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What Are You Reading Right Now?

JBG said:
I just finished reading Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas. As usual I have my quibbles, these somewhat more profound than usual. The book, about the Israeli government and intelligence efforts to kill those responsible for the 1972 Olympic massacre, is in the "non-fiction" category but just barely. A lot of the dialogue is necessarily invented. The protagonist of Vengeance, one ex-Mossad agent "Avner" is admittedly an invented person. Obviously, a Mossad agent with a price on his head, both my Arab terrorists and by some elements of the Mossad and his loose supervisors, was not going to be named in a book about him. More to the point though, much of the dialogue had to have been imagined or filled in, unless "Avner" had a superhuman memory. This invention of dialogue is necessary feature of many books about war, espionage or disaster. Can one, for example, reproduce the discussions on board The Titanic or the boat that sank in The Perfect Storm? Could Gordon Lightfoot known that the captain said "fellows it's been good to know you."

That being said, however, it is a historical fact that most or all of the 1972 Olympics butchers met violent ends. It is known, from a study of current events, that strange things happen to terrorists who cross Israel. With those caveats in mind, I recommend reading Vengeance.
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I enjoy your "book reports". I already read one book about the Israeli revenge for the killings at the Olympics. I do not recall if it is this one, but your précis makes me want to read (or reread) this one. :)
 
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I'm reading Surprised by Joy, an autobiography by C.S. Lewis

Or it's an autobiography of sorts. It is largely C.S. Lewis' retelling of his life through the lens of his journey into, out of and then back into his Christian faith.

The thing that surprises me the most about this book, and I should point out that I haven't finished the boo yet, is the brutal honesty of it. I am to Lewis' experienced of his teen years on school and it is very much an eye opener to British culture, at least in the years before WWI. I would assume, like most countries in Europe, culture was dramatically changed following the first world war, and then again in WWII.

What I find most interesting at this stage in Lewis' life, is his retelling of how the hierarchies of students fell within boarding schools. As described, there were the "Bloods" who ruled the school, not to be mistaken with hereditary, "bloods" were what might be described in American schools as "jocks", they were the physically gifted, impeccably dressed and handsome... or some contribution of the three. The bloods were often brutal to their perceived inferiors and given free reign to brutalize the rest of the school, for the most part, as a way of toughening up the boys.

Most interesting is that there is little spoken, other than personally by Lewis, at this stage of his life, of the boys experiences with young ladies. For Lewis women were only ogled in his teens because their lives were largely separate from them, beyond the odd teacher, such as a ballet instructor brought in to teach boys grace, who would be Lewis' first real source of fantasy. What ended up dominating the sexual lives of the "bloods" in school were the "tarts" who were lower rung students who were largely, it seems, coerced into gay relationships with "bloods" as a matter of power.

As Lewis put it, the rules for the students in these schools were so contradictory and pervasive that it was almost impossible to obey one rule without breaking another one, and the "bloods" who were largely left to police the rules themselves, determining infringement and punishment on their own, that if/when a targeted boy refused to become a tart for the bloods, they would find themselves in an endless violation of school rules and brutal punishment until they "voluntarily" turned to being a "tart" since most tarts held some level of power by proxy to their connection to various "bloods".

In light of this it was needlessly jarring to my modern American ears to hear Lewis constant use of the term for those lowly students who were neither "bloods" nor "tarts", who suffered less but more dependably then those boys targeted to be "tarts". For many students, they was simply "fags".

The "bloods" and "tarts" dynamic of pre-War British boys schools seemed not that dissimilar to prison in the the United States. It was quite the eye opener.
 
jmotivator said:
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I'm reading Surprised by Joy, an autobiography by C.S. Lewis

Or it's an autobiography of sorts. It is largely C.S. Lewis' retelling of his life through the lens of his journey into, out of and then back into his Christian faith.

