Post: #26

I haven't read much Hemingway (since I don't read any fiction anymore).

But in the past I have. Indeed - my hobby used to be reading lots and lots of short stories. It quite an interesting genre - since you can read most of the short story writers. Whereas there is no chance of ever reading all of the guys who have written novels.

So - I checked out alot of Hemingway's short stories. And one thing that stood out for me is the effort he put into choosing his titles. Often his titles were more more interesting (in a weird sort of way) that the story. Since they stuck in the memory taunting you into thinking they offered a key to understanding the story.

Anyway - my favourite Hemingway book was 'Death In The Afternoon'. Which hapens to be a non-fiction work. It is a book devoted to his obsession with bullfighting. It is beautifully written - he really captures the sights and sounds of Spain in ana incredible way.

And even though I had no interest in bullfighting - the book draws you in. Hemingway sees bullfighting as part drama, part sport and part artform. He then goes on to describe his favourite bullfighters. And the way he describes them is something I can relate to from other fields of art and sport. I really like the way he would talk about how one bullfighter was much better than the other. Yet the other was his favourite since - even though he was usually average and half drunk - occasionally he would pull something off which was astonishing and unique.

The way Hemingway describes bullfighting struck me as nice meditation on the nature of all sport and art.

Hemingway is an interesting guy. In a weird sort of way he was of a type which attracts many people to this forum. Since he seemed to push himself to travel, hunt big game, go to bullfights, attend boxing fights, report from warzones, fly planes (back when this was a risky hobby), go deep sea fishing, write alot and drink heavily - all in the pursuit of an interesting, adventurous life.

I am not sure if it came natuarally to him. Which is intriguing - since it suggests he had a deliberate plan to try and make improve his life. But he seemed determined to be The Most Interesting Man In The World.





I think towards the end of his life - depression and heavy drink got to him. I remember Martin Gardner writing that he was quite a shambling, pathetic figure when he walked past him in New York towards the end of his life.

Towards the end of his life he crashed his plane and went missing for a few days. After a few days he was missing - presumed dead. So - some newspapers published his obituaries. And Hemingway was not happy that his genius was praised enough in his own obituaries.

His life ended with suicide. In the twentieth century alot of my favourite writers killed themselves. Hemingway, Hunter S Thompson and Richard Brautigan (the funniest novelist I have ever read).

His suicide is interesting since some think it relates to the death of his father (who - like Hemingway - also killed himself with a shotgun to the head). More than that - I read an article once which spoke about how Hemingway spent his life deliberately injuring his head.

Seems Hemingway used to regularly injure his head - either as attempts at suicide or as ways of dealing with stress. It was an interesting and strange article - and I will pass along the link if I find it.

I am not sure. But this might be the article. It is worth a read anyway since it is an indepth psychological look at the reasons behind his suicide:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people...94619.html

Lastly - here is a six word short sotry that Hemingway supposedly wrote. But - as with all good anecdotes - later research seems to suggest he didn't actually write it. But who knows?

Anyway here it is - since it is now a part of the Hemingway legend:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

Post: #27

Hemingway was awesome. He really appealed to me when I was 15-17 and read a lot of his stuff. For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea were my favorites.

I always got a sort of go-your-own-way underlying tone from his writing. A lot of his characters were far outside the mainstream, doing 'crazy' things and generally pretty rebellious and bad ass. He would have made an awesome cool Uncle.

Post: #28

   
   

Post: #29

^ Man you gotta reformat that shit.

This is what I'm reading now: Flow --Think it was a Roosh recommendation but I don't remember.

This book speaks to me so much things that I can relate to. It's scope is both global and minute with it's detail. There were so many "ah-ha!" moments when the author connects the dots that I've have scattered in my head for years. Different ideas partially uncovered, not fully understood but then made crystal clear suspicions I've had about the nature of people, learning, being "in the zone" or "flow" as he calls it. It's really fascinating.

A nice compact image of the cover:

Post: #30

(11-18-2013 04:41 AM)Checkmat Wrote:  ^ Man you gotta reformat that shit.

This is what I'm reading now: Flow --Think it was a Roosh recommendation but I don't remember.

This book speaks to me so much things that I can relate to. It's scope is both global and minute with it's detail. There were so many "ah-ha!" moments when the author connects the dots that I've have scattered in my head for years. Different ideas partially uncovered, not fully understood but then made crystal clear suspicions I've had about the nature of people, learning, being "in the zone" or "flow" as he calls it. It's really fascinating.

A nice compact image of the cover:

I own this book in my collection back home but never read it. I will!

Post: #31

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Looking at that list, it seems pretty dull! Like a blueprint of what someone on this site would be reading! Lol.

Post: #32

Finishing this;



And volumes 1-2 of Giacomo Casanova arrived in the mail, I will start that beast next.

Post: #33

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

Post: #34

A combination of the Berserk Manga and Catch Me If You Can.

Post: #35

(11-18-2013 07:54 AM)Vendetta Wrote:  Looking at that list, it seems pretty dull! Like a blueprint of what someone on this site would be reading! Lol.

Damn, you're reading all of those at once??

Post: #36

I just finished reading
Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life

Book has some red pill knowledge and insight.
Dude came a long way from nothing.

