OT "Control the Controllables" and Thank You For Book Recommendations

The Art of Racing in the Rain - Stein: it is fiction, but is a great reflection of all the things that life can throw at you and the end results of perseverance. I’ve only got emotional reading a few books, but this one at the end really tugs at the heart. 

The Corner - Simon & Burns: This is what the HBO series “The Wire” was based off of. A gray look into inner city Baltimore, the drug and gang culture, and just some of the problems that still hold inner cities back. “There Are No Children Here” is another great read in the same respect, but of Chicago instead, and a bit shorter. 

Steve Jobs - Isaacon: A long read of a life of a very unique man. Really in-depth and gives you a lot to think about both in business and life and just how Jobs thought and became the man that led Apple to the place they are today. 

I just finished Carl Sagan's 'Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors', and am currently reading 'The Invention of Surgery'.  I like books that teach me something - no more fiction for me.

As for recommendations, I have no idea what genre you prefer, and you gave us no clues.  Although you seem to like self-help books, perhaps you can help us help you?

New post . . . MGoBlog Book Club.

This will be my year of Mann and Dostoevsky. I read Buddenbrooks in January and just finished Devils last night. I love books that linger in your thoughts and memory for some time after reading them. Both of these books had that effect. I could hardly sleep last night with all of the thoughts roaming through my head.

Next up will either be The Magic Mountain or Doctor Faustus.

"My Quest to Eradicate Marsupials"  by RGard.

Loved Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See.  Now reading his Cloud Cuckoo Land.  So imaginative.  Enjoy reading from multiple characters' POV (and, in this case, multiple time periods).

Thanks for this post, Eng1980.  

READ THE OVERSTORY. It's Richard Powers' masterpiece  It's one of the most remarkable works of fiction I've ever read.  I think in the future it will be regarded as a classic of American literature and one of the most important for its message on climate change. and I'm an evangelist for this book and tell everyone I know to read it. 

I'm also reading "Bewilderment" at the moment and it's pretty great. 

Another nonfiction reader here. My recc is certainly not high art or going to make any HoF lists but I loved Maria Konnikova's The Biggest Bluff (2020). She is a journalist with a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia who learned how to play professional poker and became an international champion.

The 'surface' story about her learning process and road to success is fantastic in and for itself but the underlying tale of how she learned to use her psychology background and associated skills to overcome her anxiety along the way takes the book over the top.

Great read anytime but right now during the dead of winter/two years into a pandemic if you're seeking an immersive and engaging read, consider giving this a try. Cheers!

Underland by Robert Macfarlane is the best book that I have read in the last 5 years. Just astonishing stuff. Narrative nonfiction.

I haven’t read fiction in a while.
 

Reading The Impossible First with my kids right now. It’s about the first solo, unassisted crosssing of Antarctica. Not the best book, by any means, but it has some good lessons for kids about overcoming adversity, setting goals and mental toughness. 
 

I just finished Gengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, which basically told his story from birth through the conquests of his grandkids. It was a really interesting read. About to start Undaunted Courage next about the Lewis and Clark expedition. 

I'd love to hear more about what Greg Harden is doing, and if anything he has written is available. Always thought he was an unsung hero of the athletic department. Also am curious who is now filling the valuable role and position he filled.

Normally a non-fiction reader, but just finished "From the River" by James Gaertner, a local writer. It's a coming-of-age-fiction about a canoe race on a thinly disguised River Raisin, as well as friendship, coming to terms with loss, and a chain of mysteries thrown in for good measure. Set in 1982, it's a long book, but it kept pulling me back in as I progressed, and seemed like the perfect feel-good remedy for a long Michigan winter. If you grew up in a small town in the proximity of the River Raisin, as I did, or any town on a river in the Midwest, it's relatable. Stumbled across it on Barnes and Noble.  

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conquest_of_Bread

Currently reading this and it is absolutely fascinating 

My boss, who started for years on defense at IU, uses “control the controlabes” all the time.  Exec Dir of our sales organization.

Also, when delivering a proposal, it’s set at 50% probably.  He says it’s like a marriage proposal - either she says Yes or No.

I just started reading Dilla Time, about J Dilla, today. It’s engrossing and I imagine would be of interest to many on this board, given the Detroit connection.

Liu Cixin's "The Three Body Problem" and "The Dark Forest" are science fiction books that I took a lot from. And I pretty much gave up sci-fi in high school. They give insight into the physics of space travel and 20th Century Chinese culture and history. I have to get the third book in the series "Death's End."

For history buffs I recommend David Fromkin's "A Peace to End All Peace." It's a history of WW1 in the Middle East. Lots of insight into the roots of the current travails in the region.