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Fodder Cannon
Jan 12, 2008

I love to watch Fox News and then go club some baby seals

Steiv posted:

I'm looking for a good read about the intelligence community, be it CIA or NSA or whatever, but something less :tinfoil: and more, "I was here, I did this, it was awesome/horrifying/whatever." Preferably non-fiction.

How about 1000 pages on James Bond's cousin?

Fodder Cannon fucked around with this message at 13:22 on Jul 21, 2010

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Velocirocktor
Oct 18, 2006

And it's just a little bit of Cretaceous Castle Magic

Did That on Television posted:

I read An Introduction to Canadian Labour History by Craig Heron and it was quite good!

Were you thinking of The Canadian Labour Movement: A Short History? That's the only similar one I can find by him. Either way, it's a good suggestion, thanks. Given my general leanings I should probably be more familiar with labour history in the country beyond the bigger events like the Winnipeg strike and the Ottawa trek.

Encryptic
May 3, 2007

Parker Lewis posted:

I have never read any fantasy series other than LOTR but I'm looking to catch up on what I've been missing.

I've seen a few different series mentioned in TBB: A Song of Ice and Fire, Malazan, Chalion, Wheel of Time, Black Company, Dragonriders of Pern, First Law, etc. and I'm trying to figure out how to tackle them.

Would any of these series make a better starting point than the others for someone that's new to the genre? Should I pick a few series and read the first book of each and then read the books that follow the one I like best? Right now I'm leaning towards starting ASOIAF because I'd like to read the books before watching the upcoming TV series.

I'd avoid Song of Ice and Fire simply because it's not finished.

First Law is pretty good - not my favorite by any means but Abercrombie does manage a pretty good subversion of the usual genre bullshit.

Wheel of Time is pretty good but takes a nosedive in quality around Book 7, though fortunately it's nearly finished and I hear it gets better in Book 11 (Book 10 was abysmal though), so your mileage may vary.

The Chalion trilogy is pretty good from what I recall.

Malazan is pretty good (what I've read of it...) but a common complaint is that Book 1 (Gardens of the Moon) is tough going - Erikson drops you right into the middle of the action without a lot of context for all the poo poo going on, so it can be confusing for a while.

There is a lot of other good stuff out there in the genre as well, though.

Did That on Television
Nov 8, 2004
lemonparties with wippersnapper

Velocirocktor posted:

Were you thinking of The Canadian Labour Movement: A Short History? That's the only similar one I can find by him. Either way, it's a good suggestion, thanks. Given my general leanings I should probably be more familiar with labour history in the country beyond the bigger events like the Winnipeg strike and the Ottawa trek.

Oops, yeah, that's the one I meant. It's really good, and incorporates feminist concerns as well as those of minorities very well for an introductory text!

wheatpuppy
Apr 25, 2008

YOU HAVE MY POST!

Cheezymadman posted:

I'm a huge Tom Clancy fan, and I'm picking up the second and third Jason Bourne books today. Anything else in the politcal thriller/spy fiction genre I should be looking for?

EDIT: Just realized I've always wanted to read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Gonna grab that, too.

Have you tried Frederick Forsyth? I read the covers off Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File back when I was in my own Clancy-esque phase.

Gravy Jones
Sep 13, 2003

I am not on your side

Cheezymadman posted:

I'm a huge Tom Clancy fan, and I'm picking up the second and third Jason Bourne books today. Anything else in the politcal thriller/spy fiction genre I should be looking for?

EDIT: Just realized I've always wanted to read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Gonna grab that, too.

John LeCarre and Len Deighton both write more traditional spy/espionage fiction. It's nothing like Tom Clancy and miles away from Ludlum/Bourne though.

Probably stating the obvious but Ian Flemming? The Bond books vary a bit in quality and how well they've aged. But still worth a read.

For thrillers It might be worth checking out Frederick Forsyth and (a personal favourite) Nelson DeMille. Pacier and less bogged down in the details and personal politics like Clancy but with a lot more depth and substance than Ludlum.