Post: #37

(11-18-2013 04:41 AM)Checkmat Wrote:  ^ Man you gotta reformat that shit.

Sorry I'm not a tech nerd.

Post: #38

While I'm reading a particularly dense novel (Infinite Jest) I'll do some side reading too.

Went through this in like a day, re-reading it, getting more good stuff from it.
   

I'll pick an essay here and there. Gem: "Why Women Aren't Funny." Red pill stuff originally published in Vanity Fair.
   

Light read. Highly quotable i.e. good for conversation and "most interesting man in the world" stuff to say when hosting guests. Reminder of the spirit of drinking vis a vis customs and courtesies.
   

Post: #39

Because I read a bunch of books at the same time. The following sometimes takes place.

Today I finished four books - on the same day. I love it when that happens.

Post: #40

The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq is a novel that has profoundly affected me. The interconnected “manosphere,” “new right,” and “dark enlightenment” circles all owe much to the ideas Houellebecq puts forth in this text. Houllebecq's worldview is difficult to pin down under one ideological umbrella, so I will attempt to isolate and identify its various components:

*critical of modernity and leftism
*deeply influenced by scientific thought though interested in philosophy and spirituality
*pessimistic and keenly aware of human frailty
*angry at times, hopeful at others
*obsessively concerned with the nature of human sexuality and the aging process

The Elementary Particles tells the story of two half-brothers, Bruno and Michel. Abandoned by their idiotic mother who eschewed all responsibility toward her children in order to lead a new age bohemian lifestyle in the early 1960s, the two brothers grow up separately from each other, both experiencing various forms of tragedy in their adolescence. Bruno becomes a painfully neurotic hedonist, obsessed by sexual pleasure and generally bitter towards life, while Michel develops into an emotionless research scientist that experiences no pleasure or feelings of love.

If this sounds like bleak material, it most certainly is, but Houellebecq leavens the grim content with his wicked sense of humor, proving that the line between tragedy and comedy is indeed fine. The intersecting fates of the two brothers are fascinating, ultimately culminating in a scientific breakthrough by Michel that alters the course of humanity. The Elementary Particles is unique in that Houellbecq's erudite asides lend it the weight of a philosophy text. Everything from the overlap in the ideologies of brothers Julian and Aldous Huxley, the sociological inevitability of the Manson murders and similar crimes, the sexual marketplace (a concept liberally borrowed by writers in the seduction community), and quantum mechanics is discussed at length, and in a manner that is both informative and compelling. The absence of political correctness in Houllebecq's writing is immensely refreshing; everyone from women to hippies to Muslims may find something to be upset about here. A must read, in other words.

Post: #41

^ Elementary Particles was amazing. Second that. Goes beyond red pill into some deeper questions about our need for love and how sex drives human interaction. Don't want to spoil it, but great book.

Post: #42

(11-13-2013 01:49 PM)roberto Wrote:  The Cosmic Serpent, by Jeremy Narby. Fascinating read.

I really liked that one.

Post: #43

(11-18-2013 07:43 AM)Vendetta Wrote:  

(11-18-2013 04:41 AM)Checkmat Wrote:  ^ Man you gotta reformat that shit.

This is what I'm reading now: Flow --Think it was a Roosh recommendation but I don't remember.

This book speaks to me so much things that I can relate to. It's scope is both global and minute with it's detail. There were so many "ah-ha!" moments when the author connects the dots that I've have scattered in my head for years. Different ideas partially uncovered, not fully understood but then made crystal clear suspicions I've had about the nature of people, learning, being "in the zone" or "flow" as he calls it. It's really fascinating.

A nice compact image of the cover:

I own this book in my collection back home but never read it. I will!

Fascinating read... ESPECIALLY IF YOU APPLY THE PRINCIPLES. His other books, "Creating Flow" and another (can't remember the name) are also good.

Post: #44

The books I am reading at the moment are:

The Breakout Heuristic: The New Neuroscience of Mirror Neurons, Consciousness and Creativity in Human Relationships" by Ernest Lawrence Rossi (EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT BOOK)

"Tools for Dreamers: Strategies for Creativity and the Structure of Innovation" by Robert B. Dilts, Todd Epstein, & Robert W. Dilts

"Million Dollar Consulting" by Alan Weiss

"Get More Clients Now!: A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants, and Coaches" by C.J, Hayden

"Strategies of Genius, Volume 1" by Robert Dilts

Post: #45

"Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life." ~ Graham Nash. Voracious reader and collector of books!

Post: #46

"The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz

Post: #47

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu


The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss


Who knew Alexandre Dumas' father was such a badass?

Post: #48

The rules of attraction by Bret Easton Ellis and Filth by Irvine Welsh

Post: #49

I've just started to read this, it was on Roosh's "10 Books Every Man Should Read" and it looks really interesting.

Post: #50

(12-02-2013 11:44 AM)Justice Beaver Wrote:  

I've just started to read this, it was on Roosh's "10 Books Every Man Should Read" and it looks really interesting.

About halfway through this myself. So far I've already been noticing sales/influence tactics being used in my daily life. Being aware of them and understanding how influence works as laid out in the book really helps to make you less vulnerable to their tactics.

Very useful book from a practical point of view.