Hi I'm currently reading/listening (audiobook) to Dune by Frank Herbert.

Great book.

I just finished the second Witcher book. The series is surprisingly good. I was afraid it was overhyped but it is quite good.

I'm slogging through Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche. Interesting stuff but getting through the flowery prose is a bit much. For another book that's now a videogame series, Metro 2033 is great, I read that earlier this year. The translation is a bit iffy, but the story and world are fantastic.

That would be Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. A healthy dose of english humour (no, not humor  [smiley=tongue.gif]) after a long working day.

nice

I'm currently reading The Witchery of Archery.  It was mentioned in a post a while back (by walter I think).  I picked up a copy and have just had it sitting on the shelf.  Finally started reading it a few days ago.  It's quite interesting.

A clash of kings

Slyngorm wrote on Nov 5^th, 2020 at 2:53pm:

A clash of kings

I like the series a lot.  But be wary, I don't think we're going to see the end of it.  I think we might get the next book.  But I'd bet money that the last one is never finished.  Not by Martin anyway.

I do hope I'm wrong about that.

Just got done with Astrophysics for people in a hurry by Neil Degrasse Tyson.

I picked up an omnibus of weird fiction short stories to read over Halloween. It's absolutely massive and I haven't made much of a dent in it, but I'm already discovering some great stuff. The Willows by Algernon Blackwood, who has the best weird fiction writer name (sorry Lovecraft, you would have been first but your first name is Howard, just be happy with second place), was very good as was Sredni Vashtar by Saki. Highly recommend it though the fact it overlooks Arthur Machen is a crime:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12344319-the-weird

Just realised looking it up, It's edited (co-edited with his wife) by the guy that wrote the book series that the film Annihilation (with Natalie Portman) was based on.  Good film.

About halfway through david farlands runelord octology - but still looking for books 5 and 7 - I have 1-4 and 8 and 6 lol

I basically have a huge folder with approx 3100 mobi (amazon's e-book format) that I'm working my way though. It's a totally random collection of fiction. So once I';ve finished one I just scroll through until something else looks interesting.

I read on my NooK - which once you've cracked it back to the basic android is probably the best e-reader in the world :-)

When i come across a series with bits missing - 90% of the time I can find them on emule. But as that only works on my old xp machine I haven't got round to looking for the runelord books yet.

So have started a series by someone else I'd never heard of. Empire of black and gold I think is what I'm rewadin now.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-Black-Gold-Shadows-Book-ebook/dp/B003GK21XK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=empire+of+black+and+gold&qid=1604669774&sr=8-1

It started oddly - but looks like it might have promise.
I've definitely got the first two books in the series, so that'll hold me for  aweek or so :-)

Rereading Bhagavad Gita

@ Kick
How's the thus spoke zarathustra going? Although I didn't get much it's one of my favourites. I think it's good to be read after reading the new testament(just the parables part, not the letters) if I remember correct they use similar phrases.

@ joe_meadmaker
I read 1,5 books some years ago and picked the second up again. I finally think the series is getting good. Took a lot of danged pages but right now it is REALLY good.

Sarosh wrote on Nov 6^th, 2020 at 9:15am:

How's the thus spoke zarathustra going?

Oh boy... I will finish it but... it does drag somewhat. I like a lot of it but it's so... dense maybe is the right word? It's something that takes some effort to read I think. I've found that trying to read it on the bus on the way to work isn't the right environment to truly take it in. I will get back to it eventually.

Re-reading Dies the Fire.  The first three books in the series, at least.  They're my favorites.  Imagine a world were all high technology suddenly stops.  Those who can sling and/or make slings would be in high demand.  Sadly slinging doesn't play a role in the books, they did lead me to think about what weapons would still be useful in such a world, which lead me here. 

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/emberverse/images/0/04/Dies_the_Fire_Cover.jpg

Just fiinished Long Range by C J Box. Waiting for Blue Sky to come out.

Oxnate wrote on Nov 6^th, 2020 at 10:56pm:

Re-reading Dies the Fire.  The first three books in the series, at least.  They're my favorites.  Imagine a world were all high technology suddenly stops.  Those who can sling and/or make slings would be in high demand.  Sadly slinging doesn't play a role in the books, they did lead me to think about what weapons would still be useful in such a world, which lead me here.  https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/emberverse/images/0/04/Dies_the_Fire_Cover.jpg

Read abook on that principle by one of the old time sf writers - can't remember exactly what it was called or who wrote it but i do remember which part of my library it's in - I'll go look.

basically alien machines suddenly pop up out of the earth and shut off all electricical activity above the voltages and currents that organic life uses to work.
So petrol cars don;t work -,but diesel cars do (don't use spark plugs)
Can't remmeber if gunpowder works or not.
Bugger it I'll go look....

Fade Out by patrick Tilley.
Worth a look
Not that old 1999.
Most of my library is older :-)

   As I've mentioned before, since tRump was "elected" I haven't been able to read a complete book.  I can't tell you exactly why; that's just one of the ways my depression manifested itself.  I used to be an avid reader with a frequent flyer card at Barnes and Nobel. 
    Now that he's dethroned I suppose once my PTTD (Post Traumatic tRump Disorder) wears off I'll be able to enjoy reading again. 
    I have a ton of great books here.  There's a wonderful one on the Lewis and Clark expedition (I don't recall the author) that's worth a reread.  I'll probably dig that one up shortly.
    My favorite books are The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart.  If Chrissie didn't take them they're due for a reread too. 

Edit: Dies the Fire looks good.  I'll check that out the next time I'm at Barnes and Nobel.

I just got done reading the entire hunger game series.
It might be outside the intended age for most people on this forum but I absolutely loved it.


