What are you reading now?
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@Aqua-Letifer said in What are you reading now?:
Then how is it a flaw to stay true to that?
Perhaps "flaw" is the wrong word. My point is that the characters were just not as relatable as Winters, Nixon, etc - because they were scattered all over the place, and didn't have as much "screen time."
Staying true to the story is not a flaw, but it makes the story (like the characters) disjointed. If you were to write a book, fiction, of course, you wouldn't do that.
wrote on 15 Jul 2024, 13:17 last edited by@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in What are you reading now?:
If you were to write a book, fiction, of course, you wouldn't do that.Depends on how you do it. Happens plenty in books, but movies, too. For example, no one complains about Pulp Fiction being disjointed.
Not saying that's some formula they should have followed, just that the problem could have been overcome if they were more deliberate about it.
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wrote on 17 Jul 2024, 01:14 last edited by George K
About ⅔ of the way through this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Fleet:_Dauntless
The Lost Fleet: Dauntless is a science fiction novel by American writer Jack Campbell, the first in his The Lost Fleet series, published in 2006. Dauntless sets the stage for the six novel saga about a fleet of over 200 ships trapped deep behind enemy lines and cut off from traveling to their home territory.
I've always enjoyed SF. This is pretty derivative, and actually, boring stuff. There's little imagination other than the descriptions of two large fleets fighting each other.
I'll finish this, but my enthusiasm for going farther into the series is pretty low.
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@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in What are you reading now?:
You'd really not like Masters.
It was OK - it just didn't have the cohesive feel that Band of Brothers did. I couldn't relate to the characters until halfway through. The fact that they tried to shoehorn so much real history into a relatable tale made it feel that way.
BoB, however, follows ONE set of guys, each of whom is relatable from the outset.
That's how it happened, though. It's harder to write a cohesive story about the 8th Air Force because it's harder to find the exact same group of guys who stayed together all throughout the war.
I thing "The Pacific" had the same flaw, though I don't remember much of it.
I didn't think that was a flaw. Sledge and Leckie had very different perspectives about the same experiences. I think they didn't go hard enough with portraying that. To reject one over the other would have been a disservice.
wrote on 17 Jul 2024, 01:39 last edited by Jolly@Aqua-Letifer said in What are you reading now?:
@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in What are you reading now?:
You'd really not like Masters.
It was OK - it just didn't have the cohesive feel that Band of Brothers did. I couldn't relate to the characters until halfway through. The fact that they tried to shoehorn so much real history into a relatable tale made it feel that way.
BoB, however, follows ONE set of guys, each of whom is relatable from the outset.
That's how it happened, though. It's harder to write a cohesive story about the 8th Air Force because it's harder to find the exact same group of guys who stayed together all throughout the war.
I thing "The Pacific" had the same flaw, though I don't remember much of it.
I didn't think that was a flaw. Sledge and Leckie had very different perspectives about the same experiences. I think they didn't go hard enough with portraying that. To reject one over the other would have been a disservice.
Pick one and stay with him. The backstory is an integral part of the story and how an audience becomes invested in a character and his world.
If you haven't read it, I think this would make a great movie or miniseries:
The guy I'd follow in that book is George McGovern. Yeah, that McGovern. Over 30 combat missions and some of them were pretty harrowing.
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/george-stanley-mcgovern
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wrote on 18 Jul 2024, 23:21 last edited by
I had low expectations for this book as I haven't been a fanboy of Elon Musk, but I like the author, enjoyed the Steve Jobs biography - and the library system had the audiobook available free online.
Well, it's excellent. I knew Musk was a little nuts - but it's been interesting learning a bit of his life story, how he thinks and how he has approached business. I don't know that I'd have him run Boeing - but he certainly would NOT have made the mistakes the current management made. Taking the Apple slogan - he thinks different. By way of example, He abhorred that the government was doing bidding on space initiatives on a cost plus basis - where the government did the specs and let people have cost overruns - due to the fact that a lot of the government specs are arbitrary or not thoroughly understood. He's gambler with a mission - and quite willing to "lose it all" on a roll of the dice. Musk thrives on risk - a bit like Trump - which is likely at least partly why he supports and understands Trump.