Finally as a one-off you might like Child 44 Tom Rob Smith. At it's heart is a fairly standard serial killer thriller, but it's set in Stalinist russia which gives it a totally different spin and it's got plenty of secret police type stuff and paranoia going on as well. I really enjoyed it.

SnatchRabbit
Feb 23, 2006

by sebmojo
Pretty sure I've asked this before but can anyone recommend a good readable book on the kindle store about Roman history? Preferable the rise and fall? Can be multiple volumes just looking for something well respected and accessible, though those may be mutually exclusive.

Radio!
Mar 15, 2008

Look at that post.

So I am about half way through If on a winter's night a traveler and I really like it so far. Are there other books sort of like this or that I might also enjoy based on this? Are Calvino's other works any good? I've never heard of him outside the context of this particular book, so I'm curious.

QVT
Jul 22, 2007

standing at the punch table swallowing punch

SnatchRabbit posted:

Pretty sure I've asked this before but can anyone recommend a good readable book on the kindle store about Roman history? Preferable the rise and fall? Can be multiple volumes just looking for something well respected and accessible, though those may be mutually exclusive.

The most well respected of them all, even though it is dated and sometimes curious, its value is in being not so much what is true as what much of western culture has believed to be true.
http://www.amazon.com/History-Decli...79788228&sr=1-1

Radio! posted:

So I am about half way through If on a winter's night a traveler and I really like it so far. Are there other books sort of like this or that I might also enjoy based on this? Are Calvino's other works any good? I've never heard of him outside the context of this particular book, so I'm curious.

I didn't care for winter's night, but Invisible Cities is fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. You should definitely read it.

QVT fucked around with this message at 09:45 on Jul 22, 2010

SnatchRabbit
Feb 23, 2006

by sebmojo

QVT posted:

The most well respected of them all, even though it is dated and sometimes curious, its value is in being not so much what is true as what much of western culture has believed to be true.
http://www.amazon.com/History-Decli...79788228&sr=1-1

Whoa $0.99. Awesome thanks.

ButtWolf
Dec 30, 2004

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
Could someone recommend a good crime drama book? Not like 'Lovely Bones', something along the lines of HBO's 'The Wire'.

Grand Fromage
Jan 30, 2006

L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?


SnatchRabbit posted:

Whoa $0.99. Awesome thanks.

Keep in mind that Gibbon is respected for being the first to do a work of that magnitude, and it's interesting reading as much for insight on the era he wrote in as about Rome, but he's willing to bend facts to fit his agenda and is sometimes just full of poo poo. It was also written before archaeology existed as an academic field (at that time it was little more than looting) so he didn't have nearly as much information as we do now. It's also only about western Rome; the eastern half of the empire survived another thousand years, until the Turks finished it off in 1453.

Modern historians wouldn't try to do a single work covering the entirety of Roman history though, so it's still probably the most wide-ranging single book on the subject.

Rubicon by Tom Holland is probably the best general audience history of the late Republic, if you want something more modern and focused to go along with Gibbon.

Feels Villeneuve
Oct 7, 2007

Setter is Better.

jimcunningham posted:

Could someone recommend a good crime drama book? Not like 'Lovely Bones', something along the lines of HBO's 'The Wire'.

You read Clockers yet?

Forge_Pharaoh
Jul 4, 2010

jimcunningham posted:

a good crime drama book?

It's possible you've read them already, but Silence of The Lambs and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris are both excellent. Although if you've seen the SotL movie a lot, then you probably won't be surprised with the book since they don't diverge very drastically. I haven't seen the Red Dragon movie in years but from what I remember, it was pretty different from the book which I recently completed. There was even a different protagonist.

