# Book | - Your Reading List: Past, Present and Future



## Columbo (Oct 19, 2020)

The following post by _@Jbcool2244_,  Philip K Dick- Targeted Individual, AI Prophet and Fraud is one after my own heart because, like most of you reading reading this at this very moment (given the finite amount of time one has to devote to reading) are torn between reading the fantastic posts on this forum and diving back in to whatever books you are reading at the moment. Bravo for creating the PKD thread btw, I've been wondering for a long time how come no one has taken that plunge yet; nice way to open up a huge conversation. It got me thinking though, I'm sure most of you are driven to read not only by what you are currently reading, but by the desire to burn through it as quickly as possible in order to get to that next book(s) on YOUR READING LIST. I'll even go out on this limb a step further (I'm not a detective, but I play one on TV hehe) and bet that you're future list is constantly growing and changing and often the book you pick up next wasn't even one of the ones on the list. I spend a significant portion of my time just trying to take in the scope of what is out there in every genre; read synopses of books or series or authors, sort of meta-reading I suppose and wishing I could take swathes of them and cram them all into my mind at once so that I could marvel at all of those perspectives... Anybody still with me? With all of the extra time stuck at home this year I've knocked about half of the near score of books on my currently reading list off. I like to jump back and for a good bit, but like to finish something as often as possible because completion is... satisfying. 
So, here is what I propose, let's grow our lists together. Let's say the last three you've read, the top three you are currently reading and the three you plan to read next. And since I deplore hard and fast rules, that is only a guide post. For instance I often enjoy reading things that you don't have to think about much, sort of flossing the mind, I'm going to include those in my list in parentheses (see below) and not let them count as one of my three because, frankly, everything I read is entertaining, but doesn't rise to the quality of thought provoking works that I am hoping we can collect on this thread (so see, my rules, feel free to break 'em ). Reviews and ratings (/  or stars or whatever you like) welcome. Any genre or any subject accepted. Words to the wise: be wary of heroes! In this case I'm talking about authors and not their protagonists. How many books have you read that, while reading them, you're reaction is like right on; this bloke gets it? Only upon later examination it turns out that the author is a mephistophelian degenerate. Like this:


norton said:


> Philip K. Dick. I always suspected that he may have been one of the good ones.
> 
> The Science Fiction subculture has a sinister undercurrent that many casual fans are entirely oblivious to although scandals do bubble through to the surface from time to time.


Or when Stephen Kings waxed John Lennon:
Remember This Crazy Van Claiming Stephen King Killed John Lennon?
In the case of the former I jest; I feel about 99% sure Lennon's death was staged. Bringing it back to stolen history, can we all agree that there is often more truth/perspective in fiction and myth than there is in official history?    

Here's my list:
*
Last 3:*
1)  _Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece_ by Three Initiates --- 
- Yo, how did I miss this one until recently? No introduction needed. If only religious texts were this straightforward. Would I recommend it? Eff yes; that's why I gave it one more than the maximum amount of thumbs. "All paradoxes may be reconciled;" I like that.
2)    _The Martian Chronicles_ by Ray Bradbury ---  
- It's all in there... the exquisite ruins of old mars and the squatter inheritors, with a corrugated metal hotdog stand.
3)    _The Name of the Wind_ by Patrick Rothfuss ---  
- Some times good fiction can be accompanied with bad prose (see Alastair Reynolds, a scientist writing science fiction). Not a problem here, Rothfuss is a bonafide wordsmith; the beauty of his language at times exceeds the excellent story.
(4) (Honorable totally gratuitous mention) _American Assassin_ by Vince Flynn 
- The CIA saves the world once again! I know, I know, this is like  Danielle Steel for dudes. So easy to read, you barely have to even look at the page; you could read 200 pages sitting on the can . I'm giving it 2 thumbs up just because Mitch Rapp is such a cold operator.

