Big Blue Huddle

Anyone reading anything good?

I just finished reading Talking To Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell.  Fabulous.

I finished "The Gods of Guilt", by Michael Connelly, a couple days ago. One of his "Lincoln Lawyer" series. It was a good read. Now I'm reading "Squeeze Me", by Carl Hiaasen and to be honest, it's the first Hiaasen book that hasn't gripped me. I'm only a hundred pages in, so maybe it'll pick up 

I picked up "1776" by David McCullough which is my next read



I read a synopsis of the book you mentioned, and it looks like a book that I'd enjoy. Here's what I found on Amazon

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know
A Best Book of the Year: The Financial Times, Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, and Detroit Free Press

"How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to one another that isn't true?

Talking to Strangers is a classically Gladwellian intellectual adventure, a challenging and controversial excursion through history, psychology, and scandals taken straight from the news. He revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State University, and the death of Sandra Bland—throwing our understanding of these and other stories into doubt.

Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know. And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world. In his first book since his #1 bestseller David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell has written a gripping guidebook for troubled times."

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on October 02, 2024, 08:22:46 AMI finished "The Gods of Guilt", by Michael Connelly, a couple days ago. One of his "Lincoln Lawyer" series. It was a good read. Now I'm reading "Squeeze Me", by Carl Hiaasen and to be honest, it's the first Hiaasen book that hasn't gripped me. I'm only a hundred pages in, so maybe it'll pick up 

I picked up "1776" by David McCullough which is my next read



I read a synopsis of the book you mentioned, and it looks like a book that I'd enjoy. Here's what I found on Amazon

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know
A Best Book of the Year: The Financial Times, Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, and Detroit Free Press

"How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to one another that isn't true?

Talking to Strangers is a classically Gladwellian intellectual adventure, a challenging and controversial excursion through history, psychology, and scandals taken straight from the news. He revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State University, and the death of Sandra Bland—throwing our understanding of these and other stories into doubt.

Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know. And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world. In his first book since his #1 bestseller David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell has written a gripping guidebook for troubled times."

I highly recommend Malcolm Gladwell.  Brilliant thinker on everyday topics.  All his books are outstanding.

Now I am reading Civil War and Reconstruction.  It's the primary source university textbook for all things about the 1850s, Civil War, and Reconstruction.  Lots of interesting stats.  It's about 1,000 pages so a bit of a read.  So many little nuggets that when you read and think about today.  For example, during slavery in the 1850s, if you were a freeman (slave set free by owner) you were not allowed to travel outside of your county mor allowed to assemble with other freemen.  How is that free?  When folks question the veracity of Woke Movement, history like this is what Woke is fighting.

I read a lot of trash/easy reads.

I've finished Grisham's latest offering, Camino Island. Much like a lot of his recent work, it's a bit plodding and slow.

This year, I've started the Richard Osman 'whodunit' series, The Thursday Murder Club. They are really easy to read and quintessential British. It's about a group of amateur slueths, all retired and live in the same accommodation complex. I've read 2/4 books so far and enjoyed them both. I am about to start the 3rd one this week.

 I am not trying to belittle this topic, just wanted to add my 2 cents. I don't think I've read a real book in maybe 20 years. I used to read everything in sight, but no more. I just find I do not concentrate as I used to and most times, nod off in a couple of minutes.
That's not to say I don't read. I read several papers in the AM, I read at least two magazines each week and I read constantly on my computer, just not real books.  I think the last few books I read were by Steven King.

Quote from: LennG on October 08, 2024, 05:02:31 PMI am not trying to belittle this topic, just wanted to add my 2 cents. I don't think I've read a real book in maybe 20 years. I used to read everything in sight, but no more. I just find I do not concentrate as I used to and most times, nod off in a couple of minutes.
That's not to say I don't read. I read several papers in the AM, I read at least two magazines each week and I read constantly on my computer, just not real books.  I think the last few books I read were by Steven King.

Jump back in Lenn and read some books.  So much good material out there from great stories from fiction writers to provocative thinkers.  No rule you have to read for hours at a time.  If you read 10 pages and you fall asleep, nothing wrong with that.

