Just read a 100 page book called "Mind Control: Manipulation, Deception and Persuasion" which is some of the kind of psychological shit I'm interested in.

I tried to give Dostoevsky's Notes From the Underground a go but after 35 pages I found it hard to follow. It was just a guy rambling and waffling on and on and I couldn't really get into it or make any sense of it. I'll give it another try at another time but tonight I just wasn't feeling it.

Yesterday I read Mark Manson's follow up to his subtle art book, "Everything is fucked - A book about hope"

My opinion is that it's rather forgettable. Keeps banging about the "thinking brain" and the "feeling brain" for most it. Using that as the books foundation with "funny stories" about what one brain would do compared to the other brain; "let's say your thinking brain and your feeling brain are driving along in a car...."

Highlighted some points about religion and associated ideologies early on in the book. Which isn't really anything we don't already know. The most interesting chapter was the last one called The Final Religion in which he talked about the evolution of artificial intelligence and how it could be a huge part of our future. Again, nothing we ain't heard before but it's the first time I've ever paused in contemplation about the possibility.

The language used is somewhat relatable - throwing out an odd f-bomb here and there but ultimately, he's no Robert Greene or Jordan Peterson in terms of self-improvement.

Started reading Tim Ferris' "Tribe of Mentors" and I appreciate the way it's written conceptually. He interviewed over 100 of successful people, asking them all the same 11 questions. In the book he only added the best responses. So one person might have only 4 responses in the book and some might have 10, in order to minimise irrelevancy and repetition. But the most important reason I like the book is because you can just pop in anytime and read one persons responses then close it again. You could be sat waiting 10 minutes for a bus and instead of scrolling Facebook you can pick up some tips from people who are speaking from experience. I need to gather some more of these kind of books.

Staring at my home library last night struggling to decide what to read, I just reached out and grabbed one that hadn't even been on my radar "The Success System that Never Fails" by W. Clements Stone. It's the first physical book I've read in fucking ages, can't even remember how long it's been.

He's one of the original self-help writers from 100 or so years ago. Hung out with and worked with guys like Napoleon Hill and Norman Vincent Peale; also part of the self-help originals.

The book was quite good. I'm not arsed about doing in depth reviews but unlike Mark Manson's book I read the other day which was forgettable, I felt this one was worthwhile.

Took me about 4 hours to read 245 pages, which is about a page a minute. I know I can read faster than that but the speed at which I'm currently reading allows for actual reading comprehension, which, without this, reading is a pointless endeavour. It can of course also depend on how sparsely or densely the pages are filled with words, as well as the font size and line spacing. All of these are factors in how quickly you get through a book.

I've tried the Tai Lopez "read a book in 10 minutes" bullshit and it's simply a waste of time. I sat in the library one day to experiment with speed reading and "read" a business book of about 200 pages in one hour. I felt all proud of myself, but when I thought about it afterwards, I didn't retain a single fucking sentence. So it was ultimately useless, and Tai Lopez is a moron.

You're reading mediocre trash, no wonder it doesn't improve you

You're implying that the books I choose to read aren't improving me. Which of course, you have zero way of telling.

So although everyone is entitled to their opinion, yours is stupid and unfounded.

A large proportion of people who are Harry Potter fans would highly recommend those books. However, I wouldn't wipe my ass with the pages out of it.

Thank you so much for expressing your concerns as to what I do with my time, but there's really no need, I enjoy what I read. Otherwise I wouldn't do it would I.

It has most certainly started to plummet now that you're here commenting.

This kid is being a dick for no reason, but you do read a lot of trash given what incredible things are available to read.


Peace,

kowalski

In the last 6 months the best books I've read will have been..

12 Rules for Life
One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich (as a lead up to the next book)..
The Gulag Archipelago
Ordinary Men
The 48 Laws of Power

All excellent books no?

Some of the other shorter books on behaviour etc are just topics that interest me and are only there to entertain me for an hour. I can't help that the like of Mark Manson's books get highly marketed and therefore look very appealing but turn out to be shit.

Currently reading..

Holocaust: The Nazi Persecution and Murder of Jews
Robert Greene's The Art of Seduction

Great works right there no matter what anyone says.

Very few people have read anything as valuable as The Gulag Archipelago in the last six months.

And, I do not fucking envy your further reading into Nazism. I read my fill of that already, I think. More power to you. When I read Maus and was regularly crying and vomitting from the content, I dipped out of leaning more about WW2. It was horrific.


Peace,

kowalski