Re: What Book You Reading?

501
I have yet to read it. This one would compliment that. Charles Bowden was a close friend of Edward. I did some work at Bowdens house. Was a real gentleman.
The Red Caddy: Into the Unknown with Edward Abbey: Charles Bowden, Luis ...
We sit in the mud... and reach for the stars.
Ivan Turgenev

Prevent Suicides Call https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/t ... meone-now/
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Re: What Book You Reading?

504
"A Very Stable Genius" by Phil Rucker, WH Bureau Chief for WaPo and Carol Leonnig, National Investigative Reporter for WaPo. Starts with the Trump transition in 2016 and ends with the budget chaos in 2019. Good read, well researched.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: What Book You Reading?

507
Currently reading, thanks to Ian, for free at the link below:

"The Machine Gun
History, Evolution, and Development of Manual, Automatic, and
Airborne Repeating Weapons"

By George M. Chinn

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/MG/index.html

Really interesting to read about the development, from the club to more modern weapons. Really telling how militaries around the world managed to ignore, in many cases, superior systems that they should have wholeheartedly embraced, or completely misused something tactically and assumed that the product was garbage because of it.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: What Book You Reading?

508
shinzen wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2020 8:14 am Currently reading, thanks to Ian, for free at the link below:

"The Machine Gun
History, Evolution, and Development of Manual, Automatic, and
Airborne Repeating Weapons"
awesome. re hiram maxim:*
"His meager schooling had deprived him of the engineering misconceptions preached in his day."

* eta: i guess that makes it a maxim maxim?
Last edited by lurker on Tue Apr 28, 2020 9:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: What Book You Reading?

510
Norse Mythology, A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals and Beliefs

Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs https://www.amazon.com/dp/0195153820/re ... IEbJ6V9SRS

Before all this covid stuff started up, I was gleefully catching up on Vikings on Hulu. Started played Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice on PS4 (with headphones, very important) which is amazingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Anyway, I’m trying to take the less romantic approach to learning about the Norse, ancient Germanic barbarians and such, by reading anthropological or related references first. It’s been pretty fun, lots of drama amongst the gods. Reading about Thor in particular is full of violence and at times humorous/needless brutality and drinking. I’m loving the iconography of the beliefs and relationships between the figures. Sheds light on social structure, family structure and economies of the time. What was important and why, from the material to the ideological.

A little kindle reading before bed helps me calm my mind, before heading back to work the next day. Everyone take care, stay safe, keep to the plan 😉👍

Re: What Book You Reading?

511
Just finished James Bowen's A Street Cat Named Bob. Reads quickly, a story of a junkie getting clean when he adopts Bob, a very interesting cat. Family friendly but for drug references--and he's clean in the end, eh.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: What Book You Reading?

512
I just finished The Killing Floor, the first Jack Reacher novel. I didn't have much interest until I read a profile on Lee Child, who said he only sold rights to two movies to Tom Cruise because he thought Tom Cruise was really unsuited for the role, but was willing to try it out. When he turned out to be really unsuited for the role, he refused to license any more.

Now time to go back to Battle Cry of Freedom, the Civil War history. Kinda depressing to read, because you realize that whether they call themselves, the right wing has always been exactly the same. Violently opposed to equality or justice.

Re: What Book You Reading?

518
Up until Age 45 or so, I read fiction almost exclusively. Then I started to change. The last good novel I read was "A Man in Full" by Tom Wolfe. It was brilliant and hilarious. The last GREAT novel I read was "Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow. But something happened as I grew older (I'm 66). I lost interest in fiction. The stuff published today is formulaic crap or what I call 21st Century Hippie naval-gazing issues. I started reading non-fiction exclusively. I haven't been able to get even half-way through a novel in ten years. There is so much crap out there now. The great novelists are gone.

When it comes to non-fiction, I just finished Steven Stoft's "Ripped Apart: How the Democrats Can Fight Polarization to Win." Excellent analysis. Stoft doesn't just describe why the Liberals/Progressives/Dems are polarized like other authors. He lays out exactly why and what we must do to fix it. Berniecrats aren't going to like what he says, but he lays out FACTS not just his opinion. He also describes and dissects how intelligent people on the right and the left can be swayed by charismatic leaders who offer utopian ideas with no doable plans for how to get there. He points to examples of real people in business and politics. People like Elizabeth Holmes who fooled even Henry Kissinger and others of his stature into thinking she could pull off what she claimed she could. In politics, there are examples on both sides: Donald Trump ("We'll get rid of Obamacare which doesn't work and replace it with something terrific"-never says what that is); Bernie Sanders ("Free college" -never could explain how he would get Congress and the Senate to pass it). Stoft is a life-long Democrat who doesn't spare criticism of his party. He knows as we do that a united Democratic Party can't be defeated by the Republicans, which is why our polarization is so frustrating.
"The last thing right-wing nuts, fascists and haters want is liberals owning guns and knowing how to use them." - Wise Liberal

Re: What Book You Reading?

