What are you reading in 2023?

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - this was an OK read, but I did find it very pretty put-downable. I was very interested in the central premise though, which was something I never considered before. Once slavery was abolished in the US, there were thousands of former slaves looking for family and friends who had been transported and sold. The fact that these people had been treated like chattel made the search all the more challenging.
What the Dog Did by Emily Yoffe - this was a really fun non-fiction read about a woman's adventures in dog-ownership and fostering. She is a journalist and has quite a witty style. I really enjoyed it.

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (the music producer).

I saw a piece on him on 60 Minutes or CBS This Morning (can't remember which, probably the latter)--he is a cool dude. Seems the purpose of the profile on Rubin was to promote his book. I am really enjoying it--it's a light taking-the-reader-by-the-hand towards opening up the possibilities for creativity. Since I am making a concerted effort these days to revisit some of the creative pursuits of my childhood (painting for example) The book helps. Reading it is like putting your foot gently on the accelerator to help your car tires out of a snowy rut.

Survival of the Richest by Douglas Rushkoff. Very interesting read about how billionaire technocrats plan to shape our future.

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons - this was a decent read, quite short, about a young girl's quest to thrive despite a totally dysfunctional family. There was a quote from her in the book that made me think of you guys: "Maybe it is wasteful to scatter your worldly goods from hither to yon, but I never wanted to have more than would tie up or tape down in the box. All I really cared about accumulating was money. I saved a bundle." I would say it was OK, but not great.
Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin - a decent non-fiction read about habit formation and personality types. I liked this better than Atomic Habits because I prefer the author's style. There are similar bits of wisdom in both books, but Atomic Habits made me feel more like I was being subjected to a corporate slideshow than reading a book.
Don't Turn Around by Jessica Barry - an enjoyable, hard-to-put-down thriller, that included timely topics such as the "Me Too" movement and abortion rights.
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley - I enjoyed the main character in this novel, which was apparently the first book in a private detective series, but the plot didn't really pull me in at all.
With the above books being read, I have completed another page of my list.

I am trying to finish a book called Cheap Land Colorado but the writing style is hard to follow. It is about people who have left the mainstream and live in a beautiful, but desolate part of the state. Mostly in trailers and without any sort of extras like plumbing. Lots of guns and extremist beliefs.

I’m reading nothing great. I have a stack of books from the library and I just added a few more kindle books. Please God let there be something decent in one of these titles.

this year I’m keeping track of books I pick up and start with an intent to read. I have three categories:


Books I’ve read


Books I’ve skimmed


Books I abandoned.

I just added a kindle book that is a murder mystery and I hate murder mysteries, but it’s been compared to Donna Tartt’s Secret Lives. I love Donna Tartt. I am pretty much sitting around here waiting for Donna Tartt to publish a new novel. I will like this murder mystery. Since the last two I read were not good.

I was reading reports about several airliners that had serious incidents, during their flights to Hawaii. One, in 1989, Flight 811, had a cargo door open while at high altitude. The door ripped off part of the fuselage, exposing the passengers-- 8 of whom plus one flight attendant, were swept away out into the ocean, and never found. One flight attendant was almost lost, but she hung onto part of the plane until others could pull her in. Yup. How do you like that? But yeah---the pilots managed to land at the next stop. The aircraft, though damaged, was repaired and placed back in service for another 10 years. Yep. The other plane--um--I'm not finished with the article. But---wait--there was one that was used for inter-island transport. It had developed a stress failure in the fuselage, that caused the side and roof of the aircraft to tear away, exposing the passengers. One flight attendant was lost, but the passengers were belted in. But yeah---coulda been worse. But--the other one I'm still reading about was catastrophic. One of my case subjects loves to "travel" to touristy places for something to "Do". This time, it's---yes Hawaii. Even though they live in the Phoenix area. But yeah---consume, consume, consume. Isn't thatt amay-zeen and ahhh-summm? I will find more stories about plane crashes, to read about, and report back to you. Thankk Mee.Attachment 5242Attachment 5242

Finally finished the last (of three) volume of The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. Not sure what I will start up next.

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Originally Posted by happystuff

Finally finished the last (of three) volume of The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. Not sure what I will start up next.

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Wow, you read heavy Buddhist stuff, happy! I kind of zone out when I get too deep into paramitas, and Silas, and all that..

My favorite lay-person book about Buddhism is Thich Naht Hanh's "The Heart of Buddha's Teaching." I don't know what branch of Buddhism you follow, another book about Buddhism I like is written by Rodney Smith: "Stepping Out of Self-Deception: The Buddha's Liberating Teaching of No-Self." That's one book that made the cut during The Purge.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by catherine

Wow, you read heavy Buddhist stuff, happy! I kind of zone out when I get too deep into paramitas, and Silas, and all that..

My favorite lay-person book about Buddhism is Thich Naht Hanh's "The Heart of Buddha's Teaching." I don't know what branch of Buddhism you follow, another book about Buddhism I like is written by Rodney Smith: "Stepping Out of Self-Deception: The Buddha's Liberating Teaching of No-Self." That's one book that made the cut during The Purge.

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LOL. I read this stuff, but actual understanding/absorbing/internalizing is definitely not instantaneous. I need exposure and re-exposure for many of these concepts, etc.