The Book Thread

[Jenni]

Rereading Extreme Ownership, How U.S. Navy SEALS Lead and Win. This is the only book on leadership that cites principles I've actually adopted. In additon to having illustrative business case studies, the war stories are awesome! Very engaging.

As an aside, Jocko Willink, one of the authors has favorably mentioned Starting Strength several times on his podcast (although he belongs to the "ass to grass" squatting school).

I just got that. He caught my eye on YT and something just said I'd do well to read it even though on the surface it feels like it's not applicable to me (40 something civilian widow).

I'm terrible about having 3 or 4 books going at once so I'm also reading Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond and it's not bad at all. It's interesting to see so much tied in to form cohesive theories that aren't quite so soaked with victimization but rather explores it all in terms of the differences in cultures that laid the path for each group's advancements or lack thereof. Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America by David Hackett Fischer which is a really neat history book that explores how the British settling America has affected our regional cultures right down to today. Also The Bourne Sanction by Ludlum just because I'm a sucker for the Jason Bourne stuff for some reason. There's no accounting for me, lol.

[JFord]

I just got that. He caught my eye on YT and something just said I'd do well to read it even though on the surface it feels like it's not applicable to me (40 something civilian widow).

Regarding Extreme Ownership, I've found it extremely practical and it's definitely made me a better leader at work. However, I also use the principles in my everyday life. Particularly with my daughter! Just the concept of "Extreme Ownership" the way they lay it out is incredibly useful. Also, check out the chapter on "Prioritize and Execute" as a model for how to respond to pressure in your own life.

Willink has mentioned applications of the book in everyday life many times on his podcast.

[Nick Delgadillo]

I just started reading 1774 by Mary Beth Norton. I wanted to read a book about the American Revolution that didn't revolve around specific battles or stuff that we all learn about in 3rd grade. Specifically, the political climate within the colonies and how a relatively small group was able to get this accomplished. The last couple of months have made it obvious that human nature is such that status quo, comfort, and not rocking the boat are the default. And the revolutionary war was one of the few, if only, American wars that resulted from a group of people disrupting "normalcy" in a way that would inevitably lead to armed conflict.

So far, the book delivers. Norton has done a good job, but I just started it.

If you want to read about a serious badass, I recommend Suprise, Kill, Vanish by Annie Jacobsen about the CIA Ground Teams. She follows Billy Waugh's career in some detail, but the book also brings up fascinating topics - the legal gymnastics necessary for the "Third Option" she discusses, the history and type of individual who work on the Ground Teams, and the implied question of whether it's more appropriate/ethical to kill individuals using a drone piloted by a 22 year old kid in Nevada or using a well trained assassin who is more than willing and able to do the job.

She also has interesting books on Area 51, DARPA, and Operation Paperclip. At the very least, they're entertaining as hell.

Last thing. Every person who uses the internet should read Permanent Record by Edward Snowden. This dude is a hero and it's a shame that neither president has protected him despite bullshit rhetoric about whistleblowers.

[Gerald Boggs]

I'm also reading Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond and it's not bad at all. It's interesting to see so much tied in to form cohesive theories that aren't quite so soaked with victimization but rather explores it all in terms of the differences in cultures that laid the path for each group's advancements or lack thereof.

While it was fun to read, I never cared for his attempt to explain why some of us have “Cargo” and others don't. He appeared to cherry pick factors to support his idea, while disregarding anything that didn't.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Finished "Tombstone". A good book that I highly recommend, but you will never be able to see either recent movie about Earp without rolling your eyes in disgust having heard the real story. Doc was a terrible shot and Ringo is believed to have shot himself in the head while suffering from his chronic depression. Speaking of depression, the author's follow on epilogue tracing the demise of the many people in Tombstone was a bit of a downer. So be warned in that respect.

Now re-reading Bowra's "The Greek Experience". A much better read some 40 years later, although the man did not understand that breaking walls of text into smaller paragraphs made for an easier read.

[J. Killmond]

“The Road To Serfdom” by Friedrich Hayek. A classic but unbelievably relevant for today.

The comic book version also available from the Mises Institute.