*Current 3:*
1)    The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome, #1) by Colleen McCullough
- Been slugging through this one, not exactly a page turner, but well written. This series seems to be the fullest narrative history of Rome, so we'll see...
2)    Divided We Stand: A Biography of the World Trade Center by Eric Darton
- I'm about to start Part Two: _Maneuvers Toward a City of Towers_ --- Sounds intriguing...
3)   Hôtel Transylvania (Saint-Germain, #1) by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
- This is the first book in a long series that is said to get better. The blurb has always stuck with me, decided to give it a whirl: A fixture in 1740s Parisian society, Saint-Germain is a perfect gentleman--and a vampire. When the fiery young Madeline falls in love with him, a group of evil sorcerers targets her for their black mass--and only Saint-Germain can save her soul. TBD
(4) (Honorable totally gratuitous mention) _ GURPS Cabal_ by Kenneth Hite
- I love reading pen and paper RPG supplements; troves of interesting information. This is from Steve Jackson Games, creators of the oft cited Illuminati Card Game and has intriguing"History of the Cabal" section.

*Current On Deck:*
1)    Foundation (Foundation, #1) by Isaac Asimov
- Okay I was literally about to start this book yesterday and decided to peruse the PKD thread I mentioned above first. After reading about the dark underbelly of the upper echelons of the science fiction industry (see the post I quoted above), I decided not to follow that synchronicity and went with the Chelsea Quinn Yarbro book instead.
2)    Shadow & Claw (The Book of the New Sun #1-2) by Gene Wolfe
- Anybody want to talk me out of this?
3)    Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Cornelius Agrippa 
- I hear that this is the _Sine qua non_ work on hermetic magic.

Hopefully there is something in there you havn't seen or that piques your intrest. That's it, critiques or suggestions?





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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: HipophoralcuDate: 2020-07-06 18:54:23Reaction Score: 1


Bobiverse trilogy.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: und34830Date: 2020-07-06 22:44:00Reaction Score: 1


strange coincidence ?

I am reading  A Life of Philip K. Dick: The Man Who Remembered the Future .

The author writes a lot about coincidences, deja vu and past lives and simulation theory in his other books.


David Wilock has released a new book a few weeks ago. I am going to read that next.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-07 13:27:25Reaction Score: 1


The Outsider by Colin Wilson.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: Bear ClawDate: 2020-07-07 15:31:01Reaction Score: 2


Currently on the third in the book in the 'Three Body Problem Trilogy' by Cixin Liu. It has some very interesting ideas - although is very rooted in the established model of the solar system and aliens and etc. Although I guess most sci-fi does and I would never hold that against Dune. Its been an easy read that hass maintained a good quality throughout. If you read as science FICTION its been great. Some interesting concepts on what the sun maybe, the idea that God may act through a man, and how an external force may impact upon society.

Prior to that I had read William S Burroughs 'The Red Night Trilogy' which, I must admit lost me at points but was a great read. I mean alternative histories abound. Libertatia, forgotten cities etc, anarchism, TYT. Totally would recommend.

Virilian Sands - by JG Ballard. Googled utopian fiction. Got this. Turned out to be a dystopian utopia. But a good bit of futurology. I wouldn't call it a must read in terms of this forums objectives. But it was entertaining nonetheless, suitably surreal, and high quality writing.

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Next Three: I thought as it has been discussed in here a lot to read all the PKD I had not read, so bought A Scanner Darkly and Ubik. Had just bought a Man called Thursday as suggested by Starmonkey.

I have been meaning to get Ancient Evenings by Norman Mailer out the way. Its been sitting there looking at me with its seductive title for too long now.

Coral Gardens and their Magic - Bronilslaw Malinowki - my personal reason for reading this are for world building research. However I understand it to be a fascinating anthropological study of tribal economics, gardening and magic. Which, without having read think may be up the street of people on this forum.

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Critiques. I'm not gunna do that! Props on the Name of the Wind. I say thats my favourite book of all time (today). If you are going to read the second, yeah its good as well and keeps up the strength of the story. Got a lot riding on the third! Also I was thinking about Foundation the other day, it has been awhile since I read it. Although I was ruminating on whether the world these days is run by AI, like government policy is based upon models, and CV is playing out as if it is all based upon a simulated virus, and then I thought it would be interesting re-reading Foundation based upon the idea of Maths simulating reality or AI running the future. Maybe would be interesting to read bearing this in mind?

