Books: high-brow, low-brow, and in between

[Grand Potentate]

I'd like to know of any great contemporary authors. I like space type stuff. Herbert, Asimov, Niven, OSC. I know they are all old and or dead.

Have you read all of these authors or do you want recommendations from their catalog?

 

[fxh]

Any sci-fi recommendations?

No - all adults here

 

[fxh]

Heres a cut and paste dump of some my reading from the last 2 months - just one library stuff.

Spoiler: List

The big whatever Doyle, Peter
So you've been publicly shamed Ronson, Jon, 1967-
Fresh hell Johnson, Rachel
Sewing made simple : from sewing box to sewing machine : fashion and furnishing techniques explained Evelegh, Tessa
Chain letter [text] McNab, Claire
Body guard [text] : a Carol Ashton mystery McNab, Claire
Fall guy McNab, Claire
How to tie a tie : a gentleman's guide to getting dressed Jin, Ryan Tristan
Booked for murder [text] : a Lindsay Gordon mystery McDermid, Val
Common murder [text] : the second Lindsay Gordon mystery McDermid, Val

Th landing Johnson, Susan
Before it breaks Warner, Dave, 1953-
: New scientist. [magazine]
: New scientist. [magazine]
A banquet of consequences : have we consumed our own future? Das, Satyajit
J. M. Coetzee and the life of writing : face to face with time Attwell, David
Touchstones : essays in literature, art and politics Vargas Llosa, Mario, 1936-
Destination waterfront city : a guide to Melbourne's trams Wilson, Randall, 1951-
Melancholy baby Parker, Robert B., 1932-
The Rosie effect Simsion, Graeme
The complete guide to repairing & restoring furniture Cook, William, 1964-
Bitcoin for the befuddled Barski, Conrad
Special deluxe Young, Neil, 1945-
What is fashion design? Matharu, Gurmit
Gudinski : the godfather of Australian rock'n'roll Coupe, Stuart, 1957-
Prick with a fork : the world's worst waitress spills the beans Dubecki, Larissa
Fashion on the ration : style in the Second World War Summers, Julie
How to survive anything : a visual guide to laughing in the face of adversity
Preparation for the next life Lish, Atticus
Smoke and mirrors : Stuart Rattle and Michael O'Neill - a tragedy of love and murder Bowles, Robin
Catch and kill : the politics of power Deane, Joel, 1969-
All the madmen : Barrett, Bowie, Drake, Pink Floyd, The Kinks, The Who & a journey to the dark side of English rock Heylin, Clinton
Extreme money : masters of the universe and the cult of risk Das, Satyajit
Poems Larkin, Philip
Traders, guns & money : knowns and unknowns in the dazzling world of derivatives Das, Satyajit
S.T. Gill and his audiences Grishin, Sasha
The giving tree Silverstein, Shel
Santamaria : a most unusual man Henderson, Gerard
Life in seven mistakes : a novel Johnson, Susan, 1956 (Dec. 30)

-

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

I'd like to know of any great contemporary authors. I like space type stuff. Herbert, Asimov, Niven, OSC. I know they are all old and or dead.

Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos is excellent

Neal Stephenson

Peter Watts - Echopraxia is really interesting. It's hard sci-fi, with a nihilistic worldview, but really interesting.

Peter Clines - kind of light, he also writes a series about superheroes in a post-apocalyptic zombie world, if that gives you any insight.

Paolo Bacigalupi - his stuff is set on earth, however.

 

[Arnathor]

Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos is excellent

Neal Stephenson

Peter Watts - Echopraxia is really interesting. It's hard sci-fi, with a nihilistic worldview, but really interesting.

Peter Clines - kind of light, he also writes a series about superheroes in a post-apocalyptic zombie world, if that gives you any insight.

Paolo Bacigalupi - his stuff is set on earth, however.

Thank you!

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

Just finished Peter Clines' The Fold. Good light page-turning read. It's as if Grisham wrote sci-fi. Won't expand your brain at all, but really enjoyable.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Just finished Lev Grossman's The Magician. Mostly fleshing the trilogy out but the end was an interesting twist. Starting on book 2 next.

