SprinterSource Book Club

[SprintMoto]

The past few years I've upped my book reading(listening).

Born in 84' I'm an early Millennial or a late GenX'r, who doesn't feel like they fit neatly into either category. Growing up I was the typical kid I'm not reading unless I have to or I really really want to. And when I did it was mainly just magazines, Popular Mechanics, DirtBike, Comics, Goosebumps and The Scary Stories series or the Science and Invention Encyclopedia series we had on the books shelf. We were too poor to for cable TV so I'd start at the beginning and read through the encyclopedia page by page, book by book to pass the time. Those encylopedias were the first thing I truly read consistently. I never read the classics growing up. Even in English class, I would pretend to read and somehow figure out the gist of the assigned books and pass the tests.

Its maybe the one thing I can thank Covid for is the push to start reading. So I'm currently reading the "The last voyage of the Lucette" and I'm currently loving it. I think maybe some or most of you might like it and probably already know the story. Most of you are a bit older than I and we all share the same knack for adventure. Its an extended version of the book "Survive the Savage Sea" that expands on the story and adds context to time leading up to the accident

So what books are you guys reading? Listening to? I think it could help understand your epistemology also, or maybe change it. I know were driving across the country most days and an audiobook can help that 6-8-10 hour stretch of deserted highway.

Books I've finished in the past few months.

Everything you want is on the other side of hard (If you grew up in a rough place and love to compete, good read)

Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard: A Mem…

From the fastest runner in the world over fifty—and may…

goodreads.com

The Last Voyage of the Lucette (It speaks to all of us adventurer's and travelers, RV or Sailing Yacht I think we all understand the dangers of setting out on long trips)

Last Voyage of the Lucette

'Daddy's a sailor, why don't we sail around the world?'…

www.goodreads.com

David Sedaris - The land of its people (I really like short stories, and he's good at telling them)

The Land and Its People

In The Land and Its People, his first collection since …

www.goodreads.com

Decades of Decadence (A good road map for the future ahead of us...maybe)

Decades of Decadence: How Our Spoiled Elites Blew Ameri…

Thirty years of telling Americans they don’t need famil…

www.goodreads.com

Thrilling tales of Modern Men : Stories (Danny McBride, funny and F'd up short stories)

Thrilling Tales of Modern Men: Stories

An addictive, unpredictable, darkly hilarious collectio…

www.goodreads.com

And finally 1984 (which is the book peak covid 2021, that got me into reading, I'll re-read it every year or 2 and wish I could forget it so I could read it like its the first time over again.)

1984

A masterpiece of rebellion and imprisonment where war i…

www.goodreads.com

 

[Lagom]

I get a lot of pleasure from historical fiction, especially stories from the sea.

Aubrey–Maturin series - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Horatio Hornblower - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Stories of ancient Rome and Greece are also favorites.

 

[SprintMoto]

You know I just saw Master and Commander were highly recommended and seeing how I'm really enjoying the sinking and survival story of the Lucette. I think I'll check that one out.

I also want to read "The Odyssey" its in my queue I just can't decide on who's version, I should start with. I think Robert Fagles, or the Fitzgerald version. I've not watched new Nolan movie, I know the story in broad strokes, but no detail and I want to read it before I watch a movie about it.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I don't just read, I write. That being said, I separate my fiction writing from every other part of my life, so I'm not going to recommend that.

My father was a prolific reader; an entire room in the basement was dedicated to a book collection he spent his lifetime accumulating. Much of it is in my library (so I guess, I also have a room dedicated to my book collection, which includes much of his, and a lot of stuff I picked up on my own one way or another.) I actually had a part time job during college working at a used book store in Mullica Hill. Its gone now, but the owner kept trying to hook me up with her grand-daughter which is why I eventually left the job. It had a decent salary in terms of stated dollar amount... but it was only good in trade. That is to say, I could only use it to acquire books and magazines from the store. Which I did.

A lot of people seem to focus on the "classics" but my favourite genre is mystery. Sherlock Holmes is worth a read if you haven't; its a bit over-rated, a fairly typical example of a character whose inspiration was on the spectrum but the author was not. Dorothy L. Sayers is good. Christie can be good, too. My absolute favourite growing up was Rex Stout, particularly his best known Nero Wolfe series, but I liked every title of his I've read. Non fiction included.