Rat Man wrote on Nov 8^th, 2020 at 2:44pm:

As I've mentioned before, since tRump was "elected" I haven't been able to read a complete book.  I can't tell you exactly why; that's just one of the ways my depression manifested itself.  I used to be an avid reader with a frequent flyer card at Barnes and Nobel.      Now that he's dethroned I suppose once my PTTD (Post Traumatic tRump Disorder) wears off I'll be able to enjoy reading again.      I have a ton of great books here.  There's a wonderful one on the Lewis and Clark expedition (I don't recall the author) that's worth a reread.  I'll probably dig that one up shortly.     My favorite books are The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart.  If Chrissie didn't take them they're due for a reread too.  Edit: Dies the Fire looks good.  I'll check that out the next time I'm at Barnes and Nobel.

That sounds rough!
I hope you have gotten better and reading since you posted this.

I'm rereading The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

I just finished "The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough. 2nd time reading it. He weaves a very engaging narrative of their development and why he thought they were so successful. I would recommend it. Probably my favorite non-fiction book.

Now I'm onto some fantasy with Brandon Sanderson.

finished albert camus "the fall" I didn't like it, I liked "the stranger" more, now I'm re-reading "The conquest of happiness"  by Bertrand Russell

I will start reading Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson.

I'm currently reading The Blade Itself, which is the first book in Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy.  I'm almost 2/3 of the way through it and really enjoying it.

The first law trilogy is solid. Thoroughly enjoyed that. I didn't like his spin offs in the same world. Just don't have the same punch.

Just started "Highlander" by Newark

Nonfiction history. Enjoyable so far. Is helping me get british history a bit straighter in my head.

Henning Mankell's detective novels.
C. J Box game warden series
Lee Child's Reacher series

Chrysalids by John Wyndham... audio book though, no real bookshops here.

The Lost One. It's the biography of actor Peter Lorre.

currently reading Airman by eoin colfer.

Kinda brutal so far, way more adult than the artemis fowl books.

Oh yeah, don't bother with the artemis fowl film - it's total rubbish.

As far as actual physical books go - I pretty much just read e-books these days.

A cheap e-book reader is - in my opinion - an essential item.
Just make sure it's got an actual e-ink screen and NOT lcd.
I get about three weeks on a single charge.

You can use a smart phone or tablet - i started on my sharp zaurus organisers about 20 years ago, before e-book readers were an actual thing - but they're just not as good as the analog e-ink screens and you need to keeo charging them up.

The way I see it, from about the age of 10 to about my mid thirties, I read many thousands books, and even after having to leave my first library behind when we moved back to the uk, I've still got a personal library of about 3,000 books.
I've paid my dues on both library fees and actual book sales :-)

I will occasionally still buy e-books if there's a good deal on baen books. But for the most part I pirate them.
And yes the latest jack reacher is available as a pirate e-book about 3 milliseconds after it hits an actual bookshop.
you can even buy special book digitisers to automatically scan and convert physical books to e-nooks.

That said amazon are largely to blame. As they release pretty much everything as an ebbok these days and there are a LOT of programs around that will easily remove the drm from the book files and turn them into plain non-specific ebooks.

Although I guess if you want to apportion blame to anyone for starting the whole media pirating culture, you need to blame governments and Libraries.
When they started lending records and videos to people - who promptly took them home and copied them - that's where the whole pirate culture started.
Government sponsored, as it were.
And when dvd's replaced video cassettes you could spend about £5 a month and rent as many dvd's as you could get posted to you, copied and sent back.
I used to figure a turnaround of about 3 days per film.

The whole netflix and subscription video insdustry also make it way too easy to access their content without paying. 

my nook simply touch (once jailbroken, probably the next ebook ever made) currently has a folder of 3,800 amazon format mobi books. That covers just about every category you can think of - so I'm working my way through that.

If you want genuinely free book - go take a look at project gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/

It's where I started with ebooks, way back in e-book pre-history.

But my book reader is right up there with my tassimo coffee machine with things that - if they ever break - will be replaced asap if not sooner.
You can keep your television and smart phones - but try and take my books and coffee away and there will be trouble ! 

Curious Aardvark wrote on Jan 11^th, 2021 at 6:57am:

try and take my books and coffee away and there will be trouble !

Yep, essential items

I just received from a friend a (late but only because of the post) Christmas present in the form of a collection of John Milton's poetry including the complete Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained from 1849.

I've expressed before, probably too much, on this forum that I am not religious, but for me, Paradise Lost is the greatest piece of writing ever written in English. I've read it about 5 times (on my Kindle to go back to what C_A said) and I almost never reread anything. Every time I finish it I want to start again. This gift is quite possibly one of the best presents I have ever received. It might be one of my most precious possessions. If a fire starts in my house, I will, of course, grab my wife and drag her to safety, but she better be holding this book at the time because if not I'll be going back in. I want to be buried with it.

Just finished the 5 first Conan shorts.
So far I am quite intrigued and I can definitely understand how he has slipped into the general pop culture along the lines of Frankenstein and Star Wars.

The setting especially were fascinating, with ancient cities already ancient in ancient times, even more ancient civilisations and separate lineages of people descendent from apes. And of course the little nods towards real historic entities.
I have got to read some more some day.

   As many of you know, for reasons already mentioned I haven't been able to read a full book for over four years.  That situation is somewhat resolved so it's time to reenter that wonderful world. 
    As I kid I never read books because school tried to force us too.  I resented books for that reason.  When we had to do a book report I'd read the front and back covers of the book only. I was imaginative enough to create a passable book report from just that. 
    For a few years of my life, mostly while I went to college, I was the graveyard shift security guard at a fiberglass plant.  It was then that I discovered what I had been missing and how wonderful and enlightening books are.  I read all of the classics they tried to force me to read in school and loved them.  I read every kind of book I could get my hands on. 
    Anyway, to get back into it I'm going to reread an excellent book I first read almost twenty years ago, Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose.  It's about Jefferson, The Louisiana Purchase, but mostly it's about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  It's one of my favorite books of all time.  What an adventure! 
    The thing that I took away mostly from the book was how different men were back then.  Those guys truly had brass balls. 
     Anyway, if you like adventure and history I very highly recommend this book.

