https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloody-Satanic-...ords=toaff

a superb read

The Prestige, Christopher Priest.



The novel on which the Hugh Jackman/Christian Bale film was based.

Would strongly recommend if you haven't seen the film, don't see it until you read this novel first The movie sucks most of the anticipation out of the book. Pretty nice read, though.

CorporateLand: Surviving Cubicle Warfare
by Frank Cervi

Interesting and humorous look at getting a job with a company and keeping a job with a corporate.

There is a constant stream of 'red pill' throughout the book, so much so that I expect he may be a member here or at least a reader of this forum.

Summary from Amazon:

Quote:Each year in America, new recruits enter Sector 9-5; all with the same mission of defending their homes in the suburbs, credit rating and a lifestyle de jure. Since one needs to keep his castle secure from being repossessed, you must first sign up for a soul crushing tour-of-duty in Corporate America. CorporateLand is the training facility where you will first learn the basics in how to: Survive the commuting road-warriors, avoid office landmines, live the high life, rank up within your company, and ultimately, plan for your eventual EVAC. Troy McAvoy, a retired ‘big shot’—turned highly sought after consultant—will guide you through a series of protocols and training, all the way from nailing that first important interview to hanging up your suit & tie for good. Every year there are many casualties in the War for a Paycheque and being a veteran is no immunity from the new and harsher workplace policies and regulations that are hiding in the concrete jungle; willing to strike you down without mercy. Your training awaits you. It’s time to suit up. Welcome to CorporateLand.

Available for Kindle for $5.99:
https://www.amazon.com/CorporateLand-Sur...inw_strp_1

The Book of Jasher (Hebrew: Sefer haYashar - The Book Of The Upright), which is mentioned twice in the Bible (Joshua 10:13 & II Samuel 1:18). It's more of a historical account as it's not divinely inspired, nor does it claim to hold divine status.

I've read it a couple of times and it's quite a read. Think of this book as a more detailed Old Testament account of the events from the time of Adam & Eve until the elders who succeded Joshua. I'll provide a copy of the 1887 edition since it's public domain & a link to the 1840 edition.

Have a look in your own time and compare it with your Bible.
  The Book of Jasher.pdf (Size: 709.02 KB / Downloads: 31)

For example, in Jasher Chapter 9 (verses 20-39), King Nimrod made a decree for [the currently united] humanity under his rule to build a Tower to Heaven with the intent to make war against God. God saw this as a terrible evil and decided to split humanity into many language groups. Jasher 9:20-39 is the detailed account of Genesis 11:1-9

Genesis 11:1-9 KJV

Quote:1. And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
4. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
6. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Jasher Chapter 9: Verses 20-39

Quote:20. And king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union.
21. And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together; Phut, Mitzraim, Cush and Canaan with their families, and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth on account of their wars.
22. And they all went before the king, and they told the king these words, and the king agreed with them in this affair, and he did so.
23. And all the families assembled consisting of about six hundred thousand men, and they went to seek an extensive piece of ground to build the city and the tower, and they sought in the whole earth and they found none like one valley at the east of the land of Shinar, about two days' walk, and they journeyed there and they dwelt there.
24. And they began to make bricks and burn fires to build the city and the tower that they had imagined to complete.
25. And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven.
26. And all these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts; the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears; and God knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he saw the city and the tower which they were building.
27. And when they were building they built themselves a great city and a very high and strong tower; and on account of its height the mortar and bricks did not reach the builders in their ascent to it, until those who went up had completed a full year, and after that, they reached to the builders and gave them the mortar and the bricks; thus was it done daily.
28. And behold these ascended and others descended the whole day; and if a brick should fall from their hands and get broken, they would all weep over it, and if a man fell and died, none of them would look at him.
29. And the Lord knew their thoughts, and it came to pass when they were building they cast the arrows toward the heavens, and all the arrows fell upon them filled with blood, and when they saw them they said to each other, Surely we have slain all those that are in heaven.
30. For this was from the Lord in order to cause them to err, and in order; to destroy them from off the face of the ground.
31. And they built the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until many days and years were elapsed.
32. And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them.
33. And from that day following, they forgot each man his neighbor's tongue, and they could not understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took from the hands of his neighbor lime or stone which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw it upon his neighbor, that he would die.
34. And they did so many days, and they killed many of them in this manner.
35. And the Lord smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them according to their works and designs; those who said, We will ascend to heaven and serve our gods, became like apes and elephants; and those who said, We will smite the heaven with arrows, the Lord killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third division of those who said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.
36. And those who were left amongst them, when they knew and understood the evil which was coming upon them, they forsook the building, and they also became scattered upon the face of the whole earth.
37. And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Babel, for there the Lord confounded the Language of the whole earth; behold it was at the east of the land of Shinar.
38. And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days' walk.
39. And many of the sons of men died in that tower, a people without number.

