How do you like it? I love McCammon but haven't taken the leap into the Corbett series yet. I'm actually reading Boy's Life right now...
What book(s) are you currently reading?
- Thread starter john4psu
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How do you like it? I love McCammon but haven't taken the leap into the Corbett series yet. I'm actually reading Boy's Life right now...
I like it a lot. I like the Corbett series. Queen of Bedlam being my personal favorite.
Boy's life is fantastic and outside of Swan Song my be my favorite of his so far.
With the success of Stranger Things I can't believe someone hasn't picked up the movie option for it.
I just finished "The Making of the Atomic Bomb," and decided to read this, for the second time.
During the summer I usually do multiple novels by a single writer; I'm at this point undecided between Thomas Hardy and Richard Russo. Probably will do Hardy; it's been a while since I've read Jude the Obscure.
I'm currently reading "The Gene" by
Sid Mukherjee (?sp). It very good, probably not as good as his "Emperor of all maladies"
Making of the atomic bomb was one of the best history books I've read.
For fiction, Russo is top notch. Start with Mohawk and don't look back.
200 Questions For Internet Message boards by John4PSU.
Read this about 10 years ago, had a hard time finding it. Finally got it through used book seller in New York!
Just finished Northkill, 1700’s Amish/ Mennonite settlement in Berks County
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That’s interesting. Just saw the movie “Darkest Hour,” which depicted Churchill asking FDR for help against the Germans, but FDR supposedly turned him down.
Grant by Ron Chernow
How To Survive a Plague about the early days of AIDs
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (furthest along in this; it's outstanding)
How To Survive a Plague about the early days of AIDs
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (furthest along in this; it's outstanding)
Julius was a good friend of my roommate Ronnie back when. I'll have to get this. If you told me he was going to write a book 30 years ago, well...
I’m reading When the Lions Roared by Bill Contz. The story of the ’82 Nittany Lions which happened to be my junior year and first year at main campus. I’ve read some stories that I haven’t heard before. I’m up to Sugar Bowl week and can’t wait to find out how we do against Herschel Walker and #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl! Who doesn't love a happy ending?
What do you think of this, Tom? I read an interview with the author (a Pittsburgh resident) when the book came out about a year ago and it looked interesting.
Scars of Independence: America's Violent Birth
by Holger Hoock
Having finished Alexander Hamilton by RonChernow, I am reading Thomas Jefferson, The Art of Power by Jon Meacham.
Why Nations Fail - The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
two excellent books
too soon to tell. I'm 128 pages in to a 559 page book. my initial take is that Hoock tends to generalize a bit, but that's tough to tell until you look closely at the Notes section, where historians cite their specific references. (I've had situations where I had the same initial sense of a history book, only to later discover that the sections that caused me concern were taken directly from other books, or from historical documents, so it's not fair to blame the author of the book that cites such books/documents.)
Another initial evaluation is that I find myself picking up the book every time I have a free moment, which usually is an indicator that I find the book interesting.
If you're interested, I'll try to remember to post a follow-up after I finish the book.
I just finished "What the Dog Saw" which is a collection of 20+ New Yorker articles by Malcolm Gladwell. Very good. Getting ready to start "The Future is History" about the rise of Putin.
The Game of Thrones series is excellent. The books, as usual, are better than the TV series. The books will keep you busy for awhile.
However, I’m afraid that George R. R. Martin will never get the book series completed.
Scars of Independence: America's Violent Birth
by Holger Hoock
@Raffycorn, I finished the book on Monday. Since then I've been reflecting on it, and also reviewing the Notes section against the passages in the book to clarify what were sources that Hoock was referencing, and what were his interpretations.
To do a fair review of the book, I have to look at it from two perspectives -- the general public, and a Rev War history nut.
Hoock's basic thrust is that the Revolutionary War has been romanticized in the general perception as well as in most history books about the saga, but that is was in fact a pretty violent event, both between the British (and their German auxiliaries) and the Americans (on both sides), as well as within the colonies between the Loyalists and the Patriots (or Radicals, depending on your perspective), as well as looking at the War through the prism of Native Americans, and of African Americans (both slaves and free). In addition, he seems to think that his background as a native German, who got his doctorate at Oxford, who who currently is a professor in the United States, and wasn't raised on the myths of either the UK or the USA, could offer a more accurate analysis of the War.
