Gourevitch’s We Wish to Inform You…
Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
Bravo’s Mastering the Rubber Guard
[quote]Revo09 wrote:
Mousse wrote:
The very cheesy titled How To Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie is very worthy of a read every year or three.
I hear great things about How To Win Friends and Influence People. Also, you’ll like Zinn’s book, A People’s History of the US.
[/quote]
let me also endorse “how to win friends…” I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m about 2/3 through it and really enjoy it. Some people may say it’s intuitive, but either my intuition is inferior to theirs, or it just helps me to have certain principles crystallized (probably the latter)
it’s not a long book, but it will take you a while to get through it if you read it the way carnegie recommends in the intro, and if you really allow yourself to digest each chap before moving on
EDIT to add: ‘the corrections’ by jonathan franzen is one of my favorite books. And from a training perspective, the coach’s strength training playbook by joe kenn (available at elite) is hands down the best i’ve ever read
Great goal! I know you said you go through books pretty fast (unlike me), but do you have a set amount of time you are going to try to spend reading each day?
I just started focusing more on reading (both non-fiction/personal development books, and fictional entertainment).
When I need a break from reading stuff that I want to learn, but gets boring, I start reading the LOTR. It sure beats the hell out of watching a TV show or movie, and gives me the break I need from the more dull books.
Moby Dick This book is more interesting if you are a Mastodon fan.
The World According to Garp
Guns, Germs and Steel
catch-22 (I would put this last on your list)
Any book by Trevanian, they are all that good.
Catcher in the Rye is a load of horseshite. The author is a moron who knows nothing of life and lives like a hermit with no friends, now. The book is popular because arty morons push it on the world. If you want to read about a whiney twerp, read that.
Get Think and Grow Rich, and old classic. More about putting your mind to things than anything, and capitalism how it should be.
I do the same thing from time to time, although my approach is a little different.
I like to pick 2-3 topics that I’m interested in, hit up amazon and check out a “listmania”, choose books that I think will help the most, and hit up my school’s library.
It doesn’t have to be from amazon’s list though. For example, I was interested in military intelligence. I found the Army’s intel site where they had reading lists for soldiers. I would definitely suggest this topic.
Other areas I’d suggest are evolutionary psych, strategy, game theory, time management, leadership, and any particular historical subjects that catches your eye. But that’s just me.
Harvard usually has class listings with reading lists, which you might find useful.
I learn more this way than just throwing in a bunch of random books. But that might not be what you’re after.
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond comes about as close as any other to what you might call a “unified theory of history”.
At the end of the list I have a couple fun novels… Halo Trilogy (which apparently kicks ASS) and some Zombie books 
(reference manuals for when the zombie apocalypse comes… I will be prepared! lol)
I tend to read multiple books at once, so if I get burned out on the learning stuff I’ll hit some of the “fun” books or start going through the “Guide to Essential Knowledge”.
Foreign Policy subscription sounds good, I just renewed my “economist” sub.
Also yea I’ve read andrew carnegies book, keep it on the shelf and look it over at least once a month. I used to have little notes under my desk (glass table) that had some recomendations from the book… “a persons name is the sweetest sound to them” stuff like that.
and no dedicated time for reading but I wont have shit else to do come june so I’ll be pretty much stuck with a stack of books. Which sounds great to me.
And yea CALaw my job is just based on the telephone mostly so I don’t need the internet unless something specific comes up, thats why I still have some access though minimal and its really out of my way.
This will be an interesting experience I might keep a log maybe…
[quote]Mousse wrote:
The very cheesy titled How To Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie is very worthy of a read every year or three.
.[/quote]
IMHO, “How To Win Friends and Influence People” is one of the worst books ever written. It is the prototype of all the bullshit, indirect, phony relationships one encounters in the corporate world.
Ditto for the Anthony Robbins stuff.
To counter these defenders of corporate duplicity, read instead Brad Blanton’s book, “Radical Honesty”.
I find it commendable that you would take up this reading list. However, if you are like me, what happens is you read one book in which other interesting works are cited, and you go on to read some of those. If you do that, you will go more deeply into a given subject. If you do that, dont beat up on yourself if you dont finish the list. Either way, it’s a great endeavor.
[quote]carter12 wrote:
It doesn’t have to be from amazon’s list though. For example, I was interested in military intelligence. I found the Army’s intel site where they had reading lists for soldiers. I would definitely suggest this topic.
Other areas I’d suggest are evolutionary psych, strategy, game theory, time management, leadership, and any particular historical subjects that catches your eye. But that’s just me.
Harvard usually has class listings with reading lists, which you might find useful.
[/quote]
Good idea Carter…but no more game theory I do that shit every day (i’m an econ major)
[quote]entheogens wrote:
IMHO, “How To Win Friends and Influence People” is one of the worst books ever written. It is the prototype of all the bullshit, indirect, phony relationships one encounters in the corporate world.
