|
1913: The Eve of War by Paul Ham Not having spent much deep study time on the First World War, this essay was a fascinating read about the driving forces that led to combat. The schoolbook explanation of the entangled alliances set off by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand seem (refreshingly) simple in the face of the political and economic realities of the time. Ham looks at railroad construction, the final stages of European colonization efforts in Asia and Africa and the development of a scientific outlook on war in an easy-to-read, but clearly well-researched, way. The last few lines of the essay sums it up perfectly: quote:"The simple truth is: men in power planned , chose - or weakly acquiesced in the choice - to go to war; only they could have avoided or stopped it. And there were many opportunities to do so. They were all, more or less, responsible. They were not somnambulant pawns under the spell of some malign Zeus." It inspired me to pick up John Keegan's The First World War, which I'm reading through now. Also... George Washingtons Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade I'm glad I know the story, but the writing... Certainly not looking around for other books by the author, even less so after I discovered his "credentials". Don't confuse this with academic fare.
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2014 06:43
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 00:48 |
|
|
Wool - Hugh Howey Yes, I'm way behind the times in reading this book. I found the book to be a bit of a page-turner, especially the last fifth of it, but overall it was less than what I'd been led to believe it was. The wife is reading Shift now, so I'll read that soon I guess, but this struck me as too much in the same vein as Hunger Games (not plot-wise, just in the feel of the novel). Also just finished The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss, which I enjoyed much more than Wool. It had an issue with seeming a bit samey, though. Challenge presented, knocked down. Next challenege presented, knocked down. And since this whole series is backstory, there's no real suspense as to survival, it's purely a "what comes next?". Still, though the story wasn't as fantastic as I'd hoped it would be, the writing was well done and I'm looking forward to the next book (what comes next!?).
|
|
#
¿
May 28, 2014 17:16
|
|
|
art of spoonbending posted:I'm one of the many who have praised Wool but I see where you're coming from. It really isn't great literature by any stretch of an imagination (haven't read Hunger Games to compare), the thing I loved about it was the world he created, how believable it was, the characters were believable (though forgettable) and the plot rocketed along, it really was a page turner. Yeah, I shouldn't have come off as negative as it seems I did. I enjoyed the book and the world he created is fascinating and just "realistic" enough to be quite vivid. The last fifth of the book I read in one go, so he definitely grabbed, and held, my attention.
|
|
#
¿
May 28, 2014 18:57
|
|
|
art of spoonbending posted:You didn't come off as too negative at all, just kind of said that it was overhyped. And I was sort of apologizing for and explaining why it might have been overhyped, while recognizing that it really isn't that great... we don't all have to like the same things to the same degree. I love reading about other people's opinions of things I've read and glad you shared yours. I might have gone on a bit too much as to why I like it and if so, apologies! Ah, no worries! Definitely appreciate your perspective.
|
|
#
¿
May 28, 2014 19:30
|
|
|
RightClickSaveAs posted:I finished this some months ago and am still feeling pretty pleased with myself about it. The amount of detail about whaling was the most surprising thing about the book to me, I was not expecting that. I actually enjoyed it though, I feel I now know something about 1800's whaling, a subject that hadn't even crossed my mind in my entire life. Perusing back pages of this thread looking for my next read and saw this... This is intriguing enough to me to pick up ole Mr. Dick. I've been to the whaling museum in San Sebastian and it was a fascinating place.
|
|
#
¿
May 30, 2014 02:38
|
|
|
Tanadon posted:Halfway through Prelude to Dune by Brian Herbet and Kevin J. Anderson. While I'm enjoying the fact it's expanding the Dune universe, I keep spotting these glaring editorial errors, did no one proofread it?! Yes, it's the same with all their books. I've read them all because I love the Universe, but it's more than a little sad how little care when into the craft of the book.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 1, 2014 05:08
|
|
|
withak posted:The good thing aobut Dune books is that they get progressively worse, starting with the original Frank Herbert ones and continuing through the awful Brian Herbert collaboration ones. So read them in the order that they were written and if you find you can't finish one then just stop because they only get worse from there on out. Everyone's stopping point depends on their tolerance for terrible fanfic. Lol, this is exactly right. I am "glad" I read them when I had gobs of time to read, because after having kids, I have a feeling I'd have quit about three books in to the collaboration/expanded universe.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 1, 2014 21:47
|
|
|
Zola posted:Just finished Gun with Occasional Music. I really enjoyed it, I liked how Lethem worked in his creepy dysfunctional future while keeping the narrative straight gumshoe pulp. I don't remember who gave the rec, but thank you! I absolutely loved this book. One of my favorite reads. I think I'm going to read it again, as soon as I finish Devil in the White City.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 14, 2014 05:52
|
|
|
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson I'm torn about this book. It's more like two small books told side by side rather than a single, intertwined tale. I really enjoyed the story of the White City, if it did seem to drag a bit. The story of Holmes, which I think for many including me was the major factor of picking up the book, seemed empty compared to the detail of the Fair's tight details. The last quarter of the book was almost purely about the investigation that led to Holmes' conviction and it was fairly interesting. It was hard to get through, but I'm glad I finished it (thanks to some encouragement from the Books You Never Finished thread), I just won't go running out to make all my friends read it.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 26, 2014 03:37
|
|
|
This is my favorite response of the thread. Well done, sir.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 10, 2014 15:05
|
|
|
blackguy32 posted:I just finished The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. They were good books. Much better than I was expecting. I really couldn't put them down once I got going with it. But that ending is a disappointment. It just felt really rushed and sloppy. I remember loving these books when they came out. You're right, though, Thrawn sees the most amazing things coming with insight from the most obscure artifacts, but is done in by the thing he should be most familiar with...
