OT - Read any good books lately?

[TrumpCoug]

I am always interested in hearing about good reads. I tend to gravitate to non fiction (History, Autobiographies, Finance, Politics). Looking forward to some of your recommendations.

Here are a few I have knocked out over the past few months.

Very enjoyable read, lots of references to JC football (in CA) and the PNW, couple reference to WSU. Page turner
- Football, Blind Luck & Other Phenomena: My Journey from the Chicken Coop - Mack Wiebe

Great read, obviously lots of PNW references. Lewis and Clark and their crew were/are a cut above the rest
- Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West - Stephen Ambrose

Been on an old time boxing reading binge. All three are good reads.
- Macho Time: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of Hector Camacho - Christian Giudice
- Tough Man: The Greg Haugen Story - Christian Giudice
- Killed in Brazil?: The Mysterious Death of Arturo "Thunder" Gatti - Jimmy Tobin

 

[Flatlandcoug]

I am always interested in hearing about good reads. I tend to gravitate to non fiction (History, Autobiographies, Finance, Politics). Looking forward to some of your recommendations.

Here are a few I have knocked out over the past few months.

Very enjoyable read, lots of references to JC football (in CA) and the PNW in general. Page turner

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Great read, obviously lots of PNW references. Lewis and Clark and their crew were/are a cut above the rest

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Been on an old time boxing reading binge. All three are good reads.

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None of your links appear to work.

 

[chipdouglas]

Finally got around to reading Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam (2000). A lot of the research is dated now, but the themes are the same today.

The post-war boom was an absolute renaissance of civic engagement. Everybody belonged to some combination of the PTA, VFW, 4H, FFA, Elks, Eagles, Shriners, Grange, Masons, little league coaching, church, etc. Some of the statistics about local club engagement are insane. And these aren't "mail-in" type clubs like AAA or AARP - people went to meetings weekly or better. And for better or worse, the coming of age (1960s+) of the Boomer generation saw the bottom start falling out on civic engagement, and local connections evaporate, and it accelerated with every subsequent generation. The lawyer profession appropriately exploded in the 1970s+, representing a transformation in the way Americans viewed each other (ie, with suspicion and self-preservation, rather than friendliness and accommodation).

As TV became 24/7, and the the Internet proliferated, and later smart phones, local culture disappeared and morphed into a generic, peanut butter national culture. A PBS doc I watched way back described how, by the 90s, cities like Philly, which once had multiple accents depending on the part of the city you lived in, had become the same as every other city nationally. Fast forward to today, where urban/suburban Texans have no accent, everybody's watching the same shows on Netflix and talking about the same celebrity goings-on... the idea of local culture belongs in the Smithsonian now.

Even when you watch 80s movies, the epicenter was the mall (I remember). Today, with some exceptions, they're mostly cheap commercial space for chain Sbarros, cheap mani-pedis and souvenir katanas. Now, with smaller families and bigger homes, added to limitless home options like streaming entertainment and video games and home exercise and social media, there's far less reason to venture outside your house, helping to kill off malls and any vestigial form of local community.

There's a doc on Netflix (ironic) right now called Woodstock 99, and what a violent, flaming disaster it turned into. The 1960s protest generation who kicked the door down to polite society and dropped acid at Woodstock 69 can not believe what a 3rd world disaster Woodstock 99 becomes, but I would argue they shouldn't be surprised. If a kid is ever given the privilege at 8 years old of choosing what to eat and how late to stay up, they'll be conscientious and moderated at first (60s gen). But by Night #30 (90s gen) it's ice cream for every meal, 2 AM bedtime and dad's Glenlivet stash. Can't wait for Woodstock '29...

 

[Observer11]

Actually it was an audible book - but quite good. Didn't realize he had a second.

 

[95coug]

I am always interested in hearing about good reads. I tend to gravitate to non fiction (History, Autobiographies, Finance, Politics). Looking forward to some of your recommendations.