[/quote]
I think your opinion of this book says a lot about your general outlook on humanity. My take away was that you should genuinely care about other people, not be fake about it. Either way, in my experience, it is a pretty insightful book about human nature.
DB
One summer a few years ago I read everything that Dostoyevski wrote, that was ever published in english.
I thought at first that I would get tired of reading the same writer, but I actually enjoyed each book more and more. I would recommend either Crime and Punishment, or the Brothers Karamazov, if you haven’t already read them, and Don Quixote.
Any time you read anything that is translated from the original text, take the time to compare several different translator’s versions. This can make all the difference on whether or not you enjoy the book.
[quote]carter12 wrote:
Harvard usually has class listings with reading lists, which you might find useful.
[/quote]
I don’t know about Harvards stuff but MIT has the syllabi and lectures from just about all the classes they teach available here:
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/courses/index.htm
I haven’t looked much at the lectures but it’s a great source for finding interesting and useful books.
[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
entheogens wrote:
IMHO, “How To Win Friends and Influence People” is one of the worst books ever written. It is the prototype of all the bullshit, indirect, phony relationships one encounters in the corporate world.
I think your opinion of this book says a lot about your general outlook on humanity. My take away was that you should genuinely care about other people, not be fake about it. Either way, in my experience, it is a pretty insightful book about human nature.
DB[/quote]
DB, i think it may be even deeper than that. I have a pretty dim outlook on humanity, but this was a book that, I dont want to say renewed my faith, but made me think that there was something a bit more redemptive than I had thought.
As far as “radical Honesty” goes, first of all i’ve never read it. but, judging from teh title and how entheogens referenced it, I will say that there is “being honest” and then theres “hiding behind honesty to justify your boorish and uncivil behavior”
I was going to suggest “how to win friends…” too. I’m just about to start my second read thru of it. It seems that alot of the stuff in it are things that would never even occur to me but come naturally to most, so maybe I just have bad people skills!
Also, read the Fight Club novel. I can’t stress this enough, READ IT. it’s one of my all time favourites. Palahinuk does a great job at setting the scene and really imeressing the reader. FAR superior in every single way to the film.
Tuesday’s with Morrie by Mitch Albom’s a very emotional read too and well worth getting. Shouldn’t take more than 2 days to get thru.
The Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela is a book I can’t possibly recommend highly enough too.
Oh a great Hemmingway novel to check out, The Old Man And The Sea. Silly as it sounds the comradarie he creates with the marlin is akin to what happens with me and the iron. It’s my foe, but also my friend, it tests me but also keeps me honest.
You’ll enjoy freakonomics, if nothing else it’s a unique outlook on the way the world works!
I really, REALLY dislike (notice the present tense, it still annoys me!) Catcher in the Rye. I just didn’t “get” it. Unless there’s something to get other than a realtively privileged (sp) kid being horrendusly cycnical, winey and hypocritical?
I just had a quick glance at my book shelf and those are some of my favourite books that I’ve read over the past year. I’m sure I’ll come up with some more later…
It’s a great idea dude and it’s something I should probably try to copy in some way. I waste far too much time online also.
PS, as some of you no doubt noticed my spelling sucks, forgive me!
[quote]Hanley wrote:
Also, read the Fight Club novel. I can’t stress this enough, READ IT. it’s one of my all time favourites. Palahinuk does a great job at setting the scene and really imeressing the reader. FAR superior in every single way to the film.
[/quote]
Strange, I have found Fight Club to be the only movie I’ve ever seen that was superior to the book. Pass on it and read other Paliniuk. Lullaby or Invisible Monsters and Survivor are his best reads.
mike
[quote]etaco wrote:
Physical_Culture wrote:
Dr John Keegan - A History Of Warfare
John Keegan is awesome for analytical military history and I can’t recommend him enough.
In response to Xen- If all the books are more or less the length and readability of the ones I’ve read on that list, then your plan is certainly doable if you’re able to put in the hours and avoid burnout. Pretend you’re a grad student with your comprehensive exams coming up. The amount you learn will be worth the effort.[/quote]
Agree that Keegan’s great, but I’d read The Face of Battle before any of his other books, then maybe The Mask of Command. Save A History of Warfare for later.
Don’t read On the Road, read The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Post-apocalyptic, about a man and his son, beautiful story, and beautifully written.
Think you’re all being a bit harsh on Catcher in the Rye, I enjoyed it.
And glad to see A Prayer for Owen Meany on there, that’s my favorite book. Would be kind of surprised if that isn’t your favorite on the summer list by the time you’ve read em all.
[quote]KombatAthlete wrote:
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond comes about as close as any other to what you might call a “unified theory of history”.[/quote]
Excellent book. Can’t recommend it enough. Might as well read his:
Third Chimpanzee as well and The Dark Side of Man by Michael Ghiglieri and Wrangham’s Demonic Males. (former graduate student in anthropology/archaeology)