Grand unified books thread

[PDH]

Kesh Temple Hymn

To think that this is about 5000 years old is amazing to me.

[Maladict]

Anyone know any great non-Schama books on the Dutch Republic? Looking for politics, religion, economics, science and military innovatioms more than culture. Also good books on Calvinism and associated Protestant movements more generally?

Jonathan Israel's book is the one most frequently mentioned along Schama's.
I haven't read it so can't comment much.

[sbr]

Not strictly reading of course, but I've been listening to Dan Carlin's "Hardcore History" podcasts, and specifically his latest:

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/5/e/f/5efbf5156133b619/dchha50_Blueprint_for_Armageddon_I.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d01c08430d0cd5afcfd&c_id=6343172

Blueprint for Armageddon I

If you have even a passing, casual interest in history and WW1, this is something you should listen to. If you are a serious student of WW1 history, there won't be anything really new here, but he has a great style, and pulls together a lot in a very approachable manner. I would almost compare him to Ambrose, except a lot smarter, a lot less overtly RahRahAmerica. But it is that very easy to follow, approachable way of talking about history while at the same time being extremely engaging an interesting.

I cannot recommend this enough.

I'll have to give this another shot.  I like history podcasts, but I couldn't stand Carlin.  The material was fine but everything from his voice, to presentation, to everything else drove me crazy.

Lots of people like him so I will try again.

[Scipio]

Anyone know any great non-Schama books on the Dutch Republic? Looking for politics, religion, economics, science and military innovatioms more than culture. Also good books on Calvinism and associated Protestant movements more generally?

Jonathan Israel's book is the one most frequently mentioned along Schama's.
I haven't read it so can't comment much.

John Lothrop Motley, The Dutch Republic, in four volumes, is a great read. A little propagandistic, but it was the first work by a non-Dutch historian on the topic, and it's great stuff.

[The Brain]

Finished Svenska kulter (Swedish Cults), a collection of Cthulhu Mythos stories set in Sweden at various times from the 18th century to the present. Pretty cool.

[Ed Anger]

I'm finishing up rereading my Glen Cook books.

[Malthus]

Just started The Luminaries, which I am enjoying so far.

[11B4V]

Going to pick up Mike Tyson's Undisputed Truth for a change of pace.

[Gups]

Just started The Luminaries, which I am enjoying so far.

I'm about 300 pages in. Like it a lot.

[CountDeMoney]

Just started The Luminaries, which I am enjoying so far.

I'm about 300 pages in. Like it a lot.

The book was described as "a dazzling feat of a novel" by The Observer.[4] It is unusual for being organized

... according to astrological principles, so that characters are not only associated with signs of the zodiac, or the sun and moon (the "luminaries" of the title), but interact with each other according to the predetermined movement of the heavens, while each of the novel's 12 parts decreases in length over the course of the book to mimic the moon waning through its lunar cycle.[5]

Yeah, that's a nifty style device;  I tried that with my bail bonds non-fiction, where all the characters interact with each other according to the predetermined movement of SSI and benefits payments, while each of the chapters got shorter to mimic the waning of available Independence Card funds through the month, but it looks like she got it in first, so good for her.

[mongers]

I'll have to give this another shot.  I like history podcasts, but I couldn't stand Carlin.  The material was fine but everything from his voice, to presentation, to everything else drove me crazy.

Lots of people like him so I will try again.

So it wasn't just me; I gave it a try and found it a bit grating.

[Malthus]

Just started The Luminaries, which I am enjoying so far.

I'm about 300 pages in. Like it a lot.

The book was described as "a dazzling feat of a novel" by The Observer.[4] It is unusual for being organized

... according to astrological principles, so that characters are not only associated with signs of the zodiac, or the sun and moon (the "luminaries" of the title), but interact with each other according to the predetermined movement of the heavens, while each of the novel's 12 parts decreases in length over the course of the book to mimic the moon waning through its lunar cycle.[5]

Yeah, that's a nifty style device;  I tried that with my bail bonds non-fiction, where all the characters interact with each other according to the predetermined movement of SSI and benefits payments, while each of the chapters got shorter to mimic the waning of available Independence Card funds through the month, but it looks like she got it in first, so good for her.

Still reading through The Luminaries. It's sort of like as if David Mitchell or Italo Calvino were asked to write the script for Deadwood, set it in New Zealand, and told to leave out the cussing. 

I'm really enjoying it.

[The Minsky Moment]

I'm really enjoying it.

Added as #179 on my Kindle wishlist.  Plus still another 80+ on my paper wishlist.
Have to do another cull soon . . .

[Sheilbh]

Mentioned in the SciFi thread that I'm also reading Middlemarch at the minute. I read it for A-Level and it's amazing the difference ten years can make. It's like a totally different book and seems a lot richer and deeper. I'm pausing almost every other page to think about something Eliot writes.

I liked it when I was studying, but I'm absolutely loving it now.

[Malthus]

Mentioned in the SciFi thread that I'm also reading Middlemarch at the minute. I read it for A-Level and it's amazing the difference ten years can make. It's like a totally different book and seems a lot richer and deeper. I'm pausing almost every other page to think about something Eliot writes.

I liked it when I was studying, but I'm absolutely loving it now.

Heh, maybe I'll have a go. I tried to pick it up as a teen and could not get into it.