Post: #126

The Circle is a chilling book. Some have likened it to Brave New World, and while it falls short of the mark in terms of the writing, it is an apt comparison.

The story centers around Mae, a young college graduate who gets a job at The Circle, the coolest and most influential company in the world (if Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google all combined into one giant company). At first the company seems harmless enough, and even has implemented some great ideas, one of which is to have one username and password for every website, eliminating the need to keep track of every password for all of your log ins. The Circle has outlawed anonymity, and in its place is the application called “TruYou” where every comment or post a person makes is from one account with his or her real identity. Even this doesn’t seem so bad as it eliminates a lot of harassment and online threats.

Of course, this is all a slippery slope. Things change rapidly and eventually the real agenda of The Circle is revealed. The idea is to eliminate privacy and commodify every human experience. The company begins to promote a new product, a small camera called SeeChange that can be placed anywhere and is attached to live online video feeds. Gradually, these small cameras are placed everywhere from California to Fiji.

Their slogan to go along with SeeChange:

ALL THAT HAPPENS MUST BE KNOWN

The company promotes the use of “transparency,” that is, to wear miniature camera necklaces so that all that one does is known through a video feed online.

Further on in the story Mae inadvertently helps to create new catchphrases for the company:

PRIVACY IS THEFT

SECRETS ARE LIES

There are dissenters to this new world order. The most prominent is Mae’s ex-boyfriend, Mercer. I think he acts as a sort of author avatar for Dave Eggers, allowing him to express his personal opinion on what has been happening over the last several years concerning social media. A quote:

“I mean, all this stuff you’re involved in, it’s all gossip. It’s people talking about each other behind their backs. That’s the vast majority of this social media, all these reviews, all these comments. Your tools have elevated gossip, hearsay, and conjecture to the level of valid, mainstream communication. And besides that, it’s fucking dorky.”

I suspect most, but not all, readers will consider Mercer’s story to be the most tragic of all the characters.

The love scenes aren’t as bad as I expected with a female protagonist. Mae goes cock carousel riding with a few different Circle employees, one of whom is a premature ejaculator. Eggers has some insight into the female psyche because there are a few occasions where Mae experiences jealousy and sleeps with a guy she doesn’t even like in order to regain the feeling of being desirable. She also uses her knowledge that a certain employee finds her attractive to fulfill her own need for attention.

Mae’s argument with her female friend is a nice peek into how females treat each other. Mae surpasses her friend in status within The Circle and we get to see the crabs in a bucket theory in action. It’s actually quite Red Pill—something I didn’t expect from reading a mainstream book like this.
Overall, this as closest book our generation will get to Brave New World.

The writing is straightforward, easy to breeze through 30 or 40 pages in a single sitting. The world within the book is similar enough to ours that we can imagine, without stretching our imaginations too far, that something similar could happen in reality. The ending is particularly bone-chilling. Highly recommended.

Post: #127

I always want to keep track of books I've read, but I always forget. I will use this to be accountable.

I just finished "A Random Walk Down Wall Street."

Overall A+, I understand how it is such a classic.

If you've never heard of it before, this is THE book that made index funds popular. I read a new edition which still holds true, and shows how index funds still consistently beat most mutual funds.

If you have good finance knowledge but want to take it to the next level, read this.

If you know nothing about money, I still suggest that you read "I Will Teach You To Be Rich." Ramit has read A Random Walk and puts its rules and practices into work.

Post: #128

Myth Directions by Robert Asprin

I wasn't lying, I'm addicted. A very amusing parody of Super Bowl culture with, yes, puns.

Post Office by Charles Bukowski

Absolutely incredible. I could relate to it a lot too, as my current job is very repetitive. I was hooked on Ham on Rye and Women in high school, I have no idea why I didn't go ahead then and buy everything he ever wrote.

Post: #129

Finished reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

Judge Holden's views on war are pretty much the most "red pill" thing I've ever read in a book. I think we all know these things to be true but lie to ourselves in order to preserve society despite them lurking right underneath the surface.

Post: #130

Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett.

Was halfway through it when I heard of his death. He will be missed.