|
|
#
¿
Jul 13, 2014 14:56
|
|
|
BadOptics posted:No Country for Old Men has blown me away. It's seriously one of the top 3 books (if not THE top book) that I've read this past year. I love this book. I'm an unabashed mcarthy fan, but I just love the voices of the characters in this book. If you haven't read The Road or All the Pretty Horses, go grab those for a treat.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 5, 2014 14:22
|
|
|
C-Euro posted:Shogun - James Clavell I've read Shogun a number of times. Have my grandfathers first paperback release and it's kept together by duct tape now. Can't let it go. The followup novels are good, as well. Tai Pan is probably my favorite, but King Rat is a good read as well. If you liked Shogun, check the rest of the books out as you'll probably enjoy those as well.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 18, 2017 21:50
|
|
|
Just finished my second read through of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel by Susanna Clarke. I decided to read it again after blasting my way through the miniseries. Still really love this book and it's an auto-recommendation whenever someone asks me for a non-fiction book.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 23, 2017 05:10
|
|
|
StrixNebulosa posted:Wait, what? Bwahahaha, yeah, went brain dead for a sec. CestMoi posted:Truly, this is the best of all possible posts.  Nicely played.Dr. Pangloss fucked around with this message at 16:28 on Jan 23, 2017 |
|
#
¿
Jan 23, 2017 16:26
|
|
|
StrixNebulosa posted:Can you expand on the rec? Oh, yeah! The book is about two magicians, living in England in the 19th century. Magic is coming back into England after being dormant for centuries, and two magicians with very different feelings about how magic should be practiced emerged. What I loved about the book is that it takes a fantastic thing like magic and it puts it in the real world. It's part alt-history, part-fantasy, but the world feels authentic. And the actual writing is very good. It was a pleasure to read. Very different style, but the same sort of pleasure I get from reading Cormac McCarthy, I just love the way that Clark puts words together.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 24, 2017 05:30
|
|
|
Just finished Scipio Africanus by B.H. Liddell Hart. I have mixed feelings after finishing the book this afternoon. It was very informative, clear and supported with maps to aid in the description. Hart touches on the military and political aspects of Scipio's struggle in his war on Carthage, all while describing how many of this strategic (and some tactical) executions were far ahead of his time. My mixed feelings are a result of the way that Hart gushes over his subject. The book approaches hagiography, where Scipio is not only the greatest general of Rome, but of history. And not only a great general, but one of history's great statesmen, diplomats, and individuals. There were times when the book would go on a tear about how incredibly marvelous and blameless Scipio was and I'd almost want to look away from the book just to give Hart and Scipio some alone time. That said, the awkward moments we shared were worth it, all in all, because the book is well-referenced and easy to read and follow. It's an old one, so I'm sure anyone that's done some serious history reading will likely already have read it, but for those don't know much about Scipio Africanus, this would be a good place to start.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 2, 2017 22:39
|
|
|
C-Euro posted:Finished Dune for the fifth or sixth time. Still perhaps my favorite book ever, though I never noticed until now that the pacing loses a step after the first third or so. Man, you hit the murderers row of some of my favorites here. I've probably read Shogun 20 times, I had to buy another copy because the paperback that my grandfather gave me can't even be held together with duct tape anymore. Dune is similar, love reading that book. Candide is clearly a favorite of mine (Dr. Pangloss is the best) and Slaughterhouse Five is another nearly annual read. Anyway, just a  for your reading year so far!