Here are a few I have knocked out over the past few months.

Very enjoyable read, lots of references to JC football (in CA) and the PNW, couple reference to WSU. Page turner
- Football, Blind Luck & Other Phenomena: My Journey from the Chicken Coop - Mack Wiebe

Great read, obviously lots of PNW references. Lewis and Clark and their crew were/are a cut above the rest
- Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West - Stephen Ambrose

Been on an old time boxing reading binge. All three are good reads.
- Macho Time: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of Hector Camacho - Christian Giudice
- Tough Man: The Greg Haugen Story - Christian Giudice
- Killed in Brazil?: The Mysterious Death of Arturo "Thunder" Gatti - Jimmy Tobin

Currently working on "Blood and Thunder" by Hampton Sides. It's a long history of the American west. Mostly on the desert southwest and the Navajo.

REcently finished:

Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II, by Alex Kershaw. Overlapping stories of several MOH winners in Europe. Kershaw is a good one for WWII history.

The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science, by Sam Kean. Part engineering disasters, part stupid people, part outrageous indifference. History and true crime. Lots of head-shaking, and a few giggles.

A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind, by Anne Wolbert Burgess. If you've seen the "Mindhunters" series on Netflix...this is the true story. Basically one of the originators of the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI, and how they studied & interviewed serial killers in the 70s & 80s to start making criminal profiles. There are some dry periods, but overall it's fascinating.

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography. Hilarious.

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, by Randall Munroe. Applying physics & science to questions you never thought to ask. Funny and interesting at the same time...and will occasionally make you wonder, who has time to think of this shi*?

Everyone You Hate is Going to Die: and other Comforting Thoughts on Family, Friends, Sex, Love, and More Things that Ruin Your Life, by Daniel Sloss. Scottish comedian I'd never heard of before I read this. Really funny, and also insightful.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Best Seat in the House - Jack Nicklaus Jr.
Hammy and simple, but a good read none the less.

The Restored Man -
Though I don't know how far I'll dive back into my faith, I'm certain that having a center is never a bad thing.

Oh, and I picked up "12 Rules for Life" by Jordan Peterson before he became a lightning rod personality, but never got around to reading it. Between his all meat diet and occasional incoherent rants lately, I'm a bit skeptical to read it now.

2nd edit - also, slogging though the 2nd half of Dune as well. Saw the movie, glad it didn't spoiler the book for me as it stopped right where I happened to stop reading.

3rd edit - never got around to finishing Fly Boys: A True Story of Courage either. Got about 60 pages in and got so pissed at James Bradley that I wrote him an email and told him to shove it for droning ON AND ON AND ON about how bad the US was for being imperialists. I mean, I get it - we all get it. Nations are shitty and were historically even shittier than they are now, but ffs state your point and get on with it. Surprise ending - he wrote me back and told me he didn't need me to read his book, lol!

 

[95coug]

Best Seat in the House - Jack Niclaus Jr.
Hammy and simple, but a good read none the less.

The Restored Man -
Though I don't know how far I'll dive back into my faith, I'm certain that having a center is never a bad thing.

Oh, and I picked up "12 Rules for Life" by Jordan Peterson before he became a lightning rod personality, but never got around to reading it. Between his all meat diet and occasional incoherent rants lately, I'm a bit skeptical to read it now.

2nd edit - also, slogging though the 2nd half of Dune as well. Saw the movie, glad it didn't spoiler the book for me as it stopped right where I happened to stop reading.

3rd edit - never got around to finishing Fly Boys: A True Story of Courage either. Got about 60 pages in and got so pissed at James Bradley that I wrote him an email and told him to shove it for droning ON AND ON AND ON about how bad the US was for being imperialists. I mean, I get it - we all get it. Nations are shitting and were historically even shittier than they are now, but ffs state your point and get on with it. Surprise ending - he wrote me back and told me he didn't need me to read his book, lol!

