If you are interested in this subject Dan Carlin's hardcore history has a two part podcast called "blueprint for the armageddon". Really interesting.Originally Posted by USS Utah
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If you are interested in this subject Dan Carlin's hardcore history has a two part podcast called "blueprint for the armageddon". Really interesting.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
"Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum
"And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla
"Red," a novella by Jack Ketchum. A good, entertaining quick read. It was made into a movie starring Brian Cox, who's really prefect for the role.
I'm still reading "The Brothers K" (thanks to Utebiquitous) and "Crime and Punishment." I can only take so much of Raskolnikov at a time so I'm jumping back and forth between both.
Last edited by LA Ute; 03-29-2014 at 11:51 AM.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I recently watch both the 2005 movie with Kiera Knightly and the 1995 mini-series with Colin Firth, and was filled with the desire to read the book. It is excellent.
"It'd be nice to please everyone but I thought it would be more interesting to have a point of view." -- Oscar Levant
Just finished Flash Boys, the latest from Michael Lewis. We were just in NYC and I was able to take my 2 oldest onto the NYSE floor. I was commenting how quiet it seemed. The trader who was showing us around mentioned this book in his explanation of how equity trading had changed over the past few years. The book explores the explosion of high-frequency trading. I'm not a finance guy but I really liked the book. Viking, I'd be interested in your thoughts.
http://www.amazon.com/Flash-Boys-Wal.../dp/0393244660
"Don't apologize; it's not your fault. It's my fault for overestimating your competence."
I recently finished For Whom The Bell Tolls by Hemingway. Re-read it after about 20 years. Absolutely amazing.
I just read GoldFinch and All the Light We Cannot See back to back. Did not like Goldfinch at all; very disappointed after all thee hype and accolades; had to force myself through it.
Loved All the Light We Cannot See. My wife heard the author speak at King's English in June and gave it to me for Father's Day. Betsy Burton told my wife that this book had the fastest sales ever at KE for hardover Fiction in the first three months. Its been on the NYT best seller list since spring. About two very different teenagers--one German, one French--whose lives cross during WW II. Very lyrical and poignant. You will love and believe n every character (unlike Goldfinch.)
I just finished Farewell to Arms because my son had to read it for school. I really haven't read any Hemingway; I assume it was very risque and controversial, and its short declarative writing style very new, when it was first published, but has lost that impact now.
It is said that you can't like both Hemingway and Faulkner. I absolutely LOVE Faulkner, and enjoy Hemingway (but mostly his short stories). Sometimes I think his novels drag, which is weird because they are short.
Me too. It was interesting to me that Farewell to Arms and Sound and the Fury were both published in 1929 (I think). I have read Sound and the Fury again recently, and continue to marvel at it. Gets better every time I read it.
Agreed. I reread tSatF last year - amazeballs.
I've got it on my kindle to read soon.
I also have the goldfinch and all the light we cannot see (concerned mentioned them anove and I know laute enjoyed goldfinch). Those are my next 3, but not sure of the order.
I am kind of worried about the new Harper Lee book. I'll hope against hope that it's good.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I read that it was this book that inspired TKAMB. Apparently Harper Lee's agent read the prequel and suggested that she should write TKAMB, which she did. I think if it is read as a prequel and that it was setting up the events of TKAMB as flashbacks, then it shouldn't be disappointing. Perhaps it will be interesting to see how Scout deals with the trial as an adult woman.
I'm reading "Gray Mountain," by John Grisham. It's my annual dive into escape literature. This one is actually a decent yarn, more believable than Grisham's others. (It might just be that he world of this novel -- Appalachian coal mining country -- is so foreign to me that I don't see the howlers, but still I'm having some guilty fun reading it.)
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I just finished Gilead by Marilyn Robinson. One of the best books I have ever read. Immersing book that is a page turner but not in the typical sense. If anyone else has read it, I would be interested in opinions on the book. It is unlike anything I have ever read before. It is a gentle story told by an aging father dying of heart issues to his young son, and really re-tells the father's life and his experiences as a minister as well as of his relationship with his own father and grandfather (both also ministers). Fantastic and beautiful.
There is a lot of detail in the book about the eyes of the characters. It is a piercing novel using what we see in the world around us and how religion can help us interpret what we see.
I read "Go Set A Watchmen" today. First fiction I've read in about 10 years. "Mockingbird" has been my favorite novel since I read it when I was 10.
Strangely enough I think it is apt and well timed for today and the rancor about marriage equality... In that I don't think it will fix any of the debates but remind us to see perspectives we don't agree with.
And I'll also say there is much ado about Atticus's racism, but it felt pretty ambiguous to me at the end whether he believed what he said or not, and also remained mostly consistent with his actions in "Mockingbird". In fact most of the book is dealing with the outrage Scout feels when she sees his apparent racism. So just like us who were raised to believe Atticus was near perfect only to have that notion shattered, the same is true for Scout.
