MattPie Posted October 23, 2015 Report Posted October 23, 2015 I finally get to see The Martian tonight, so I began reading the book last night. It's fantastic. Glad MattPie brought it up a few pages back. :) Quote
darksabre Posted October 23, 2015 Author Report Posted October 23, 2015 (edited) Finished 54-40 or Fight today. Starting "Thomas Jefferson, The Art of Power" by Jon Meacham. Josie's father gave me his copy a while back and my knowledge of Jefferson is limited. So I undertake total immersion. See you all on the other side :lol: Jefferson was a very quick read. Meacham's writing just grabbed me. Just finished re-reading one of my favorite books from childhood, Flying Tigers by Daniel Ford. Growing up in Buffalo and being a boy, I loved everything WWII air war related. I don't know if there's anything new since my 1995 edition but it's still out there on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Flying-Tigers-Chennault-Volunteers-1941-1942/dp/0061246557 Started a massive piece last week that Josie's parents gave me, Truman by David McCullough. http://www.amazon.com/Truman-David-McCullough/dp/0671869205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1445629067&sr=1-1&keywords=Truman If the author's name sounds familiar, it's because he's written a ton on my other fave President Teddy. Edited October 23, 2015 by d4rksabre Quote
dEnnis the Menace Posted October 23, 2015 Report Posted October 23, 2015 an Expectant father book, and a prep guide for twins. very helpful so far. Quote
josie Posted October 23, 2015 Report Posted October 23, 2015 Just finished a book on female mountain climbers, namely, those who summited K2. Very interesting, and very sad. Starting a massive tome on Antarctica, from its discovery in the late 1700s and Cook's involvement to present. Quote
Neo Posted October 29, 2015 Report Posted October 29, 2015 No Exit John-Paul Sartre. Short, dark, deliciously absurd. Source of the phrase "Hell is other people". Quote
MattPie Posted October 29, 2015 Report Posted October 29, 2015 No Exit John-Paul Sartre. Short, dark, deliciously absurd. Source of the phrase "Hell is other people". Read that for a Philosophy class in college; I think I still have the book around because I liked it so much (along with another couple plays). Quote
X. Benedict Posted November 2, 2015 Report Posted November 2, 2015 No Exit John-Paul Sartre. Short, dark, deliciously absurd. Source of the phrase "Hell is other people". I saw this performed years ago. Unforgettable. Quote
bob_sauve28 Posted November 2, 2015 Report Posted November 2, 2015 I'm reading this for the third time! http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Miracle-American-Victory-Independence/dp/0195382927 At this is with the last four years. Love it! Love General Washington and our little Continental Army Quote
Neo Posted November 3, 2015 Report Posted November 3, 2015 (edited) Jefferson was a very quick read. Meacham's writing just grabbed me. Just finished re-reading one of my favorite books from childhood, Flying Tigers by Daniel Ford. Growing up in Buffalo and being a boy, I loved everything WWII air war related. I don't know if there's anything new since my 1995 edition but it's still out there on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Flying-Tigers-Chennault-Volunteers-1941-1942/dp/0061246557 Started a massive piece last week that Josie's parents gave me, Truman by David McCullough. http://www.amazon.com/Truman-David-McCullough/dp/0671869205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1445629067&sr=1-1&keywords=Truman If the author's name sounds familiar, it's because he's written a ton on my other fave President Teddy. I read McCullough's Truman. Great biography. Truman's the last President who didn't go to college. That said, read Truman's writing in the book and pay attention to his classic education. High school, in Truman's era, seems to be the equivalent of college, today. The man was educated, and could write. While I didn't read Meacham's Jefferson, I did read his Franklin and Winston. Most memorable, here, is Churchill's courting of Roosevelt, hoping FDR would join WWII. FDR was reluctant and moved in small increments while Churchill defended the Europe against the Nazis. By the end, though, America's power was the most awesome in the world, and Churchill's place is second chair to Roosevelt. Great history. Poignant. Edited November 3, 2015 by N'eo Quote
Doohicksie Posted November 4, 2015 Report Posted November 4, 2015 I guess there's a movie version of Moby Dick coming out. Maybe I need to read that again (I've probably read it 6 times already and it gets better every time). Quote
LGR4GM Posted November 4, 2015 Report Posted November 4, 2015 in the midst of book 5 of Malazan series... such a good and intricate series. Quote
WildCard Posted November 4, 2015 Report Posted November 4, 2015 in the midst of book 5 of Malazan series... such a good and intricate series.Which part are you at? I'm about 100 pages into Reaper's Gale Quote
LGR4GM Posted November 4, 2015 Report Posted November 4, 2015 Which part are you at? I'm about 100 pages into Reaper's Gale ummm the Tiste Endur just had a giant sea (god/demon/raptorjesus) bring back the ships the same creature destroyed, The letharii seem a little pissed. Quote
WildCard Posted November 4, 2015 Report Posted November 4, 2015 ummm the Tiste Endur just had a giant sea (god/demon/raptorjesus) bring back the ships the same creature destroyed, The letharii seem a little pissed.That book takes awhile to get going, but once it does it's so damn good. Tehol and Bugg are probably my two favorite characters, and Byrs and Trull are awesome. You're in for a treat, it's my favorite book so far and has easily the best ending out of them all. Quote