Another example is from Jasher Chapter 27. After his grandfather Abraham's death, 16 year old Esau would go hunting in the fields. King Nimrod and his top officials were there as well.

As prophesied in Jasher 12:45-70, the seed of Abraham (Esau, his grandson) would end the life of Nimrod.

Esau made a huge escape from all of Nimrod's elite officials and returned to his father's house in starvation. Genesis 25:27-34 would complete the context of Esau's starvation when also reading The Book of Jasher, as the additional context comes from Jasher 27:1-12

Genesis 25:27-34 KJV

Quote:27. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
28. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29. And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30. And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33. And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Jasher Chapter 27

Quote:1. And Esau at that time, after the death of Abraham, frequently went in the field to hunt.
2. And Nimrod king of Babel, the same was Amraphel, also frequently went with his mighty men to hunt in the field, and to walk about with his men in the cool of the day.
3. And Nimrod was observing Esau all the days, for a jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esau all the days.
4. And on a certain day Esau went in the field to hunt, and he found Nimrod walking in the wilderness with his two men.
5. And all his mighty men and his people were with him in the wilderness, but they removed at a distance from him, and they went from him in different directions to hunt, and Esau concealed himself for Nimrod, and he lurked for him in the wilderness.
6. And Nimrod and his men that were with him did not know him, and Nimrod and his men frequently walked about in the field at the cool of the day, and to know where his men were hunting in the field.
7. And Nimrod and two of his men that were with him came to the place where they were, when Esau started suddenly from his lurking place, and drew his sword, and hastened and ran to Nimrod and cut off his head.
8. And Esau fought a desperate fight with the two men that were with Nimrod, and when they called out to him, Esau turned to them and smote them to death with his sword.
9. And all the mighty men of Nimrod, who had left him to go to the wilderness, heard the cry at a distance, and they knew the voices of those two men, and they ran to know the cause of it, when they found their king and the two men that were with him lying dead in the wilderness.
10. And when Esau saw the mighty men of Nimrod coming at a distance, he fled, and thereby escaped; and Esau took the valuable garments of Nimrod, which Nimrod's father had bequeathed to Nimrod, and with which Nimrod prevailed over the whole land, and he ran and concealed them in his house.
11. And Esau took those garments and ran into the city on account of Nimrod's men, and he came unto his father's house wearied and exhausted from fight, and he was ready to die through grief when he approached his brother Jacob and sat before him.
12. And he said unto his brother Jacob, Behold I shall die this day, and wherefore then do I want the birthright? And Jacob acted wisely with Esau in this matter, and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, for it was so brought about by the Lord
13. And Esau's portion in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth for the possession of a burial ground, Esau also sold to Jacob, and Jacob bought all this from his brother Esau for value given.
14. And Jacob wrote the whole of this in a book, and he testified the same with witnesses, and he sealed it, and the book remained in the hands of Jacob.
15. And when Nimrod the son of Cush died, his men lifted him up and brought him in consternation, and buried him in his city, and all the days that Nimrod lived were two hundred and fifteen years and he died.
16. And the days that Nimrod reigned upon the people of the land were one hundred and eighty-five years; and Nimrod died by the sword of Esau in shame and contempt, and the seed of Abraham caused his death as he had seen in his dream.
17. And at the death of Nimrod his kingdom became divided into many divisions, and all those parts that Nimrod reigned over were restored to the respective kings of the land, who recovered them after the death of Nimrod, and all the people of the house of Nimrod were for a long time enslaved to all the other kings of the land.