Quote from: Philosophers on October 10, 2024, 10:12:46 AMJump back in Lenn and read some books.  So much good material out there from great stories from fiction writers to provocative thinkers.  No rule you have to read for hours at a time.  If you read 10 pages and you fall asleep, nothing wrong with that.

I was going to tell Lenn the same thing. Funny you mention "10 pages and fall asleep", which is pretty much exactly what I do every single night. For people who have a hard time sleeping, reading just before going to sleep is a godsend. And of course, we all get stuck waiting in a doctor's office, or hospital, or on a plane, or just sitting and waiting, and nothing kills time better than having a book

Not to mention, the imagination of the reader makes a story many times greater than watching a show. I read an article once that explained why reading surpasses watching TV or a movie. Part of it has to do with one's own imagination, but in a movie, the producer works in 60–200 second scenes to portray a chapter, or important part of a book. And there's not enough time and enough scenes in a movie to do the story justice. Perhaps that is why some prefer a series over a movie...more time to tell the whole story. It's also how you can tell a good movie producer from the bad, by how well they can get a message across in a series of short scenes. Some stories are just too big to tell in a picture show. But even the best producers can't improve on a book

One of my favorite books of all time, was "Jurassic Park", by Michael Crichton. I literally could not put the book down. I read much of it on a plane from Binghamton to San Francisco, and when I got to my hotel, I stayed in to finish it before heading out to check out the city (that is rare for me as I love exploring cities). I was excited at the discovery that the book was being made into a movie. In fact, I was at the head of the line buying a ticket for the first showing in my area. I walked away more disappointed than one can imagine. They turned it into chase scenes for half the movie and completely missed the overall story in the book

John Grisham was asked how he felt about the producer taking liberty with his story, "The Firm" (another disappointment to me), and he responded perfectly, he said, "they paid me millions for my story, they can do whatever they want with it, rewrite it? I don't care". Basically, it's about the money in the end

There are endless stories of shows/movies that were disappointments after reading the book upon which the story was based. The "Reacher" movies were not good compared to Lee Child's books...although, the TV series is an improvement (especiallly in casting Jack Reacher). But to really get into Jack Reacher, you must read the books. They finally made a movie based on Clive Cussler's books ("Sahara") and it was absolutely pathetic, starting with the characters (although, Matthew McConaughey was a decent Dirk Pitt, but Steve Zahn as Giordano, and Penélope Cruz as Eva Rojas...no way on earth), and then butchering the plot. Movies can be bad by simply who they cast for the show. A good example is "American Assassin" by Vince Flynn, where they completely missed casting Mitch Rapp and Stan Hurley (although I eventually warmed up to Michael Keaton as Hurley). Examples are endless. I think we've become a "fast food people" needing as much gratification as possible in the minimal amount of time

Great points, Jolly. I used to read all the time and have just gotten back into it myself lately.
I wholly agree that, in my experience at least, I always enjoy the book more than the movie and I think it is because when I'm reading my brain is conjuring up images and filling in the blanks with little details. The author describes something or someone and sets the scene in general, but then your imagination takes over to complete the picture.
My reading tastes are much more into fiction than what's mentioned above.
I am currently reading the series of books known as The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.

Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe . I have not read in a couple of years and it was a reread of Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. Both books took/ are taking forever . Zen I used to carry around everywhere . Electric lol aid I only read a few pages ata time when commuting on a train. I am also trying to learn jazz guitar so I have a music lesson book that I read. But that's not like real reading however

Quote from: Fletch on October 11, 2024, 11:04:32 AMElectric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe . I have not read in a couple of years and it was a reread of Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. Both books are taking forever . Zen I used to carry around everywhere . Electric lol aid I only read a few pages ata time when commuting on a train. I am also trying to learn jazz guitar so I have a music lesson book that I read. But that's not like real reading however

Great book if anyone wants an inside look at the 60's hippie movement. Wolfe is a top-notch writer