Rabbit Hill
Mar 11, 2009

God knows what lives in me in place of me.
Grimey Drawer

jimcunningham posted:

Could someone recommend a good crime drama book? Not like 'Lovely Bones', something along the lines of HBO's 'The Wire'.
Have you read David Simon's own book, Homicide? Simon spent a year with the Homicide dept in Baltimore and wrote about it, so the book doesn't exactly follow a linear narrative, but he sticks with the same detectives all year and you get to know them and to follow the cases they work on until they're solved or go cold.

xcdude24
Dec 23, 2008
Can anyone recommend me an easy to read commentary on western pop culture other than Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs? Not looking for anything too analytical(IE, i'm not looking for a Debord/Foucault type of social deconstruction).

hello clarice
Jun 8, 2010

For Your Health!

jimcunningham posted:

Could someone recommend a good crime drama book? Not like 'Lovely Bones', something along the lines of HBO's 'The Wire'.

I don't know if this is what you're going for but the best crime drama book I read was The Monster of Florence. Keep in mind Douglas Preston is the author and not (to my knowledge) a made-up character.

amazon.com review posted:

When author Douglas Preston moved his family to Florence he never expected he would soon become obsessed and entwined in a horrific crime story whose true-life details rivaled the plots of his own bestselling thrillers. While researching his next book, Preston met Mario Spezi, an Italian journalist who told him about the Monster of Florence, Italy's answer to Jack the Ripper, a terror who stalked lovers' lanes in the Italian countryside. The killer would strike at the most intimate time, leaving mutilated corpses in his bloody wake over a period from 1968 to 1985. One of these crimes had taken place in an olive grove on the property of Preston's new home. That was enough for him to join "Monsterologist" Spezi on a quest to name the killer, or killers, and bring closure to these unsolved crimes.

HateTheInternet
Dec 19, 2004

He just put the kibosh on me, do you know what the kibosh means, it's a kibosh!
I'm probably the 180th person to want a recommendation after finishing up what currently exists of the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I was thinking Wheel of Time but I've heard more bad than good. Basically, I'd just like a fantasy/sci-fi series with realistic character development and nothing that's just black and white good guys/bad guys poo poo.

Evfedu
Feb 28, 2007
The First Law trilogy is best (first book: The Blade Itself), and The Prince of Nothing is pretty drat fine, too (first book: The Darkness That Comes Before).

If you enjoyed the GRRM's rather... prurient bent then you should probably go with Prince of nothing first.

Other enjoyable Grey fantasy: The Malazan hyper-saga (fabulous world-building, less than stellar characterisation, Dragon Ball Z badass powerlevels as gently caress), Glen Cooke's The Black Company (lovely narrative, ok characters, apparently avoid after the first trilogy) and Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series (two books done, very grey, a little stodgy, but thoroughly enjoyable once it finds it's legs).

Evfedu fucked around with this message at 14:16 on Jul 25, 2010

dokmo
Aug 27, 2006

:stat:man

xcdude24 posted:

Can anyone recommend me an easy to read commentary on western pop culture other than Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs? Not looking for anything too analytical(IE, i'm not looking for a Debord/Foucault type of social deconstruction).

This may be too analytical for your taste, but for my money the best book ever written on this topic is Greil Marcus's Mystery Train. (I'm not only one who thinks so.)

hello clarice
Jun 8, 2010

For Your Health!

HateTheInternet posted:

I'm probably the 180th person to want a recommendation after finishing up what currently exists of the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I was thinking Wheel of Time but I've heard more bad than good. Basically, I'd just like a fantasy/sci-fi series with realistic character development and nothing that's just black and white good guys/bad guys poo poo.

The Wheel of Time is very good if you're into giant expansive worlds with a million characters. You also pretty much have to love sword n' sorcery kind of vaguely medieval worlds. I love the WoT, I've read it in entirety at least 3-4 times now, so I'm a huge fan and give it a superbig thumbs up. However, it does have a good amount of the black and white stuff, with some good character development, so I'm not sure how it will play to your tastes.

