@Tfmonkey What books are you guys reading right now? Do you have a goal for books read this year? I am really into cycling so I am reading a book about a famous cyclist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Break-Steve-Cummings/dp/1838953914
@VeganBob @Tfmonkey - I drive for a living... so it's audiobooks for me. I'm listening to the series: "A History of the English Speaking Peoples" by Winston Churchill. It's good times.
But I like the earlier history better than the recent stuff. All the minutia builds up, and gets a little snoozy at times - which is bad for business.
@VeganBob @Tfmonkey - Aw, thanks homey. 🫡🍻
I like Graham Hancock's books - the archeological journalism, but not so much the novels. The archeological ones are a little out there, a little bit "woo", but it's refreshing to hear an alternative view of human development.
Giles Kristian wrote a couple of excellent adventure series set in the Viking age. Just rollicking and epic coming-of-age and vengeance stories.
Mary Stewart has a great series centered on Merlin, of Arthurian lore.
@VeganBob @Tfmonkey - Alice in Wonderland is also an excellent read. Lewis Carroll's mathematician background shines through, in an engaging manner.
And everyone loves Chronicles of Narnia, for good reason.
For podcasts, Dan Carlin's "Hardcore History" is an excellent choice.
I also found 1491 an enlightening read (about pre-Columbian America).
For psychology, Stephen Pinker is as blue-pilled as hell... but his books do offer some fascinating insights into cognition, and human development.
@YoMomz @Tfmonkey books his and economics Thomas Sowell. He crushes Steven Pinkers Blanket Sheet of paper nonsense. I really enjoy his books as you learn a completely different history of the US. Black culture comes from white southern also like Niall Ferguson he is more center right but lately his is too blue billed. He made lots of documentaries for PBS. I just read little bit of everything. Sometimes I read self help other times I read astrophysics. Thinking Fast and Slow is good too.
@VeganBob @Tfmonkey - Surprisingly, in "The Blank Slate", Pinker makes the case for the opposite - That much of human psychological and cognitive traits are inborn.
Of course, Pinker is also the guy who once said 'Females are nonviolent', so clearly, his head is at least partially up his ass... (or simply inexperienced) 🙄
But I find he's a great source for hard data (Well, as hard as can be found in such a soft science anyway). But yeah, I largely disregard his broad societal recommendations.
@YoMomz @Tfmonkey Libby is the shit they have thousands of books to ride for free through your library. I have never paid for a book. Read all of Gladwells books, Tons of Brian Tracys books, Never Split the Difference, Lots of books from Hawkings, etc. You should use Goodreads to keep track of the books you have read. It is social media for readers really cool. I would send you my link but it would Dox me and TFM would get me since he is pissed at me
@VeganBob @Tfmonkey - I also really like non-fiction history. Nowadays though, most contemporary historians are trying to make a hard science of it. And the result has been, that it's largely unreadable. The field is a dry stack of minutia anymore - missing the forest for the trees. But Lars Brownworth has a couple books that are well done.
If you prefer the classics, I can't recommend Moby Dick highly enough. It's a thick book, but very readable.