Am in the midst of reading Hell's Angels. It is not amazing but I'm getting through. Read Fear and Loathing years ago and thought this would be just like it.


Rat Man wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2021 at 1:15pm:

As many of you know, for reasons already mentioned I haven't been able to read a full book for over four years.  That situation is somewhat resolved so it's time to reenter that wonderful world.      As I kid I never read books because school tried to force us too.  I resented books for that reason.  When we had to do a book report I'd read the front and back covers of the book only. I was imaginative enough to create a passable book report from just that.      For a few years of my life, mostly while I went to college, I was the graveyard shift security guard at a fiberglass plant.  It was then that I discovered what I had been missing and how wonderful and enlightening books are.  I read all of the classics they tried to force me to read in school and loved them.  I read every kind of book I could get my hands on.      Anyway, to get back into it I'm going to reread an excellent book I first read almost twenty years ago, Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose.  It's about Jefferson, The Louisiana Purchase, but mostly it's about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  It's one of my favorite books of all time.  What an adventure!      The thing that I took away mostly from the book was how different men were back then.  Those guys truly had brass balls.       Anyway, if you like adventure and history I very highly recommend this book.

Good to know you're doing better. And that's a beautiful story.

Just started the John Silence stories by Algernon Blackwood. One of the first occult detectives.

Hold on a god damn second. Slyngorm, your profile picture is Twig from the Edge Chronicles. Have I... have I finally found another Edge Chronicles fan?

You have, my friend. And I am equally glad that I found you.
This one is my favorite.

---

I have to say, Beyond the Deepwoods, being the first one I read and the most nostalgic for me, is my favourite but The Curse of the Gloamglozer is also one of my favourites. I read through the entire series again a few years ago and the whole time I was worried it wouldn't be as good as when I read them as a kid. No need to worry, still fantastic series. The only other person I know who's read them and loved them is my sister. I'm actually considering getting an Edge Chronicles tattoo at some point I'm that much of a fan :D

I loved LotSP because the entire arc where they first make their skycrafts and then fly them through the deepwoods feels so free. It is my favourite part of any book ever. I also enjoyed the Twig saga but I had some kind of disdain for Quint. He felt too perfect but the setting of CotG certainly was mysterious and I understand your enthusiasm. 

Have you read the Cade saga? It is the very final ending to the series and they reveal the entire secret behind the edge so to say.  ::)

I like the Edge Chronicles too, brilliantly creative  :)

A third one!?
The most awesome community has the highest concentration of the most awesome book series.

---

Slyngorm wrote on Mar 9^th, 2021 at 5:07am:

Have you read the Cade saga?

Only The Nameless One. Haven't got the other two yet.


JudoP wrote on Mar 9^th, 2021 at 7:21am:

I like the Edge Chronicles too, brilliantly creative  :)

Another one!? Damn I should have brought them up earlier.

Slyngorm wrote on Feb 2^nd, 2021 at 8:03am:

Just finished the 5 first Conan novels. So far I am quite intrigued and I can definitely understand how he has slipped into the general pop culture along the lines of Frankenstein and Star Wars. The setting especially were fascinating, with ancient cities already ancient in ancient times, even more ancient civilisations and separate lineages of people descendent from apes. And of course the little nods towards real historic entities. I have got to read some more some day.

REH basically created the modern heroic fantasy genre.
One of my all time favourite authors and poets.

Always thought if I got a time machine I'd go back and stop him committing suicide.
The guy was really just hitting his stride when he killed himself. 

The later stuff set in the west was just genius.

Other ways he's influenced modern literature.
Take the jack reacher series - reacher is basically the modern conan.
Loner who's just so hard he can go anywhee and do anything without worrying about other people.

Along with peter o'donnell, Robert Ervin Howard is probably one of the most underrated authors of all time.

Don't bother with the posthumous conan books. Just trash.

Thanks for the tips! I have to get around to read more of him.

Archaic Egypt by Walter B. Emery.

Ancient history, especially the even more ancient parts, is a subject that lacks good dokumentation on the web and the two first dynasties of Egypt are no different. Luckily this book is very informative on all aspects of Egypt and features many well made illustrations.

Its use of the term “master race theory” is a testament to the time at which it was written (1961). Partially because such term would probably be worded differently today, and partially because this theory (which postulates that Egypt was unified by an invading peoples which then mixed into the native populace) is discredited in the present day.

Just finished "Time of Contempt" it's the second novel (4th book in the series, the first 2 books are collections of short stories) in the Witcher universe. I'm thoroughly enjoying them. The first short story is shakey but they get better and better.

   I just finished The Complete Siberian Husky by Lorna B. Demidoff and Michael Jennings.  It was written in 1978 but a Husky in 1978 isn't any different from a Husky in 2021.  The book was left laying around my groomer's salon for ages so she gave it to me.
    The first part covers the history of the Siberian and how Stalin and the Russians almost destroyed the breed.  That was reasonably interesting. 
     The middle of the book is about the various bloodlines and such.  It's a  lot of names of dogs and breeders, dates, and places.  It's meticulously researched and very well done but unless you're a professional breeder it's mind numbingly boring.  I read some of it but eventually gave up and skipped a significant portion. 
     The end covers training.  Some of the methods are a little dated but basically it was spot on.  And this part got into the personality of the Husky, which could try the patience of a saint. 
    All in all it's a pretty good book, especially if you love the breed.

ratman A friend of ours used to breed siberian huskies for sled pulloing and showing.
They started in germany and continued when they moved back to england. #At one point mick was the number three musher in europe.

So we'd be looking late 70's to late 80's/early 90's

I have no clue what her kennel name was - but 'Bambi' sired so many succesful dogs, he should be in their somewhere.

Curious Aardvark wrote on May 11^th, 2021 at 4:10pm:

ratman A friend of ours used to breed siberian huskies for sled pulloing and showing. They started in germany and continued when they moved back to england. #At one point mick was the number three musher in europe. So we'd be looking late 70's to late 80's/early 90's I have no clue what her kennel name was - but 'Bambi' sired so many succesful dogs, he should be in their somewhere.

