What are You Reading Now?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

3 Fresh Yeti Pipes
18 Fresh Estate Pipes
60 Fresh Savinelli Pipes
3 Fresh Il Cerchio Pipes
12 Fresh Nørding Pipes

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

MartyA

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 5, 2024
125
421
74
Iowa
After reading rather daunting biographies of Joseph Flamsteed and Isaac Newton, two highly accomplished, rather difficult men, neither of whom I think I'd have liked personally, from a time I can hardly identify with, I was ready for something easy and fun.

I chose "John A. Brashear, the Autobiography of a Man Who Loved the Stars," edited by W. Lucien Scaife, 1924. It turned out to be the perfect choice! All I'd known about Brashear was that he made fine telescopes, but in his very modestly written biography he proved to be a highly accomplished, yet simple and universally liked man, who was close friends with many of the well known names of astronomy and science of his day. He never lost his wonder of the world around him.

As the editor wrote in his forward, "Crusty old scientists came to him first because his genius could aid them in their work, they returned because they loved him." I really enjoyed meeting him in this book. I wish I could've known him as a friend.
 

Attachments

  • John Brashear .jpg
    John Brashear .jpg
    207.9 KB · Views: 6

occidentalist

Might Stick Around
Sep 17, 2024
70
344
Northern NJ
Wasn't feeling O'Brian just yet so switched over to a book about a local theme park from the 80's called 'Action Park' in Verona, NJ.

Guy who built it wanted to be the "Disney of the Northeast", building something within an hour's drive from NYC.

What he created was the most dangerous, lawless theme park on the planet.

People would break limbs, teenage employees would be having sex at all hours throughout the park, they took the limiters off the go-karts, which was next to a German style biergarten so patrons would get tanked up and then drive the go-karts off the track and start racing down the streets of Verona. The place was absolutely nuts. I still have a scar on my knee from one of my trips down the "Alpine Slide".

2024-10-23_7-10-14.jpg

There was a documentary about it a few years ago called "Class Action Park". Highly recommended.


Man, I miss the late 70s and 80s.
 

Phiredog

Lurker
Apr 13, 2024
46
738
59
East TN
Rereading The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfus (fantasy). Currently on book two, Wise Man's Fear. Hoping he finishes the 3rd book soon to wrap up the trilogy. Been waiting 8+ years...

Not sure what to move on to next. For some reason, nonfiction has felt extremely ponderous the past 2 months. Might have to do with information overload with what's been going on in the world lately. During this same time, nonfiction has been light, effortless, and very enjoyable so I'm gonna ride that wave for a bit. Will probably move on to Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin series. 20-novel series of nautical fiction (the book that the Russell Crowe movie Master and Commander was based on is part of this series).
Read them all - feel like I know Aubrey and Maturin like old friends at this point. Probably going to start a re-read next year. Some of my favorite books involve sailing the globe (Moby Dick, Typee, The Bounty Trilogy, Hornblower, etc.); makes me wish, at times, to quit my job and climb aboard a ship for a year or two. Reality quickly rears its ugly head.
 

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,887
7,638
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
Re-reading, for the umpteenth time, Uncle Perk's Jug - More Stories From The Lower Forty by the late author Corey Ford. Despite his urban New York state birth Mr. Ford was a self-made country sporting gentleman, and a writer of the first order. He excelled at humor, parody, biography, and straight reporting, and I can recommend all of his works without reservation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JOHN72 and Scottmi

chilllucky

Lifer
Jul 15, 2018
1,222
3,185
Chicago, IL, USA
scoosa.com
I've been reading and re-reading a lot of the Cosmere books by Brandon Sanderson, ahead of the release of the fifth book of the Storm light Archive on Dec 6.

It's really the only fantasy series I've ever gotten into to this degree, but -jeez- _anything_ to avoid the news these days...
 

SmokeyJock

Can't Leave
Oct 4, 2024
320
3,425
Scotland
Rereading The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfus (fantasy). Currently on book two, Wise Man's Fear. Hoping he finishes the 3rd book soon to wrap up the trilogy. Been waiting 8+ years...

Not sure what to move on to next. For some reason, nonfiction has felt extremely ponderous the past 2 months. Might have to do with information overload with what's been going on in the world lately. During this same time, nonfiction has been light, effortless, and very enjoyable so I'm gonna ride that wave for a bit. Will probably move on to Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin series. 20-novel series of nautical fiction (the book that the Russell Crowe movie Master and Commander was based on is part of this series).
I feel your pain, I've lost count of the number of times I've reread the Kingkiller Chronicle but I'm not convinced we'll ever see book 3. We're yet to see the chapter we were promised 3 years ago now for his charity fundraising event
 
  • Like
Reactions: occidentalist