I also think that pulp fiction in general gets a bad rap. Its genuinely entertaining. Some authors of note: Dashiell Hammett (obviously), Ross MacDonald, Raymond Chandler. Another series I particularly liked was Travis McGee by John D. MacDonald (no relation), but I have read other books and stories by him, and I have liked all of them.

Not every good book is as thought provoking as 1984 is. As somebody who does absolutely everything in the world to stop their mind from whizzing like a mill without grist, I actually often like books that are not that thought provoking. I read 1984 first when I was about 9 or 10 years old. That was a mistake; I wasn't ready for it. I read it quite a number of times, probably most recently about 10 years ago.

An author I can't stand is Ayn Rand. I'm not against people working in furtherance of their self-interest. I'd be a grand hypocrite if I was. I do, however, object to the idea that one is weak if they choose to also work in furtherance of other people's interests. Indeed, I'd say that I often find that working in other people's interests is inherently in my self interest, for a myriad of reasons. I only got through the Fountainhead, and could tolerate no more.

Huxley and Heinlein, while a bit pablum, are also quite interesting when viewed in that vein, incidentally.

 

[SprintMoto]

I don't just read, I write. That being said, I separate my fiction writing from every other part of my life, so I'm not going to recommend that.

My father was a prolific reader; an entire room in the basement was dedicated to a book collection he spent his lifetime accumulating. Much of it is in my library (so I guess, I also have a room dedicated to my book collection, which includes much of his, and a lot of stuff I picked up on my own one way or another.) I actually had a part time job during college working at a used book store in Mullica Hill. Its gone now, but the owner kept trying to hook me up with her grand-daughter which is why I eventually left the job. It had a decent salary in terms of stated dollar amount... but it was only good in trade. That is to say, I could only use it to acquire books and magazines from the store. Which I did.

A lot of people seem to focus on the "classics" but my favourite genre is mystery. Sherlock Holmes is worth a read if you haven't; its a bit over-rated, a fairly typical example of a character whose inspiration was on the spectrum but the author was not. Dorothy L. Sayers is good. Christie can be good, too. My absolute favourite growing up was Rex Stout, particularly his best known Nero Wolfe series, but I liked every title of his I've read. Non fiction included.

I also think that pulp fiction in general gets a bad rap. Its genuinely entertaining. Some authors of note: Dashiell Hammett (obviously), Ross MacDonald, Raymond Chandler. Another series I particularly liked was Travis McGee by John D. MacDonald (no relation), but I have read other books and stories by him, and I have liked all of them.

Not every good book is as thought provoking as 1984 is. As somebody who does absolutely everything in the world to stop their mind from whizzing like a mill without grist, I actually often like books that are not that thought provoking. I read 1984 first when I was about 9 or 10 years old. That was a mistake; I wasn't ready for it. I read it quite a number of times, probably most recently about 10 years ago.

An author I can't stand is Ayn Rand. I'm not against people working in furtherance of their self-interest. I'd be a grand hypocrite if I was. I do, however, object to the idea that one is weak if they choose to also work in furtherance of other people's interests. Indeed, I'd say that I often find that working in other people's interests is inherently in my self interest, for a myriad of reasons. I only got through the Fountainhead, and could tolerate no more.

Huxley and Heinlein, while a bit pablum, are also quite interesting when viewed in that vein, incidentally.

Sherlock could be a good choice, I seem to gravitate towards shorter self contained stories. I've not heard of Nero Wolfe I'll look it up. We have BritBox subscription and Acorn subscription. Her father is British and she'll typically put on Midsomer Murders, Sherlock, Inspector Morse, Vera etc I do enjoy crime/mystery. I def like the one and done style single episodes. But haven't completed any book in that genre yet.

I'm halfway through Brave New World. I stopped because it got muddled in the middle, I need to continue on.

I tried Atlas Shrugged. I can't remember why I stopped but I got bored quickly if I remember. A book has 4-5 pages to make its case. If I'm not drawn in I usually give up. Probably says more about me than the book....

