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Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Huntn
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Just finished re-reading Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Just started reading Outlander
Just started reading Outlander
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (by William Shirer) is an absolute classic, and well worth a read.
That is sooooo good.
Literally love picking that up and opening anywhere and re-reading it from there.
First time I read it years ago, I was totally intimidated by the size of the book
I assumed (wrongly) that I would get bogged down and bored very quickly and put it down
But instead, I was totally engrossed and absorbed in it (and the footnotes) and could not put it down
Easily one of the best books I've read in any genre
I asked for it as my twelfth birthday present, and, to their credit, my parents bought it for me and I devoured it.
William Shirer was one of the last of that extraordinary type of educated and well-travelled American journalist (almost closing an era of wonderful American writing that started in the 19th century with individuals such as Pulitzer) who wrote a beautiful, clear, lucid prose, and was meticulous about both stories and sources.
He worked in Germany in the 30s, and was an appalled eye-witness to the rise of the Nazi party and ideology; he returned to cover the Nuremberg trials, and - as the book makes clear - his sources are both extraordinary, extensive and comprehensive. He corresponded with an astonishing number of the German military elite of those years, who openly shared their memories, writings and material with him.
A superb early account of Germany in those years.
I've had Rise on Fall on my to-read list for a while and it's currently sitting on my bookshelf, so maybe it's about time I start it. 
I just started:
The Templars by Dan Jones. Excellent so far.
and
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Oof. I'm several pages in and have no clue what's going on. I loved Midnight's Children, and this one's infamy has ensured it a spot on my to-read list, but if I don't get into soon, I may shelve it and come back to it later.
I just started:
The Templars by Dan Jones. Excellent so far.
and
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Oof. I'm several pages in and have no clue what's going on. I loved Midnight's Children, and this one's infamy has ensured it a spot on my to-read list, but if I don't get into soon, I may shelve it and come back to it later.
I've had Rise on Fall on my to-read list for a while and it's currently sitting on my bookshelf, so maybe it's about time I start it.
I just started:
The Templars by Dan Jones. Excellent so far.
and
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Oof. I'm several pages in and have no clue what's going on. I loved Midnight's Children, and this one's infamy has ensured it a spot on my to-read list, but if I don't get into soon, I may shelve it and come back to it later.
The Rise and Fall is well worth reading - a superlative example of classic, clear, American writing.
Agree that Midnight's Children was superb, - or, at least, I thought it was (and it managed the unusual feat of having been banned in both India and Pakistan) while The Satanic Verses is........not.
Actually, I firmly believe that if a fatwa of sorts had not been issued on that book, it would have died a natural death in obscurity. I bought it at the time as a matter of principle, and must say that it is one of the few books I have read that I really struggled with. And no, I never finished it - life is too short.
That's what I said about Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow. I made a valiant effort. For about a week. Ran into a glance back at that by a reviewer on the occasion of (believe it or not) an audiobook release. I felt validated even while realizing the reviewer had actually read the whole tome, or enough to be able to fake it anyway. The review was worth the read just to feel I must have used the time wisely no matter what I did while not finishing the book.
I vaguely recall an op-ed by Rushdie maybe 10 years ago where he stated he'd always be on the lookout outside of his flat each morning right after said fatwa was issue. Or I'm thinking of another author. Which is highly plausible.
I've abandoned countless books in my life. No point in forcing yourself to read something you don't enjoy much or cannot connect with.
I've abandoned countless books in my life. No point in forcing yourself to read something you don't enjoy much or cannot connect with.
No, it was probably Rushdie, who did have a fatwa issued on his life.
I honestly think that The Satanic Verses would have died an obscure death if Ayatollah Khomeini had not sought to use it as a signifier of identity and a means of further mobilising his population (during the Iran-Iraq war).
My little G is reading the first book - The Fairy-Tale Detectives - of the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley, very fun (I read the first few chapters). Just a recommendation to pass on to parents
After she finished this, she diverted to a couple of other books (and we were traveling quite a bit), but she's back to this series, just got her the second book, she's in about 100 pages and I got the "Can we get the next one??"
Just finished “A will to meaning” by Viktor Frankl. Very important book that follows the steps of his masterpiece (“Man’s search for meaning). The first part of A Will To Meaning is slightly on the philosophical side, which was a nice surprise.
Highly reccomended after “Man’s Search for Meaning.”
[doublepost=1520356708][/doublepost]
Is it chess related?
Highly reccomended after “Man’s Search for Meaning.”
[doublepost=1520356708][/doublepost]
Is it chess related?
Just started Neil DeGrasse Tyson's "Astrophysics For People In A Hurry". So far it's a pretty good read.
Well that makes me feel a lot better. I agree, life is too short. I have hundreds of books on my to-read list; I can usually tell fairly quickly if something doesn't "click" with me and I don't want to waste time on books like that. It doesn't mean that I'll never revisit it, but for now I think I'm going to go with something else.
I am currently reading Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant on my Kindle.
https://www.amazon.com/Personal-Mem...1520361173&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=ulyess+grant
https://www.amazon.com/Personal-Mem...1520361173&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=ulyess+grant
How do you find it? I've read about it, and it is supposed to be excellent - apparently written by Grant as he was dying and short of money, and published very shortly before his death.
Just started Neil DeGrasse Tyson's "Astrophysics For People In A Hurry". So far it's a pretty good read.
I have this one my read list. I really like him, listen to and watch his podcasts. I like how he is able to break down some very technical stuff so that those who are not quite as "versed" in the language of science can comprehend and actually understand. Some very mind boggling stuff. Let us know how you like it when you are done!
I've just started it, and have only finished the first chapter. Seems interesting so far.
Not really, no. If I told you there's a love scene involving chess pieces stuck to bodies where they shouldn't stick and gasps of moves in between kisses, would you read it then? It doesn't, but it's a good book, and one shouldn't ignore a book simply because their favorite subject isn't brought up on every page.
Actually, I think @yaxomoxay's question may have been prompted by the surname of the author. As such, I'm not sure that it merits such a snarky response.
My question was prompted by the name Karpov and the word “game”. Nothing to do with the quality of the book, which I am sure is good.
Actually, if you want the truth, I try to avoid chess-centric books or movies. They tend to simplify the game too much and often go for boring stuff such as “a master can see 20 moves ahead” or stuff like that.
Arturo Perez Reverte’s The Flanders Panel is a novel with a subtle chess theme that I actually enjoyed.
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