|
|
#
¿
Aug 8, 2017 15:54
|
|
|
Double post to say I also finished The Lies of Locke Lamora and then raced through Red Seas under Red Skies, the first two books in Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards trilogy. The trilogy follows a group of thieves that target the super rich with a combination of long con and cat burglary. The world is a medieval Earth like planet littered with alien structures of a race no longer present, and with technologies like alchemy that give it a nice flavor. Really love the world he created. Lies was fantastic and I pretty much loved every page of it. Red Seas was less awesome, slow at the start, slow in the middle and the resolution comes incredibly fast and not very satisfyingly. The conclusion to the trilogy The Republic of Thieves still sits in my Kindle library, but I honestly don't have much desire to read it. I'm going to hit some of the other books mentioned here, namely The Way of Kings, and probably circle back to the finale when I miss start to miss Locke and Jean. Dr. Pangloss fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Aug 8, 2017 |
|
#
¿
Aug 8, 2017 16:01
|
|
|
Lawen posted:Circle back to the third book sometime, I liked it better than the second book and thought it was more like the first. The second book is the pirate book and the fourth book is the acting troupe book and I liked them but not as much as the first or third books. Also, there's a fourth book That's very good to hear, both that the third book is more like the first and that there is a fourth. Thanks!
|
|
#
¿
Aug 8, 2017 22:03
|
|
|
StrixNebulosa posted:Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian. What a lousy, lousy book. It almost set me off of the whole series and it'll be a while before I'm willing to touch the next one, this one was so bad. This was my exact experience and I still haven't gotten to the rest of the books.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 15, 2017 13:33
|
|
|
Ulio posted:Can anyone tell me if I am completely wrong on this or is America really still as racist as it was in the 50s-60s? Sorry to disagree with the others, but it's a ridiculous statement to say that racism is as prevalent or institutionalized as it was in the 50s and 60s when governors and state troopers blocked African-American students from attending schools, whites- and blacks- only water fountains and restrooms, etc. Racism exists both in the hearts of people and in the lingering residue of the previous hundreds of years of institutionalized and enforced segregation and oppression, and frankly is probably impossible to entirely eradicate either in America or anywhere else in the world, but there have been vast improvements in the past 50-60 years.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 15, 2017 23:01
|
|
|
Way of the King by Brandon Sanderson Really enjoyed the first book of this series. Very cool world that the book hints is only just being introduced. I like the little vignettes in between the longer chapters. More people have already discussed this, so I won't say much more than to add my voice to those that have enjoyed it. I have already started on the second book and should finish it in plenty of time to be impatient about the third book not yet being released.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 21, 2017 18:37
|
|
|
Dr. Pangloss posted:Way of the King by Brandon Sanderson Finished Words of Radiance. Not as good as the first book, imo, but still good. The story drags in places and the vignettes don't fit quite as tightly, but I'm still excited about the third book.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 28, 2017 01:26
|
|
|
areyoucontagious posted:I also just did Words, and I have to say I'm disappointed. The writing is less engaging than Kings and I found myself losing interest. I think that Sanderson is not a bad writer, but maybe this being a "ten book series" is a tad indulgent. This would be awesome as a tighter three book arc, imo. Totally agree with you. I was definitely working at keeping focused on finishing it for most of the second half. I've been re-reading The Dark Tower series, blown through the first three books and halfway through the fourth. That's a series I wish had gone 10 plus books, but are probably better because he edited it down.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 12, 2017 03:33
|
|
|
cloudchamber posted:The Gulag Archipelago is much better if you can find time for it. It's reportage put to paper by somebody who writes like a poet. Totally agree. Gulag Archipelago is worth the time invested. It's probably been 20 years since I read it, might be time to read it again.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 14, 2017 22:05
|
|
|
Xmaspast posted:I was OBSESSED with those books when I was in early high school. I don't like how later on it becomes so much a 1:1 World War II allegory, but How Few Remain and that first Great War trilogy are both incredibly fun, if a bit dense, reads. I too waited too long to read Devil in the White City, but it was fantastic. It's been a few years since I read it, so it might be time for another read. What did you think of it?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 29, 2017 19:10
|
|
|
Bilirubin posted:I think jesus Pangloss get a fukkin av my broheim This one already has my picture in it, so I figured I was good to go.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 2, 2017 19:38
|
|
|
Nohearum posted:I've never read Stephen King so my friend recommended that I read The Stand. Finished it today. I feel like the middle 50% of the book could've been removed with no loss to the story. A bit underwhelmed by my first taste of his work. The Dark Tower series is fantastic. Needful Things is probably my favorite Stephen King book outside of that series.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 9, 2017 03:44
|
|
|
funkybottoms posted:Hmmm, yeah, if OP feels like The Stand could have used some editing, I doubt The Dark Tower should be next on the list. Read Skeleton Crew, OP. I should have clarified that was mainly meant to say that if he was underwhelmed, not all of Kings works are underwhelming. Skeleton Crew is also v good.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 9, 2017 13:39
|
|
|
Ben Nerevarine posted:Books 3 and 4 primarily take place on the piggies' planet with many of the same characters from SftD. If you liked SftD's setting and characters or want to know more about the piggies and their culture/biology, keep going. If you were more about Ender's Game, it's probably best to get off the train now (and maybe check out the Bean series). Agree with this. 3 and 4 really fell off for me, and I really loved Ender's Game. The Bean series is a better place to go, although I'd say it's still a step down from the first two. Just noticed the new non-Av-haver Av. That's pretty disgusting to do to someone. My first thought was "who the hell bought that for me?".
