Thunderstruck was also pretty goodFreed Roger wrote:Same author wrote "In the Garden of Beasts" Germany 1930s.
Erik Larson
Books!
- pioneer98
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Re: Books!
- pioneer98
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Re: Books!
heyzeus wrote:Finally reading The Devil in the White City, about the 1893 Chicago world's fair and one of America's first serial killers. It's quite enjoyable!
After reading that book I had to go to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago again, which is the only building left standing from that World's Fair. They have a small display in the museum that talks about the fair and has some artifacts from it. During the fair that building was the Fine Arts building, so it was built to be fireproof to protect all the famous works of art on display. It's an absolutely massive building, but it was only the 4th largest building built for the fair. All the other buildings were burnt to the ground mainly due to labor unrest in the years shortly after the fair. The massive golden statue called "The Statue of The Republic" was toppled, too. Today, there is a replica that is about 30% the size of the original in Jackson Park (that park was also made for the fair and was the main grounds for it).
- pioneer98
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Re: Books!
Reading "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson. Just about done. It's a very easy read. There's not much in there that is that life-altering but there are a few things here and there which might make you look at some things differently.
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Re: Books!
Really looking forward to reading "Spying on the South" by Tony Horwitz. Sort of a travelogue sequel to his "Confederates in the Attic"
(In a way I am dreading it, for depressing aspects...however Horwitz finds ways to toss some humor in)
This time he ties his journeys to Frederick Law Olmsted's who was tasked by NYT to provide dispatches from pre civil war south.
https://www.npr.org/2019/05/20/72175661 ... aw-olmsted
(In a way I am dreading it, for depressing aspects...however Horwitz finds ways to toss some humor in)
This time he ties his journeys to Frederick Law Olmsted's who was tasked by NYT to provide dispatches from pre civil war south.
https://www.npr.org/2019/05/20/72175661 ... aw-olmsted
- Famous Mortimer
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Re: Books!
I've not read much of anything for a long time, I had a job with weird shifts and I never felt like I had the time to sit and read. But now I'm back in normal office work, so I've been getting back into it.
First up was the first collection of the Elric stories by Michael Moorcock (the series, 5 books in total, is called "Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melnibone", and has - I think - all the Elric stories in it. Moorcock thinks it's definitive, anyway). It's got the tone of a fairly standard sword-and-sorcery story, but the imagery is all psychedelic and surreal and kind of amazing. He includes in the collection a short story he wrote as a very young man, a sort of proto-steampunk tale, where in the 5 page story he spends an entire paragraph letting you know the speed settings on this airship-thing. It's pretty funny.
"The Left Hand Of Darkness" by Ursula K Le Guin
This novel won the Hugo and Nebula awards and is worthy of the hype. An ambassador from Earth (which is part of a galactic Commonwealth by this point) visits Gethen and tries to persuade several of the major nations of that planet to join them. It's really really good, using (as almost all good sci-fi does) alien ideas to illustrate and comment on things going on closer to home (religion, gender, and how deeply those things shape their society). I'd really recommend it.
First up was the first collection of the Elric stories by Michael Moorcock (the series, 5 books in total, is called "Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melnibone", and has - I think - all the Elric stories in it. Moorcock thinks it's definitive, anyway). It's got the tone of a fairly standard sword-and-sorcery story, but the imagery is all psychedelic and surreal and kind of amazing. He includes in the collection a short story he wrote as a very young man, a sort of proto-steampunk tale, where in the 5 page story he spends an entire paragraph letting you know the speed settings on this airship-thing. It's pretty funny.
"The Left Hand Of Darkness" by Ursula K Le Guin
This novel won the Hugo and Nebula awards and is worthy of the hype. An ambassador from Earth (which is part of a galactic Commonwealth by this point) visits Gethen and tries to persuade several of the major nations of that planet to join them. It's really really good, using (as almost all good sci-fi does) alien ideas to illustrate and comment on things going on closer to home (religion, gender, and how deeply those things shape their society). I'd really recommend it.
- Famous Mortimer
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Re: Books!
I just finished a couple more books.
”Battle Cry Of Freedom” by James Macpherson
I’d read a biography of Lincoln which covered some of the same territory, but I thought it was good to read one just about the Civil War. It was really interesting, talked about more than just the same handful of great men, and although the discussion of troop movement got a bit samey, I liked it a lot and it taught me a lot.
”Towing Jehovah” by James Morrow
Rather 90s satire about God manifesting himself in a 2-mile long body then dying and falling into the Ocean. Dying angels build him a tomb inside a glacier, and they task a disgraced ocean tanker captain to find the body and tow it to the Arctic. I liked it, but I’m not sure it’s aged fantastically well (like, I’m not sure people a lot younger than me would get into it).