I'll go back and look.  Do you remember Mick's last name.

The Elder Edda. Tolkien used some of the story as a basis for LOTR.

I just read War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
The one book that got me into reading books. I like how Wells describes the Martians and their behaviours on occupied pieces of land and in battle, the military response of the UK and how they wanted to deal with the invaders...
I always disliked reading, because our school system made it look like a work instead of fun. And it is actually quite a struggle when you have to read a book you don't like or don't care about just because you need it to get a grade. I almost always failed the test we were given, because when I don't care about what I am reading then I don't remember poopy.

I might have to add some of the books mentioned to my reading list, but that list seems to grow much faster than I can finish books.

One that I read lately and liked was The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck. I tend to like his writing—one of my all time favorites is East of Eden. I remember being in a bit of a daze for the rest of the day after finishing it.

    Good to see you again, Et Cetera.

It's been a while since I last stopped by!

Has anyone read Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis? Someone recommended it to me, and although I'm not at all interested in the bond market in the 1980s, the writing is good enough to keep things moving. It's interesting how a good writer can make a seemingly boring topic interesting, and a poor writer can do the opposite...

War with the Newts by Karel Capek

Whoa. This is the best fiction book I have read in years. Felt like it adressed many modern issues even though it was written in 1936 and to adress completely other issues.

Slyngorm wrote on Jul 26^th, 2021 at 4:33pm:

War with the Newts by Karel Capek

I liked that one a lot myself. :thumb:

Just finished Pet Sematary by Stephen King, was pretty chilling. Kinda expected something a bit more campy with zombie pets, but it's pretty grim with a lot of stuff around death in the family. Some of it is a bit cliche today, but it was written ~35 years ago.

King himself said it's the book that most scared him out of his whole collection.

   Right now I'm reading The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose.  It's a WWII book written from the perspective of six different servicemen in the various branches.  I'm just a few chapters in but it seems like a very good book. 

I'm almost done with The Lies of Locke Lamora.  This is the first book in the Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynche.  I'm not to the end yet, but if anyone is a fan of fantasy or stories about thieves, I recommend it.

Last week I brought and started reading a translation of the Nihon Shoki in modern Japanese. The original is published in 720 and is nearly incomprehensible to modern Japanese speakers. I’m currently still stuck on the first chapter, on the creation myth of Japan.

Quote:

the Gentleman Bastards series

with a name like that - I need to see if i can track them down :thumb:

Currently on the last book I have in my big mobi collection of the Anja creed books.

These are quite weird, in that they were all written by a wide variety of ghost authors.
So some are really good, some are utter crap and there is zero charadter evolution as each author seems to have been given carte blanche to ignore everything that's gone before.

Anja is basically an american lara croft with a 'magic' sword.

Most of them are quite good. I have about 18 or so out of 60 odd that were published.

They are light reading and don't require any thought on my part.

After 18 in a row I'm ready for a solid evolving series :-)

Speaking of which I think there is a harry dresden novel i haven't read yet.
And I've only read book 1 of the aeronaut series by the same author
Hmm. at least i think I've read it - looks like he hasn't written any others yet.
Hmm that came out 6 years ago.
Me thinks his publishers are not happy bunnies.

Anyway I;m off to try and acquire 16&17 in the dresden series :-)

Ooh, lookjs like there's two dresden books !

If you're looking for a solid developing series I'll plug Joe Abercrombie's "The first law" trilogy. If "the thinking man's barbarian" appeals to you you might enjoy it.
The original trilogy is great but the other ones he's written in the series have been lackluster.

Sounds familiar.

The last two Dresden books were okay, but the author has a thing about punishing Dresden a bit more in each book.
And to be honest, it's not needed and has just got way out of hand.

Plus for the last few books Dresden's magical skill progression has been going backwards.

Given that the author seems to have ground to a halt on book production, gotta wonder if he's got to the point of having made enough money to live off for life and just can't be arsed to write any more.

Would be a shame, but honestly not sure I can take any more brutal treatment of Dresden.

I'll look up the Joe Abercrombie books. But the name is definitely familiar, pretty sure I've read the first law books.

I’m reading three. Killing Patton by Bill O’Reilly, The Art of Invisibility by Kevin Mitnick, and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

I want to contribute something of worth to this thread but am not reading anything substantial right now.

So I will give you a quote about reading that I learned from a inner city black dude who taught me a surprising amount about life. He said Josh, (which is weird because my name is Morphy) but he said "Josh, books are for suckas."

Now looking back on this post my intentions were initially good. I wanted to contribute something of value. I may have failed but the intention was there. Sorry for using the last 30 seconds of your life so badly.

Finished it years ago but Salammbo by Flaubert (besides being a very good book) features entire regiments Balearic slingers. Their mannerisms are described several times although they aren't the main focus of the book.

At some point Flaubert inadvertently  makes an (unfortunately) ingenious comparison between funditors and archers. A greek slave, who hasn't touched a bow in his life, practices with one for a few days. Then goes with a slinger to the city wall of Carthage and shoots a guard on the wall. Meanwhile he tells the slinger to stay put because "the whiz of the bullet" would alert the guard.


Read it here for free: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1290/1290-h/1290-h.htm#link2HCH0013

The Joy of Flint.
Clive Waddington.






[smiley=thumbsup.gif]

---

Does it contain instructions of how to make stone tools?

Sorry no it is an entirely academic treatise however.......


http://stoneagetools.co.uk/books-on-stone-age-tools.htm


And


https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312147848_The_Joy_of_Flint_An_Introduction_to_Stone_Tools_and_a_Guide_to_the_Museum_of_Antiquities_Collection



Cheers, enjoy.
Zud
[smiley=thumbsup.gif]

or

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?cm_sp=SearchF-_-topnav-_-Results&kn=flintknapping&sts=t


Cheers and good luck  xx

Morphy wrote on Oct 7^th, 2021 at 9:28am:

I want to contribute something of worth to this thread but am not reading anything substantial right now. So I will give you a quote about reading that I learned from a inner city black dude who taught me a surprising amount about life. He said Josh, (which is weird because my name is Morphy) but he said "Josh, books are for suckas." Now looking back on this post my intentions were initially good. I wanted to contribute something of value. I may have failed but the intention was there. Sorry for using the last 30 seconds of your life so badly.