Hands down I think the best books to read if you're interested in realistic character development is the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson and the series that I don't know the name of that starts with The Lies of Locke Lamora. Mistborn has a lot of action and a very well-developed plot with great characters who you really come to like/understand. There's a lot of fighting against an evil overlord in the first book, but you have to keep going. Locke Lamora has fewer main characters and is less about defeating evil as it is pulling heists and later getting bloody, bloody revenge.

The Name of the Wind is very good too, but it will give you reading blueballs because the next one isn't out yet and the author is a slow writer (the next GRRM?). There's also a lot of :smug: on behalf of the main character, but part of the fun is trying to decide whether or not he's a reliable narrator.

If you post some more things that you like/dislike and why I'd be happy to rec some more stuff. Just god whatever you do don't read the Sword of Truth.

Ornamented Death
Jan 25, 2006

Pew pew!

hello clarice posted:

The Name of the Wind is very good too, but it will give you reading blueballs because the next one isn't out yet and the author is a slow writer (the next GRRM?). There's also a lot of :smug: on behalf of the main character, but part of the fun is trying to decide whether or not he's a reliable narrator.

At least GRRM never claimed to have his whole series finished before the first book was published.

ButtWolf
Dec 30, 2004

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

Rabbit Hill posted:

Have you read David Simon's own book, Homicide? Simon spent a year with the Homicide dept in Baltimore and wrote about it, so the book doesn't exactly follow a linear narrative, but he sticks with the same detectives all year and you get to know them and to follow the cases they work on until they're solved or go cold.

Will check it out after book of the month. Also thanks hello clarice, I'll probably check that out too.

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007
Can anybody recommend a good anthology of English (or American) literature for a non-student? I've been reading my sisters Norton and Longman anthologies while she's home for the summer and really been enjoying them. But they're both a little too textbook-ish and expensive for me to go out and buy myself. Is there anything like this meant for more general reading?

7 y.o. bitch
Mar 24, 2009

:derp:

Name 7 yob
Age 55 years young
Posts OVER 9000 XD
Title BOOK BARN SUPERSTAR
Motto Might I quote the incomparable Frederick Douglas? To wit: :drum:ONE TWO THREE TIMES TWO TO THE SIX/JONESING FOR YOUR FIX OF THAT LIMP BIZKIT MIX:drum:XD

barkingclam posted:

Can anybody recommend a good anthology of English (or American) literature for a non-student? I've been reading my sisters Norton and Longman anthologies while she's home for the summer and really been enjoying them. But they're both a little too textbook-ish and expensive for me to go out and buy myself. Is there anything like this meant for more general reading?

What is your price range? I mean, for the amount of material you'll be getting in a great "student" anthology, you would spend a ton more on just a fraction of the material if you were to buy it separately, say through Amazon, or even a local used bookstore (that's all assuming you don't want to read online, or don't have a Kindle with easy access). Plus, the editors have given you stuff that's incredibly worthwhile already, so it helps gear you towards finding new material that isn't trash. And you've already said that you "really enjoy them" ...

There are the Oxford Books of Prose and Oxford Books of Verse series that collect literature under general (ex. English verse) and niche (ex. English ghost stories) themes, which makes them more accessible, I suppose, since you know more of what you're getting. The best general poetry collection available (imho) is the full Wadsworth Anthology of Poetry, and it's unique in collecting the poems under "themes," like Nature, Love, Animals in poetry, etc., rather than chronologically, and I guess in that sense is closer to a popular anthology without losing the benefits (intro essays, context, criticism, selection) of a proper student anthology. There's also a Wadsworth collection of drama, but that's necessarily a less-comprehensive selection. The Wadsworth collections can be bought for around 30 bucks each, used. The Oxford Books are cheaper.

