What are you reading in 2025?

[garyclark]

Really enjoyed this. Post WWII Japanese mystery. It's considered a classic of the genre. I'm not sure if it's the writing, or the way Japanese gets translated into English, or both. But it is both wonderfully descriptive, and also stripped down language in a beautiful way. Much of it takes place in Kanazawa - an amazing city on the Sea of Japan - and the Noto Peninsula. Very different than the urban centers on the Pacific.

[garyclark]

I've only read The River and currently in the middle of The Guide...which are sequential. Gonna jump into Dog Stars next as I understand the screen writer for The Revenant is adapting it for film.

Just picked up The River.

Dog Stars sounds intense, but lovely. Want to build up to it.

Thanks for the recommendation. Really liked this. Shades of Old Man and The Sea in the way it is both lyrical and a page-turner. I read the first 50 pages. Then picked it up and couldn't put it down. Stayed up til 1 AM last night finishing it.

[+] spoiler

When Jack recaps what happened with Wynn's family, it was one of those beautiful moments where you could feel the author's loss at having lost a friend as well. Characters can stick with you like that.

[DaveInSeattle]

I was on vacation the end of last week, so lots of beach/pool time for reading. Finished this one:



which was pretty good, but a bit predictable. Written by the author of "Cold Mountain". It's been a long time since I read that one, but I think I enjoyed this one more.

Also read this:



which is the first of a series of mysteries about an FBI agent who gets transferred to Maine after a family tragedy. Pretty enjoyable stuff about the Maine-lobsterman world, but the mystery part was pretty "meh".

[DaveInSeattle]

Finished this last night:



Enjoyed it a lot, despite how dark it got.

[+] spoiler

One of the main characters getting his eye cut out? Yeah, that's dark.

The characters are all pretty well drawn, and it was cool how it went into depth on the various gangs, and how they all interweave with inside/outside of prison.

[Giff]

Finished this last night:



Enjoyed it a lot, despite how dark it got.

[+] spoiler

One of the main characters getting his eye cut out? Yeah, that's dark.

The characters are all pretty well drawn, and it was cool how it went into depth on the various gangs, and how they all interweave with inside/outside of prison.

Great book. They're making a movie and he's one of the writers.

[DaveInSeattle]

Finished this last night:



Enjoyed it a lot, despite how dark it got.

[+] spoiler

One of the main characters getting his eye cut out? Yeah, that's dark.

The characters are all pretty well drawn, and it was cool how it went into depth on the various gangs, and how they all interweave with inside/outside of prison.

Great book. They're making a movie and he's one of the writers.

Oh really? That's cool. I could see it being a Coen Brothers kind of thing.

[garyclark]

Finished this last night.

And while I enjoyed it, especially the last quarter or so of the book, I didn't like it as much as Three Assassins.

This felt there was more fluff and filler. That the writing was less lyrical.

I still plan on reading The Mantis soon (third book in the trilogy), because the writing and the characters in both books are excellent.

[Steve of phpBB]

Really enjoyed this. Post WWII Japanese mystery. It's considered a classic of the genre. I'm not sure if it's the writing, or the way Japanese gets translated into English, or both. But it is both wonderfully descriptive, and also stripped down language in a beautiful way. Much of it takes place in Kanazawa - an amazing city on the Sea of Japan - and the Noto Peninsula. Very different than the urban centers on the Pacific.

I just finished this. Thanks for the recommendation.

[A_B]

Kurlansky has a book on Milk coming out soon (one of the giveaways on Goodreads)

Digging this so far. Who knew I could give a shit about milk?

[DaveInSeattle]

Finished this last night:



All about TB, from the author of "The Fault In Our Stars", and Liverpool supporter/AFC Wimbledon sponsor and frequent Men In Blazers guest John Green. All about the history of the disease, and how it is within reach to have zero deaths from TB. Especially timely now that the Trump Administration is gutting science research budgets.

Learned lots of trivia about TB....for instance: The Adirondack chair was developed so TB patients could sit outside without sanitarium staff having to wheel beds outside.

[garyclark]

Really enjoyed this. Post WWII Japanese mystery. It's considered a classic of the genre. I'm not sure if it's the writing, or the way Japanese gets translated into English, or both. But it is both wonderfully descriptive, and also stripped down language in a beautiful way. Much of it takes place in Kanazawa - an amazing city on the Sea of Japan - and the Noto Peninsula. Very different than the urban centers on the Pacific.

I just finished this. Thanks for the recommendation.

Nice. My wife is reading it now.

[TankFarm2023]

I've gotten lazy, I confess, and find that reading will often lead to slumber. My wife the writer hipped me to audio books from the library, and I recently finished Kathleen Hanna's 'Rebel Girl'. Hearing her describe the worst and best parts of her life definitely made me a fan of hearing the author read their own work, at least if it's an autobiography.

A harrowing tale, and one that made me reconsider some of my own dickish male behavior in the past. Since Xgau praises it so often, I think I'll listen to the Liz Phair book next.