 

[wet_coast]

I've been reading many titles by Paul Theroux. Well known for his travel books (which are not at all like what travel books usually resemble).
Paul Theroux got more recognition as a Novelist with "The Mosquito Coast" which was also made into a movie. I was so-so on that book, preferring his travel books. I'm currently reading "Picture Palace"; very quirky but with plenty of the descriptive prowess he is famous for.
At 85 years old, he is still writing. A travel book on Canada is due in September. I can't wait to see how he frames our culture, especially since our nationalism was re-ignited when threats of the "51st state" were tossed across the border.

 

[thx1138]

Ken Follett
Max Frisch
Stanislaw Lem
Alan Watts
Ken Liu

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Sherlock could be a good choice, I seem to gravitate towards shorter self contained stories. I've not heard of Nero Wolfe I'll look it up. We have BritBox subscription and Acorn subscription. Her father is British and she'll typically put on Midsomer Murders, Sherlock, Inspector Morse, Vera etc I do enjoy crime/mystery. I def like the one and done style single episodes. But haven't completed any book in that genre yet.

I'm halfway through Brave New World. I stopped because it got muddled in the middle, I need to continue on.

I tried Atlas Shrugged. I can't remember why I stopped but I got bored quickly if I remember. A book has 4-5 pages to make its case. If I'm not drawn in I usually give up. Probably says more about me than the book....

Speaking as an author, it often takes a lot more pages than that to setup a really good story. The best story I ever wrote, it took me a few chapters before the story really hits its rhythm. I mean, you can definitely be turned off sooner than that. Sometimes you can just tell that a story is not for you, irrespective of whether it is a well written or woven story.

My dad, towards the end, tried to convince me I'd like Daniel Silva, whose main character is an Israeli spy. I ended up reading two or three of the books, but it just wasn't my thing. Not calling it bad, per se, it just doesn't jibe with my view on the subject. And sometimes when something just doesn't jibe with your point of view, it becomes very hard to enjoy reading it.

Its like every form of art in the world, really. You like what you like.

 

[autostaretx]

To aid your relationship with your Sprinter, i can think of two old stand-outs:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert M. Pirsig)
and
How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive (a manual of step-by-step procedures for the compleat idiot) by John Muir.
(free PDF download of first edition here)

Due to what i was doing in the 1960s, i read the VW book first (and i do mean *read*... it has many sections and tangents that pretty much cover what the Zen book did).
The (very greasy) copy i have on my shelf is the 5th (1974) Edition.

Paraphrasing a typical line from Muir's book: "When you make a promise to your car that you'll fix the XXXX for real, if it only gets you home today ... KEEP THAT PROMISE"
A technique i've used in Africa (many times), Mexico. Canada and all over the US for the last 66 years...

--dick

 

[eurodude]

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert M. Pirsig)

Got this as a gift.

Just ordered Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobsen.

 

[wet_coast]

To aid your relationship with your Sprinter, i can think of two old stand-outs:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert M. Pirsig)
and
How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive (a manual of step-by-step procedures for the compleat idiot) by John Muir.
(free PDF download of first edition here)

Due to what i was doing in the 1960s, i read the VW book first (and i do mean *read*... it has many sections and tangents that pretty much cover what the Zen book did).
The (very greasy) copy i have on my shelf is the 5th (1974) Edition.

Paraphrasing a typical line from Muir's book: "When you make a promise to your car that you'll fix the XXXX for real, if it only gets you home today ... KEEP THAT PROMISE"
A technique i've used in Africa (many times), Mexico. Canada and all over the US for the last 66 years...

--dick

Many moons ago, I read Zen...
At that time I owned and rode motorcycles, but I guess the book's philosophy was completely lost on me. I was saddened to read about the death of Pirsig's son.
Having a Triumph Bonneville 650 I was more into the Clymer manuals for their practical and necessary instructions.

On the other hand, I also had the Muir book, but not because I owned a Volkswagen. I had a forlorn and abused Porsche 356. Engine-wise, there were enough similarities between the two engines, that the Muir book was a useful reference. The humour was a bonus.
I still have the book, but not the 356.