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Trek wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 7:26 am Up until Age 45 or so, I read fiction almost exclusively. Then I started to change. The last good novel I read was "A Man in Full" by Tom Wolfe. It was brilliant and hilarious. The last GREAT novel I read was "Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow. But something happened as I grew older (I'm 66). I lost interest in fiction. The stuff published today is formulaic crap or what I call 21st Century Hippie naval-gazing issues. I started reading non-fiction exclusively. I haven't been able to get even half-way through a novel in ten years. There is so much crap out there now. The great novelists are gone.

When it comes to non-fiction, I just finished Steven Stoft's "Ripped Apart: How the Democrats Can Fight Polarization to Win." Excellent analysis. Stoft doesn't just describe why the Liberals/Progressives/Dems are polarized like other authors. He lays out exactly why and what we must do to fix it. Berniecrats aren't going to like what he says, but he lays out FACTS not just his opinion. He also describes and dissects how intelligent people on the right and the left can be swayed by charismatic leaders who offer utopian ideas with no doable plans for how to get there. He points to examples of real people in business and politics. People like Elizabeth Holmes who fooled even Henry Kissinger and others of his stature into thinking she could pull off what she claimed she could. In politics, there are examples on both sides: Donald Trump ("We'll get rid of Obamacare which doesn't work and replace it with something terrific"-never says what that is); Bernie Sanders ("Free college" -never could explain how he would get Congress and the Senate to pass it). Stoft is a life-long Democrat who doesn't spare criticism of his party. He knows as we do that a united Democratic Party can't be defeated by the Republicans, which is why our polarization is so frustrating.
Interesting, I'll add it to my Amazon order list. He's an economist, his writing reminds me of Steven Levitt (Freakonomics) also an economist.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: What Book You Reading?

520
Oh, there have ALWAYS been crappy writers of novels. The reason past writers seem better than today's is because the crap washes away and is (mostly) forgotten, Same with crappy music, crappy movies, crappy artists, etc. In pop music, those that were at least a fad were called "one-hit wonders" with one hot song and then oblivion. Like "Eve of Destruction" by Barry somebody and "Incense, Peppermints" by Strawberry Alarm Clock.

Know anyone who's actually SEEN "How Green Was My Valley", which won the Oscar for Best Picture? What about "Citizen Kane" which it beat for "Best"? I've NEVER seen Green but who hasn't seen "Citizen Kane" or doesn't know the catch-phrase "Rosebud"? (Other notable nominated films were "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" -- redone as "Heaven Can Wait", "The Maltese Falcon"--"it's the stuff dreams are made of!", "Little Foxes", "Sergeant York" ("What price glory, Sergeant York??" --all classics).

George R.R. Martin should NOT be the standard of great writing. Nor should Nora Roberts (though she's far better than a Harlequin Romance writer should be). But Toni Morrison or Walter Mosley are outstanding. The late Ursula K. LeGuin was one of the finest writers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. And, while I'm not a fan of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, there's no doubting his greatness.

HOWEVER......If you've lost interest in novels I totally "get" that. I lost interest in Prime-Time TV decades ago. I can't explain it other than most, hell, all of it became EXCRUCIATINGLY boring, with recycled ridiculous plots and cartoonish characters. I simply lost, for almost all of it, my ability to suspend my disbelief. There are shows I haven't even been able to watch even 15 minutes of before turning them off (The new Tracey Ullman show, "Veep"). Others I struggled through one or two episodes (Fleabag, Sherlock--despite Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman). A few a whole ten episodes (Blind Side, West World) and then..ugh!

I was an avid Star Trek fan since 1966...but when "Enterprise" came out I kept finding reasons not to watch...later watched on DVD and, well, I was right. Haven't even been interested in the new CBS "you gotta pay extra for this crap" versions.

So I get not wanting to waste time on novels that only disappoint you.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: What Book You Reading?

521
The Best Caliber Wars: A History of Self Defense Ballistics by James Volo.

He's a historian and provides tremendous details. He won't say, but I think he's a 1911 guy. He thinks revolvers are OK also. Take time reading it, as it is chocked-full of goodies.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

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