What are you reading?
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Started this but didn't finish before it was due at the library. I put another hold on it so I can finish it. Definitely an interesting read.
From snake-oil salesmen to crypto grifters, the gripping story of charlatans—and why we fall for them
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I was rarely a read-more-than-one-book-at-a-time guy but I seem to be now. I generally have something I'm listening to, and something I'm reading in bed at night.
In the last week I finished Andrew Ross Sorkin's 1929. Fantastic book. It takes you through the crash and its aftermath in narrative form, telling the story through a handful of principals. It is not an in-depth study of the depression, more about the crash and the legal aftermath and congressional action culminating in Glass Steagel. Its a pretty short book, shorter than it seemed on kindle since over half is endnotes. I was surprised when the book ended and kindle said I was only 43% of the way through.
I also finished listening to Chernow's new bio of Mark Twain. I enjoyed the book, and never considered putting it down, but I'm going to be honest and say it was a bit of an endurance test. (in fact I think that phrase made it into the NYT review of it). It is 1200+ pages, and the narration was 44+ hours. It could use editing down to maybe 60% of its current length.
Having said all that, he was a fascinating man with a fascinating life and I'm glad I read it. I didn't know all that much about him. There are two Mark Twin houses in Connecticut that operate as museums, I may go see them at some point.
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Kind of goes with the MIT article about the energy impact of AI.
https://wtf.coffee-room.com/topic/3010/ai-s-energy-footprint-mit-analysis
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Used the recipe for bagels from the author's website, the Clever Carrot.
https://www.theclevercarrot.com/
Got the book out from the library and the other recipes look excellent. Trying not to buy cookbooks, but I might have to get this one.
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Definitely lives up to the hype. I’ll rank it up there with The Food Lab and Cookwise.
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Emily Dickinson, Thomas H. Johnson, Ed.
Take it from me; Franklin's late 20th century editions are archaic in comparison; and don't forget her original manuscripts are now readily available to the general public.
The Art of War, Sun Tzu (I'm looking for a good translation, slow going)
The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, Edited and Translated by Stephen Mitchell
(I'm reading this again because a want to find a single poem; I might put it in a frame and hang it on my wall when I find it.)
I'm looking for a history of the Habsburg dynasty. I want something written by an English person. I'll take a look at what's available from their universities.
I want to read a history of the Byzantine empire. I'll take the same approach.
I'm reading the two poetry books now.
I plan to get prescription glasses soon.
I still want to read books and think I should read the first ones on my list before my eyesight becomes worse.
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Andy, You're a bibliophile. Clearly.
I'll share pictures of my office/ study/ library with you and everyone when I have the furniture in place.
This is the area I'm looking forward to decorating most.
It's going to have a desk, a desktop computer, a desk chair, cabinets, a low to the ground table with two matching seats, and a tall bookshelf.
The kitchen is going to have a farmhouse table.
The kitchen, dining room, and the room I described might be a single room.
Thanks for nice pictures!
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Ten bookcases in our house 🤪
Today took 50 old DVDs to charity shops and came back with five books. A rare local history book (that costs over £60) for £3 still in its wrapper; and in the Salvation Army a poetry and a paintings book, and two novels for MrsA, all 50p each. So £5.00.
Hardbacks like new for 50p how to resist? -
Definitely lives up to the hype. I’ll rank it up there with The Food Lab and Cookwise.
@Steve-Miller I love Samin Nosrat. I gave kiddo2 Salt Fat Acid Heat for Christmas, and I received her Good Things from Mr. AM.
Have you listened to her podcast, Home Cooking, with Hrishikesh Hirway? It started at the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s funny and enlightening.
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@Steve-Miller I love Samin Nosrat. I gave kiddo2 Salt Fat Acid Heat for Christmas, and I received her Good Things from Mr. AM.
Have you listened to her podcast, Home Cooking, with Hrishikesh Hirway? It started at the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s funny and enlightening.
@AdagioM said in What are you reading?:
@Steve-Miller I love Samin Nosrat. I gave kiddo2 Salt Fat Acid Heat for Christmas, and I received her Good Things from Mr. AM.
Have you listened to her podcast, Home Cooking, with Hrishikesh Hirway? It started at the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s funny and enlightening.
+1 to all of this!!
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Published 1898, not sure how much help it's going to be, though the chapter on memorising is of interest.
@AndyD Your picture of The Pianist’s Mentor reminded me that there are a number of books on pianism by famous teachers (Neuhaus, Whiteside et al.) and I haven’t read any of them. The ones I’ve glanced at seem kind of dry, and it must be hard to describe fine muscle movements in lively prose. One study, The Great Pianists and Their Technique, does have comments by pupils of Liszt, Chopin and others which are interesting.
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@andyd My mom had Danielle Steel's "The Other Side of Midnight" on a shelf. I read it. I brought the book up with my mom. She was annoyed. She said she didn't want to hear it. Lol!
Edit-- AI tells me it wasn't Danielle Steel. It was Sidney Sheldon.
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Andy, You're a bibliophile. Clearly.
I'll share pictures of my office/ study/ library with you and everyone when I have the furniture in place.
This is the area I'm looking forward to decorating most.
It's going to have a desk, a desktop computer, a desk chair, cabinets, a low to the ground table with two matching seats, and a tall bookshelf.
The kitchen is going to have a farmhouse table.
The kitchen, dining room, and the room I described might be a single room.
Thanks for nice pictures!
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I just started reading this book that I bought while we were in Japan last summer: Yakuza Sometimes Piano
It’s about a writer whose main reporting area is yakuza (i.e., he primarily writes about the yakuza underworld), and he (the writer, a man in his 50s) starts learning piano.
I literally bought it because the cover caught my eye.
It would probably be more interesting if the person learning the piano were actually a yakuza, instead of someone who writes about yakuza... 
But it’s interesting enough so far. I’m not very far along, so we’ll see. -
Definitely lives up to the hype. I’ll rank it up there with The Food Lab and Cookwise.
@Steve-Miller Thank you. You inspired me. Got samples of that book and the Food Lab samples from Amazon. My cooking can only improve.
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@AndyD Your picture of The Pianist’s Mentor reminded me that there are a number of books on pianism by famous teachers (Neuhaus, Whiteside et al.) and I haven’t read any of them. The ones I’ve glanced at seem kind of dry, and it must be hard to describe fine muscle movements in lively prose. One study, The Great Pianists and Their Technique, does have comments by pupils of Liszt, Chopin and others which are interesting.
@RealPlayer said in What are you reading?:
@AndyD Your picture of The Pianist’s Mentor reminded me that there are a number of books on pianism by famous teachers (Neuhaus, Whiteside et al.) and I haven’t read any of them. The ones I’ve glanced at seem kind of dry, and it must be hard to describe fine muscle movements in lively prose. One study, The Great Pianists and Their Technique, does have comments by pupils of Liszt, Chopin and others which are interesting.
In my teens I read one and picked out the essence. This is my youthful writing at the back of an address book (in which I listed all the songs I liked A-Z)
