What books are you reading? 2025

[*winter*]

Sooo I thought I’d start a book thread!

Currently:

Alpha, by David Phillips (discusses the Eddie Gallagher SEAL situation from the POV of the team members who turned him in. Also have read the book by Eddie G himself- The Man in the Arena. Think the truth lies somewhere in the middle).

This book just came out and I’ve read parts of it. Holding off until I get more free time because it’s intense and not the most pleasant subject matter:

The Fort Bragg Cartel by Seth Harp. There’s a great series of articles online if you google Seth Harp and Ft Bragg that introduce the subject matter. Which kind of leads into an endorsement no one asked for: Jack Murphy’s podcast on all things military: The Team House. He was also on Military Matters. Jack is an accomplished veteran himself who has also written several books (next on my list!). Anyway, Jack has done a few interviews on this topic and they’re very nuanced. He understands the world of Special Forces but doesn’t give a pass for bad or criminal behavior.

[John]

Zero to One, by Peter Thiel

Around 6 months ago I finally got around to reading Zero to One, after having seen it recommended by so many over the years.

It's generally about the business of doing new things and better ways of doing things, with a focus on technology & startups.

0 to 1 = technolgical progress
1 to n = competition and globalization of existing tech

Thiel recommends that people have a laser focus on their strengths, on what they are good at. Although sometimes difficult in practice, this is something I agree with. When looking back on my time in high school & college that tends to be one of the main conclusions I have in hindsight.

In regards to tech developers building new things, he points out how there's often little to no focus on distribution / sales / marketing. But he stresses how important that part is.

Something I'm not so sure I agree with is his aversion to suits. At his investment fund they apparently had a blanket rule to pass on any company whose founders dressed up for the pitch meetings. A quote from the book is "Never invest in a tech CEO that wears a suit." I almost rarely ever wear suits. As long as I can deeply focus on what I'm working on is really what matters most to me. However, I think there are times when suits are appropriate and even necessary. Such an extreme anti-suit stance seems to be a bit excessive to me.

Thiel's stance regarding college is, at least in part, that colleges reassure students that what they do is not as important as how well they do it. He says that's completely false. This is where he says you should focus relentlessly on something that you're good at doing after analyzing whether it will be valuable in the future.

Regarding computers, Thiel writes that they will complement people as opposed to replacing them. However, Zero to One was published in 2012 and that happens to be the same year when Geoffrey Hinton revolutionized artificial intelligence.

[cheerfulgreek]

“The Tangled Tree. A Radical New History of Life” by David Quammen.

So, I’m a little under halfway through this book. He’s talking about how evolution isn’t just a straight family tree, it’s kind of like a mess of branches crossing and weaving together because of horizontal gene transfer. So like, genes can jump between completely different species, especially at the microbial level. So instead of like a clean tree of life, it’s more like a tangled network.

So real biology is really messy, lol. Parasites, bacteria, and viruses have been swapping DNA for billions of years, and we’re kind of like the product of that? So, as someone who works with parasites, it makes perfect sense to me. I mean, they’re like total masters at this. Honestly, the book reads like a detective story about how life hacked itself together, and I am SO hooked. Such an amazing book so far.

I’m such a nerd.

[Xidelt]

Trying to get through Come and Get It by Kiley Reid. I may not finish it. The plot has great potential, but is super slow and shallow. I'm super bummed because it was a B&N featured book this summer.

[SWTXBelle]

Finished - The Names by Florence Knapp. I didn't know it was a Jenna Bush pic when I selected it! It was a good read - basically, 3 different scenarios with the same characters all centered on the 3 names possible for a baby boy. "The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing."

Reading - The Great Influenza:The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History - "In the winter of 1918, at the height of World War I, history's most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide. It killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS has killed in 24 years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. But this was not the Middle Ages, and 1918 marked the first collision between modern science and epidemic disease.

Magisterial in its breadth of perspective and depth of research, The Great Influenza weaves together multiple narratives, with characters ranging from William Welch, founder of the Johns Hopkins Medical School, to John D. Rockefeller and Woodrow Wilson."

[honeychile]

I've been re-reading a lot from my favorite author, Maeve Binchy. Right now, I'm on "Light A Penny Candle". I've been needed the gentle, good character development style of books lately.

[flirt5721]

Currently reading Leather & Lark (I'm in my Dark romance/romance period. Got tired of self help books and needed something new)
Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she’ll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.

And they can’t stand each other

[*winter*]

Seeing a comment here reminded me of one of Jenna Bish Hager’s all time favorite books: Summer Sisters, by Judy Blume. She said she has an annual tradition of re-reading this book.

It is a book for adults- JB has a handful of them. It’s one of those books where the characters are all really multi faceted; thus my opinion of one or more of them, or of certain situations in the book has evolved over the years.

I heard someone was going to make a movie or series out of it, but I don’t think it went anywhere.

[*winter*]

Seeing a comment here reminded me of one of Jenna Bish Hager’s all time favorite books: Summer Sisters, by Judy Blume. She said she has an annual tradition of re-reading this book.

It is a book for adults- JB has a handful of them. It’s one of those books where the characters are all really multi faceted; thus my opinion of one or more of them, or of certain situations in the book has evolved over the years.

I heard someone was going to make a movie or series out of it, but I don’t think it went anywhere.

[Sciencewoman]

I just finished Society of Lies, a novel of intrigue surrounding a ficticious Princeton eating club and a secret society within the club. I read it for our library book club's monthly selection. It's a murder mystery. I enjoyed it.

[PrettyBoy]

Iso Grifo. Iconic Italian Performance.