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Books

As one of the largest Farcaster channels, I've got big plans for /books in 2025.

We had a great year: strong organic growth w/o financial incentives & a clear value proposition that appeals to non-crypto audiences.

With some hard work, we can make /books the highest signal community on the internet for readers.

Recently read the first book of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.

As Palmer Luckey is saying: if you're struggling to come up with startup ideas, consider reading science fiction.

I'm still waiting for my miniaturized portable nuclear device.

Palmer Luckey explains why science fiction is a great place to look for ideas

“One of the things that I’ve realized in my career is that nothing I ever come up with will be new. I’ve literally never come up with an idea that a science fiction author has not come up with before.”… https://t.co/KKpKSyKTG6

Recently read the first book of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.

As Palmer Luckey is saying: if you're struggling to come up with startup ideas, consider reading science fiction.

I'm still waiting for my miniaturized portable nuclear device.

https://x.com/StartupArchive_/status/1891832404316389587

boysclub

looking to get one-shotted by a book what do you all recommend

"Peacekeeping is not a job for soldiers, but only soldiers can do it"
- Dag Hammarskjöld, former UN Secretary-General

I wrote about my experience of modern peacekeeping and how we are still falling far short of Hammarskjöld's vision of the UN as our "one great hope for a peaceful and free world."

If you're a book reviewer with a solid platform, please let me know in the comments and I'd be happy to send you a copy - or if, like me, you're more of a voracious reader with an interest in unique memoirs, the book is available for pre-order on Amazon (https://amzn.to/43421T2) and wherever books are sold - including as an NFT on the $DEGEN blockchain! (https://highlight.xyz/mint/base:0x76CC0332e6e6aA42Df08129898A84D58Cf57AD05:1)

Shogun

James Clavell tells a fictional story of a westerner in medieval Japan. 

I’m taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming to talk about this because I can’t get it out of my head. 

My fellow readers will know exactly what I mean when I say that I miss living in this book. I’ve felt homesick for it since I finished it a couple weeks ago. 

When I started it, I figured it was going to use the main character as a vehicle for touring around Japan saying “wow how strange it is here!”

Instead, the book takes you deep into Japanese culture. And the characters are nuanced and interesting across the board. 

Great plot, riveting character development, sophisticated themes, all set against the backdrop of one of my favorite time and place combinations. 

I’d update my wife on what was happening in the book every day, just because I was so excited that I had to get it off my chest. 

Five stars, will be tough to beat in 2025. 

Can’t wait to watch the show 🤩

The Pillars of the Earth 

Ken Follett follows the construction of a fictional cathedral across many decades. 

The cathedral is just a nexus, the book is about the power struggles, social dynamics, and sex lives of the people involved. 

It’s very good. It uses occasional archaic flourishes but for the most part, it’s totally modern English. The story arcs overlap and interlock enough to keep momentum high across the thousandish pages. The characters are all memorable, and either lovable or gratifyingly hateable. The religious crap is palatable and balanced by a few skeptical characters. 

My main gripe with the book is the mad rush in the last 15% to provide comprehensive happily-ever-after denouement. Every single thread got tied up with a tidy little bow, which felt like a minor betrayal of the complexity and intensity of the rest of the book. 

Three stars for the class it wanted to be (an enduring epic). Five stars for the class it achieved (great big soap opera).

The fear of failure is a deeply rooted emotion that can paralyze even the most ambitious folks. Yet, failure is an inevitable and invaluable part of life. It teaches resilience and ultimately builds character. Embrace it and ye shall do wonders

The alchemist is a good novel.

Writing a lot allows you read access to the world

Reading a lot allows you write access to the world

Finished reading Ibn Saud. Moving on 
to The Prize.

“Night is the mother of thoughts.”

— John Florio

if you're into time travel and retrocausality, this is how you lose the time war is a short and excellent read