Morphy,
I don't want to disturb you ( I am certain you are disturbed enough) but I think its time to put the kettle on.

Convince anyone you need cuppatea.

Take the Tea to a darkened room, sip it contemplatively, lay down,repeat untill you feel ready to join the real world.

Love and joy

Zud

[smiley=thumbsup.gif] [smiley=thumbsup.gif] [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

✓

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And I'm so sorry, I know how to resize a picture so it's megapixies are small enough to fit



But


Size in frame....still totally random 

:madmonkey:

Currently reading the first law series by joe abercrombie.
I have definitely read them before - but long enough ago that I can't remember any important plot points. So it's all good :-)

Excellent books. :thumb:

Good time to be had then ;D

I'm reading Air Guns by Wolff
it's one of the few history books about airguns and that's about its only positive. The writing leaves much to be desired but if you're interested in blowguns and airguns, it's a classic.

perpetualstudent wrote on Oct 19^th, 2021 at 9:59am:

Air Guns by Wolff

seems interesting does it have schematics and methods of making the airguns/pumps/air tanks?
if you like the mechanisms check out how the huben k1 works, the concept reminds me of the piston valve you see on a lot of homemade airguns but more complex.

Not nearly as much as you'd like but it documents the existence of them.  The closest it does is the mechanisms of ratchet spring guns that popped in the US during our civil war. Those type gallery guns were toys really, the best I've found on the early (powerful) pneumatic guns  is from forgotten weapons (https://youtu.be/sCoUWJHhDZ0). Interestingly Wolff mentions these type had some explosions, one theory is it wasn't the pressure itself but oil + pressure making a diesel like explosion. So he tested pressure on the globe ones with CO2 instead. I like the look of those airguns and with modern carbon fiber reinforced air tanks, you might be able to make a better version that uses that theoretically better container (the sphere).

Edit I'll have to look into that. I've been trying to see how they did it. I've looked at PCP for a while but haven't made the jump. Right now seeing what valves and methods has been what I've been searching for.

Since I'm near entirely self directed in my work these days (last year PhD now!) I've taken the time to read some productivity books and really review how I'm doing things.

Getting Things Done - David Allen
Atomic Habits - James Clear
Deep Work - Cal Newport

GTD has some nice ideas I've taken on board, though I think the system in it's totality is too much- I bleed too much time from my day and find myself faffing with todo lists and projects more than I need to. That said, my current setup is still pretty close to what is put forward in the book.

Atomic habits is a great book, very much changed my views on what shapes human behaviour and I've definitely adopted things from this. Since I read the book a few months ago I'm more or less kicked the habit of nail biting (a 20 year habit), I also run immediately on getting up at 7:30 most weekdays, which nearly guarantees I have a productive morning. I also do meditation, yoga/stretching and a little calesthetics every weekday morning to keep my body healthy and injury free. I credit most of that to the approaches I learned from the book.

Deep Work I read most recently. I don't think it is of the same quality as AH, nor is it as convincingly argued- though I think there really is something to gain in drastically increasing our focus and reducing distraction. I've been attempting to do this recently in my work, condensing my windows of concentration but also switching the internet and phone off to totally remove distraction. An underrated benefit is that being productive like that makes you happy. I call it the paradox of happiness: to be truly happy you have to make choices that make you unhappy (at least in the short-term), this means working solidly with no distraction at all!

Anyone else read productivity books?

Now I'm reading The Fear of Freedom by Erich Fromm good book


perpetualstudent wrote on Oct 19^th, 2021 at 12:02pm:

Interestingly Wolff mentions these type had some explosions, one theory is it wasn't the pressure itself but oil + pressure making a diesel like explosion. So he tested pressure on the globe ones with CO2 instead.

I guess when pumping? because when shooting pcps get colder(?) he should have tried air. no oxygen no reaction...
I've read somewhere that oil in springer airguns can burst and produce high velocity shoots


JudoP wrote on Oct 19^th, 2021 at 12:43pm:

Anyone else read productivity books?

I've listened to some huberman lab podcasts you might like it.

JudoP wrote on Oct 19^th, 2021 at 12:43pm:

Anyone else read productivity books?

Hearing you write about those ones is definitely peaking my interest. THis year (as I have gone into too much detail elsewhere) I have basically written off. I've been "on holiday" from work since March and, though in a lot of ways it has been incredibly necessary and has allowed me to recover from burnout, it has meant I have put on weight, gotten lazy and spend the whole day sat around not working on things I would actually want to work on. Going to the competition has helped relight some fire in me (and I got to see what I look like in a big hotel mirror and on video...) so some strategies in how to use and organise my time could be a good thing.

Note: I'm not completely hating the way I look for those concerned, and what I'm saying is in no way to make others feel bad. In a lot of ways, putting on weight has been a sign that my stress has been relieved and I'm doing better mentally. I now need to use that better mental health to get my body healthy in a more positive way than running around at work putting out fires and stressing myself to death.

This comment ended up way longer than it should have.

Sarosh wrote on Oct 19^th, 2021 at 4:33pm:

I guess when pumping? because when shooting pcps get colder(?)

Yep, during pumping because of the heat created in pressurizing while I believe you are correct you get mild cooling when depressurizing. Some insinuation that it was perhaps last minute rapid pumping. I read recently that even modern handpumps for PCP require rests. Pump a certain amount, leave to cool.


