Brad Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 6 minutes ago, kinuta said: He has a new book coming out later this year about the East India Company in the late 18th Century. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted February 8, 2019 Report Share Posted February 8, 2019 Finally finished up The Iliad and The Odyssey. Taking a bit of a breather before diving into The Aeneid. I was about to launch into Hideo Furukawa's Slow Boat, but then he revealed it was a bit of a riff off of a Murakami short story "A Slow Boat to China." I decided to detour and read The Elephant Vanishes first (it contains that story), then Slow Boat and then The Aeneid. Maybe by then Atwood's The Penelopiad will be in at the library... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted February 8, 2019 Report Share Posted February 8, 2019 Tayari Jones: An American Marriage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 8, 2019 Report Share Posted February 8, 2019 All the Colors We Will See: Reflections on Barriers, Brokenness, and Finding Our Way by Patrice Gopo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted February 9, 2019 Report Share Posted February 9, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted February 9, 2019 Report Share Posted February 9, 2019 On 1/27/2019 at 9:35 AM, Brad said: Having just finished Howards End, one of the best books I've read in a long time, I'm now starting I finished this just now. A rather shocking book. Won't say anymore for those who might want to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted February 9, 2019 Report Share Posted February 9, 2019 Having read And Quiet Flows the Don at least a year ago, I'm now ready to read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted February 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 Wrapping up Victory City (which has been excellent) and getting ready to start this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, ghost of miles said: Wrapping up Victory City (which has been excellent) and getting ready to start this: Please let us know what you think of the Bates book, I've been interested in that topic for a long time, I'm just starting this book: Edited February 11, 2019 by Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 18 hours ago, ghost of miles said: Wrapping up Victory City (which has been excellent) and getting ready to start this: 12 hours ago, Matthew said: Please let us know what you think of the Bates book, I've been interested in that topic for a long time, I'm just starting this book: This book might interest you. UNEXAMPLED COURAGE:The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring by Richard Gergel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 37 minutes ago, Brad said: This book might interest you. UNEXAMPLED COURAGE:The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring by Richard Gergel. Thanks for the recommendation! it looks like an interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 13 hours ago, Matthew said: Please let us know what you think of the Bates book, I've been interested in that topic for a long time, I'm just starting this book: That’s the other Pullman-porters book on my to-read list... great Pullman-curious minds think alike, eh? We’ll have to trade reviews! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 1 hour ago, Matthew said: Thanks for the recommendation! it looks like an interesting read. It received a good review from David Blight, the Dean of Civil War historians (along with Eric Foner), which is high praise indeed. Blight was just awarded the Lincoln Prize for his bio on Frederick Douglass, the top honor in civil war history studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 On 2/9/2019 at 0:55 PM, Brad said: Having read And Quiet Flows the Don at least a year ago, I'm now ready to read I'm a Russian literature and history junkie, but I've never read those Sholokhov books. I need to fix that, add And Quiet Flows the Don to my reading list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 23 minutes ago, Brad said: It received a good review from David Blight, the Dean of Civil War historians (along with Eric Foner), which is high praise indeed. Blight was just awarded the Lincoln Prize for his bio on Frederick Douglass, the top honor in civil war history studies. Foner's history of the Reconstruction is sitting on the table at which I'm typing--hoping to get to it sometime this year. (It may become my next "breakfast book," which often tends to be a history volume of some kind. Current "breakfast book" is Joseph C. Goulden's Korea: The Untold Story Of The War.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 1 hour ago, HutchFan said: I'm a Russian literature and history junkie, but I've never read those Sholokhov books. I need to fix that, add And Quiet Flows the Don to my reading list. I quite liked the first one and it wasn’t hard to find a copy. Finding a copy of the second one was difficult. There seems to be a crying need for a new edition of this series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 On 12/11/2010 at 4:56 AM, Dave James said: Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels For what they are, they're about as good as it gets. Completely and totally mindless and completely and totally entertaining. I started reading Child's Reacher series and I agree with all points. Reading a Reacher novel is a lot like watching a Rambo movie. The bad guys are sneaky, dirty scumbags that deserve what Reacher dishes out and he will kill or maim them all by the end. I see that they made 2 movies but... with Tom Cruise as Reacher??? Jack Reacher is 6' 5" 220. Tom Cruise?? Really? No way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 5 hours ago, Kevin