OT: Book and Podcast Recommendations
Give us one book and one podcast episode.
Book: Wild Seed
https://b-ok.cc/book/1989773/6638f7
First book in an epic sci-fi fantasy series that centers around the story of two immortal Africans named Doro and Anyanwu.
I'd recommend the entire Seed to Harvest series, but this was my favorite. I've been trying to read more minority women authors, and Octavia Butler is a goddess.
Podcast: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-infantorium/
The insane story of the birth of neonatology and the carnival doctor who invented incubators to save premature babies...and displayed them to the masses at festivals and world fairs.
I know it’s not that hipster-ish and too mainstream, but the Joe Rogan podcast with Bill Maher maybe 6 months ago was absolutely fascinating. Very easy to find on YouTube.
That's a fairly generic description! What was it about - what made it fascinating?
Thumbing through the Joe Rogan podcasts you can find some great long format conversations. My personal favorite was when he had David Sinclair on. I’d listen to them in order as he’s been on twice. His book dives more into what he does which is a geneticist for Harvard doing research on why we age and why in the future it’ll be considered a disease. Dude is in his 50s and looks like he’s in his 30s. His book is called Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To. Been taking NMN ever since along with resveratrol. The tests he’d do with mice were fascinating.
Listened to his podcast with Tim Pool again yesterday and seems quite relevant to what’s going on now. He just distrusts the media from working with news organizations previously and now does work independently. He’s left center but a rather fair moderate perspective.
Loved Joe’s podcast the last time he had Alex Jones on purely for the entertainment factor. Dude can get far out in the deep end quick. If you’ve got 4 hours to burn it’s an entertaining 4 hours and everyone right now has 4 hours to burn.
Curious if you're actually listening to more podcast. I saw podcast downloads are way down, which actually makes sense because people so often listen to them while commuting.
Not a fan of Bill Maher.
I have tried several random Joe Rogan podcasts to try and figure out why he's consistently up near the top of the podcast charts and for the life of me I don't get it. He's about an intelligent as the average comedian and more than the typical UFC fighter, so there's that, but I never find anything insightful or laugh-out-loud funny unless it's from the guest. I'm baffled why people find him compelling but clearly a LOT of people do. It feels like the podcast version of coffee, which I have no taste for but wish I was a part of that whole shared cultural experience in a way.
Yeah definitely not great. I've listened to a couple because of the guests. Paul Stamets (mushroom expert), Alex Honnold (guy who free solo'd El Capitan, Kelly Slater (probably best surfer of all time).
If you like true crime, there is a new one called counter clock. It’s a present day reporter digging in to an old unsolved murder. It’s really good. I think the case will get solved.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Oh No with Ross and Carrie's latest episode interviewing (and eventually confronting) a charlatan claiming she can cure Corona over Skype.
http://ohnopodcast.com/investigations/2020/3/28/carrie-meets-kimberly-meredith-single-blind-edition
Was just thinking about posting one of these. I finally finished the Wheel of Time series. 1.5 years of my life.
Looking for a good non fiction book. Things like Factfulness, thinking fast and slow, etc. really interest me.
The Wheel of Time took me 10-15 years to finish, but that wasn’t my fault. I started reading after book 5 was published. Jordan was slightly faster writing than Martin, but then he died, and that added another few years.
I’m currently reading, “A New World Begins,” a history of the French Revolution. It’s fascinating how a grain shortage and hunting rights (or lack thereof) led to such a huge societal upheaval. Not to mention the massive debt the Crown ran up helping us defeat the Brits. I had to chuckle at the mention of the Marquis de Dreux-Breze. And I keep picturing Brienne as a giant, blonde, female Knight.
Edit: I just checked the publication dates. It was more like 20 years for me.
I started reading the wheel of time is 1996
Currently on probably my 5th reread, about halfway through knife of Dreams.
Just started a reread through the series with two of my brothers. Probably my tenth time through the Jordan books but will be my second time through the Sanderson ones at the end.
Language in Thought and Action by Hayakawa. About the power of communication in how people think. Gives me Arrival vibes thinking about language.
Have you read Nudge? I really like the idea that we can "nudge" people to do the right thing while still making it completely optional.
1.5 years is nothing. I started back in 1996. Back then he was putting out one book every 2 years. Between the long gap between books and the slog, ended up putting the series down. Decided to give it another try and got stuck in the slog again. Then last year, since they are working on the show, decided to suck it up and do a 3rd reread but this time power through.
Now if only GRRM would finish his books already.
