Which book are you reading now? Volume XI

[SheaferDaDawg]

I am reading Bananas: How the United Fruit Company shaped the World today, or something along those lines. Good, informative read, especially considering that I had never even heard of United Fruit prior to reading.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Ten Days that Shook the World - John Reed

Easily one of my top five books I've ever read. Fantastic book, even if you're not a heartless commie bastard.

 

[capslock]

'Gurkha' is far more common in British writing than 'Nepalese British soldier'; you more rarely see 'sepoy' for an Indian soldier

This reminds me, I read Flashman recently. It came highly recommended by my old CO and did not disappoint. Fittingly, I got the copy I read from a book collection at one of our outposts in Afghanistan. One of the funniest books I ever read.

Now I am reading Once an Eagle, a much longer and more serious book about the life of an officer.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

The Book of Numbers by Peter J. Bentley. Very good exploration of various numbers such 0, 1, and √2 (irrational numbers) so far. Unfortunately there seems to be an error in an example, with the prime factorization of 72 given as 2x2x2x9 instead of 2x2x2x3x3. Hopefully this is the only mistake, but it is highly enjoyable regardless.

 

[Ajidica]

Well, I've only ever heard them referred to as Gurkhas. It's probably a British thing.

Same. I don't know what it is like on the other side of the pond but most people in America, even if they know of Gurkhas, have no idea they come from Nepal.

My friend got me an English translation of 1960's Soviet military doctrine, so I'm working through that.

 

[Arakhor]

Well, maybe not Nepal specifically, but I'd think it would be pretty hard to miss that they were from British Imperial Asia.

 

[JohannaK]

I am frankly shocked that Nedim did not know that...

 

[Antilogic]

Just finished Lithuania Ascending by S.C. Rowell. It does a decent job of describing the politics and international relations of the Grand Duchy in its pagan days, especially under Gediminas. It really dispelled the misconception that the Lithuanians were a backwards and alien people who were isolated from the rest of the world. But while it's advertised as explaining the rise of said duchy, and it does an alright job of this, I was hoping for a bit more. Also, I skipped most of the part on the politics of the Orthodox Church in the duchy since my eyes were glazing over. But that's just me. And Rowell has the common but obnoxious habit of quoting sources in Latin and other languages without bothering to translate them, making a small part of the book unreadable to anyone who doesn't know Latin. Borrow it if you're curious about pagan Lithuania; it's decent but at least $100.

I'm often quite surprised when relatively recent releases (as in, within the last two decades) are going for over $100. I saw some copies of a Japanese military book going for something like 10 times that (help Dachs! I think we were talking about this book over in WH at one point). I mean, the book could be good and all, but you can't build a business model off that...

I am reading Bananas: How the United Fruit Company shaped the World today, or something along those lines. Good, informative read, especially considering that I had never even heard of United Fruit prior to reading.

Let me know if it gives a good overview of the banana wars. I've been looking to beef up my portfolio of books in that area.

Same. I don't know what it is like on the other side of the pond but most people in America, even if they know of Gurkhas, have no idea they come from Nepal.

My friend got me an English translation of 1960's Soviet military doctrine, so I'm working through that.

It's used in collegiate histories of the 20th century in the US, but not every student takes those classes. Despite the collective American curiosity-bordering-on-patriotic-masturbatory-fantasy that is WW2 media, I'm not sure if the term is popular in common discourse on the subject.



I'm nearly finished with the second volume Edmund Morris wrote on Theodore Roosevelt: Theodore Rex. It only covers his presidency, which makes it a great read for someone wanting to delve into the turn-of-the-century American politics (especially the internal factions in the Republican Party, how Roosevelt navigated foreign policy, his naval buildup, race relations, the canal, and so on) without "wasting" time on his boyhood. It's basically everything I wanted American Lion to be and wasn't. It's expertly written and I've enjoyed it immensely. Gets a 5/5 rating from me.

That's not to say that Theodore Roosevelt's pre-presidency wasn't interesting as well. The first volume has his short vice-presidency, his time in the Department of the Navy, various positions in the state government of New York, and the early conventions, so it's a good read too.

 

[Dachs]

I'm often quite surprised when relatively recent releases (as in, within the last two decades) are going for over $100. I saw some copies of a Japanese military book going for something like 10 times that (help Dachs! I think we were talking about this book over in WH at one point). I mean, the book could be good and all, but you can't build a business model off that...

The academic monograph market is not really interested in single customers. Almost all of a given book's orders will be filled by university libraries and such. Which is why you go there to get these sorts of books. Halving the price, or more, wouldn't add that many sales from interested amateurs and academics who can't be bothered to go to the library all the time, and would effectively destroy the guaranteed money coming from libraries.

I think that even then, sales of monographs have to be augmented in some way to keep the academic publishers afloat, but I'm not familiar enough with the market to say.

 

[Antilogic]

The academic monograph market is not really interested in single customers. Almost all of a given book's orders will be filled by university libraries and such. Which is why you go there to get these sorts of books. Halving the price, or more, wouldn't add that many sales from interested amateurs and academics who can't be bothered to go to the library all the time, and would effectively destroy the guaranteed money coming from libraries.

I think that even then, sales of monographs have to be augmented in some way to keep the academic publishers afloat, but I'm not familiar enough with the market to say.

It's the same thing with academic papers if you don't have a university login. I've seen individual papers sold for the price of $5k or more depending on the journal. Basically intended for businesses acquiring access to a few key journal articles, not for solo customers.

 

[NedimNapoleon]

I am frankly shocked that Nedim did not know that...