Bresnahan said: I started reading Child's Reacher series and I agree with all points. Reading a Reacher novel is a lot like watching a Rambo movie. The bad guys are sneaky, dirty scumbags that deserve what Reacher dishes out and he will kill or maim them all by the end. I see that they made 2 movies but... with Tom Cruise as Reacher??? Jack Reacher is 6' 5" 220. Tom Cruise?? Really? No way. A big Lee Child fan here, but I disagree with Dave James' "completely and totally mindless." While Reacher's near implacable, highly honed physical skills are a key given, especially in that few of his antagonists are aware that they're facing in him not just another very big/muscular guy, every Reacher novel I recall turns not only (and not really that much) on his ability to be effectively violent but also (and I would say primarily) on his ability to think through/figure out what is always a very puzzling/"what the heck is going on here?" initial situation -- and things typically remain quite puzzling for a good while.. Without the "thinking" Reacher, the bashing Reacher would be up a creek. Further, the bashing Reacher is, I would say, quite thoughtful in his bashing. As is emphasized time and again, he knows exactly how to rapidly muster his immense physical skills to fit the given situation, (we're usually told just how he scopes things out along those lines), while his antagonists typically do not know how to effectively muster the force that's available to them. They're out-thought as much as they're out-fought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 8 hours ago, Brad said: It received a good review from David Blight, the Dean of Civil War historians (along with Eric Foner), which is high praise indeed. Blight was just awarded the Lincoln Prize for his bio on Frederick Douglass, the top honor in civil war history studies. I've been eyeing that Douglas bio also -- so many good books to read, so little time. Though, when I think of that, I always remember the Twilight Zone episode with Burgess Meredith, Ack!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 Deirdre Madden: Time Present and Time Past Deirdre Madden is an Irish author whose books are not well known in the U.S., but they should be. This one is wonderfully moving and I highly recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 13 hours ago, Larry Kart said: A big Lee Child fan here, but I disagree with Dave James' "completely and totally mindless." While Reacher's near implacable, highly honed physical skills are a key given, especially in that few of his antagonists are aware that they're facing in him not just another very big/muscular guy, every Reacher novel I recall turns not only (and not really that much) on his ability to be effectively violent but also (and I would say primarily) on his ability to think through/figure out what is always a very puzzling/"what the heck is going on here?" initial situation -- and things typically remain quite puzzling for a good while.. Without the "thinking" Reacher, the bashing Reacher would be up a creek. Further, the bashing Reacher is, I would say, quite thoughtful in his bashing. As is emphasized time and again, he knows exactly how to rapidly muster his immense physical skills to fit the given situation, (we're usually told just how he scopes things out along those lines), while his antagonists typically do not know how to effectively muster the force that's available to them. They're out-thought as much as they're out-fought. I tend to agree that there is a lot of mindful bashing. And the bad guys are so deserving of the bashing/killing that you really have no sympathy for them. Guilty pleasure, really. I am starting book 5 - I bought a box set of the first 6 books - and so far, I have been able to decipher some things well before Reacher. For instance, in the 3rd book, "The Visitor", I figured out that the victims were being hypnotized by the FBI agent about halfway into the book. (highlight the previous text to see the spoiler). It was one of those books where you close the book and say out loud, "You idiots!! It's right in front of you!" I do enjoy a good action/mystery/adventure book and these are well written. I can see myself going through this series pretty quickly. Heck, I've already gone through 4 of them on two weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 With respect to the two Reacher films, the first one is actually quite serviceable (the fight scene outside the bar with the five smart-ass punks is really well done)...while second is a real dud. Cruise is surprisingly effective in the title role in spite of the significant physical differential. Lee Child has said that if there is a third Reacher film, Cruise will not reprise his role. That begs the question, who among today's actors could most effective play Reacher? I don't see The Rock doing this...but perhaps you disagree. Something kind of fun to consider. FWIW, I have also heard that the third film would be based on "61 Hours" which, IMO, is the best of all the Reacher books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 (edited) 19 hours ago, Matthew said: I've been eyeing that Douglas bio also -- so many good books to read, so little time. Though, when I think of that, I always remember the Twilight Zone episode with Burgess Meredith, Ack!!!! That is a great episode. Yes, there is so little time and I find buying books even more addictive than buying CDs. Edited February 12, 2019 by Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinuta Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 Tom Lubbock: Great Works - 50 Paintings Explored One of the finest books on art that I've ever come across. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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