Neo Posted November 4, 2015 Report Posted November 4, 2015 I guess there's a movie version of Moby Dick coming out. Maybe I need to read that again (I've probably read it 6 times already and it gets better every time). I read it once. Among my all time favorites. I saw the commercial last night and look forward to the film. Reading it six times is something I've not the stamina for, however, as great as it is. "Cast off thine eye. More intolerable than a fiend's glaring is a doltish stare!" Quote
X. Benedict Posted November 4, 2015 Report Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) I read it once. Among my all time favorites. I saw the commercial last night and look forward to the film. Reading it six times is something I've not the stamina for, however, as great as it is. "Cast off thine eye. More intolerable than a fiend's glaring is a doltish stare!" It certainly has its rewards. I don't think I could read many of the details of the whaling chapters again with pleasure, however. Edited November 4, 2015 by X. Benedict Quote
Doohicksie Posted November 4, 2015 Report Posted November 4, 2015 What I find amazing about the book is how Melville captured the sense of a journal. When Ishmael has the time to go into detail, the book goes on and on. Then there are whole chapters that are only two sentences long. That, and there is some really amazing use of language, of turn of phrase. Melville was a very skilled user of the English language. At times it sounds very archaic and at others it seems downright modern. I think it's the variety of the language fitted to the different moods of the book that draws me in. It certainly has its rewards. I don't think I could read many of the details of the whaling chapters again with pleasure, however. I will admit to expediting my reading of some of those sections. Quote
Neo Posted November 5, 2015 Report Posted November 5, 2015 (edited) "Cast off thine eye. More intolerable than a fiend's glaring is a doltish stare!"Ok, I had to google .... "Take off thine eye. More intolerable than fiends' glarings is a doltish stare .." I'd been savoring that for three decades ... with two words wrong. Corrected, here, out of respect for the author, specifically, and authors, generally. It certainly has its rewards. I don't think I could read many of the details of the whaling chapters again with pleasure, however. You made me think. Some of my favorites have long, thorough, sections devoted to the tangential. Hmmm? Melville and blubber, spermaceti. Tolstoy, Levin, labor and capital. Hugo, Les Mis, and Napolean at Waterloo. Edited November 12, 2015 by N'eo Quote
Thwomp! Posted November 12, 2015 Report Posted November 12, 2015 Cross-referencing from the "Politics" thread: I can't recommend Matt Taibbi's books and articles enough. I like his sarcastic writing style. I've read several of his books and his book (Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America) on the 2008 market crash and the events leading up to it are top notch. He writes in a way that's understandable yet humorous, so that a real boring, complex issue is entertaining and engaging. He also actually "does the work" needed to know the subject he's writing about. For example, he sat in on the congressional committee meetings pertaining to the market crash, which no other (or very few other) reporters did. He also embedded himself as an evangelical in a Texas church and rode along in Baghdad with military convoys for his book The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics & Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire. Quote
wjag Posted November 12, 2015 Report Posted November 12, 2015 (edited) Latest Vince Flynn book written by a ghost writer seeing he be dead and all.. credible effort.. Vince Flynn might be dead but Mitch Rapp lives, Edited November 12, 2015 by wjag Quote
Sabre Dance Posted November 12, 2015 Report Posted November 12, 2015 Just starting "The Witches: Salem 1692". To me this has always been one of the most fascinating/disturbing episodes of American history. Quote
bunomatic Posted November 13, 2015 Report Posted November 13, 2015 I'm reading ' Smoking, Curing and Drying ' the complete guide for meat and fish. by Turan T. Turan I want to make a hot smoker with an old 4 drawer file cabinet and this book has some great suggestions on how to do that as well as cold smokers etc. Looking to start smoking fish mostly as I can't get enough of that shite but I also want to smoke cheese and anything else I can think of. Experiment really. Its interesting. Quote
Thwomp! Posted November 13, 2015 Report Posted November 13, 2015 Update on my Stephen King journey for all you other King fans out there (and potential King fans). The Bachman Books are so good. I highly recommend them. The Long Walk is definitely among my favorite King books. Roadwork too. Recently finished The Stand. Epic post apocalyptic tale, but found it a bit too heavy on the religion aspect at times for my unequivocal liking. Am currently about a third of the way through The Dead Zone. Very enjoyable so far. Firestarter looks to be on deck. I have read all of King's books at some point in my life, but these old ones I read probably around 20 years ago, give or take, so these are like reading fresh books to me. I don't remember them going in and am finding them extremely enjoyable overall. Quote
Randall Flagg Posted November 13, 2015 Report Posted November 13, 2015 The Dead Zone is amazing, but I didn't like Firestarter. Maybe you will, do let us know. Quote
Sabres Fan in NS Posted November 13, 2015 Report Posted November 13, 2015 For me Stephen King starts and ends with *It*. Scariest book I have ever read. Plays on all my worst childhood fears and nightmares. This guy has some heavy duty demons that's for sure. Quote
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