 

[fxh]

Just finished Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello. Great book if you are a fan of the music. The chronological order is frustrating for anything else.

 

[fxh]

Also just finished reading this book.

To me its a must have book - it has a lot on IVY and Japan and USA - but just as importantly it has a lot of implicit lessons men's clothing and marketing and trends.

 

[Journeyman]

^ I'll have to order a copy, as it does look interesting.

 

[fxh]

Those pics aren't from the book - its not a book to buy for the pics at all

 

[Rain Man]

For highbrow, my vote goes to Gravity's Rainbow. 700 and fuck-all pages of impenetrable, backwards-talking, hyperintellectual brain-porn. I approach it like a Tough Mudder course for my language center, but I also quietly harbor the suspicion that Pynchon was playing a sick practical joke on the entire literary community. The jury's still out but I keep a copy by my bedside. I bulldoze my way through a few pages now and then. It helps me sleep and Pynchon dreams are awesome.

“It's been a prevalent notion. Fallen sparks. Fragments of vessels broken at the Creation. And someday, somehow, before the end, a gathering back to home. A messenger from the Kingdom, arriving at the last moment. But I tell you there is no such message, no such home -- only the millions of last moments . . . nothing more. Our history is an aggregate of last moments.”

 

[Rain Man]

Just finished Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello. Great book if you are a fan of the music. The chronological order is frustrating for anything else.

"Elvis -- or shall I say, 'Declan McManus, International Art Thief?'" - Jack Donaghy

 

[Arnathor]

Reading Halo: New Blood tonight.

 

[COG]

The Redneck Manifesto: How Hillbillies, Hicks, and White Trash Became America's Scapegoats
I'm about halfway through this and it is an eye opener. Not being a historian like doghouse , I had no idea that most Europeans brought to the colonies before Independence were literally slaves, like brought here in shackles slaves. The truth the book drives home is how the phony race issue is a distraction from the bigger, realer class issue.

 

[fxh]

That Redneck Manifesto - looks like a book I'd like.

I've just finished : SPQR : a history of ancient Rome Beard, Mary, - She's good I got onto her through her TV program on Rome. Possibly my best read of the last few months.

Amongst others:

Social theory : ideas in profile, Outhwaite, William

The Enlightenment : a very short introduction. Robertson, John

China : 1973 - 2013 from Mao to modernity. Barbey, Bruno

What is veiling? ,Amer, Sahar

Antisemitism : a very short introduction


Currently reading:
After watching Scatter my ashes at Bergdorf's [dvd] - highly recommended for clothes nuts - I got I'll drink to that : New York's legendary personal shopper and her life in style - with a twist by Betty Halbreich
And
A freewheelin time : a memoir of Greenwich Village in the sixties by Suze Rotolo the woman with Bob on the cover of The Free Wheelin' Bob Dylan
Suze Rotolo - Google Search

The Betty Halbreich book is a disappointing story of a spoilt rich privileged woman who marries into a spoilt rich privileged family and doesn't lose the money. And then goes on to a well paid job at a luxury clothes store - its documented she earned about $500K + a year.
But.
And its a big but.
The long foreword/prologue on her work as a dresser/stylist at Bergdorf is just wonderful if you have any experience dressing people.

 

[doghouse]

The Redneck Manifesto: How Hillbillies, Hicks, and White Trash Became America's Scapegoats
I'm about halfway through this and it is an eye opener. Not being a historian like doghouse , I had no idea that most Europeans brought to the colonies before Independence were literally slaves, like brought here in shackles slaves. The truth the book drives home is how the phony race issue is a distraction from the bigger, realer class issue.

Well, you know it's a satire I hope. Like the fact is most people brought from Europe weren't actually slaves, that is completely made up. Certain colonies were penal colonies, like Georgia, and had prisoners who were sold on. Also, plenty of blacks actually arrived free as well, and some in fact had white indentured servants.

The only class issue in America is that a good chunk of the middle class is ignorant. Looks like a fun read though, I'll probably check it out. It's about my people.

I'm currently re-reading The Book of the Courtier by Castiglione, I think a lot of our populace would do well to skim it, maybe we could raise the level of discourse a tad.

 

[COG]

Well, you know it's a satire I hope. Like the fact is most people brought from Europe weren't actually slaves, that is completely made up.

The book is irreverent, but it's a cited academic study. Feel free to look up the word "majority" on the Google Look Inside and hit the first hit, at the bottom of digital page 41 (marked 55 on paper) and continue to the next page. The endnote is to Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States and four other sources.

 

[doghouse]

The book is irreverent, but it's a cited academic study. Feel free to look up the word "majority" on the Google Look Inside and hit the first hit, at the bottom of digital page 41 (marked 55 on paper) and continue to the next page. The endnote is to Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States and four other

So now you have switched to team lefty and reclassified indentured servants and prisoners as slaves? Interdasting. Because that is one of the niche cause du jours as I'm sure you are aware. Many of the people included in these willful mis-telling are like the German Redemptioners, who by their own accord signed up for indentured servitude to escape destitution in Europe. This is stuff literally taught in grade school. The best study I have seen on the matter is White Cargo, which is very good. Roughly 300,000 white slaves/servants/prisoners were sent to the American colonies if you want to count everyone who falls in this category. For reference, there was around 600,000 immigrants here by the time of independence. Now I'm no math major, but that doesn't seem like 'most' to me, half at best, and that's couting people would worked for a certain amount of years and then went on about their lives, having done all this voluntarily which doesn't sound very slave like. There were half a million plus blacks slaves brought in too which outstrips all of that.

If you are going to use Howard Zinn for basically anything, you may as well just admit you have given up dealing with the facts.

 

[COG]

The person that criticized me for not reading history books is now rebuking them. FYI. the rest of the books cited for the paragraph ending with the sentence "Most who specialize in researching indentured servitude agree that at least half, and possibly as many as two-thirds, of ALL colonial immigrants arrived in chains." are as follows.
Bound for America: The Transportation of British Convicts to the Colonies, 1718-1775 , A. Roger Ekirch
The Scotch-Irish: A Social History, James G. Leyburn
Class and Society in Early America (Interdisciplinary Approaches to History Series), Gary B Nash
America at 1750: A Social Portrait, Richard Hofstadter

You are aware that children born into slavery of whatever name, human chattel is human chattel, were of the same status as their parents, thus this amateur hour math trick is a gross miscategorization. Stop and realize that maybe there are more blacks nowadays than African slaves ever brought over. Yes, people reproduce!

 

[Grand Potentate]

The person that criticized me for not reading history books is now rebuking them. FYI. the rest of the books cited for the paragraph ending with the sentence "Most who specialize in researching indentured servitude agree that at least half, and possibly as many as two-thirds, of ALL colonial immigrants arrived in chains." are as follows.
Bound for America: The Transportation of British Convicts to the Colonies, 1718-1775 , A. Roger Ekirch
The Scotch-Irish: A Social History, James G. Leyburn
Class and Society in Early America (Interdisciplinary Approaches to History Series), Gary B Nash
America at 1750: A Social Portrait, Richard Hofstadter

You are aware that children born into slavery of whatever name, human chattel is human chattel, were of the same status as their parents, thus this amateur hour math trick is a gross miscategorization.

is this some sort of convoluted attempt to devalue the suffering of black slaves, or say that white people suffered as much as black people during the slavery period?

 

[doghouse]

the rest of the books cited for the paragraph ending with the sentence "Most who specialize in researching indentured servitude agree that at least half, and possibly as many as two-thirds, of ALL colonial immigrants arrived in chains."

You aren't reading history books, you are reading info-tainment.

Indentured servitude =/= slavery. And no, I haven't missed the point, the numbers mean at most it's 50/50, which again using the =/= sign, means a majority didn't.

 

[doghouse]

is this some sort of convoluted attempt to devalue the suffering of black slaves, or say that white people suffered as much as black people during the slavery period?

I'm fairly sure he isn't grasping either of those things. Black, white, Native 'merican all suffered, but it's just another Chewbacca defense to distract from having to confront systemic racism. He won't acknowledge that not only were there roughly 20% more blacks brought over against their will, but the vast majority of whites actually signed up for transportation.

Institutional racism has existed long before the transatlantic slave trade, but it was certainly invoked to keep the blacks subservient to the planters. Now looneys want to use that to pretend that racism doesn't actually exist.

 

[COG]

is this some sort of convoluted attempt to devalue the suffering of black slaves, or say that white people suffered as much as black people during the slavery period?

See, you're distracted by race. As I said, I'm interested in truth and not whitewashed history.

Indentured servitude =/= slavery. And no, I haven't missed the point, the numbers mean at most it's 50/50, which again using the =/= sign, means a majority didn't.

Above was edited while you were typing. Read update and see if you can catch your mistake.
The summary from the book you cite states:

Hopeful migrants were duped into signing as indentured servants, unaware they would become personal property who could be bought, sold, and even gambled away.

What's the distinction there? That illiterates were fooled?

 

[Grand Potentate]

What's the distinction there? That illiterates were fooled?

So because slaves weren't literate they deserved to be slaves and got what was coming to them? Caveat emptor and all that jazz?

 

[doghouse]

Above was edited while you were typing. Read update and see if you can catch your mistake.

I haven't made a mistake, but carry on with your nonsensical rambling.

 

[COG]

So because slaves weren't literate they deserved to be slaves and got what was coming to them?

Slaves didn't sign contracts; "indentured servants" supposedly did. The sham contract supposedly signed by poor people that couldn't read is a crucial point of distinction to someone else here.

I haven't made a mistake, but carry on with your nonsensical rambling.

Maybe you're just not explaining yourself very well. I understand your point to be:

X domesticated white rabbits were sent to an empty island over a time period.
Rabbits of other color(s) came over too.
After several generations, we count 2X rabbits total.
Ergo, less than half the rabbits ever brought over were white!​

This implies several unfounded assumptions, unless you forgot some information?

 

[Thruth]

 

[doghouse]

Well once people start talking about white rabbits, obviously all pretence of factual and rational debate leave the building.

 

[Thruth]

Slaves didn't sign contracts; "indentured servants" supposedly did. The sham contract supposedly signed by poor people that couldn't read is a crucial point of distinction to someone else here.

Maybe you're just not explaining yourself very well. I understand your point to be:

X domesticated white rabbits were sent to an empty island over a time period.
Rabbits of other color(s) came over too.
After several generations, we count 2X rabbits total.
Ergo, less than half the rabbits ever brought over were white!​

This implies several unfounded assumptions, unless you forgot some information?

Mendel says:

1 (black): 2 (B&W):1 (white)

 

[prince nez]

The only book I read is the Bible everyday.

Olo looks like Noodles in 10 years!

 

[Thruth]

The only book I read is the Bible everyday.

Olo looks like Noodles in 10 years!

 

[doghouse]

fxh must be tingling right now.

 

[formby]

Ol formby has been reading:

Freedom and its Betrayal - Isaiah Berlin

London Calling - Barry Miles.

The Great British Dream Factory - Dominic Sandbrook.

About to rev meself up to tackle: Kissinger 1923-1968: The Idealist - Niall Ferguson.

Nice to see some fans of James Lee Burke on here.

Carl Hiaasen is great too.

 

[doghouse]

Carl Hiaasen is great too.

Very much so.

 

[COG]

Well once people start talking about white rabbits, obviously all pretence of factual and rational debate leave the building.

We know what you chose.

 

[fxh]

wtf is going on.

formby - yeah I'm a big Dave Robincheaux fan - have them all plus the 2 x movies on DVD

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

I'm a big fan of John Sandford - the Lucas Davenport/Virgil Flowers series. Not very cerebral, but very well-written and enjoyable. Bizarrely enough, he's written a few sci-fi novels. Finding them pretty ludicrous.

 

[Dropbear]

Vacation reading, going a little higher on the brow: I plan to reread Camus' The Plague. I read as an impressionable Uni student and loved some of the ideas behind it but also found it a struggle to plough through. Let's see if I was wrong.

 

[doghouse]

Currently reading London Calling by Barry Miles thanks to formby . Highly recommend for any fan of irreverence and general joie de vivre

Just finished rereading Kuki Shûzô's seminal work The Structure of Iki.

Before that was Chris Brewards The Suit, which was an OK read.