What is Everybody Reading?

[Wingnut]

Just finished RED CLARK, RANGE BOSS, another fine Western by Gordon Young. He tells such good stories, and he really brings out the character (good or bad) in folks who fill the pages of his novels. I already started RED CLARK OF THE ARROWHEAD, and it also looks to be quite entertaining. I'm not in the mood to party tonight ("Gasp! Call CNN!!!"), as I ate a nice brunch and I'm still too full to even think about drinking; I will simply read this good book tonight and catch up on some ZZZs, for I never fell asleep this afternoon, I just read about the wild and impetuous Red Clark, lol. His character is so funny, yet he's everything a cowboy should be, right down to knowing his limitations... in Red's case, he's better with a pistol than a long gun, lol. Anyway, I highly recommend any and all 'Red Clark' Westerns by Gordon Young, they were written in the 1930s and they offer classic perspectives & expressions you just won't find in modern Western novels. I have two more Red Clark books to read after this Arrowhead number, these books are so good I'll just read 'em back to back, and cover to cover, lol. Gordon Young was an excellent author, I often find myself laughing out loud while reading one of his novels.

 

[LadyLocust]

Nearly finished listening to Alex Stewart: Portrait of a Pioneer. I actually purchased the book it's been so informative. There are so many morsels of info and skills that have not been passed down. My plan is to go back through it and add those tiny post-its labeled so I can refer to it later. I would highly recommend this book if you have any appreciation for historical skills and crafts (crafts being what we commonly call occupations today).
Also just received Grandpappy's How to Survive and Thrive in Hard Times. This is an almost 500 pg book. I posted pictures of the index in the preparedness thread.
An old book "Better Sight Without Glasses (Nature's Way)" Haven't read it yet.
I'm still reading the books I picked up at that estate sale mentioned above. I'm on the compost book. It's surprisingly better than I expected, and it has some good/helpful bits of info. on composting.
Then Sat. I found two more books: The Hints book is from the 1940's and the cakes one has the stories behind the cakes and from different areas of the globe so is as much a reading book as a recipe book. I just began reading in the hints book last night and so far so good. One thing it mentions is that for every $100 you spend on groceries, you can save $10 by offering/taking smaller first portions and having second helpings if so desired. This helps eliminate table (food) waste by that much. Thought that one was interesting. How often when we are hungry do we take more than we can eat?

 

[Bacpacker]

Finished Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor. He's one of my favorite authors.
Also working thru a bunch of math for my spectrum management class. Math at least higher level is something I've never had classes in. Just picked up what I needed as I went. Struggling with this

 

[Caribou]

Just pulled out Domestic Enemies again. It has been long enough that I don't remember very much of it.

 

[Magus]

I'm reading the Turner diaries. Yes, I know what it is. I read a lot of libroid philosophy as well. Our only hope is these two groups can destroy each other and not bring us into it.

Mein Kamph is a sleeping pill in case anyone cares.

 

[Wingnut]

I'm in the middle of RED CLARK RIDES ALONE, by Gordon Young, and it is MUCH better than the last 'Red Clark' Western I read... dunno why RED CLARK, TWO-GUN MAN wasn't up to par, seemed like the author changed his style for that book and the plot twists became too complicated, at least for a reader whose main interest is entertainment, not puzzle-solving. But this book I'm on now is the real deal, good ol' (or young) Red Clark at his finest, lol.

The book begins with Red in jail after a monumental bender (drinking spree) the previous night, during which he lassoed the parson, only to drum up a big collection for him... Red was later arrested after he tried to take his horse upstairs with him to his hotel room, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Damn. This Red Clark sure is one hilarious character... and the author can really get down to the nitty-gritty when portraying the 'bad guys' as absolute scumbags, lol.

They abuse women, shoot dogs, and engage in all kinds of other despicable behavior, so much that the reader actually looks forward to their getting SHOT by Red... or hung, lol. Then there are the edgy characters who have a bad name but are still hard men with some sense of honor... those guys are hardcases, 10-4? Anyway, it's a good book, I still recommend all 'Red Clark' Westerns with the exception of RED CLARK, TWO-GUN MAN... that one can be skipped, lol.