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Also Stephen King may have killed John Lennon, but Miles Mathis brought him back to life!

http://mileswmathis.com/lennon.pdf


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-07 16:48:41Reaction Score: 3


The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. The Once and Future King by TH White. Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach. Arthur Rex by Thomas Berger. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck. Old Turtle AND Old Turtle and the Broken Truth AND Old Coyote by Douglas Wood, Holes by Louis Sachar.
Any books by Jon J Muth, Neil Gaiman, Peter Moon (lots of related sources within), Lloyd Alexander (Prydain Chronicles especially), Colin Wilson, RA or Isha Schwaller de Lubicz, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut Jr, Ursula K LeGuin, Michael Ende, Peter S Beagle, David Wong (), Peter Tompkins, Carl Jung, Jose Arguelles...
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King as well as The Stand AND The Shining AND The Eyes of the Dragon AND The Green Mile (excellent example of a serial), The Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R Donaldson, A Song of Ice and Fire (GoT) by George RR Martin, Mission Earth AND Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard, Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, Jerusalem by Alan Moore, Alvin Maker series by Orson Scott Card, Tale of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (might be our near future), The Templars and the Assassins by Wasserman (probably some holes), The Secrets of Consciousness by Jan Brice, The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky and Kent Williams. Tokyo Ghost by Remender... And Goblin Universe by Ted Holiday.
I'll leave it there for now.


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## Columbo (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: ColumboDate: 2020-07-07 17:02:38Reaction Score: 3


It's already as I suspected. Two of my next three reads have already changed. Thanks for the responses so far.
_@Hipophoralcu_, Bobiverse, check! 
_@Starmonkey_, adding the Outsider by Colin Wilson.


Starmonkey said:


> The Dark Tower series by Stephen King as well as The Stand AND The Shining AND The Eyes of the Dragon AND The Green Mile (excellent example of a serial), The Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R Donaldson, A Song of Ice and Fire (GoT) by George RR Martin, Mission Earth AND Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard, Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, Jerusalem by Alan Moore, Alvin Maker series by Orson Scott Card, Tale of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (might be our near future), The Templars and the Assassins by Wasserman (probably some holes), The Secrets of Consciousness by Jan Brice, The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky and Kent Williams. Tokyo Ghost by Remender... And Goblin Universe by Ted Holiday.
> I'll leave it there for now.


Bro I've read about 70% of those. Years ago I thouroughly enjoyed Battlefield Earth (the Book) and just randomly have a paperback copy of Mission Earth Book 1 sitting next to me... always wanted to read all 10 of those.
_@Bear Claw_, dude, I read Dune last year and it was absolutely wonderful. I've never read  Naked Lunch, but have a copy of the David Cronenberg movie. J.G. Ballard's High-Rise has been percolating near the top of my want to read list; although I haven't read Crash, the premise seems a little creepy. I read Ubik last year too, short and rad. I've been slogging through Mailer's Harlot Ghost for a long while now (like so long, I should probably start over); but the fact that the book ends with, "To be continued," and the author died before he could write the sequel has never made me want to come running back. And finally, I have very much enjoyed the (in)famous Mr. Mathis' work over the years (not the science stuff and not all of the obvious blackwashing of limited hangouts; could a starving artist in Taos write all that alone? ). I was a huge Beetles fan and still enjoy the music, but years ago would never have conceived of myself as being so apathetic to the fact that Lennon was still alive and well in a far off land (Canada).


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: HipophoralcuDate: 2020-07-07 17:32:28Reaction Score: 2




Columbo said:


> .


If you liked Battlefield Earth, you should give a try to the works of Ian Douglas. Masterfully woven story explaining ancient things.


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## Columbo (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: ColumboDate: 2020-07-07 18:02:01Reaction Score: 1


Five Books Set in the Remains of a Dead Civilization
Somebody will probably enjoy this. Look through the comment section at the link for many more suggestions.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-07 18:12:21Reaction Score: 1


The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton. His Father Brown mysteries are entertaining as well. The Thief of Always AND The Hellbound Heart AND Imajica by Clive Barker. A Vision by WB Yeats.
Edgar Cayce, Theodore Sturgeon (especially More Than Human), His Dark Materials trilogy AND The Book of Dust (two done) by Philip Pullman, Steven Brust, contemporary tellings of mythology by Roger Lancelyn Green, John Gardner (especially Grendel)...
And a bunch of other science fiction and fantasy.
And I love the ancient civilizations and unsolved mysteries and the supernatural genre, hence my presence here.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: HipophoralcuDate: 2020-07-07 18:15:03Reaction Score: 1




Starmonkey said:


> ..