The thing that surprises me the most about this book, and I should point out that I haven't finished the boo yet, is the brutal honesty of it. I am to Lewis' experienced of his teen years on school and it is very much an eye opener to British culture, at least in the years before WWI. I would assume, like most countries in Europe, culture was dramatically changed following the first world war, and then again in WWII.

What I find most interesting at this stage in Lewis' life, is his retelling of how the hierarchies of students fell within boarding schools. As described, there were the "Bloods" who ruled the school, not to be mistaken with hereditary, "bloods" were what might be described in American schools as "jocks", they were the physically gifted, impeccably dressed and handsome... or some contribution of the three. The bloods were often brutal to their perceived inferiors and given free reign to brutalize the rest of the school, for the most part, as a way of toughening up the boys.

Most interesting is that there is little spoken, other than personally by Lewis, at this stage of his life, of the boys experiences with young ladies. For Lewis women were only ogled in his teens because their lives were largely separate from them, beyond the odd teacher, such as a ballet instructor brought in to teach boys grace, who would be Lewis' first real source of fantasy. What ended up dominating the sexual lives of the "bloods" in school were the "tarts" who were lower rung students who were largely, it seems, coerced into gay relationships with "bloods" as a matter of power.

As Lewis put it, the rules for the students in these schools were so contradictory and pervasive that it was almost impossible to obey one rule without breaking another one, and the "bloods" who were largely left to police the rules themselves, determining infringement and punishment on their own, that if/when a targeted boy refused to become a tart for the bloods, they would find themselves in an endless violation of school rules and brutal punishment until they "voluntarily" turned to being a "tart" since most tarts held some level of power by proxy to their connection to various "bloods".

In light of this it was needlessly jarring to my modern American ears to hear Lewis constant use of the term for those lowly students who were neither "bloods" nor "tarts", who suffered less but more dependably then those boys targeted to be "tarts". For many students, they was simply "fags".

The "bloods" and "tarts" dynamic of pre-War British boys schools seemed not that dissimilar to prison in the the United States. It was quite the eye opener.
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This reminded me of what I had learned from Well-Schooled in Murder by Barbara George, one of a series of detective stories she wrote about a couple of British detectives. This one was centered around the boys school where one of the detectives, Inspector Thomas Lynley, who is an Earl and who attended the school, has ancient ties. The brutality of which you wrote so vividly is on display in this wonderful detective novel.

Thank you for your thoughtful, excellent review.
 
I just got done reading Saving the Lost Tribe: The Rescue and Redemption of the Ethiopian Jews by Asher Naim. I didn't have that book on any list to read. I saw it in the library and was interested in the topic of the Falashas for a long time.

While the book had perhaps some unnecessary detail, it did set the stage on just how primitive they were, and that they had trouble adjusting to the modern world. This group of Jews split from the rest of the Jewish population shortly after the Babylonian exile of 586 B.C.E. and does not have the benefit of the Talmud or Mishnah. In many cases they were illiterate. The book makes may fascinating observations about how antisemitic tropes even extend to them.

I recommend reading it.
 
Not on a great run at the moment. Read the new Robert Harris Precipice. About British government on the verge of WWI and the affair Asquith was having, pretty dull.

Started Rubicon by Tom Holland as I'm a big fan of his podcast The Rest is History. It's about the Roman Republic and although well researched, has none of the wit of his spoken work.

Now am reading The Year of the Locust. It's so badly written, I can't believe his editor signed off on it. Probably because I am Pilgrim was such a bestseller, he has a ton of leeway but it's really bad. Need to stop reading thrillers and go back to literary fiction.
 
I just started reading Tony Judt's 800 page tome Postwar about Europe after WWII. Its fascinating.

I started it on election night to take my mind off it and the first chapter is all about mass deportations!
 
My favorite book of the year so far is called Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher. If you love fairy tales, there's no way you wouldn't love this. Adventure, quests, comedy. Loved it.
 
bhkad said:
What Are You Reading Right Now?

