Nova by Samuel R. "Chip" Delany. — Jamal

Nice. You read others by him?

No, it's my first, and I intend to read more of his work. I'll probably avoid Hogg though.

Yikes. That one does look intense. I'm a big fan of classic and golden-age sci-fi so on the list with Nova though.

I'm enjoying it a lot. It's more New Wave than Golden Age, but it has a lot of the classic SF stuff like FTL travel and galactic empires.

The Tattooer, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki.

The Poverty of Historicism
by Karl Popper

Popular Hits of the Showa Era by Ryu Murikami

Just finished The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz. He's a real talent!

Popular Hits of the Showa Era by Ryu Murikami — Manuel

It sounds so interesting! How is it? Do you like it?

I read two of his short books In the Miso Soup and Audition, both were quite good and strange, though perhaps Miso Soup was a bit better.

This one looks to be the best one yet of the short ones.

But frankly, they pale in comparison to his big books, especially his Coin Locker Babies, which is a real masterpiece of mayhem and craziness, crackling fun and imaginative.

His From the Fatherland with Love, was good, but a bit too long and too much about politics, so it can become quite a slog.

I don't know why he is not more popular, nor why they don't release his more of his long books (if he has more, which I'd think he should, but am certain.)

Overall, however, he is great and if you like weird and violent material, he is a must read. If you get squeamish about blood and the like, then it would be better to skip him.

"More and Different" by P.W. Anderson. This is a book by the guy who wrote the article "More is Different," which I've talked about many times here on the forum. That was written in 1972 and the book was written about 10 years ago, so I was hoping to see how his thinking has developed since the 70s. Unfortunately, there is very little about reductionism and emergence and much more about his life's work in condensed matter physics, i.e. superconductivity.

Those sections of the book are mostly history - "I remember this guy doing this while I was a Bell Labs. I didn't like this guy because he was a jerk." I'm reading a very similar book right now too - "What is Real" by Adam Becker. Most of the writing is about how Bohr and his Copenhagen squeezed out Bohm and Everett and their non-standard views on quantum mechanics. It's also similar to Heisenberg's autobiography "Physics and Beyond." Again, lots of he said this, he did that. Some getting the last word in old grudges.

I guess I'm tired of it. I want to hear about the science, not the personalities. To be fair, all the books are well written and interesting, just not enough science. I'll put in a plug for my favorite scientific biography - "Subtle is the Lord" by Pais about Einstein. It has a lot of the personal and social history too, but it's kept in separate sections. The technical sections are all science and they are hard. You have to work at them. Very well written by someone who knew Einstein in the early 50s at Princeton when he, Pais, was a young man.

Alright! Thanks for your analysis. Appreciate it.

Sure! Anytime. :victory:

Suicide: A Study in Sociology
by Émile Durkheim

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese — Hailey

I looked it up. Sounds like it might be a bit harrowing. Let us know.

Sure, I will :)

I've covered one-third of the book. Harrowing indeed. But the storytelling is very inviting. It's hard to put it down. You should try it.

I've covered one-third of the book. Harrowing indeed. But the storytelling is very inviting. It's hard to put it down. You should try it. — Hailey

I'll put it on my list, but I generally don't do well with harrowing.

Essays upon Actions and Events by Donald Davidson. The collection with Quine rebuttals in the appendices.

The work is early in comparison to later discussions found in academia. I am finding it very helpful because it presents his distinctions as they occurred to him.

The Myth of 1648: Class, Geopolitics and the Making of Modern International Relations by Benno Teschke

The Myth of 1648: Class, Geopolitics and the Making of Modern International Relations by Benno Teschke — Maw

It has always surprised? confused? me how often the Treaty of Westphalia is referenced (blamed?), 375 years later, in relation to current international relations. Let us know what you think when you're done.

Critique of Pure Reason by I. Kant, Translated by J.M.D. Meiklejohn printed by J.M. Dent and Sons Ltd. GB First published 1934.

I have had CPRs translated by Norman Kemp Smith and Max Muller. For the first time managed acquire a copy of CPR translated by Meiklejohn. It is a translation for the 2nd Edition of CPR.

The Kamogawa food detectives, Hisashi Kashiwai.

I am not a big fan of noir novels, but all the people are recommending me this book. Let's see...

I am not a big fan of noir novels, — javi2541997

Isn't Mishima a noir character? Shakespearian? A dark, brooding, ambiguous figure?

Good question. I think not, and Mishima had his own style. I consider him as romantic with a mix of bellicism.

bellicism — javi2541997

Bellicism - The policy or practice of resorting to war even when it is not necessary and is avoidable.

You've taught me a new word. Thanks.

Vilnius Poker - Ričardas Gavelis

@Jamal - I have a vague memory you've read this one, what did you think of it?

Wasn’t me, but it looks interesting, so I’ve added it to the list :up:

Bellicism — T Clark

You've taught me a new word. Thanks. — T Clark

Yeh it’s good to have an -ism for it, to oppose to pacifism, but most often the more common bellicosity is probably better.

bellicosity is probably better. — Jamal

"Bellicosity" means you're an asshole, "Bellicism" means you're an asshole on principle.