I recently finished five good books . . .

[Rachapkis]

If you're looking for a good read (not related to medicine), I just finished five books that I would recommend:

--Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

--Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

--When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

--Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

--Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair by June Gervais

What are you all reading for fun and what would you recommend?

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[LizzyM]

I loved Lessons in Chemistry. Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead was thought provoking and I've enjoyed everything he's ever written. Ditto for Amor Towles whose most recent book is The Lincoln HIghway.

 

[deleted1166622]

I liked On the Road by Kerouac

 

[Rachapkis]

I loved Lessons in Chemistry. Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead was thought provoking and I've enjoyed everything he's ever written. Ditto for Amor Towles whose most recent book is The Lincoln HIghway.

I just purchased The Lincoln Highway and am looking forward to reading it! I am not familiar with Nickel Boys, but will check it out based on your recommendation! Thanks.

 

[Rachapkis]

I liked On the Road by Kerouac

I read On the Road in the late '70s or early '80s before I went to college. I remember being enthralled with limitless possibilities of living a counter-culture lifestyle on an extended road trip. Sadly, my time on the road turned out to be shorter (money doesn't grow on trees), lonely at times (not everyone finds tall, awkward, goofy guys to be attractive--shocking, I know), and less eventful (it turns out that I'm nowhere near as carefree in reality as I was in my imagination, and certainly not as carefree as JK). That said, I still have some memories of my travels that make me smile.

 

[deleted1166622]

I read On the Road in the late '70s or early '80s before I went to college. I remember being enthralled with limitless possibilities of living a counter-culture lifestyle on an extended road trip. Sadly, my time on the road turned out to be shorter (money doesn't grow on trees), lonely at times (not everyone finds tall, awkward, goofy guys to be attractive--shocking, I know), and less eventful (it turns out that I'm nowhere near as carefree in reality as I was in my imagination, and certainly not as carefree as JK). That said, I still have some memories of my travels that make me smile.

Seems the more time goes on the harder it becomes to have an "On the Road" experience. I feel for the youth of today. Too busy working and not smelling the roses.

 

[Goro]

Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon is a must read.

Currently reading the Memiors of Ulysses S Grant

 

[LizzyM]

Currently reading the Memiors of Ulysses S Grant

That was a best seller when it came out.... 138 years ago!

 

[Rachapkis]

Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon is a must read.

Currently reading the Memiors of Ulysses S Grant

If Grant's memoirs spark your interest (I have not read them), I can recommend Ron Chernow' s Grant (which I quite enjoyed).

 

[RuggedShark]

If you're looking for a good read (not related to medicine), I just finished five books that I would recommend:

--Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

--Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

--When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

--Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

--Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair by June Gervais

What are you all reading for fun and what would you recommend?

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow was so good! Like nothing I've ever read before (my excuse for not being articulate enough to describe it)

Some books I've enjoyed lately are

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

I'll have to read The Lincoln Highway because I really enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow

 

[LizzyM]

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow was so good! Like nothing I've ever read before (my excuse for not being articulate enough to describe it)

Some books I've enjoyed lately are

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

I'll have to read The Lincoln Highway because I really enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow

Completely different from A Gentleman in Moscow is Rules of Civililty. It is set in NYC over one calendar year: 1938. There is a easily overlooked cross over with The Lincoln Highway but you are likely to miss it if it is not pointed out. Still, you can certainly read The Lincoln Highway first and enjoy the ride!

If you like The Lincoln Highway, try The Trackers by Charles Frazier.

 

[RuggedShark]

Completely different from A Gentleman in Moscow is Rules of Civililty. It is set in NYC over one calendar year: 1938. There is a easily overlooked cross over with The Lincoln Highway but you are likely to miss it if it is not pointed out. Still, you can certainly read The Lincoln Highway first and enjoy the ride!

If you like The Lincoln Highway, try The Trackers by Charles Frazier.

Thank you! I've got Rules of Civility on hold.

 

[purkinjekitty]

Currently reading A Molecule Away From Madness

Recently read How We Do Harm and The Body Keeps The Score

I’ve heard good things about lessons in chemistry! I’ll have to check it out next

 

[j_diggity]

I love this question, thank you for asking it! And I've already put 5 books from this post on my Amazon wish list, so thank you all.

I've read a ton of great non-fiction this past year, including

• The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakeable Performance.
  • This was a great book about mindset and its role in success, and it's helped me quite a bit as I gear up for interviews and so on. I keep coming back to it.
• The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
  • Absurdist philosophy at its best. I feel as medical professionals, or really as humans, we face absurdity all the time. Even in our healthcare system many things seem absurd. Many of us want to become doctors because we want to make a difference, but making this difference is a lot like Sisyphus pushing his boulder up a hill for eternity; who knows if we'll ever make the impact we want to make? Nevertheless, the task is worth attempting with all of our effort. It has been a great read so far although I haven't finished.
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius:
  • I love this book. I also love the way Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, despite living 2000 years ago, somehow knows how to basically reach through the pages and smack me in the face to shake me out of complacency or speak directly to a situation I am facing or am worried about. Also, during the recent TikTok trend about "How often do you think about the Roman Empire?" I could honestly answer "every day" because I was reading this.

But alas, I have decided to quit the non-fiction for a while and read for pure joy. Thus, I'm currently reading Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

 

[karaya]

People think of the classics as dusty and highbrow, but....... I recently read Don Quixote (tr. Edith Grossman) and it was hands-down the funniest book I've ever opened. Praise to the translator for keeping the vitality of the original prose. Praise to Cervantes for inventing The Don and his essential sidekick, Sancho Panza, whose misadventures are second to none in hilarity and alegria.

