# General > General Chat >  What are You Reading These Days

## Adventure Wolf

I've finally got through my back log of reading material, and I'm looking for some new books to read. This happens usually every winter when I'm out of work, but recently I've become rather bored with mainstream literature. I'm tired of all of the paint by number literature that has been put out in the last five years or so. It seems to me that many authors are telling the same story with different characters. To really get any good reading, I've had to look through small publishers and classics, because those books are much higher quality.

If you notice I'm seldom posting here, because I'm either working or reading these days.

My last book was Pandora's Box by Wesley Brian Williams. It wasn't a great book, but I know the author (fellow Raleigh resident) and I'm friends with one of the guys helping him promote it. As an author he has some potential, but it was his first publication. There was some good character development, and the characters were named after people that I know in real life. It was amusing watching their fates in the book.

Before that I finished "Beneath A Northern Sky by Woodworth". Before that I read "Notes on Spain and Spaniards in the Summer of 1859, With a Glance at Sardina" by James Johnson Pettigrew (modern reprint). So I read across the spectrum.

Any suggestions?

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

Halfway through "Hunter" by J.A. Hunter for the third time.

Alan

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## randyt

I generally read a few different books at a time. One that I've been reading lately is a new book by Samual Thayer called Incredible Wild Edibles. I also read a lot of magazines, Fur-Fish-Game, Backwoodsman magazine and Handloader magazine

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## Antonyraison

I am reading people's really strange and convoluted Facebook posts, for some reason I enjoy debating really odd views, and for the most part those debates often get me researching very weird claims and checking the validity (although that usually rests on the claimant to prove) however I do check most things, and that way I have learn a lot about many topics and kinda understand many views on a particular subject,whatever that may be.
It's surprising to me how some people  think... hahah
I should really pick up a book again..
But however now I have a really like basic level of understanding on a number of things, from health, training, supplementation, science/ physics, history/ Mathematics, various religions, myths, lore, Tv shows, morals, polotics.. man lol.. Kinda have a really well rounded insight on a number of stuff..
and Now I am like hmmm ok.. how many people actually did anything at school? hahah really?

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## Rollicks

I like to read cook books. I just finished reading "The Chili Cookbook," by Robb Walsh. It's like a history book on Chili, with all the different varieties in America and how they came to be. Right now I'm working on reading "Fiery Ferments," by Kirsten Shockey. It's an excellent book about fermenting hot pepper mashes, pickles and mustards. If I'm alone and I'm camping, I have two books that I reread constantly: Moby Dick and Don Quixote. My copy of Moby Dick is worn, torn, singed, blotchy, moldy and held together mostly with Duct tape and Rubber Cement. I also recommend "Don't Point That Thing At Me," by Kyril Bonfiglioli. A friend got that one for me and I've really enjoyed it.

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## madmax

Just ordered "Horse Soldiers",  the book the movie "12 Strong"  was based on.

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## WolfVanZandt

I don't actually "read" if I can avoid it. I use a screen reader with digital copy. I usually go through a stack at a time and much of it is video. Currently, it's:

an MIT opencourse on animal psychology
Experiencing America - a lecture series on Smithsonian holdings about American history
Proverbs (the Bible book)
Great Utopian and Dystopian Literature (a lecture series)
A Visual Guide to the Universe (another Smithsonian-Teaching Company collaboration about astronomical explorations)
And, The Life and Music of Wagner - a lecture series on, well....Richard Wagner, the most arrogant musician who ever lived (so says Guinness).

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## Faiaoga

I recently finished The Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan.  It is a biograpy of Thomas Francis Meagher, an Irish nationalist of the 19th century who became a Union general during the Civil War and who died in Montana.

Interesting book.  I learned things about Irish history, the Potato Famine, the Civil War and draft riots, Montana history and other things through the life of one man. :Sneaky2:

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## kyratshooter

I do not do as much reading of traditional works these days as I once did.  My academic career required forced reading of thousands of pages each week, most of it information of interest to the professors but not to me.