Post: #131

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond

I work at a factory and most of my time is spent doing things that require no concentration from my brain, simply repetitive muscle memory. Because of this I've started listening to audiobooks at work and this was the first one that took over a week to finish. I need to listen to it again in a month or so, and then maybe give the print version a try. I felt so overwhelmed, yet so accomplished by having finished it. This is the first book I've ever read simply to learn for the sake of learning. When I started this job a few months ago, I felt like I hit rock bottom. Now I realize this is exactly where I needed to be at this point in my life.

Also the book is incredible, definitely check it out if you've never read it.

Post: #132

Directional Thinking: 10 Steps to Positive Thinking (The Power of Positive Thinking) by Benjamin Chapin

Lots of great info here, even if it did borrow liberally from Earl Nightingale's The Strangest Secret. Worth another listen.

Get Up and Do It!: Essential Steps to Achieve Your Goals by Beechy Colclough & Josephine Colclough

I picked up a thing or two from this, but I doubt I will listen to it again.

Hit or Myth by Robert Asprin

This series just keeps getting better.

Post: #133

Myth-ing Persons by Robert Asprin

Probably the weakest title in the series so far, although it did deal with an interesting setting.

Little Myth Marker by Robert Asprin

Lots of fun, especially the twist at the end.


I am really finding that doing a little bit of reading each night in bed works wonders for my sleep schedule. I don't look at my tablet or tv anymore unless the sun is out.

Post: #134

Winds of War by Herman Wouk

I finished this book a week ago. It was so good that I'm already 700 pages through the second book in the two book series, War and Remembrance. These two books make up a true epic story of WWII.

The story revolves around a US Naval family and their experiences throughout WWII. Winds of War begins in 1939 and ends in late 1941 with the Pearl Harbor attack.

Wouk creates an amazing narrative that involves many major world leaders from the time period. I had forgotten most of the history of WWII that I had learned in school and this book has taught me more than I ever knew.

One of the best fiction novels I've read in some time.

Post: #135

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

One of the most important books I have ever read. I will read it again. If you have not read it, please do so.

Post: #136

^One of my favorites. I'm currently reading A Short History of Private Life (again). Also by Bryson. Also a must.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #137

Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I have added it to my (long and growing) reading list.

Post: #138

Just finished going through my notes on The Art of Seduction. This week I finished reading that and Kickass Copywriting Secrets by John Carlton.

I was a little hesitant to pick up AoS after reading The 48 Laws of Power because I (for some reason) thought it was going to less actionable. I will never doubt Robert Greene again. I'm sure many of you have already read it, but I will say that it's incredible how much hate Roosh and other manosphere guys get for writing books like Bang. AoS is a blueprint for taking over someone's mind, and really much darker than simply wanting to bang girls.

Probably the fact that stuck out most to me was Greene's comparison of symbolic and diabolic speech. Diabolic speech dissociates words from their actual meaning, and relies on their connotation (feeeeellliinnnggggss) to sway people. He gave an example of De Gaulle speaking to the French in Algeria, where he gave a speech that, to his audience, sounded like he was in full support of their cause for keeping Algeria as part of France. But in reality, his speech was completely devoid of meaning. He actually supported Algerian independence, but they drank it up.

I meant to read Halbert's Boron Letters this week, but ended up going with Carlton's other book, Kickass Copywriting Secrets. This one has a lot more meat to it than Entrepreneur's Guide To Getting Your Shit Together, and it took me longer to organize my notes than read the book. This is the best copywriting book I've read so far, and I'd recommend it to anyone just starting out. You shouldn't need anything else.

Moving on to the Boron Letters (for real) and POSSIBLY a piece of Vietnamese fiction if I can find one in English here. Looking at The Tale of Kieu or Dumb Luck for starters.

Post: #139

M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link by Robert Asprin

Definitely the weirdest entry in the series so far, as it switched to the perspective of several characters other than Skeeve. I still enjoyed it, but I'm wondering if it is starting to lose steam overall.

Post: #140

No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy

Absolutely incredible. There is so much value in this book that I will return to it again very shortly. I recommend it to everyone.

100 Ways to Motivate Yourself: Change Your Life Forever by Steve Chandler

Overall solid, but occasionally brilliant. I honestly think that reading this book has changed my life forever, as advertised.

