Let’s do some survey. What are you reading now? What are your favourite writers? Please add short annotation of the book…
Let me start:
Timothy Leary - Neuropolitique
Leary has started to write this book while being in jail (for [possession of two roaches of marijuana] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary#Legal_troubles)) and shares few very interesting ideas like reprogramming your brain, [eight-circuit model of consciousness] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-circuit_model_of_consciousness). Unfortunately he quite repeats himself through out the book. I think same strong thoughts could be told in fewer pages (maybe one or two articles). But overall interesting book.
I’m now looking forward to read some works of Noam Chomsky…
A book about how seeds shaped animal, and human evolution. How seeds evolution caused animals and humans to evolve. And how “seeds” shaped history… Suggests that civilization could not evolve until a surplus of calories could be stored, and seeds in the form of grains made that happen.
Birds have adapted beaks to crack open shells, and seeds have also evolved to take advantage of animals for reproduction.
The father of genetics Mendel used features of peas and traits of seeds for his work in selective breeding.
Shows the value of seeds in the modern world, coffee, chocolate, xanthan gum that is used as a viscosifier in drilling fluids for fracking. Although not mentioned in the book I know that walnut shells are also used extensively in oil drilling fluids.
i am currently reading “The Medicinal uses of Cannabis and Cannabinoids by Geoffrey W Guy, Brian A Wittle and Philip J Robson”
The title says it all. it speaks very scientifically about the plant and its uses on different problems in life. not for the average reader. but super good if you want to learn the truths about cannabis. itll tell you what sativas really are (european hemp) and that what we call sativas are actually indica subspecies indica. what we call indicas are indica subspecies afganica. there are a few others but the names are for the region the plant came from (india, afgan, etc) not the effect it give you. eventually everyone will understand and we will raise past the wrong terms.
Favortie authors: Ram Dass, Hermann Hesse, Michael Harner, J.D Arthur, Timothy Leary, Tom Wolfe, Ken Kesey, Ralph Metzner, Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Paul Stamets, O.T Oss & O.N Oeric ;), Jeremy Narby, and many many moreXD
everyone should read: Be here now by Ram Dass, The hasheesh eater by Fitz Hugh Ludlow, The cosmic serpant by Jeremy Narby.
I love reading. i spend many days reading. ill never have enough time to read them all.
Fernando de Rojas: “La Celestina”; " El Lazarillo de Tormes", Miguel de Cervantes: " Don Quijote de La Mancha"; George Orwell: “1984”, Juan Rulfo:" Pedro Páramo “, Julio Cortazar:” Cuentos Completos", JL Borges:“Cuentos Completos”, Horacio Quiroga:“Cuentos Completos”, Frank Kafka:“Obras Completo “, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Roberto Bolaño:” 2666”, Juan Ramon Jimenez:“Platero y yo”, Federico Garcia Lorca:“Poesia Completa”, Augusto Monterroso…
AUGUSTO MONTERROSO: “La oveja negra” / “The Black Sheep”
[Minicuento - Texto completo.]:
En un lejano país existió hace muchos años una Oveja negra. Fue fusilada.
Un siglo después, el rebaño arrepentido le levantó una estatua ecuestre que quedó muy bien en el parque.
Así, en lo sucesivo, cada vez que aparecían ovejas negras eran rápidamente pasadas por las armas para que las futuras generaciones de ovejas comunes y corrientes pudieran ejercitarse también en la escultura.
I mostly stick to modern fiction, and have been stuck in a sci-fi binge for a while.
That said, favorite book of all time is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It is … dense, but beautifully written and a very pleasant read overall.
Neal Stephenson is another of my favorite authors, with a good balance of nerdy, though-provoking, and excitement. My top three favorites from him (in no particular order) would probably be Snowcrash, Seveneves, and Anathem.
Just finished reading the “Culture” series by Ian M. Banks – 10 books in all, but they’re all sorta stand-alone stories/characters in each one. Imagine Star Trek, but with drugs and sassy computers.
Not familiar with that.
I obtained the translation to english.
Very interesting.
I see that he is known for his surrealist short stories. I will check him out.
Thanks!
Isaac Asimov (ya knows him, @oranje?) n Carlos Fuentes talkin bout Augusto Monterroso, @Calyxander:
“La oveja negra (y demás fábulas), obra traducida a numerosos idiomas, entre ellos el chino y el latín. Isaac Asimov escribió a propósito de La oveja negra: «Estos pequeños textos, en apariencia inofensivos, muerden si uno se acerca a ellos sin la debida cautela y dejan cicatrices, y precisamente por eso son provechosos. Después de leer “El mono que quería ser escritor satírico”, jamás volveré a ser el mismo». Por su parte, Carlos Fuentes escribió lo siguiente con motivo de la traducción al inglés de La oveja negra: «Imagine el fantástico bestiario de Borges tomando el té con Alicia. Imagine a Jonathan Swift y James Thurber intercambiando notas. Imagine una rana del condado de Calaveras que hubiera leído realmente a Mark Twain. Conozca a Monterroso».”
I occasionally dabble in reading Sci Fi and fantasy.
I have enjoyed some of Stephensons books- Snowcrash, The Diamond Age, Baroque Cycle and Reamde.
All were very good. I like the way he uses hi-technology and makes it so believably natural as part of his tales.
Some other writers in this genre(s) I dig.
Jack Vance—fave Sci-Fi writer.
Philip K. Dick
Harlan Ellison
Octavia Butler
Nalo Hopkinson
A. C. Clarke
Heinlein
Connie Willis
Tolkien
HG Wells
Lois McMaster Bujold
that’s enough for now!
Raising this thread from the grave.
Everyone stop reading books in 2017?
I started reading The Prophet by K. Gibran a while ago and will to get back to it, but maybe I also start reading Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki…
If you’re still around Joe Rogan interviewed Rick Doblin on his podcast, over 3 hours of straight knowledge from Doblin, even reminisces of when he did deemz with McKenna, studies he did with Leary. The work MAPS has done since 1986, the work they have completely mapped out through 2035.
FEDERALLY LEGAL WEED BY 2025 FOR ANYONE WATCHING! Mark my words!!!
Edit; I don’t have enough time to read books and podcasts/audiobooks can be played the 10-12 hours I work so I still think that counts
Well, try as I might, I have not been able to warm up to Asimov.
His Foundation series, the first two books I struggled to finish, and I have not read any Asimov in over 40 years. Maybe I’ll give him another try.
I have read several of Greg Bears books, all of which I enjoyed.
The only Brin I have read was the Uplift War.
I recently purchased Baxter’s Evolution, which I have not read yet. I have yet to read any of his books.
I am currently reading William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series, which I find most engaging.
