Which book are you reading now? Volume XI

[madviking]

Strangers to Ourselves by Timothy D. Wilson.

awesome book if you're into psychology (passively or actively).

 

[Birdjaguar]

"The Dirty Streets of Heaven" Tad Williams

Awesome for those in favor of or against religion.

 

[Smellincoffee]

I just finished Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, by Mary Pipher. It's about how the culture of the 1990s sucks to raise a girl in. Somewhat dated (girls can talk to HACKERS on their COMPUTER MODEMS, ooooh), and supplanted by newer books that make more coherent arguments, like Consuming Kids and So Sexy So Soon.

"The Dirty Streets of Heaven" Tad Williams

Awesome for those in favor of or against religion.

It sounds like a lot of fun from its description on amazon..

 

[JohannaK]

Just started Beevor's The Battle For Spain.

 

[Azale]

Just started Beevor's The Battle For Spain.

I liked that book! I should read it again.

Commies no bueno en el guerra, pero muy bueno a organizacion.

 

[JohannaK]

Los comunistas no son buenos en la guerra, pero son muy buenos en la organización.

I have found at least a flaw in the historic introduction so far.

It says that the Castle of Montjuich was built in 1714 to watch and repress the city, when in reality Montjuich had been built in the previous century after the 1640 War of the Reapers, as it is known down here, which finished with Roselló going to France (I guess you would call it Roussillon), and the fortress built in 1714 was the Citadel, as it is still today known here, for the building of which a whole neighbourhood, which had been the most devastated by the 1713-1714 siege and was possibly the most crowded area of the city, was demolished. The fortress was in turn demolished in the 19th century and reconverted into a park and exposition area for the Expo of 1888.

 

[Cutlass]

"The Dirty Streets of Heaven" Tad Williams

Awesome for those in favor of or against religion.

I read that just recently as well. Interesting take on things.

 

[Traitorfish]

Finished Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks, starting New Model Army by Adam Roberts. Catching up on my vaguely anarchist-themed sci-fi.

 

[Antilogic]

Los comunistas no son buenos en la guerra, pero son muy buenos en la organización.

I have found at least a flaw in the historic introduction so far.

It says that the Castle of Montjuich was built in 1714 to watch and repress the city, when in reality Montjuich had been built in the previous century after the 1640 War of the Reapers, as it is known down here, which finished with Roselló going to France (I guess you would call it Roussillon), and the fortress built in 1714 was the Citadel, as it is still today known here, for the building of which a whole neighbourhood, which had been the most devastated by the 1713-1714 siege and was possibly the most crowded area of the city, was demolished. The fortress was in turn demolished in the 19th century and reconverted into a park and exposition area for the Expo of 1888.

Creo que el traidor de los peces no estaría de acuerdo.

Please post any other errors you might come across in that book. It's the only major book on the Spanish Civil War I've read, so if there are problems or gaps there I'd love to know where they are.



I'm still going to town on Liberty's Exiles and The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party when I have the free time. I highly recommend the first book to anyone who has read about the American Revolution and wondered what happened to the loyalists afterwards. It's a great look at the aftermath of the war from the British perspective, the refugee situation, how to care for them, where they went, and while not in narrative format, it's close enough to an over-the-shoulder look at what the refugees did to be interesting to those who normally read fiction. The second book, as I've mentioned before, is a massive tome. I won't say it is dry or boring, but it is highly detailed not only on the major elections but on the inner-party politics between the major elections, so if you aren't interested in following backroom deals over the course of years I couldn't recommend it. I'm up to the election of 1848 and can't wait to tackle it again this weekend.

 

[JohannaK]

So far I've only seen a terrible attempt at translating a popular rhyme or something, aside from that.

 

[Birdjaguar]

It sounds like a lot of fun from its description on amazon..

I read that just recently as well. Interesting take on things.

I'm loving it. Two follow up books are in the works.

MisterCooper, you should read this book!!

Bobby Dollar is an angel—a real one. He knows a lot about sin, and not just in his professional capacity as an advocate for souls caught between Heaven and Hell. Bobby’s wrestling with a few deadly sins of his own—pride, anger, even lust.

But his problems aren’t all his fault. Bobby can’t entirely trust his heavenly superiors, and he’s not too sure about any of his fellow earthbound angels either, especially the new kid that Heaven has dropped into their midst, a trainee angel who asks too many questions. And he sure as hell doesn’t trust the achingly gorgeous Countess of Cold Hands, a mysterious she-demon who seems to be the only one willing to tell him the truth.

When the souls of the recently departed start disappearing, catching both Heaven and Hell by surprise, things get bad very quickly for Bobby D. End-of-the-world bad. Beast of Revelations bad. Caught between the angry forces of Hell, the dangerous strategies of his own side, and a monstrous undead avenger that wants to rip his head off and suck out his soul, Bobby’s going to need all the friends he can get—in Heaven, on Earth, or anywhere else he can find them.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0756407680

 

[Antilogic]

So far I've only seen a terrible attempt at translating a popular rhyme or something, aside from that.

Well, I only had four semesters of Spanish so I didn't think it was half-bad!

Oh wait, you meant the book. Right.

 

[JohannaK]

You seem to be a funnier guy than I thought.

 

[Luckymoose]

 

[Traitorfish]

Picked up cheap copies of Useful Work Versus Useless Toil by William Morris and Where I Lived, and What I Lived For, an abridged version of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. F[udge] yeah old-timey anti-wage literature.

 

[warpus]

Finished Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks, starting New Model Army by Adam Roberts. Catching up on my vaguely anarchist-themed sci-fi.

I'm reading Use of Weapons right now. 1/3 in, things are getting interesting. Random girl on the bus asked me about Banks too, which was.. cool.

The other day I bought Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke, Footfall by Larry Niven , and The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg. There was a huge book sale at my work and I got those 3 for $6.. Kinda made me miss going to the book store and buying up interesting sci-fi novels @ the local used bookstore back in highschool. Maybe I should start doing that again.

Has anyone read either of those 3 books I bought?

 

[Antilogic]

Finished Liberty's Exiles, and I highly recommend it. It's an excellent take on the loyalists following the American Revolution, and it takes you through the Napoleonic Wars. The section on Sierra Leone was particularly interesting as well as the Bahamas and Jamaica, although it seemed like it was very short on India--not too many loyalists went there, I suppose, besides Cornwallis (who became a famous governor-general there).

Now starting a theme: I'm reading more about US Presidents. Alongside my long-term project, I'm starting Destiny of the Republic on James Garfield and his assassination.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I just got Pillars of the Earth from the library. Is it any good?

 

[Joecoolyo]

Just finished Carthage Must be Destroyed

Not as in-depth as I thought it would be, especially after reading China Marches West, but I guess that's a good thing since it kept my attention throughout. Also, I'm not sure it could go more in depth, I don't think we really have access to that type of information without having to stretch and infer a lot. But whatever, it got the job done. One thumb up for every person named Hannibal, Hanno, Hasdrubal, and Hamilcar.

Now I'm either moving onto The Years of Rice and Salt or The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution. I'm leaning towards Rice and Salt just because its 100 pages shorter, also I like to break up each history tomb with fiction in between.

 

[_random_]

It sounds like a lot of fun from its description on amazon..

I was intrigued until it said "Revelations" when it meant "Revelation."