Post: #141

Models: Attract Women Through Honesty by Mark Manson

The best book I have ever read in my entire life. I recommend it to every man here. I am going to read it until I have it memorized.

Post: #142

Just finished "Genghis Khan and the making of the Modern world"

Loved the book and fucking love genghis but to be honest the vast majority of his empire was barren wasteland. Hes the Floyd Mayweather of ancient times. Undefeated but ducked the Pacquiaos of his day (European armies)
and of course hes still worshiped today, hes the only thing mongolia has ever had that the rest of the world gives a damn about.

Actually thinking about it now, I would love to fuck a mongolian chick in the ass and let her lick off the fecal particulates off my schwanz in order to stick it to Ghengis. He after all, fucked over my people.
Heard there are a bunch of those nomadic bactrian camel riding sluts in Cali. Can't wait till i turn 18 and head there lol.

Post: #143

Military Effectiveness: Volume One (World War I)

Very good survey of the major antagonists' military machines. I'm now into Volume Two, which covers the interwar period. Volume Three covers WWII.

Post: #144

The Boron Letters, Gary Halbert: It didn't have as much copywriting knowledge as any of John Carlton's books, but for what it is (25 letters from Halbert to his then-16-year-old son, sent from prison), it still had a lot of gems that I hadn't picked up in previous books. I think most of Gary's wisdom is in his newsletters, but this is still a great resource for budding copywriters.

Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain: Tony rubs a lot of people the wrong way with his wordy, meandering descriptions and foul mouth--but that's why I like him. This autobiography goes through his early years, really bookended by two food epiphanies--his first as a child vacationing in France, where he experienced real food for the first time; and the second on a trip to Tokyo for his restaurant owner, where he had a religious experience with sushi. The latter nicely segues into his later years with No Reservations and Parts Unknown, which I think he covers in other books.

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Unknown: I'll start by saying this: it's a great read. I was disappointed and surprised by the relatively short length, but it's a niggling complaint. The central theme is the quest for immortality and the fear of death, with the work implying that the way for men to truly live forever is by having a family and leaving behind a great legacy. It's important to note that pieces of the missing tablets are still being discovered, and it's possible that one day the entire poem will be whole again.

One thing I also noticed is that it's hard to separate the epic from the story behind it. Yes, it's very good--but how much of that is perceived because of its rarity and serendipitous discovery, rather than the quality of the writing? It doesn't really matter in the end, because Gilgamesh should be a must-read for everyone. It's fascinating to go back 3000 years and see that humans are basically unchanged.

Moving on to:

Trust Me, I'm Lying: Ryan Holiday
Tested Advertising Methods: John Caples
The Castle: Franz Kafka

Post: #145

I've just finished reading Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilych.
I started reading it just because it was Leo Tolstoy. I did not like the idea of reading something negative, in the world full of negative stuff as it is.
But now as I've finished, I would strongly advice every one to read it.
The way he describes slow decline of man's health, hope and desperation constantly interchanging, and most importantly the regrets of life.
That is quite close to PU society, as we are trying to enjoy our lifes, not to have regrets in the future. What would happen if...

Post: #146

Finished In Defense of Elitism by William A Henry III.

Post: #147

Honorable Man, you have read more in the last 30 days than I think I've read in 5 years. Are you listening to all of these on audio while working? Are you a speed reader? How do you do it?

This is a great thread, I'm going to start spending more time in here (and reading actual books) and less time in the Everything Else forum.

Post: #148

(04-06-2015 12:15 AM)Chauncey Wrote:  Are you listening to all of these on audio while working? Are you a speed reader? How do you do it?

Almost entirely the former, although I am a very fast reader. I also exclusively listen to audiobooks while driving.

Also, wow, 22 books is way more than I have read in years and years. I really like this change in my life.

Post: #149

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

One of the best books I have ever read. It reminded me a lot of Ender's Game, but with a much more mature tone. It was also very unflinching in the political philosophies it put forth.

Post: #150

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

A very interesting look into the mindset behind warfare and strategy. I don't know how much I got out of it personally, but maybe it'll help me play XCOM better.