gmbteach
Mrs Frizzle
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Messages
- 14,186
- Location
- At home, when I am not at work.
- Basic Beliefs
- On my journey :D
I laughed and laughed as he read it to me.
-
Features
What are you reading?
- Thread starter sensiblesue
- Start date
marc
Veteran Member
The Necromancer's End
Great D&D style story. Stands out for me because I know the author.
and it is legitimately good if you like that kind of story. Supposed to be first part of a trillogy.
Great D&D style story. Stands out for me because I know the author.
and it is legitimately good if you like that kind of story. Supposed to be first part of a trillogy.
laughing dog
Contributor
Just finished Swearing Is Good For You by Emma Byrnes and Trees by Percival Everett.
The first book reports the biological, psychological, sociological and historical research on the benefits and drivers of swearing along with differences between languages, cultures, genders, classes and social situations. Well written in a conversational style combining wit with information.
Trees is a hilarious deeply satirical sci fi whodunnit look at racism in the USA.
The first book reports the biological, psychological, sociological and historical research on the benefits and drivers of swearing along with differences between languages, cultures, genders, classes and social situations. Well written in a conversational style combining wit with information.
Trees is a hilarious deeply satirical sci fi whodunnit look at racism in the USA.
spikepipsqueak
My Brane Hertz
I love coming to this thread. There are lots of recommendations for future reading, all stored in the one place. I don't have to jot them down on bits of scrap paper, which I subsequently lose.
Everything else is on hold while I read Elder Race, another Adrian Tchaikovsky. Science fiction, but the sciences are anthropology, sociology, psychology, and it takes some pretty accurate shots at academic rigour.
I won't open a vein when I read the last of his books, but I will feel like it.
Everything else is on hold while I read Elder Race, another Adrian Tchaikovsky. Science fiction, but the sciences are anthropology, sociology, psychology, and it takes some pretty accurate shots at academic rigour.
I won't open a vein when I read the last of his books, but I will feel like it.
ideologyhunter
Contributor
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Timothy Leary, Richard Nixon, and the Hunt for the Fugitive King of LSD by Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis (2018)
Giving the title in full saves me the trouble of explaining the main contents of this entertaining book. If you lived through the early 70s, you will revisit through this book many of the curious features of that time. Leary was doing a 10-year stretch in a California prison after police found two roaches in his car (!) He was in a minimum security prison and got over the wall by pulling himself hand over hand across a power cable. The Weathermen helped him get out of the country, and he fled to Algeria, where his first refuge was with the Black Panthers, headed by Eldridge Cleaver -- not a fun guy at all, in this account. Nixon, meanwhile, was trying to bolster his law and order image, and gave various federal agencies the task of bringing Leary back to the states. The chase went on for nearly two and a half years, and Leary's adventures in the underground took him to Egypt, Lebanon, Switzerland, and Afghanistan. The undercurrent of the book is humor. Dr. Leary comes off as a shallow hedonist, pathetically eager to be Captain Trips to the youngsters. Nixon is just Nixon, playing up the War on Drugs, which as we all know was a knockout of a government program. The book reads fast, and it's as pleasant a pastime as eating a double-scoop chocolate chip ice cream cone. Two tidbits to entice more readers to this title:
1- There is a good deal of description of the Black Panthers compound in Algeria. If you're female, you'll count yourself lucky to not have been one of the wives or mistresses of Cleaver and the other men who ran the place.
2- My favorite scene concerns an extradition flight near the end of the book, and how two prisoners decided to celebrate their last couple of hours of freedom. I don't often laugh out loud while reading, but the authors' wording here is killer.
Giving the title in full saves me the trouble of explaining the main contents of this entertaining book. If you lived through the early 70s, you will revisit through this book many of the curious features of that time. Leary was doing a 10-year stretch in a California prison after police found two roaches in his car (!) He was in a minimum security prison and got over the wall by pulling himself hand over hand across a power cable. The Weathermen helped him get out of the country, and he fled to Algeria, where his first refuge was with the Black Panthers, headed by Eldridge Cleaver -- not a fun guy at all, in this account. Nixon, meanwhile, was trying to bolster his law and order image, and gave various federal agencies the task of bringing Leary back to the states. The chase went on for nearly two and a half years, and Leary's adventures in the underground took him to Egypt, Lebanon, Switzerland, and Afghanistan. The undercurrent of the book is humor. Dr. Leary comes off as a shallow hedonist, pathetically eager to be Captain Trips to the youngsters. Nixon is just Nixon, playing up the War on Drugs, which as we all know was a knockout of a government program. The book reads fast, and it's as pleasant a pastime as eating a double-scoop chocolate chip ice cream cone. Two tidbits to entice more readers to this title:
1- There is a good deal of description of the Black Panthers compound in Algeria. If you're female, you'll count yourself lucky to not have been one of the wives or mistresses of Cleaver and the other men who ran the place.
