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Double Bass DB forum "what books are you reading" thread
- Thread starter Chris Fitzgerald
- Start date
I’ve been reading “Restauración” by Ave Barrera for too long now. I find the language and the flow challenging and the story emotionally wrenching at times. When I finish, and I’m almost there, I’ll probably start over to see what I missed the first time through. In the process I started “The 1619 Project”, read a few chapters and realized I’d never finish before the loan expired, and “Inés del alma mía” by Isabelle Allende, which I recently found in great shape at Goodwill!!
Other recent books I’ve read : “After the winter”, “La hija única” and “El cuerpo en que nací” by Guadalupe Nettel, “Das Parfum” by Patrick Suskind, “Was uns erinnern lässt” by Kati Neumann, “100 years of solitude” by Gabriel García Marquez, and “The madness of crowds” by Louise Penny (spousal recommendation)
I used to be a big non-fiction reader, but it’s been a while since the last ones, which I believe were “How everything became war and the military became everything” and “El norte”. The former I bought after a bookTV broadcast, but it is repetitious, like a collection of essays, and the latter I bought after reading a library book, with the intention of rereading.
You guys are doing a lot of heavy reading and in a lot of directions. Glad to see you are keeping your brain muscles fit!
I started playing the bass guitar again about 3 months ago and my reading has slowed down a bit. I’ve also been rereading MI’s Harmony & Theory, but this seems a bit OT on this thread.
Other recent books I’ve read : “After the winter”, “La hija única” and “El cuerpo en que nací” by Guadalupe Nettel, “Das Parfum” by Patrick Suskind, “Was uns erinnern lässt” by Kati Neumann, “100 years of solitude” by Gabriel García Marquez, and “The madness of crowds” by Louise Penny (spousal recommendation)
I used to be a big non-fiction reader, but it’s been a while since the last ones, which I believe were “How everything became war and the military became everything” and “El norte”. The former I bought after a bookTV broadcast, but it is repetitious, like a collection of essays, and the latter I bought after reading a library book, with the intention of rereading.
You guys are doing a lot of heavy reading and in a lot of directions. Glad to see you are keeping your brain muscles fit!
I started playing the bass guitar again about 3 months ago and my reading has slowed down a bit. I’ve also been rereading MI’s Harmony & Theory, but this seems a bit OT on this thread.
I have always loved short stories, so my reading consists almost exclusively of the New Yorker magazine. It's got a short story in it every week, lots of other stuff, and quality of the writing is superb.
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Just finished this; a crazy description of how powerful one number has been throughout history...
Haha, this thread makes me feel like such a dunce, and I love it! I used to read a ton in my youth (nonstop) when I was anxious to prove to everyone that I was "real smart". Now that I've settled down and have nothing to prove to myself or anyone else, my heart gravitates towards comic books and repair manuals, lol. You can only read so many books on "spirituality" before you realize they're akin to trying to learn to play music by reading internet forums, lol (I jest, I jest)... I'm reading Hellboy right now, and it's pretty wonderful...
Reading doesn't make you smart, playing music does!
One of the smartest people I knew growing up dedicated himself to comic publishing. He was an excellent guitar player as well. Comics aren't my thing, but I know they also cover serious topics and can expand one's horizons.
Just amazon’d both of these... Just what the doc ordered — Proof positive of a conscious universe that loves me and wants me to be happy, lol.
@zootsaxes The Burkeman book will become a touchstone book for me (i.e. one I will reread every few years when my addled memory has forgotten enough of it; I have a short list of books like this). It is an especially good audiobook, as his voice is pleasant and he gets the meaning across.
I don't know what Memphis is like, but here in the 'Ville we have a pretty good public library that really upped its game during the pandemic. You can check out books online, including audiobooks, and really save a lot of $$$ that way.
I've been really into audiobooks lately and listen while exercising, taking a leisurely bike ride, cooking, working in the garden, cleaning the house, etc. I'm not a believer in multitasking, but some activities require so little brain bandwidth (see above) that I think it's ok to listen while performing those activities without diminishing anything.
I don't know what Memphis is like, but here in the 'Ville we have a pretty good public library that really upped its game during the pandemic. You can check out books online, including audiobooks, and really save a lot of $$$ that way.
I've been really into audiobooks lately and listen while exercising, taking a leisurely bike ride, cooking, working in the garden, cleaning the house, etc. I'm not a believer in multitasking, but some activities require so little brain bandwidth (see above) that I think it's ok to listen while performing those activities without diminishing anything.
Yeah, I hate to put money into Bezos’ pocket as much as the next guy, but I’m a sucker for this e-ink kindle joker. Thanks again for the recommendation, really looking forward to them.
Ah. Our library uses an app called Overdrive to deliver the content. I read on the iPad, but my wife has a Kindle and reports that she downloads library books all the time. She says she has to download them on her laptop first and then loads them to the kindle from there, but that it's a pretty easy process.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
After reading Atomic Habits, I am now reading Tiny Habits.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
We use the Libby app to borrow books from our local library.
Oh man, library books on the little e-ink kindle is a game changer - looking into it now!
If anyone interested in losing friends and alienating people check out this one:
it’s amazing how combative people get when you suggest that their electronic devices are lending to their anxiety. They assume you’re some sort tinfoil hat nut-bar or conspiracy theorist….
If anyone interested in losing friends and alienating people check out this one:
it’s amazing how combative people get when you suggest that their electronic devices are lending to their anxiety. They assume you’re some sort tinfoil hat nut-bar or conspiracy theorist….
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Great book - really helps put things into perspective. Should be required reading in high school.
Must have been an unconscious decision.
I read his "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" years ago. I can't remember that much about the book except that I enjoyed it (it is still on my shelf) and walked away with a much better understanding of evolution. I often hear evolution covered media and cringe how they refer to evolution as an active reaction to stimuli and not as the elimination of those animals in a population that just don't have what it takes to keep themselves in the gene pool. Diversity is the enabler of evolution.
As I recall, a lot of the book was above my pay grade, but it is a good book that leaves something concrete behind.
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Hi Chris, I saw this post and it reminded me I had The Power of Habit sitting unread on my bookshelf ... a 2012 Christmas present! It was given to me back when I was reading a lot of Malcolm Gladwell books. I thought this was a really good book with the one caveat that it goes on a tangent in chapters 6 through 8. The first couple chapters in Part II - The Habits of Successful organization were good because they focused on individual's and their habits, but chapter 6 on crisis management seemed more about using crisis to implement organization redesign, and chapter 7 about Target dealt with influencing customers' behavior. Part III The Habits of Societies was weak. I have no idea what the "friend habit" that he frequently mentioned is, and peer pressure seemed to be more the concept in play. But then (still in) Part III, chapter 9 he returned to the topic of individual's habits, those in play during sleepwalking, and the gambling habit/addiction issue which was totally relevant and a good way to tie the book back to the beginning, which was the strongest part of the book.
The author is a good writer and if you are looking to relax there is nothing wrong with any of the it. But I was most interested in the science and stories about individuals and their habits and how they created or changed them.
I just signed up for bass lessons today and I will succeed (belief, haha). But I'll need to develop good practicing habits, identify the rewards motivating me to do this and learn to anticipate them prior to earning them. Hopefully the book helps me.
Thanks for the nudge to pull it off the shelf.
@bassGtar agree completely. But I like that it avoids the self help trap. I can’t stand anything that reeks of Tony Robbins.
