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m.i.m.s.'s avatar

oh if you haven't read The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge, I'd be shocked (as as systems thinking fan). It's a classic easy read.

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stepfanie tyler's avatar

Oh yes and oldie but a goodie! I haven't read the other one yet though (The Courage to be Disliked) but I will definitely add that one to my list to check out. Thank you for the rec :)

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m.i.m.s.'s avatar

The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

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Vaughn Svendsen's avatar

"Pillars of the Earth" is one of those fiction books that teaches you about how reality works more than most nonfiction books do.

A major lesson that I took away was that major institutions that put on a monolithic facade are actually built of many different factions and each of those factions has its own agenda. When I read it, I was younger and more naive believing that everyone in an organization was working toward the stated purpose. This book and more life experience taught me that that isn't the case and that it is important to find a faction that you can work with and find a way to survive and hopefully thrive.

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stepfanie tyler's avatar

Yes, agreed! I actually picked this book up while thrifting and I'm so glad I did. I don't usually read fiction, but I have a thread with ChatGPT where I ask it if it thinks I'll like books based on my thinking patterns and worldview and it gave me the biggest "yes" of any of the books I'd asked it about—and it was right. I wonder how it'll hold up for me if I were to revisit it in 5 or 10 years bc you bring up an interesting point about naivety. Although, I definitely don't think I have a naive outlook right now, but I'm curious what I might be overlooking simply bc I lack so much life experience still.

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erichka's avatar

Hi Stepfanie! I know you’re a Rand fan and I was curious if you’ve ever read We The Living?

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stepfanie tyler's avatar

I haven't! You'd think I would have since it was her first one, but for some reason I never feel drawn to pick it up. Do you recommend it? How would you rate it compared to her other novels?

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erichka's avatar

I highly recommend it! It was a 5-star read for me. It's darker and more tragic, and far more realistic in comparison to her other novels, but still very Randian, and like The Fountainhead it's a celebration of individualism — but in a world with actual life-or-death stakes.

I cannot recommend it enough lmao. I've become somewhat of a We The Living evangelist.

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stepfanie tyler's avatar

Shoot, I guess I can't put it off any longer. Will start before the end of the year ha, ty

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Smails The Third's avatar

Leek recipes please 🙏🏻

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stepfanie tyler's avatar

HAHA I just slice them into 1" rounds, toss them in a bowl with olive oil and salt + pepper, then sauté them in a pre-heated cast iron for about 3 mins per side :)

They sear nicely and get pretty tender while still maintaining a little cronch

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Smails The Third's avatar

Delightful. Will report back how well they went with my steak tomorrow night

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Brock's avatar

Arborescence by Rhett Davis. No teaser - just read it 🤯 a book that stays with you long after you finish it

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stepfanie tyler's avatar

I looked up the synopsis and um... wow lol this one might take some convincing 😆

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