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Double Bass DB forum "what books are you reading" thread

#501
BobbyT said:
Working on a collection of some of Hemingway’s lesser known short stories that was a holiday gift. So far it’s basically, “how many different ways can a person die while on a safari, hunting, etc.”

Recently finished The Quiet American by Graham Greene—dark but poignant, and although it’s fiction I found it interesting because I really wasn’t familiar with the setting—Vietnam during the end of the French colonial era before the US got heavily involved.
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I’ll try and check out that Greene book. I’ve always been interested in that era of Southeast Asia. I read the bio on FDR’s last few months in office. One passage that stood out to me was when he was at the Potsdam conference, and the subject of Vietnam came up. It was decided to let the French handle it.
Who knows what would of happened with a proactive approach.

P.S. I love to read, but there’s some heavy tomes on this thread!
 
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#502
This is one of my favorite TB threads. Most of my reading is from esoteric immunology journal articles but I need to read a little everynight or my brain won't shut down. I prefer fiction and have found a couple of good suggestions here: I read Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson thanks to a suggestion here and it was one of the best books that I've read in a long time. Because of this I read Gilead, which was quite good but nowhere near as great as Housekeeping. I just finished a book by Susanna Clarke called Piranesi and was blown away. If you like fantastic, almost surreal fiction, this one is a great read. I am currently reading another one of hers called Mr. Norrell and Jonathan Strange and am enjoying it>
 
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#503
I've always thought GG's Our Man in Havana quite amusing. Many of his books are set in "colonial" settings - Africa, Haiti... I really liked The Heart of the Matter. And Brighton Rock. My least favorite is The Power and the Glory - which many praise.
 
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#504
Late to this thread but here are a couple I've recently read:
'Innumeracy' by John Allen Paulos (a very important book for this generation)
'The Power of Habit' by Charles Duhigg (a real eye-opener about how the brain works)
'Simplicity' by Fr. Richard Rohr (refreshing)
'The Myth of a Christian Nation' by Greg Boyd (a good book to revisit in post-DT America)

Not finished yet:
'A Promised Land' by Barack Obama (Interesting, but its so looooong!!!)
'Invisible Man' by Ralph Ellison (audiobook masterfully narrated by actor, Joe Morton)

My daughter tells me I read too much heavy stuff. Apparently, I need to read some fiction so...
'The Terminal List' by Jack Carr (didn't require much thought. Mission accomplished)
'Salems Lot' by Stephen King (vampires!)
 
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#506
tb-player said:
Late to this thread but here are a couple I've recently read:
'Innumeracy' by John Allen Paulos (a very important book for this generation)
'The Power of Habit' by Charles Duhigg (a real eye-opener about how the brain works)
'Simplicity' by Fr. Richard Rohr (refreshing)
'The Myth of a Christian Nation' by Greg Boyd (a good book to revisit in post-DT America)

Not finished yet:
'A Promised Land' by Barack Obama (Interesting, but its so looooong!!!)
'Invisible Man' by Ralph Ellison (audiobook masterfully narrated by actor, Joe Morton)

My daughter tells me I read too much heavy stuff. Apparently, I need to read some fiction so...
'The Terminal List' by Jack Carr (didn't require much thought. Mission accomplished)
'Salems Lot' by Stephen King (vampires!)
Click to expand...

If you enjoyed Richard Rohr, check out his website cac.org — tons of great free stuff on there.
 
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#507
91v+zWpH5oL.jpg



I'm not far into it, but I believe this will be helpful. I wish I would've delved into this kind of book decades ago.
 
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#509
Currently reading the following:

EE0F4420-411A-4569-A576-D2D9D623787D.jpeg

I first tried reading The Rest is Noise when I’d received it as a Christmas present back in my mid/late 20s. This was before I’d gone back to school to study classical double bass (and all the experience before and after), so I didn’t make it too far back then due it having gone a bit over my head. I’m reading it with new eyes now and am digging it and then some. Quite illuminating stuff, if I may say so.