You might want to take a look at A.G. Riddle.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-07 18:16:57Reaction Score: 1


The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Paradise Lost by John Milton...
The bittersweetness of it all.
I'm also wanting to check out some Olaf Stapledon, but all I currently have is the Starmont Reader's Guide about him...
As well as Robert R McCammon of which I have Boy's Life and Gone South but somebody ( Plissken) I believe recommended Swan Song, which I'll get to...


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: Bear ClawDate: 2020-07-07 18:59:45Reaction Score: 1




Columbo said:


> Five Books Set in the Remains of a Dead Civilization
> Somebody will probably enjoy this. Look through the comment section at the link for many more suggestions.


Yeah man they look good. I have read some Roger Zelazny and reckon he fits in nicely here. The Chronicles of Amber and A night in the lonesome October are great reads.

Some other great fantasies I have read are The Vorrh Trilogy by Brian Catling. Katherine Kerr's Deverry Cycle. Kushiels Dart. JV Jones: Sword of Shadows (although this comes with the GRR Martin; Scott Lynch; Robert Jordan caveat that it remains unfinished).

By the way thanks for starting this. I am having less time to meticulously search for books that I wish to read.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-07 19:35:28Reaction Score: 1




Bear Claw said:


> Yeah man they look good. I have read some Roger Zelazny and reckon he fits in nicely here. The Chronicles of Amber and A night in the lonesome October are great reads.
> 
> Some other great fantasies I have read are The Vorrh Trilogy by Brian Catling. Katherine Kerr's Deverry Cycle. Kushiels Dart. JV Jones: Sword of Shadows (although this comes with the GRR Martin; Scott Lynch; Robert Jordan caveat that it remains unfinished).
> 
> By the way thanks for starting this. I am having less time to meticulously search for books that I wish to read.


I have the first three of six of the collected works of Zelazny. Amber was awesome. Been awhile.
I worked with a relative of his at a coffee shop a couple years ago. Rachel was her name. She was also into Welsh folklore. Son named Ronan, I believe...


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## Columbo (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: ColumboDate: 2020-07-07 21:06:02Reaction Score: 2


*NON-FICTION ALERT!*
I used an excerpt from a  Deanna Spingola book in another post earlier and it reminded me that she has a great reading list site. It contains many of the basics, I'm sure you're familiar with, but is fairly comprehensive. I particularly appreciate her disclaimer, words to the wise, indeed: _"There are many books on this list that actually promote deceptions and propaganda, written by people who are either very ill-informed and inadvertently perpetuate misinformation and there are others who deliberately promote disinformation to deceive the reader. While these questionable books are on my list, it is up to the reader to draw their own conclusions. There is truth in every book, one just has to be perceptive enough to extract it without also accepting the disinformation." _And there is no new think under the sun. 
Spingola's Suggested Reading List


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-08 01:22:11Reaction Score: 1


Then there's the little known gem Venus in the Half-Shell by "Kilgore Trout".
Rumor I've never pursued is it was Philip Jose Farmer impersonating Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
I'm not sure how he felt about it, but it's a laugh. Many of them.
Starts with the Earth being flooded and everyone (almost) dies...


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## Columbo (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: ColumboDate: 2020-07-08 01:43:31Reaction Score: 1


Philip José Farmer... Ever read 'To Your Scattered Bodies Go?' (AKA Riverworld)
edit:
This is from Goodreads, sounds intriguing:


> _To Your Scattered Bodies Go_ is the Hugo Award-winning beginning to the story of Riverworld, Philip José Farmer's unequaled tale about life after death. When famous adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton dies, the last thing he expects to do is awaken naked on a foreign planet along the shores of a seemingly endless river. But that's where Burton and billions of other humans (plus a few nonhumans) find themselves as the epic Riverworld saga begins. It seems that all of Earthly humanity has been resurrected on the planet, each with an indestructible container that provides three meals a day, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, a lighter, and the odd tube of lipstick. But why? And by whom?
> That's what Burton and a handful of fellow adventurers are determined to discover as they construct a boat and set out in search of the river's source, thought to be millions of miles away. Although there are many hardships during the journey--including an encounter with the infamous Hermann Goring--Burton's resolve to complete his quest is strengthened by a visit from the Mysterious Stranger, a being who claims to be a renegade within the very group that created the Riverworld. The stranger tells Burton that he must make it to the river's headwaters, along with a dozen others the Stranger has selected, to help stop an evil experiment at the end of which humanity will simply be allowed to die.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-08 02:35:30Reaction Score: 1




Columbo said:


> Philip José Farmer... Ever read 'To Your Scattered Bodies Go?' (AKA Riverworld)


I don't believe so...
I've read a few of his books, but none of his series yet. Dig him though.
I have so many Poul Anderson, Frederick Pohl, Thomas Burnett Swann and some others I got in large batches, I'm not even sure what-all.
I also have False Dawn by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro to read. I liked Messages from Michael.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: Bear ClawDate: 2020-07-08 11:11:53Reaction Score: 1




Columbo said:


> Five Books Set in the Remains of a Dead Civilization
> Somebody will probably enjoy this. Look through the comment section at the link for many more suggestions.


The Saga of Recluce by LE Modesitt, is one I enjoyed in this genre.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: HipophoralcuDate: 2020-07-08 12:44:34Reaction Score: 2


Scrolled through a bit in the "i have time and energy" folder that contains serious literature to be read.
Otto Rahn: Lucifers court
Rober Cialdini: Influence, the psychology of persuasion
Kevin Macdonald: The culture of critique
USMC: Warfighting
Rupert Sheldrake: Morphic resonance
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: 200 years together
Unknown translator: Gesta danorum
Jeffrey Goodman: American genesis
William Dunham: Euler


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-08 13:46:58Reaction Score: 1


Just to qualify my suggestions' relevance, I generally approach this conundrum from another angle.
My entire life, and I doubt I'm alone in this, I've KNOWN there used to be MAJIK in this world, but something happened and it's mostly gone. So I approach the whole thing from a consciousness direction. Which is really the only one there is ().
It's the underlying attraction and success of Game of Thrones, although others have used it before that.
I'm just saying, I actually get more insight out of so-called "fiction" than that which CLAIMS to be other.
It's also why it's so hard to keep tidy threads. These issues are inherent in everything. Hard to draw lines or boundaries over it, and that also inhibits free or fluid thinking, which is more radial than linear.
I've been wrestling with how to deal with that here.
You get glimpses of it when you have an inspired group posting simultaneously. It jumps threads, fires back and forth and seems to take on a life of its own, but it's difficult to keep "organized".


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## Columbo (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: ColumboDate: 2020-07-08 14:47:10Reaction Score: 1


_@Starmonkey_, I started reading The Outsider last night; that's whassup! I went with it instead of We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse, #1) because it was the only one on Discover the Best eBooks, Audiobooks, Magazines, Sheet Music, and More | Scribd. Love that site by the way; worth the fee. Might as well shout out to the always gratis Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine!


Bear Claw said:


> The Saga of Recluce by LE Modesitt


I read The Magic of Recluce (The Saga of Recluce, #1) about 25 years ago and bought and still own the first four or five books in the series at the time, planning to get around to them in due course (my, how time flies...). I remember my 7th grade mind being pretty blown by the way magic was used/approached in the series. Reminds me of this series: Dragon Wing (The Death Gate Cycle, #1) I read about that same time and also enjoyed.
_@Hipophoralcu_, wondered for a while if Lucifer's Court was worth a read, I'm putting it on the list.
Another one that I've wanted to read for a very long time, which comes highly recommended is the Aztec Series by Gary Jennings.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: Bear ClawDate: 2020-07-08 14:51:38Reaction Score: 3


Yeah its weird isn't it. I agree with you on this one and feel it to. I do think magic is still there, just hidden - and mostly used to restrict magick. I think there are three types groups. People who accept the reality presented to them. Those who try and create their own reality. And those who try and push their reality onto others. I think magic is reality creation. I think the absence of magic is accepting a mutable reality. And I think what has killed magic - is the combination of a false reality presented as the truth onto people willing to accept it. Unfortunately I think those who try to create their own reality get caught in a bit of a no-mans land. And also get a bit isolated.