I then spent decades trying to feed information to minds filed with mush, which only got mushier as the decades wore on.

Most of my reading now is involved with in depth research of topics I once did not have access to, but now can access due to the internet.  When I am not on WSF I am generally on some dig-survey report trying to figure out how the Indians on the Tellico River had access to Spanish muskets in the 1600s.

Much if it is archaeological survey work in relation to biblical studies.  I have always been interested in archaeology, anthropology, prehistory, population distribution and migration patterns.

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## hunter63

Need to finish ".Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America's Clovis Culture"

https://www.amazon.com/Across-Atlant.../dp/0520275780
THese guys think humans crossed at Atlantic ice bridge bringing the Clovis culture and tools .....From Europe.....

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## Antonyraison

> I do not do as much reading of traditional works these days as I once did.  My academic career required forced reading of thousands of pages each week, most of it information of interest to the professors but not to me.
> 
> I then spent decades trying to feed information to minds filed with mush, which only got mushier as the decades wore on.
> 
> Most of my reading now is involved with in depth research of topics I once did not have access to, but now can access due to the internet.  When I am not on WSF I am generally on some dig-survey report trying to figure out how the Indians on the Tellico River had access to Spanish muskets in the 1600s.
> 
> Much if it is archaeological survey work in relation to biblical studies.  I have always been interested in archaeology, anthropology, prehistory, population distribution and migration patterns.


Fascinating stuff.

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## Fixit

Two books being read right now .Ersatz in the Confederate by Mary Elizabeth Massey and Civil Defense by Mabee.

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## WolfVanZandt

Kyrat, that's actually my favorite kind of learning. I keep a blog that gives accounts of my "adventures" in the area and in the past studying different facets of my surroundings. I studied philosophy and psychology in the Denver area last year and am switching to religion and sociology this year. Next year it will be language and mathematics and, if I live long enough, I'll go through the whole Dewey Decimal System. I'm trying to encourage people to get away from their TVs and computers and start interacting with their world first hand. I'm planning to volunteer for a conversation group to help English learners. I'm checking that out today and it will give me blog material for next year. I'm also going to stroll down to the Iliff School of Theology down the street to see what they're doing. There's an Anglo-Saxon Heathenry group In Denver that I hope I can visit and see what Anglo-Saxon Heathenry is.

I don't actually report on what I learn (that would mean books and the whole idea is for other folks to get out and learn - I don't want to spoil the end of the story) but I give my impressions of my experiences. Occasionally I list my favorite books and videos on the subjects but that's not my focus.

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## madmax

Anybody read Shackleton's  (I think) epic last trip?  It's been awhile since I read it, but I'd stop reading now and then and wonder what those men were like.

edit-  Hey I found it.  "Shackleton's Boat Journey".  By F.A. Worsley.  I'm starting it again  right now.

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## WolfVanZandt

I like travel logs. My favorites are William Bartram's and John Wesley Powell's. I wish I could have seen the country before all the trees were chopped down and the rivers were dammed up.

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## madmax

I read John Wesley Powell's account of his exploration of the Colorado River while on a 21 day raft trip through it.

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## tundrabadger

I picked up a copy of  _The Nordic Cookbook_ by Magnus Nillson recently.   It's really enormous,  and makes for fascinating reading,  even some of the recipes would be difficult,  impossible or in one or two cases illegal to execute in Canada.   It covers traditional recipes from all over northern Europe.  Highly recommended.  Also I kind of want to Magnus Nillson when I grow up except that I'm slightly older than him and I'm a library technician not a chef so it's probably not happening.  But he wrote a cookbook that makes for really great reading.

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## oldsoldier

Re-reading several William W. Johnstone books. Mainly the post apocalyptic "ashes series" along with several new ones.

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## Rick

Hey! Where the heck you been?

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## Batch

"Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" by Neil deGrasse Tyson and a back log of magazines I get in the mail. Used to finish them as quick as they came in. I am a bit less interested lately I guess.

