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Book reading recommendations
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Author:  KTG17 [ Tue Jan 12, 2016 3:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Book reading recommendations
So curious what you guys are reading right now. I typically bounce from book to book rather than reading one from start to finish as a normal person would, so right now I am working on:

H. P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction
The Making of Iran's Islamic Revolution by Mohsen Malini
Blood and Oil:: Memoirs of a Persian Prince by Manucher Farmanfarmaian
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick (this is the book that inspired the movie Bladerunner)

But I also just got a book I have been super excited to hunt down:

MiG Pilot - The Final Escape of Lt Belenko by John Barron

I have always been fascinated with Cold War, and given I was born in the US, was always curious about life behind the iron curtain. Especially the lives of a regular guy. In High School, a few students were able to visit the Soviet Union on a field trip before the Berlin Wall fell, and I was surprised to hear what they saw.

But I was REALLY fortunate to meet a girl in college that arrived here right off the ship in college, and we became really good friends. I drilled her on every aspect of Russian life that I could and was always surprised at some of her answers.

Anyway, I stumbled on the story of Belenko a few weeks ago and managed to pick up a copy of the book for a good price. Just got it last night and I am a 1/4 the way done. I imagine I'll finish it before the others.

Another book I am trying to find was actually given to me to borrow, but I couldnt finish it in time before I gave it back, and I can't remember the title. It was a biography of an American tank engineer in WWII. Be was in charge of recovering blown up tanks, and putting them back into service. Some amazing info. I remember one part where he mentioned that most of the time you could recover a tank, take the metal piece that the enemy shell drove out when it entered the tank, and weld it back into the hole. Then add some new paint and the tank was on the way to a new crew (who typically did not want a tank that a former crew died in). You would be amazed how many tanks that were blown up were recovered by the allies and put back into service. It wasnt just out-producing Gemany. Anyway, there was a ton of insightful info in the book and wish I could read it again, so if you know what I am talking about, let me know.

Anything else you guys are reading worth mentioning?
Author:  Apocolocyntosis [ Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
Right now i'm reading:
The Enlarged Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce
Capital (vol.1) by Marx

Stuff I enjoyed from the last couple of months included:
The Cyberiad Lem
Exercises in Style Queneau
And Where Were You, Adam? Böll


On the military history front, got a copy of Achtung Panzer for my birthday so will get round to reading that at some point. I read Esdaile's Napoleon's Wars: An International History earlier in the year – excellent, strongly recommend for anyone who wants an overview of the political and economic developments during the french revolutionary wars/napoleonic wars.

I read quite a lot, I have goodreads, happy to friend taccomers on there via PM.
Author:  SpeakerToMachines [ Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
Terry Pratchett, or Tom Holt, or Esther Friesner, for light relaxation. Rereading "Monstrous Regiment" atm.

Sheri S Tepper, "Sideshow", the "Marianne" trilogy.

Iain M Banks, everything, but I keep rereading "Excession".

Old Berserker stories, by Saberhagen.

"Ghost in the Shell", graphic novel by Masamune Shirow. Pretty pictures and a good story :)

Rulebooks and armylists for all the neat games I don't have time to play anymore :'(

Apocolocyntosis wrote:
The Cyberiad Lem


I keep returning to this... It's actually on the nighttable right now.
Stanisław Lem (The Cyberiad) wrote:
“Everyone knows that dragons don’t exist. But while this simplistic formulation may satisfy the layman, it does not suffice for the scientific mind. The School of Higher Neantical Nillity is in fact wholly unconcerned with what does exist. Indeed, the banality of existence has been so amply demonstrated, there is no need for us to discuss it any further here. The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the purely hypothetical. They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each non-existed in an entirely different way.”
Author:  Dwarf Supreme [ Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
Just started reading Game of Thrones
Author:  mordoten [ Tue Jan 12, 2016 11:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
"The Brain that changes itself" About neuroplasticity and the possibilities it offers us. Super-interesting!

"God is not great" Christopher Hitchens. The title says it all. A good read.