CB2BAF07-506E-4A43-A896-516C01BD1974.jpeg

I’m a sucker for detective stories, though mostly limited to stuff by Dashiell Hammett and some Raymond Chandler. I only heard of of Le Carre after he’s passed, but I knew I had to check him out. This book is on a whole other level. Le Carre is an incredible writer, plus he was a secret service spy himself, so this novel has some deep ins and outs re: secret service and spies in the context of East vs West Germany, the former Soviet Union, etc.
 
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#510
Hurricane Jimmie said:
So Anyway, this book is by the editor of Skeptic magazine.
Some of the bass weirdness revealed:
  • The sticker on the Ric pick guard DOES change the tone.
  • Girls notice the Tort....and they dig it.
  • Peavey's aren't that heavy.
  • Your wife wants to hang out all day at GC with you.
  • That new pedal changes everything.
  • And you totally ripped that solo last night...too bad everybody went to the bar and missed it.
  • View attachment 4129883
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This book is wonderful and I wish it was part of middle or high school science curriculum.
 
#513
Phil Rowan said:
I’m a sucker for detective stories, though mostly limited to stuff by Dashiell Hammett and some Raymond Chandler. I only heard of of Le Carre after he’s passed, but I knew I had to check him out. This book is on a whole other level. Le Carre is an incredible writer, plus he was a secret service spy himself, so this novel has some deep ins and outs re: secret service and spies in the context of East vs West Germany, the former Soviet Union, etc.
Click to expand...

Hey Phil, have you ever read any Ross MacDonald? If you like Hammett and Chandler you might want to check him out, he’s really fantastic. Lew Archer is a direct descendant of the Continental Op, Sam Spade and especially Philip Marlowe, but MacDonald gives him his own unique style and personality. The Library of America has three volumes of his work, they’re a little expensive at $40 each but totally worth it. I’m halfway through the last volume and as much as I love Hammett and particularly Chandler, I have to say that MacDonald is the heaviest
 
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#514
Phil Rowan said:
Currently reading the following:

View attachment 4149427
I first tried reading The Rest is Noise when I’d received it as a Christmas present back in my mid/late 20s. This was before I’d gone back to school to study classical double bass (and all the experience before and after), so I didn’t make it too far back then due it having gone a bit over my head. I’m reading it with new eyes now and am digging it and then some. Quite illuminating stuff, if I may say so.

View attachment 4149428
I’m a sucker for detective stories, though mostly limited to stuff by Dashiell Hammett and some Raymond Chandler. I only heard of of Le Carre after he’s passed, but I knew I had to check him out. This book is on a whole other level. Le Carre is an incredible writer, plus he was a secret service spy himself, so this novel has some deep ins and outs re: secret service and spies in the context of East vs West Germany, the former Soviet Union, etc.
Click to expand...
If you like The Rest is Noise (I did too), that doesn't mean you'll like his Wagner book.
 
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#515
+1 for Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer books. I'm also a big fan of Richard Stark's (Donald Westlake) "Parker" series. The prose is as taut and bare-boned as fiction gets. Nothing remotely sentimental about Parker or the stories. The first book, "Hunter," has been made into a movie twice, titled "Point Blank." I also recommend Henning Mankell to anyone who will listen to me :) .

I'm currently reading this:

gregory_collage.jpg
 
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#518
This is a great thread! Lately I've been reading Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass (there's quite a bit to read in spite of all the great photographs), Barry Green's Fundamentals of Double Bass Playing, Greg Milne's Perfecting Sound Forever:An Aural History of Recorded Music and my free copy of TapeOp magazine! I keep Simandl I & II and Ray Brown's Bass Method on the table "on standby".
 
#520
Bisounourse said:
Oof... Good book, but I don't want to read it again (I'm afraid it will be less good than I remember).
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So far, so good. I read Crime and Punishment my first time about a year ago, and I plan to read it again someday.

You may not get the surprises you did the first time reading; but his writing style is so engaging, gripping, and timeless, I doubt you will be disappointed with a second read.
 
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