There is so much in fantasy that taps into this. I don't see it necessarily as "soft disclosure" so much as films. Probably because the film industry is more of an industry, and I (possibly naively) that when you make a film the process is more about organising actors and props and special effects, whereas fundamentally writing a book is more about imagination (both writer and reader), and when you tap into the imagination, that is where you find the magick. As such I think imagination fiction taps into a source. And out of the source pops the magick, which is also the truth.

That is my thoughts on it anyway.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: HipophoralcuDate: 2020-07-08 17:45:43Reaction Score: 1




Columbo said:


> ..


I dont know, have to read it yet. From what i heard its kind of like a travel journal.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: HipophoralcuDate: 2020-07-12 19:22:57Reaction Score: 1


Adding
Ornament and Crime by Adolf Loos to the list


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## Whitewave (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: whitewaveDate: 2020-07-13 01:22:51Reaction Score: 3


Had to order books from Barnes and Noble as they were not in stock at the store. Was eagerly anticipating an exciting sounding read that was recommended but I'll have to wait. Also looked for Peter Moon books and they didn't have any of those on the shelves either. 

Had to settle for a book on military history (a subject I actually enjoy). Also have about 5 as yet unread books on my nightstand which hasn't happened in several years. This site is seriously cutting into my book reading time. Keep following suggested/provided links and reading online books.

Have to say I've read exactly one book by Stephen King (The Shinning) and when I regained my composure I realized that he was probably the most skilled storyteller in the history of writing. Disturbed but highly skilled. I'm just grateful that, with a mind that thinks like his, that he's gainfully employed and can afford whatever medication he's on.

Bible reading, a book entitled, _When your doctor doesn't know best,_ and a history book entitled, _The greatest stories never told._

I go on different genre kicks. Will read a bunch of sci fi, then switch to herbal/prepper stuff, then jump to philosophies/religion. Went on a new age kick for a while. Got heavy into law books but they just irked me and made me cranky so switched to DIY books. Very eclectic tastes.

I used to read anything someone recommend but I've since learned to pay attention to who's doing the recommending and what their value system is. I've taken a few reading recommendations from posters on this site and been glad I did. Opened up entirely new avenues of thought and perspective.

Hard for me to recommend books to others without knowing them personally.


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## SuperTrouper (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: SuperTrouperDate: 2020-07-13 01:40:21Reaction Score: 2


What a great thread! 

As always, more than a few "on the go". Recently finished Ibn Arabi, _Know Yourself: an explanation of the oneness of being. _Just about finished Rudolf Steiner's _Knowledge of the Higher Worlds_ and Rabbi David A. Cooper's _The Mystical Kabbalah_. I'm still getting through Manly P. Hall's brick and some of Ouspensky's texts. I've got about half a dozen books recommended by _@Starmonkey_ on my "to read" list.

Generally, I get sidetracked and end up reading whatever comes to me (and interests me), although often not entire books, just chapters.


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## Columbo (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: ColumboDate: 2020-07-13 15:03:07Reaction Score: 3


I hate paying to read books once they've gotten a bit long in the tooth.


whitewave said:


> looked for Peter Moon books and they didn't have any of those on the shelves either.


Internet Archive Search: creator:"Preston B. Nichols"
Pretty much if you have to only read one Stephen King book, this is a _must _read. Set up a free account at archive.org and even if the book is checked out, I think you can borrow it for an hour at a time as many times as you would like:
The stand : King, Stephen, 1947- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive 
I read the first Peter Moon book The Montauk project : Preston B. Nichols : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive after _@Starmonkey_, suggested. Very short; I would have been blown away had I gotten hold of this back in the '90s.  Still enjoyable! I was familiar with the PE and MP, but here was the most intruiging part for me (Only posting here for what it's worth):