Also, you can get a 3000-page single-volume used Norton English Lit Anthology for 40 bucks on Amazon. Considering the small size of the text, that's 300 hours of entertainment, a full year's worth of reading if you wanted. For less than the price of a video game, or for about the same amount as a nice dinner, or 8 hours in a movie theater. Or you can get the full, 2-volume, 6000-page version, for about 80 bucks. They really aren't that expensive considering.

a mysterious cloak
Apr 5, 2003

Leave me alone, dad, I'm with my friends!


barkingclam posted:

Can anybody recommend a good anthology of English (or American) literature for a non-student? I've been reading my sisters Norton and Longman anthologies while she's home for the summer and really been enjoying them. But they're both a little too textbook-ish and expensive for me to go out and buy myself. Is there anything like this meant for more general reading?

If you don't mind old editions that I used way back in the dark ages, I might be able to dig out some anthologies for you for free. Just PM me if you're interested.

I also wanted to thank this thread for ruining my sleep this past week, as I was reading House of Leaves. Next time I read it, I won't read it before bed time. :drat:

Awesome book.

Nimrod
Sep 20, 2003
I could use some recommendations on books like Heinlein's Methuselah's Children, or Job: A Comedy of Justice.

sighnoceros
Mar 11, 2007
:qq: GOONS ARE MEAN :qq:
I am looking for some fantasy fiction in a desert type setting. It's totally goony but I'm getting pumped for some Dark Sun D&D when it comes out in less than a month, and looking for inspiration. I just finished reading The Warded Man and The Desert Spear by Peter V Brett and enjoyed them immensely.

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

7 y.o. bitch posted:

Also, you can get a 3000-page single-volume used Norton English Lit Anthology for 40 bucks on Amazon. Considering the small size of the text, that's 300 hours of entertainment, a full year's worth of reading if you wanted... They really aren't that expensive considering.

Honestly, my biggest concern with the Norton or Longman anthologies is more the way they're put together: the paper's really thin and they're all huge paperbacks. I can see them cracking or getting ripped pretty easy. Plus, I'm not really that interested in all the extra stuff - essays, biographical sketches, responses from other texts - since I'm barely acquainted with the original works themselves.

But you make a really good point on their cost. I'll keep my eyes open for a used copy.

Nostratic posted:

If you don't mind old editions that I used way back in the dark ages, I might be able to dig out some anthologies for you for free. Just PM me if you're interested.

I wouldn't mind at all. I don't have PM.

timothyreal
Aug 13, 2007
And, above all, as the chance juxtaposition of a sewing machine and an umbrella on a dissecting table!
This may sound a bit broad, but can someone recommend me any books about the history of the Middle East and North Africa before European imperialism (from ancient times to before the 19th century, I guess.) It's a region and era I didn't learn much about in school, so I'm curious to learn more.

Teriyaki Koinku
Nov 25, 2008

Bread! Bread! Bread!

Bread! BREAD! BREAD!
I am going to be taking a 14 hour non-stop flight to Delhi in September, so I have been looking at books to stock up on for ample reading material on the way there and on the way back home later.

I am a huge fan of political science/history/anthropology/philosophy/culture/internationalism/current events/religion/etc. With that said, I have a few separate questions for recommendations on different topics for reading material:

1.) First, could anyone recommend a good, relevant, informative, and current book as an introduction to knowing more about Africa as a whole? While I know much about the basics when it comes to Africa, I am fairly ignorant when it comes to knowing specifics about African history/politics/culture, especially when distinguishing between the events and story of each particular country. While I know better than to automatically label Africa as a single, homogeneous state as many do, I feel uneasy with my relative lack of knowledge when it comes to understanding or knowing Africa as a continent. Still, it's hard to imagine a book that could cover the essentials about the various aspects about Africa without being too short as to oversimplify things while not being too long as to be inaccessible.

Long story short, I am looking for a good, accessible introduction to African history and politics (with attention to various regional/country nuances) in the frame of current events and issues.

