Grand unified books thread

[jimmy olsen]

Anyone have good book recommendations for Classical Greece?

[Admiral Yi]

I've previously mentioned "The Classical World" by Robin Lane Fox.

[Sheilbh]

Kitto's 'The Greeks' is a good starting point.

[The Brain]

Got a shipment.

Rana Mitter, China's War with Japan 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival.

Peter Harmsen, Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze.

Edited by some dudes, The Battle for China: Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanse War of 1937-1945.

[Eddie Teach]

Picked up A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings.

The writing itself is not that to give me a woodie, but I was prepared for much worse, having some experience with the fantasy genre.

The plot is the main draw, though character & world development is not ignored.

[Razgovory]

Picked up A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings.

The writing itself is not that to give me a woodie, but I was prepared for much worse, having some experience with the fantasy genre.

It's pretty good for Fantasy, I think that's a major draw.  A lot of fantasy and science fiction authors produce dreadful prose.

[Admiral Yi]

I'm coming to the opinion that spoken dialogue is one of Martins' stronger suits.

[crazy canuck]

I'm coming to the opinion that spoken dialogue is one of Martins' stronger suits.

Yes, enjoy it while it lasts.  The first three books are wonderful.

[Savonarola]

One of the projects I'm working on is building a point to point microwave system through the interior of Colombia.  The system goes through mostly banana plantations; it's common for workers to get paid in bananas in the area.  There's a number of small villages along the line; on the highway residents will place speed bumps in order to slow traffic down in order to sell travelers guava paste and queso blanco.

One of those little towns is Aracataca, the hometown  of Gabriel García Márquez and the model for "Macondo" in his novels.  I haven't had to go to Colombia (yet) but if I do I'll try to see that.  We have a tower right by it.

[Admiral Yi]

How far is that from FARC country?

[Savonarola]

How far is that from FARC country?

Not very far at all.  Today the area has been pacified; but three years ago FARC blew up the railroad tracks that we're running parallel to.

[Jacob]

Got a shipment.

Rana Mitter, China's War with Japan 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival.

Peter Harmsen, Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze.

Edited by some dudes, The Battle for China: Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanse War of 1937-1945.

I'd be interested in hearing your conclusions when you're done your reading.

[CountDeMoney]

Rana Miller is probably one of the more accessible writers on Chinese history today, and puts actual effort in balancing out the complexities of the Sino-Japanese relationship, both pre- and post-war.

The Essays work, which I haven't read, is edited by Hans van de Ven, who absolutely knows his shit;  you would probably enjoy his own writings immensely and he pulls no punches on American political treatment of Chiang (read: Stillwell's incompetence) during the war.  He is probably my all-time fave-rave western Chinese academic after Alistair Johnston at Harvard.

But you asked The Brain.

[The Brain]

[CountDeMoney]

Yeah, yeah, yeah...you're everybody's favorite not named Jacob, and I am Languish's Greatest Monster.  I get it.