I’ve found an amazing book (as much as I don’t want to admit it)

[MidEngine]

[beefchips]

@Gabriella I just finished "The Scottish Enlightenment: the Scots' Invention of the Modern World" by Arthur Herman. It's fascinating both as a cultural history of Highland and Lowland Scotland and as a guide through one school of Enlightenment philosophy, mathematics, and science. In particular the first portion of the book was very good, describing how the universities at Glasgow and Edinburgh grew out of Scottish Calivinism and went on to shape both Britain and events in the colonies (not least America's revolution).

I admit I thought the story lost steam a little as it came to last chapter about the turn of the 20th century. It kind of turned into a series of anecdotes about rich people who's parents happened to be Scottish. I would really like to see an updated edition with deeper discussions of deindustrialization, the growth of nationalism, and the politics around the independence referendum.

[beefchips]

@WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAthenGTInowA4 said in I’ve found an amazing book (as much as I don’t want to admit it):

@Gabriella said in I’ve found an amazing book (as much as I don’t want to admit it):

What are you reading right now?

LOL, I can't read.

[WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAthenGTInowA4]

@beefchips What's that say?

[beefchips]

@WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAthenGTInowA4 said in I’ve found an amazing book (as much as I don’t want to admit it):

@beefchips What's that say?

[facw]

@Gabriella I'm finishing up this:

Interesting, and also very frustrating. Generally a good read, and I'd recommend it. Has a few weak spots talking about Boeing's history, but in general seems to provide a pretty extensive look at what went wrong with the 737 MAX, Boeing, and the FAA.

[phenotyp]

@Gabriella I'm on a prehistorical historical kick.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@Gabriella I picked this one up at a used bookstore in Bend, OR. It’s good.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@phenotyp If you’re into this sort of stuff check out Paul Shepard’s “Coming Home to the Pleistocene”. It’s a good one.

[phenotyp]

@DipodomysDeserti Might be next, I've still got a lot to go on The Dawn of Everything.

@MidEngine I listened to the audiobook of Never Split the Difference a couple years ago. I might have some negotiations coming up, might have to have another go-around this weekend.

[beefchips]

@phenotyp !! Have you read “Prehistoric Art: the Symbolic Journey of Mankind?” It’s what got me interested in prehistory and inspired journeys to see French cave paintings, Celtic gold, Inuit carvings, standing stones in the Bornean highlands…

[phenotyp]

@beefchips I haven't, but for like a year while I was in design school, I was completely obsessed with prehistoric art. I'm kinda picking it back up now.
Also, I saw The Cave of Forgotten Dreams in 3D at the theater 3 times. Incredible. Even Herzog's narration couldn't bring it down.

[xsnowpig]

@Gabriella in just a few moments, I will resume reading Centennial by Michener. I haven't read a monster epic in a while, and this was on my list.

[MisterButtercup]

@Gabriella The Outlaw Ocean. It's about how even in our modern times the oceans are for the most part lawless. It seems that every chapter brings up more angles. Piracy, over fishing endangered species, how ships can get stolen, territorial waters and who has the right to fish there. Very interesting. After that I've got The Obelisk gate by NK Jemison, and not sure after that. Have a list of books on my phone to ensure I don't forget or draw a blank when at a bookstore.

[Gabriella]

@AestheticsInMotion Very nice, I think out of the three I’d probably pick the woodworking even though I know nothing about it.

[Cé hé sin]

@Gabriella
I've been reading this:

But isn't France well known?

Kind of. Until at least the 19th century Paris' writ didn't extend to the more remote areas which were virtually independent. They didn't pay taxes to Paris, didn't speak modern French and didn't rely on Paris for anything.

People send from Paris to map the unknown areas could be and sometimes were killed as being foreign invaders.

[Gabriella]

@Huzer I do that too, even if it’s boring I’ll still probably get to the end. I mainly read factual books so I get to the end in case I ever need the information (like the 500-page economics text book I read even though I don’t actually do the subject).

[Gabriella]

@MidEngine They sound quite interesting. Might have to give them a go.

[Gabriella]

@Cé-hé-sin Sounds quite interesting but probably not something I would read.

[Gabriella]

@facw Definitely going to have to read that. Even though I don’t know that much about planes in general, I followed the 737 Max story so that’s definitely going on the list.

[Gabriella]

@DipodomysDeserti I really like the cover of that but a nice frontage probably isn’t a good reason to buy a book.

[Gabriella]

@MisterButtercup said in I’ve found an amazing book (as much as I don’t want to admit it):

Have a list of books on my phone to ensure I don't forget or draw a blank when at a bookstore.

That’s quite a good idea, I normally reserve stuff from the library when I think of it but they haven’t got the greatest selection of things I actually want to read. I’ve been thinking about reading this book for ages as it was on the display at school of ‘books you should read to know more about business’ (snappily titled). Before I’d even started I’d read all but two, this and something that looks an absolute snoozefest. So this one was always going to come but your list would save a lot of staring aimlessly at shelves.

[MisterButtercup]

@Gabriella Thank you, and maybe see if you can check ebooks out? I prefer paper books, but the ebook selection might be far larger, and thus more accessible.

[Gabriella]

@MisterButtercup I can’t get on with ebooks, for me it has to be on paper. I can just about manage e-magazines.

[MisterButtercup]

@Gabriella That makes sense. Don't think I could handle magazines on the Kindle, but ours is a black and white model and doesn't do pictures well.