Book Club Organizing Thread

I'd somewhat detachedly vote for Blindsight or Conscious to start with, since I just downloaded Bllndsight and Conscious sounds interest, but it's also fine with me if there's more interest in moving on. I might not be able to keep up with the faster readers.

I’m considering to buy two books about Fender history but somehow doubt anybody here is interested in reading about it  

Until my interest in the Dhamma rekindles again im
out, but will follow your discussions. 

Frick,I lost my whole long post.

www.dharmachanics.com/

These guys know how to do a book club/review.   Join their facebook page and you can see everything they are into.  They do cheap retreats with Michael Taft, Leah Brasington, have podcasters on to discuss episodes.   Almost all Dharma.

Mark, they are discussing a Stephen Snyder book now.  

The leader, Ron Serrano, retired early from business, and is just doing/practicing, dharma full time.  Pragmatic bent, seems like a nice group that are older, kind of like Awakenetwork. 

If I were retired, I would do some of their stuff. 

microbuddha wrote:
Mark, they are discussing a Stephen Snyder book now.  . 

Thanks for the tip!

Look at what they do and it will give you ideas.   Sorry, that part got left out.

Members suggest books then they vote on it. 

For starters I'd suggest Blindsight just because some have already started it.    

(Or, 2nd suggestion, Demystifying Awakening: A Buddhist Path of Realization, Embodiment, and Freedom by Stephen Snyder- but picking a Buddhist book from the 84,000 available is very individual thing.)

1 vote Blindsight since I am already half-way through!  

I got the Audible version yesterday and can't remember the last time I "read" fiction. I like it when the authors narrate non-fiction, This book has a good actor narrator, the credits also mention a director. I'm thinking when Reali-ty is a little hard to drink, I can listen to some of this instead of some newsy youtube content. I'm into Chapter 2. Chapter 1 setup the characters and premises fairly engagingly. I think it's going to be a fun listen but not planning to binge listen. I prefer the after residue from reading about things like Brahmaviharas and awakening than characters with interesting varieties of delusory states, as well as vampires and AI.

But I expect, in moderation, it gets even better from here.

I think it's bloody good. Oops. That's probably my whole contribution. Soz.

I will sit Blindsight out, but look forward to future choices.

The book club idea generally is a good one.

I'll sit out book club for now, but it sounds like a good idea!

I just ordered two books! 
One is about the history of Fender guitars and the other is more specific about the history of their very first electric guitar, the Telecaster  

Anyone is welcome to join me but of course I will understand if you don’t. 

The books mentioned by you folks above are of no interest to me at this time. Maybe later. 

Edit to add; but yes me too thinks this book club is a good idea. I will follow you anyway. 

About 1/3 of the way into Blindsight, Ch 5.  It's engaging and kind of fun. I definitely want to find out what happens next. I think most of the characters represent or personify some of the themes he wants to explore. Too tired to think/talk more about it now. Time for bed.   

Tom, what are your favorite podcasts?  Always looking for something interesting...

I had a lot of driving to do last Saturday and ended up finishing the Audible book Conscious by A Harris. I thought it was just ramping up to go and then it was done. Surprisingly brief but then I appreciated that she focused on just a few points where she argues that unexamined prejudices are holding back scientific progress with understanding consciousness. 

I realized after listening to 2 books in a row, that I'm not attracted to organizing my thoughts around what I've been exposed to and formulating tentative conclusions. I'm drawn to relate to it more as a Dharma talk on a koan, waiting to see what heart-felt question might get sparked. An entire book is kind of overwhelming for that, so Conscious was nicely brief and my feeling was it was offered in a questioning spirit.

The koan sparks for me came with her description of the aggregate, distributed and conditional nature of human conscious experience. And how the common sense that consciousness is singular around a self is a misunderstanding. Also the suggestion that the distribution and changing aggregation isn't necessarily contained by the limits of our body.  

thank you!  will check them out.