To admit I first thought they were Indian troops, then I realized I was wrong and I looked it up. At least I wasn't too far from Nepal. I like books where you always learn new terms and expressions...If the book is written in plain speak or as Orwell would say newspeak, its just not worth reading, its expression is "dry".

 

[Masada]

In his defense large numbers of 'Gorkhas' serve in the Indian army in forty six elite Ghurka battalions. There's actually more Ghurkas in the Indian army (42 000) than in the British Army (3 640). There are also 2000 Ghurkas in the Singaporean police force who form an elite unit called the Gurkha Contingent. Another unit comprised of 500 former UK and Singaporean Ghurkas guard the Sultan of Brunei.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

It's the same thing with academic papers if you don't have a university login. I've seen individual papers sold for the price of $5k or more depending on the journal. Basically intended for businesses acquiring access to a few key journal articles, not for solo customers.

$5000?! What field was it? I don't think I've seen an article in a science journal go over a tenth of that amount.

 

[warpus]

I just finished reading Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

I took my damn time reading this book, mostly because it didn't really pull me in that much. There is and isn't a plot - the book jumps around quite a bit, with two main narratives interwoven throughout.

The ending though.. Wow.. Totally not what I was expecting. The whole time I was reading this thing, I was naturally trying to figure out where this is going.. The pieces seemed connected enough but I just didn't care that much. It was an interesting story, but nothing amazing..

But the ending.. I read the last page and BOOM, the whole story became soo much better. I don't think I've ever experienced something like this with a book.. Usually I'm not really that satisfied with most endings either, and even on the second last page I had a feeling that this was going to be another book like that.. but.. nope.. That last page changed everything. It made me sit back in wonder and think about all that I've read..

I highly recommend this book! I'm now moving onto another one of Banks' novels, maybe Feersum Endjinn

 

[Antilogic]

$5000?! What field was it? I don't think I've seen an article in a science journal go over a tenth of that amount.

I forget the specific project I was working on at the time, but it was related to chemical engineering.

 

[Borachio]

I just finished reading Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

I took my damn time reading this book, mostly because it didn't really pull me in that much. There is and isn't a plot - the book jumps around quite a bit, with two main narratives interwoven throughout.

The ending though.. Wow.. Totally not what I was expecting. The whole time I was reading this thing, I was naturally trying to figure out where this is going.. The pieces seemed connected enough but I just didn't care that much. It was an interesting story, but nothing amazing..

But the ending.. I read the last page and BOOM, the whole story became soo much better. I don't think I've ever experienced something like this with a book.. Usually I'm not really that satisfied with most endings either, and even on the second last page I had a feeling that this was going to be another book like that.. but.. nope.. That last page changed everything. It made me sit back in wonder and think about all that I've read..

I highly recommend this book! I'm now moving onto another one of Banks' novels, maybe Feersum Endjinn

There's nothing to beat the Wasp Factory, imo. Still, he's a great writer but not my favourite by any means. So I haven't exactly read everything of his. The SF is OK, but not more than that. I always get muddled between Iain M. Banks, and Ian Banks. They're the same guy - one for SF and the other for non-SF, but I can never remember which is which.

It's sad that he's got terminal cancer and not likely to see the end of the year.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I forget the specific project I was working on at the time, but it was related to chemical engineering.

Hmm...oil companies, probably. I guess I can see how that works.

 

[Joecoolyo]

Finished God's Chinese Son today. Very interesting read, learned a lot about Hong and his Taiping rebellion. Though, I wish it went into a tad more detail on some areas, especially towards the end. The author starts to eschew numbers in favor of just adjectives, such as the "large Taiping army" or the "massive amount of deaths". I'd like to know how massive those armies were, and how much death occurred. For a conflict described as one of the deadliest in history, he almost never touches on it in the book, save for a couple pages or so describing refugees. I'd like to know why there was so much death, what caused it, and what scale these armies/operations were on. I might have to pick up another Taiping book to get that info, like The Taiping Revolutionary Movement recommended in the History thread.

Since I'm only here for less than a week, I decided to pick up some light reading to get me through the last couple days. So I rented 1776 again, and although I doubt I'll finish it, I'll make another dent in it at least.

 

[1889]

Reading Our First Revolution by Michael Barone. It is about the 1688 Glorious Revolution in which William of Orange invaded England and ended the Stuart Dynasty. The author suggests that this event was a major inspiration for the leaders of the American Revolution. Barone is a writer for U.S. News and World Report, a news magazine, not a historian so I was surprised by the level of detail especially when discussing parliamentary elections and court appointments.

The great detail sometimes slows the book down but does lead me to give the author the benefit of the doubt when he makes points that I was unfamiliar with. For example he says that had it not been for the invasion James would likely have succeeded in establishing an absolutist regime a la Louis XIV. He also gives a credible explanation for why Louis invaded Germany in 1688 leaving William free to launch his cross channel invasion.

Lots of good stuff but not always an easy read.

 

[Antilogic]

I read Our First Revolution awhile back and remember thinking it was an interesting comparison, but it was far enough back that I didn't have the knowledge base to seriously evaluate the work. I do remember how it emphasized how precarious William's position was when he launched his expedition.

I've been working on a couple of books. Started Howard's Franco-Prussian War, currently reading about the pre-war status of the French and Prussian (arguably German at this point) armies.

I also picked up Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt by Chris Hedges and I've read the entire book in nearly two days--it's been tough to put down. It focuses on poverty and what Hedges terms internal colonialism on modern Indian reservations, New Jersey (esp. Camden), West Virginia, and Florida. It alternates between traditional prose and interviews that are depicted like graphic novels, fully illustrated. The latter sections remind me a bit of Brooke Gladstone's The Influencing Machine (which I also enjoyed immensely and couldn't put it down).