Grand unified books thread

[celedhring]

Chick writers suck.

You will be overjoyed to learn that one of the book's big ideas is that the narrator's language doesn't have gender differentiation so everybody in the book, and I mean everybody, is referred as "she/her" 

[Valmy]

Chick writers suck.

You will be overjoyed to learn that one of the book's big ideas is that the narrator's language doesn't have gender differentiation so everybody in the book, and I mean everybody, is referred as "she/her" 

OMG. Do the sad puppies know about this?

Actually I have no particular problem with that. Sure beats they/their.

[celedhring]

Chick writers suck.

You will be overjoyed to learn that one of the book's big ideas is that the narrator's language doesn't have gender differentiation so everybody in the book, and I mean everybody, is referred as "she/her" 

OMG. Do the sad puppies know about this?

Actually I have no particular problem with that. Sure beats they/their.

I was being flippant, it's actually a quite cool gimmick. Mostly because the gender of every single character is thus obscured and it totally fucks with how you mentally construct the story as you read.

But that's the trilogy's biggest idea and otherwise the narrative - while entertaining - isn't anything memorable. I have yet to finish the last book, though.

[CountDeMoney]

Chick writers suck.

You will be overjoyed to learn that one of the book's big ideas is that the narrator's language doesn't have gender differentiation so everybody in the book, and I mean everybody, is referred as "she/her" 

Pronounx.

[Ed Anger]

Chick writers suck.

You will be overjoyed to learn that one of the book's big ideas is that the narrator's language doesn't have gender differentiation so everybody in the book, and I mean everybody, is referred as "she/her" 

I tried the first book. Donated to a park bench.

[Gups]

Chick writers suck.

You will be overjoyed to learn that one of the book's big ideas is that the narrator's language doesn't have gender differentiation so everybody in the book, and I mean everybody, is referred as "she/her" 

OMG. Do the sad puppies know about this?

Actually I have no particular problem with that. Sure beats they/their.

I was being flippant, it's actually a quite cool gimmick. Mostly because the gender of every single character is thus obscured and it totally fucks with how you mentally construct the story as you read.

But that's the trilogy's biggest idea and otherwise the narrative - while entertaining - isn't anything memorable. I have yet to finish the last book, though.

Yeah, I read the first one. I enjoyed it fine but not enough to bother picking up the sequels.

Best sci-fi book I've read recently was Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

[The Minsky Moment]

2016 review (b/c cant be bothered to report in real time)

Worlds of Arthur, Guy Halsell - despite title this is a relatively serious history of post-Roman Britain.  Gives a good idea of the types of sources and their relative strength.  Also has speculative reconstruction based on interesting reading of the timeline in Gildas.
Political Order and Decay, Francis Fukuyama: 2d volume of his "political order" series.  Interesting and cogently argued as always but much longer than needed to be.
Transformation of the World, Juergen Osterhammel.  Very long but very good single volume history of the "19th" century (he often goes back to 1750s and up ahead as far as WW2).  Would definitely recommend  over Bayly if you have to choose one. 
Misbehaving[/b] Richard Thaler, chatty history of behavioral economics, decent intro to this field.  But if time is limited do Kaheman's Fast and Slow instead.
Meursault Investigation, Kamel Daoud. Camus Stranger told from the other side.  Nice short little book.  Not essential but definitely worth it if you are a fan of the original.  Read in translation.
Gilead[/b] Marilynne Robinson.  Read to see if holds up to the hype.  It does.  Beautifully written.
Strategy of Conflict[/b] and Micromotives and Macrobehavior, both by Thomas Schelling.  Both read a few months before his recent death.  Classic works but dense reading.  For this audience I would suggest first Arms and Influence which is a more coherent presentation focused on strategy in the nuclear age.
Age of Confucian Rule [/I] Dieter Kuhn - Conventional general history of China during Song period, part of series of histories of imperial China.  Not the most exciting read but learned a lot about a region and period I knew very little about.
Terroir and Other Myths of Winemaking[/b] - Mark Mathews - provocative title for marketing purposes - in reality this is discussion of recent thinking in viticulture and vinicultural science on a few selected issues.
Rendez vous des civilizations[/b] Emnanuel Todd and Y Courbage - using Todd's scheme of civilizational development, speculates that the Islamic world in gradually converging with the West.  topical but not best introduction to Todd's work.
Rue des BOutiques Obscures Patrick Modiano - classic work by 2014 nobelist.
SPQR Mary Beard.  Idiosyncratic history of Rome up to Commodus.  IMO strongest in the early pre-Second Punic War period.
Seeing Jose Sarmago.  He's got style but the lack of punctuation gimmick and the heavy-handed political messaging wears thin.  Read in translation.
Blitzkrieg Legend Karl-Heinz Frieser: detailed account of 1940 campaign in France.  Probably not much news to lots of folks here but I learned some from it.
Les Carolingians Pierre Rouche.  Somewhat old school history but told from a kind of Crusder Kings 2 approach - i.e. he is very heavy on the complex family relationships and their impact on politics.  Book includes only a few crappy maps, but dozens of genealogical charts. 
Inheritance of Rome Chris Wickam.  Good general history of late antiques/early medieval Western Europe.
White Guard Bulgakov - found out later this was originally a play and it reads that way.  Worth it for die hard Bulgakov fans but not up there with M&M.  Read in translation.
1177 BC -EH Cline: Does not, as the marketing suggests, provide a definitive explanation of the Bronze Age collapse.  But does provide a very readable survey of the written and archaeological evidence of the period and is worth reading for that.
Before European Hegemony Janet Abu Lughod - History focusing on international trade and commerce c. 1250-1350 in the Wallerstein mode.  Very interesting stuff.
Evolution of the International Economic Order W Arthur Lewis.  Short (<100p) and readable account of world economic development since the Industrial Revolution, densely packed with ideas.  Though parts a little dated (1978) still a worthwhile read.
Oxford History of Ancient Egypt and Rise and Fall of ancient Egypt - Two different books covering roughly the same ground but in very different ways.  The Oxford History as expected is scholarly cautious and dry.  Rise and Fall is a lot more lively and speculative, sometime perhaps too much for its own good.  Together they make decent complements if you are prepared to invest that much time.

