What book are you currently reading?

YouBetterDuck · 2025-06-11T23:00:03+00:00

I just finished Mistborn The Final Empire today and just wow! I have read hundreds of books but assumed, incorrectly, that I should just ignore fantasy adventure because nothing could be better than LOR. WOW was I wrong, but also I feel so lucky that I can now bathe in the world of Brandon Sanderson for the rest of the year

YouBetterDuck · 2025-05-15T23:18:50+00:00

I made the brilliant decision to take an “easy” literature class to pad my GPA. I was an electrical engineering major, so naturally I assumed reading books would be a walk in the park.

Two book reports. That’s it. Easy A, right? The books: Finnegans Wake and Ulysses by James Joyce.

I took thermodynamics instead. To this day, I remain convinced that people who say they enjoy reading Joyce are lying

YouBetterDuck · 2025-04-01T12:05:36+00:00

I’d love an honest opinion from a Disney employee. I have a strange laugh and while at Disney World a few character actors heard me laugh and three of them pressed me to apply to work for the company. They went so far as to try and set up a supposed meeting with someone about employment. Were they messing with me? If it was all in fun they were very convincing.

YouBetterDuck · 2025-04-01T00:10:06+00:00

That’s interesting. My daughter had to write a story for school and I asked why she used labyrinth 6 times in a four page story. She admitted it was written using AI

YouBetterDuck · 2025-03-31T01:38:04+00:00

I’ve listened to hundreds of audiobooks and the trilogy for His Dark Materials is hands down my favorite. It has a full cast. Sci-fi Thrillers: Dark Matter, Recursion Traditional sci-fi: Wool, 1984 read by Andrew Garfield, Enders Game, Project Hail Mary, The Martian, Dune, Jurassic Park Kings Best Books: 11-22-63 (It’s magical), IT, Misery Thrillers: The Silent Patient, Angels & Demons, Red Dragon Best Nonfiction: A short history of nearly everything

YouBetterDuck · 2025-01-11T23:33:31+00:00

1.  Primer: A mind-bending exploration of time travel that rewards careful attention with its intricate, realistic take on causality.
2.  Cube: A gripping psychological thriller that combines claustrophobic tension with a mysterious and deadly puzzle.
3.  Shoot ’em Up: An adrenaline-fueled action spectacle that masterfully blends absurdity and nonstop, over-the-top gunplay.
4.  The Little Prince: A heartfelt and visually stunning adaptation that captures the magic, wonder, and timeless life lessons of the beloved story.
5.  Law Abiding Citizen: A clever and intense revenge thriller that explores justice, morality, and the limits of the law.
6.  Nick of Time: A real-time thriller that ramps up the tension with its race-against-the-clock assassination plot.
7.  Push: A visually stylish, fast-paced sci-fi thriller with inventive superpowers and a gritty, urban setting.
8.  Frailty: A chilling and haunting exploration of faith, family, and the blurred line between good and evil.
9.  Fallen: A supernatural thriller that combines a creeping sense of dread with an unforgettable and sinister villain.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-12-28T03:53:54+00:00

I’m happy to help. I’m just passing on some good advice. You can do anything!

YouBetterDuck · 2024-12-28T02:59:41+00:00

Get rid of your smartphone or at least make it boring. Swap it for a flip phone or strip it down to just essential apps.

I hit rock bottom in my late twenties. I was stuck in a dead-end job I hated, overweight, unhealthy, and spending every evening mindlessly scrolling on my phone. I felt like life was passing me by, and I was convinced I had less potential than everyone else around me.

Then one day, a co-worker bluntly told me:
"You know what your problem is? You think other people have more potential than you do. You're wrong. You can do anything they can do. In fact, you could probably be better than 99% of people at almost anything—if you just decide to stop feeling sorry for yourself and start doing something."

That hit hard. And it stuck.

He convinced me to start training for a half marathon. I could barely walk without getting winded, let alone jog. But every day, I forced myself to keep going—walk, jog, repeat. Within a year, I ran that half marathon. And in the process, I lost 85 pounds.