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## Adventure Wolf

Starting up on a Short History of World War 1 by James L Stokesb

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## pete lynch

The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin

Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides

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## oldsoldier

Been crazy busy. Wife's been sick lots of Drs appointments. We're short handed at work AGAIN! Working 12-14 hour days not much time for a life LOL

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## Rick

Well good to see you back. I hope the wife is better soon!

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## oldsoldier

Thanks Rick she's getting better daily. It's just been slow going

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## hunter63

> Thanks Rick she's getting better daily. It's just been slow going


Hang in there......we are all pulling for you.

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## crashdive123

Hang in their OS.  Hope your wife gets better soon.

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## Old Professor

I am reading a series on the French and Indian War, by  S Thomas Bailey. This is a seven volume series. It is called " The Gauntlet Runner " series. I like it for two reasons: first of all most of the first five volumes are set in western Penna, where I grew up and second because I am an advocate of the idea that the frontier experience is what defined this countries character. I read every book I can find on the frontier experience.

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## hunter63

> I am reading a series on the French and Indian War, by  S Thomas Bailey. This is a seven volume series. It is called " The Gauntlet Runner " series. I like it for two reasons: first of all most of the first five volumes are set in western Penna, where I grew up and second because I am an advocate of the idea that the frontier experience is what defined this countries character. I read every book I can find on the frontier experience.


Hadn't heard of this...will,have to look it up...Thanks

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

This is a website I use when looking for rare or obscure reading material.  I don't know anything more about them than that I have found some books that I could not find elsewhere.

https://archive.org/details/biodiversity


Alan

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

When I was a kid, I darn near memorized the book below.  It was my dad's and had been given to him by his parents in the late 30s.  When I left home for college (the first time), that book, like a lot of other things got put into storage.  There it remained until I found it.  It was (is) in very poor condition and any reading or turning of the pages would result in it being lost forever.  I found it on the website I posted the link to previously and have enjoyed the reading.  I can readily see now how the writing of Mr. Seton shaped me into the man I became and am still becoming today.  

Alan


https://archive.org/details/bookofwoodcraft00seto

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## WolfVanZandt

Aye, I used the Internet Archive to "digitize" most of my library before I moved. The Gutenberg Projects helped, too. They also host a lot of old films and other media.

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## BENESSE

Just finished "Those who wish me dead" by Michael Koryta --a gripping thriller that takes place in the wilderness of Montana. Very plot driven, hard to put down and informative in the process. It will really be worth your time. (I love this author, have read most of his books but this one is surprisingly unique.) 

If you are a scout leader, wilderness instructor or an older scout (14+) it will be especially meaningful.

When you read the summery, watch for spoiler alerts. 
https://www.amazon.com/Those-Who-Wis...=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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## Rollicks

> I picked up a copy of  _The Nordic Cookbook_ by Magnus Nillson recently.   It's really enormous,  and makes for fascinating reading,  even some of the recipes would be difficult,  impossible or in one or two cases illegal to execute in Canada.   It covers traditional recipes from all over northern Europe.  Highly recommended.  Also I kind of want to Magnus Nillson when I grow up except that I'm slightly older than him and I'm a library technician not a chef so it's probably not happening.  But he wrote a cookbook that makes for really great reading.


I'm adding that to my list!

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## Old Professor

Another series I highly recommend are the frontier books by Allen Eckert. These books are foot noted, for those of use that like to dig deeper into sources.  Unfortunatly, his Frontier series was not published chronologically, so if you want to read them that way, you need to figure out the historical period each
 in novel represents.   For example, his first published work was The Frontiersman. Story of Simon Kenton. But chronologically, the earliest historical period   
is covered by Wilderness Empire.  These books are now available in paperback.

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## torgen

Currently, I read the book*************** by business consultant Annie Duke. In this book, the author cites examples from business, sports, politics, and poker (Annie is an ex-world poker champion), showing what tools you can use to accept uncertainty and choose the most correct decisions. In some sense, tips from the book ************** to me and they give an understanding of certain things in this topic.

