# BOOKS: What are you reading ?



## synthpunk (Jan 17, 2017)

What are you reading and are you enjoying it ?


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## Rodney Money (Jan 17, 2017)

Your thread, and I'm enjoying it immensely, but in all honesty, the last book I've read recently was C.S. Lewis's "The Hideous Strength."


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Jan 17, 2017)

Right now I'm reading Great Expectations, Sound Reproduction, Principles of Digital Audio, The Craft of Tonal Counterpoint, and Audacious Euphony. I like to juggle a number of books so that I don't get tired of reading any one book everyday. I can't say any of those are phenomenal but there are benefits to reading them all. A couple of weeks ago I read Richard King's new "Recording Orchestra and and Other Classical Music Ensembles" which was quite nice. I'm looking forward to reading "This Is Your Brain On Music."


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## tokatila (Jan 17, 2017)

I like also to jog a lot of books at the same time because I get bored so easily. I have a loooot of books. 99% fact, 1% fiction.

Music related:
Graham Fitch: Practising the Piano (series). I'm teaching my six-year old to play.
Heinrich Wohlfarth - Guide to Musical Composition (an oldie )
Norman Ludwin - Developing Variation
Vincent Persichetti - Twentieth Century Harmony

Other:
Kelly Starrett - Deskbound Standing Up to a Sitting World
Thomas Sterner - The Practicing Mind
Sam Harris - Waking Up
Jan Swafford - Beethoven Anguish and Triumph
Anders Ericsson - Peak Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
Donald J. Trump - Think Like a Champion
.
.
.
Okay was kidding with the last one, but I actually own the book and have read it years ago.


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## muk (Jan 18, 2017)

Kazuo Ishiguro - _The Unconsoled_. Just started reading, so I can't say much yet, but basically anything by this author is phenomenal.

Music related: James Hepokoski/Warren Darcy - _Elements of Sonata Theory_. It's nothing less than paradigm shift in how we think about the sonata form.


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## Revenant (Jan 18, 2017)

David Crystal - The Stories of English
Andrzej Sapkowski - The Witcher series


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## muk (Jan 18, 2017)

@Revenant How are the Witcher series books? Good writing?


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## Parsifal666 (Jan 18, 2017)

I'm reading Cecil Forsyth's Orchestration book for the first time and finding myself delightedly surprised it's great! I have sworn by the Samuel Adler book on the subject for as long as I can remember, but this is a very easy to navigate tome on the subject. The Adler might be my go to, but this is a fine supplement, and well worth any composer's time imo.


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## Jaap (Jan 18, 2017)

David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas

Read it a few years ago and loved it, never seen the movie though, but enjoying reading this book again!


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## Revenant (Jan 18, 2017)

muk said:


> @Revenant How are the Witcher series books? Good writing?



I cannot comment on the English translation of the series (if that's what you're asking about) because I only read it in my mother tongue (Czech). But since it's originally Polish, it may not make that much of a difference, anyway.

My experience with the books so far has been really great, and believe me when I say I am quite a picky reader. I started off buying just one book (I think it was "The Last Wish", which isn't even a part of the series, just of curiosity and found myself rushing to the bookshop to buy a few more the very same day).

It is amusing, often sarcastic, naturalistic and shows a rather very gritty and no-frills view of the world that it often doesn't even feel like a fantasy book. At the same time, it has a gripping stroyline, a vast and meticously crafted lore (much like the Harry Potter series, for example) and greatly portrayed characters that you easily grow on.

So, long story short, the series gets my highest recommendation.


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## Tareck117 (Jan 18, 2017)

Revenant said:


> I cannot comment on the English translation of the series (if that's what you're asking about) because I only read it in my mother tongue (Czech). But since it's originally Polish, it may not make that much of a difference, anyway.



I read them in french and loved them. 

The short stories are soooo great
The novels are good, but the short stories are way better IMO


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## tav.one (Jan 18, 2017)

*Music:*
Guide to MIDI Orchestration
Hearing & Writing Music
Zen and the Art of Mixing
On the Track
This is your brain on Music

*Other:*
Artist's Way
Will Power Instinct
Frequency: Power of Personal Vibration
Drive
Tribal Leadership
Convoluted Universe

& a lot more....

PS: Yeah I read ~30 books at a time, works magically for me.

This is my Goodreads profile (which is a social network for readers, in case you didn't know)https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15587098-t-a-v


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## Prockamanisc (Jan 18, 2017)

My bookshelf is a revolving door, but I try to read 1 book from each of 3 categories in my life: Personal (self help, how to be a good boyfriend), Business, and Music. I try to finish one book from each category each month, but I never seem to reach that goal. 

On a related note, every existential crisis I've ever had comes down to an imbalance between those 3 areas, which I call spiritual (music), social (personal), and financial (business). They answer the three basic questions: Am I doing what I want to do/need to be doing? Am I happy? Are my needs met so that I can continue?