I read Flyboys probably 15 years ago. I remember thinking that it was a good book when it was actually a history. Not so much when it was commentary & analysis. Not sure how 19th century imperialism was supposed to excuse Japanese execution & cannibalism of American pilots.

Also read Flags of our Fathers, with the same general thought. Didn't bother reading any of his other offerings after that.

 

[TrumpCoug]

Some great books, I am checking out many of these. Appreciate the suggestions. Another book I recently read was Bobby Knights book which came out about 10 years ago. Some great sport references and many theories/suggestions (which doesn't include putting a player in a choke hold) you can apply to all areas of your life. I enjoyed it.

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/b...picks&node=17276799011&pinnedAsins=B009RRHTM4

​

 

[kougkurt]

Really enjoyed the story. The mindset to push beyond……….

Amazon product ASIN 1544512279

 

[TrumpCoug]

Really enjoyed the story. The mindset to push beyond……….

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Great reviews on the book, bought today. Funny how some reviews stated that the language was too vulgar for them. Dudes a bad ass navy seal who has seen a lot. He appears to be someone who does not sugar coat.

 

[Observer11]

Five books I've read/listened to recently that I would recommend. There's a bunch that I wouldn't recommend including (sadly) Jess Walters' Cold Millions. Just could NOT get into it. Usually Walters' is home run. This was a weak dribbler down the first base line.

Inventing a Nation - Gore Vidal -

Woke Racism (in progress) - John McWhorter

Truman - David McCullough

The Quartet - Joseph Ellis - Washington, Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison in the runup and aftermath of the American Revolution.

Liberty's First Crisis - Charles Slack - similar political environment as today in the late 1700's/early 1800's.

 

[TrumpCoug]

Five books I've read/listened to recently that I would recommend. There's a bunch that I wouldn't recommend including (sadly) Jess Walters' Cold Millions. Just could NOT get into it. Usually Walters' is home run. This was a weak dribbler down the first base line.

Inventing a Nation - Gore Vidal -

Woke Racism (in progress) - John McWhorter

Truman - David McCullough

The Quartet - Joseph Ellis - Washington, Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison in the runup and aftermath of the American Revolution.

Liberty's First Crisis - Charles Slack - similar political environment as today in the late 1700's/early 1800's.

Thanks, just bought "The Quartet".

 

[WillieThePimp]

Five books I've read/listened to recently that I would recommend. There's a bunch that I wouldn't recommend including (sadly) Jess Walters' Cold Millions. Just could NOT get into it. Usually Walters' is home run. This was a weak dribbler down the first base line.

Inventing a Nation - Gore Vidal -

Woke Racism (in progress) - John McWhorter

Truman - David McCullough

The Quartet - Joseph Ellis - Washington, Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison in the runup and aftermath of the American Revolution.

Liberty's First Crisis - Charles Slack - similar political environment as today in the late 1700's/early 1800's.

McWhorter’s book is absolutely on my must read list - especially after hearing the nonsense my newly graduated east coast private school educated niece was spewing.

Just finishing Walters’ Citizen Vince and have meant to read his book on Ruby Ridge for years. Which books of his do you like best?

 

[TrumpCoug]

Currently working on "Blood and Thunder" by Hampton Sides. It's a long history of the American west. Mostly on the desert southwest and the Navajo.

REcently finished:

Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II, by Alex Kershaw. Overlapping stories of several MOH winners in Europe. Kershaw is a good one for WWII history.

The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science, by Sam Kean. Part engineering disasters, part stupid people, part outrageous indifference. History and true crime. Lots of head-shaking, and a few giggles.

A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind, by Anne Wolbert Burgess. If you've seen the "Mindhunters" series on Netflix...this is the true story. Basically one of the originators of the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI, and how they studied & interviewed serial killers in the 70s & 80s to start making criminal profiles. There are some dry periods, but overall it's fascinating.

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography. Hilarious.

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, by Randall Munroe. Applying physics & science to questions you never thought to ask. Funny and interesting at the same time...and will occasionally make you wonder, who has time to think of this shi*?

Everyone You Hate is Going to Die: and other Comforting Thoughts on Family, Friends, Sex, Love, and More Things that Ruin Your Life, by Daniel Sloss. Scottish comedian I'd never heard of before I read this. Really funny, and also insightful.

Thanks, just bought Blood and Thunder. Love me some Kit Carson. Hadn't heard of the Neal Patrick Harris Book...might give that a look as well.

 

[kougkurt]

Great reviews on the book, bought today. Funny how some reviews stated that the language was too vulgar for them. Dudes a bad ass navy seal who has seen a lot. He appears to be someone who does not sugar coat.

He has 600,000 followers on Twitter and follows 0.

 

[TrumpCoug]

He has 600,000 followers on Twitter and follows 0.

Sounds like my numbers.

 

[TrumpCoug]

He has 600,000 followers on Twitter and follows 0.

Goggins doesn't mince words. Some F bombs in the video for those working in a cubicle.

 

[SaveFerris]

Really enjoyed the story. The mindset to push beyond……….

View embedded media

Goggins doesn't mince words. Some F bombs in the video for those working in a cubicle.

View embedded media

I haven't found my way to audio books yet but after listening to the tweet it seems like this book might come through best in that format.

 

[CougSinceBirth]

Goggins doesn't mince words. Some F bombs in the video for those working in a cubicle.

View embedded media

I listened to Can't Hurt Me on Audible with Goggins reading it and then doing commentary.

Dude is definitely a badass.

 

[95coug]

Five books I've read/listened to recently that I would recommend. There's a bunch that I wouldn't recommend including (sadly) Jess Walters' Cold Millions. Just could NOT get into it. Usually Walters' is home run. This was a weak dribbler down the first base line.

Inventing a Nation - Gore Vidal -

Woke Racism (in progress) - John McWhorter

Truman - David McCullough

The Quartet - Joseph Ellis - Washington, Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison in the runup and aftermath of the American Revolution.

Liberty's First Crisis - Charles Slack - similar political environment as today in the late 1700's/early 1800's.

That Truman book was excellent. McCullough is usually pretty reliable, he's probably my favorite for historical biographies.

Nathaniel Philbrick is another good one. He tends to write mostly in the American Revolution period. "In the Hurricane's Eye" was about Washington & Yorktown. "Valiant Ambition" was Washington, Benedict Arnold, and how their relationship influenced the revolution. Both were excellent. "Bunker Hill" was about an obvious topic, and I struggled more getting through it. I think my favorite of his was outside his emphasis - "The Last Stand" was Custer, Sitting BUll, and Little Big Horn.

 

[95coug]

Thanks, just bought Blood and Thunder. Love me some Kit Carson. Hadn't heard of the Neal Patrick Harris Book...might give that a look as well.

I'm 17.5 hours into the audiobook of Blood & Thunder, with 3:45 to go. Quite the epic. Second longest book I've listened to (after The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich - that book lasted almost as long as the Reich did). Kit Carson isn't exactly the main character, but he keeps popping up.

Pretty sure if I could pick celebrities to have a beer with, NPH would be on the list. Dude is funny. Just one beer though, and I'm going home alone.

 

[CougSinceBirth]

I'm 17.5 hours into the audiobook of Blood & Thunder, with 3:45 to go. Quite the epic. Second longest book I've listened to (after The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich - that book lasted almost as long as the Reich did). Kit Carson isn't exactly the main character, but he keeps popping up.

Pretty sure if I could pick celebrities to have a beer with, NPH would be on the list. Dude is funny. Just one beer though, and I'm going home alone.

I'm going with Charles Barkley, and we're both shutting down the bar.

 

[dgibbons]

I am always interested in hearing about good reads. I tend to gravitate to non fiction (History, Autobiographies, Finance, Politics). Looking forward to some of your recommendations.