Extract from the preface:

Quote:It is understandable that some may feel that it is impossible or unlikely that this volume could really be the original book of Jasher. The issue is compounded by the existence of several works by the name Sefer Hayasher. I have in my possession a copy of Sefer Hayasher - The Book Of The Righteous, edited and translated by Seymour J. Cohen. It is clearly not a book of history, but an ethical text that was probably written in the 13th century. Its introduction cites several other "Books of Jasher", some of which are no longer known to be in existence, such as that by Zerahiah Ha-Yevani of the 13th century. There is also known to have been one written by Rabbi Jacob ben Mier of the 12th century, and one by Rabbi Jonah ben Abraham of Gerona of the 14th century. We are told of a work by that title from the Amoraim period (3rd to 6th centuries) that is characterized as containing "for the most part sayings of the sages of the first and second centuries". So, this title has been a popular one for rabbinical writings, but most are clearly not intended to have been passed off as the book mentioned in the Bible. There is one notable exception which I will mention later.

The first step in dealing with the question of authenticity is to simply read the book with an open mind. One cannot effectively investigate the matter unless he is familiar with it. After all, according to Solomon, "He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him". (Proverbs 18:13). The reader will find that it reads very much like the Bible, except that many passages are replete with details that are not recorded in the Bible.

There are digressions from the biblical narrative that show concurrent events in other parts of the world. There are chapters dealing wholly with events in Egypt or events in Europe. Much of this material can be recognized from other works of ancient history. To anyone familiar with ancient history, it will be obvious that Jasher places these events in a radically different time period than do conventional historians. To be sure, if Jasher be true, there needs to be a radical alteration in the conventional interpretation of ancient history, especially in the area of chronology.

There is little of consequence at variance with the Bible. There are some chronological features that differ, but these can usually be attributed to a textual error. Usually the error will be resolved by reading on. A later entry will fall into harmony with the Bible text. Remember that the ancient scrolls of this book were in poor condition when the book was printed in Hebrew in 1613. It is not unlikely that some numbers could get scrambled.

...

How should we view the book of Jasher, today? The translator correctly points out that although it is not divine Scripture, it nevertheless is a mighty historical and ancient work which relates directly to Biblical historical times and events. Thus the translator does not recommend it to people as Scripture, as a work of divine inspiration, but does "as a monument of history, comparatively covered with the ivy of the remotest ages; as a work, possessing in its language, all the characteristic simplicity of patriarchal times; and as such, he conceives it peculiarly calculated to illustrate and confirm the sacred truths handed down to us in the Scriptures" (p.vii).

The translator concludes:
"Like all other ancient writings, (except the inspired volume,) it has in some respects suffered from the consuming hand of time; and there is reason to believe that some additions have been made to it. In fine, it contains a history of the lives and memorable transactions of all the illustrious characters recorded in sacred history, from Adam down to the time of the Elders, who immediately succeeded Joshua" (ibid.).

Searching for the Book of Jubilees shows two mentions on RVF. I may read that next once I have a copy.
_______________________________________________
"And on the eighth day all the kings that had been with Enoch sent to bring back the number of men that were with Enoch, in that place from which he ascended into heaven.
And all those kings went to the place and they found the earth there filled with snow, and upon the snow were large stones of snow, and one said to the other, Come, let us break through the snow and see, perhaps the men that remained with Enoch are dead, and are now under the stones of snow, and they searched but could not find him, for he had ascended into heaven." #139

Dreams From My Father - Obama

Finished pretty quickly. I liked it even though it jumped around a little. Obama had a really interesting come up. I'm not sure why but lately I've been wanting to go to Africa and reading about him going and finding his roots enforces that idea.

Autobiography of Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall worked his ass off. Interesting to read about the conflicts between him and Malcolm X and MLK. I like how this book really touches on where the changes actually took place and who helped spur those changes during the civil rights era.