[garbon]

Okay, moneybags.

[The Brain]

I've read books. Books good.

[The Minsky Moment]

Okay, moneybags.

Et tu?
Anyways, kindle books are cheap.

[garbon]

Okay, moneybags.

Et tu?
Anyways, kindle books are cheap.

I ain't got no money. Spent it all on books.

[crazy canuck]

2016 review (b/c cant be bothered to report in real time)

Worlds of Arthur, Guy Halsell - despite title this is a relatively serious history of post-Roman Britain.  Gives a good idea of the types of sources and their relative strength.  Also has speculative reconstruction based on interesting reading of the timeline in Gildas.
Political Order and Decay, Francis Fukuyama: 2d volume of his "political order" series.  Interesting and cogently argued as always but much longer than needed to be.
Transformation of the World, Juergen Osterhammel.  Very long but very good single volume history of the "19th" century (he often goes back to 1750s and up ahead as far as WW2).  Would definitely recommend  over Bayly if you have to choose one. 
Misbehaving[/b] Richard Thaler, chatty history of behavioral economics, decent intro to this field.  But if time is limited do Kaheman's Fast and Slow instead.
Meursault Investigation, Kamel Daoud. Camus Stranger told from the other side.  Nice short little book.  Not essential but definitely worth it if you are a fan of the original.  Read in translation.
Gilead[/b] Marilynne Robinson.  Read to see if holds up to the hype.  It does.  Beautifully written.
Strategy of Conflict[/b] and Micromotives and Macrobehavior, both by Thomas Schelling.  Both read a few months before his recent death.  Classic works but dense reading.  For this audience I would suggest first Arms and Influence which is a more coherent presentation focused on strategy in the nuclear age.
Age of Confucian Rule [/I] Dieter Kuhn - Conventional general history of China during Song period, part of series of histories of imperial China.  Not the most exciting read but learned a lot about a region and period I knew very little about.
Terroir and Other Myths of Winemaking[/b] - Mark Mathews - provocative title for marketing purposes - in reality this is discussion of recent thinking in viticulture and vinicultural science on a few selected issues.
Rendez vous des civilizations[/b] Emnanuel Todd and Y Courbage - using Todd's scheme of civilizational development, speculates that the Islamic world in gradually converging with the West.  topical but not best introduction to Todd's work.
Rue des BOutiques Obscures Patrick Modiano - classic work by 2014 nobelist.
SPQR Mary Beard.  Idiosyncratic history of Rome up to Commodus.  IMO strongest in the early pre-Second Punic War period.
Seeing Jose Sarmago.  He's got style but the lack of punctuation gimmick and the heavy-handed political messaging wears thin.  Read in translation.
Blitzkrieg Legend Karl-Heinz Frieser: detailed account of 1940 campaign in France.  Probably not much news to lots of folks here but I learned some from it.
Les Carolingians Pierre Rouche.  Somewhat old school history but told from a kind of Crusder Kings 2 approach - i.e. he is very heavy on the complex family relationships and their impact on politics.  Book includes only a few crappy maps, but dozens of genealogical charts. 
Inheritance of Rome Chris Wickam.  Good general history of late antiques/early medieval Western Europe.
White Guard Bulgakov - found out later this was originally a play and it reads that way.  Worth it for die hard Bulgakov fans but not up there with M&M.  Read in translation.
1177 BC -EH Cline: Does not, as the marketing suggests, provide a definitive explanation of the Bronze Age collapse.  But does provide a very readable survey of the written and archaeological evidence of the period and is worth reading for that.
Before European Hegemony Janet Abu Lughod - History focusing on international trade and commerce c. 1250-1350 in the Wallerstein mode.  Very interesting stuff.
Evolution of the International Economic Order W Arthur Lewis.  Short (<100p) and readable account of world economic development since the Industrial Revolution, densely packed with ideas.  Though parts a little dated (1978) still a worthwhile read.
Oxford History of Ancient Egypt and Rise and Fall of ancient Egypt - Two different books covering roughly the same ground but in very different ways.  The Oxford History as expected is scholarly cautious and dry.  Rise and Fall is a lot more lively and speculative, sometime perhaps too much for its own good.  Together they make decent complements if you are prepared to invest that much time.

I liked Cline's book.  The lecture he gave at the Oriental Institute about the book is worth watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyry8mgXiTk
He also makes the point that it is more interesting to know what collapsed than how it collapsed.  He also makes fun of the marketing for the book 

Thanks for the recommendation for Inheritance of Rome 

[11B4V]

Okay, moneybags.

Et tu?
Anyways, kindle books are cheap.

[CountDeMoney]

Okay, moneybags.

Et tu?
Anyways, kindle books are cheap.

I ain't got no money. Spent it all on books.

[Jacob]

I'll pick up the Age of Confucian Rule once it's in soft-cover. I've found the series pretty decent so far.