Sarosh wrote on Oct 19^th, 2021 at 4:33pm:

I've read somewhere that oil in springer airguns can burst and produce high velocity shoots

A yes "dieseling" pellets. I've heard putting oil or grease on the base of the pellet can get you that extra juice. There was one gun in the US that was designed for that but the ATF declared it a firearm and it was immediately killed.

Sarosh wrote on Oct 19^th, 2021 at 4:33pm:

I've listened to some huberman lab podcasts you might like it.

Interesting, I'll check them out.


Kick wrote on Oct 20^th, 2021 at 5:26am:

Hearing you write about those ones is definitely peaking my interest. THis year (as I have gone into too much detail elsewhere) I have basically written off. I've been "on holiday" from work since March and, though in a lot of ways it has been incredibly necessary and has allowed me to recover from burnout, it has meant I have put on weight, gotten lazy and spend the whole day sat around not working on things I would actually want to work on. Going to the competition has helped relight some fire in me (and I got to see what I look like in a big hotel mirror and on video...) so some strategies in how to use and organise my time could be a good thing. Note: I'm not completely hating the way I look for those concerned, and what I'm saying is in no way to make others feel bad. In a lot of ways, putting on weight has been a sign that my stress has been relieved and I'm doing better mentally. I now need to use that better mental health to get my body healthy in a more positive way than running around at work putting out fires and stressing myself to death. This comment ended up way longer than it should have.

I'm glad you are feeling better man, and I hear you on that stuff. Being a bit overweight doesn't have to be super negative, I've never been on board with fat positivity and all that, but your physical shape far from defines you, it's just something else to look after and balance with your work and other responsibilities.

Corona seems to have benefitted some people healthwise, but for me it's the opposite, working from home removes a bunch of my daily activity of just simply walking round etc, and also social sport activites and gym have been off the table this whole time. Although now Judo, football etc are coming back in, so I've gotta get back to doing some stuff like that. With the running I'm not super unfit, but I am the heaviest I've ever been now at 103kg, it's probably about 20kg more than when I'm in 'good' shape.

I would recommend Atomic Habits, first and foremost. AH is focused on hacking your behaviour and making positive life changes. It's no silver bullet of course but the approaches in the book allow you to effectively tip the balance towards making the right choices, which is often enough to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

JudoP wrote on Oct 21^st, 2021 at 6:48am:

I would recommend Atomic Habits, first and foremost. AH is focused on hacking your behaviour and making positive life changes. It's no silver bullet of course but the approaches in the book allow you to effectively tip the balance towards making the right choices, which is often enough to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Awesome, I'll chase it up.

Sorry about the book on Sir Thomas Beecham.
I wanted to know more about the man, not who the cheif bassoonist of the LSO was in 1923.
So, an error and only for musicologists.
PM me if you want it.
Cheers
Zud

*

---

Oh bugger, done it again. Reduced megapixies but not size.
Any suggestions  ?
Zud

JudoP wrote on Oct 19^th, 2021 at 12:43pm:

Anyone else read productivity books?

I've tried a few and generally been unimpressed. The most useful thing I've gleaned is that we are at our best when we voluntarily submit ourselves to rules. David Blaine (of all people) talked about this most explicitly but some folks looking at the importance of games to human life as well. You can also see similar things in stoic philosophy. Blaine talked about making a rule that is hard to follow and then following it as part of working himself up to some of his big stunts. Make and follow rules that you say "If I were to do this, I would be a better person". Don't immediately try to turn yourself into superman (you'll burn out really quickly) but submitting yourself to your own judgement instead of following impulse. For me the "give yourself a break" winds up important and I try to use a variant of the pomodoro technique. Balancing down time and work is important. Especially when I was trying to get out of grad school  ;D

My new rule is "sling every day". No max or min time just sling something every day. So far (two days) I've done it. but the weather is already freezing so I will need to move inside soon. Still working out where the best place is. There are indoor tennis courts nearby but I haven't had the chance to go over and explain what I need a court for. I feel that's better than booking a court and then taking them by surprise and getting chucked out and banned. Of course, that's the over the top worst case scenario, but it does need to be considered.

And on the book "knife"

Oh dear, the author maybe a craftsman but has bitten off more than he can chew.
To be avoided .

A new book I recently started is “American Marxism,” by Mark Levin. It talks about how marxism is taking over the United States, how BLM and Antifa are Marxist groups, and that a majority of “progressives,” “Democratic Socialists,” and “social activists” are marxists. It is a pretty interesting book so far and I highly recommend reading it. Mark Levin’s other book “Rediscovering Americanism and the Tyranny of Progressivism” is also a good book.

A reactionary by any chance ? 

Does he suggest the NHS is a Marxist organisation ?

Cheers  😁

I still find it really bizarre how political spectrums differ around the world. For most of Europe, the American Democrats are at least centre if not right  leaning.

Dont do it guys. Politics will ruin this thread. Learn from my example and change your ways before its too late.

@Zud: I don’t know I didn’t get too far in the book yet I’m only at chapter two

Morphy wrote on Oct 24^th, 2021 at 8:42am:

Dont do it guys. Politics will ruin this thread. Learn from my example and change your ways before its too late.

It would also help if people stop bringing it up all the time.

@judop

One quick read you might like is Self Discipline by Ryan James. I read it an online library I wouldn't pay more than 5 bucks. It's quick but some decent ideas that might be up your alley. Nothing hugely novel but possibly useful.

If you want a political book that won't make waves Kissinger's World Order is the best (and fastest) tour of world history and political order I've read. I started an audiobook of his Diplomacy and while I'm struck by his knowledge and intelligence I don't have the time to settle in and chew through it. Not with a crawling baby  ;D

Have to admit I don't read much non-fiction.

But one book i did read recently that was based on an act of sheer lunacy.
Gironimo!: Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gironimo-Riding-Very-Terrible-Italy/dp/0224100157/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tim+moore&qid=1635092818&sr=8-3

I have no interest in cycling. But a few years back this book was serialised on the radio - an abridged version.
And it was totally brilliant !
One of the funniest books I've read since sir terry passed on.

