I need a new book.

Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper

The Legacy of Heorot

 

You should finish Factfulness. It’s a good book and a quick read. Enlightenment Now is an equally good (but much longer) book that covers similar territory.
Moral Tribes is a good book about utilitarianism. Same goes for anything by Peter Singer.
As for sci-fi, check out Ted Chiang. Short stories that deal with philosophical subjects like free will.

 

I agree with Rocky on this one. A funny and absolutely wonderful book. (And a sad and amazing story on how it came to be published. God bless Toole’s mother for making it happen.)

 

Whenever I get in a reading rut or drought I find picking up a collection of essays or short stories revitalizes me. It engages the brain, stretches the reading muscles with variety in a single volume

 

Thank you for offering this biographic glimpse. You have at least partially explained how you developed your often stunning verbal virtuosity.

You have also explained the danger of taking literature and philosophy too seriously, because your immersion resulted in your having neglected learning practical life skills.

 

Thanks, I appreciate that coming from you.

 

I enjoyed Sophie's World, On Intelligence, and Making Rumors, none of which are science fiction.

If you change your mind on science fiction, I have several that I could recommend.

 

If you want to try some well-done sci-fi, the Isaac Asimov's Foundation series is a great collection. He's a true craftsman as a writer - he can finish the story and still leave the opening for the sequel.

Read the books in the order in which they were written:

1. Foundation.
2. Foundation and Empire.
3. Second Foundation.
4. Foundation's Edge.
5. Foundation and Earth.
6. Prelude to Foundation.
7. Forward the Foundation.

Another of my favorites is Kurt Vonnegut's Sirens of Titan.

 

For historical fiction, I'll humbly recommend https://www.amazon.com/dp/1629014907/?tag=tdpri-20. I say "humbly" because it was written by my sister. She even traveled to Ireland to research the dialect. It's a good read.

 

Raymond Carver short stories.
James M Cain novels
Charlotte’s Web (the most perfect book ever written, IMO. Every sentence is a perfect little prose jewel.)

 

If you like to fish, read The Founding Fish” by John McPhee.

 

Raymond Chandler. He’ll make you want to buy a trench coat and a fedora.

 

Bill Bryson „Body“ is very good and I learned a lot.

 

This is a must read, imo. Hard Science and Philosophy about General Artificial Intelligence.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20527133-superintelligence

 

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Road Less Traveled
The Shed
The Pearl
Flowers for Algernon
The book of Corinthians in the NIV
The Stand
Sorry if you've read these or that they are too old to mention here. Albeit...some are 8-9th grade readings but still great books if you've never read them. JMHOYMMV

 

That is a fantastic book, sadly overlooked in Vonnegut's body of work!

 

I just read this, for the second time.



I actually way prefer it over Portnoy's Complaint he is much more known for in my neck of wood.

 

Is that where Cthulhu calls using Signal?