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## Rick

Nice try spammer boy. I had a feeling about you. I knew you were going to be a spammer. The spammer hair on the back of my neck stood up when I read your intro. You even tried to bury a link in your post. HA! I laugh at your meager attempt. You lasted all of 9 minutes. Go back under your Ukraine rock.

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## crashdive123

Rick is still on the job.

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## Rick

I was all like bad spammer!

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

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## Maria22

I have been reading Lights Out by Ted Koppel. Also Aftershock by David Wiedemer, and Patriots by James Wesley, Rawles. I have many others but these are the ones I am reading now.

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## WolfVanZandt

Clinical Medicine for Nurses by Paul Ringer and Little Women by Louisa Alcott. I enjoy period pieces because we might not be too far from regressing to one of those periods How did people live? I'm on medicines for heart disease and two of my housemates are diabetic. That poses an interesting puzzle for survival. What do we do when we can no longer get prescription medications?

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## Usansa

Now I read ************************

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## madmax

I've been in the woods for a few months and have been prompted to ask a question or post something.  So.

I bought a few copies of Horace Kephart's biographical book, "Back of Beyond" by George Ellison and Janet McCue.  I went to a book signing  and got both authors to sign the books.  Kep was incredibly interesting character.  A great read.

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## nell67

My daughter is reading "One Second After" by William R. Forstchen a post Apocalyptic tale that has America sent back to the dark ages after losing a war because of an EMP attack. She is on the second book," One Year After"  and wanting me to read the first.

 I am currently reading  "Last Of The Breed" by Louis L'Amour  A book Steve wanted me to read, he had read and re-read it many times. the story of a USAF pilot who survived being downed in a experimental air craft in Russia, escaping a Soviet prison camp, and being chased across the frozen Siberian wilderness and the Bearing strait, across the sea to America being followed by one of Siberia by one of their best trackers who knows the area well, the pilot is a Sioux who uses his Native American skills to survive the rough conditions and stay ahead of the tracker.

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## WolfVanZandt

Last of a Breed was different for L'Amour and, in my opinion, one of his best works. I was pleasantly surprised.

All of my reading is project oriented now so it's nothing spectacular. I was alternating between the Life of Johnson (long with a few interesting spots - Sam Johnson didn't like America much. He wrote a lot, including a dictionary. He was opinionated and ranged from okay to obnoxious. It might have just been the times. Boswell liked him.) and The Dresden Files (eh - entertaining but not anything to really recommend), and then I needed to write a chapter on rhetoric so my reading has been superseded by that. If you just hafta read a book on rhetoric, I can recommend Bending Opinions, by Ton van Haaften, et al.

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## pete lynch

Military Memoirs of a Confederate by Gen. E P Alexander

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## HoppinHopper

I have been reading through  Skills of a Blacksmith Volume I  by Mark Aspery. Im having an absolute blast hand forging small tools like cabinet handles, coat hangers, and of course, door hinges that dont properly fit! It can be a bit frustrating at times, as Im learning almost entirely from books and online sources, but its so much fun.

It was cheaper than I imagined too. I got started with a hole in the ground style forge. My design was even simpler than the one in the video, I just stuck a straight black pipe into a hole, I didnt bother with the bricks or the pipe bend. Once my forge was taking care of, I got a hold of  a v-bit blacksmith tong and a 20 year old carpenters hammer and I was off to the races.

I've been rambling, I got too excited! But if this at all seems interesting to you, you should check out Black Bear Forge or Torbjörn Åhman. If you dont necessarily care to learn for yourself, but just want to check out cool cinematic shots of forging, I also recommend Alec Steels yt channel.

But back to reading, I also recently finished the book The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood as I have been interested in the flood of data and information that surrounds us these days. The book was ...a bit of a let down honestly. It was far too vague in spots where it really needed to get specific.

And of course, I have a knee high stack of books next to my night stand that I will get around to reading ...one day...eventually..

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## Adventure Wolf

This thread is still semi-active, wow. Recently I read A History of Modern Russia to try and learn a bit about USA's rival.

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