[cardguy]

This is a fun book. It detials a number of interesting psychology experiments.

The gist of the book can be summed up as follows - "Serious subjects studied using quirky methods. And quirky subjects studied using serious methods."

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quirkology-Curio...quirkology

Quote:

Ever wondered why bad musicians always win the Eurovision Song Contest, or how incompetent politicians get elected?

You need some Quirkology in your life. While other scientists beaver away on obvious problems, Richard Wiseman has been busy uncovering the secret ingredients of charisma, exploring how our personalities are shaped by when we are born and examining why people usually miss the obvious signs of their partner’s infidelity.

Using scientific methods to investigate offbeat topics that interest the general public as well as the scientific community, Quirkology brings a new understanding to the backwaters of the human mind and takes us to places where mainstream scientists fear to tread. Comparable to Freakonomics, but British, far more populist, and a lot funnier.

Findings include: How does your surname influence your life? What does the way you walk reveal about your personality? Why should women have men write their personal ads? What is the funniest joke in the world?

[Grizzly]

Try "Farnham's Freehold" by Robert Heinlein. Its a kinda dated, but as science-fiction goes its a little-read classic. A man with his family that he is seriously dissapointed in get transported far into the future. The world is ruled by black (IIRC) cannibals, and he fights them while trying to get his family back to his own time.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Yesterday bought 3 books that caught my eyes while at the bookstore:

The Ridiculous Race: 26000 miles, 2 guys, 1 globe, no air plane.
I'm reading it now its hilarious and fascinsting. Its about two guys who while bored with their lives, decided to do the most crazy thing: to race each other around the world with each going in the opposite direction. One rule: no airplane allowed! The first one to circle the globe and return to their appointed place wins the best Scotch found in LA.

2nd book is equally fascinating and hilarious: one steppe beyond, across Russia in a VW camper. Two guys drive from Estonia all the way to Vladivostock on a cross Russia journey. Will start reading it as soon as I finish the first book above.

One reason I bought these books is that they are kind of adventure I am very interested in engaging into myself in the near future.

Last book is also a fascinating topic, The private lives Roman Empires.

[2Wycked]

I don't know if somebody mentioned it yet, but Bukowski's "Ham on Rye" is excellent.

[Quintus Curtius]

I'm about halfway through "American Desperado" by Jon Roberts. Amazingly good bio/memoir of the mafiosi who came to Miami and became a big-shot drug dealer. Lots of demented stories...
Most of his stuff sounds legit, but it's hard to tell if or how much he's bullshitting.
Has anyone read this book?

[3extra]

Finished reading 'Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates' by Tom Robbins this week.

Jesus Christ. I haven't laughed at a book like that since Catch-22.

Read it.

[Architekt]

About 1/3 way through Hunter S Thompson's "Fear and loathing on the campaign trail '72."

Already, this is a book that I highly recommend. Funny, honest, brutal, interesting, twisted, and everything else you would normally expect from Dr. Thompson. Also contains many interesting behind the scenes insights into American politics and media, and is generally a very entertaining read

[Cincinnatus]

I also asked this in the KA&L Lounge, but has anyone read a good biography about Howard Hughes?

[Skye]

As a prospective university student (I know, I know) can anyone recommend books that would be appropriate in this stage?

[Cincinnatus]

(03-17-2014 07:02 PM)Skye Wrote:  

As a prospective university student (I know, I know) can anyone recommend books that would be appropriate in this stage?

Worthless by Aaron Clarey. It's been recommended by a few RVFers including Roosh himself.

http://www.amazon.com/Worthless-Young-Pe...1467978302

[Skye]

I was skeptical do to reviews but I'm assuming they were mostly blue pill hate if what you say is true. How is Aaron as an author in general? I've put Enjoy the Decline already on my wishlist after Day Bang.

[Vegasgent]

-Atlas Shrugged (Ayn rand)
-Starship Troopers (Heinlein)
-Armor (Steakly)
-The road to serfdom (Hayek)
-The Law (Bastiat)

Currently on #4 of the Patrick O'brian novels "Mauritius command"

[Van Zan]

(03-20-2014 08:20 PM)Vegasgent Wrote:  

-Atlas Shrugged (Ayn rand)
-Starship Troopers (Heinlein)
-Armor (Steakly)
-The road to serfdom (Hayek)
-The Law (Bastiat)

Currently on #4 of the Patrick O'brian novels "Mauritius command"

Armor was the book that made me want to start writing so long ago. Good call.

