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Pit Book/Discussion Thread

Manuscript, part 1

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We see you down there on the floor, Harry Potter. (Or maybe Percy Jackson?)
 
in all seriousness those are some pretty cool books.
 
2 and half books into Iain M Banks' "The Culture Series." It's not what I expected, in that I didn't even realize it was an anthology series. Also interesting that each book, so far, really only follows 1 character. It started off a little slow, but I've enjoyed each book more and more. I'll probably wrap up the 3rd one, then take a Sci Fi break and hit up "The Gentleman Bastards" series. I've heard great things.

For self improvement, I'm about to finish "Big Magic" (by the same writer of Eat Pray Love). I don't think a lack of creative inspiration is something I suffer through, and I think there are probably better books out there that can get you to say "Screw what people say, just do you" better than this one, but I know Elizabeth Gilbert really speaks to people. So if you think you're holding yourself back, knock it out.

Also finished "Lincoln In the Bardo" to round out 2018. I listened to this one on audiobook, and would HIGHLY recommend you doing the same. Again, I didn't really know what to expect, but after I figured out what exactly was going on (something that would have been much easier with a book in hand, since it's nothing but back and forth dialogue) I really enjoyed it. If you're not familiar with it, it's a collection of writings that describe what Abraham Lincoln was like in the weeks leading up to and directly after his 11 year old son passed away. As they cite real passages from books or letters gathered, there is also a story that builds around fictional people of that time who have passed away and are stuck purgatory, for a multitude of reasons. It's beautifully written and truly unique. The audiobook is performed by something like 100 different actors, and is simply incredible.
 
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I haven’t pulled the trigger on “Lincoln in the Bardo” but mag finally do so.

Reading “All the Light We Cannot See” right now and find it really good but heavy.

Recently read “The Woman in the Window” and definitely recommend for a suspenseful, easy page turner.
 
"Lincoln in the Bardo" is as quick a read as you want it to be. Though it's listed at 368 pages, the dialogue style probably reduces it to around 250 or fewer. I found it read a little like poetry though, in that you can fly through it if you want, or you can slow down and soak it in. Given how short it is, I'd suggest the latter.
 
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Did y'all like _Telegraph Avenue_ ?? It has been sitting on my shelf for a year and a half, and I haven't touched it yet.

Just finished Telegraph Avenue. Overall, I liked it but did find some sections to drag on. All-in-all a good read with sympathetic characters. One of the sections is ten pages long and a single sentence written in a Faulkner-esque stream-of-consciousness style from the aerial view of an escaped parrot. I read it three or four times and found it engrossing (my favorite part of the book). Certainly a unique read.

It's the first Chabon book I've read but would be interested to read a couple more.
 
Wasn't a huge fan of Telegraph Avenue, but it had moments. I think my two favorite Chabons are The Yiddish Policeman's Union and The Final Solution. It was almost 20 years ago, but I feel like I remember Kavalier and Clay losing steam, though the first half+ was amazing; and Wonder Boys had moments, too, notably a chapter opening describing the dive bar he frequented, if I remember, but I also didn't think it delivered overall. But they are all decent reads. He's aight.

My reading taste and what I target changed dramatically in the late aughts, so I moved away from his stuff and I'm not sure how it would register now. Telegraph Avenue just felt kind of flat and forced - kind of how Tom Wolfe's fiction started to feel to me after Bonfire of the Vanities. I don't know, hard to describe. I might re-read the others and feel the same, who knows.

It's like, once you read Tropic Of Cancer, some of that shit you used to like doesn't feel the same anymore, you know. Maybe.
 
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I totally agree on Kavalier and Clay and think I've posted as much here before, but the first half of the book was one of the best things I've ever read. I say it's worth a read.

Wonder Boys was the only book we read in the short-lived Pit Book Club however many years back. I feel like maybe Buckets picked it.
 
I think I picked it, actually. Or it was something like I said I was reading it, so someone else said, well, let's just go with that. It was a good idea at the time.
 
I am large, I contain multitudes.

Yes, if you want to go with another Chabon, definitely go with K&C. It is worth the time.

I wish the Coen Bros' adaptation of Yiddish Policeman's Union had gotten off the ground.
 
It's been years since I picked it up, but I didn't like Kavalier and Clay at all. I think I put it down when I was about halfway through. Maybe I'll give it another look. I know I still own it.
 
My attention span for reading is completely shot at the moment. I need to get back in the groove.
 
Lincoln in the Bardo and All the Light We Cannot See are both outstanding. Doerr wrote a memoir that is also outstanding, Four Seasons in Rome.

Right now I'm reading In a Free State by Naipaul and mostly enjoying it. Had earlier read A Bend in the River which was also very good. Love the prose style but find the books somewhat unrelatable.
 
What is Harpers all about? I got a years’ subscription for Christmas and feel like I’m missing something. The fiction is fine, the essays are all over the map, and the “facts” lists have no citations. Interesting but confusing.
 
My self improvement book of the month was Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins.

This guy is a flat out lunatic, and will objectively make you feel like the softest wuss on the planet. This isn't just a navy seal story. It's the story of a guy who makes other navy seals look soft on a daily basis. It's not that he's the best navy seal there has ever been, but he may just be the most fit person to ever live. The book isn't really about the military. It's about how the average person only pushes themselves to no more than %40 of their limit, and how this guy is living proof that you are capable of so much more.
 
My self improvement book of the month was Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins.

This guy is a flat out lunatic, and will objectively make you feel like the softest wuss on the planet. This isn't just a navy seal story. It's the story of a guy who makes other navy seals look soft on a daily basis. It's not that he's the best navy seal there has ever been, but he may just be the most fit person to ever live. The book isn't really about the military. It's about how the average person only pushes themselves to no more than %40 of their limit, and how this guy is living proof that you are capable of so much more.

kinda sounds like el chupe
 
If you're into epic fantasy (only 4 so far) give "The Gentleman Bastards" series a shot. The first book in the series is "The Lies of Locke Lamora". It's easy to read, very entertaining, and serves as a nice change of pace if you're coming off something dense.

Also finished "The 4 Hour Body." I think I agree with a review that I read online that this isn't a book meant to be read linearly. Pick it up, stash it on the shelf and flip through it to a section you're looking for. I don't know if I'd call Tim Ferris a nutball nutritionist, but he definitely documents his personal experiences with some experimental diets and health techniques. They're obviously not for everyone, but you might find something useful or interesting in there.

Up next, for a classic, I'm still deciding between "Catch 22" and "The Goldfinch" since both have movie adaptations coming out and are sure to be popular topics. For light reading/fantasy, I've set "The Culture Series" down for a little and am going to continue with the 2nd book of "The Gentleman Bastards" series. For self-improvement, I just started "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It" and so far it is off to an amazing start.
 
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Also, I know I've raved about it here before, but the final book in Don Winslow's trilogy about the Mexican/American drug trade, "Border", is coming out Tuesday, February 26th. The first installment is "Power of the Dog". Winslow has spent over 25 years researching and writing this trilogy, and turning it into a thrilling historical fiction based on an amalgamation of cartel leaders and victims. I realize there may be a little bit of fatigue on the topic given the popularity of Narcos and the El Chapo trial (and there are some El Chapo stories applied to a character), but if you want the history of what has happened in the drug war set to a great story to keep you engaged, this is the series for you.
 
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