Edit: Here's an interesting observation, I just checked the copyright dates for both books mentioned here, and RED CLARK RIDES ALONE was first published in 1933, while RED CLARK, TWO-GUN MAN was published in 1939. Makes ya wonder if the impending WWII somehow affected the author's writing style? For the worse? That book is certainly much different from other 'Red Clark' Westerns, and nowhere near as good, IMHO. Just sayin'...

 

[Mountain trapper]

I had an apocalypse book, can't remember the title now, that I was looking forward to reading. The dang dogs ate the first half of it.

 

[Wingnut]

I had an apocalypse book, can't remember the title now, that I was looking forward to reading. The dang dogs ate the first half of it.

THAT was the apocalypse, lol... goldurned dogs saved ya the trouble of reading it, 10-4?

Maybe it was DOG DAY AFTERNOON... (original Life Magazine story title 'The Boys In The Bank')

 

[LadyLocust]

I had an apocalypse book, can't remember the title now, that I was looking forward to reading. The dang dogs ate the first half of it.

Apupoclypse?

 

[INresponse]

Currently listening to A. American's "Going Home" series. I'm on book 7 or 8.
Seems like I listen to the series every couple of years. I really enjoy audiobooks while I'm driving or doing housework. I have some other post apocalyptic works, but I keep coming back to the Going Home series.

@goshengirl mentioned this book series last year but I thought I would mention it again. A. American is the authors name, on the other forum he went by Angry American and posted the first book in parts on the forum as he wrote each section. It mostly got great reviews on that forum and after much encouragement he looked into getting the book published, which included fighting with the editor to keep slang and "lousy" grammar in the book as that was how he wanted the book to read and sound. But, the book is well written and the portions the editor was trying to fix were meant to paint a picture of the characters in the book. The books are fiction, but the author tried to keep real life situations and possibilities in the mix to help keep the readers mind on the survivalist track. There were a few critics on the other forum making claims that the main character couldn't walk a long distance with a heavy backpack or that the he miraculously pulled out something new and necessary every time a new life threatening problem arose, but the book is fiction and probably would have ended half way through the first book if he died. The series has 11 books, most of which are very good reads in my opinion although the books 9 and 10 got a little slow but I thought they were still good reads. I bought the first 10 books and have read them at least 3 times over the years, and I probably will start reading them again over the winter. Earlier this year he came out with book 11 which I will be buying soon. He has other books as well but I haven't read them yet.

Here is a list of the books in the series, although I bought all mine off Amazon.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7122142.A_American

 

[goshengirl]

Thank you, @INresponse! I didn't know there was a book 11 out!
I also have "Cry Havoc" by the same author. It's good, too. My only complaint about it is that it moves like a multiple-book series until the end, when suddenly things are wrapped up, and there is no next book.

 

[Bacpacker]

Started on Enemies Foreign and Domestic by Matthew Braken

 

[Patchouli]

so many books, so little time.
@Chaosdawn I'd like to have "Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms," by Paul Stamets.

 

[dademoss]

If you like K-9s, look for Gordon D. Carroll on amazon. I recommend skipping "gunwood"

 

[Magpie]

The kindness of strangers, a series of short pieces by famous explorers, the book was compiled for charity. And then I've also got two books on the go for Uni, which are terrible but award winning

 

[Magus]

I just got a bunch of PDF files I need to look over before I upload them to the library.

 

[Bacpacker]

I need to spend some time digging thru the PDFs Magus

 

[Patchouli]

A kind person here on the forum sent me a big PDF on mushrooms. You guys are awesome.

 

[Weedygarden]

I recently purchased this book and really want to read through it, but the font size is abysmally small. I will read through it with a magnifying glass. This book is available to read for free online, but I like to have such things in a real copy, in case the internet crashes when I need it.