|
|
#
¿
Oct 9, 2017 19:49
|
|
|
THE RAGGY posted:I just finished Wolves of the Calla, part of the dark tower series by Stephen King. I started this series probably... oh 15 years ago, and got terribly distracted by puberty and then the Black Library but have since returned to it. I never made it to this book in the series previously and man did I miss out. I loved it. I'm currently re-reading the series and am halfway through Wizard and the Glass and my brain keeps screaming "Shut up, Roland, give me the tl;dr so I can get to Wolves!".
|
|
#
¿
Oct 18, 2017 14:40
|
|
|
Mne nravitsya posted:Well poo poo. I own all three, so i guess i’ll have to read them all after I finish my super nostalgic flashback phase of reading the first three Earthsea books that I have not read since 7th grade: many decades ago. Oh man, Earthsea... throwback time.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 24, 2017 02:03
|
|
|
I’ve tried Consider Phlebas twice, and haven’t managed to get through the first hundred pages or so. Should I power through? I actually started reading it because the second book sounded really interesting, but I didn’t want to miss out on things I should know from the first book.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 3, 2017 23:53
|
|
|
Wow, thanks everyone, looks like I have some choices. Appreciate the feedback.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 4, 2017 14:13
|
|
|
The Last Angel Sci-fi story about a massive, superpowered AI space ship created by humanity to defend against an invasion of a massive alien horde come to "civilize" humans. Some really dramatic twists and really great world building. First time I've read a novel on a forum (found here: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-last-angel.244209/). Pretty enjoyable read and it's a "page" turner. I actually have a PDF version you can drop into a Kindle, it's not perfect because I'm not insane enough to go back and correct everything that went imperfectly from my copy-paste from the forums, but it's certainly readable. PM me if you're interested and I'll send you a link to it.
|
|
#
¿
May 12, 2020 15:13
|
|
|
Megazver posted:There are websites for all of these webfiction sites that can automatically compile an epub from a link you provide. For spacebattles.com, try Omnibuser. Thank you! I’m so glad you posted that before I started on the sequel.
|
|
#
¿
May 13, 2020 20:08
|
|
|
Lockback posted:
This is true. Project Hail Mary started off interesting, but got less so the closer the elements got to The Martian. I really liked Rocky and their interaction. The problem with Andy Weir novels is they all feel like they were designed backwards. Like, this is where I want to end up, so what obstacles do I need to overcome, and I’ll set those up, which you also mentioned as big Deus Ex moments. They are there in the Martian, too, but they seem more obvious in PHM. I just finished In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson. I loved this Devil in the White City. Garden is the story of the US ambassador to Germany as Hitler is consolidating his power. This was less personal than that story, even though he was working from their letters and diaries. I felt closer to the people in Devil than Garden, but it was still fascinating and frustrating. We have the benefit of hindsight now, but man it’s hard to read about the lengths people would go to rationalize normal relations with Germany or the handwave the treatment of the Jews. At least until you start to consider some recent events. It’s a slight recommendation for those that enjoy Larson’s writing, or are interested in a more narrative take on this time period.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 9, 2021 08:00
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 00:48 |
|
|
NGDBSS posted:
The main “protagonist” is portrayed as a man in a position of power, but helpless with all the wolves surrounding him. Larson is definitely too forgiving of Dodd, but I don’t get a great Man feel, just the lack of a critical eye. But I think that’s Larson. He falls a little too in love with his subjects. Nikaer Drekin posted:His most recent book, The Splendid and the Vile, is about London during the Blitz, and specifically focuses on Churchill, so it definitely falls into the Great Man stuff a fair amount without totally fawning over him. It was a pretty good read, though I found the details about England in general more interesting than the Churchill-specific stuff. Definitely Larson excels at world building, which is why I enjoy his books so much. I’d never use him as a reference, but he does a great job, imo, of giving the feeling of a historical time and place.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 10, 2021 15:47
|
|