Mental trans fat to cleanse the palate between legitimate books (it's hysterical):

calumnus said:

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Hawaii Haas said:

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"Creativity, Inc" a book about the founding of Pixar. You know how they just nail every movie that just fits the national mood. My biggest takeaway and the book doesn't say it explicitly, but if the audience falls in love with the story and characters, they will ignore technical flaws.


To tie it back to Cal Sports and the PAC-12, outside of the Stanford rivalry (USC and UCLA are gone), there is no story and a cast of characters that are neither loved nor hated. So, the audience doesn't care. And there are technical flaws.

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Troll. Why are you trying to wreck a perfectly enjoyable thread with a discussion of Cal football? ;-)

Agreed, we are losing a lot of our history and what was left of our semi-compelling story line… 40 years (+) in the desert and now there is no Promised Land? No Egyptians? No Philistines?

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You troll the troll calumnus. You and I love the tropics. I remember what you wrote me before.

Another book I read was when I was at my lowest point business-wise, "The Alchemist." That book title I heard 3x in one week, so I had to read it.

Essentially the Universe is telling you things that you need to notice. Doesn't resonate with everyone (told a recently unemployed friend to read and he was it was ok), but it resonated with me and helped me figure out my next business.


Another book is "Think and Grow Rich" from Napoleon Hill. There is a weird chapter about "the power of sexual transmutation." It is fascinating how sexual energy powers achievement. Don't read it just for that, because the rest is classic learnings like Dale Carnegie's famous book. Similar and timeless, and great advice.

I'm not really a fiction reader.

I love historical non-fiction.

A few years back a publishing company got the rights to publish the first 20 or so Hardy Boy books as they were originally written in the 30's. Now, I know many of you read the Hardy Boy books when you were young, I know I certainly did. But if you read any of them after 1959 the original stories were condensed, edited, and censored in some cases , and they have been further modernized since then. A friend of mine gave me 16 or so of these original books and I read them all. These stories are still a fun read, even at an advanced age, if only to get a somewhat idealized picture of life at that time, or at least life for sons of a famous detective. The amount of freedom given to Frank and Joe Hardy as teenagers, staking out criminals with guns and putting themselves in harms way with the blessing of their father, is entertaining and totally implausible. Unfortunately, some of these books have howlingly racist passages and while certainly not acceptable now (and it should not have been then either) that was the way many people looked at things. If you can get past these faults and want to relive your youth these books are from Applewood Publishing. A quick look on line shows that they are available but could be somewhat expensive. I hope my friend didn't pay a lot of money for them at the time.

While looking in my bookcase I also came across a slim volume entitled "Latin Quips at Your Fingertips." These are quotes from Roman literature that Illustrate how things have not changed even after hundreds of years. I leave with this quote from Tacitus in Historiae: "Everyone would have thought him fit to rule if only he never had." You may apply that as you wish.

I recently enjoyed Running the Amazon by Joe Kane (c 1989).

bearister said:

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There are certain authors whose books I read as soon as they are out. Hampton Sides is one of them. His Ghost Soldiers was quite good. Empire of the Summer Moon was wonderful. I read it at a time I went off on a jag reading a bunch of books on various Indian tribes and their experiences in the clash of civilizations. (A relative of mine was kiled by Apaches in the late 1800s, so the subject has particular interest for me.)

Off the top of my head, besides HS, I have pretty much read every book by Tony Hurwitz, Erik Larson, and David McCullough. There are more..

"Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past" is one of the most consequential books of this century. Listen to the editors, Drs. Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer, explain all! https://t.co/XyiRoHNqSH#history #education pic.twitter.com/hPyHT3hBtn

— Professor Buzzkill History Podcast (@buzzkillprof) February 19, 2023

Ordered The Devil in the White City and Blood and Thunder. Keep 'em coming this thread is burrito level excellent.

KenBurnski said:

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Ordered The Devil in the White City and Blood and Thunder. Keep 'em coming this thread is burrito level excellent.

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Nice, I'm overdue for a reread of The Devil in the White City.

As a boy he was my favorite player even though I was a Giants fan (pre Oakland A's). I never played gambling games with his baseball card.

I enjoyed the book so much that I read it twice. Mr. Koufax is…a man who leads his life by a Code of Honor; a warrior. A Samurai. A Jedi.

bearister said:

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As a boy he was my favorite player even though I was a Giants fan (pre Oakland A's). I never played gambling games with his baseball card.

I enjoyed the book so much that I read it twice. Mr. Koufax is…a man who leads his life by a Code of Honor; a warrior. A Samurai. A Jedi.

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There is a special place for players of opposing teams who hold my high esteem notwithstanding destroying my favorite team over and over. Players I would love to hate, but I can't hate them. I always wanted to hate Clayton Kershaw, but I just can't.

When Koufax charged, unarmed, fearlessly into the fray when Marichal had a deadly weapon, with no qualms about using it on Roseboro's head, that is pretty much all you needed to know about Koufax's character.

~ best cover in rock . . . ?





~ recorded '70 Muscle Shoals, released '85, artist is Georgia O'Keeffe

bearister said:

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When Koufax charged, unarmed, fearlessly into the fray when Marichal had a deadly weapon, with no qualms about using it on Roseboro's head, that is pretty much all you needed to know about Koufax's character.