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## Revenant (Jan 18, 2017)

Tareck117 said:


> I read them in french and loved them.
> 
> The short stories are soooo great
> The novels are good, but the short stories are way better IMO



Been a while since I read the short stories, but I remember one called "Something More", for instance, and whan an amazing piece of writing it is indeed.


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## mac (Jan 18, 2017)

Ive just finished The Stone Man by Luke Smithered. Best thing I've read in a long time, really fresh.


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## Zhao Shen (Jan 18, 2017)

Started Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy... Now I'm on the final book. You know Zahn's a good writer when he convinces you that his trilogy's villain is a better bad guy than Vader or Sidious or any other onscreen Star Wars character.


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## Ivan Matkowski (Jan 18, 2017)

itstav said:


> *Music:*
> Guide to MIDI Orchestration
> Hearing & Writing Music
> Zen and the Art of Mixing
> ...



Very good choice,sir! Right now I am study exercises from Ron Gorow book - it`s solid. And have read Artist`s way implement some good morining rituals. Actually,something similar I read on James Altucher blog - highly recommend!


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## Darthmorphling (Jan 18, 2017)

Zhao Shen said:


> Started Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy... Now I'm on the final book. You know Zahn's a good writer when he convinces you that his trilogy's villain is a better bad guy than Vader or Sidious or any other onscreen Star Wars character.



I wish those books were still considered canon. They have put Thrawn in Star Wars Rebel's now and he is similar to the books, but not as effective.


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## tav.one (Jan 18, 2017)

Ivan Matkowski said:


> Actually,something similar I read on James Altucher blog - highly recommend!



Wow! That blog is a gold mine, thanks for linking me up.


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## Fab (Jan 19, 2017)

Godel Escher Bach > been reading on and off for the last 2 years but I don't really understand much.

...I think it's about turtles?

The funny thing is, I only knew about the book because Hz mentioned it in an interview about inception. Thought it would give me some interesting insight into his process or the concept for the film, stuff like that.

What a rabbit hole that turned out to be!


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## synthpunk (Jan 19, 2017)

Recording The Beatles
500 plus pages of Beatle Tech bliss, signed first edition from the best of friends.


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## LamaRose (Jan 19, 2017)

_Magicians of the Gods _by Graham Hancock. _Self Reliance _by Emerson.

Two great sources for uncovering interesting reads:
https://www.brainpickings.org
http://shifter.media/category/read/


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## synthpunk (Jan 7, 2018)

Christmas present

Amazon
http://amzn.to/2CF61dO

Wonderful Illustrations as well.


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## Brian2112 (Jan 7, 2018)

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry -Tyson


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## sostenuto (Jan 7, 2018)

Bending my mind, but luv Kindle version and will likely read several times ……….


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## conan (Jan 7, 2018)

I've met the man, and this is really great stuff.


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## Paul Grymaud (Jan 7, 2018)

*My bedside book* and sometimes my vade-mecum
Perfect to find the inspiration...


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## C.R. Rivera (Jan 8, 2018)

One of my bedside volumes....
https://www.thoughtco.com/summary-trojan-war-a-new-history-119094


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## dohm (Jan 8, 2018)

Storm In A Teacup - Helen Czerski (a really enjoyable read)

Shoe Dog - Phil Knight (very good)


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## mac (Jan 8, 2018)

As for fiction, I've just finished;


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## JohnG (Jan 8, 2018)

David Mitchell -- Slade House


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## D Halgren (Jan 8, 2018)




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## mac (Jan 8, 2018)

Paul Grymaud said:


> *My bedside book* and sometimes my vade-mecum
> Perfect to find the inspiration...



I googled this because I thought it was a book title 'LA Bible', as in Los Angeles. I was expecting to find a hipster, gritty, after hours book on the LA scene


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## synthpunk (Jan 8, 2018)

If you want to post about politics there is a place for that.


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## Kevin Fortin (Jan 20, 2018)

Coincidentally, I just bought _All Tomorrow's Parties_ recently and it's near the top of my reading mound (scattered, me).

Today I found a cool book of conversations between Haruki Murakami and Seiji Ozawa: _Absolutely on Music_.

Edit: I also added a collection of "The Witcher" stories to my infinite stack, based on comments in page one of this thread.


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## D Halgren (Jan 20, 2018)

Kevin Fortin said:


> Coincidentally, I just bought _All Tomorrow's Parties_ recently and it's near the top of my reading mound (scattered, me).
> 
> Today I found a cool book of conversations between Haruki Murakami and Seiji Ozawa: _Absolutely on Music_.


Gibson is great! I love his world building skills. Murakami is excellent as well. I will have to check that one out. Thanks!


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## pmountford (Jan 20, 2018)

Simon Scarrow - The Fields of Death. 
Final in tetralogy. Good intro to Napoleon and The Duke of Wellington.


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## synthpunk (Jan 31, 2018)




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## dangieschen (Jul 7, 2018)

The Back the Future score from omnimusicpublishing.com. Does that count as "reading a book"?


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