Out of curiosity, how's the jazz coming along, and what guitar are you using. I have a Gretsch 6120 that I put flatround strings on, and want to use it for jazz, but especially blues. Unfortunately, I'm a slow learner

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on October 11, 2024, 12:55:37 PMGreat book if anyone wants an inside look at the 60's hippie movement. Wolfe is a top-notch writer

Out of curiosity, how's the jazz coming along, and what guitar are you using. I have a Gretsch 6120 that I put flatround strings on, and want to use it for jazz, but especially blues. Unfortunately, I'm a slow learner

It's a slow go with the Jazz. Especially  since work is totally crazy. Also, the book does not contain tabs. So I am kind of learning to read music at the same time. However it is mostly in the form of chords/chord charts anyway. I have 2 Les Paul studios I use. But that is what i always played for along time now as a rock player, ie I never bought any new equipment for jazz. 

Quote from: Fletch on October 11, 2024, 03:44:03 PMIt's a slow go with the Jazz. Especially  since work is totally crazy. Also, the book does not contain tabs. So I am kind of learning to read music at the same time. However it is mostly in the form of chords/chord charts anyway. I have 2 Les Paul studios I use. But that is what i always played for along time now as a rock player, ie I never bought any new equipment for jazz. 

Your Les Pauls should work fine. You might want to use a pedal like a Boss GT-1, but depending on your amp, you might already be able to dial it in without a pedal. Typically though, it comes down to the player and his fingers...gotta have jazz in the blood to come through on the speaker

Funny you should mention your Les Pauls, as I bought one this morning from Reverb and I am expecting it on Monday. I'm excited to try it out. Here's a link to what I just bought, but I'm not sure if it's still there on the website. They knocked 450.00 off on a temporary sale and I jumped on it. The price shown is not what I paid https://reverb.com/item/84390559-mint-gibson-les-paul-standard-60s-iced-tea-w-case

Whoa! That is a beauty, Jolly. I love those "Iced Tea" bursts. That is without a doubt my favorite LP finish.
Have fun with it.
How long have you been playing?
Fletch - same question.

Damn that's a fine looking Instrument.🎷

I e been playing for awhile now. In my 40s been playing since a teen and stopped for years in my 20s

Quote from: ozzie on October 11, 2024, 04:19:45 PMWhoa! That is a beauty, Jolly. I love those "Iced Tea" bursts. That is without a doubt my favorite LP finish.
Have fun with it.
How long have you been playing?
Fletch - same question.

That's my problem, I'm buying high-end guitars (Gretsch 6120, Takamine 4PDC, Fender Strat, and now a Gibson Les Paul)...and I'm just a beginner. I also have a Peavy Classic 30 amp, a Peavy Vyper, and a Fishman Loudbox (for the acoustic and singing), as well as an Arturia KeyLab 61 modulator, a mike, and a pedal board with 4 pedals (for now). I'm a lifelong pianist and have sung in a Barbershop Quartet and in several choirs. I can read music like it's a child's book, but I'm having a hell of time translating all my musical knowledge to the fret board. I can play all the chords (well, the F chord is nothing you want to hear me play...I should say, try to play...and my B isn't much better) and basically (right now anyway) I play scales and spider walks, as well as string memorization exercises. I can play a few tunes, but I'm not going on the road. If I continue everyday, I'll get better and better, but probably never good enough to justify the amount of money I've spent on this stuff 

I'm in my 70s, and I posted a cartoon on another thread that sums up my life (I'm in stage 3):


More money than brains. My son is a superb guitarist and lives in Wisconsin. My goal is to be able to jam with him some day, and I have nothing but time on my hands so I practice throughout the day and at night while watching TV. What makes me feel bad, is that my son is so good, but he doesn't have nearly the equipment I have, and he's 36 and been building his collection for over 20 years. I don't want to become a "gear head", but I want to leave my instruments to my son someday when I leave this ole earth. My daughter (the one who plays the keys) gets my piano which is worth twice what my guitar stash and amps are worth

Anyway, thanks for the compliment on the looks of the guitar. I hope it's everything I thought it would be. Here's my current collection