Read any good books?

Started by Future Canadian, Feb 11 06 11:21

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Future Canadian

Feb 11 06 11:21
This board needs a books thread. I'm currently reading (when I'm not staring at the internet) Salt by Mark Kurlansky. It's a fascinating history of something one never gives much thought to.[/DIV]Recent works that also spring to mind - Firelord by Parke Godwin. It is a work of historical fiction taking on the King Arthur mythos. Very well researched and well written, it gives you a good idea of what Northern Europe was like at the time and makes King Arthur seem very real indeed.[/DIV]Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula le Guin. Great sci-fi. It's about a planet inhabited by humans who are both sexes. It is strange and good.And finally on the graphic novel front, anyone with any interest in sci-fi needs to check out Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassady. Each episode riffs on a different classic sci-fi theme-mothra type creatures, Doc Savage, giant bugs, etc. Ellis has a great knack for making sci-fi concepts seem real through convincing science-guy talk.
...religion has made some contributions to civilization. It helped in the early days to fix the calendar, and it caused Egyptian priests to chronicle ecplipses with such care that in time they were able to predict them. These two services I am prepared to acknowledge, but I do not know of any others

Admin

#1
Feb 11 06 11:39
I just finished reading What Liberal Media? by Eric Alterman, and I recommend it as an eye-opening look into one of America's most pervasive myths. In short, the whole notion that media in America is "liberal" or even "left-leaning" is utter crap, and I couldn't agree more. It makes for a great sound-bite but it simply isn't true.
I don't live on the edge, but sometimes I go there to visit.

Admin

#2
Feb 11 06 11:46
I also just finished a book titled Jennider Government which is extremely funny and well worth the read.

Big Business has taken over and employees take the name of their company as their last name (i.e. John Nike, Ted PepsiCo, etc). It wickedly satirical and well-written. The government has been totally privatized and "The Police" only invesitigate a crime if they can get funding (although they're available to do contract killings at low, low, discount prices!). If you quit your job and your replacement isn't competent, the company sues you for lost profits.

Lots of fun to read.
I don't live on the edge, but sometimes I go there to visit.

kitten

#3
Feb 11 06 11:49
For anyone interested in science-fiction, I would recommend the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold.  She seems to consistently write fast-paced, interesting, can't-put-down stories.  Not romantic, mushy lit, but well-defined characters.
Thousands of years ago cats were worshipped.  They have not forgotten.

kitten

#4
Feb 11 06 11:52
Sorry, forgot to mention...........what a great idea for a thread!  I'm sure I'll find many other good authors just from people's recommendations.
Thousands of years ago cats were worshipped.  They have not forgotten.

Future Canadian

#5
Feb 11 06 12:37
Those sound like things I would like to pick up kitten and Admin![/DIV]I also remembered Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee. A well paced story about falling in love with an android. That sounds hokey when I type it out but it really is poignant, dramatic and well written.[/DIV]And I do read more than just sci-fi. Honest.(btw kitten I like your signature)
...religion has made some contributions to civilization. It helped in the early days to fix the calendar, and it caused Egyptian priests to chronicle ecplipses with such care that in time they were able to predict them. These two services I am prepared to acknowledge, but I do not know of any others

kitten

#6
Feb 11 06 01:26
I never thought I would be interested in war-based Science fiction, but reading David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series changed my mind.  These are believable people with all the good and bad of humanity involved in a future war.  You can draw lots of parallels between our world of today and the worlds of the future.  Worlds may expand, but human nature remains pretty well the same.  
Thousands of years ago cats were worshipped.  They have not forgotten.

Future Canadian

#7
Feb 11 06 01:36
  You can draw lots of parallels between our world of today and the worlds of the future.  Worlds may expand, but human nature remains pretty well the same.  [/DIV]
That's what I love about sci-fi. I thought Dune was a great example of this. I recently reread it and enjoyed it immensely.
...religion has made some contributions to civilization. It helped in the early days to fix the calendar, and it caused Egyptian priests to chronicle ecplipses with such care that in time they were able to predict them. These two services I am prepared to acknowledge, but I do not know of any others

kitten

#8
Feb 11 06 01:55
I haven't re-read that book in years.  I'll have to pick it up again.  Have you ever read "Enemy Mine" by (I think) Barry Longyear?  It was made into a movie starring Lou Gossett, Jr. as the alien.  I thought it was a very touching story of opposing warriors becoming reliant on each other and forming a close bond.  He actually did it justice in the film, which I think is quite unusual.  Usually they take a good story and massacre it for the sake of special effects and dumbed down dialogue.
Thousands of years ago cats were worshipped.  They have not forgotten.

P.C.

#9
Feb 11 06 09:23
One of my favourites is 'The Poisonwood Bible'. by Barbara Kingsolver (?)

The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it--from garden seeds to Scripture--is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.  

(I 'stole' the summary, as it was described much better than my attempt would have been.  I'd have gone on for pages) I strongly believe this book should be required reading in our school curriculum.  What an eye opener.
Sir Isaac Newton invented the swinging door....for the convenience of his cat.

Spec 4

#10
Feb 11 06 10:47
I just finished The Sling And The Stone - On War In The 21st Century. It's about "4GW", or "4th Generation War", which is what we have in Iraq now. 4GW takes place in a decentralized manner, using all available assets (political, social, economic, networking, etc) and takes decades to play out, not weeks or months as the US Military is used to.

Now that it's a 4GW war in Iraq, basically, we're f*cked- the war will go on forever or until we pull out. We cannot win a 4GW scenario no matter how much $$$ or soldiers we pour into it.  

America has lost both 4GW wars we've been in (Vietnam and Somalia*) and the Russians lost in a 4GW war in Afghanistan. Numerous examples abound, and it's always the same thing- the big conventional military forces get depleted, attrition mounts and cripples the big conventional military force, and eventually they lose.

Mark my words: We will lose in Iraq because it's transitioned to a 4GW type of war. It is inevitable and no amount of flag-waving will change it.

It's interesting reading, but not something that'll make you want to enlist.

*Yes, Somalia was a war, even if they didn't say so out loud. So was Vietnam, despite it being officially termed a "police action".

P.C.

#11
Feb 11 06 10:56
Interesting.....I'm not comparing the two, but would a Tom Clancy fan 'enjoy' this book ????
Sir Isaac Newton invented the swinging door....for the convenience of his cat.

Sportsdude

#12
Feb 11 06 11:06
Right now I'm reading Orwell's 1984 and The Communist Manifesto by Marx.
"We can't stop here. This is bat country."

Future Canadian

#13
Feb 11 06 11:07
What a combo!
...religion has made some contributions to civilization. It helped in the early days to fix the calendar, and it caused Egyptian priests to chronicle ecplipses with such care that in time they were able to predict them. These two services I am prepared to acknowledge, but I do not know of any others

Marik

#14
Feb 12 06 01:56
Some big Edgar Allan Poe book.
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