Autobiography of Booker T Washington

Dude also worked his ass off. Awesome book and very inspiring.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Of course everybody has to read this.

I read this one a long ass time ago.
Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

This is an incredible story. Dude from the ghetto in Newark, NJ works his ass off and earns a full ride to Yale. Dude graduates with a double major and honors. He ends up back in his old hood where he continues to sell drugs and is murdered. Can drag a little but it's a rollercoaster.

I finished 'Ship of Fools' by Tucker Carlson, I picked it up a few weeks ago then put it down, picked it up again after the violence at his family's house. Short, easy read, makes very sensible arguments about the state of the country. Much of it is the same as the arguments he makes on tv, even down to the words he chooses. If you watch his show you've already heard most of it. If you took his name out of it and gave it to your lib friends it might calm them down a little. The guy would be left wing in a normal environment, it really highlights how the window has shifted.

Foucalt's Pendulum, Umberto Eco.



Was tough going at times, but I'm still glad I read it. Eco -- for me -- walks the tightrope between conspiracy theory and madness pretty well. Never quite sure whether it's serious or a pisstake on Dan Brown style Templar conspiracy shit. Best moment for me was the passage of book where Eco recounts the sad history of the Templar Knights.

(11-20-2018 09:44 AM)Paracelsus Wrote:  Foucalt's Pendulum, Umberto Eco.



Was tough going at times, but I'm still glad I read it. Eco -- for me -- walks the tightrope between conspiracy theory and madness pretty well. Never quite sure whether it's serious or a pisstake on Dan Brown style Templar conspiracy shit. Best moment for me was the passage of book where Eco recounts the sad history of the Templar Knights.

I loved that book and have read it a few times. My reading is, he had learned all this stuff, didn't want it to go to waste, so he stuffed it all into one gigantic pisstake. It is best read like a joke book you leave on the toilet and read a few minutes here and there.

Hyperion, Dan Simmons



First science fiction book I ever read where the characters didn't all come across as suffering from Asperger's; one of the best books I've read for that reason. This was a re-read, but some of the pilgrims' stories still packed a good punch. Hopefully I'll get round to reading Fall of Hyperion properly this time.

Billion Dollar Whale --- the story of the Jho Low and the biggest financial heist in history, how he raided Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, and then proceeded to ostentatiously spend the billions he stole on parties, private jets, yachts, jewelry and art for celebrity friends and more.

Detailed in this RVF thread:
https://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-70599.html

(11-22-2018 07:58 AM)Paracelsus Wrote:  Hyperion, Dan Simmons



First science fiction book I ever read where the characters didn't all come across as suffering from Asperger's; one of the best books I've read for that reason. This was a re-read, but some of the pilgrims' stories still packed a good punch. Hopefully I'll get round to reading Fall of Hyperion properly this time.

All of Simmons' Hyperion related books are deep and worthwhile reads. Also his Ilium and Olympos books are outstanding. Never a dull moment with this author.

I just finished Woken Furies by Richard Morgan. 6/10 WNRA (Would Not Read Again). But it had some interesting ideas along the way that he unfortunately did not follow up. Also, he appeared to miss his own perfect ending that he seemed to telegraph half-way through the book,

And now... after about 30 years from last reading it, I bought William Gibson's Neuromancer. It holds up great over the years. A true classic. And coining the general usage of "matrix" and "cyberspace" relating to "consensual hallucinations" via shared computer networks is just incredible. No doubt he knew something of ARPANET back then... but to expand and enhance it so much was absolutely visionary. It is amazing that it never went to film or tv as it is written almost clearly as a script -- although a couple of his other short stories did, namely Johnny Mnemonic and New Rose Hotel (the better of the two).

Agent Zigzag

by Ben Macintyre



Exciting historical account of Eddie Chapman, codename Zigzag, who acted as a double agent for both the German Abwehr and the British MI5 during the Second World War. The book starts with Chapman's dealings in the criminal underworld before he's imprisoned by the police and then put into service by the Germans after they capture the island of Jersey. His shady past allowed him to jump into the realm of espionage quite easily, and throughout the book you learn of some outstanding feats he performs and his struggle between his selfish desires and patriotism for his country.

This book gave a unique insight into the how both the British and Germans conducted their military intelligence services and how the British had an unmatched ability to conduct wartime deception. It's quite clear to me now why both Operation Mincemeat (disguising of the invasion of Sicily) and Operation Bodyguard (disguising of the invasion of Normandy) were both a huge success. Highly recommend!

Does anyone have any good suspense/thriller recommendations? I'm talking more like guilty-pleasure reads as opposed to anything too cerebral.

The girl with the dragon tattoo was a great read for suspense.

Anything by Paul Kearny is great too. The Mark of Ran I have read 3 times

(12-01-2018 12:59 PM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  Does anyone have any good suspense/thriller recommendations? I'm talking more like guilty-pleasure reads as opposed to anything too cerebral.

People laugh at him, but Dan Brown didn't sell millions of books for nothing. Da Vinci Code is really good at pace.

I love Dan Brown. Read all of his stuff.

My two recent thrillers I would highly recommend are I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh and the Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson. Both books blew me away.

Ever read The Ruins? The movie was decent, but the book... Goddamn! I finished it in one sitting.

(12-01-2018 09:56 PM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  I love Dan Brown. Read all of his stuff.

My two recent thrillers I would highly recommend are I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh and the Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson. Both books blew me away.

Ever read The Ruins? The movie was decent, but the book... Goddamn! I finished it in one sitting.

I'll keep it in mind. On other guilty-pleasures thriller type stuff, Lee Child's Jack Reacher stuff is nice. Killing Floor was his first book and the first Jack Reacher novel, recommend it.

(11-20-2018 09:44 AM)Paracelsus Wrote:  Foucalt's Pendulum, Umberto Eco.



Was tough going at times, but I'm still glad I read it. Eco -- for me -- walks the tightrope between conspiracy theory and madness pretty well. Never quite sure whether it's serious or a pisstake on Dan Brown style Templar conspiracy shit. Best moment for me was the passage of book where Eco recounts the sad history of the Templar Knights.

So tough going I read it 3 times. I maybe understood it 0.5.

Do I need to quote Meatloaf here?

(11-20-2018 01:01 PM)debeguiled Wrote:  I loved that book and have read it a few times. My reading is, he had learned all this stuff, didn't want it to go to waste, so he stuffed it all into one gigantic pisstake. It is best read like a joke book you leave on the toilet and read a few minutes here and there.

A few months here, a few months there. Pretty soon you're talking real time!

A 'Hacker' friend in Belgium (Brussels) gave me a copy on one of our international meet ups. Well, not this one, the Rose one. The name of the Rose. I never did read that book, not even once. Not even half.

I was recommended to read it by a fit girl that used to work for Island Records. I had fucked most of her friends by that point and she wanted to fuck me. She tried to entice me by the fact that she had worked on some kind of back catologue for Bob Marley. I was impressed. Then again, I had dreads. Shoot me.

Her first friend that I fucked was a TV producer. She plied me with acid and purple rubber sheets and baby oil. Yeah, debauchery. She was pretty fit too and a real gym bunny.

I then fucked another one of her friends who said "I heard you like a bit of rubber?". I was like 'yeah, whatevs'. She pulled out some black rubber knickers but I just threw them aside and fucked her in her standard white cotton panties. She kept my sperm in a 'rubber' so I guess she had the last laugh.

I went to a new years eve party with the bitches once. Fighting over me. I made the mistake (and this is some grand next level game here) of taking a bottle of (wait for it) Blue fucking Nun! It was all they had in the offy that I could afford. Such disgust you have never known. Panties going out the window with such wetness. I was the male equivalent of a low-class dumb chav blonde. They all wanted to sit on my uncouth and uncultured face and teach me.

Fuck, they were spiteful bitches.

But still, Foucault's Pendulum was on the menu, so let's not veer too of course here!

I'm not sure either of them read the fucker too!

