What books are you reading for pleasure these days?

I didn't realize the Word and Void trilogy was part of the same universe! I read the first one early this year, and bought the second a couple months ago.
Originally it wasn't, but then Brooks went back and wrote a trio of books that he collectively called "Genesis of Shannara", which tie the people and events of the "Word and Void" series into the Shannara universe. Armageddon's Children, The Elves of Cintra, and The Gypsy Morph all flesh out how the son of Nest Freemark was instrumental in the survival of humanity leading up to The Great Wars.
 
One down, 31 to go . . .

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This was an audiobook, but I think it counts. I'm a big fan of the Great Courses series, just finished one called The Conservative Tradition. It was very good, illuminated the way conservative thought has influenced the western world (mostly England and America) from the Renaissance on to about 2000 - the professor stopped short of getting more modern as he felt things got more contentious and were less straight history - and this was before the current situation in the US or Brexit! I like that approach however, let's keep things in the perspective of hindsight where we can see at least some of the long-term consequences of ideas.

The professor did a very good job of portraying the tug of war between liberal and conservative ideologies, but also how the details often shift from one side to the other, and how valuable both ideas are to each other and the world as a whole. Conservatism is a lot more intellectually interesting when it's separated from the current political power struggle du jour.
 
The professor did a very good job of portraying the tug of war between liberal and conservative ideologies, but also how the details often shift from one side to the other, and how valuable both ideas are to each other and the world as a whole. Conservatism is a lot more intellectually interesting when it's separated from the current political power struggle du jour.

I personally have extremely far left leanings but my understanding of Marx's analysis is leavened by that of both Adam Smith and JM Keynes, not to mention an appreciation of Edmund Burke. Balance is always a good thing so long as you don't fall into trap of thinking both sides are or should be the same. All cats are not grey after midnight :D
 
I personally have extremely far left leanings but my understanding of Marx's analysis is leavened by that of both Adam Smith and JM Keynes, not to mention an appreciation of Edmund Burke. Balance is always a good thing so long as you don't fall into trap of thinking both sides are or should be the same. All cats are not grey after midnight :D
Very much so! It's very interesting how concepts like capitalism have at times been liberal, at times conservative, depending on the established order and the challenge being brought against it. Conservatives, as another example, were long against industrial expansion in England, supporting instead a hierarchy based on nobility, then became supporters of industrial expansion over labor unions. It's obviously very relative. Conservatism is a mental and moral lens, a tool for thought, and so is liberalism. It's not a cause. It's a framework by which we see the world.

Someone quoted in the course said that conservative governments ought to be in power two thirds of the time. Meaning that constant liberal change doesn't necessarily work, the time needs to be right for progressive policies to fit into place - and it makes sense, living in a time of constant change is turmoil, society should refine existing establishment instead of always upending it - until the time comes that something else answers more effectively.

It will be really interesting if we all get the chance to look at our turbulent times with the luxury of a historical lens. I'm sure it will make a lot more sense.
 
I finished the third of Brooks's "Word and Void" trilogy in the wee hours of this morning, and now I'm beginning the 29 Shannara books in the order of their fictional timeline, beginning with the "Genesis of Shannara" trilogy, set about 100 years in the future after the collapse of civilization. Definitely dystopian stuff.

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I used to be a voracious reader of books. I still read a lot but it's mostly periodicals and online material. One would think there would be more time to read during the work-from-home stage of the pandemic. But I'm working harder and longer than ever. That doesn't mean that I haven't continued to pick up books that interest me along the way. I suspect I'll get to them in retirement.
 
This morning I completed The Gypsy Morph, the final installment of Brooks's "Genesis of Shannara" trilogy. In the last month I've read the "Word and Void" and "Genesis of Shannara" trilogies, which cover the last 100 years of human history in America before final nuclear annihilation takes place. The Gypsy Morph ends about 95 years from now, as a few thousand remnants of humanity are cocooned by Old World magic inside a vast valley in the Rocky Mountains, as the final rain of nuclear weapons scorches the world around them. Bearers of the Black Staff begins 500 years later, as the magical shield begins to dissolve, and the descendants of those survivors find the horrors of the outside world are beginning to push their way into the once-idyllic refuge. I'm well on track to finish all 32 Shannara and pre-Shannara books by the end of 2021.

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In the past 5 days I've read the "Legends of Shannara" books Bearers of the Black Staff and The Measure of the Magic, which completes the first 8 novels in the Shannara history, covering present day until about 600 years from now. First King of Shannara shoots forward another 1000 years, as the survivors of the Great Wars have fanned out across what used to be North America and magic has gained ascendancy over science.

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Wow, I've slowed down a lot. In November and the first few days of December, I read the first 8 novels in the Shannara history. I'm still working my way through the one in the previous post. Seems I keep falling asleep when I sit down in a chair to read it.
 
Yesterday I finally finished First King of Shannara, the 9th and last of the Shannara prequels. Today I begin Brooks’s debut novel, The Sword of Shannara, published in 1977. This book was my original introduction to sci-fi fantasy. This is the only one of Brook’s novels that I have in paperback, and my copy is well worn.

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No easy read. But extremely interesting if you're interested in knowing a bit more about what's going on in that organ that distinguishes us most from all the other creatures. The thousands of years old question: Is consciousness in your mind or somewhere else?
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