This idiot set out to ride the route of the worst bicycle race in recorded history. On an old bike from the period with wooden wheels and tubeless tires.
And 'brakes' made from wine bottle corks.

And the thing about riding up italian mountains, is that eventually you have to go back down again. with barely functuional brakes.
How he's still alive is anyones guess.

The audio series would appear to no longer be available and i bought a used paperback.

It's worth anything you pay, if you can find a copy - just brilliantly funny and totally insane. 

   I mentioned earlier that I was reading this.  I've come to the end now.  I found it to be meticulously documented and very well written. If you like this sort of war documentary this is probably one of the better ones you could read. 

---

Reading Rocket Mass Heaters. It's not as...distilled down to principles as I'd like.

I had hoped to make a earthen oven this year but my youngest ate up all that time. So next year I plan on making both an earthen oven for my wife to bake in and I will add a decent rocket stove to it as well.

Practical Programming for Strength Training 3rd Edition by Mark Rippetoe and Andy Baker. I've noticed that a lot of what's in the book can be applied to training for slinging. Great read if you want to learn how to effectively train for strength and power though one should read Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition before reading this one if that's the objective.

    I just started reading The Pioneers by David McCullough.  It's about the settling of the Ohio Valley in the late 1700s.  I can already tell it's an excellent book.

Finished Everyday Life in Babylon and Assyria by Goerges Contenau.
Well, I gotta admit that it was boring at times.
But also very informative and now I know Assyrians used slings in their military, that they didn't have specific times a day they ate their meals, how the Semitic Akkadians influenced Sumerian religion and that Mesopotamia was overall a REALLY horrible place to live.

Slyngorm wrote on Nov 10^th, 2021 at 3:30pm:

Mesopotamia was overall a REALLY horrible place to live.

why?

Their art, with few exceptions, was dedicated to the state bureaucracy and centred around the king, priests or gods with commoners being reduced to cogs working for their ruler. Their writings and sacred texts portrayed humans confused and unable to understand their cruel gods. At night, the streets of their cities were filled with demons. On humans were bestowed complex rules of purity in order to avoid sin. And in the afterlife most people could await nothing but dust and hunger.

In contrast, ancient Egypt often portrayed everyday families going about their agricultural duties. Their texts were filed with jokes. They awaited an afterlife either pleasant or non-existent. Egyptian society didn't rely to the same extend on slavery of the local populace.

interesting

Slyngorm wrote on Nov 11^th, 2021 at 2:34pm:

At night, the streets of their cities were filled with demons.

in what way? every night it's halloween? :P or curfew?

Sarosh wrote on Nov 11^th, 2021 at 3:21pm:

interesting Slyngorm wrote on Nov 11th, 2021 at 2:34pm: At night, the streets of their cities were filled with demons. in what way? every night it's halloween? :P or curfew?

Basically, they dared not leave their houses at night else they would risk possesion or attacks by demons.
So, a halloween curfew I guess.


Edit: to clarify a bit more: this was a superstition.

The Books of Henoch, if you want to learn about the real history of mankind and civilization and the future.

Reading a book WARFARE in the OLD TESTAMENT: The Organization, Weapons and Tactics of Ancient Near Eastern Armies by Boyd Seevers.

It gives a good general overview of the Judean, Egyptian, Philistine, Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian military forces (ie. weapons, armour, tactics etc.), with multiple references to the use of the sling. 

Easy to read and lots of illustrations.

Balearic3 wrote on Nov 12^th, 2021 at 2:32pm:

Reading a book WARFARE in the OLD TESTAMENT: The Organization, Weapons and Tactics of Ancient Near Eastern Armies by Boyd Seevers. It gives a good general overview of the Judean, Egyptian, Philistine, Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian military forces (ie. weapons, armour, tactics etc.), with multiple references to the use of the sling.  Easy to read and lots of illustrations.

Sounds very interesting.

Rat Man wrote on Nov 1^st, 2021 at 3:43pm:

I just started reading The Pioneers by David McCullough.  It's about the settling of the Ohio Valley in the late 1700s.  I can already tell it's an excellent book.

   I finished The Pioneers about a week ago.  It covered the settling of the Ohio Valley from the late 1700s into the Civil War.  It is a delightful book oozing with histoy; some of it you know, probably  most you don't.  It's a little sad in that in order to settle such a pristine paradise they had to drive off the natives then destroy it but it's still a very good book for anyone who enjoys history. 

The books I’m reading are 1973 Ford truck shop manuals and American Marxism by Mark Levin

I just started "Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales I'm only like 40 pages in but so far I'm really enjoying it.

I'm on the third book (The Republic of Thieves) in Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastard series.  I already mentioned the first book in this topic, but wanted to bring it up again because the second book (called Red Seas Under Red Skies) has a slinger in it!  It has pirates too, so it's lots of fun.  :D

The slinger is a very minor character in the book, and the slinging only comes up during a battle near the end.  Here's a short excerpt.  To set the scene, the group we're following is currently under arrow fire from an enemy ship.

To Locke's surprise, Gwillem suddenly stood up in the midst of all this and, with a placid look on his face, began to whirl a bullet overhand in the cradle of his sling.  As his arm went up he released one of the sling's cords, and a second later the bowman on the Sovereign's quarterdeck fell backward.

This series is far from my favorite of all time, but I am enjoying it a lot.  And it was nice to see a slinger pop up in the story.

At least they got it right that you have to let one cord go :D It still amazes me how often people don't pick up on that. Plenty of pictures of David and Goliath where the stone is in flight and both cords are still in hand...

currently on the second of a series by a canadian author.
violette malan.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dhulyn-Parno-Novels-One/dp/0756410460/ref=sr_1_2?crid=14O6PRURE1QXG&keywords=violette+malan&qid=1639753819&s=books&sprefix=violette+malan%2Cstripbooks%2C136&sr=1-2

The first one was very good.
About a couple of honourable mercenaries.