Nuclear War Survival Skills Updated and Expanded 2022 Edition Regarding Ukraine Russia and the World: The Best Book on Any Nuclear Incident Ever ... New Methods and Tools As New Threat Emerge Paperback – April 29, 2022​

by Cresson H Kearny (Author), Steven E Harris (Contributor)
4.6 out of 5 stars 345 ratings

 

[Wingnut]

I finished FAREWELL TO TEXAS, by L.L. Foreman... great read, and Rogate "Rogue" Bishop is a true antihero, lol. This book was published in 1964, when I was approximately two years old. I like mixing it up when reading Westerns, going WAY back in time to the old authors and slipping forward again to newer authors... but not too far forward, I don't like many of the modern Westerns written by contemporary authors, they lack the authenticity of books written by the oldsters. I don't need any "political correctness" or "virtue signaling" in my Westerns, thank you very much... it was called 'The Wild West' for multiple reasons, and NONE of those reasons had ANYTHING to do with MODERN LEFTIST BULL$H!T PROPAGANDA, LOL.

P.S. BTW, I lied, I DID grab a cold beer in between L.L. Foreman novels, I'm gonna read DESPERATION TRAIL next, though I doubt I'll finish it tonight. Meh, I can think of worse ways to fall asleep... like trying to catch some shuteye with the loud thumping bass of ghetto rap in the Big City, lol.

 

[INresponse]

I recently purchased this book and really want to read through it, but the font size is abysmally small. I will read through it with a magnifying glass. This book is available to read for free online, but I like to have such things in a real copy, in case the internet crashes when I need it.

Nuclear War Survival Skills Updated and Expanded 2022 Edition Regarding Ukraine Russia and the World: The Best Book on Any Nuclear Incident Ever ... New Methods and Tools As New Threat Emerge Paperback – April 29, 2022​

by Cresson H Kearny (Author), Steven E Harris (Contributor)
4.6 out of 5 stars 345 ratings

I am in no ways an expert but a few months before I retired from the PD my Lieutenant scheduled me for the Chemical, Biological, Radiation training class put on my a government/Federal "expert". I thought it was a waste of city money but I was not going to refuse the training. It was a week long class and had great information. But, what he stressed most for anyone outside the blast zone was to not inhale the fallout, to shower off ASAP after any such exposure, and to not breathe or ingest any of the radiation. Aside from that radiation is the least worry of the three. After the blast a simple piece of paper can stop the radiation, and clothes work as a close second to paper. His advice, where long pants and long sleeves if outdoors/exposed, wash off with water ASAP when you return indoors, wash the clothes you were wearing, and just keep the doors and windows closed as much as possible for about 6 weeks. After that in your yard you will need to remove about 6 inches of topsoil and prevent runoff from contaminated areas into your yard/crop.
Again, I am not an expert but that is what the Fed Guy explained to us and that is what my big "donkey" training book explains. The closest targets to me is Nellis AFB in Las Vegas and Area 51 so unless they send a ground detonating bomb, which is outdated in the nuclear world, I only have to worry about fallout for a few weeks.

@Weedygarden study the book as best you can and hopefully it tells you something close to what I was taught.

 

[Weedygarden]

I am in no ways an expert but a few months before I retired from the PD my Lieutenant scheduled me for the Chemical, Biological, Radiation training class put on my a government/Federal "expert". I thought it was a waste of city money but I was not going to refuse the training. It was a week long class and had great information. But, what he stressed most for anyone outside the blast zone was to not inhale the fallout, to shower off ASAP after any such exposure, and to not breathe or ingest any of the radiation. Aside from that radiation is the least worry of the three. After the blast a simple piece of paper can stop the radiation, and clothes work as a close second to paper. His advice, where long pants and long sleeves if outdoors/exposed, wash off with water ASAP when you return indoors, wash the clothes you were wearing, and just keep the doors and windows closed as much as possible for about 6 weeks. After that in your yard you will need to remove about 6 inches of topsoil and prevent runoff from contaminated areas into your yard/crop.
Again, I am not an expert but that is what the Fed Guy explained to us and that is what my big "donkey" training book explains. The closest targets to me is Nellis AFB in Las Vegas and Area 51 so unless they send a ground detonating bomb, which is outdated in the nuclear world, I only have to worry about fallout for a few weeks.

