Book Club

Since COVID isn't ending anytime soon, we might as well dig in and read some books to enrich ourselves while the crisis continues.

Let me start by recommending some of the books I have read or am reading, then I would really love to hear what you guys are reading and we can discuss from there.

1. Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism: How the Rise of China Challenges Global Regulation
2. High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Reshaped America
3. Timber by Polity Press (looks at the global timber industry - it's more interesting than you think)
4. Rethinking Fashion Globalization edited by Sarah Cheang, Erica de Greef, Yoko Takagi

Crang said:

Since COVID isn't ending anytime soon, we might as well dig in and read some books to enrich ourselves while the crisis continues.

Let me start by recommending some of the books I have read or am reading, then I would really love to hear what you guys are reading and we can discuss from there.

1. Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism: How the Rise of China Challenges Global Regulation
2. High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Reshaped America
3. Timber by Polity Press (looks at the global timber industry - it's more interesting than you think)
4. Rethinking Fashion Globalization edited by Sarah Cheang, Erica de Greef, Yoko Takagi

Click to expand...

Thank you for starting this thread.

I am reading books that deals mostly about geopolitics from mostly western perspectives because I am trying to understand the motivations, meanings, and intentions as well as designs of the west which is currently being led by the U.S.

The books that I have read and finished readings are the following:

Destined for War (Thucydides trap) by Graham Allison.
Losing Military Supremacy by Andrei Martyanov
Has China Won by Kishore Mahbubani
The First Sino-Japanese War by Charles River Editors
The Generals vs. The President (H.W. Brands)
The China Mirage by James Bradley
When China Rules the World by Martin Jacques
Principles by Ray Dalio
Waging Modern Wars by Gen.Wesley K. Clark
On China by Henry Kissinger.
On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis

Plus other books that I have started but yet to finish..in general I like military history, strategies and historical figures that I find fascinating and important enough for me to be interested on reading, learning about. And because of the ongoing China threat theory am trying to read more about this upcoming or the inevitable China the west seemed so concerned about.

One of the books that's on my reading lists include:

The Long Game by Rush Doshi (now works at the Biden NSC)
China Crisis of Success by William Overholt
China: Twentieth First Century Naval Power (Theory, Practice, and Implications) by Michael A. McDevitt

For Sci-Fi please try the Culture series by Iain M. Banks.

I think I have only read 3 to 5 books in the last 15 to 20 years.

No joke, that is what happened to me. What is even more weird, on a dare, I actually wrote a novel, that received a good review! What a laugh that was!

Here are some old books, that everyone who is interested in China should read, all in English.


A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy (1963), by Wing-Tsit Chan


The genius of China : 3,000 years of science, discovery, and invention (1998), by Temple, Robert K. with introduction from Needham, Joseph


(this last one is for those who are interested in this kind of stuff, which means all of China, lol)
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (1923) Jessie Livermore




Should mention this too. What I read in one of my Taoist books, which I never came across anywhere else, is that it said that "Heaven favours those who find good books."

Read that in Chinese when I was young, and wondered if it was true? You better believe it is true.

Bellum_Romanum said:

Thank you for starting this thread.

I am reading books that deals mostly about geopolitics from mostly western perspectives because I am trying to understand the motivations, meanings, and intentions as well as designs of the west which is currently being led by the U.S.

The books that I have read and finished readings are the following:

Destined for War (Thucydides trap) by Graham Allison.
Losing Military Supremacy by Andrei Martyanov
Has China Won by Kishore Mahbubani
The First Sino-Japanese War by Charles River Editors
The Generals vs. The President (H.W. Brands)
The China Mirage by James Bradley
When China Rules the World by Martin Jacques
Principles by Ray Dalio
Waging Modern Wars by Gen.Wesley K. Clark
On China by Henry Kissinger.
On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis

Plus other books that I have started but yet to finish..in general I like military history, strategies and historical figures that I find fascinating and important enough for me to be interested on reading, learning about. And because of the ongoing China threat theory am trying to read more about this upcoming or the inevitable China the west seemed so concerned about.

One of the books that's on my reading lists include:

The Long Game by Rush Doshi (now works at the Biden NSC)
China Crisis of Success by William Overholt
China: Twentieth First Century Naval Power (Theory, Practice, and Implications) by Michael A. McDevitt

Click to expand...

Since you mentioned On China I would also recommend Diplomacy by the same author. I can't help but wonder if anyone from the current and past administrations bothered to read it.

siegecrossbow said:

Since you mentioned On China I would also recommend Diplomacy by the same author. I can't help but wonder if anyone from the current and past administrations bothered to read it.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation. The book is on my reading lists but it'll be a tough slug. Am also reading Zbigniew's The Grand Chessboard...he's the Kissinger of the Democrats...A Polish immigrant son of a diplomat educated in Canada and like the rest of ambitious Canadians turned Americans (David Frum) Ted Cruz, Kamala Harris...Jordan Peterson lol just kidding...

horse said:

I think I have only read 3 to 5 books in the last 15 to 20 years.

No joke, that is what happened to me. What is even more weird, on a dare, I actually wrote a novel, that received a good review! What a laugh that was!

Here are some old books, that everyone who is interested in China should read, all in English.


A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy (1963), by Wing-Tsit Chan


The genius of China : 3,000 years of science, discovery, and invention (1998), by Temple, Robert K. with introduction from Needham, Joseph


(this last one is for those who are interested in this kind of stuff, which means all of China, lol)
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (1923) Jessie Livermore




Should mention this too. What I read in one of my Taoist books, which I never came across anywhere else, is that it said that "Heaven favours those who find good books."

Read that in Chinese when I was young, and wondered if it was true? You better believe it is true.

Click to expand...

What is your novel's title so that I can have the privilege and chance of reading it. That's if you don't mind divulging your magnum opus.

horse said:

I think I have only read 3 to 5 books in the last 15 to 20 years.

No joke, that is what happened to me. What is even more weird, on a dare, I actually wrote a novel, that received a good review! What a laugh that was!

Here are some old books, that everyone who is interested in China should read, all in English.


A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy (1963), by Wing-Tsit Chan


The genius of China : 3,000 years of science, discovery, and invention (1998), by Temple, Robert K. with introduction from Needham, Joseph


(this last one is for those who are interested in this kind of stuff, which means all of China, lol)
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (1923) Jessie Livermore




Should mention this too. What I read in one of my Taoist books, which I never came across anywhere else, is that it said that "Heaven favours those who find good books."

Read that in Chinese when I was young, and wondered if it was true? You better believe it is true.

Click to expand...

I made a commitment to either read/listen to audiobook once a month so I could read at least 12 books a year. It's hard since there's so much distraction plus relationships to juggle. But it's something I make a mental note of that am determined to achieve.

Bellum_Romanum said:

What is your novel's title so that I can have the privilege and chance of reading it. That's if you don't mind divulging your magnum opus.

Click to expand...

I am here posting anonymously and like it to stay that way.

Don't worry about it. We have sold less than 10 copies so far, lol.

Appreciate you asking. Thanks.

During this lock down I have read,

1) "Journey to the west" book 1 and 2 the first 50 chapters, book 3 and 4 had a long order time so maybe I will pick them up later.

2) "Debt: The first 5000 years", has really changed my view on how society used debt and money.

3) "And forgive them their debts....", Also a nice view on old babylonian economic system and how they had years where they wiped out personal debt and did land reforms to keep society stable.

4) "Destined for War", I found the book quiet defeatism for keeping world peace.

5) "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism", quiet an interesting view on capitalism how it evolves from Lenin's own observations a century plus ago.