Fiction.
The Last Ship - William Brinkley
Noir - K.W. Jeter
A Private Little War - Jason Sheehan

Non-Ficton
Big Bang - Simon Singh
Power Faith and Fantasy - Michael B. Oren
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William L. Shirer (currently reading)

[Htownanddown]

(02-08-2014 02:42 PM)Cincinnatus Wrote:  

I also asked this in the KA&L Lounge, but has anyone read a good biography about Howard Hughes?

Citizen Hughes is my favorite, although it is mostly about his later crazy years and his influence in politics and the CIA. I also read the Howard Hughes: The Untold Story. It is a good book but the authors skim over some stuff to portray Hughes in the most positive light possible. Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness is a more balanced portrayal and pretty well written. Howard Hughes may really be the most interesting man that ever lived. The real American icarus. There is some quote that I am too lazy to look up right now that says something like if you wanna know the soul of america read the biographies of Henry Ford, William Randolph Hearst, and Howard Hughes. There is a lot of truth in that.

[LeBeau]

(09-30-2013 11:07 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

Last book is also a fascinating topic, The private lives Roman Empires.

Did you mean this one?

A Brief History of the Private Lives of the Roman Emperors

http://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Priv...1845297199

I got this Roman Emperors one in the link above as a gift for Christmas, haven't got around to it, but it may go even further down on the list after reading some of those reviews.

I have a bunch of those cheap "A Brief History Of" books and they are hit or miss. This one was enjoyable, if not the most scholarly:

http://www.amazon.com/Celts-History-Pete...786712112/

[Ardbeg]

(03-21-2014 09:16 PM)Van Zan Wrote:  

[quote='Vegasgent' pid='683205' dateline='1395364827']

Non-Ficton
Big Bang - Simon Singh
Power Faith and Fantasy - Michael B. Oren
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William L. Shirer (currently reading)

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a beast of a book to get through, but it's amazing. We all know in general about the brutality of the Nazis, but the stories and details Shirer get's into is unparalleled with anything else I've read.

I listened to Oren's book on the 1967 Arab/Israeli (audibook). I thought it was interesting, but there are many scholars who have critiqued his assertions.

[Van Zan]

(03-26-2014 03:00 AM)Ardbeg Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 09:16 PM)Van Zan Wrote:  

Non-Ficton
Big Bang - Simon Singh
Power Faith and Fantasy - Michael B. Oren
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William L. Shirer (currently reading)

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a beast of a book to get through, but it's amazing. We all know in general about the brutality of the Nazis, but the stories and details Shirer get's into is unparalleled with anything else I've read.

I listened to Oren's book on the 1967 Arab/Israeli (audibook). I thought it was interesting, but there are many scholars who have critiqued his assertions.

A beast is right, 1300 some pages. I've only just reached Anschluss around page 350, but Shirer's perspective, having been present for many of these events, has proven much more engaging than other books I've read on the topic. I agree the details are what makes this book, especially when it comes to all the political maneuvering undertaken by Hilter, his compatriots, and his opponents.

I've found Oren's book on the history of U.S. relations with middle east from the founding to the present to be one of those good backbone reads, if you're looking to get a decent overview of the topic.

[killongy]

Currently reading The millionaire fastlane by MJ Demarco and I do wonder if this is what enlightenment feels like Lol...decent read so far.

[Doctor]

Almost done with "Mindwise: How to Understand what other Think, Feel, Believe, and Want" by Nicholas Epley.

I was a little disappointed in that it didn't go into "reading other people", so to speak, as much as I would've liked, but I ended up enjoying what I've read so far. There are some fairly obvious points he makes such as distance can create less of an emotional response or, as the author puts it, dehumanizes (i.e. why most people don't lose sleep over poor kids in Africa).

For guys that have trouble going out solo or running game in public, there is a chapter on how we think others perceive us vs how others actually perceive us. Not a big surprise, others pay attention to us far less than we think. He gives studies to corroborate also.

There is also a chapter on gender differences and, less glamorized, gender similarities. Probably not a surprise to many here, but, again, has studies to provide evidence.

It has mostly 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon with the 2 and 3 star reviews coming from anonymous reviewers, pretentious sounding males, and probably 50% females which doesn't come as a surprise as there are segments where he does put down females to a certain extent.

Book is ~270 pages long, but the actual writing is 180 or 190 pages so a pretty quick read.