I also just finished the Wheel of Time series this month. It took me a little over a year and it felt like a slog at times during the middle books, but it ended well (thank you, Brandon Sanderson).
I read the first book, loved it, but couldn't keep reading. I felt like if I kept going I'd have to commit to the whole series, and that felt daunting to me.
I've made at least three efforts to read the series, getting further along each time, but I just get tired of it and move on to something else. I got to book 10 or 11 the last time but the quality of the writing had gone south some by then. I hear Sanderson did a good job wrapping up the saga; Oh well, there's always next decade.
Also finished Wheel of Time recently. Took me about a year. Parts felt like a slog but it was rewarding. Thought Sanderson did a good job finishing.
Speaking of, halfway through The Stormlight Archive and its great.
Also recommend The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Dark but entertaining if you like fantasy.
Lately, I've been filling my plate with really light and fun media to put my mind at ease.
If you're looking for a light-hearted yet somewhat-relevant to current events, I'd suggest The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway. It's the story of two best friends and the story of an apocalyptic event known as the "Go-Away War." Think intellectual literary fiction mashed up with popcorn action flick with a dash of gong fu. The Hike by Drew Magary also scratches a similar itch, just on a smaller, more personal level.
Podcast-wise, the disaster episodes of the Shutdown Fullcast are always enjoyable. If you enjoy fantasy drafts for no reason (so, Draftageddon?), I'd recommend All Fantasy Everything. Specific episodes I'd suggest are:
- People You Want on Your Side in a Fight - Kyle Kinane (EP 58)
- MTV Shows - Katie Nolan (EP 70)
- Things You've Never Done But Are Pretty Sure You'd Be Good At - Zac Toscani (EP 141)
- Casting a Heist Movie - Jake Weismen & Matt Ingebretsen (EP 66)
- Songs to Get the Dance Floor Going at a Wedding - James Corden (EP 132)
(Just a fair warning that there are a good 20-30 minutes of small talk at the beginning of almost every AFE episode, so skip on ahead if you don't want to sit through that... But if you're not one for conversational bunny trails of no real importance, then this podcast probably isn't for you).
Dune
I've read all 6 books. Amazing. Movie drops in December. Hopefully.
Dune was amazing. Sequels though... huge drop off in quality. I certainly didn't read all 6, probably 3 or 4 before giving up.
I wouldn't count on any movies or TV shows releasing on schedule anytime soon. Everybody sent their film crews home.
I highly disagree that the sequels are a huge drop off. I will say the 2nd messiah isn't my favorite but the 3rd children of Dune is amazing. The 4th god emperor is really interesting since it takes place 3500 years after the first book. 5 is action packed and 6 I'm not crazy about but ended very cool. Was supposed to be a final 7th but Herbert passed before it was done.
My rankings of the books are 1,3,5,4,2,6
Also the movie is in post production. But Ghostbusters just got pushed back which was supposed to be this summer. Dune is suppose to be Christmas.
I had this debate the other day.
Is Dune, objectively speaking, the best sci fi book ever written? I can't think of another book in that genre that gets more praise and recommendations from readers. I've never once heard someone say they read it and didn't like it.
Maybe, though I think i would push for The Forever War there. Dune is harmed by its sequels.
My favorite sci-fi (actually just favorite book) is Snow Crash though.
Snow Crash is a modern classic
Dune may be top 5 LEAST favorite books I've ever read. Long stretches of just absolutely uninteresting prose. Unlikable/unbelievable hero. My undergrad degree is in English and American Literature, fwiw.
Unlikeable? Honestly the hero of Dune is Paul but the overall series it's his son Leto II or Duncan. Depending how you look at it.
What's unbelievable? That he can see the future and the horrible decisions he has to make to save the human race?
I tried reading Dune soon after it was initially published in 1965. Even though I'd been reading adult sci-fi since I was a kid courtesy of my dad's SF library, I got bored after about 50 pages and never finished it.
For me, "The Mote in God's Eye" and "The Gripping Hand" by Niven and Pournelle were far more compelling. Couldn't put them down until finished.
Mote in God's Eye is fantastic.
Best non-fiction book I've read recently was "Surprise, Kill, Vanish" by Annie Jacobsen. It is about the history of the CIA. I thought it was fascinating.
Book recommendation: Gonna cheat and give two, a nonfiction and a fiction. Nonfiction: Coming Into the Country, by John McPhee. A masterpiece of longform essay writing, about Alaska and Alaskans. Fiction: The Earthsea Cycle, by Ursula Le Guin. High fantasy doesn't get any better.
