Influence People In The Digital Age which is an addendum to Dale Carnegie's classic. So far I've really appreciated the historical context of previously influential people and how their ideas about communication can be applied to 2012.

NYTimes Book Of Wine which is a collection of essays gleaned from the past 40 years of NYTimes wine articles. Not far in, but a ton of historical and cultural context within a comprehensive education of wine. Will certainly help my game as it gives me interesting comments to make over a glass of wine with a girl. I've really enjoyed learning about what has become my drink of choice as well.

Post: #77

Working my way through The General in His Labyrinth. by Marquez.

Simon Bolivar was a badass.

Post: #78

Marine Sniper by Charles Henderson

This book is about the USMC's most celebrated sniper, Vietnam-era badass Carlos Hathcock II. Dude had 93 confirmed kills to his name, and several times that in probably kills. It's very easy to read and I knocked it out in only a few hours. I have an older edition but the mass market paperback is 320 pages.

The book details Hathcock's life growing up in Arkansas, to joining the Marine Corps at age 17, to his two tours in Vietnam, to his recovery after being severely burned after an anti-tank mine hit a transport he was riding on.

If you guys have seen Saving Private Ryan, you'll remember the scene where one sniper shoots another sniper right through the scope on his rifle. Hathcock is the man behind the story. He did this in Vietnam during a counter-sniper operation.

Shit, he spent four days crawling across an open field to assassinate an NVA general. All around badass. If you like war books, it's an easy read.

------------

Can anybody recommend a great biography about Thomas Jefferson?

Post: #79

I read some bits of Thomas Jefferson's autobiography has some interesting ideas and philosophy.

Post: #80

"Surely you're joking, mr Feynmann!" is great. Finished it over a couple of days.

Post: #81

It's probably been mentioned here already, but Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor is excellent.

Eastern front books are relatively rare compared to those written about the Allied invasion and this one covers most that any armchair general is looking for.

The history of the region, vast as it is, is what draws me to visit the Ukraine and Russia. Even more than the broads.

I will be there one day.

Interesting trivia; Stalin's daughter passed in my hometown. No, I don't live there now.

His granddaughter lives in Portland if I remember correctly... That would be an interesting notch....

Post: #82

(02-01-2013 03:52 AM)Emancipator Wrote:  I read some bits of Thomas Jefferson's autobiography has some interesting ideas and philosophy.

Didn't realize Jefferson had written an autobiography. I need to pick that up. I have a free Kindle book containing a lot of his letters, though.

For some reason I love books of letters. One of my favorites are the two volumes of Hunter Thompson's letters that were published. Good shit.

(02-01-2013 04:12 AM)Hotwheels Wrote:  It's probably been mentioned here already, but Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor is excellent.

Eastern front books are relatively rare compared to those written about the Allied invasion and this one covers most that any armchair general is looking for.

I've been meaning to pick that book up, as well as The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

Post: #83

I just finished Beever's "The Second World War". Probably one of the best history books I've ever read alongside Howard Zinn's "A People's History". It lays out the entire war, the scope of which is hard for me to even comprehend. Best 800 pages of history, easily. Get it. Read it.

Post: #84

(02-01-2013 04:12 AM)Hotwheels Wrote:  It's probably been mentioned here already, but Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor is excellent.

Eastern front books are relatively rare compared to those written about the Allied invasion and this one covers most that any armchair general is looking for.

Great book.

The two battles that signaled that the Axis powers were doomed were Stalingrad and Midway.

Hitler and Tojo had this vision that their opponents were weak mentally and spiritually, but those two battles showed something else -- namely, that the guys on the other side were willing to do anything to annihilate you.

Whether it's undergoing huge deprivation is the rubble of a frozen city, or sending rickety slow torpedo planes and their pilots to certain death, if the other side has that will...you could be in deep deep trouble.

Beware the opponent who doesn't want to just beat you...but who wants to crush you AND ultimately has the resources to do so.

And is willing to allow his own guys to die to make it happen.

It's a lesson we seem to have unlearned.

Post: #85

Just finished Walter Issacson's biography of Steve Jobs.

Everyone on this forum should read it, because it is about a guy who, at bottom, didn't really give a shit about what people thought about him. The book pulls no punches about his various personal flaws, and his specific virtues.

Jobs was generally a prick, but a prick with some core values. He was an idiot about some things, but at the same time a business genius.

The book is 600 pages, but it reads fast.

I actually think there is another biography -- a much longer and much more thorough biography to be written about Jobs.

Post: #86

Just read "To Be Or Not To Be Intimidated?" by Robert Ringer. This book was on Roosh's list a while back and I just stumbled upon it.