 

[purkinjekitty]

I love this question, thank you for asking it! And I've already put 5 books from this post on my Amazon wish list, so thank you all.

I've read a ton of great non-fiction this past year, including

• The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakeable Performance.
  • This was a great book about mindset and its role in success, and it's helped me quite a bit as I gear up for interviews and so on. I keep coming back to it.
• The Myth of Sisyphusby Albert Camus
  • Absurdist philosophy at its best. I feel as medical professionals, or really as humans, we face absurdity all the time. Even in our healthcare system many things seem absurd. Many of us want to become doctors because we want to make a difference, but making this difference is a lot like Sisyphus pushing his boulder up a hill for eternity; who knows if we'll ever make the impact we want to make? Nevertheless, the task is worth attempting with all of our effort. It has been a great read so far although I haven't finished.
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius:
  • I love this book. I also love the way Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, despite living 2000 years ago, somehow knows how to basically reach through the pages and smack me in the face to shake me out of complacency or speak directly to a situation I am facing or am worried about. Also, during the recent TikTok trend about "How often do you think about the Roman Empire?" I could honestly answer "every day" because I was reading this.

But alas, I have decided to quit the non-fiction for a while and read for pure joy. Thus, I'm currently reading Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

I found Meditations to be such beautiful reflections. It’s something I reread every now and then honestly.

 

[SpicyHotSauce]

Thanks to my local Goodwill, I am currently reading "The Republic" by Plato. I have to admit, I personally don't like it. This is my first time reading a philosophy book, so I may be approaching it incorrectly. The questions posed are definitely good and I like pondering over it, however so far in the book, the way Socrates debates and argues is very childish and immature in my opinion. As if he can never admit being wrong. Socrates's arguements depends on many wild assumptions and many fallacies. It's such a frustrating read because I wish I could be there with Socrates and point out the faults in his arguments. Although, I am interested now to see whether philosophers look at Socrates in a positive or negative manner. Is it normal to experience these feelings with Socrates's works? Any philosophy majors, please shed some light on this!

 

[my existential crisis]

If you're looking for a good read (not related to medicine), I just finished five books that I would recommend:

--Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

--Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

--When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

--Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

--Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair by June Gervais

What are you all reading for fun and what would you recommend?

I'm reading "Dear Life: A Doctor's Story of Love and Loss." It's about a palliative care medicine doctor describing her life and a bunch of amazing stories with her patients. I also just recently finished "Everything All at Once," a memoir of a woman's story of taking care for her husband after he got cancer during COVID-19 (super well written, very poetic and descriptive, one of my favorite books I've read this year)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thanks to my local Goodwill, I am currently reading "The Republic" by Plato. I have to admit, I personally don't like it. This is my first time reading a philosophy book, so I may be approaching it incorrectly. The questions posed are definitely good and I like pondering over it, however so far in the book, the way Socrates debates and argues is very childish and immature in my opinion. As if he can never admit being wrong. Socrates's arguements depends on many wild assumptions and many fallacies. It's such a frustrating read because I wish I could be there with Socrates and point out the faults in his arguments. Although, I am interested now to see whether philosophers look at Socrates in a positive or negative manner. Is it normal to experience these feelings with Socrates's works? Any philosophy majors, please shed some light on this!

Yeah, welcome to academia.

 

[JarodLowe]

Thanks to my local Goodwill, I am currently reading "The Republic" by Plato. I have to admit, I personally don't like it. This is my first time reading a philosophy book, so I may be approaching it incorrectly. The questions posed are definitely good and I like pondering over it, however so far in the book, the way Socrates debates and argues is very childish and immature in my opinion. As if he can never admit being wrong. Socrates's arguements depends on many wild assumptions and many fallacies. It's such a frustrating read because I wish I could be there with Socrates and point out the faults in his arguments. Although, I am interested now to see whether philosophers look at Socrates in a positive or negative manner. Is it normal to experience these feelings with Socrates's works? Any philosophy majors, please shed some light on this!

I mainly read philosophy (as a hobby, my major is biochemistry). Recently just finished Hegel's Phenomenology, Marx's Capital (Vol1), and Sartre's Being and Nothingness, if that means anything to you.

Philosophy reading does take a particular mindset, an understanding that the reading will go slow and you won't understand most if any of what is being talked about. What the real pleasure is, is the meditation of reading something profound and sitting on it mentally between walks, grocery shopping, etc, and I find that old philosophy like this is not great for that. I like reading Old Philosophy to feel the spirit of the foundations of the modern writers, but their ideas have been so thoroughly explored (and almost always corrected) that it feels boring and well-trodden.

I would recommend reading Bertrand Russel's "A History of Western Philosophy" for a really good, brief glimpse at all the major players and their ideas. It's not written in an overly academic High-English manner, and is intended for the layman. The middle section on Christian philosophy drags a bit but you can find some thinkers in the mix that you can branch off from.

The other thing I may recommend is reading literary philosophers like Camus, Doestoevsky, Simone de Bouvoir, Kafka, Hemingway, who like to explore philosophy through a character in a story rather than laying it out in a textbook style explanation. Feel free to ask any questions

 

[Rachapkis]

Completely different from A Gentleman in Moscow is Rules of Civililty. It is set in NYC over one calendar year: 1938. There is a easily overlooked cross over with The Lincoln Highway but you are likely to miss it if it is not pointed out. Still, you can certainly read The Lincoln Highway first and enjoy the ride!

If you like The Lincoln Highway, try The Trackers by Charles Frazier.

In Trackers, Frazier sets a mood and does such a great job revealing the frailties, old wounds, and dangerous edges of his characters. Mental note: if you find your self living in the Great Depression, stay out of rural Florida. I loved Cold Mountain too!