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

[Grand Potentate]

Have you read Simmons' Hyperion Cantos? Also, I kinda like Walter Moseley's sci-fi. It's very afrocentric, which is kind of a unique perspective. I read something really good a few weeks ago, but can't fucking remember it. I read too much.

JimmyRustler and I have a beef running about Dan Simmons. He says he's awesome. I say he sucks. And I say this after having read 3 of his books and been completely bored to tears.

Never read any Moseley. Recommendations?

You need to watch some television to balance yourself out.

 

[MFDoom]

So the last volume of The Last Lion arrived. All I've been able to do thus far is drool and paw at it.

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

JimmyRustler and I have a beef running about Dan Simmons. He says he's awesome. I say he sucks. And I say this after having read 3 of his books and been completely bored to tears.

Never read any Moseley. Recommendations?

You need to watch some television to balance yourself out.

Dan Simmons has a few books that are really, really, really slow. Terror, Abominable, and Crazy Horse come to mind. But the Hyperion Cantos and Ilium are phenomenal sci-fi. But really smart though, so you might not get it

My favorite Walter Mosley book actually isn't sci-fi at all. It's Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. The sequel, Walking the Dog is pretty good, but a lot slower. But he has a sci-fi anthology Wonderland that's an entertaining read.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Dan Simmons has a few books that are really, really, really slow. Terror, Abominable, and Crazy Horse come to mind. But the Hyperion Cantos and Ilium are phenomenal sci-fi. But really smart though, so you might not get it

My favorite Walter Mosley book actually isn't sci-fi at all. It's Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. The sequel, Walking the Dog is pretty good, but a lot slower. But he has a sci-fi anthology Wonderland that's an entertaining read.

Of his books, I've read Hyperion, Terror, and one other. I know I was supposed to love Hyperion but I thought it was slow and droll. Terror was WAY worse. Its just his writing style. Same with Cormac McCarthy. I'll look into Mosley.

 

[MFDoom]

Dan Simmons has a few books that are really, really, really slow. Terror, Abominable, and Crazy Horse come to mind. But the Hyperion Cantos and Ilium are phenomenal sci-fi. But really smart though, so you might not get it

My favorite Walter Mosley book actually isn't sci-fi at all. It's Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. The sequel, Walking the Dog is pretty good, but a lot slower. But he has a sci-fi anthology Wonderland that's an entertaining read.

I bought Always Outnumbered on your rec. Still haven't read it yet.

 

[MFDoom]

Okay, I set aside the Kennedy book and started the Churchill one. Not deep into it yet.

 

[doghouse]

Okay, I set aside the Kennedy book and started the Churchill one. Not deep into it yet.

I want to get up on that one myself.

Did you read Ghandi & Churchill? One of the best insights into the Empire at that time, and a really good look at Ghandi's background from a different perspective.

 

[MFDoom]

I have not read Ghandi & Churchill (yet). Still a bit green on the history genre, and probably wouldn't have touched the genre at all were it not for Dan Carlin and Hardcore History. There is a ton of material that bas become interesting as of late.

 

[doghouse]

I find history in general is best learned peripherally, and by that I mean by the things you glean from the books about the time period as opposed to the direct subject the book deals with. The author always has some sort of slant or bias, while peripheral events are just listed off as facts. Lawrence in Arabia and Paris 1919 are two of the very best books I have ever come across detailing why the Middle East is so thoroughly fucked.

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

I have not read Ghandi & Churchill (yet). Still a bit green on the history genre, and probably wouldn't have touched the genre at all were it not for Dan Carlin and Hardcore History. There is a ton of material that bas become interesting as of late.

Dan Carlin is great.

 

[Dropbear]

These days, my reading is pure escapist Low Brow. Mostly Kindle cheapies, too!

If you like epic scifi-horror, I recommend:

The Purge of Babylon series and
Slow Burn

I'm hoping there wil be another Le Carre novel and also eagerly awaiting more from John Birmingham.

 

[doghouse]

I'm hoping there wil be another Le Carre novel

Yes!

 

[Dropbear]

Yes!

I'm scared to think about how old he must be, by now.

 

[doghouse]

137

 

[Thruth]

137

Smiley uncovers an old soviet mole in the long term care facility. There is an electric wheelchair chase throughout the facility.

It will be riveting

 

[Thruth]

I guess hoping for a Len Deighton novel would be even more of a stretch as he is older than LeCarre

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

I don't mean to pile on Jared Diamond again, but I'm currently reading McNeill's Plagues & Peoples, written twenty or thirty years before Guns, Germs, and Steel. They are pretty much the same book, but Diamond adds in some diversity pc training bullshit, whereas McNeill sticks to the facts and lets the reader draws many of the same conclusions that Diamond clumsily hammers away at. Really, I used to think repackaging commonly known information but making it political, dumber and self-centered only worked for Thomas Friedman, but apparently Diamond can do this as well.

 

[Thruth]

I don't mean to pile on Jared Diamond again, but I'm currently reading McNeill's Plagues & Peoples, written twenty or thirty years before Guns, Germs, and Steel. They are pretty much the same book, but Diamond adds in some diversity pc training bullshit, whereas McNeill sticks to the facts and let's the reader draws many of the same conclusions that Diamond clumsily hammers away at, but in a much more convincing fashion. Really, I used to think repackaging commonly known information but making it political, dumber and self-centered only worked for Thomas Friedman, but apparently Diamond can do this as well.

It is interesting to view the relative success in the telling of the story between McNeill and Diamond. McNeill, a historian did, as you state stick to the facts. He was also writing at a time when the prevailing thought had shifted away from infectious epidemics to disease such as cancer. It is also interesting that McNeill successfully translated epidemiological concepts correctly and accurately without much spin. Diamond on the other hand, hard scientist, takes a great deal of literary, scientific and historical license resulting in a far less objective book. His theorizing is rather broad even given the broad concepts he is writing about. He is often criticized by other scholars for utilizing out-of-date theories or taking liberties with how much importance is ascribed to Western European influence. Not to mention him running into problems with lawsuits for defamation and such.

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

It is interesting to view the relative success in the telling of the story between McNeill and Diamond. McNeill, a historian did, as you state stick to the facts. He was also writing at a time when the prevailing thought had shifted away from infectious epidemics to disease such as cancer. It is also interesting that McNeill successfully translated epidemiological concepts correctly and accurately without much spin. Diamond on the other hand, hard scientist, takes a great deal of literary, scientific and historical license resulting in a far less objective book. His theorizing is rather broad even given the broad concepts he is writing about. He is often criticized by other scholars for utilizing out-of-date theories or taking liberties with how much importance is ascribed to Western European influence. Not to mention him running into problems with lawsuits for defamation and such.

You said that so much better than I..... I think Jared Diamond is to William McNeill as John Lee Pettimore III is to Thruth.

 

[Thruth]

You said that so much better than I..... I think Jared Diamond is to William McNeill as John Lee Pettimore III is to Thruth.

Naw, man. I'm just glad to know that I'm not the only person who thinks that about that fucker

 

[Grand Potentate]

For all you nerds:

https://slickdeals.net/f/7213384-br...mlight-archive-book-1-kindle-edition-free?v=1

 

[MFDoom]

LOL Kindle. The Mrs. has been trying to get me to adopt e-books for a while now, but I'm still clinging to ink and paper.

 

[doghouse]

Stick to your guns MFDoom. I fell down the Kindle rabbit hole never to return. It's sad. I only buy hardbacks of important things these days, and zero paperbacks. The upside is you can read like an animal when you just click a button and have basically anything you want downloaded instantly.

For the low brow contribution to this thread, I do have every Tom Clancy book 1st edition.

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

Stick to your guns MFDoom. I fell down the Kindle rabbit hole never to return. It's sad. I only buy hardbacks of important things these days, and zero paperbacks. The upside is you can read like an animal when you just click a button and have basically anything you want downloaded instantly.

For the low brow contribution to this thread, I do have every Tom Clancy book 1st edition.

He was really enjoyable until around Executive Order or so. And then he let his politics degrade his writing, in my opinion. And my politics aren't too different from his, other than me being a treehugger.

BTW - a true first of Hunt for Red October is worth some pretty good money, but if you're holding onto it for that reason, I'd sell within the next ten years.

 

[OfficePants]

Stick to your guns MFDoom. I fell down the Kindle rabbit hole never to return. It's sad. I only buy hardbacks of important things these days, and zero paperbacks. The upside is you can read like an animal when you just click a button and have basically anything you want downloaded instantly.

I know I'm acting just like a old people do when they refuse to use the internet, call email webmail, and refuse to sign up for online banking and bill pay.

I like the feeling of paper and the weight and smell of the book.

 

[OfficePants]

This was entertaining, a great watch. Lots of stuff I didn't know about Salinger.

 

[doghouse]

He was really enjoyable until around Executive Order or so. And then he let his politics degrade his writing, in my opinion. And my politics aren't too different from his, other than me being a treehugger.

BTW - a true first of Hunt for Red October is worth some pretty good money, but if you're holding onto it for that reason, I'd sell within the next ten years.

I actually have them all as it's something my late grandfather and I had in common, most of the set was his. I used to give him the new ones as gifts whenever they came out. So long story short I definitely don't keep them for monetary reasons.

The politics thing is right on, the ones from the early mid 2000's were practically unreadable to anyone who wasn't a racist tea partier. But one thing that pleasantly surprised me was the last two were actually way toned down and much more readable. I have come to the conclusion it was the ghostwriters that really made the tone. Grant Blackwoood and Peter Telep, did the really over the top ones, and the ones done by Mark Greaney were much, much better reads.

I know I'm acting just like a old people do when they refuse to use the internet, call email webmail, and refuse to sign up for online banking and bill pay.

I like the feeling of paper and the weight and smell of the book.

Trust me, my self esteem is gone from owning a Kindle. I actually still get real newpapers.

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

My grandfather and I used to read them too. He loved Cardinal of the Kremlin. Fortunately he passed away before Executive Orders when the series had a definite tonal change.

Edit - My grandfather also introduced me to Michael Chricton with the Andromeda Strain, which is still a hell of a novel.

Crichton wrote really good books, he just didn't do endings well. They were always rushed. But the first 3/4 were really enjoyable.

 

[MFDoom]

Well, shit.

Now there's a line that will stick.

 

[MFDoom]

So I was enjoying scotch and cigars last night with an old colleague, and the discussion turned to the Canterbury Tales. I recall reading parts of it in high school as required reading but it's not until now that I'm told it is satire. How did that escape my attention? And I have an old-ish copy on my shelves at home. Is it time to dust it off and read it properly?

 

[MFDoom]

I liked Candide okay in college, but when I tried to read Marcovaldo which seems to have a similar theme, I stopped within 10 pages. Besides, between the last Churchill volume and Canterbury tales, I'll be a while before anything new

 

[Leitmotif]

I just got The Perfect Kill:21 rules of assassination

Before that I have read Persepolis, it was very interesting and a great insight of how life was in Iran for an Iranian and how life was outside for an immigrant during Ayatollah Khomeni. Before that Soldiers of Destruction, I managed to find first print for hefty 45 dollars. Great book about some of the finest and craziest soldiers the world has ever see The Totentonkpf Division. Sleeping with the devil: How washington sold our soul to Saudi Arabia. The Company we keep. The Devil we know and how to deal with the new Iranian superpower. See no Evil. Blow the house down, a great fiction work about 9/11, no conspiracy here. By Way of deception, a book about an ex Mossad agent that used to belong to one of the Several Death Squads of the Mossad. Tom Clancy Red Storm Rising, holy fucking shit did I love that book. Also Rainbow Six, two of the splinter cell books. Some books about Venezuelan history, very interesting read and got to learn a lot about how our shitty genetics keeps trucking us over, it is what it is..

In my list to buy:
“Travels into Bokhara” by Alexander Burnes
“The Insurrection in Mesopotamia” by Aylmer Haldane
"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" by John Le Carre

 

[Leitmotif]

Are you fat? Anyways. I think that's a great way to make and encourage kids to read, I cannot think of anything better. And thanks, another person confirms than tinker, tailor, soldier, spy it's a good book.

 

[doghouse]

So I was enjoying scotch and cigars last night with an old colleague, and the discussion turned to the Canterbury Tales. I recall reading parts of it in high school as required reading but it's not until now that I'm told it is satire. How did that escape my attention? And I have an old-ish copy on my shelves at home. Is it time to dust it off and read it properly?

I actually have been hankering to reread this also. I didn't actually hate it in high school. My teacher pointed out all the risque parts to us.

 

[doghouse]

Edit - Red Storm Rising is one of the last books my grandfather and I read.

Funny, it was one of the first my grandpa and I read. He is where I got all the first edition Clancy's that started my collection.

 

[MFDoom]

I actually have been hankering to reread this also. I didn't actually hate it in high school. My teacher pointed out all the risque parts to us.

Like a lot of the reading at that time, it was a blur of face-value words. Oh look! A Story!

Maybe if I'd paid better attention to those classes, I might have made something of myself. I could have ruled the world. Or something.

 

[doghouse]

Like a lot of the reading at that time, it was a blur of face-value words. Oh look! A Story!

Maybe if I'd paid better attention to those classes, I might have made something of myself. I could have ruled the world. Or something.

At least could have dominated the American Southwest. And that ain't bad.

 

[MFDoom]

At least could have dominated the American Southwest. And that ain't bad.

At least struck up the whole Republic of Texas schtick. Every two-bit survivalist with a soapbox has managed that one.

 

[John Lee Pettimore III]

. This was back when there were buildings called libraries that would let you take out books for free. You'd keep the book for two weeks at a time then return it. Crazy. Anyway, I read RSR week one then he read it week 2. We'd do that with a lot of books.

The local library here is awesome. Of course, it has the usual stench from the body odor of the indigent, the loud talking of people who annoy you, but it also has a great selection. Checked out four books last night - two Peter Watts' sci-fi, the latest Jack Reacher (I know, I know), and a book on the history of stuttering.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Finally started a new book. First one in about 6 months, as sad as that is to admit.