Just a random pick from my big folder of books on my nook.

recommemded :thumb:

   Approximately every ten years I like to reread The Complete Collection of H.P. Lovecraft.  I just bought it from Amazon Kindle for about five bucks.  I started reading it today.  What a marvelous writer he was. 
    Probably most of you seeing this have read his works already but if you haven't you're missing out on a treasure. 

I have a complete works for rudyard Kipling and Arthur Conan Doyle.

Conan Doyle wrote a bunch of stuff other than Sherlock Holmes.
I particularly like ' The white company'.
You should be able to get it from project Gutenberg. For free.

Some cool archery stuff in there.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/903

There you go :-)

PG is worth keeping on your bookmarks list, you'll be surprised exactly what is out of copyright.
All the hg wells and Jules Verne books, to name just two.
Great place to peruse :-)

   I find myself rereading a lot of stuff I read years ago.  I need a break from that.  Can someone recommend a good, new Science Fiction writer?  I like really weird stuff. 

Western sci-fi sadly ain't what it used to be. Fantasy has kind of taken up the mantle of asking questions about who we are in different situations. But Ken Liu did a translation of chinese sci-fi short stories, apparently their sci-fi market is booming. Makes me think that maybe only an ascendant power can write good sci-fi.

"Invisible planets : contemporary Chinese science fiction in translation" was fascinating, felt like a short story collection from the golden sci-fi age. There's a collection of his own short stories (not strictly sci-fi) which is quite good called "the paper menagerie and other stories"

That might scratch your itch.

Working through Moby Dick as my bedtime reading right now. I'm enjoying it. I had no idea that at the time of writing they were still arguing over whether whales were properly considered fish. They knew whales had lungs and were warmblooded but the argument that they should be considered as a "spouting fish" was still existent. Fascinating and amusing.

perpetualstudent wrote on Jan 17^th, 2022 at 7:09pm:

Western sci-fi sadly ain't what it used to be. Fantasy has kind of taken up the mantle of asking questions about who we are in different situations. But Ken Liu did a translation of chinese sci-fi short stories, apparently their sci-fi market is booming. Makes me think that maybe only an ascendant power can write good sci-fi. "Invisible planets : contemporary Chinese science fiction in translation" was fascinating, felt like a short story collection from the golden sci-fi age. There's a collection of his own short stories (not strictly sci-fi) which is quite good called "the paper menagerie and other stories" That might scratch your itch.

   Sounds like exactly what I was looking for.  Once I get through Lovecraft I'll check it out.  Thanks.

For specifically Weird fiction, I recommend The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories. It's got loads of writers from all over the world from across a wide range of time and there are some fantastic stories in it. I recommend it for everyone actually.

curently rereading The catechist trilogy by alan dean foster.

read it some years back, long nough to forget the fine details.

Recommended.

One of my all time favourite books is his: Sentenced to prism.
Technically it's set in the humanx universe, but totally stand alone novel.

Sticking with mr dean-foster: The icerigger trilogy is just superb !

I need to track down the 2nd and third as I've currently only got the first of the books on my nook.

Like terry pratchett, many of alan dean fosters books are better the second third or even fourth time round.

I have no clue how many times I've read 'guards guards !'
I figure I'm into double figures by now.

Sometimes if you've read a 'heavy' book or something truly awful - like novelisation of a video game (avoid the assasin novelisations) you just want something guarenteed to be good.
Something you've read before is often the best way to go :-)

@kick: is there an author index in 'The Weird' ?
Curious if there's anyone in it, I know from the small press scene in the 80s and 90s.

The amazon excerpt just goes straight to the first story. No index :-(

Kick wrote on Jan 19^th, 2022 at 12:57pm:

For specifically Weird fiction, I recommend The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories. It's got loads of writers from all over the world from across a wide range of time and there are some fantastic stories in it. I recommend it for everyone actually.

   I'm pretty sure I read this a long time ago.  I remember very little so I could read it again.  It might even be buried somewhere deep in my library. 


Who are the authors in the weird?
The Weird features 110 stories by an all-star cast, from literary legends to international bestsellers to Booker Prize winners: including William Gibson, George R. R. Martin, Stephen King, Angela Carter, Kelly Link, Franz Kafka, China Miéville, Clive Barker, Haruki Murakami, M. R. James, Neil Gaiman, Mervyn Peake, and Michael Chabon.

Just finished the letters of seneca, skimming through the bread ovens of quebec right now. Planning on making an earthen oven this spring to experiment with. I am also thinking about next to it building a firebrick rocket stove so I can bake and cook using the dead wood around me.

I know there are  lot of well known authors in the weird.
But I want an exact list of ALL the authors.

There were a lot of us writing speculative and horror fiction in the 80s and early 90s. Before the internet pretty much killed small press fiction magazines.

I wrote for a few magazines, and knew most of the other publishers and authors.

Just curious if any of them got entries into this anthology.

I wrote a couple of stories with a guy called paul pinn - that made a few anthologies.
There were some of the guys who persisted at it and made names for themselves. 

Just curious if any are in this :-)

I just got done with: The Bankruptcy of Our Nation by: Jerry Robinson

Its a very interesting book.

just finished "santa claus a Biography" by Gerry Bowler

It was quick, it was fun, it was interesting. He obviously was deeply read across centuries. It was clearly his take rather than a carefully built argument but his knowledge is impressive enough that it didn't bother me.

Reading "Operation Mincemeat", for the sake of my father, before we watch the movie. It describes a really cool intelligence operation during the WW2.
It has that "describe every single personal quality of every single individual involved" writing style, which I love.

Update: saw the movie.
It was ok. Bit too long but enjoyable. Not a need to see though.

Finished Return of the King recently.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeev am I glad I decided to do Lord of the Rings. Damn good series. Could tell that a lot of effort was put into this series.

I actually read the Hobbit years ago, started the first LOTR book and dropped it because it was too long compared to the movie. Now I can't understand why I ever felt like that. Have heard many people say that but now I consider it a leap of maturity to enjoy the books.