What Book Are You Reading? Volume 9

[SchoolzSoKewl]

I'm reading Les Miserables for the first time, it moves really fast, almost like a Harry Potter book.
To be honest whenever I'm reading literature it's usually because I know that I should not really because I want to.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Currently: Persian Fire

completed: A Mighty Fortress - David Weber
Mission of Honor - David Weber
Moringstar strain - Books 1 & 2

 

[Smellincoffee]

Currently: Persian Fire

completed: A Mighty Fortress - David Weber
Mission of Honor - David Weber
Moringstar strain - Books 1 & 2

Persian Fire helped me understand a little about Persian dualism....and consequently, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic dualism.

Where's that Weber book in the Honor Harrington series? I've read some of the first book, but I don't recall the title. I have read most of the Horatio Hornblower series that Honor is supposedly based on.

 

[Babbler]

I'm reading 1948: The First Arab-Israeli War by Benny Morris. It's good.

 

[Communisto]

The Fall of Mussolini by Philip Morgan. Really good.

 

[Arriaga II]

Easy question - I can only purchase 1 of these right now, so which book should I get?

Peter Heather: The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians

vs.

Adrian Goldsworthy: How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower

 

[Integral]

I haven't read a non-textbook in what feels like forever, so I'm picking up Charles Spencer's Battle for Europe, seeing as I know next to nothing about the Duke of Marlborough and why he was such a good soldier.

What I really need is a good book on European history from about 1450 to about 1815.

 

[madviking]

Easy question - I can only purchase 1 of these right now, so which book should I get?

Peter Heather: The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians

vs.

Adrian Goldsworthy: How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower

Get Gibbon's.

 

[Arriaga II]

Get Gibbon's.

Too expensive. I can always read it online though.

 

[Godwynn]

Genius and Character - Emil Ludwig

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

If you like fantasy even a little, absolutely. And even if you don't, give it a try.

Yeah, I'm not that big a fan of fantasy books and I fell in love with the series.

I've just finished all of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books, which I loved. Started Moby Dick, which has rather hooked me so far, I'm pleased to say.

 

[Quackers]

Alfred the Great: The man who made England - Justin Pollard

 

[sophie]

Too expensive. I can always read it online though.

Who wants to read a book online? Can you check them out from the library?

I'm currently reading The Lord of the Rings -The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein. Perhaps you've heard of it?

I've slowed down considerably, though, because I've just gotten to book IV, and I don't really like Frodo and Sam.

 

[Masada]

Peter Heather: The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians

This. Dachs also approves.

 

[MathNerd]

The Science of Liberty

A really good book about how liberalism and science cannot exist without each other.

 

[Arriaga II]

This. Dachs also approves.

Thanks for the recommendation. Amazon had a lot of "Goldsworthy's book was published more recently than Heather's so it must be better" style customer reviews, and I didn't know where to look to get a good synopsis on which author to choose.

I plan on ordering it and several other books this weekend.

 

[Masada]

Amazon had a lot of "Goldsworthy's book was published more recently than Heather's so it must be better" style customer reviews, and I didn't know where to look to get a good synopsis on which author to choose.

I don't see why being slightly more recently really matters all that much as both are arguing from different perspectives. Personally, and this is sentiments Dachs has echoed Goldsworthy isn't as good a writer, his argument doesn't seem to be as nuanced and these fall rather flat on occasion: 'flash in the pan' was used in this context. I can't say whose right, both make valid points. But I would go for Heather first, then read Goldsworthy later specifically looking at how he takes the knife to Heather's premises. In that he is fairly successful but I think if you read it first you might find it underwhelming. Whatever the case, both are pretty good. I still have to finish Halsall, Heather's newest and Wickham when I get the time.

I plan on ordering it and several other books this weekend.

Do tell.

 

[Arriaga II]

Do tell.

As a sparsely employed college student, I'm too poor to specialize in specific genres with my book choices. So with about $50 set aside, I'm deciding between the following books.

One of Heather vs. Goldsworthy.

Xenophon - Hellenica (The Landmark Edition). Expensive, but I really liked Herodotus version in this series. The extremely extensive maps, footnotes and appendices stop the casual reader from getting lost. (Although I'm sort of between a casual reader and a specialist)

Gordon Wood - The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Some (like Newt Gingrich LOL) call this his seminal work and I really enjoyed his Oxford History of the United States entry Empire of Liberty.

Montefiore - Young Stalin. Sounds very intriguing.

Jay Taylor - The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China. Sounds good and I have to start somewhere since I have nada in my Chinese history section of my bookshelf beyond the abridged version of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I might wait for a paperback version.

Mark Thompson - The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915-1919. I want something off the beaten track about World War I. I might wait for the paperback version to come out this autumn, however.

Right now I'm leaning towards Xenophon, Heather and Montefiore.

 

[Masada]

Can't help you there, unfortunately.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

The Science of Liberty

A really good book about how liberalism and science cannot exist without each other.

That sounds like a really stupid book, actually, if that is indeed its basis.