Now if you are expecting an equal to "Mockingbird" you will be disappointed. You can understand why her publicist recommended she write another book focusing on the flashbacks of Scout's childhood; that is the part of the book that shines.
There was one great quote, again apt for today: "Prejudice, a dirty word, and faith, a clean one, have something in common: they both begin where reason ends.”
Just finished Far from the Madding Crowd, finally. Really enjoyed it. I like the Victorian authors, especially the later ones.
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"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I just finished reading "Angle of Repose" by the wonderful Ute Wallace Stegner. http://www.amazon.com/Angle-Repose-W...ngle+of+repose
Has anyone read this book?
Most of you know SteelBlue and BlueGoose from CUF/whatever it's called now. The three of us started a men's book club (we call it the John Ames Society after the main character in the book "Gilead" by Marilyn Robinson) with another 3 guys. Despite the mockery we get from our wives and other people, it has been awesome and the discussions have sometimes gone on for more than 3 hours. When we read East of Eden we talked from 7pm until almost 11pm about the book. There are a lot of smart people in our little group, me being by far the most simple minded.
Anyway, we discussed Stegner's AORepose, which is a brilliant work. Reviews of what the book is are plentiful, and it is not easy to sum it up. Basically it is the perfect book to read every decade or so because depending on where you are at in your life and your marriage/relationship/lack of relationship, it makes you realize that nothing is perfect and kindness and forgiveness are difficult but essential.
It's now on my over-loaded Kindle. Thanks to you.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
hahaha! You are going to love this book LAUte!
In case anyone is interested. These are the books we have read and discussed.
1. Gilead by Marilyn Robinson http://www.amazon.com/Gilead-Novel-M...eywords=gilead
2. The River of Doubt by Candace Millard http://www.amazon.com/River-Doubt-Th...river+of+doubt
3. East of Eden by John Steinbeck http://www.amazon.com/East-Penguin-T...s=east+of+eden
4. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay http://www.amazon.com/Power-One-Nove...s=power+of+one
5. The Razor's Edge by M. Somerset Maugham http://www.amazon.com/Razors-Edge-W-...razor%27s+edge
6. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl http://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Me...ch+for+meaning
7. Tenth of December by George Saunders http://www.amazon.com/Tenth-December...th+of+December
8. Angle of Repose (link above)
9. ???
Number 9 is pending. It is more difficult that one would ever expect to choose a book that you have to lead a meaningful discussion on.
I've read:
1. One of my top 10 books of all-time. Beautiful.
3. I'm kind of down on Steinbeck, but this one is great.
7. Saunders is weird.
8. Love everything by Stegner. GO UTES!
Last edited by Applejack; 04-21-2016 at 07:53 AM.
Steinbeck rings to me. I know several people who just couldn't get into EofEden or Grapes of Wrath, but I loved them both. I also just finished Cannery Row, which I thought was smart and very funny.
My last two listens/reads were Boys in the Boat, and Girl on the Train. Total coincidence that the titles are gender/transportation based. Both were entertaining.
I have consumed a lot of books based on recommendations in this thread. I have really enjoyed most. The one that I found it tough to slog through was Love in the Time of Cholera. Apologies to SU and AJ, but it didn't catch my attention very well. I don't know if they read in the native Spanish, and maybe it lost something in translation. I kept wondering why they gushed about it so much, when I felt like it was almost work to get through it.
“To me there is no dishonor in being wrong and learning. There is dishonor in willful ignorance and there is dishonor in disrespect.” James Hatch, former Navy Seal and current Yale student.
I've read (1) and (6). Loved them both.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
George Saunders has his first novel coming out. I agree with applejack that he is weird, but I love weird...
http://www.vulture.com/2016/04/georg...er-art-qa.html
it sounds weird but wonderful.
We are reading A River Runs Through It And Other Stories by Norman MacLean for the 9th book. http://www.amazon.com/River-Through-...uns+through+it
Fantastic and a quick read. Beautiful and poetic and philosophical. I have never read it but am going through it a second time. The other stories in the book are great also, but obviously not as well-known.
It's been so long since I last read it, but there are a lot of gems in there. Especially if one has a family member that has been challenging to trust due to a history of poor decisions.
If you've never read MacLean's Young Men and Fire, I would recommend that one, as well.
I love this book. The last 100 pages are so riveting. I'm never forget how I finished reading it. I was so engrossed
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"Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum
"And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla
Ditto. I read the last 70 pages on a bench down by the Sacramento River. i kept getting interrupted at work so I took a very long lunch. It was one of the only books that I have ever cried while reading. Honestly, I think this is my new favorite book (although be advised that I have about 10 of them).
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