[kdolo]

Forbidden Archaeology

[Switch]

The Undisputed Truth by Mike Tyson. I'm sure it's been recommended many times before. Interesting read. Shows what it takes to be successful and to also SAVE YOUR FUCKING MONEY AND DON'T FUCKING GET MARRIED. I actually feel bad for Tyson now. Enlightening is a good word for it.

[Isaac Jordan]

Some amazing recommendations in this thread so far. Here's one I haven't seen mentioned yet:

Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea: The History and Discovery of the World's Richest Shipwreck

Quote:

The story of the sinking of the SS Central America, a side-wheel steamer carrying nearly six hundred passengers returning from the California Gold Rush, two hundred miles off the Carolina coast in September 1857. Over four hundred lives and twenty-one tons of California gold were lost. It was the worst peacetime disaster at sea in American history, a tragedy that remained lost in legend for over a century.

In the 1980s, a young engineer from Ohio set out to do what no one, not even the U.S. Navy, had been able to do: establish a working presence on the deep ocean floor and open it to science, archaeology, history, medicine, and recovery. The SS Central America became the target of his project. After years of intensive efforts, Tommy Thompson and the Columbus-America Discovery Group found the Central America in eight thousand feet of water, and in October 1989 they sailed into Norfolk with her recovered treasure: gold coins, bars, nuggets, and dust, plus steamer trunks filled with period clothes, newspapers, books, journals, and even an intact cigar sealed under water for 130 years. Life magazine called it “the greatest treasure ever found.”

Gary Kinder tells an extraordinary tale of history, human drama, heroic rescue, scientific ingenuity, and individual courage. Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea is a testament to the human will to triumph over adversity. It is also a great American adventure story of the opening of Earth’s last frontier.

The book alternates between telling the story of how Thompson overcame countless obstacles to find and salvage the ship and actual newspaper articles/journal entries/ship reports/etc. from the 1800s that give you a glimpse into what happened in 1857.

Even though you know from the beginning that they discover the ship, the writing keeps a frenetic pace and makes the book incredibly hard to put down. A real-life adventure story for the ages.

[Patriarch]

(04-24-2015 01:17 AM)Isaac Jordan Wrote:  

Some amazing recommendations in this thread so far. Here's one I haven't seen mentioned yet:

Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea: The History and Discovery of the World's Richest Shipwreck

Quote:

The story of the sinking of the SS Central America, a side-wheel steamer carrying nearly six hundred passengers returning from the California Gold Rush, two hundred miles off the Carolina coast in September 1857. Over four hundred lives and twenty-one tons of California gold were lost. It was the worst peacetime disaster at sea in American history, a tragedy that remained lost in legend for over a century.

In the 1980s, a young engineer from Ohio set out to do what no one, not even the U.S. Navy, had been able to do: establish a working presence on the deep ocean floor and open it to science, archaeology, history, medicine, and recovery. The SS Central America became the target of his project. After years of intensive efforts, Tommy Thompson and the Columbus-America Discovery Group found the Central America in eight thousand feet of water, and in October 1989 they sailed into Norfolk with her recovered treasure: gold coins, bars, nuggets, and dust, plus steamer trunks filled with period clothes, newspapers, books, journals, and even an intact cigar sealed under water for 130 years. Life magazine called it “the greatest treasure ever found.”

Gary Kinder tells an extraordinary tale of history, human drama, heroic rescue, scientific ingenuity, and individual courage. Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea is a testament to the human will to triumph over adversity. It is also a great American adventure story of the opening of Earth’s last frontier.

The book alternates between telling the story of how Thompson overcame countless obstacles to find and salvage the ship and actual newspaper articles/journal entries/ship reports/etc. from the 1800s that give you a glimpse into what happened in 1857.

Even though you know from the beginning that they discover the ship, the writing keeps a frenetic pace and makes the book incredibly hard to put down. A real-life adventure story for the ages.

How have I never heard of this? There will never be a lack of new things to learn.

[Kaligula]

Jean D'Ormesson's The Glory of the Empire.
The book develops themes of the old "The book of the pook"... and more. Could be read as a biography, or a political treatise, or a religious (mystical) parable. Or all at once! Treats life in its entirety.

I use this book to uplift me
And you know ? I got the tip from my history teacher in lycée who told me about this book.

[didaskalos]

Rumsfeld's Rules by Donald Rumsfeld.

The guy is disciplined and focused on his work. The book is laid out in chapters, but each chapter is themed around explications of several of his rules. His rules are the wisdom he has accumulated over the years. He gleaned them either from reading or from discussions with others.