2.) I just recently purchased Ahmed Rashid's "Descent into Chaos" as an introduction into the issues of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia, but I would also like a book that could give a clearer picture of why Islamic radicalism seems to be such an issue in particular and stands out so much compared to other forms of religious radicalism. In addition, I would also like to read more about why some Islamic societies (or, at least, radical religious elements of society) seem to have such issues with religious and social freedoms as well as education (particularly towards women).

While I am fairly familiar with Islamic politics and why figures such as Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Sayyid Qutb in history have been far more vocal, violent minorities compared to mainstream Islamists, I want to delve deeper into why different Islamic-leaning societies tend to have greater issues and social friction.

In short, a book with a clearer, deeper, and - most importantly - more objective analysis of Islamic radicalism and its particular issue on global, societal, and individual levels.

[EDIT]: It would also be nice to know more about why Europe in particular has such a phobia of Muslim immigrants, given the bans in France on head-scarves and whatnot.

3.) For this third book, I am looking for something that analyzes of the history and politics of the Soviet bloc countries both before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, particularly with regard to the Central Asian countries and current events.

I am mainly interested in how the Soviet bloc countries - particularly the Central Asian countries - were affected by Soviet control and then how they have been affected by the downfall of the Soviet Union after 1991.

Again, I am familiar with the basics, but not with the specific, in-depth history and facts of the Soviet bloc countries, especially with the Central Asian countries.

4.) Although I am going to be in India in the Fall (and arriving in Delhi to start with), I am actually going to be doing intensive Tibetan studies and will have plenty of material to read with respect to Tibetan history and Sino-Tibetan affairs.

That said, are there any good in-depth books on modern India, with respect to history/politics/culture/religion? I am pretty familiar with Hinduism/Jainism/Buddhism and et cetera, but it would be nice to have an accessible book for a good refresher on the India of today as I fly into Delhi.

(A nice book to skim for Delhi and its attractions would be nice, too)


Whew.

That should cover everything for now. Huge thanks in advance!

Teriyaki Koinku fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Jul 28, 2010

appropriatemetaphor
Jan 26, 2006

timothyreal posted:

This may sound a bit broad, but can someone recommend me any books about the history of the Middle East and North Africa before European imperialism (from ancient times to before the 19th century, I guess.) It's a region and era I didn't learn much about in school, so I'm curious to learn more.

I'm reading "Destiny Disrupted" by Ansary, I think it'd serve as a good introduction to ME history. It doesn't cover pre-Islamic civilization that much (after all it's subtitle "A History of the World through Islamic Eyes"), so you'll probably have to read something else to get that portion. It does however hit pretty heavily on the effects of colonialism and imperialism on the the Middle East, and on more fundamental aspects of Islamic society.

If you want ancient history, "Ancient Iraq" by Roux was pretty solid, but a bit dense. It covers everything from Sumeria out to the Hittites or at least Assyria I think (I forget how far it went in time).

Another option is "A History of the Arab Peoples" by Hourani, is a really good overarching history of the whole Middle East, it suffers a bit at times from trying to stuff too much information into too small a space. It was still good though.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

gos_jim posted:

I am looking for some fantasy fiction in a desert type setting. It's totally goony but I'm getting pumped for some Dark Sun D&D when it comes out in less than a month, and looking for inspiration. I just finished reading The Warded Man and The Desert Spear by Peter V Brett and enjoyed them immensely.

Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan might work; it's set in a fantasy version of Reconquista-era spain, so deserts are involved at various points, although it's not 100% blowing sands by any means. There's also Frank Herbert's Dune, though that's sci-fi.


inktvis posted:

You could try Hawkwood: Diabolical Englishman which is a pop history look at one of the major mercenary captains. After he died Ucello was commissioned to paint a fresco of him in the Duomo, alongside those of other popular figures like Jesus, God, the Virgin Mary and Dante, so you know he was legit.

Have to say thank you for this recommendation. I grabbed a copy and it's definitely worth it, exactly the type of general audience history I enjoy reading -- very detailed, "life and times" approach, informative and entertaining.

Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Jul 28, 2010

spabz
Dec 28, 2007

Since the translation thread is in archives, I figured I would ask this here. What translation of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin should I read? Is the current Penguin version any good?

spabz fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Jul 29, 2010

teacup
Dec 20, 2006

= M I L K E R S =

OrangeGuy posted:

I am going to be taking a 14 hour non-stop flight to Delhi in September, so I have been looking at books to stock up on for ample reading material on the way there and on the way back home later.

I am a huge fan of political science/history/anthropology/philosophy/culture/internationalism/current events/religion/etc. With that said, I have a few separate questions for recommendations on different topics for reading material:

1.) First, could anyone recommend a good, relevant, informative, and current book as an introduction to knowing more about Africa as a whole? While I know much about the basics when it comes to Africa, I am fairly ignorant when it comes to knowing specifics about African history/politics/culture, especially when distinguishing between the events and story of each particular country. While I know better than to automatically label Africa as a single, homogeneous state as many do, I feel uneasy with my relative lack of knowledge when it comes to understanding or knowing Africa as a continent. Still, it's hard to imagine a book that could cover the essentials about the various aspects about Africa without being too short as to oversimplify things while not being too long as to be inaccessible.

Long story short, I am looking for a good, accessible introduction to African history and politics (with attention to various regional/country nuances) in the frame of current events and issues.

2.) I just recently purchased Ahmed Rashid's "Descent into Chaos" as an introduction into the issues of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia, but I would also like a book that could give a clearer picture of why Islamic radicalism seems to be such an issue in particular and stands out so much compared to other forms of religious radicalism. In addition, I would also like to read more about why some Islamic societies (or, at least, radical religious elements of society) seem to have such issues with religious and social freedoms as well as education (particularly towards women).

While I am fairly familiar with Islamic politics and why figures such as Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Sayyid Qutb in history have been far more vocal, violent minorities compared to mainstream Islamists, I want to delve deeper into why different Islamic-leaning societies tend to have greater issues and social friction.

In short, a book with a clearer, deeper, and - most importantly - more objective analysis of Islamic radicalism and its particular issue on global, societal, and individual levels.

[EDIT]: It would also be nice to know more about why Europe in particular has such a phobia of Muslim immigrants, given the bans in France on head-scarves and whatnot.

3.) For this third book, I am looking for something that analyzes of the history and politics of the Soviet bloc countries both before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, particularly with regard to the Central Asian countries and current events.

I am mainly interested in how the Soviet bloc countries - particularly the Central Asian countries - were affected by Soviet control and then how they have been affected by the downfall of the Soviet Union after 1991.

Again, I am familiar with the basics, but not with the specific, in-depth history and facts of the Soviet bloc countries, especially with the Central Asian countries.

4.) Although I am going to be in India in the Fall (and arriving in Delhi to start with), I am actually going to be doing intensive Tibetan studies and will have plenty of material to read with respect to Tibetan history and Sino-Tibetan affairs.

That said, are there any good in-depth books on modern India, with respect to history/politics/culture/religion? I am pretty familiar with Hinduism/Jainism/Buddhism and et cetera, but it would be nice to have an accessible book for a good refresher on the India of today as I fly into Delhi.

(A nice book to skim for Delhi and its attractions would be nice, too)


Whew.

That should cover everything for now. Huge thanks in advance!


Is there like a history book thread in the book barn? I had a bit of a check but came up zip. Am I missing something obvious? I almost want to post a thread myself but dunno if it'd be big enough.

I'm looking for like a good, not totally dry history book. Almost any really. Two I really enjoyed were 'Guns, Germs and Steel' and 'Collapse' both by Jared Diamond... both kinda dealt with things like why did evolution of culture and technology seemingly favour western cultures in terms of going and dominating half the world and it was a really good look at a lot of cultures on earth throughout history, collapse was similar but more dealing with why some just didn't work out.

