"I just moved here from Florida."

That sentence contains at least five follow-up questions she WANTS you to ask. Where in Florida? What brought you here? How long have you been in the area? What do you miss? How does it compare to here?

She handed them to you on a silver platter. And you said, "Oh cool. I come here every week. I love this band. Ummm... pretty crowded tonight."

She smiled politely. Nodded. And never texted you back.

I was that guy for years. Talking too much. Listening too little. Panicking about my next sentence while she was literally feeding me the answers.

Then I found 22 rules that fixed the whole thing. Rule number one: shut up and listen. She'll tell you exactly what to say.

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fiction books

T

tj

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I have a difficult time getting into fictional books now...last good on was king of torts..

any suggestions would be great
 

"Stop Asking Your Friends What to Text Her"

Your buddy Dave has been single for three years and thinks "hey u up" is a valid strategy. Your other buddy Mike just got dumped and told you to "just be yourself."

You showed them her text. You asked them to decode the emoji. You drafted four responses and sent the screenshot to the group chat for a vote.

She's been waiting forty minutes.

Put the phone down. Stop crowdsourcing your love life. Type something that sounds like you. Hit send. Then go do literally anything else with your evening.

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Heart Break Kid said:
1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451,
These books are NOT fictional!!
 

diablo

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Now, now. Let's not get into a political discussion here... (it's banned). As for fictional books, you'll find that the busier your life becomes, the less time you'll have to read anything other than textbooks. If you're looking for pure escapism, I might recommend anything by Frank Hebert or Harry Harrison (The Stainless Steel Rat is an excellent read if you're anything other than a straight-edge person).
 

"You'll Never Feel READY to Walk Over"

Next Monday you'll feel more confident. After the gym you'll feel more confident. After one more drink you'll feel more confident. After you get a better haircut, a better jacket, a better job.

You've been "getting ready" for two years.

She's standing ten feet away right now. She'll be gone in four minutes. No amount of preparation will manufacture the courage that only comes from moving your feet.

Walk over. Stumble through the first sentence. Let it be clumsy. Let it be imperfect. You will feel more alive in those ten seconds than you have all month.

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penkitten

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for fiction, i love dean koontz
my brother loves stephen king
and gio loves john grisham (but some of his are true stories)
 

KarmaSutra

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Holy sh1t, Diablo woke from his ancient slumber. Long time no see brother.

I agree that the busier life gets the less time I have to read anything but what will help my near future.

A couple of books I go back to are:

The Damnation game by Clive Barker

Moonchild by Aleister Crowley

The Stand by Stephen King (his best book)

I can't really recall any others . . .
 

Falcon

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Charles ****ens - loved his novels when I was in high school.

If you are looking for something short and entertaining, try Ender's Game.
 

"How I Made Sure No Woman Ever Friend-Zoned Me Again"

She calls you when her car breaks down. When she needs help moving. When some guy she's actually dating treats her badly.

You're the listener. The reliable one. The guy who would treat her so much better, if she'd just open her eyes.

She won't. You trained her to see you as the low-effort option — the friend who requires zero risk and zero investment. Every favor dug the hole deeper.

The "22 Rules" break the pattern. You'll stop auditioning for a role she already cast and become the man she chases instead. It starts with Rule 1.

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Firepower

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If you want fiction, I can't recommend any.

If you want Literature, Start with short stories.

Read Conrad's Heart of Darkness
 

Yotsuya-san

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Firepower said:
If you want fiction, I can't recommend any.

If you want Literature, Start with short stories.

Read Conrad's Heart of Darkness
What do you mean by "Literature"? Isn't fiction a form of literature?
 

Firepower

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Fiction is indeed a form of literature as you ask, but most fiction is not literature. I was educated to note the distinction between the two, with professors emphasizing a judgment not tainted by snobbery or personal preference.

The indulgences a writer allows himself in creating his own world means not every creator is a true god - corruption ensues when the limits of reality are not imposed. Hence, sci-fi and fantasy are the most likely offenders.

The best example is placing examples of Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the "Literature" end of the scale, then placing Eric Nylund's HALO novel, The Fall of Reach at the bottom:


Somewhere in between the two is an argument for deciding criteria for literature, but none can be found at these poles.
 

"Stop Asking Your Friends What to Text Her"

Your buddy Dave has been single for three years and thinks "hey u up" is a valid strategy. Your other buddy Mike just got dumped and told you to "just be yourself."

You showed them her text. You asked them to decode the emoji. You drafted four responses and sent the screenshot to the group chat for a vote.

She's been waiting forty minutes.

Put the phone down. Stop crowdsourcing your love life. Type something that sounds like you. Hit send. Then go do literally anything else with your evening.

Read more...

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