The Long World/Wars/Mars (or something like that). A really good Sci-fi series by Terry Pratchett ans Stephen Baxter.
Author:  jimmyzimms [ Wed Jan 13, 2016 1:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
Just finished up Darkness at Noon by Koestler again. Fantastic as always. Part way through Empire's Crossroads by Carrie Gibson. A deep dive into economics, trade, European / Middle East / North African relations in respect to the Caribbean and South Florida and their effects on modern history.
Author:  adam77 [ Wed Jan 13, 2016 6:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
Currently reading 'Seveneves' - Neil Stephenson
Near future sci-fi in the tradition of 'A Space Odyssey'

Recently read 'Storm of Steel' - Ernst Jünger
Graphic memoir of WWI german stormtrooper
Author:  kyussinchains [ Wed Jan 13, 2016 7:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
Currently halfway through Children of Húrin, but I've stalled as it has all the hallmarks of a tragedy and just not in the mood for that

Before that I read the Tiffany Aching books with my son at bedtime, that boy loves feegles!

And also I finally finished The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, would recommend for fans of game of thrones
Author:  Apocolocyntosis [ Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
SpeakerToMachines wrote:
Apocolocyntosis wrote:
The Cyberiad Lem


I keep returning to this... It's actually on the nighttable right now.

He's become by far my favourite sci-fi writer. Have you seen the German Tv series (loosely) based on his work? Ijon Tichy: Raumpilot , the episodes are all on youtube, wasn't so keen on the first series, but thought the IKEA episode of s2 was good.

adam77 wrote:
Recently read 'Storm of Steel' - Ernst Jünger

Storm of Steel is excellent, worth re-visiting All Quite on the Western Front after reading it as well, to make the comparison.
Author:  Berkut666 [ Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
Ah the NacMac Feegles. Love everything about them. Any race that thinks Earth is heaven due to all the drinking, stealing and fighting to be done (in a humorous way) are alright with me. Me being Scottish probably gives me a natural affiliation with them too.

Currently reading Robin Hobb's series The Live Ship Traders. I am nearly finished the second book, but I have to be honest I am slightly losing interest.

I got a kindle about 7 years ago and bought loads of books by authors I know and love (Pratchett, Holt, Derek Landy, Paul Hoffman etc) and then used the "you may also like" function to spread into other authors I had never heard of. It lead me to some great stuff. And some dump.

I quite like Vaughn Heppner. Books are not amazingly well written but the stories and premise is pretty good. Easy going beach holiday type reading sci-fi. Peter V. Brett's books are good too.

If you want something factual, Blind Mans Bluff is interesting.
Author:  Sayrewolf [ Wed Jan 13, 2016 10:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
SpeakerToMachines wrote:

Iain M Banks, everything, but I keep rereading "Excession".

"Ghost in the Shell", graphic novel by Masamune Shirow. Pretty pictures and a good


"Excession" is excellent, as is the "The Use of Arms". I was actually a little angry when he died because that week I'd just finished reading everything he had ever written. Selfish bastar'!

Similarly "Ghost in the Shell" is incredible but I've got to admit, you may as well just watch the Anime. Gotta have a bit of stomach for pretentious philosophical debates though! It's a bit like that that sporty guy at University you met a parties who liked to ask you about the epistemology of existence. Stop being good at diametrically opposed pursuits, you are making the rest of us look bad!

Right now I'm just reading Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress." Well, rereading. It fleshes out some fascinating concepts I'd never thought about before about how an anarchic society could work. There are no laws or law enforcement and every member of the society is the descendant of a criminal severe enough to be sent to the moon.

Of course it does have some hilarious old timey lines in it too. By far my favourite being the absolute corker that is, "she walked past and I couldn't help but give her an appreciative whistle." On reflection maybe not the best book to give my feminist friend. Along with pretty much any fiction written before 1980.
Author:  KTG17 [ Wed Jan 13, 2016 2:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
Wow Ghost in the Shell, that brings back some memories. Takes me all the way back to Akira.

So back in High School there was a book store called Waldenbooks. I am not sure if they are even around anymore. But they had a comic rack, and out of curiosity I looked through it. I found this Akira #9 there, and not knowing anything about it, I recognized it as japanese that I think Marvel just edited and translated it to English. I must have gone back to that store and flipped through that comic like 3 times before I finally bought it, and I was hooked. I went back and bought all the back issues and followed it until the story kind of got lame after Neo-Tokyo blew up again.