 

[SprintMoto]

To aid your relationship with your Sprinter, i can think of two old stand-outs:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert M. Pirsig)
and
How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive (a manual of step-by-step procedures for the compleat idiot) by John Muir.
(free PDF download of first edition here)

Due to what i was doing in the 1960s, i read the VW book first (and i do mean *read*... it has many sections and tangents that pretty much cover what the Zen book did).
The (very greasy) copy i have on my shelf is the 5th (1974) Edition.

Paraphrasing a typical line from Muir's book: "When you make a promise to your car that you'll fix the XXXX for real, if it only gets you home today ... KEEP THAT PROMISE"
A technique i've used in Africa (many times), Mexico. Canada and all over the US for the last 66 years...

--dick

The How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive is neat I just checked it out. I've never come across that before. Being a 21 year Audi Master Tech and Shop Forman I'm surprised I haven't. That book feels a lot like the Science and Invention encyclopedias I loved so much. I think I'll buy one for the Book Shelf/Coffee table reading and aesthetic.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Sometimes reading things you wouldn't think would be entertaining can be very entertaining. When I was a kid I actually read several encyclopaedias from cover to cover (to cover to cover to cover). I really enjoyed doing that, even if a lot of the knowledge I gained from it is very surface level, simplified, and stuck in whatever date that particular encyclopaedia was published, usually a few decades before.

 

[Lagom]

I used to read a fair amount of nonfiction. The past few years, however, the books all seem to be presenting a single idea that could more clearly be described in a chapter length monograph.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I used to read a fair amount of nonfiction. The past few years, however, the books all seem to be presenting a single idea that could more clearly be described in a chapter length monograph.

As far as I can tell, most people don't seem to have the capacity to understand complicated ideas anymore.

 

[Lagom]

As far as I can tell, most people don't seem to have the capacity to understand complicated ideas anymore.

Also, the Boomer male editors have largely been replaced by younger females.

 

[SprintMoto]

I was doom scrolling earlier and apparently the algorithm has figured out I’m looking at more books now and it showed me a post the other day from an account I don’t follow that said…. Lemme find it. And I def don’t want to delve into political blah blah blah and watch this thread end up in DZ. But I thought it was interesting. So please keep it clean and respectful and on topic with book recommendations too. Kthanks

The Strange Death of Literary Men

Liza Libes on Instagram: "The New York Times recently lamented the decline of literary men, blaming the “manosphere” for steering men away from fiction. But this misdiagnoses the problem: men aren’t abandoning literature because of Andrew Tate or Joe

34K likes, 3,651 comments - pensandpoison on August 5, 2026: "The New York Times recently lamented the decline of literary men, blaming the “manosphere” for steering men away from fiction. But this misdiagnoses the problem: men aren’t abandoning literature because of Andrew Tate or Joe...

www.instagram.com

“The New York Times recently lamented the decline of literary men, blaming the "manosphere" for steering men away from fiction. But this misdiagnoses the problem: men aren't abandoning literature because of Andrew Tate or Joe Rogan-they're turning to these figures because publishing has turned its back to them.


Today, roughly 70% of publishing professionals are white women-and literary fiction has increasingly skewed toward stories reflecting their interests.


Even Joyce Carol Oates has observed that editors are reluctant to read debut novels by young white male writers. Similarly, at a writing conference, a Curtis Brown agent dismissed concerns about this bias by arguing that the "pendulum" was merely correcting past discrimination.


But great literature should never be a zero-sum game. If we want to restore male readership, we need a publishing culture that welcomes all voices and once again produces books capable of speaking across gender rather than to only one segment of it.”

 

[Lagom]

You read my mind!

 

[bigb]

The Last Voyage of the Lucette (It speaks to all of us adventurer's and travelers, RV or Sailing Yacht I think we all understand the dangers of setting out on long trips)

Just when I thought I'd read every seagoing book there was I find out about another...

 

[SprintMoto]

Just when I thought I'd read every seagoing book there was I find out about another...

Here’s how I found about the book. This little 3 minute interview got me completely hooked. I needed the entire story. I just finished it a few hours ago. I think it’s absolutely unbelievable book. For maybe the 2nd time in my life I was like excited to get time to read more pages, or if I was interrupted thinking damn can’t wait to keep reading. Sad I know… lol

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbYAo4Ns7-K/?igsh=MTh0Z3Foa212eGhzMQ==