I agree with part of his claim -- the Revolutionary War has been romanticized. All wars tend to be romanticized by the victors. Since the Revolutionary War created the United States, it is for most Americans the start of their national history. The Founding Fathers, Revolutionary War heroes, and many patriots have been placed on pedestals, and buffed to a shine that is grossly unrealistic.
While the romanticization is, in part, due to the writings of historians or want-to-be historians of the 19th century, it resides mostly in the general public. Historians in the 2nd-half of the 20th century, and the early part of the 21st century, have done an excellent job of uncovering truths that had been either forgotten or not known for 200/200+ years. Those that have been reading their books and articles (Rev War enthusiasts, or others that have read more than a few books on the subject), are well aware of the unvarnished truths of the Rev War, including how violent and ugly many aspects of it were, for the combatants as well as inhabitants of the 13 States.
For the general public, I think it would be an informative book, as well as one that is well written. It provides a lot of facts about the violence on both sides of the conflict, as well as within communities where there was a lot of ugliness between patriots and loyalists (as well as neutrals). As the book covers an interval from @ 1770 until after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, and looks as many theaters in the War, most major campaigns, as well as how prisoners were treated, it gives a pretty full picture of the violence that occurred during the 8 years of the conflict. You're probably in that category, so I would encourage you to give it a read.
On the flip side, I don't think Rev War enthusiasts or historians would find the book all that interesting. By covering the entire war, and examining so many aspects within the war, it doesn't provide the amount of details that enthusiasts or historians are generally seeking. There are entire books written on subjects that Hoock examines in a chapter or less.
On a personal level, I was somewhat disappointed with the book. When it first came out in early 2017, there was a lot of buzz about it. I was scheduled to go to a presentation that Hoock gave about the book, but ended up having a something else I had to attend that day. For a book that was 559 pages long (including the Notes and Index section), there were surprisingly few facts presented by Hoock that I did not already know. But I read 25+ history books on the Rev War in 2017, and have already completed 4 in 2018. Books that are sweeping in the number of years they cover are rarely interesting to me, unless they examine an aspect of the Rev War that has basically not been previously examined. Hoock's book has a chapter on how prisoners were treated on both sides of the conflict. It's not a bad chapter, but last year I read: Forgotten Patriots -- an examination of how the British treated American prisoners; Dangerous Guests -- an examination of how the Americans treated British and German prisoners, with a focus on those held in the Lancaster, PA area; The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn -- an examination of how the British treated prisoners on their main prison ship off the coast of Brooklyn. As such, the chapter read to me like a summary of those three books, but didn't offer near the detail that any of them did.
I hope the above helps. As I indicated, I do recommend the book for the general public.
Death Traps by Belton Cooper. The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II.
That is a whole lot of reading, brother. Which book are you on?
I read the entire series. Took a couple of decades, because it took Robert Jordan that long to write and publish all fourteen books. For many years, one of my annual (or bi-annual) Christmas presents was the latest installment in the WOT series. The penultimate book was a joint effort between Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, given Jordan's death, and the final book, A Memory of Light, was written entirely by Sanderson, albeit based on plot outlines and directions provided by Jordan prior to his death.
Sony Pictures has purchased the rights to the WOT series, and is planning a TV series. That has been made viable by the success of the Game of Thrones series. WOT is a FAR bigger and better work of fantasy than Game of Thrones, but its scope is so large and complex that putting it into televised form (particularly decent televised form) will be a monumental task.
I'm on book six right now. I started around August this past year. I just started book six about a week ago. I listen with Audible versions. I have two hours in the car every day to listen. One hour commute each way to and from work.
I agree about going to television. I would hope that it goes a similar route as GOT and is put on pay TV like HBO or Showtime. It would get too watered down to be on network television. I want to see Aviendha and Egwene running naked.
And all of the scantily clad Aiel. Plus many of the scenes would require quite an animation budget. That wouldn't work for a network TV series.
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