> "They were usual y blond, blue eyed, tal and light skinned. They fit the Aryan stereotype. To my knowledge, there were no girls in this group. A later investigation showed that Montauk had a NeoNazi connection and that the Nazis were still on the Aryan kick. We don’t know where the kids went, what they were educated in or programmed for. Whether they came back or not is still a mystery. What information is available is that they sent every raw recruit into the future to 6037 AD, always to the same point, to what appeared to be a dead city in ruins. Everything was stationary, not unlike a dreamlike state. There were no signs of life. In the center of the city was a square with a gold horse on a pedestal. There were inscriptions on that pedestal, and recruits were sent there to read what they said. Each recruit would interpret and report. We still don’t know what the researchers were after. They could have been trying to find the same answer from different people. I don’t know. Duncan suggested there was technology in the pedestal and that they were trying to get somebody to sense or feel what the technology was. Someone else involved in the project has said the horse was there to test the powers of observation of the recruits and that it also served as a point of reference. The recruits were always asked if they saw anybody in the city. Each individual would interpret what he observed and report. We know a lot of people were shoved somewhere into the future, maybe 200 or 300 years ahead. Estimates range from three to ten thousand people that were eventual y abandoned. We have no idea for what purpose. I have already said that I don’t know exactly what they did with time. I wasn’t there, but I do know they did a lot with World War I and World War II. They monitored those times and took pictures. They knew exactly what they were doing. They could actual y make up a secondary vortex to observe what was going on. We cal ed this a seeing eye function."


[sic]


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## SuperTrouper (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: SuperTrouperDate: 2020-07-13 23:55:15Reaction Score: 2




Columbo said:


> I hate paying to read books once they've gotten a bit long in the tooth.


I've posted this a couple of times over the past year or so - apologies for doing it again - but there are 2,000+ free searchable book PDFs here. It's not easy to find some of these in book form.


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## Whitewave (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: whitewaveDate: 2020-07-15 03:30:15Reaction Score: 1




SuperTrouper said:


> I've posted this a couple of times over the past year or so - apologies for doing it again - but there are 2,000+ free searchable book PDFs here. It's not easy to find some of these in book form.


Forgive me for not looking but is your link on the Useful Sites thread? If not, it would be a good one to add.


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## SuperTrouper (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: SuperTrouperDate: 2020-07-15 05:50:45Reaction Score: 1




whitewave said:


> Forgive me for not looking but is your link on the Useful Sites thread? If not, it would be a good one to add.


Yes it is.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: HipophoralcuDate: 2020-07-19 18:54:41Reaction Score: 0


Adding Libidio dominandi, Sexual liberation and political control by E. Michael Jones

_Could not edit earlier comment._


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-21 14:08:58Reaction Score: 0


Tracking these down as I finish Jerusalem and don't yet have The Dying Earth to begin reading that tale...
Colin Wilson: the man who wrote Spider World – All Things Creative
Colin Wilson: the man who wrote Spider World


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## Revelinmusic (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: revelinmusicDate: 2020-07-23 18:29:21Reaction Score: 0


Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion
prophet book by an English poet. It is addressed to various groups such as...

To the public
To the Jews
To the Deists
To the Christians


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-07-23 19:01:15Reaction Score: 1


Christ! I barely made it through the Lucia Joyce FW chapter of Moore's Jerusalem. Took me a week to suffer through it. Almost had to be institutionalized...


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: Bear ClawDate: 2020-08-04 16:09:06Reaction Score: 1




Starmonkey said:


> Christ! I barely made it through the Lucia Joyce FW chapter of Moore's Jerusalem. Took me a week to suffer through it. Almost had to be institutionalized...


Lol, I guess that may well have been his aim. My school was directly next door to that institute. There was a few occasions when someone escaped and we all got locked in, and on at least one occasion it was a paedophile. 

I also took my current girlfriend on a date to find Lucia Joyces grave. Romantic huh? It was cold and wet and an exceptionally vast cemetery. And she still brings up how it was the second worst date she had ever been on. Second only to the time she took me wine tasting and I just drank tap water.

Well on making it past that chapter. If I recall it was the second hardest one, I had a lot of woe around the chapter written in playscript if I recall. 

