What are you reading now?
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@Aqua-Letifer that looks fascinating, based on the Amazon blurb.
Thanks for the recco.
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@George-K yea ive used the story of the history of herceptin in several talks on how new drugs make it into clincal practice. herceptin was quite an epic tale, and a real game changer. another interesting drug story in the book is the history of gleevec.
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I think you’d like The Gene, when you’re in the mood for a similar sweeping, well-written medical/political history.
I say political because he talks a lot about the history of our attempts to control genes that seems to come along with our desire to understand them.
DON’T let them eat cake.
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@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
In a far-future, Dr. Avrana Kern is the head of a science team that has terraformed an uninhabitable planet then deliberately released a genetically designed virus to speed the evolution of monkeys. Their plan goes wrong when the monkeys' ship burns up upon entry, leaving the virus to infect a variety of creatures, eventually settling on spiders (Portia labiata). Meanwhile, the last human remnants of a dying Earth are en route to the promised paradise planet unaware of the uplifted spiders. The work plays off the contrast between the rapid advancement of the spiders and the barbaric descent of the starship crew of the last humans
This is big, BIG, science fiction. I'm only about ¼ of the way through it, and it's on the order of stuff written by Alastair Reynolds. Reynolds is, as I've said, a very "dense" writer. This book, though comparable in scope to Reynolds' stuff is a much easier read. It's not challenging, but a very good space yarn.
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I really enjoyed "Children of Time". I thought it was pretty imaginative. It's sequel "Children of Ruin" was fine, but not fine enough to get me to read the final book of the trilogy.
But I like Adrian Tchaikovsky's writing. He has this one-off that I also liked, "Guns of Dawn". Not at all sci-fi; it's flintlock fantasy about a gentry woman in a swampy war. If you get tired of sci-fi, but want more Tchaikovsky, you might like this.
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@Friday said in What are you reading now?:
I really enjoyed "Children of Time". I thought it was pretty imaginative.
Thoroughly enjoyable, indeed. Nice, satisfying ending which completes the tale, and yet opens the door for sequels.
Up next, on @Aqua-Letifer 's recommendation - Music: A Subversive History.
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A story about a Korean American who spends timing teaching at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. Interesting story for anyone who wants an insight into a specific part of the DPRK society.
If you are interesting, here is the link to the PUST website.
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@taiwan_girl thanks for the suggestion and the link.
Curious what you might know of PUST. Are you familiar with its founding, and whether it is or was successful? Website is outdated. -
@Rainman said in What are you reading now?:
@taiwan_girl thanks for the suggestion and the link.
Curious what you might know of PUST. Are you familiar with its founding, and whether it is or was successful? Website is outdated.It was started by an evangelical Christian ethnic Korean. They have a campus in Shanghai also. I believe that he wanted to use the university as a back door to get religion into the DPRK, but the campus is pretty isolated and DPRK is quite strict about bringing religious material into the country. (there are a couple of churches in DPRK but pretty much "show churches") Below is a picture of one. (Not my picture - never did go to any while I was there).
Teachers at PUST are unpaid, so it is a volunteer assignment. I haven't heard much about it recently, but it was pretty much shut down during COVID with no in person classes even until now.
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Here are a couple of links from the "old" forum board with some pictures. I dont know why they have the "watermark". In fact, I dont even have been on the Photobucket account for a long long time.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/the_new_coffee_room/hello-a-few-pictures-t66526.html
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/the_new_coffee_room/viewtopic.php?p=855769#p855769
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Thanks TG, the pictures are/were great!
Have you ever explained why you were invited to go to North Korea? Were you allowed to take more pictures than the typical tourist?
Please don't feel obliged to answer all of my incessant questions. Actually, it's not me asking, it's ummm, I'm asking for a friend. -
Hay Copper, go here for a recco: https://www.amazon.com/Wager-Wind-Don-Sheldon-Story-ebook/dp/B005G49J70/ref=sr_1_1?
Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace. – Mike Ditka
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https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+zVBn1hfL.jpg200 pages of very well written and researched historiography but, unfortunately, arcane and of limited interest. I am enjoying it immensely as it forces me to look up a lot of forgotten medieval history facts from my undergrad years. One of those used bookstore treasures.
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Recommended for when you're in the mood for good short horror. Each story takes around 10" to read, maybe 15".
Don't Scream: 60 Tales to Terrify Kindle Edition
by Blair Daniels (Author), Black Widow Press (Editor) Format: Kindle Editionhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SMVHBBV/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title
