What book are you reading?

[sensei8]

In The Service of the Shogun; The Real Story of William Adams by Frederik Cryns

[KarateKen]

The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL by Ross Bernstine 

[KorroddyDude]

I recently finished three books

Karate Stupid and Karate Clever, both by Scott Langley.

For those who are not aware, Scott Langley is the kaicho of HDKI, an organization that he founded after getting kicked out of WTKO.  Both books were written before the founding of HDKI, but based on how he comes across in both books; I believe WTKO's side of the story when they announced Langley's dismissal on facebook.  This isn't to speak negatively on Scott Langley, as I think he'd probably agree 100% that he needed a bigger say in how things are run than what WTKO was willing to give him.

That being said, if you were to ask someone who hates reading books why they hate reading books... they'd probably describe books in a way that fits Langley's books to a tee.  I felt like I wanted to buy ADHD meds off the black market just to get through them.

I will say that if HDKI is meant to be the antithesis of what he experienced in JKS, then I imagine that any HDKI dojo is definitely the place to go for anyone who wants a positive experience.  Again, not a knock on the author... I just think he's far better at karate than writing.

[KorroddyDude]

I just finished Karate: My Life by Hirokazu Kanazawa.  I think this book is definitely a must-read for all Shotokan karateka who are of Nakayama lineage, even if you're not SKIF.  I'm ISKF, and I learned more things about Okazaki sensei that weren't covered in his books.

[aurik]

On 10/17/2024 at 12:05 PM, sensei8 said:

In The Service of the Shogun; The Real Story of William Adams by Frederik Cryns

How is it?  I may need to check it out...

[aurik]

I'm currently finishing up Rythym of War by Brandon Sanderson.  It's a re-read prior to the release of Wind and Truth this coming weekend.  This wraps up the first half of his ten-book Stormlight Archive series.  Given that he has already killed off one semi-main character (in book 4), I'm half-dreading who he is going to kill off in book 5.  In his Mistborn series, he actually killed off both main protagonists at the end of the first trilogy.  Mind you, he didn't kill them off randomly; he did it with a purpose.  But dammit, by that time you were invested in those characters, and it hurt.

[Zaine]

I've been in a reading slump. However, I just picked up Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. It's novella length, so hopefully that will help reignite my reading habit.

[Zaine]

Picked up a new manga. Destroy All Humans They Can't Be Regenerated. It's a Magic: The Gathering manga. It came with a card, which was cool. I hope it's good.

[bushido_man96]

16 hours ago, Zaine said:

Picked up a new manga. Destroy All Humans They Can't Be Regenerated. It's a Magic: The Gathering manga. It came with a card, which was cool. I hope it's good.

I love Magic the Gathering.

[Zaine]

6 hours ago, bushido_man96 said:

I love Magic the Gathering.

I do too! I've been playing it for years! However, this manga was very bad. It was written like a 13-year-old's fan fiction. I do not recommend seeking this manga out.