The book is excellent and it really got me thinking and helped me solidify my perspective on many things.

The main storyline is around the author being a real estate broker and how he moves up the ranks and learns from the school of hard knocks.

What impressed me the most was the author's reality based no nonsense philosophy towards life. He starts off with demolishing many myths about success and then replaces them with philosophies of his own.

For example he has a theory where he maintains a positive attitude, but expects a negative result. He writes "Anticipating continual short-term setbacks has the positive effect of deflating their impact on one's mental state when they occur..." I've verified this many times in practice. Being in the game for a while, I'd go into tough situations hoping for the best, but going through worst case scenarios in my mind. When things didn't go my way, it was nowhere near what I'd imagined and moving on was much easier. This goes against the ubiquitous advice of always "thinking positively." The author writes about the difference between a fake positive attitude and a real positive attitude(which results from practice, training, work, and self-discipline)

Also his "Mortality Theory" which I know a lot of guys here on the RVF subscribe to..."Given that your time on earth is limited it makes good sense to aim high and move fast."

Highly recommended, I think a lot of guys on the forum would get a lot out of this book.

Post: #87

Unbroken. The story of an american POW in Japan. His plane went down over the pacific and he had to survive on a small raft for nearly two months.

Really good book. Got me interested about reading more about WWII history.

All the torture, and the prisoners seeing more and more allied planes on the skies from their prison camps.

Highly recommended.

Post: #88

Roosh is one of my favourite book reviewers. His taste is genuinely superb and he is a good writer. So - it is always worth working through his columns to get good recommendations:

CLICK HERE

Post: #89

I am currently half way through this book. And it is very good. Over the past year I have read a few books to do with the Nazis and The Holocaust. And - when I tackle a subject I always try and find books which approach the subject from novel angles.

For instance - the following book which details the David Irving Libel Trial (when the truth of the Holocaust was essentially put on trial in a British court) was an interesting way to study this subject from an unusual angle.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/18620...EJEY7E7XJR

Anyway - I am currently reading a non-fiction book about a journalist who came across a lampshade made from human skin (which may or may not be an artefact from The Holocaust). The lampshade was bought in a house sale in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Again - the book is interesting since it details the intriguing story surrounding this sick object. Whilst at the same time offering an unusual overview of some of the wilder stories which circulated after the second world war. And how the public reacted to these events, and how the TV personalities of the day reacted to the inital reporting (and subsequent releasing from prison of some of those involved) of The Holocaust.

I have yet to finish the book. But it is very good. As is often the case - by covering a well known event from an oblique angle it helps bring the story alive as opposed to leaving it buried in the dust of history. Which has the unfortunate effect of psychologically distancing yourself from the events described.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/18620...EJEY7E7XJR

Post: #90

I have recently finished these two books

Catching Fire:how cooking made us human
   
I love reading these prehistoric/early human stories. This one is a short but highly engaging science book that really makes you think about our ancestors how they lived and how much we have changed.(Side note the documentary The cave of forgotten dreams makes a great companion to this book)

Wonders of the universe
   
The accompanying book to the TV series. I read this book to get more information and detail after viewing the series 2 years ago. This is not the most detailed space/science book you will read, it is a little on the short side and a bit too "made for the masses" for my taste. Still I learned a few things and you cant ask for much more than that.

Post: #91

Alot of good books mentioned in this thread.

There seems to be a link between the Red Pill and a good taste in books.

Post: #92

These past few days I've been re-reading A Farewell to Arms, my favorite Hemingway novel. I usually read it every other year or so... To me it's like re-watching an old favorite film.

One of my favorite passages:

Quote:"I was there and reading of it in the paper, went to the jail and asked to see the priest. It was quite evident he had stolen the bonds."

"I don't believe a word of this," Rinaldi said.

"Just as you like," Rocca said. "But I am telling it for our priest here. It is very informative. He is a priest; he will appreciate it."

"The priest smiled. "Go on," he said. "I am listening."

"Of course some of the bonds were not accounted for but the priest had all of the three percent bonds and several local obligations, I forget exactly what they were. So I went to the jail, now this is the point of the story, and I stood outside his cell and I said as though I were going to confession, 'Bless me, father, for you have sinned.'"

There was great laughter from everybody.

Another favorite:

Quote:After a while we said good-night and left. Walking home Rinaldi said, "Miss Barkley prefers you to me. That is very clear. But the little Scotch one is very nice."

"Very," I said. I had not noticed her. "You like her?"

"No," said Rinaldi.