Then the movie came out with english dubbing (although the original with subtitles is 100% better), and that pretty much kicked the door down in the US as far as anime went. Since I spent some time overseas, I knew Gundam, Macross, Diaclone, Orguss, Mospeada, etc etc before anyone over here knew where Transformers and Robotech originally came from. But beyond that, I only met a couple of guys who knew what Guyver was. When I introduced Akira to my friends, they became huge fans. Once the movie came out, anime started becoming mainstream. I think Ghost was probably the second biggest thing to hit the US after Akira, but I was never really hooked on it.

Its crazy how much info is out on the net these days. Back then, it was really really hard getting info on anime, and now there is a pretty big market for manga. I was always in it for the robots tho, never really cared for the shows or even the stories.

But, I would say, issues 1-16 of Marvel's edition of Akira is probably some of the most awesome, exciting, crazy, voilent, imaginative, and satisfying reading I've ever gotten from a comic. They have bundled them in larger volumes now that are in black and white, but I think the color ones are so much better. Kaneda is no doubt one of my favorite characters of all time.

On the dubbing of Akira... one of the things I always hate about dubbing is the attempts to sync what is being said with the lips, and thats sometimes why you get that riidiculous "yahh!" after a sentence. But worse, sometimes the script is changed to the point where it actually changes the character, and I hate that. For example, early in the dubbed version of the movie, Testuso is playing around with Kaneda's motorcycle, and Kaneda comes out and says get off, "That bike has been especially designed for me", when in the original japanese one he says, "If you like that bike so much, go steal one yourself."

Its a huge difference to me. Kaneda was a real self-serving punk in the comic (and one I was really attached to), and it just seemed typical American Hollywood BS to have him portrayed in a more protagonist view than the a-hole he started out as (Like changing Han shot first). So I avoid dubs of anything now unless I have to, and always prefer subtitled. I just did it for 'The Returned' until the show started getting foolish, but hearing it in french was more satisfying than it being butchered by American voice-overs.

Anyway, read 1-16 of Akira. You will appreciate it.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XAkira+Marvel+Comic.TRS0&_nkw=Akira+Marvel+Comic&_sacat=0
Author:  Markconz [ Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:43 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
How about listening to audiobooks, that way you can paint at the same time :)

Reading the following non-audio books though:
Campaigns of Napoleon (obvious)
Why did the chicken cross the world (about the history of the chicken!)
From morality to mental health (history of relationship between moral and mental issues)

Hardcore History show is also good to listen to while painting.
Author:  Apocolocyntosis [ Thu Jan 14, 2016 8:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
Markconz wrote:
How about listening to audiobooks, that way you can paint at the same time :)

Yes! though i tend to mix between audio and paper a lot for any book I am using an audiobook for, notice different things about the writing that way.

I listened to the audiobook of Children of Húrin over christmas. Narrated by Christopher Lee no less, very good, but does not include the appendices etc.

Librevox has some good recordings. The nicely done versions of Silas Marner and Walden spring to mind and the socratic dialogues on there are well suited to audiobook form as well.

Not tried Hardcore History but heard good things, In Our Time is my go-to.
Author:  Kyrt [ Thu Jan 14, 2016 10:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Book reading recommendations
I have a tendency to get stuck on individual authors or series and read them one after the other long after I've stopped enjoying them, and this can take years since I don't actually read as much these days.

So I have read over recent years a lot of fairly well known stuff like David Mitchell (ghostwritten is good, I read this because I really liked cloud atlas the film), Sebastian Faulks and fodder like Grisham and his copycats. The problem is that I started reading black library books... and there are a lot of them which means I have been trudging through endless dross for a while, with the occasional gem in there. I really liked know no fear for some reason, and all the Commissar Cain series.

Have also recently gone back to a few sci fi stalwarts I never ended up reading like Philip k dick (e.g. "human is?") and Neal Stephenson's cryptonomicon. The great thing about dick is you get to compare with all the movies that have been made from his stories but they are short and not exactly the same so you aren't investing huge time in plots you already know.
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