@Weedygarden study the book as best you can and hopefully it tells you something close to what I was taught.

Thank you so much for this advice. I think that having some simple notes about the basic protections is something that is important and something I want to do. I will type them up, print them out, maybe even laminate a couple copies.

 

[Bacpacker]

One thing with the "paprr" shielding. Yes that will work for Alpha radiation, being inside will also help with Beta radiation. But for Gamma radiation you need serious shielding. Think thick concrete, lots of dirt, etc. All different types act very differently and require much different type shielding

 

[DrJenner]

I’ve got kindle unlimited and the Freida McFadden books are awesome. Psychological thriller/mystery- I’ve been trying to solve the crime before it’s given away and sometimes the twists are crazy! You just don’t see them coming.

 

[Neb]

The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden

This will be a longggggg read.

Ben

After 7 months I finished it!

I am hard pressed to summarize such a long book. I did not find anything that contradicted the Bible. In fact it filled in blanks of the Bible.

Examples
What was Adam and Eve's life like after they left the garden?
What was a young Jesus like?
What did Pilate think of trying Jesus ?
How was all of the Genesis history passed on?

Ben

 

[Wingnut]

Finished DESPERATION TRAIL today, by L.L. Foreman, another good and highly-entertaining read. Ol' Leonard London Foreman really knew how to put together a good story, kinda like Gordon Young, but L.L. (NOT Cool J) was born in London, England, hence the middle name, lol. He served in the British Army during WWI, emigrated to the U.S. afterward and worked a number of odd jobs out West before selling his first Western story in 1934. After writing short stories for the pulp mags for a number of years, he turned to writing novels and became an acclaimed author of Westerns, some of which were made into films. Good thing he didn't get killed in 'The Great War'---the world would've lost a damned good author, and a real hand when it came to writing Westerns!

 

[Tacitus]

Side comment / minor nit: The lost books of the bible are referred to as "lost" by many, but they were not really lost. They were known to the early Church, and they were intentionally excluded from the bible canon. Which is to say, they were purposefully discarded.

Nothing wrong with reading them, of course. They can provide insight. They just don't carry the same level of authority, and they were determined to include some error or otherwise unreliable statements, even if they also happened to include some duplicative truth as well.

 

[Magpie]

The Rules do not apply by Ariel Levy - non-fiction for college, but enjoyable. Also for research, reading Herbal remedies by Christopher Hedley & Non Shaw; The Hedgegrow handbook by Adele Nozeda; and Fok Magic and healing by Fez Inkwright.

 

[Wingnut]

Started TRUE GRIT last night, by Charles Portis, this is the 1968 novel which led to the original John Wayne flick and the Jeff Bridges remake. Entertaining at first, but the author kept harping on Democrats vs. evil Republicans, which RUINED the read. There should be no political scumbags mentioned in a true Western, unless of course they're getting SHOT or HUNG. This Portis should've known better about the stinking Democrats by 1968... "NO EXCUSE." So the book will be returned unfinished to the library, the LAST thing I wanna do when I'm trying to relax & unwind is read about slimy Democratic Party scumbags... and it's not like I favor Republicans in any way, in a perfect world they'd ALL be SHOT or HUNG. Meh, ya win some and ya lose some when it comes to Westerns... some authors are better than others, that's all there is to it. I won't let this book affect my opinion of both movies, as I like THEM: the directors wisely left politics out of the films, and for good reason. In the late 1960s, most films were still made for entertainment purposes, and NOT political propaganda purposes. That's why older Western flicks are so good, and newer Western flicks absolutely SUCK, lol. The remake was made in 2010, but the Coen Brothers stuck with the gist of the story and didn't introduce any political BS.

 

[AR_Country]

I was browsing eBay this summer and someone was selling the entire Louis L'Amour collection for something like $100 so I picked it up and have been slowly reading some of the books the winter I tend to get more reading done or when SEC football season is over I am also reading The Lost Ways book Tiktok got me on there ads lol