[garyclark]

I've gotten lazy, I confess, and find that reading will often lead to slumber. My wife the writer hipped me to audio books from the library, and I recently finished Kathleen Hanna's 'Rebel Girl'. Hearing her describe the worst and best parts of her life definitely made me a fan of hearing the author read their own work, at least if it's an autobiography.

A harrowing tale, and one that made me reconsider some of my own dickish male behavior in the past. Since Xgau praises it so often, I think I'll listen to the Liz Phair book next.

I tend to listen to mostly nonfiction of late. Not sure why. Maybe once I'm through my current listen, I'll pick up one of these.

[bfj]

James by Percival Everett. Great book. Do NOT listen to it with volume up at stop lights.

[garyclark]

James by Percival Everett. Great book. Do NOT listen to it with volume up at stop lights.

Gotta read this soon. But there are SO MANY BOOKS on my list.

[Shirley]

I use Libby to get free audio books from the library. It's pretty great although it's weird to have to wait for weeks to get access to some popular books. Artificial scarcity and all that.

I recently finished Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. Knew nothing about it or the author. It was surprisingly brutal. Not bad, but pretty damn dark. I guess Slaughter writes a lot of crime novels.

I'm listening to Shea Serrano's Movies and Other Things right now. It's exactly what you'd expect it to be, which is fun and funny.

[A_B]

I have found libby to be less than useful. At least at my library (which shouldn't matter) has a bad selection and it's long waits for even halfway popular books. I don't like buying so many audiobooks but with over an hour of total commute at the moment it's been worth it.

[bfj]

I have found libby to be less than useful. At least at my library (which shouldn't matter) has a bad selection and it's long waits for even halfway popular books. I don't like buying so many audiobooks but with over an hour of total commute at the moment it's been worth it.

I used Libby as a "set it and forget it" with books. I'm always adding titles to my hold list and when they pop up weeks later, its a nice surprise. I listen to podcasts and music to fill in when I don't have any books. I do like the new feature with Libby where you can delay your checkout if you are still listening to another title and it will pop back up later (you pick the window).

[The Sybian]

I have found libby to be less than useful. At least at my library (which shouldn't matter) has a bad selection and it's long waits for even halfway popular books. I don't like buying so many audiobooks but with over an hour of total commute at the moment it's been worth it.

My understanding is that libraries have to buy digital rights to the books they have, and can only lend to one person for each license. So to respond to Shirley, it’s not artificial scarcity, if they buy 10 licenses, and 100 people request a book, only 10 get it at a time.

I use Libby through my town library card, which is a state-wide account and the NY Public Library. NYPL has way more books available. Both more titles and more copies of popular books.

Back in the iTunes days and before the Libby app, I had a Digital Rights Management removal program. It was great, take out tons of digital books, strip the DRM coding, and keep the book forever. I probably gave 50 books I never got around to on a hard drive. Meanwhile my father’s hobby was pirating books, movies and shows from the internet. He has a hard drive with over 2000 books. Probably should have found another hobby.

[Rush2112]

Libby and the like have tiers of subscriptions. As mentioned, they purchase access eBooks/Audiobooks just like they would purchase physical books.
If possible, I highly recommend joining as many local libraries as possible. They often have different subscriptions, so you get access to different collections.

I have a program called LazyLibrarian that does the collecting for me, I have an eBook library of about 10K books or so.

[A_B]

My understanding is that libraries have to buy digital rights to the books they have, and can only lend to one person for each license. So to respond to Shirley, it’s not artificial scarcity, if they buy 10 licenses, and 100 people request a book, only 10 get it at a time.

It is 100% artificial scarcity. And it wouldn't bother me so much if the app was easier to use. I understand why you might not have unlimited "copies" but once it's in audiobook form, the add on cost has to approach zero for halfway popular books.

[The Sybian]

My understanding is that libraries have to buy digital rights to the books they have, and can only lend to one person for each license. So to respond to Shirley, it’s not artificial scarcity, if they buy 10 licenses, and 100 people request a book, only 10 get it at a time.

It is 100% artificial scarcity. And it wouldn't bother me so much if the app was easier to use. I understand why you might not have unlimited "copies" but once it's in audiobook form, the add on cost has to approach zero for halfway popular books.

Imagine you are an author or publisher. I think there is an enormous difference in making a library buy 50 licenses to lend your book out 50 at a time versus making them buy one and lend it to unlimited people at the same time. The NYPL is servicing all of NY State and anyone who works in NYC, do they have enormous waitlists and a large number of licenses for popular new releases.

I also use Hoopla through my library. They seem to have unlimited licenses, but they rarely have new books. Or any books I’m specifically seeking. You can find random thinks worth reading and classics.

[Shirley]

Libby and the like have tiers of subscriptions. As mentioned, they purchase access eBooks/Audiobooks just like they would purchase physical books.
If possible, I highly recommend joining as many local libraries as possible. They often have different subscriptions, so you get access to different collections.

I have a program called LazyLibrarian that does the collecting for me, I have an eBook library of about 10K books or so.

Yeah, I still have my Washington library card from when I lived in Bellevue for a year. They have a much better audiobook selection than my local county.

As for artificial scarcity, I get the economics of it. But it's still artificial, because as AB points out, there's effectively 0 cost to lending each copy. But yeah, if they didn't do that, then nobody would ever need to buy audio books.