Or if they did, they probably didn't make much more sense of it than I did (or you did). It's ok.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

The TV producer that fucked me knew that I was indeed in to a bit of the old rubber. So she bought some purple rubber sheets and a quart of baby oil. She spiked me with some quality acid. I climbed the pagoda of her femininity like a buddhist monk trying to attain arahatship. I got there in the end. Fuck me what a journey. She was muscley as fuck. Not musclebound, just fit. And that's all there was. Next...

She wanted to fuck me because I had a serious black girlfriend who was hot as fuck and I was a trophy. I was also dumb and uncultured remember? Those bitches were fighting over me.

Till they worked out I was fucking them all and then they cut off the tap. Fuckers. It was fun while it lasted. Which wasn't very long.

I should have been clever. Me and my dreadlocks. I should have played the long game with Ms. (oh you have to read Foucault's Pendulum) working for Island Records.

Sometimes they would phone me up when I was in Tottenham and just making some music. Come down to Clapham and fuck me! No, my dear, I don't give a damn!

They won awards. They were on the TV. They were empty soul-less creatures who got off on the fact that they might have come from some shithole in Yorkshire or Scotland, but I was a dumb fuck who didn't realise what a social faux pas it was to buy a bottle of Blue fucking Nun for a New year's bash. What a cunt I was. And they couldn't entice me quick enough with a bit of rubber and/or drugs to make me pay for my stupid maleness.

These bitches really got off on being superior.

Narcissism comes in many forms. They were pretty low level really. But still. Rubbing shoulders with and producing for the great TV slebs like Reeves and Mortimer, Jeniffer Saunders et al. Whatevs. But still, never quite getting invited to the party. I was like: eh man, where are all the real slebs? eh eh...


Foucault's Pendulum?

Great book. I liked the Comte du St. Germaine best of all.

There was a time in Brussels, those old houses, those connections... It wasn't hard to see that powerful people like to drink the blood of babies, to see children/adults helpless in their power.

There's a lineage over a period of hundreds of years. Engineering. Secret societies.

I trust no one.

I look to no one for enlightenment.

I have all I need from the birds in the morning: the Robin, the Sparrow. Even they fight among themselves. For no reason.

There are people out there. Secret places. Rich people. Powerful people. They like all kinds of things. People. Kids.

They like to hold power. To see the fear in the eyes.

Underground dungeons. Quiet rooms.

There is no great enlightenment.

If the best of us on this forum (it would only take a dozen) were to seriously group, we could make a dent in history. That won't be allowed to happen.



It was a good book!

I just finished "Carniepunk". It's an anthology of carnival related stories. Some SF, some fantasy, some urban fantasy, and at least one really disturbing psychological thriller. Lots of big name authors. It's a long book, but quite good, much better than I was expecting.

I just finished 'Intrumental' by James Rhodes.



It is the life story of a concert pianist who struggled with mental issues, to the point of being institutionalized, due to being molested when he was a child. I picked it up hoping to find some motivation for practicing my keyboard, what I got was a shocking story about coping with trauma, the effects it has on people years down the road, and how the author's passion for his instrument helped him through it all. It had a lot to say about the victim mentality that is so prevalent these days, the state of the music industry, how to help people coping with various issues, how to recognize signs of abuse, overall I think it was a pretty good book. I read the whole it over the course of a couple days, the story kind of sucked me in.

GAME by Roosh Obama

Number one must read for men.

This book is the pinnacle of RVF and should owned & studied by every member here.

(12-01-2018 12:59 PM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  Does anyone have any good suspense/thriller recommendations? I'm talking more like guilty-pleasure reads as opposed to anything too cerebral.

Anything by Michael Connelly. He is a superior writer that lifts up the genre of police procedural. He was police beat LA Times reporter before becoming a writer, so his take on the personalities and politics of cops have a ring of authenticity that is seldom combined with his level of skill.

His most famous character, Detective Harry Bosch, is a throwback to lone wolf gumshoes of Dashiell Hammett and Ross Macdonald. An orphan and former Vietnam tunnel rat, he is the archetype of the wounded hero, carrying decades of abuse on his shoulders while trying to live nobly by speaking for the dead (He's a homicide detective.) He also loves L.A., or at least what it could be. You learn things from his books.