Post: #93

Thought I'd bump this thread up with a couple of recommendations:
On the margin: A collection of essays (by Aldous Huxley)
The great shark hunt (by Hunter S. Thompson)

I'm loving my short stories/essays atm

Post: #94

The last two books I read were "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo and "Ham on Rye" by Bukowski.
I can only recommend both, Ham on Rye especially

Post: #95

American Desperado by Jon Roberts [ISBN-10: 0307450422]
This is the autobiography from the guy in the documentary Cocaine Cowboys. It is utterly insane. Finished it in two days. Pick it up and you won't be disappointed.

For those that want to learn how to invest/trade; read these books for a good foundation:

Come Into My Trading Room by Alexander Elder [ISBN-10: 0471225347]
Stan Weinstein's Secrets For Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets by Stan Weinstein [ISBN-10: 1556236832]
Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John J. Murphy [ISBN-10: 0735200661]
Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders by Jack D. Schwager [ISBN-10: 9780887306105]
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre [ISBN-10: 0471770884]
The Most Important Thing Illuminated by Howard Marks [ISBN-10: 0231162847]
The Ivy Portfolio: How to Invest Like the Top Endowments and Avoid Bear Markets by Mebane T. Faber [ISBN-10: 1118008855]

Post: #96

What are your thoughts on Ayn Rand, worth reading? Seems like half the people I respect say her books (Atlas Shrugged/Fountainhead) were the most influential and inspiring works they've read, while the other half says it's a waste of time and pointless drivel. I can't decide, but will eventually probably read them, once I've burned through a bunch of other works first.

Post: #97

I just finished The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.

Jake Barnes, an expat journalist living in Paris spends his days drinking, enjoying company with friends, and working. They are a part of the Lost Generation.

One of these friends, a twice divorced woman named Brett, Jake is madly in love with.

Throughout the novel, Jake comes to lose himself and even some of his friends in his infatuation for Brett.

Eventually Jake comes back to his senses, but not without paying a price.

The prose is excellent. Hemingway wastes not a single word.

Post: #98

Bump.

I'm reading East of Eden by Steinbeck. I'm only through part 1 but the character of Cathy Ames strikes me as particularly interesting. She manipulates people to her will (I guess dark triad kinds of traits).

Can anyone recommend books with manipulative or 'dark triad' characters like her. ie. Patrick Bateman from American Psycho.

Post: #99

(02-01-2013 11:19 AM)tenderman100 Wrote:  Just finished Walter Issacson's biography of Steve Jobs.

Everyone on this forum should read it, because it is about a guy who, at bottom, didn't really give a shit about what people thought about him. The book pulls no punches about his various personal flaws, and his specific virtues.

Jobs was generally a prick, but a prick with some core values. He was an idiot about some things, but at the same time a business genius.

The book is 600 pages, but it reads fast.

I actually think there is another biography -- a much longer and much more thorough biography to be written about Jobs.

It is a great book. But I agree that a longer biography is due. The book felt more like a collection of stories as opposed to a book which really tried to unpick what made Steve tick.

Still a great book though.

And I love how Steve Jobs didn't care what people thought of him. Indeed - the only veto that Steve Jobs had over the biography was deciding what the cover would look like. Steve told the author that he could write what he wanted about him and he didn't want any editorial control.

I love that kind of attitude. It always amazes me how many great people are insecure about trying to control what gets written about them. reputation in print.

Post: #100

(06-10-2013 01:17 AM)cardguy Wrote:  

(02-01-2013 11:19 AM)tenderman100 Wrote:  Just finished Walter Issacson's biography of Steve Jobs.

Everyone on this forum should read it, because it is about a guy who, at bottom, didn't really give a shit about what people thought about him. The book pulls no punches about his various personal flaws, and his specific virtues.

Jobs was generally a prick, but a prick with some core values. He was an idiot about some things, but at the same time a business genius.

The book is 600 pages, but it reads fast.

I actually think there is another biography -- a much longer and much more thorough biography to be written about Jobs.

It is a great book. But I agree that a longer biography is due. The book felt more like a collection of stories as opposed to a book which really tried to unpick what made Steve tick.

Still a great book though.

And I love how Steve Jobs didn't care what people thought of him. Indeed - the only veto that Steve Jobs had over the biography was deciding what the cover would look like. Steve told the author that he could write what he wanted about him and he didn't want any editorial control.

I love that kind of attitude. It always amazes me how many great people are insecure about trying to control what gets written about them. reputation in print.

He could have told the author to write that specifically.... Maybe the whole biography was a hoax, produced by apple to make them more money