Podcast: Criminal, by Phoebe Judge. True crime but not serialized, just these odd, often beautiful little vignettes.
Also, re: Octavia Butler, I read Kindred a couple years ago and thought it was only okay. But I'm reading Parable of the Sower right now and, to quote Brian, I be like dang.
The Disposessed by Le Guin is one of my favorite books. I haven’t read enough of her stuff, will definitely check out The Earthsea Cycle.
I liked Kindred a lot, but can understand why it isn’t for everyone. Parable of the Sower is the first work I read by Octavia Butler. Probably better to start there than with the Patternist series. And I agree, no better way to describe that masterpiece.
I read The Dispossessed in high school. Don't remember it, though. Maybe it's time for a re-read.
I don't listen to podcasts enough to recommend one, so I'll recommend two books.
If you're into horror, Bird Box by Josh Malerman is one of the creepiest books I've ever read. It's one of only three books that have actually scared me. BONUS: it takes place in southeast Michigan
Another one that freaked me out is Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon. It's a slow burn, and a little hard to get through the first two acts but the payoff is... possibly one of the most disturbing endings to a book ever. For me, certainly the most disturbing I've ever read.
(The third book that scared me is The Exorcist)
The Exorcist movie has the distinction of (still) being the only movie that ever kept me awake at night while trying to sleep with the lights on. Although by today's standards it's quaint, my brother and I watched it when we were, maybe, 10-11. We were too young for the movie.
For books, Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel and Be More Chill.
But BMC is kinda may not be your cup of tea. It's set in HS and mention a lot of *cough* HS things like drugs, sex, etc.
For podcasts, I've been listening somewhat to a farming one called Off The Husk. It's a farming podcast.
Are there any Spartan ponies conquered in BMC?
No. It's about a kid who takes a squip so he can try to be more cool as everyone else. A really good book that has a musical adaptation. Though the musical is a whole different story than the book.
Dear Evan Hansen is great.
Everyone should read the Yuval Noah Harari books-"Sapiens" and "Homo Deus"...read "Sapiens" first. His assessments and critiques of who, why and what we are as human beings is most fascinating-as are his thought processes.
And I mean it when I suggest that everyone should read these two works. Profound theses being offered here.
Additionally, Harari is also included in Nick Hanauer's Pitchfork Economic Podcast: "What's the trick in trickle-down".
Sapiens is one of the best, most interesting, works I've ever read. Homo Deus was also damn good, but I found myself not as interested in the content. But only very slightly so - where I could listen to Sapiens for 90 minutes without break, I got through 60 minutes of Homo Deus.
I've read hundreds (perhaps more than a thousand? Who counts that?) of books throughout my life, and I can honestly say that Sapiens is the one I'd recommend more often than any other.
I agree with your assessment here. Sapiens is an incredible work. I felt as though Homo Deus moved more slowly but I wonder if that is related to my expectations-after reading Sapiens. Regardless, Homo Deus is also a very worthwhile read.
Yessss I’m so excited. I downloaded Sapiens last week and it’s next in my queue.
I just read Thinking Fast and Slow and I loved it. Now I'm going through Behave which is equally fantastic. Both are dense.
Podcast that's great for kids (upper elementary ish aged) is Sawbones about failed medical procedures from history. The book they wrote is good too.
Just started reading Thinking Fast and Slow ... seems great.
Podcast: White Horse Inn (note: this is religious subject matter from an orthodox Protestant point of view)
Shantaram was recommended to me when I joined a large international bank. It's not the best book I've read, but interesting fictional insight into cultural history in India/Afghanistan.
If you are into mythology, 'Mythos', by Stephen Fry is great. An excellent take on Greek mythology, with plenty of humor sprinkled in. If you listen to audio books, he does a great job narrating the tale as well.
The only podcast I regularly listen to is Brian's, so... For books, I have several reco's.
Overall best I can remember reading - Sapiens. Its a history of mankind. A very complex web of anthropology, biology, science, and religion broken down into terms laymen can clearly understand. It's not 'sciency' at all, but isn't exactly a light read, either.
Most light hearted and entertaining - Catch-22. Many stories about different characters, set in WWII, where each character's arc comes together at the end. There are some great comedic parts, and some fantastically written tear-jerking parts. I've read it several times.
Best business story - Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco. The story of the leveraged buyout that RJ Reynolds made of Nabisco back in the 80's. This was the first of the mega-LBO's that are still popular today, and the book is a fascinating read of the billionaires behind it all.
If the defense industry piques some interest, try Running Critical. It details the fight to get the Los Angeles class SSN (fast attack submarine) built and commissioned.