[Steve of phpBB]

Is the scarcity of books available from an online library any more artificial than the scarcity the rights-holders use to demand money if you want a copy to read on your Kindle?

[The Sybian]

Is the scarcity of books available from an online library any more artificial than the scarcity the rights-holders use to demand money if you want a copy to read on your Kindle?

Exactly, doesn’t cost the publisher anything to give everyone the ability to read their books for free. Library has to pay for every digital copy, so can only lend one at a time. Write a book in high demand, get paid more because they library wants to lend 50 copies at a time. It’s hard enough to earn a living writing books these days.

[garyclark]

If you think authors should be paid for their work, it isn't artificial scarcity.

[garyclark]

Just wrapped this. Apparently one of the most popular books ever in Italy. Considered a classic. Now a show on Netflix in Italian.

It's a melodramatic tale of life in Sicily before Italy was a country, told through the eyes of nobility and military. The author was a descendant of the main character, a prince, so it's loosely based on those experiences. But I wouldn't go so far as to call it historical fiction. The book is well-written, lyrical in prose, and was probably considered steamy stuff in its day.

I wanted a break from Japanese crime novels, thrillers, and murder mysteries. And this was definitely a palate cleanser.

[sancarlos]

I like reading historical stuff, and I am a member of the GaryClark book club, so I might check out The Leopard.

Just finished the previously discussed The Incorruptibles. Great history of the criminal element and efforts to stamp it out on the Lower East Side.

Right now I'm reading a well-written history called Crusaders, by Dan Jones.

[A_B]

If you think authors should be paid for their work, it isn't artificial scarcity.

Authors have lost "revenue" from libraries forever due to real scarcity of physical books. I have yet to see an argument from an author who said "Libraries suck and they steal from me". Authors get more upfront than they do from additional copies sold, unless, like was mentioned, you have a hot bestseller (or at least one that exceeds the expectations). And even then, it's potentially worth it from a promotional standpoint because best sellers beget best sellers. I'm guessing Stephen King gets a bigger upfront for his next book than he did for Carrie.

Blame the publishers, but it's still 100% artificial scarcity.

[The Sybian]

If you think authors should be paid for their work, it isn't artificial scarcity.

Authors have lost "revenue" from libraries forever due to real scarcity of physical books. I have yet to see an argument from an author who said "Libraries suck and they steal from me". Authors get more upfront than they do from additional copies sold, unless, like was mentioned, you have a hot bestseller (or at least one that exceeds the expectations). And even then, it's potentially worth it from a promotional standpoint because best sellers beget best sellers. I'm guessing Stephen King gets a bigger upfront for his next book than he did for Carrie.

Blame the publishers, but it's still 100% artificial scarcity.

To quote my Constitutional Law professor:

[long pause, glare and finger pointed at your chest] “WRONG! Anybody else?”

[P.D.X.]

Isn’t artificial scarcity the driver behind the subscription costs of all digital media streaming services? They have an unlimited supply, why doesn’t that drive cost down to virtually nothing?

[EdRomero]

Started listening to this and laughing loudly in public.

[The Sybian]

Thanks for the reminder Ed, wasn’t at either library when I first looked for it. For the first time ever, NJ Library has it on Libby and NYPL doesn’t! Estimated six week wait.

[garyclark]

If you think authors should be paid for their work, it isn't artificial scarcity.

Authors have lost "revenue" from libraries forever due to real scarcity of physical books. I have yet to see an argument from an author who said "Libraries suck and they steal from me". Authors get more upfront than they do from additional copies sold, unless, like was mentioned, you have a hot bestseller (or at least one that exceeds the expectations). And even then, it's potentially worth it from a promotional standpoint because best sellers beget best sellers. I'm guessing Stephen King gets a bigger upfront for his next book than he did for Carrie.

Blame the publishers, but it's still 100% artificial scarcity.

To quote my Constitutional Law professor:

[long pause, glare and finger pointed at your chest] “WRONG! Anybody else?”

Ha!

I just want the authors to be paid. And if it means we have to wait longer for books, I'm willing to do it.

[garyclark]

I like reading historical stuff, and I am a member of the GaryClark book club, so I might check out The Leopard.

Just finished the previously discussed The Incorruptibles. Great history of the criminal element and efforts to stamp it out on the Lower East Side.

Right now I'm reading a well-written history called Crusaders, by Dan Jones.

Glad you liked The Incorruptibles. I do love a history about life in NYC.

[garyclark]

As I'm being more intentional with what I consume these days, mostly to protect my mental health, I figured this would be a good way to cleanse my thoughts and remind myself about the value of silence and the harm of overstimulation. Which it was.

You can read this in a couple of hours, and it's the type of book that - even though I don't agree with some of the teachings - on the whole, is full of good reminders about what matters most in life. I imagine I might pick it up and read sections when I'm having a tough day.

[garyclark]

Really enjoyed this. Interwoven short stories with powerful messages delivered gently and beautifully. And in waves. It starts a little slowly but really gains momentum in the middle, and I found myself moved deeply in the latter chapters.