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What are you reading?

A Reluctant Druid by Jon R Osborne.

Back in the 60s, I read and loved a book about some kind of reluctant wizard. So this title caught my eye.

It was one of almost a hundred books I recently picked up for free from Audible.com.

At first I thought it was cute enough and interesting enough. Eventually it seemed more of a slog.

At the end, it was revealed to be part one of something, not a standalone book at all.

I wouldn't listen to the rest of the series even if that was also free.

The characters were likable at first, but they never got more likable; the reader never gets invested.

Also, inexplicably, in addition to trying to appeal to speculative fiction fans, this book tries to appeal to the fans of bad porn. If, "She opened her shirt to reveal her assets," isn't an actual sentence in the book, then something quite similar is.

Recommended for people who really love speculative fiction about people whose dicks get even harder.
 
The Solid Form of Language by Robert Bringhurst. A 70 page essay on language in written form, interesting read. I checked this and two of his philosophy books out of the library, The Tree of Meaning and Everywhere Being is Dancing.

I've checked the latter of the two philosophy books out before but wasn't feeling it at the time. Now I'm mainly interested in The Solid Form of Language, but it was the library so I checked them out again.

I'm definitely becoming a Bringhurst fan, he was an interesting guy.
 
Pictures of Nothing: Abstract Art Since Pollock by art historian Kirk Varnedoe, the former chief curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art.
 
I am reading a novel, which I occasionally do. It’s Girl Flees Circus by C.W. Smith, who happens to be a friend of a friend (which is one of the main reasons I am reading it). So far I am enjoying it, although the writing is a bit too colorful for my normal taste.

I am also reading a philosophy of science and the scientific method called The Great Paradox of Science, by Mano Singham, a theoretical physicist (retired) who is also a blogger over at “Freethought Blogs.” It’s nothing really new to me (there’s no “proof” in science, limits of “falsification,” etc.) but it’s very clear and well stated.

Finally, I’m still working through the eponymously named 500 page biography of Miles Davis which I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this board. It exhaustively covers Miles’ extensive discography, and as I go along I stop to listen to each cut that’s described, so it’s taking me a good while.
 
Not in my possession yet, but I have The History of Congo by Didier Gondola coming in the mail. I'm mainly interested in pre-colonial Sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly this region, but I've found robust material on the topic hard to come by. A lot of what's out there either seems to be prehistoric, colonial, or post-colonial, unless it's dealing with the Northern part of Africa. But this title has a section on the period.

I've also read quite extensively about the Congo via Crawford Young, but his writing mainly surrounds independence and the post-colonial period. Fascinating reading, but I usually want to know more about Africa outside the scope of European influence.

And I'm still poking away at a number of books I've already mentioned in this thread. Time and energy to read doesn't come by too often, but I'm trying to find moments these days.
 
I've been reading Susan Wise Bauer's History of the Medieval World, an excellent overview of, well, world history covering from Constantine's conversion to the First Crusade.

Rob
 
Secret Santa gifts. I had to ask for something and also keep my gifts in the Overton window.

Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell

Live at the Village Vanguard by Max Gordon

The Harmless People by Elizabeth Thomas

I forgot that I asked for the third one, so ended up surprising myself.
 
Crisis in Sociology - Lopreato and Crippens

Sociobiology and Behavior - David Barash

Before Modern Humans - Grant McCall

The Consequences of Modernity - Anthony Giddens
 
I am in the middle of a kid's book.

The Imaginary. A. F, Harrold and Emily Gravatt.

Guessing it would be suitable for someone in the region of 9.

Highly recommend.
 
Also found an Adrian Tchaikovsky I'm not enjoying. Never thought I'd say that.

Eyes of the Void.

Clumsier than I would expect from him but it may be that I'm reading the series out of order.
 

TikTok is a New Kind of Superweapon​


The first indication that the Chinese Communist Party is aware of TikTok’s malign influence on kids is that it’s forbidden access of the app to Chinese kids. The American tech ethicist Tristan Harris pointed out that the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, is a “spinach” version where kids don’t see twerkers and toilet-lickers but science experiments and educational videos. Furthermore, Douyin is only accessible to kids for 40 minutes per day, and it cannot be accessed between 10pm and 6am.

Has the CCP enforced such rules to protect its people from what it intends to inflict on the West? When one examines the philosophical doctrines behind the rules, it becomes clear that the CCP doesn’t just believe that apps like TikTok make people stupid, but that they destroy civilizations.
Click to expand...
 
I just finished two books by Amor Twoles: A Gentleman From Moscow, and The Lincoln Highway. Mr. Towles is a lyrical storyteller who can weave interesting characters in and out of a tale without missing a beat.

I am almost halfway through a new biography of Friedrich Hayek: A life 1899-1950, and I just started Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit.
 
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