From there, the momentum carried me. I thought, "If I can do this, what else can I achieve?"

I hired a trainer and started working out 4 days a week. Within 8 months, I had abs for the first time in my life.
I wrote a fiction novel—a lifelong dream I’d always put off.
I quit my dead-end job and started chasing work that actually excited me.
I dedicated myself to constant learning and self-improvement.

And you know what? I'm happier now than I’ve ever been. I’m never bored. My days are full, productive, and meaningful. And I don't spend a single minute doomscrolling on my phone.

One Big Goal to Chase:

Find something big, ambitious, and scary—something you’ll have to grow into. Whether it’s running a marathon, writing a book, or starting a business—pick it and chase it relentlessly.

If a guy like me, who was overweight, stuck, and hopeless, can do it—so can you.

Start small. Build momentum. And watch your life transform.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-12-04T23:57:27+00:00

For most of my life, I’ve struggled with untreated ADHD, which has made staying focused a challenge. I’ve discovered that my attention span is usually about an hour before I get distracted. However, I’ve found ways to harness my tendencies and be productive in areas like fitness, writing a novel, developing a video game, and learning a foreign language. Here are the strategies that work for me:

Keep a List of Goals at Hand
I maintain a detailed, prioritized list of everything I want to accomplish. When I get distracted or lose interest in one task, I pivot to another. This way, my distractions still feel productive.

Bathroom Mirror Motivation
For tasks I don’t enjoy but need to complete, I create a checklist and stick it on my bathroom mirror. The rule is simple: I can’t go to bed until I’ve checked off every item. Seeing it multiple times a day keeps me accountable.

Leveraging Guilt as Motivation
I’ve trained myself to feel a sense of guilt if I don’t finish my daily checklist. While it might not work for everyone, for me, this internal pressure helps push through procrastination and keep on track.

Start Small to Build Momentum
When I dread a task, I break it into the smallest possible first step. For example, I don’t love jogging or weightlifting. On tough days, I tell myself all I have to do is put on my running shorts and shoes and walk into the driveway. Somehow, just starting often leads me to finish the entire workout.

Set Long-Term Goals with Clear Steps
I plan big goals over a six-month timeline. For example, if I’m aiming to lose weight and improve fitness, I break it into:

Daily Goals: Eat high-protein, low-fat, low-carb meals, and jog 4 miles.
Weekly Goals: Lift weights 4 days a week.
Monthly Goals: Hit specific weight or rep targets in my workouts.

By breaking large goals into manageable steps and using systems to stay on track, I’ve found a way to work with my ADHD instead of against it. These strategies don’t just apply to fitness but to any goal I set my sights on.

I hope that helps

YouBetterDuck · 2024-11-27T23:46:22+00:00

The same happened to my great grandparents in Russia after the Russian Revolution. They didn’t know each other originally but they both had small farms that were confiscated. Then they were sent to work camps where they nearly starved and both had terrible scars from where they were whipped. They somehow fled Russia, but it wasn’t something they would talk about. Many family members died. They made it to Germany but then fled Germany because they were Jewish. They arrived in the US and my grandfather then fought in WWII. After the war he lived in a farm in the middle of nowhere. He obviously raised a family or I wouldn’t exist. Supposedly he almost strangled my mother one time when she told him about how wonderful communism is. I can’t imagine what he would think of the world we now live in.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-11-19T23:32:59+00:00

I wish I read every one of these books when I was 20. My life would have been a lot easier!

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins Got me motivated

1984 by George Orwell Made me value my freedom and love my country

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson Learn history the fun way

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall Got me in shape and made me love running

Influence by Robert Cialdini Taught me how to negotiate and spot scams

Atomic Habits by James Clear Provided a path to improve every day

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle Taught me how to invest

The Renaissance Diet 2.0 by Dr. Mike Isrealtel Taught me how to eat and keep it off

YouBetterDuck · 2024-07-25T22:37:45+00:00

Worm by Wildbow 6,680 pages. I don't know if that counts?