And I’m currently in the middle of two more (one at work, one at home)
”Cooperstown Casebook” by Jay Jaffe
While I don’t really care about the Hall of Fame, this book is pretty interesting, talking about the politics of some of the selections, the stats of people who are and aren’t in, and so on. This book is a great deal better than the Bill James one on the same subject from the 90s.
”Dune” by Frank Herbert
Never read it, which is surprising given the number of trashy sci-fi and fantasy novels I’ve read in my life. Really good so far.
”Battle Cry Of Freedom” by James Macpherson
I’d read a biography of Lincoln which covered some of the same territory, but I thought it was good to read one just about the Civil War. It was really interesting, talked about more than just the same handful of great men, and although the discussion of troop movement got a bit samey, I liked it a lot and it taught me a lot.
”Towing Jehovah” by James Morrow
Rather 90s satire about God manifesting himself in a 2-mile long body then dying and falling into the Ocean. Dying angels build him a tomb inside a glacier, and they task a disgraced ocean tanker captain to find the body and tow it to the Arctic. I liked it, but I’m not sure it’s aged fantastically well (like, I’m not sure people a lot younger than me would get into it).
And I’m currently in the middle of two more (one at work, one at home)
”Cooperstown Casebook” by Jay Jaffe
While I don’t really care about the Hall of Fame, this book is pretty interesting, talking about the politics of some of the selections, the stats of people who are and aren’t in, and so on. This book is a great deal better than the Bill James one on the same subject from the 90s.
”Dune” by Frank Herbert
Never read it, which is surprising given the number of trashy sci-fi and fantasy novels I’ve read in my life. Really good so far.
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Re: Books!
Mort stopped reading books for a while? Glad things are back in order
Recently read "To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret" title sort of says it all. Has some nice writing. More about the author's personal side rather than the places and things he had to deal with. Pretty good.
Now am onto Jeff Tweedy's memoir. Conversational. Relatable since I am downstate IL mid size town guy from his era. How we related to culture, music etc is familiar.
As fan of Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Son Volt, and Bottle Rockets - it is cool to read some backstory -though kind of had a sense of the characters' personalities already by their musical paths.
I am enjoying it.
Recently read "To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret" title sort of says it all. Has some nice writing. More about the author's personal side rather than the places and things he had to deal with. Pretty good.
Now am onto Jeff Tweedy's memoir. Conversational. Relatable since I am downstate IL mid size town guy from his era. How we related to culture, music etc is familiar.
As fan of Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Son Volt, and Bottle Rockets - it is cool to read some backstory -though kind of had a sense of the characters' personalities already by their musical paths.
I am enjoying it.
- Donnie Ebert
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Re: Books!
I listened to the Tweedy-read audiobook version, and it's fantastic.Freed Roger wrote:Mort stopped reading books for a while? Glad things are back in order
Recently read "To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret" title sort of says it all. Has some nice writing. More about the author's personal side rather than the places and things he had to deal with. Pretty good.
Now am onto Jeff Tweedy's memoir. Conversational. Relatable since I am downstate IL mid size town guy from his era. How we related to culture, music etc is familiar.
As fan of Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Son Volt, and Bottle Rockets - it is cool to read some backstory -though kind of had a sense of the characters' personalities already by their musical paths.
I am enjoying it.
- lukethedrifter
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Re: Books!
He acknowledges one of my buddies who grew up with him. Not sure what for.Donnie Ebert wrote:I listened to the Tweedy-read audiobook version, and it's fantastic.Freed Roger wrote:Mort stopped reading books for a while? Glad things are back in order
Recently read "To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret" title sort of says it all. Has some nice writing. More about the author's personal side rather than the places and things he had to deal with. Pretty good.
Now am onto Jeff Tweedy's memoir. Conversational. Relatable since I am downstate IL mid size town guy from his era. How we related to culture, music etc is familiar.
As fan of Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Son Volt, and Bottle Rockets - it is cool to read some backstory -though kind of had a sense of the characters' personalities already by their musical paths.
I am enjoying it.
- Famous Mortimer
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Re: Books!
Oh, and I read the autobiography of Alice Cooper's manager, Shep Gordon, because my wife read it and thought I'd enjoy it. There were a handful of good stories in it, but so much of it is "my good friend (CELEBRITY X) and I were having sex / getting high / meeting other even more famous people". He strikes me as a bit of a prick, honestly, and I'm glad it was short enough for me to finish off in an afternoon.