I get so engrossed in these books that they aren't like reading, they are like living life and they go by in an instant.

The most representative novel in the series is called: "The Last Coyote."


Another good series is the "Lou Boldt" novels by Ridley Pearson. Another cop carrying burdens and trying to do right by the world, he is the only other author whose writing equals Connelly's and his characters are amazing, his writing sharp.

Also, anything by John Sandford is a cool, sharp, funny, experience. Sandford writes like a sociopath, and his novels don't have any real heart. Great villains though. Just the endless jockeying for power among the cops and criminals. Still, he is a good writer and if a copy of any of his "Prey" series is lying around, I will read it.

Honorable mention goes to James Lee Burke, whose Southern, gothic, operatic writing following the life of his main character, cop Dave Robicheaux, brings Louisiana and the depths of good and evil alive. Burke doesn't mess around. He tackles all the deepest issues. Probably closer to literature than the other three, but all are good.

The Pussy - Delicious Tacos.

I recently read Matt Forney's review of 'The Pussy' and Roosh's 'Game'. He mentioned that the books pair really well together. I was planning on reading Game anyway, but this review made we want to check out The Pussy first.

Gad damn, this fucking book. Delicious Tacos' OkCupid advice helped get me laid a lot back in 2016/17. However, I wasn't very familiar with DT's other writings, so reading these stories for the first tine was an absolute pleasure. This book was hilarious in some points, touching in others, and deeply relatable. I smashed through all 270 pages in three days; it was probably the best book I've read this year. Highly recommended!

Now to move onto 'Game'.

(12-01-2018 12:59 PM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  Does anyone have any good suspense/thriller recommendations? I'm talking more like guilty-pleasure reads as opposed to anything too cerebral.

This made me think of the Horus Heresy series from the Black Library. What's going on is you're watching something that started out pristine and glorious be slowly subverted by doubt, ambition, jealousy, and ultimately fear. The first 4 books are the meat of the series - they are below:

Horus Rising
False Gods
Galaxy in Flames
Flight of the Eisenstein

If this is too nerdy for you, I understand. But they are pretty much the definition of "guilty pleasure".

I have a couple more to add to my list for the year. I'm getting closer to my goal of 12 business related books and am at 8 so far with some plane time coming up to hopefully close it out just in time. This year definitely has not gone as planned and this goal has been a casualty, but I think I can pull it off at the 11th hour.

-Who by Geoff Smart and Randy Street. This is a super useful read if you're involved in hiring people. It outlines a system for interviewing job candidates. It includes several nuances for screening out bad candidates and getting the right fit for your job. This book plus a profiling service I've invested in (PM for details) have revolutionized the way I've hired people at work, which has been an Achilles heel for years.

-Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman. This book dives into the psychology of advertising and gives some really actionable tips. If you write anything customer-facing, I'd recommend this book.

-Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. I honestly got mad when I read this book. Not because it's a bad book, but because the concept of it is so infuriatingly simple and I hadn't considered it before. In my personal life, I automate my savings and investing so I'm building up a nest egg with no conscious effort on my part. However, I don't do the same with profit in my business, which has effectively turned it into a time consuming, expensive hobby - rather than something that exists to serve my needs. I have a plan for a fix, but it will take time. If you're starting a business from scratch, get the finances right from the jump - this book gives a framework for doing so.

The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins. A bit of a dry read, but gives some useful tips for someone coming into a new job (or hiring someone into a new job). It talks about how to most effectively get into a new role, taking politics and relationship building into account. This is the kind of stuff that I can tend to overlook, so it was a good read. Reading this plus Who have really helped with recruiting, hiring, and onboarding.

Just for fun I read The Mixer by Michael Cox. It discusses the players, coaches, and tactics that have shaped the last 25 years of Premier League soccer. This was a pretty fun and interesting read, and I learned a good bit. I'd recommend it if you're interested in the topic.