My fiction covers a wide range, excluding only Romances. Along with rereading the old reliables like Robert Heinlein and Louis L'amour, of late I've been reading the works of Larry Correia, John Ringo, Ben Aaronovich, John Scalzi, Jack Campbell and Martha Well, but only her Murderbot Diaries

As Instapundit has had many occasions to say lately: "But I don’t want to live in a John Ringo novel."

Louis L'Amour: Not an informed reader of his, but Last of the Breed is a Cold War classic. Love to hear recommendations . . .

Just about anything by Cornwell is a good read. Iggulden's series on the Wars of the Roses is excellent as well. With those two and things that ACTUALLY HAPPENED with REAL PEOPLE involved even with no dragons, who needs Game of Thrones?

Patrick O'Brian fans of the Aubrey-Maturin series probably would like Cornwell's Richard Sharpe books. They are also set in the Napoleonic era, but not quite as high-toned (intellectual or otherwise).

What I remember so vividly from reading it last year was that absolute hopelessness becomes the overriding theme. Orwell in fact offers hope all throughout, but then consistently snatches it away in every instance, and always so brutally and unexpectedly. He created a hellscape so vivid and impressive that the details of the entire novel are still fresh in my mind as I write this.

I re-read 1984's first line ". . . and the clocks were striking thirteen" and all the hopelessness came right back from when I read it in high school. I was not tempted to continue, although Orwell is great (I'll comment on a few earlier Orwell posts). For classic dystopian fiction, Animal Farm and Brave New World (both of which I read much later) were a less punishing than 1984.

Recently read Yevgeny Zamyatin's We (audiobook read by Grover Gardner). Lot of controversy about whether that book was an influence on Huxley.

[ltomo]

I just started reading 1774 by Mary Beth Norton. I wanted to read a book about the American Revolution that didn't revolve around specific battles or stuff that we all learn about in 3rd grade. Specifically, the political climate within the colonies and how a relatively small group was able to get this accomplished. The last couple of months have made it obvious that human nature is such that status quo, comfort, and not rocking the boat are the default. And the revolutionary war was one of the few, if only, American wars that resulted from a group of people disrupting "normalcy" in a way that would inevitably lead to armed conflict.

So far, the book delivers. Norton has done a good job, but I just started it.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll definitely check this out. The Revolutionary War is the US conflict I'm the least versed in (my dad is a huge Civil War buff, so I've got that in spades) but considering the current political climate it seems like it's a no-brainer to immerse myself this, since this is the direction the country looks like it's heading in.

While it was fun to read, I never cared for his attempt to explain why some of us have “Cargo” and others don't. He appeared to cherry pick factors to support his idea, while disregarding anything that didn't.

I read Diamond for a college class and I was really fascinated by it. Geography and natural resources are fundamentals that help for understanding why governments work the way they do. That being said, I've read some criticism that points out how Diamond over-simplifies what actually happened. He ignorss much of the "human" elements of history, like religion, and honor. That being said, the book tries to summarize human history in a few hundred pages, so cherry-picking is almost guaranteed.

On a similar note, has anyone read read Tragedy and Hope by Caroll Quigley? I'm only a few hundred pages in (~1300 total) but I'm completely engrossed. It's dry, but he really dives into all the factors that led to both World Wars and the current political and financial climate.

[Matt James]

Louis L'Amour: Not an informed reader of his, but Last of the Breed is a Cold War classic. Love to hear recommendations . . .
.

If I may interject: I read damn near everything the man wrote when I was younger, but I think the ones that really stand out are the bigger, historical fiction titles, including the one you mentioned. The Walking Drum, The Lonesome Gods, and Jubal Sackett are great. Haunted Mesa is a little out there, more sci fi, but also good. For his paperbacks, I think The Daybreakers is still my favorite.

[Jim Marlowe]

After I read Starting Strength I stumbled across a podcast where Rippetoe said he reads Heinlein. Made a lot of sense to me. It doesn't seem like many people read Heinlein these days. That's unfortunate. TANSTAAFL.

[Lost and Found]

Say Nothing - great book on "the troubles" in Ireland. Get the audiobook - narrator has think Irish accent - makes you feel like you are there.

Thanks. I'm enjoying this. The audiobook is very good. A reader/narrator can make or break a book.

I just finished American Buffalo by Steven Rinella. Excellent book. Part hunting, part wildlife biology, part American history.