News:

And we're back!

Main Menu

Grand unified books thread

Started by Syt, March 16, 2009, 01:52:42 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Pat

Quote from: The Brain on April 10, 2010, 01:22:03 AM
Quote from: Kleves on April 06, 2010, 06:33:12 PM
Has anyone read Massie's Peter the Great? If so, is it any good? If not, does anyone have any suggestions for a good book on the Great Northern War or Russia during that time period?

Massie's Peter the Great is enjoyable.

A very good book on among other things Russia and the GNW is Robert Frost's The Northern Wars 1558-1721. A little gem.

Ragnhild Hatton's Charles XII of Sweden remains the best Charles XII bio which by necessity deals A LOT with the GNW.

Peter Englund's Poltava/The Battle that shook Europe is very enjoyable military history. It describes the Russian campaign and the battle of Poltava, but from the Swedish perspective.


Perhaps not what you're looking for but I'd like to mention Voltaire's Charles XII as an immensely enjoyable read, if only because it's, well, written by Voltaire (no doubt surpassed by later works as a work of hard history, however). Voltaire was very much fascinated by Charles XII and throughout his life he met in person and interviewed and wrote letters to survivors of the campaigns and others who had information and kept revising and adding to the book. A lot of work went into it but it never lost it's original clarity of writing. For many hundreds of years, far into the 1900s, it was used to teach the French language all over the world as it was considered one of the best examples of clear and beautifully written French. It is still one the most published books in the history of French literature. So if you're into the period, you might want to take the opportunity to check out this classic.

HisMajestyBOB

#721
Currently reading A Century of Spies. I'm up to the 1930s now. I was pretty surprised at the extent of German sabotage in the US during WWI, particularly before the US even entered the war. It's also rather depressing to see the US COMINT go from the Black Chamber and breaking most Japanese codes by the Washington Conference to getting completely shut down by Hoover and Stimson.

And I may have recommended this before, but it's worth recommending again: Hitler's Prisoners, which is an autobiography of a German soldier who is imprisoned for making disparaging comments about Goering. He talks about his life up to that point, including his service during the campaign in the USSR. You also hear some of the stories of his cell-mates. The biggest drawback is that you never find out what happens to most of them. It's a short book, so pick it up if you've got the time.

Quote from: Kleves on April 29, 2010, 06:05:52 PM
Anyone read any good fantasy or sci-fi recently? I tried looking on Amazon, but all I can seem to find is garbage (though there is a lot of that).

Depends on what you're looking for. I do recommend The Dresden Files, a modern urban fantasy about a wizard in Chicago. The first book is Storm Front. It's an ongoing series, but it already has 12 books published, plus 1 short-story collection, and the next book is out in June. The author, Jim Butcher, has put one out every year, so it doesn't look like a Wheel of Time or SOIAF.

The first two books are good, but not great. The second is the weakest. The main story arc begins with the third book, and that's where the series really takes off and becomes great.
Three lovely Prada points for HoI2 help

Habbaku

Anyone have any recommendations for a book on the Reconstruction era?
The medievals were only too right in taking nolo episcopari as the best reason a man could give to others for making him a bishop. Give me a king whose chief interest in life is stamps, railways, or race-horses; and who has the power to sack his Vizier (or whatever you care to call him) if he does not like the cut of his trousers.

Government is an abstract noun meaning the art and process of governing and it should be an offence to write it with a capital G or so as to refer to people.

-J. R. R. Tolkien

Norgy

Quote from: Admiral Yi on March 24, 2011, 02:56:39 PM

Also "The Fall of the Roman Empire" by Peter Heath.  Anyone read this?  It's filling in massive gaps in my knowledge of the era but I can't wholeheartedly endorse the writing style.



Yes. I quite like Heather. He does seem to be somewhat controversial, though. His style seems fine to me, but I'd probably not pick up on the less fortunate writing due to English still being my second language.

I also bought his Empires & Barbarians, but it'll be summer reading, I suspect.

Malthus

Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on April 21, 2011, 10:33:19 AM
Depends on what you're looking for. I do recommend The Dresden Files, a modern urban fantasy about a wizard in Chicago. The first book is Storm Front. It's an ongoing series, but it already has 12 books published, plus 1 short-story collection, and the next book is out in June. The author, Jim Butcher, has put one out every year, so it doesn't look like a Wheel of Time or SOIAF.

The first two books are good, but not great. The second is the weakest. The main story arc begins with the third book, and that's where the series really takes off and becomes great.

The same author has a fantasy series out, which I thought was very entertaining - he wrote it on a challenge to see if he could combine as many fantasy tropes as humanly possible - and it works pretty well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alera
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane—Marcus Aurelius

Syt

Quote from: Norgy on April 21, 2011, 01:30:16 PM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on March 24, 2011, 02:56:39 PM

Also "The Fall of the Roman Empire" by Peter Heath.  Anyone read this?  It's filling in massive gaps in my knowledge of the era but I can't wholeheartedly endorse the writing style.