2- My favorite scene concerns an extradition flight near the end of the book, and how two prisoners decided to celebrate their last couple of hours of freedom. I don't often laugh out loud while reading, but the authors' wording here is killer.
arnoldo
Member
On your recommendation I read Adrian Tchaikovsky's City Of Last Chances and now I am starting book 2 of that series. He has a beautiful writing style. The only other fantasy genre book I have read is Lord Of The Rings, which I loved, but I have never been much of a reader and that is about to change. Excellent recommendation!
Ford
Contributor
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2010
- Messages
- 7,771
- Location
- Freedomland
- Basic Beliefs
- Just don't knock on my door on a Saturday Morning
I just got done re-reading "Faerie Tale" by Raymond E. Feist. I first got into his stuff in the 80s with his Riftwar Saga, but this was a step aside into something a bit different.
A screenwriter with a small family buys an old house in upstate New York, and everything seems idyllic. His college age daughter meets a nice local boy, his young twin sons love playing in the woods, and he settles in thinking it's the perfect place...almost too good to be true.
It is. There's something in the woods. Some things in the woods. On the faerie hill. Under the Troll Bridge. He and his family are drawn into an ancient struggle between the world of men and the old world of legends, and not all the creatures of that world are good.
There's parts of it that didn't age well (the author grew up in the 50s and the book is set in the 80s) but there are parts that are scary. It is not a fantasy novel like his other works. It is a horror novel, and a page-turner.
A screenwriter with a small family buys an old house in upstate New York, and everything seems idyllic. His college age daughter meets a nice local boy, his young twin sons love playing in the woods, and he settles in thinking it's the perfect place...almost too good to be true.
It is. There's something in the woods. Some things in the woods. On the faerie hill. Under the Troll Bridge. He and his family are drawn into an ancient struggle between the world of men and the old world of legends, and not all the creatures of that world are good.
There's parts of it that didn't age well (the author grew up in the 50s and the book is set in the 80s) but there are parts that are scary. It is not a fantasy novel like his other works. It is a horror novel, and a page-turner.
GenesisNemesis
I am a proud hedonist.
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2006
- Messages
- 4,649
- Location
- California
- Basic Beliefs
- Secular Humanist, Scientific Skepticism, Strong Atheism
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals by Stephen Brusatte. Fascinating book and I look forward to reading his other book, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs.
bilby
Fair dinkum thinkum
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2007
- Messages
- 36,499
- Gender
- He/Him
- Basic Beliefs
- Strong Atheist
Tchaikovski is the absolute master storyteller. If you like LotR, his epic series Shadows of the Apt might appeal.
Children of Time is more sci-fi than fantasy, and more to my taste (not that I didn't love Shadows of the Apt).
He has also written several stand alone novels; Cage of Souls is bloody brilliant, as is Alien Clay.
His shorter stories are superb too - read Walking to Aldeberan or miss out on one of the best sci-fi novellas in existence.
Whatever; Just read Adrian Tchaikovski.
I have finished House of Open Wounds and have started Elder Race, which promises to be interesting at well. Thank you for the recommendations; I will be getting to those this summer.
An interesting one I discovered a few weeks ago:
Oral Literature in Africa by Ruth Finnegan
Apparently it's considered a classic in the field, and has been made available for free in e-book form from a number of donors here.
I have a couple days off this week so managed to spend about an hour with it yesterday afternoon. So far it reads more like an academic study of African oral literature, and less a presentation of it (what I'd be interested in), but we'll see where it goes.
Oral Literature in Africa by Ruth Finnegan
Apparently it's considered a classic in the field, and has been made available for free in e-book form from a number of donors here.
I have a couple days off this week so managed to spend about an hour with it yesterday afternoon. So far it reads more like an academic study of African oral literature, and less a presentation of it (what I'd be interested in), but we'll see where it goes.
spikepipsqueak
My Brane Hertz
I'm glad you are turning to reading as amusement. It's the most fun you can have sitting down.
I think the first of his I read was The Tiger and The Wolf which is the beginning of a 3 part series which doesn't seem to always be listed in the front of his other books, for some reason. Worth a read.
I just finished Heirs of the Blade, which is part (7th, I think) of the Shadows of the Apt series. Starting to be a bit conflicted about the fight and battle scenes. they are as beautifully crafted as the rest of his work and sometimes have important detail in the middle of them, so I can't bring myself to skip. Nonetheless, I've just about had my fill. Still, small price to pay for the beautiful writing.
A third of the way through The Man In The Iron Mask.
I suspect this to be an abridged version and translated by a native French speaker, rather than a native English speaker. That in itself makes for possibly a greater understanding of French culture. There is emphasis on different aspects, weird sentence structure and occasional word choices that look similar to the intended meaning but mean very different things. Makes for a bit of fun independent of the content of the book.
spikepipsqueak
My Brane Hertz
BTW, EricH, when you are bereft at having exhausted Tchaikovsky, look up a series of 8 from Julian May. You might enjoy those for similar reasons. I did.
spikepipsqueak
My Brane Hertz
Giggling a bit.
Ran across The Email Eunuch. The Chaser's 2009 annual. Sat down to flick through.
Despite being topical 15 years ago it is still hilarious. Bit sad that it's still topical also. Evidently not much does change.
I wish I could post some of the cartoons but I'm pretty sure the copyright situation would backfire.
Ran across The Email Eunuch. The Chaser's 2009 annual. Sat down to flick through.
Despite being topical 15 years ago it is still hilarious. Bit sad that it's still topical also. Evidently not much does change.
I wish I could post some of the cartoons but I'm pretty sure the copyright situation would backfire.
Ford
Contributor
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2010
- Messages
- 7,771
- Location
- Freedomland
- Basic Beliefs
- Just don't knock on my door on a Saturday Morning
Slaughterhouse Five.
I read it when I was much younger. Even saw the movie. I didn't quite get it.
I read an old dog-eared copy at work last week, and was having to hold back laughter.
"America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but it's people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves....They mock themselves and glorify their betters."
Fucking hilarious.
So it goes.
I read it when I was much younger. Even saw the movie. I didn't quite get it.
I read an old dog-eared copy at work last week, and was having to hold back laughter.
"America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but it's people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves....They mock themselves and glorify their betters."
Fucking hilarious.
So it goes.
southernhybrid
Contributor
I only read non fiction and I usually have several books in progress at the same time. If I like a book, I'll read it at least twice. So here's a few I'm trying to read.
1, Arthritis. It was written by an expert from the Mayo Clinic. I had no idea there were over 100 diseases associated with arthritis. I was interested in it because I have osteoarthritis and osteoporosis as well as degenerative disc disease. it's a long book, but a lot of the information is repetitive. What I dislike most is the constant suggestions to use NSAIDS, since most of us older adults can't tolerate them.
2. Power Foods for the Brain by Neal Barnard M.D. I'm not sure if I'll finish it. Basically the claim is that we should all be vegetarians. Okay fine, but that's pretty hard for those of us who suffer from chronic anemia and seem to have a problem getting iron from non heme sources of iron. I prefer vegan foods, but it's hard to get all t he protein and iron I need from a strictly vegan diet.
3. "The Nonsense of Free Will" by Richard Oerton.. I'm reading it for the second time because I don't think we have free will and the author makes some good points. I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy read. I've read another one of his books called, The Cruelty of Free Will and enjoyed that one too.
4. Allow me to Retort, the Constitution from a Black Man's Perspective by Elie Mystal. I'm reading it for the second time too.
5. I recently finished "The Patriarchs" by Angela Saini. It's a pretty good book about how most cultures became male dominated snf how the early matriarchal societies were taken over by men, although there are a few small ones left in India. Very interesting book.
There are probably at least 10 or so that I started and if I get back to them, I'll add them to the list. I don't know why I lost my taste for fiction. I guess I just like to learn about new things.
1, Arthritis. It was written by an expert from the Mayo Clinic. I had no idea there were over 100 diseases associated with arthritis. I was interested in it because I have osteoarthritis and osteoporosis as well as degenerative disc disease. it's a long book, but a lot of the information is repetitive. What I dislike most is the constant suggestions to use NSAIDS, since most of us older adults can't tolerate them.
2. Power Foods for the Brain by Neal Barnard M.D. I'm not sure if I'll finish it. Basically the claim is that we should all be vegetarians. Okay fine, but that's pretty hard for those of us who suffer from chronic anemia and seem to have a problem getting iron from non heme sources of iron. I prefer vegan foods, but it's hard to get all t he protein and iron I need from a strictly vegan diet.
3. "The Nonsense of Free Will" by Richard Oerton.. I'm reading it for the second time because I don't think we have free will and the author makes some good points. I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy read. I've read another one of his books called, The Cruelty of Free Will and enjoyed that one too.
4. Allow me to Retort, the Constitution from a Black Man's Perspective by Elie Mystal. I'm reading it for the second time too.
5. I recently finished "The Patriarchs" by Angela Saini. It's a pretty good book about how most cultures became male dominated snf how the early matriarchal societies were taken over by men, although there are a few small ones left in India. Very interesting book.
There are probably at least 10 or so that I started and if I get back to them, I'll add them to the list. I don't know why I lost my taste for fiction. I guess I just like to learn about new things.
GenesisNemesis
I am a proud hedonist.
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2006
- Messages
- 4,649
- Location
- California
- Basic Beliefs
- Secular Humanist, Scientific Skepticism, Strong Atheism
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder. Chilling book and has graphic descriptions of cannibalism and famine. I've been putting off WWI and WW2 reading for obvious reasons but it's necessary.
Swammerdami
Squadron Leader
I just finished ZEALOT: The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan.
Let's be clear: This book isn't propaganda, it's history. Aslan has many distinctions as a religious scholar. The book comes with 50+ pages of notes, and a bibliography with 300+ books and articles. I highly recommend it for anyone with sincere interest in 1st-century Christianity, regardless of whether they think Jesus was purely mythical, a mediocre preacher who happened to become a "mascot" for a new religion, or a wonder-working messiah. Aslan tells many stories which need a "grain of salt", or an implicit "If you trust sources then ..." But it is a must-read for anyone with sincere interest. I've buried this in Media and Culture Gallery, wondering if that will save it form the usual hijacking gibberish ("intrinsic nobody ... nobody nobody intrinsic").
I learned much. For example the enmity between Paul and the Jerusalem Christians led by James was HUGE.
I actually bought this book ten years ago, barely skimmed it, and put it on a shelf. The topic then was of no interest to me. (I may have bought the book just to pass the threshold for free shipping from Kinokuniya Books.) But threads here at IIDB awakened an interest in that period of history.
It's ridiculous that I have to say this, but praising this book does NOT mean I'm a closet Christian. Would an interest in the development of World War II make me a Nazi? Does enjoying Lord of the Rings mke one a believer in elves?
Let's be clear: This book isn't propaganda, it's history. Aslan has many distinctions as a religious scholar. The book comes with 50+ pages of notes, and a bibliography with 300+ books and articles. I highly recommend it for anyone with sincere interest in 1st-century Christianity, regardless of whether they think Jesus was purely mythical, a mediocre preacher who happened to become a "mascot" for a new religion, or a wonder-working messiah. Aslan tells many stories which need a "grain of salt", or an implicit "If you trust sources then ..." But it is a must-read for anyone with sincere interest. I've buried this in Media and Culture Gallery, wondering if that will save it form the usual hijacking gibberish ("intrinsic nobody ... nobody nobody intrinsic").
I learned much. For example the enmity between Paul and the Jerusalem Christians led by James was HUGE.
It was only AFTER the Fall of Jerusalem that Pauline doctrine came to the forefront.
I actually bought this book ten years ago, barely skimmed it, and put it on a shelf. The topic then was of no interest to me. (I may have bought the book just to pass the threshold for free shipping from Kinokuniya Books.) But threads here at IIDB awakened an interest in that period of history.
It's ridiculous that I have to say this, but praising this book does NOT mean I'm a closet Christian. Would an interest in the development of World War II make me a Nazi? Does enjoying Lord of the Rings mke one a believer in elves?
spikepipsqueak
My Brane Hertz
Darwin Awards IV
War Master's Gate
The Tin Drum (Dragging my feet with this.)
That looks interesting, Swammerdami. I hope you're not serious that people criticise you on the basis of broad taste in reading. Anyone who's ever been anywhere near a Christian country is justified in being curious about that era. It changed the world.
War Master's Gate
The Tin Drum (Dragging my feet with this.)
That looks interesting, Swammerdami. I hope you're not serious that people criticise you on the basis of broad taste in reading. Anyone who's ever been anywhere near a Christian country is justified in being curious about that era. It changed the world.