What I am reading

I am a voracious reader.  Since I got acclimated to my Kindle (actually the Kindle app on my iPad mini), I think I am reading more than ever, which I didn’t think possible.  Add my Audible app to the mix and my day is spent reading (or listening) to books from can’t see to can’t see.  I haven’t listened to the radio in years.  The only time I watch TV is when I am exercising on the treadmill or the rowing machine.

So, here is what I am reading just now.

Fiction

Ulysses by James Joyce. I still have my copy of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man that I acquired in high school.

Faust by Goethe.  Short audio book, only 5 hours.

Havoc’s Sword by Dewey Lambdin.  Part of a series about the 18th-century British navy that follows the exploits of the fictional Alan Lewrie.  This volume is the series worst.  It’s so poor that I might skip the remaining half-dozen books in the series.  Up to now, I’ve really enjoyed the scamp’s adventures.  Good naval yarns.

Fox by Adam Hardy.  Another 18th-century British navy series.  I love the 14-volume series.  The author is dead and I am sad the series is left incomplete.  Each volume is a novella of 120-130 pages.  This series hits my sweet spot for naval adventure.

Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian.  Yet another 18th-century British navy series.  I read through the entire 20 volume series 10 years ago but I am taking it up again now that I’ve finished the Fox series. The movie of the same name is based on the series.

Hard as Nails by Dan Simmons.  I read the three volumes in this PI noir series.  Simmons has written in several genres including sci-fi, horror, and mystery.  The more I read of Simmons, the less I like him.

Swan Knight’s Son by John C. Wright.  I am not a big fan of fantasy but I dip my toe in once in awhile.  This well-written book left me cold and I will not pursue this series any further.

Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia.  I did enjoy this fantasy novel and might read another in the series.

Darknet by Matthew Mather.  Blah story ripped from today’s headlines.

Twin Sombreros by Zane Grey.  I am not a fan of westerns nor did I read Grey when I was young but I enjoyed this ‘gunslinger romance.’

Darkship Thieves by Sarah Hoyt.  Another fantasy novel that left me cold.

The Missionaries by Owen Stanley.  Black humor; recommended.

Non fiction

The Fourth Political Theory by Alexander Dugin.  Post post-modern, post history analysis of the contemporary geopolitical situation.  The author is Russian.

Bockchain Revolution by Don Tapscott.  I agree with the author that blockchain technology is the next BIG THING.

The Clash of Civilizations by Samuel P. Huntington.  This book is getting a lot of buzz because 20 years ago the author posited that cultural clashes would define the post-cold-war world.  So far, it’s very good and lives up to the hype.

The Sleepwalkers by Christopher Clark.  A well-written analysis of origins of WWI.  Highly recommended.

The Dark Net by Jamie Bartlett.  The author makes some good points but the book is filled with a lot of bilge.  It reads like a term paper done under deadline.

The Arm by Jeff Passan.  The author follows several professional baseball pitchers as they try to heal their pitching arms and revive their careers.

Leverage by Karl Denniger.  The author claims that the debasement of the dollar will destroy the global economy.  I haven’t read enough yet to form a coherent opinion.

Poor People by William Vollmann.  The author traveled the world asking poor people why they are poor.  A worthwhile read but disappointing and I was unable to finish the final 20%.

The Monstrosity of Christ by Slavoj Zizek and John Millbank.  A Christian theologian (Millbank) and militant atheist (Zizek) provide one of the more thought-provoking discussions about Christianity I’ve ever read.  Easily 5 stars.

Less than Nothing by Slavoj Zizek.  Zizek is a hell of a writer and is always interesting.  In this book, he argues for a return or an embrace of Hegel’s absolute idealism.

War at the End of the World by James P. Duffy.  Extremely well-written history of WWII in the Pacific.