What is PCF reading? (1 Viewer)

jbutler

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We got TV and movies and music, so why not this, right?

I read a lot and have a giant backlog of stuff to get to, but still find myself sidetracked by new things rather than cleaning out the shelf I've delayed tackling. So I guess feel free to add to the new things that are delaying my working through the backlog. :)

The last few quality things I've read:

Missoula by Jon Krakauer. (Book) Definitely in my top five living non-fiction writers, but I was not a huge fan of his most recent book (Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman). This was better than the Tillman book, but still not on the level with his best work imo. It's about sexual assault on the University of Montana campus in Missoula. It doesn't target UM as the problem among institutions of higher education. It's made clear that he's focusing on the campus because it's very near the average in terms of sexual assault statistics. But it's instructive nonetheless to see how criminal law and university discipline systems interact in the context. Worth a read if you're interested in the topic.

The Untold Story of Silk Road by Joshuah Bearman and Tomer Hanuka in Wired (part 1, part 2). (Longform Magazine) I followed this story very, very loosely as it was developing, but this massive piece puts it into extremely good perspective. If you know nothing, I don't want to spoil it for you. If you're at all interested in how a really bright and initially well-meaning kid created an underground black market on the web, just go check it out. it's long, but you'll know within the first five minutes or so of reading whether you'll like it. Very highly recommended.

Columbine by Dave Cullen. (Book) The long, clinical view of exactly what we know for certain about the Columbine incident. I got interested after rewatching the Dirties recently and if you're at all curious to know more fully what went on prior to, during, and after the incident, it's probably the only thing you need to pick up. There was certainly a lot of misinformation spread about the perpetrators and the community during the media coverage and naturally, there were not a lot of corrections made after the fact, so most people are left with what they learned initially.
 
solid thread sir.

I used to read all the damn time. The last few years not so so much. When I did read, it was usually non-fiction. When I read I want to get completely immersed in the subject matter and for about life for a bit.

My son on the other hand. Has always preferred non fiction/education books. This goes way back to kindergarten.

I will follow this thread with anticipation of finding something new to read.

sci-fi, action, drama, some "based" on true story's, ect......

I love a good science fiction book. They can be tough to come by.

First book that I read outside of being forced to read was Robert Ludlum's "Bourne Identity". Just picked it up on a whim. I absolutely loved it.

slightly off topic, my bad
 
skimming though Jason Ellis' book 'The awesome guide to life: get fit, get laid, get your shit together'

"In the same inimitable, uncensored, and hilarious style that has made him one of the most popular voices on satellite radio, Jason Ellis unleashes his no-holds-barred words of advice on diet and exercise, cultivating your signature look, partying, getting laid, maintaining a relationship-and more!
Maybe-like Jason Ellis-you want to have sex with multiple partners and then talk about it on the radio while wearing cheetah pants . . .
Or maybe you have some goals of your own. Whatever the case may be, Jason believes it's all about getting off your ass and maximizing the opportunities that life has to offer. It's about remembering that you are alive, right now, and that won't always be the case. So do something. Anything. Enjoy the ride. Go outside and get naked.

Jason can tell you how to handle every situation life throws at you and play it like a champ: how to look, how to act, how to pick up a stripper-you name it.
But that's just for starters. Jason believes that to get what you really want out of life, you have to have confidence. And true confidence is something you have to earn, by deciding what you want from life and then pursuing your passion until you make your dreams a reality.

This book will show you how to develop the positive attitude that will allow you to truly make things happen."

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I drive a lot for work so I listen to his Sirius show every day and its pretty funny so I gave the book a go. meh... not bad but a pretty shallow read obviously.
Going to dive back into Harrington on Cash games vol 1 and 2 again soon. Need a refresher
 
I love a good science fiction book. They can be tough to come by.

i came to sci-fi late in life, so i'm still working through the classics. the one "recent" (2005) hard sci-fi book that i loved was john scalzi's Old Man's War. an easy read and an interesting concept which you can derive from the description on amazon.
 
I love to read. Anything at all, as long as the topic is interesting. It's a great escape from a stressful job. Lately, I've been reading the Walking Dead books, Patterson's ZOO (soon to be on tv) and, as I've always been fascinated with the business side of pro wrestling, a great analysis of the birth and growth of what is now known as WWE - Capitol Revolution.
 
Almost always sci-fi for me.

Currently reading Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, his latest.

I also bought the first book in The Pines series. Fox has just turned it into a TV mystery/thriller called Wayward Pines. It was too cheap to pass up via Kindle, only $1.99 I think I paid.
 
The two books I finished yesterday were "What's Your Poo Telling You?" and "Texts from Dog, Vol. 2". Both kept me on tenterhooks until the very end.
 
My collection:

Kh3DtjL.jpg


Full disclaimer The Rock Autobiography is not mine... it is my wife's...

Last read (recommended to me by our very own Jose Rijo):

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Much like poker, eveyone is worse than they think they are when they get behind the wheel. Plug your leaks!
 
Almost always sci-fi for me.

Currently reading Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, his latest.

Awesome! He is one of my favorites but I'm a couple of books behind. The last one of his I read was Anathem. How is the new one?

If you are looking for something new try Armor by John Steakley or Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds.

I just finished The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin. Before that was the Scar by China Mieville.
 
Love Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time), Terry Goodkind (Sword of Truth), Stephen King and Douglas Adams... currently reading The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy for roughly the 85th time (literally).
 
Field of Prey by John Sandford (http://www.johnsandford.org/). I have all read all of his books (the Kidd novels, the Prey series, and the Virgil Flowers series). I find them really well done. It does help to read them in order to understand the motivations of some of the characters.
 