What I am reading is a transcript from the Charlie Rose show; an hour-long interview with David Kilcullen.
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Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama. I have loved her art for years and met her once in Hong Kong, so perhaps it is time I learned more of the person who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of our time.
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Reading Klara and the Sun.
About AI and humanity.
 
Reading a book called:

Handwriting Analysis
The Good, the "Un-good and the Unexpected

Kathi McKnight - Certified Master Graphologist
 
These are about a man with impossible will. An officer in the polish resistance to the Nazis, he formulated a plan to infiltrate Auschwitz to organize a resistance and report on what was going on. He volunteered himself. He did that. He was there for years. He escaped in 1943, finally, and continued the fight, making more reports. Ultimately, the Polish now-communists killed in him in 1947.

I'm about to read:


The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery
Captain Witold Pileki.
Prisoner #4859

It seems there is a limited set of forewords and maps. He writes in one letter, assuredly after his escape, quoted at the beginning:
​
The game which I was now playing in Auschwitz was dangerous. This sentence does not really convey the reality; in fact, I had gone far beyond what people in the real world would consider dangerous . . . ​

This book appears to be as true as possible a presentation of his reports to the Polish resistance, both during his volunteered captivity and after his escape, but with some exposition around his reports.



A Captain's Portrait: Witold Pileki - Martyr for Truth
(Adam J. Koch)
More of a biography



Before I had a child, just about the only thing that could get me to tear up a little was reading of some act of insane will, real or fictional. A few switches flipped when I had a son, but those are irrelevant now. I do not write this with dry eyes. These books are about the very best of humanity; about someone who looks your mythical Satan in the eye and charges directly at it.

Truly, the best of humanity.
 
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Just finished the excellent book by Moon Unit Zappa. I learned a lot, and most of it was not good. I am a huge fan of Frank Zappa, but as a dad, he wasn't there, Moon theorizes that he was most likely on the spectrum, which makes perfect sense. However, her mother Gail....she was the antichrist. Gail was a monster, and continued to be so after death. Moon is a great writer, she is witty, hilarious and insightful. It took a lot of therapy for her to emerge from what was done to her, great book.

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After finding myself with nothing to read on vacation after finishing Moon's book (I had a book on the kindle that I borrowed from the library, but...it didn't fully download....here is a hint, borrow books for your kindle from the library, and then AFTER they download, put your kindle in airplane mode, that way, when the books expire, they won't get deleted until you go off of airplane mode, its a nice little hack).

So I grabbed a pile of books, Henry James novel "Portnoy's Complaint", a biography of TE Lawrence, a biography of the most insane bad guy actor who was worse in his real life, Laurence Tierney, a book from the same author about performers who literally died on stage, a book about Groucho Marx's late years in life with his awful abusive last wife. Try as I may, I couldn't find a free copy of the new book "Shemp!", about my favorite stooge.

Currently reading the new biography of Herbert "Zeppo" Marx. Not the nicest guy, certainly not the funniest (at least in the movies), yet he was the most financially successful of the 5 brothers, and he hung out with some pretty awful gangsters. Its a fascinating read.

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Demain by Hermann Hesse said:
But where we have given of our love and respect not from habit but of our own free will, where we have been disciples and friends out of our inmost hearts, it is a bitter and horrible moment when we suddenly recognize that the current within us wants to pull us away from what ls dearest to us. Then every thought that rejects the friend and mentor turns in our own hearts like a poisoned barb, then each blow struck in defense flies back into one's own face, the words "disloyalty" and "ingratitude" strike the person who feels he was morally sound like catcalls and stigma, and the frightened heart flees timidly back to the charmed valleys of childhood virtues, unable to believe that this break, too, must be made, this bond also broken.
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I just finished reading Demain by Hermann Hesse. I felt some trepidation before reading this book. Back in the summer of 1973, I was on a teen tour called Trails West. one of my friends there, Jonathan, was a stunningly brilliant, straight-A Honor Student. I learned this book from his discussions with other people on the trip. I was sure that the book was above my intellectual level. I bought the book during approximately summer of 1980, but did not touch it until now. When I was randomly searching for my next book, I put my hands on it and decided “why not." I am rather pleased with myself that I did. Most “reviewers” on Goodreads classify this book as young adult. I find it to be deeply philosophical, and can be read at many levels. There are discussions of goodwill. The author seems to land quite solidly on both sides of the fence on whether or not people have free will.