Here are a few I have knocked out over the past few months.

Very enjoyable read, lots of references to JC football (in CA) and the PNW, couple reference to WSU. Page turner
- Football, Blind Luck & Other Phenomena: My Journey from the Chicken Coop - Mack Wiebe

Great read, obviously lots of PNW references. Lewis and Clark and their crew were/are a cut above the rest
- Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West - Stephen Ambrose

Been on an old time boxing reading binge. All three are good reads.
- Macho Time: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of Hector Camacho - Christian Giudice
- Tough Man: The Greg Haugen Story - Christian Giudice
- Killed in Brazil?: The Mysterious Death of Arturo "Thunder" Gatti - Jimmy Tobin

I periodically read the Art of War. Read it again last month. Always glad I do.

 

[CougEd]

I'm going with Charles Barkley, and we're both shutting down the bar.

Well better bring a lot of money cause he will make you pay....

 

[Observer11]

McWhorter’s book is absolutely on my must read list - especially after hearing the nonsense my newly graduated east coast private school educated niece was spewing.

Just finishing Walters’ Citizen Vince and have meant to read his book on Ruby Ridge for years. Which books of his do you like best?

Citizen Vince is solid. I also like The Financial Lives of poets.

If you haven’t read all of Sherman Alexie’s books, they are spectacular.

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

Great topic.

Just started "The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization" by Peter Zeihan. We are in for some very rocky economic and political times for several years globally folks.

In the past few months read some Tolstoy (The Death of Ivan Ilyich and A Confession). Very thought provoking quality literature.

Finally, I will soon start on "The Bodies of Others: The New Authoritarians, COVID-19 and The War Against the Human" by Naomi Wolf...which I recently ordered. Man, these last two years have shown how shockingly corrupt and cowardly our politicians and Big Pharma are.

 

[anon_1nb5kgc7kwlls]

Really enjoyed the story. The mindset to push beyond……….

View embedded media

Loved this book.

 

[TrumpCoug]

I have enjoyed Bill O"Reilly's Killing Series. So far I have read and would recommend the following:

Killing the Killers
Killing Crazy Horse
Killing Kennedy
Killing Patton
Killing the Rising Sun

 

[TrumpCoug]

Citizen Vince is solid. I also like The Financial Lives of poets.

If you haven’t read all of Sherman Alexie’s books, they are spectacular.

Alexie has some great books for sure. We were at WSU at the same time 1987, didn't know him but boy has his career taken off. Unfortunately sexual harassment charges has tarnished his brand a bit but can't deny he is a talented writer.

 

[95coug]

I have enjoyed Bill O"Reilly's Killing Series. So far I have read and would recommend the following:

Killing the Killers
Killing Crazy Horse
Killing Kennedy
Killing Patton
Killing the Rising Sun

Killing Lincoln
Killing Reagan
Killing the SS

IMO, his books don’t do a very good job of weeding fact from fiction. They drift too much into discussion of rumor and revisionism instead of sticking to history. For example, the Lincoln book gave too much time to the “maybe Lincoln was gay” conversation. It’s really an irrelevant tangent, and the only supposed evidence supporting it ignores historical/social context. Pretty much gave up his books because of things like that…and because I don’t want to line O’Reilly’s pockets anyway.

 

[TrumpCoug]

Killing Lincoln
Killing Reagan
Killing the SS

IMO, his books don’t do a very good job of weeding fact from fiction. They drift too much into discussion of rumor and revisionism instead of sticking to history. For example, the Lincoln book gave too much time to the “maybe Lincoln was gay” conversation. It’s really an irrelevant tangent, and the only supposed evidence supporting it ignores historical/social context. Pretty much gave up his books because of things like that…and because I don’t want to line O’Reilly’s pockets anyway.