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There is a book about that fight. I read it a couple of years ago.

KenBurnski said:

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Ordered The Devil in the White City and Blood and Thunder. Keep 'em coming this thread is burrito level excellent.

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Hulu developing 'The Devil in the White City' TV series with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese https://t.co/w8JI04VDWs pic.twitter.com/PiQ0zyZB7R

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 11, 2019

The project has been in various stages of development since DiCaprio bought the film rights to the book in 2010. In 2019, Hulu announced that it was developing the project as a big-budget series with DiCaprio and Scorsese exec producing https://t.co/MQPLxKL7GQ

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) August 4, 2022

This marks Reeves’ first major U.S. TV role. He will also serve as an executive producer https://t.co/UAm7rfR2bi pic.twitter.com/Ia6CYPZmq6

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) August 4, 2022

Keanu Reeves Exits ‘Devil in the White City’ Series at Hulu (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/zzWno0VTH1

— Variety (@Variety) October 7, 2022

Hulu has decided not to move ahead with ‘Devil In The White City.’ ABC Signature remains committed to the project and hopes to find a new home https://t.co/2vpcZ1Gb4G

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) March 7, 2023

My friend, John Cerney, did this mural:

75bear said:

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One of my favorite books is The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson. It's historical fiction, but is meticulously researched by the author.

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Agree that Erik Larsen' Devil in the white City is a good book.
But I much prefer two of his other books the Spended and the Vile (about Churchill vs Hitler). and Issacs
Storm(about the Galveston hurricane)

But if you want to read historically accurate reports of battles that read like novels, try "Empires of the Sea" (the Great Siege of Malta by the the Turks in 1565 where a few hundred Knights of Malta and local citizens fought off thousands of Ottoman Turks and stopped (along with the Battle of Lepanto) the planned advance of the Ottoman Empire into Italy) and "The Enemy at the Gates" ( the Great Siege of Vienna in 1683 where the efforts of the great Ottoman Empire to conquer all of Europe came to a screeching halt)

Modern Europe would have been very different and a lot smaller) if the Ottoman's had won either of those battles, especially the Siege of Vienna. The victory there set up the Austrian conquest of what b came the Austro Hungarian empire

Both books resonate with anyone who is paying attention to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Just started The Black Dahlia!

Reading Empire of the Summer Moon now. Agree, great writing style. TY for the recommendation!

tequila4kapp said:

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Possibly the most difficult and heart rending book I have ever read-the part where he is running with his father in the snow when being sent to another camp near the end of the war is more than anyone can bear.

bearister said:

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Explanation??

I highly recommend Cal grad Javier Zamora's biography.

NVBear78 said:

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bearister said:

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Explanation??

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Atomic Tests Were a Tourist Draw in 1950s Las Vegas - Bloomberg


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-08/atomic-tests-were-a-tourist-draw-in-1950s-las-vegas

Welcome to the New Not Normal


https://www.axios.com/2023/05/04/phoenix-economy-felix-salmon-book

JTfromClash said:

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I highly recommend Cal grad Javier Zamora's biography.

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This book is on my list.
Just finished the Dutch house which was a 2020 Pulitzer finalist.enjoyed this family saga.

88' MLIS

MSaviolives said:

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bearister said:

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Two must reads for all OG's that grew up in the Bay Area:

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Two that I enjoyed on Bay Area

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MSaviolives, Cool Gray City of Love is an A+. I never anticipated the Gonzo journalism, obscure historical nuggets (Farallon Island eggers during the Gold Rush; Short nose bears in prehistoric times, etc.) and literary and cultural references. Cal Bear Gary Kamiya is the Man. He dropped the name Denis Johnson, which led me to my next read:



*Season of the Witch is required reading. A+ as well.

Thanks Bearister. Gary Kamiya is a Bear for sure. Two Cal degrees for him. His father Joe Kamiya was a Cal professor who is considered the father of biofeedback. Joe Kamiya Obit His mother Dorothy Walker was a force of nature, having worked for the City of Berkeley and then Cal for decades as a planner and vice chancellor. My family had the privilege of getting to know her after my mother died when my father dated her for a year before he passed. Wonderful lady. She passed just a few days ago. Dorothy Walker Obit

I enjoy Gary's columns on SF history in the Chron. Some day I would like to hire him as a tour guide when I have friends or family visiting. https://www.garykamiya.com/walking-tours

Very interesting!

After reading the large print in Frank Falzon's book, the tiny Vanity Fair sized print in Gary's book almost scared me away, until I read a couple of pages. Gosh he is a great writer and the book is right up my alley.

Who knew 1 ton flat nose bears once roamed the Bay Area.

Just ordered The Trial because I'm tired of hearing that something is 'Kafkaesque' and having no clue *** that actually means.

Meanwhile worked through LA Confidential; The Big Nowhere; Black Dahlia and now finishing up White Jazz and I've greatly enjoyed the quartet.

Keep the recs coming.

Can't believe it took a throwaway comment from comedian Artie Lange to make me check this book out. Pretty sure Ignatius was my Poli Sci 3 GSI.

The Season - trials and tribulations of a D1 basketball program in 2022-2023, By Mark Fox. Foreward by Andy Buh. Epilogue by Wyking Jones.