The parts that I related to most, however, concerned relationships with peer or near-peer mentors. While out of pride most people resist accepting mentorship, I have always gravitated there. And during my student days, not always to people in my own or older years. My view is that learning is less important than pride. The narrator of the book, Sinclair, except various mentors through the course of the book. And discarded some. I believe that the book takes a deep punch into mentorship, free will, and religion.It was a very worthwhile read, albeit 51 years after I was recommended it.
 
I'm reading two different books at the same time. Both are romances.

I LOVE this book. I love the writing, their relationship, how the characters think. It's not a vapid, boring, predictable Hallmark-esque romance. The characters are both incredibly intelligent, but flawed. Probably one of my favorite books I've ever read.

OIP.M6xjtsS3S5-hdmnmYaRSwAHaL6


On the other hand, this one is a romance that is EXTRA spicy. 5/5 spicy. Don't-read-it-in-public spicy. Lots and lots of sexy time. It's fine. I speed through some of the sexy parts unless I'm in the mood. ;)

OIP.BVe4hiqWOlENH4bLox2GTQHaLa
 
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This novel is a masterpiece. It’s about Octavius, his war with Mark Anthony and becoming emperor. A story familiar to anyone interested in the period but just brilliantly told though a series of letters by the various characters from Cicero to Cleopatra. John Williams also a wrote well regarded book called Stoner. Will definitely pick it up.
 
Decypher said:
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This novel is a masterpiece. It’s about Octavius, his war with Mark Anthony and becoming emperor. A story familiar to anyone interested in the period but just brilliantly told though a series of letters by the various characters from Cicero to Cleopatra. John Williams also a wrote well regarded book called Stoner. Will definitely pick it up.
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You are such a good boy. I am a slacker. I am reading a cozy mystery about about the English countryside that also has dragons. It's entitled, Manor of Life and Death (how clever). A day or so ago I finished the highly edifying Blood Lines by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille. My husband is coming up for Christmas from Virginia. I will have to hide my reading matter. Kudos to you for continuing to pursue the subjects you love and not getting lazy. :)
 
I just read this for the third or fourth time since I was a teenager.

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Man, does it ever hold up. I feel like I got even more out of it reading it as an older person.
 
I just finished reading I am reading The Massacre That Never Was: The Myth of Deir Yassin and the Creation of the Palestinian Refugee Problem by Eliezer Tauber. I picked this up at the Tikvah Leadership Convention on December 9, 2024. It was a great book, a bit of a slog since I was not familiar with a lot of its material. Since this is not POC or Judaism, I will save my most detailed discussion. What I can say is that it goes far contrary to the popular legend, i.e. that Dar Yassin, a battle on the outskirts of Jerusalem, was an atrocity. It was a tense battle conducted in an inhabited village. From that perspective, things happen that one would not like.
 
Conclave by Robert Harris
 
NewfieMom said:
You are such a good boy. I am a slacker. I am reading a cozy mystery about about the English countryside that also has dragons. It's entitled, Manor of Life and Death (how clever). A day or so ago I finished the highly edifying Blood Lines by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille. My husband is coming up for Christmas from Virginia. I will have to hide my reading matter. Kudos to you for continuing to pursue the subjects you love and not getting lazy. :)
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To my knowledge I’ve read everything Nelson DeMille wrote. He died less than a year ago as a consequence of Agent Orange, if I’m not mistaken. I hope Alex DeMille will continue to carry the torch.
 
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