Haven't read the three you mention so cannot comment. I thought Killing the Killers was one of the better ones I have read. Personally, I don't mind lining any authors pockets as long as I find their book(s) entertaining and/or educational.

 

[79COUG]

Re-read The Shack for the umpteenth time.
One needs a very open mind to glean the lessons from that one.

 

[TrumpCoug]

Loved this book.

Got it yesterday. 1/3 of the way through the book. Flashbacks to my upbringing with a violent Father. An abusive Father is terrifying and will leave deep scars that heal slowly. For those who have been through this type of abuse, as Goggins articulates..... anger can be a gift and if channeled properly can be a hell of a driving force for achieving positive results.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Got it yesterday. 1/3 of the way through the book. Flashbacks to my upbringing with a violent Father. An abusive Father is terrifying and will leave deep scars that heal slowly. For those who have been through this type of abuse, as Goggins articulates..... anger can be a gift and if channeled properly can be a hell of a driving force for achieving positive results.

Anger is a cancer and should be dealt with as such.

 

[TrumpCoug]

Anger is a cancer and should be dealt with as such.

You sound angry.

 

[95coug]

Haven't read the three you mention so cannot comment. I thought Killing the Killers was one of the better ones I have read. Personally, I don't mind lining any authors pockets as long as I find their book(s) entertaining and/or educational.

These days, I get most of my books from the library so I don't really line anyone's pockets anyway. But I've nixed from my list any "author" who makes their primary living on political commentary.

 

[anon_1nb5kgc7kwlls]

Got it yesterday. 1/3 of the way through the book. Flashbacks to my upbringing with a violent Father. An abusive Father is terrifying and will leave deep scars that heal slowly. For those who have been through this type of abuse, as Goggins articulates..... anger can be a gift and if channeled properly can be a hell of a driving force for achieving positive results.

Goggins doesn't sugar coat anything and I love that. Also and I know he hates this word but it is a motivating book, but more so than that it can be a life changing book.

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

Anger is a cancer and should be dealt with as such.

Why?

 

[TrumpCoug]

Shout out to those who contributed to the thread. Biggest takeaway from Goggins "Can't hurt me" is that I found some relief from a tight Psoas muscle and am determined to shed 15 lbs that have clung to me since Covid BS started 2 years ago. Great ****ing book!

Now reading Sherman Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Fun read early on from Alexie "I still have nightmares about missing those two free throws to lose that basketball game against Ritzville. Twenty years later I can tell you that Doug Wellsant, Ritzville's star, had just fouledout after he intentionally knocked me to the ground to prevent me from hitting an easy layup. While I stood at the line to shoot the free throws with six seconds left on the clock, Ritzville had Keith Humprey, John Powers, Doug Koch, Miles Curtis and Jeff McBroom on the court while my teammates - Steve LeBret, Shaun Soliday, John Graham and Brett Springer - were praying for me to win the game.

We of course know who Doug is, thought some of you might know some of the other players who found there way into the book. Good stuff!!

 

[kougkurt]

Shout out to those who contributed to the thread. Biggest takeaway from Goggins "Can't hurt me" is that I found some relief from a tight Psoas muscle and am determined to shed 15 lbs that have clung to me since Covid BS started 2 years ago. Great ****ing book!

Now reading Sherman Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Fun read early on from Alexie "I still have nightmares about missing those two free throws to lose that basketball game against Ritzville. Twenty years later I can tell you that Doug Wellsant, Ritzville's star, had just fouledout after he intentionally knocked me to the ground to prevent me from hitting an easy layup. While I stood at the line to shoot the free throws with six seconds left on the clock, Ritzville had Keith Humprey, John Powers, Doug Koch, Miles Curtis and Jeff McBroom on the court while my teammates - Steve LeBret, Shaun Soliday, John Graham and Brett Springer - were praying for me to win the game.

We of course know who Doug is, thought some of you might know some of the other players who found there way into the book. Good stuff!!

Everyone knows a Soliday.