What are you reading now?
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This book is being offered for $1.99 -- marked down from $18.99!!!!!
It is American Heritage History of the Confident Years: 1866-1914 by Francis Russell: "Here . . . is the vivid story of the confident years - those days of America's exuberant growth in population, industry, and world prestige - from the end of the Civil War to the outbreak of World War I." It seems an inspired choice for these gloomy anxiety-ridden times.
I bought it, of course. A $19 book for a buck-99? Are you kidding me?
I recommend you read at least the opening paragraph in the "Look Inside".
I have a feeling that this book will have a salutary effect on my sore heart.
Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace. – Mike Ditka
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@Catseye3 thanks for the recommendation. Looks like an iterating book
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@taiwan_girl said in What are you reading now?:
Looks like an iterating book
You can say that again. And again. And again...
DON’T let them eat cake.
- RFK Jr -
Really good book. There was a series on Netflix called "Heavy Water" or something like that. The series was about the situation, the attempts to stop the Nazi people from making heavy water at a power plant in Norway.
Very good book. I recommend.
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I’m still reading this:
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It’s great so far. But I’m less than half way in. It’s been slow going because I’m just working book reading back into my daily habits. Covid interrupted the practice.
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Sam Harris has a podcast with him about that book.
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@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
I caved...
This is the audio version with multiple actors portraying the characters. I've only gotten to the "Arrival at Arrakis" part, but so far it's a very good adaptation.
Followup...
I finished it a while ago. This was my third time through the book (2nd time on audio).
It hasn't worn as well as I'd hoped it would.
The early parts of the book, the departure from Caledan, arrival on Arrakis, the world-building and putting all the pieces in play still are amazing. So creative...
The entire middle section, with Paul and Jessica in the desert has way too much mysticism (for a guy like me who likes "hard" SF). There seems to be a lot of "filler" material: much of the Harkonnen stuff is irrelevant and distracting in the middle as well.
The closing of the book seemed rushed. Fast forward years, and now the final confrontation is staged...and just like that, it's done. The final confrontation between Paul and F'yed (the knife fight) is silly, and the resolution of Paul marrying Irulan is contrived.
I think, in retrospect, I was more impressed with the world-building and creativity of ideas (the Spacing Guild, the spice, the Bene Gesseret etc) rather than actual plot. It could have been 60% shorter and told the same story in a more concise way.
Oh, well....
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
"On The Road" is a ... what's the word...touchstone book for the 1960s.
I've never read it.
Worth my time?
It was an influence on me in terms of expectations of my life. Manchild in the Promised Land by Claude Brown was probably greater.
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Kind of like a documentary book (which I like). It talks about a small town in Pennsylvania USA called Aliquippa. It uses the high school football team to tell the story of the town, which started out as a steel factory town. Kind of sociology study of "middle" USA. The football is just the small center of the story the book tells. Even if you dont know a whole lot about US football, that is okay.
Really good book so far (I am about 60% done). A lot of the things that are discussed (labor/management, race relation, general living, etc.) are the same today as back then.
The more history repeats itself, the more it is the same.
I recommend it.
Reminds me a little of another book I read (actually listeded to) called "Friday Night Light", which used a high school football team to look at a town in Texas. The "Friday Night Light" booked studied the town (mostly) over a one year period, while this book looks at the town over the past 80 or so years.
Good compliments to each other.
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That sounds interesting, TG.
