What Are You All Reading?

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson — it’s maybe my fourth or fifth reading but it’s been quite a while, so it feels a little like coming home or seeing an old friend.

Currently, I am working my way through Tim Dorsey's work (Serge A Storms). Reading his books and the crazy situations reminds me of some of the shenanigans we got up to when I was in the Navy. I finished reading the Wingfeather Saga with my kids a few weeks back. I am also utilizing my local library to read books ranging from parenting to UFOs to straw bale gardening.

Worth mentioning because I have really appreciated them:
Eugene Vodolazkin: Laurus, A History of the Island, & The Aviator, all in the past 3 weeks.

All are novels, and all (I think) speak truth clearly and beautifully into our fragmented and incoherent time.

Best,
Mark

Ishmael (Daniel Quinn) I'm not far along enough to really know what I think, yet.

After 1177 B.C. - the survival of civilizations

by Eric Cline

Many of the records make me question the definition of "civilization".

I'm reading Jeezy's autobiography "Adversity For Sale". Interesting to connect a life story to music I've been enjoying for a while now, though I'm finding the book a bit short on surprises or insights--but that's probably an issue with my expectations more than the book.

The Regenerative Garden by Stephanie Rose.

A History of English by Barbara Strang.  Is is a historical linguistics book.

I've been reading novels mostly from Arkansas's digital library which is surprisingly good.
several Donna Leon (recommended up thread a ways)over the winter.
just finished Louise Penny's most recent 'the Black Wolf'
and a few other mysteries at random....some very good, some not so good so I let them go unfinished.

Elaine Ingram's 'compost tea manual'
and
Shantyboat, a river way of life by Harlan Hubbard
both as PDF so no rush to return them.

Calling In, by Loretta Ross. About making allies rather than enemies.

First Generation Farming: A blueprint for coordinated, cooperative agribusiness that will keep you on the land for generations

Chris Newman

https://www.amazon.com/First-Generation-Farming-coordinated-agribusiness/dp/B0GBR2ZBCF/ref=sr_1_1?

Warning.....This may not be well received here because he calls out a lot of the permie popular people who are essentially lying about how to get into an agriculture project with very little, lying for profit as they do the highly paid speaking tours.
and....
He does things some here won't like in the service of providing high quality food at an affordable price...and he does them because the preferable option has been priced into the stratosphere.

It's an old story, telling people they can get into a small farm with nothing when the teller is a trust fund baby, inherited big time, using low/no paid interns as slave labor, or has wrangled government subsidies.

Meanwhile the aspiring farmer gets the shaft.

If you want an idea of what he has to say, have a look at his Youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@blackbirdcoop/shorts