Anything similar to them anyone knows? I'm reading at the moment and loving 1492 a brief history of the united states (I think it's the title!) by Howard Zinn, but I'm Australian so I'm not sure how well known that book is (It was mentioned in the sopranos!)

I've even read some history books for uni work and just gone nuts reading the chapters we didn't look at in school. I am interested in basically any history, the older the better mostly, and especially some off the beaten track type things like hearing about old interactions between cultures like east vs. west and stuff... it's all so interesting to me. I just want to run into a bookstore and buy heaps of poo poo but I know a lot of it is just pop trash and I'd like something with a bit of credibility.

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

teacup posted:

I'm looking for like a good, not totally dry history book. Almost any really. Two I really enjoyed were 'Guns, Germs and Steel' and 'Collapse' both by Jared Diamond... both kinda dealt with things like why did evolution of culture and technology seemingly favour western cultures in terms of going and dominating half the world and it was a really good look at a lot of cultures on earth throughout history, collapse was similar but more dealing with why some just didn't work out.

Anything similar to them anyone knows? I'm reading at the moment and loving 1492 a brief history of the united states (I think it's the title!) by Howard Zinn, but I'm Australian so I'm not sure how well known that book is (It was mentioned in the sopranos!)

I've even read some history books for uni work and just gone nuts reading the chapters we didn't look at in school. I am interested in basically any history, the older the better mostly, and especially some off the beaten track type things like hearing about old interactions between cultures like east vs. west and stuff... it's all so interesting to me. I just want to run into a bookstore and buy heaps of poo poo but I know a lot of it is just pop trash and I'd like something with a bit of credibility.

If you're interested just reading anything about history, there's some really good Greek and Roman stuff put out by Penguin. I enjoyed Herodotus' Histories and Suetonius' The Twelve Casears and I've been meaning to read Livy's books on Rome.

Suetonius's book is especially fun, since he dishes a lot of dirt about ancient Rome - affairs, rumors, backroom deals, bribes (so many bribes) and such. He even included little mocking rhymes people used to say whomever was in power, like this one on Augustus from the Sicilian War:

quote:

He took a beating twice at sea, and threw two fleets away / So now to achieve one victory, he throws dice all day

barkingclam fucked around with this message at 17:30 on Jul 29, 2010

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

barkingclam posted:

If you're interested just reading anything about history, there's some really good Greek and Roman stuff put out by Penguin. I enjoyed Herodotus' Histories and Suetonius' The Twelve Casears and I've been meaning to read Livy's books on Rome.


If you're into Herodotus, there's a GREAT edition out fairly recently :The Landmark Herodotus. It's MASSIVELY annotated, with maps on almost every page, etc. Pretty much unbeatable.

Doggy Howser M.D
Mar 23, 2009

It is hard being a psychiatrist when you are not allowed on furniture
Can anyone recommend any mature contemporary fantasy or sci-fi? Something set in the present where magic exist, but in secret, or involving some powerful science/discoveries. It would be even better if the story involved secret history, or espionage.

Even better if it happens to be a series.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

Doggy Howser M.D posted:

Can anyone recommend any mature contemporary fantasy or sci-fi? Something set in the present where magic exist, but in secret, or involving some powerful science/discoveries. It would be even better if the story involved secret history, or espionage.

Even better if it happens to be a series.

Charles Stross' laundry files series. Think cold war era espionage thrillers + impending lovecraftian "stars coming right" apocalypse instead of impending nuclear apocalypse. VERY geeky, though: magic basically works by IT Nerd principles.

The Dresden Files books are also modern fantasy, and also have an ongoing thread; they're basically noir detective who is also a wizard.

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barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

Hieronymous Alloy posted:

If you're into Herodotus, there's a GREAT edition out fairly recently :The Landmark Herodotus. It's MASSIVELY annotated, with maps on almost every page, etc. Pretty much unbeatable.

Wow, that's a pretty awesome book. The ones on the Peloponnesian War look interesting too. I may have to check them out in the future.

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