Field of Prey by John Sandford (http://www.johnsandford.org/). I have all read all of his books (the Kidd novels, the Prey series, and the Virgil Flowers series). I find them really well done. It does help to read them in order to understand the motivations of some of the characters.

Agreed. I love Sanford's writing. He's high on my list of favorite fiction authors:

Michael Connelly
John Sandford
Robert Crais
Robert B. Parker
Lawrence Block
Donna Leon
Christopher Moore
Thomas Perry
Tim Dorsey
Bill Fitzhugh
Tim Cockey
Lee Child
Sue Grafton
Janet Evanovich
Carl Hiaasen
John Dunning
Donald Westlake
Elmore Leonard
Ed McBain
John D. MacDonald (the only one I've memorialized on poker chips)
Ritchie Perry
Rex Stout
Sax Rohmer

Finding crime fiction authors who have somewhat believable characters and write above the eighth grade level is sometimes a problem, since I read 20+ books a month.

I also collect non-fiction books about tennis; the collections numbers around 1,000 books at the moment.

-- Larry
 
Not currently reading anything, but have been getting the itch again. I still have the latest Christopher Moore book to read (Sacre Bleu) and have been wanting to re-read the Night Watch books from the Discworld series ever since Sir PTerry died.

For those that haven't read any of the Discworld novels you are seriously missing out. IMO (and pretty much everyone else) he is one of the best satirists ever.

Also, I can't recommend The Kingkiller Chronicles (Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear with 3rd book to come) by Patrick Rothfuss enough. Some of the tightest writing I have ever read.
 
Haven't read anything in ages, but here's what I loved:

Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything (a very entertaining stroll through scientific discoveries)
Jon Krakauer - Into Thin Air (non-fiction account of a Mt. Everest expedition)
John Grisham - A Time to Kill
George R.R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire (Books 1 & 2, I read the books after the tv shows)
 
Judy Blume - Superfudge
The Stinky Cheeseman and other fairly stupid tales
Cloudy with a chance of meatballs
If you give a moose a muffin
 
Haven't read anything in ages, but here's what I loved:

Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything (a very entertaining stroll through scientific discoveries)

Excellent book! I've reread it 3 times! Might do it again!

Perhaps my favorite author is Patrick O'Brien- Post Captain, Master and Commander, etc.

His writing style (difficult at first) immerses you into the Age of Sail. The depth given to the characters is wonderful over the course of 23-24 volumes. Highly recommend but FORCE yourself through the first 3-4 chapters... it's worth it. Have to start with book one (post captain if I remember correctly).
 
Not currently reading anything, but have been getting the itch again. I still have the latest Christopher Moore book to read (Sacre Bleu)
.

Tommy, Sacre Bleu is three years old, but it is a terrific book. His latest, Serpent of Venice, was a bit lackluster, IMO.

and have been wanting to re-read the Night Watch books from the Discworld series ever since Sir PTerry died.

For those that haven't read any of the Discworld novels you are seriously missing out. IMO (and pretty much everyone else) he is one of the best satirists ever.

One of my two or three favorite authors ever, and both Thief of Time and Small Gods are in my all-time top ten.

Also, he's one of the few authors whose books written for teens are quite readable for adults.
 
My collection:

Last read (recommended to me by our very own Jose Rijo):

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Much like poker, eveyone is worse than they think they are when they get behind the wheel. Plug your leaks!

I have this book. Have had it for years. Haven't read it yet, despite the fact that Jose gives me shit for not prioritizing it...
 
I'm reading McCullough's "Wright Brothers". Great book. Remarkable what these 2 guys did with powered flight and really interesting when you think about how quickly modern flight advanced.

Also reading a book on Michael Jordan - somewhat better and more rounded than Jordan Rules (which is dated at this point). Guy was the fiercest competitor on the planet. I think it's called "Michael Jordan: The Life", but I forget the author's name.

Last one is Michael Lewis "Flash Boys". This book makes me want to hide money in gold bullion under my mattress, except it would invalidate my bed's warranty and would be incredibly lumpy.
 
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Awesome! He is one of my favorites but I'm a couple of books behind. The last one of his I read was Anathem. How is the new one?
I also just finished Seveneves. Very well done. Great premise and execution. Obvious set up for three books...I'm looking forward for the other two.
 
Awesome! He is one of my favorites but I'm a couple of books behind. The last one of his I read was Anathem. How is the new one?

If you are looking for something new try Armor by John Steakley or Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds.

I just finished The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin. Before that was the Scar by China Mieville.

I also just finished Seveneves. Very well done. Great premise and execution. Obvious set up for three books...I'm looking forward for the other two.

That's great to hear about Seveneves. I bought it before the holiday weekend and haven't had much time to dedicate to it but that should change next week.

Palindrome we seem to have similar tastes in sci-fi. I've actually read almost everything by Alistair Reynolds. :)

I would also highly recommend the Mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson. Excellent stuff. A very involved political and scientific story about the terraforming of Mars set in the very near future.
 
That's great to hear about Seveneves. I bought it before the holiday weekend and haven't had much time to dedicate to it but that should change next week.

Palindrome we seem to have similar tastes in sci-fi. I've actually read almost everything by Alistair Reynolds. :)

I would also highly recommend the Mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson. Excellent stuff. A very involved political and scientific story about the terraforming of Mars set in the very near future.

I have the first two books of the Mars trilogy in my "to be read" stack. I'm way behind as I never seem to have time to read anymore. I keep hearing good things about the Expanse series and Scalzi's Old Man's War books. Not enough time!

Sci-fi is my favorite by far. I'm always looking for other recommendations as that is how I discovered most of my of the authors I like. Iain M Banks would probably be to your liking and William Gibson's stuff is classic. Well known stuff though, so probably on your radar.
 
Currently reading Old Mars anthology.

Only just started reading scifi so starting slow with short stories.
 

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