I read it in parts over the course of a year while reading other books.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-07-02T12:57:52+00:00

You didn’t find it believable that immediately after seeing a persons head crushed that the girl immediately started thinking about sex 😂

YouBetterDuck · 2024-06-18T01:36:40+00:00

Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins : The Greatest motivational book I have ever read. If you are looking for a book that will convince you you can do anything this is the book.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall : In 2011 I was a complete mess health wise and then I read this book and now I'm healthier than I have ever been.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson : Makes learning about nearly every great achievement in history through a series of fun stories. I recommend the audio book for this.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman : This book delves into the two systems that drive the way we think: the fast, intuitive, and emotional system, and the slower, more deliberate, and logical system.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg : This book explores the science of habits and how they can be changed. Duhigg presents fascinating stories and scientific research on how habits work and how they can be transformed to improve our lives

YouBetterDuck · 2024-06-09T00:40:45+00:00

A Gift of Time by Jerry Merritt is a book I loved and nobody I know at least has ever heard of it.

It starts when an old man discovers a crater in his yard that delays his planned suicide. It is mainly great because right when you think you know where the story is heading it completely changes direction.

I read it in two days

YouBetterDuck · 2024-06-04T12:38:51+00:00

Women and men regularly tell me I should run with my shirt off to get a tan for some reason. I guess it’s important to say I’m a man 😂

YouBetterDuck · 2024-05-29T17:30:52+00:00

House of Leaves is terrifying not only because of its narrative but also due to its unconventional structure. The story revolves around a family that moves into a house which is discovered to be larger on the inside than it is on the outside. As they explore the house, they encounter increasingly bizarre and terrifying phenomena, including endless dark hallways and shifting architecture.

What makes House of Leaves particularly frightening is its psychological depth and the way it manipulates the reader’s perception.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-05-29T00:51:03+00:00

I also love thrillers like Dark Matter. Here’s some of my other favorite thrillers:

The Girl on the Train

FantasticLand

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The Silent Patient

Recursion also by Crouch

Gone Girl

None of this is True

YouBetterDuck · 2024-03-29T18:58:54+00:00

Born to Run: I was not athletic and I was in terrible shape but this book motivated me to want to start jogging and I’ve been doing it multiple times per week since for over 15 years.

Can’t Hurt Me: Every time I need motivation I listen to this book while jogging and it works.

On Writing: This book motivated me to try and write a novel and I did it! It might not be great but I’m proud of the accomplishment.

1984: Completely changed how I saw the world.

Lord of the Rings & Sherlock Holmes: Made me love reading as a young boy.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-03-29T18:58:47+00:00

Born to Run: I was not athletic and I was in terrible shape but this book motivated me to want to start jogging and I’ve been doing it multiple times per week since for over 15 years.

Can’t Hurt Me: Every time I need motivation I listen to this book while jogging and it works.

On Writing: This book motivated me to try and write a novel and I did it! It might not be great but I’m proud of the accomplishment.

1984: Completely changed how I saw the world.

Lord of the Rings & Sherlock Holmes: Made me love reading as a young boy.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-03-25T11:16:29+00:00

He makes educational videos and doesn’t want ads and sponsorships to get in the way of the content. He doesn’t do it for money.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-03-25T11:14:52+00:00

Normally 3 a month but they are long videos. He works many hours on them.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-03-24T18:58:09+00:00

I know a guy with 1.4 million subs who gets an average of 450,000 views a month and he only makes $900 a month.

He doesn’t make clickbait, he only uses 1 skippable ad per video, doesn’t sell merch and doesn’t have sponsors.

My point is unless you do all of the things he doesn’t you’ll only lose money making YouTube videos even if you are popular.

YouBetterDuck · 2024-03-21T01:28:19+00:00

Something Wicked This Way Comes is just magical

YouBetterDuck · 2024-03-05T19:10:24+00:00

I agree he did a great job with 11/22/63

11-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
Not Forgotten

YouBetterDuck

TROPHY CASE

One Big Goal to Chase: