What book(s) are you reading at the moment?

[Tonkin]

How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety by Ellen Hendriksen

Just started listing to this. Good so far but mainly going over what SA is rather than how to live with it so far.

[Tembo]

^ I'm intrigued, let us know if the book improves

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. About Syrian refugees who come to the UK. A fascinating topic, and the descriptions of pre-war Syria and the beekeeping are beautiful. I'm finding it a bit difficult to read though, and the writing feels a bit odd. It also keeps switching back and forth between present and past, which I'm never a fan of, including in TV and film. Generally, I'm enjoying this book though.

[Tonkin]

It is very interesting so far still. She talks about a study (possibly this one or this) of inhibited kids and how some grew up to introverts and some ended up being social anxious.

I find the theory of SA fascinating and I also find it useful to have some "facts" to hand when people start spouting off about how there wasn't shyness in their day and it's all the parents fault. To be able to say, actually they've done studies that show x, y, and z.

But still haven't got to any of the bits about dealing with SA so the jury is still out.

[Amara 94]

[Amara 94]

I’ve read this a couple times and recently reread it. It’s about an African American jockey who grew up in a wealthy neighbourhood but has a father than was an alcoholic and a mum who was abused by the father and suffered from ill health.
The jockey ended up growing up with bipolar, had multiple kids from both fathers taken off her, was homeless for periods until she became a jockey. It helps to read life stories like these as they are relatable.

[Tonkin]

Sounds good. Not sure I could relate to an African bipolar jockey but each to their own.

[Tonkin]

I got bitten on the head by a horse when I was little so maybe I could enjoy it too?

[Amara 94]

@Nanuq

Yeah that's the relatability. Also at times her parents didn't seem to believe in her cause she was seen as crazy. Something I can hugely relate to. I feel like reading the book again despite just reading it.

[Amara 94]

Originally Posted by Tonkin

I got bitten on the head by a horse when I was little so maybe I could enjoy it too?

She is a horse person, apparently lots of jockeys get hurt by horses as well. She has gotten injured riding horses on occasion as well she writes.

[Jen.]

Originally Posted by imperfect_perfectionist

She is a horse person

[Tonkin]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_(2007_film)

[Amara 94]

Originally Posted by Jen.

I should check that book out

[Mike.Kzov]

^ The most cursed one is the middle stage of the girl-horse hybrid. Look at those hooves...messed up

I'm reading Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner. It's a tough read alright.

[3stacks]

Dark places by Gillian Flynn, it's decent so far

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[Merritt]

There's a book about the history of Resident Evil coming out this week



Heck of a title. I shall be reading.

[Seagull]

Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi. Currently a film adaptation of it on scAmazon Prime starring Jodie Foster and Banaldick Cumbersomebitch.

[Merritt]

Fight Club 2

It starts out like it might be a coherent sequel to the first book (or the film) but gets increasingly silly and becomes more of a meta about Palahniuk not knowing what to do about his character escaping into pop culture and taking on a memetic life of its own. It's less of a sequel and more him unboxing some old characters and arseing about with them for a laugh. It ends, literally, with the readers of Fight Club 2 summoning a zombie Robert Paulson to rescue the characters that Palahniuk just killed off, and then Tyler Durden appears and shoots the author in the head. It's basically auto-fan-fiction. Apparently there's a 3rd one too, but I shan't be reading it and you can't make me.

[Mysterious Stranger]

[Mike.Kzov]

^^ Don't think I'll be bothering with that. Bit of a tiresome, one trick pony is Palahniuk.

I'm reading Grimscribe by Thomas Ligotti. I think he might be an H.P. Lovecraft fan.

[3stacks]

^ I read his book ' the conspiracy against the human race'. It was very depressing but true lol

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[Merritt]

I've tried to get into Ligotti a couple of times, but he veers a bit too far in to 'Soz mate, don't know what you're on about' territory for me to enjoy. That's based on the half a dozen short stories I've read, maybe I've been unlucky.

[AuroraSky]

Currently reading a workbook to help people with Bipolar II, I actually have Bipolar I but some of the same advice applies. I find learning about hypothetical vignettes/ case studies especially helpful rather than more generalised advice.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1608827666

I've ordered a book with essays from writers who came to New York years ago but then eventually got priced out by gentrification or disillusioned and moved somewhere else. OK so it wasn't next day Prime but I still find it a minor miracle that I can be reading a Brooklyn bookstore's web site one day and get exactly the book I would order if I was in it just a few days later.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1541675681/

[Mike.Kzov]

Originally Posted by 3stacks

^ I read his book ' the conspiracy against the human race'. It was very depressing but true lol

That sounds really interesting. What's the basic argument of it?

Originally Posted by Merritt

I've tried to get into Ligotti a couple of times, but he veers a bit too far in to 'Soz mate, don't know what you're on about' territory for me to enjoy. That's based on the half a dozen short stories I've read, maybe I've been unlucky.

Have you read The Frolic? I was lucky enough to read that story first, and it made for a good introduction. The Last Feast of Harlequin is great too.

[Merritt]

^ I have read The Frolic. I heard the song based on it by Current 93, which made me seek it out, but the song had more of an effect on me.

As with most things though, it's possible I read them when I wasn't in the right mood/frame of mind. I'm always hesitant to write things off, because it's always possible (or likely, even) that the problem's with me, not it.

[3stacks]

^^ I'm probably over simplifying it but if I remember properly it was along the lines of: Life is meaningless, we're self aware of that fact, existence is painful, we have no free will, religion and enlightenment are optimistic illusions, existence is the real horror and we should end humanity. I haven't laid out his arguments very well because I'm not good at that haha

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[Mike.Kzov]

Originally Posted by Merritt

^ I have read The Frolic. I heard the song based on it by Current 93, which made me seek it out, but the song had more of an effect on me.

As with most things though, it's possible I read them when I wasn't in the right mood/frame of mind. I'm always hesitant to write things off, because it's always possible (or likely, even) that the problem's with me, not it.

Not necessarily. Did you just find the story didn't do anything for you? I thought The Frolic is a good example of how Ligoti builds up this mounting dread, personally.

To paraphrase Super Hans, the shorter the story, the more dread.

Originally Posted by 3stacks

^^ I'm probably over simplifying it but if I remember properly it was along the lines of: Life is meaningless, we're self aware of that fact, existence is painful, we have no free will, religion and enlightenment are optimistic illusions, existence is the real horror and we should end humanity. I haven't laid out his arguments very well because I'm not good at that haha

I see, thanks, that's a helpful little summary. Sounds reminiscent of pessimistic philosophers. He's a cheerful fella!

[Amara 94]

I have never managed to fully read this because I couldn't put myself to do a 30 day digital detox. I think if I prepare myself for it it is very possible though.

Some things I've learnt in this book. According to some research the reason social media makes us more likley to be depressed is its convenience. Social media can make us happier if we post more however because posting and text communication is much easier than face to face interaction we start to rely on this more that in the end it can lead to us not getting the total amount of face to face social communication we naturally crave. Also it is pointed out that smartphones deprive us of solitude and boredom that are apparently healthy for us.
I have to re-read some part that talks about how social media provides connection but not communication. The book encourages abstaining from clicking the like button and text communication, I may try that one day.

[Dougella]

I've just finished reading The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (yes the very tall guy who sits behind the desk on Pointless.)

It was really good, not clichéd or predictable at all. He's a very good writer, I hope he writes more books

[genovese]

I remember reading Spielberg bought the rights and is making a film of it

[Dougella]

^ Ooh, I hope that's true.