Yes. I quite like Heather. He does seem to be somewhat controversial, though. His style seems fine to me, but I'd probably not pick up on the less fortunate writing due to English still being my second language.

I also bought his Empires & Barbarians, but it'll be summer reading, I suspect.

I read Goldsworthy's "Fall of the West: The Death of the Roman Superpower" recently which I liked a lot.
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.
—Stephen Jay Gould

Proud owner of 42 Zoupa Points.

HisMajestyBOB

Quote from: Malthus on April 21, 2011, 01:31:13 PM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on April 21, 2011, 10:33:19 AM
Depends on what you're looking for. I do recommend The Dresden Files, a modern urban fantasy about a wizard in Chicago. The first book is Storm Front. It's an ongoing series, but it already has 12 books published, plus 1 short-story collection, and the next book is out in June. The author, Jim Butcher, has put one out every year, so it doesn't look like a Wheel of Time or SOIAF.

The first two books are good, but not great. The second is the weakest. The main story arc begins with the third book, and that's where the series really takes off and becomes great.

The same author has a fantasy series out, which I thought was very entertaining - he wrote it on a challenge to see if he could combine as many fantasy tropes as humanly possible - and it works pretty well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alera

I started the first book and got partway through, then put it aside. I guess it's like The Dresden Files then, starting out average then getting much better?
Three lovely Prada points for HoI2 help

Malthus

Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on April 21, 2011, 03:44:35 PM
Quote from: Malthus on April 21, 2011, 01:31:13 PM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on April 21, 2011, 10:33:19 AM
Depends on what you're looking for. I do recommend The Dresden Files, a modern urban fantasy about a wizard in Chicago. The first book is Storm Front. It's an ongoing series, but it already has 12 books published, plus 1 short-story collection, and the next book is out in June. The author, Jim Butcher, has put one out every year, so it doesn't look like a Wheel of Time or SOIAF.

The first two books are good, but not great. The second is the weakest. The main story arc begins with the third book, and that's where the series really takes off and becomes great.

The same author has a fantasy series out, which I thought was very entertaining - he wrote it on a challenge to see if he could combine as many fantasy tropes as humanly possible - and it works pretty well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alera

I started the first book and got partway through, then put it aside. I guess it's like The Dresden Files then, starting out average then getting much better?

I was hooked.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane—Marcus Aurelius

HisMajestyBOB

I'll give it another go then. :)
Three lovely Prada points for HoI2 help

Scipio

Quote from: Malthus on April 21, 2011, 01:31:13 PM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on April 21, 2011, 10:33:19 AM
Depends on what you're looking for. I do recommend The Dresden Files, a modern urban fantasy about a wizard in Chicago. The first book is Storm Front. It's an ongoing series, but it already has 12 books published, plus 1 short-story collection, and the next book is out in June. The author, Jim Butcher, has put one out every year, so it doesn't look like a Wheel of Time or SOIAF.

The first two books are good, but not great. The second is the weakest. The main story arc begins with the third book, and that's where the series really takes off and becomes great.

The same author has a fantasy series out, which I thought was very entertaining - he wrote it on a challenge to see if he could combine as many fantasy tropes as humanly possible - and it works pretty well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alera
According what he said at Comic-Con, the dare was that he could treat Pokemon seriously.
What I speak out of my mouth is the truth.  It burns like fire.
-Jose Canseco

There you go, giving a fuck when it ain't your turn to give a fuck.
-Every cop, The Wire

"It is always good to be known for one's Krapp."
-John Hurt

Eddie Teach

I'm rereading McCullough's Rome series.
To sleep, perchance to dream. But in that sleep of death, what dreams may come?

Pedrito

I've put my hands on Stanley Karnow's Vietnam: a History. It seems interesting, but it's been written in 1983: is it dated, or still a fundamental read about the Vietnam War?

L.
b / h = h / b+h


27 Zoupa Points, redeemable at the nearest liquor store! :woot:

Eddie Teach

Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on April 21, 2011, 10:33:19 AM
The author, Jim Butcher, has put one out every year, so it doesn't look like a Wheel of Time or SOIAF.

Wheel of Time? There's like 14 books in that series.
To sleep, perchance to dream. But in that sleep of death, what dreams may come?

Admiral Yi

Quote from: Pedrito on April 22, 2011, 06:38:31 AM
I've put my hands on Stanley Karnow's Vietnam: a History. It seems interesting, but it's been written in 1983: is it dated, or still a fundamental read about the Vietnam War?

L.

Still the Bible.

Pedrito

Quote from: Admiral Yi on April 22, 2011, 09:07:57 AM
Quote from: Pedrito on April 22, 2011, 06:38:31 AM
I've put my hands on Stanley Karnow's Vietnam: a History. It seems interesting, but it's been written in 1983: is it dated, or still a fundamental read about the Vietnam War?

L.

Still the Bible.
:) TY

L.
b / h = h / b+h


27 Zoupa Points, redeemable at the nearest liquor store! :woot: