Literature Fans

[Al DeFlorio]

We're just back from two weeks in Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Maybe we should start a travel thread too. :-D

I did the Balkan tour (Slovenia, Hrvatska, BiH, and Crna Gora) a couple of summers ago and loved it.  Were did you go?

Zagreb, Zadar, Sibenik, Krka Falls, Split, Korchula, Hvar, Dubrovnik and Opatija in Croatia; Kotor and Cetinje in Montenegro; Neum and Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina.  And they'd all start Killing each other again at the slightest excuse, I regret to say.  Fascinating place to visit, though.

[munchkin]

Riding the T gives me lots of reading time, so in the last 6 weeks I've read a few fun books and a few "I like to learn about the stuff that interests me" books.  

If you like WW2 history, After the Reich is a look at Europe during the years when the Occupying Forces ran Germany and Austria.  It's a new look at something most of us don't know much about: many of the camp became a place for the prisoners of war, and they got similar treatment to that which they had doled out.  

The next books I read to make up for the depressing nature of After the Reich were Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street and Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut.  If you like the muppets and Sesame Street, Street Gang is a fun and quick read giving the history of Children's Television Workshop and how it developed with Sesame Street and Henson's other creations.  Breakfast of Champions is one of the Kilgore Trout novels.

The most recent books are Game Change about the 2008 presidential campaigns and Nine by Jeffrey Toobin which is an inside look at the Supreme Court and its inner workings.  These two are really interesting, with Nine being a little denser, but still very readable.  Both books are by reporters who have covered politics and the Court for years and years.

[ugarte]

I have to admit that I didn't see this thread getting Godwin'd.

[ftyuv]

I have to admit that I didn't see this thread getting Godwin'd.

You know who also didn't see themselves getting Godwin'd?

The Nazis.

It's true. Look it up.

[Ken70]

Currently reading or recently read

Recommended:

From Plato to NATO, Gress - history of "the West", original and really fascinating
Novus Ordo Seclorum, McDonald - intellectual foundations of the Constitution
All Art is Propaganda, Packer - collected essays of George Orwell, he's much more than Animal Farm and 1984, great writer
Homage to Catalonia, Orwell - the Spanish Civil War made comprehensible, sort of
The Dirty Dozen, Levy and Mellor - 12 infamous, infuriating and unfortunately precedence setting Supreme Court cases
The Evolution of God, Wright - (actually listened to the book on CD) how we got to monotheism and why it matters

A waste of time:

The Age of Wonder, Holmes - science from 1780 to 1830 (approx), meanders and not particulary illuminating
Predictioneer's Game, de Mesquita - using game theory to predict world events, self promoting and somewhat obvious, no "beef"
Dirty Rotten Strategies, Mitroff - "how we trick ourselves into solving the wrong problems precisely", shallow, repetitive

[RatushnyFan]

All Art is Propaganda, Packer - collected essays of George Orwell, he's much more than Animal Farm and 1984, great writer

What does he write about in the essays?  Just curious why you like it.  I like Orwell but have only read Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984.

[Trotsky]

Novus Ordo Seclorum, McDonald - intellectual foundations of the Constitution

I have this on my bookcase.  Maybe I'll give it another try, I remember being disappointed.

[Ken70]

All Art is Propaganda, Packer - collected essays of George Orwell, he's much more than Animal Farm and 1984, great writer

What does he write about in the essays?  Just curious why you like it.  I like Orwell but have only read Burmese Days, Animal Farm and 1984.

I read this just after reading another collection of his essays, also compiled by Packer, Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays and to be honest I think I mentioned this one in my post just because it was the last one read, both collections are equally worth a read.  "All Art..." I guess would be categorized as art and literary criticism, but Orwell uses his essays on T. S. Eliot, Charles Dickens, Henry Miller, Graham Greene and Kipling, among others, to comment on politics and other topics.  I liked it primarily just because I like the way he writes: he's erudite, seemingly completely honest, and has absolute clarity on what he wants to say. At least it seems that way to me.

An interview on Booktv of Packer by Christopher Hitchens got me interested in these two volumes, and it illuminates both books and Orwell far more clearly than I can.  It's at http://www.booktv.org/Program/11280/After+Words+George+Packer+ed+George+Orwells+Facing+Unpleasant+Facts+and+All+Art+Is+Propaganda+interviewed+by+Christopher+Hitchens.aspx in case you're interested.

[Trotsky]

Novus Ordo Seclorum, McDonald - intellectual foundations of the Constitution

I have this on my bookcase.  Maybe I'll give it another try, I remember being disappointed.

I'm glad you mentioned it; in rereading it it's great.

[Robb]

Anyone on here use an e-Reader?  Any recommendation, caveats?  I'm still just toying with the idea, as my gut feel is that the market is still shaping up and the products will be sufficiently better to make it worth waiting for at least 1 or 2 more design cycles.

[Tom Lento]

I figured the literature fans here might enjoy this. On the other hand, it might fill you with rage or sadness. I found it amusing, but you've been warned:

http://www.examiner.com/x-562-Book-Examiner~y2010m4d16-The-50-best-author-vs-author-putdowns-of-all-time

[munchkin]

For anyone wanting a quick and fun read: Her Fearful Symmetry.  It's by the author of the Time Traveler's Wife.  It's a little into the fantasy realm, but I enjoy it while commuting places.

[Trotsky]

Robb, my wife loves the latest Kindle more than she does me.  I'm not sure which that says more about.

[TimV]

I love my Kindle.  Backlight would be nice but there are lots of reading lights built for it.  Really only need it for very dim conditions.  For some strange reason, really bright sunlight like at the beach seems to make the electronic ink fade on mine. Absolutely NOT good for graphic intensive materials.

[TimV]

Check the posts following dpprks post at the top.  The technology always gets better if you wait, but while you're waiting your left with the old 15th century stuff. I like my kindle because it fits in sportcoat pocket, free wireless G makes it easy to impulse buy or just download samples from amazon, and you can access email also.