Oh, no, not Dan Brown; a writer I cannot abide....
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Oh, no, not Dan Brown; a writer I cannot abide....
Oh, yes. The first draft of my post made mention of you, because I recalled your opinion of him and his writing, if you could call it such. I decided that was too obvious. You should tell your brother to not buy you that book. Even if he means well.
I can't recall his first book's name, but after the film came out, many people sold or traded in the book at used bookshops. Back when they were still common, that is. I remember one in particular had an adult sized pyramid of the books. Do you recall that Weimar Republic photo of the children playing with bundles of money because hyperinflation had set in and made that stack ever so worthless? That shop had a stack of that book. Each going for a dollar or less depending on the condition. One could have bought the entire lot, which was over a 100 books and used them as they were meant. Fireplace kindling.
Well, in an earlier incarnation, I taught Renaissance and Reformation (and Counter-Reformation) history.
I have no quarrel with historical fiction - the operative word being fiction' - done well, it can be compelling, - and likewise, I have no quarrel with the intelligent plundering of history to tell a story set in another world and time (Game of Thrones is a superlative example of that). And fantasy - alternative history - again, done well, thoughtfully and intelligently - it can be outstanding and make you think of things in a way that might not otherwise have seemed possible.
But, to pass such utter tosh, such pure drivel off as 'history'...as Dan Brown has done....as an historian, it hurts....
Long and boring, I can forgive; such things are a matter of taste, after all.
Playing fast and loose with history, on the other hand, is a crime without forgiveness, a capital sin.......
I sometimes recommend Umberto Eco as the "intellectual's Dan Brown" (no offense to Eco). Similar concept in some of his works (mysteries involving history, the medieval and the esoteric, with historical figures as characters) but so much more interesting and informative, with actual discussion of the political, religious, and philosophical developments pertinent to the historical period covered.
Absolutely agreed; I loved the book The Name of the Rose; it works as a study of medieval society, an exploration of philosophical and theological matters, a serious piece of intelligent historical research, a whodunnit and a thriller.
Great read so far. It rambles a bit in each chapter but he seems to wander back to point. More like a chat with him than a book.
I would have like to have seen this entitled, Declan MacManus by Elvis Costello, or Elvis Costello by Declan MacManus.
Currently reading:
Cain by Jose Saramago
A fictionalization of the story of Cain, as he witnesses other Biblical events.
Keeping with my Biblical theme, my next read will be this:
Cain by Jose Saramago
A fictionalization of the story of Cain, as he witnesses other Biblical events.
Keeping with my Biblical theme, my next read will be this:
Currently reading:
Cain by Jose Saramago
A fictionalization of the story of Cain, as he witnesses other Biblical events.
Keeping with my Biblical theme, my next read will be this:
How did you find Cain?
An intelligent re-telling (or re-imagining) of that story can be found in the book East of Eden by John Steinbeck.
Reading "The Nasty Bits" by Anthony Bourdain. A pretty good book of his random writings on food and travel. I like his style so I'm enjoying the book, so far.
Great read so far. It rambles a bit in each chapter but he seems to wander back to point. More like a chat with him than a book.
I would have like to have seen this entitled, Declan MacManus by Elvis Costello, or Elvis Costello by Declan MacManus.
he he he
He mentions this video in the book:
lol. watch the little girls.
2016 Office 365 all in one for Dummies (Though I am a bit more versed in Word, Excel and Outlook than I thought.)
(Though I am a bit more versed in Word, Excel and Outlook than I thought.)
"The Geopolitics of Emotion: How Cultures of Fear, Humiliation, and Hope are Reshaping the World" by Dominique Moïsi.
It’s a great book. I read it on day one
@Ulenspiegel let me know what you think of it. Chapter on social media/Internet is a must read.
It’s a great book. I read it on day one
@Ulenspiegel let me know what you think of it. Chapter on social media/Internet is a must read.
Must keep an eye out for it when I have the time to read this.
"The Devonshires - The Story Of A Family And A Nation" by Roy Hattersley.
(I moved this citation of your post over from the movie thread instead of responding there)
I'll try to make time for the Sereny take on Speer.... but next on my plate as far as Germany is concerned is Fritz Stern’s Five Germanys I Have Known. I was intrigued by bumping into a capsule review of it in Foreign Affairs and especially taken by the concluding line:
Stern covers an immense stretch of cultural and intellectual ground and is unapologetically fierce in his judgments -- to the education, fascination, and occasional irritation of the reader.
Well so I’m always willing to be at least slightly irritated by any book... This one’s 500 pages of opportunity, divided into accounts of five Germanys including a narrative on the Germany of the Kaiser, some attention to which would seem required for context as to what came after World War I. The other Germanys have been of Sterns’ personal knowledge: the Weimar Republic of his own infancy, The Third Reich, the East/West division during the Cold War, and the unified Germany after 1990. Having fled Germany (although Silesia, so now Poland) for the US with his Jewish family as a child, Stern elected to write the book in English although it has been translated into German as well. Stern eventually became a professor of European history at Columbia.
I haven't really read a book in probably 20 years or so. I was cleaning out the basement, it's been 11 years since Mom passed and 2001 since Dad, so it's finally time to do this. Found several of my old books, Thinner by Richard Bachman, first printing and an old favorite , Still Missing by Beth Gutcheon. Both of these were from the early 80s, Thinner being from 1984. I think I'll have to read through these again. Still Missing actually brought a tear to my eye back in the day.
Richard Bachman was an alternate name Stephen King was using back in the late 70s to sometime in the 80s.
Richard Bachman was an alternate name Stephen King was using back in the late 70s to sometime in the 80s.
I think King is a whatever author who rode to fame, but, and big but here, I have some of his old Bachman stuff. And some very early King novels when there was quality. Last year I bought a mint condition Rage. It was listed as an in good condition, and happened to be a first printing. I paid a pretty penny for it, but it was still under market value because I'd bought from the book dealer before.
Great book, and it's clear why King regrets having written it. The Long Walk is great, too.
Great book, and it's clear why King regrets having written it. The Long Walk is great, too.