I think you must have recommended it elsewhere as I can't find it in here, but I read Storms at Sea. It was really great, although I wish it went on longer. Really loved the illustrations as well. Have you read anything else by him? I also picked up - A man called Thursday, and looking forward to that. I might actually make an audiobook of it as it isn't too long.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: StarmonkeyDate: 2020-08-04 16:37:16Reaction Score: 1




Bear Claw said:


> Lol, I guess that may well have been his aim. My school was directly next door to that institute. There was a few occasions when someone escaped and we all got locked in, and on at least one occasion it was a paedophile.
> 
> I also took my current girlfriend on a date to find Lucia Joyces grave. Romantic huh? It was cold and wet and an exceptionally vast cemetery. And she still brings up how it was the second worst date she had ever been on. Second only to the time she took me wine tasting and I just drank tap water.
> 
> ...


Play one with authors was rough too.
Was a bit of hidden excitement in the LJ chapter. Her encounter with Dusty Springfield. Lots of that going on in those parks and bushes...
And it all ties back in with William Blake. Cool.
I'm going ape shit on Mark Schultz and some others right now. Late to the party. Received Carbon 2 and 3 today, the first is expensive... Illustrations mostly. I love his mixing up adventure themes in the 40s style. Classic. His love of dinosaurs and sea monsters fits right in here. I saw his cover artwork for Storms on sale on eBay for $13,000 (or best offer)...


Bear Claw said:


> Lol, I guess that may well have been his aim. My school was directly next door to that institute. There was a few occasions when someone escaped and we all got locked in, and on at least one occasion it was a paedophile.
> 
> I also took my current girlfriend on a date to find Lucia Joyces grave. Romantic huh? It was cold and wet and an exceptionally vast cemetery. And she still brings up how it was the second worst date she had ever been on. Second only to the time she took me wine tasting and I just drank tap water.
> 
> ...


I picked up one of my copies of Man the other day and thumbed through it. Started chuckling. Madcap. Capers. Crackers.
Regarding Jerusalem... Almost done. This song popped into my life again recently and must be its theme song.
Good song for theses Apocalyptic times, as is this one...
Imagining huge cataclysms and catastrophe in the 2012 movie style to Hall & Oates. Burning down the house.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: dejavuDate: 2020-08-09 23:15:53Reaction Score: 1


Just started reading The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life by Drunvalo Melchizedek. Recommended by a friend.


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: Tool18Date: 2020-08-10 02:37:03Reaction Score: 1


Just finished "dead men's secrets" - Jonathan Grey.
I thought this books was a good book outlining the mountain evidence of an ancient world wide advanced civilization existing possibly 12,500 years ago. Before the last extinction level catastrophe. Possibly the same event described all over the world in ancient myths as the "deluge" or "flood".
Certainly some really nice points in this books and layed out well for the reader, even if you are already very well versed in this subject, this book is still an interesting read and puts together the evidence in a way that paints a better picture of how big and just how advanced this civilization was.


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## Prolix (May 5, 2021)

This thread should probably be merged with the _What are you reading?_ thread in the General section? Or vice versa.

_Sex and Rockets - The Occult World of Jack Parsons_ by John Carter

JWWW427 recommended this one. I'd considered checking it out a few years back, but choosing between this or another Parsons bio (_Strange Angel_) left me in a state of abject indecision. To an extent, I was disappointed. The author very much leaves you nursing his conclusion that Parsons' "accomplishments in the arcane sciences have been highly overrated and grossly exaggerated".

I wasn't altogether persuaded by the "underestimation" of his virtuosity in rocket science and aerospace either. But I was left intrigued by Carter's uncertainty over why he abandoned rockets altogether at the end of WWII. He speculates variously that this was down to Parsons' occult activities, a non-competition agreement with aerospace and indolence. But maybe he simply concluded there was no point; he realised it wouldn't be possible to send a rocket to the Moon.

I also felt a little cheated that the most salacious material, involving Parsons' actualising his Oedipus complex with his mother (and a dog) is left to assertions made following his death (so coming right at the end of the book). For such a potentially titillating character, _Sex and Rockets_ is a little on the dry side; ironically, Robert Anton Wilson, who wrote the introduction and first made me aware of Parsons, would probably have been  a much more engaging biographer.


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## JWW427 (May 8, 2021)

"The Men Who Lost America."
A great look at the British generals and the machinations of Parliament during the American Revolution.
In the USA, all we get is the American propaganda version of the story.


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