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I had low expectations for this book as I haven't been a fanboy of Elon Musk, but I like the author, enjoyed the Steve Jobs biography - and the library system had the audiobook available free online.
Well, it's excellent. I knew Musk was a little nuts - but it's been interesting learning a bit of his life story, how he thinks and how he has approached business. I don't know that I'd have him run Boeing - but he certainly would NOT have made the mistakes the current management made. Taking the Apple slogan - he thinks different. By way of example, He abhorred that the government was doing bidding on space initiatives on a cost plus basis - where the government did the specs and let people have cost overruns - due to the fact that a lot of the government specs are arbitrary or not thoroughly understood. He's gambler with a mission - and quite willing to "lose it all" on a roll of the dice. Musk thrives on risk - a bit like Trump - which is likely at least partly why he supports and understands Trump.
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wrote on 27 Jul 2024, 15:47 last edited by
Why not?
"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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wrote on 27 Jul 2024, 16:17 last edited by
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wrote on 27 Jul 2024, 17:35 last edited by
I’m reading Isaacson’s Steve Jobs bio. Highly recommended.
I might do the Musk one next, or soon at least.
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I’m reading Isaacson’s Steve Jobs bio. Highly recommended.
I might do the Musk one next, or soon at least.
wrote on 27 Jul 2024, 17:38 last edited by@jon-nyc said in What are you reading now?:
I’m reading Isaacson’s Steve Jobs bio. Highly recommended.
Yeah, that was good.
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wrote on 27 Jul 2024, 18:13 last edited by
They're so good, I actually felt a little down after finishing each of Isaacson's books as they were so engaging - and I wanted to keep going - obviously more true with the Elon Musk book.
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@jon-nyc said in What are you reading now?:
I re-read Rise and Fall about every ten years. It’s excellent.
Jon, I just started The Third Reich Trilogy
According to Ian Kershaw, it is "the most comprehensive history in any language of the disastrous epoch of the Third Reich".[5] It has been hailed as a "masterpiece of historical scholarship".[6]
There are three volumes:
The Coming of the Third Reich
The Third Reich in Power
The Third Reich at WarI just started the first volume. A bit difficult for me, not really knowing much about European history (talking about Bismarck, etc. and how that set the basis for Nazi's), but I will continue with it for the time being. Mr. Evans, in his "preface" says that he tried to write it not too academic, but not too simplistic.
wrote on 27 Jul 2024, 20:23 last edited by RenaudaThe Coming of the Third Reich
The Third Reich in Power
The Third Reich at WarEvan’s trilogy is excellent historiography although as you say heavy reading. His style though flows well and therefore readable. I read it a couple of years ago. The parts dealing with Nazi racial theories, policies and acts of genocide because of their depressing nature, took a lot of effort to get through on my part.
Elbows up!
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The Coming of the Third Reich
The Third Reich in Power
The Third Reich at WarEvan’s trilogy is excellent historiography although as you say heavy reading. His style though flows well and therefore readable. I read it a couple of years ago. The parts dealing with Nazi racial theories, policies and acts of genocide because of their depressing nature, took a lot of effort to get through on my part.
wrote on 29 Jul 2024, 00:51 last edited by@Renauda I am about 1/2 through the first book. Tough going at first as a lot of old German history, which I know nothing about (a lot of names, territories, etc.), but does give good background on the "foundation" to the Nazis. Starting to get a bit more familiar territory so hopefully easier for me to follow.
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wrote on 1 Aug 2024, 23:32 last edited by
@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
Why not?
It's a real slog. Too much introspection, too much "not moving the story along."
I suppose I'll finish it, but it's not as good as "Interview."
"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?:
Why not?
It's a real slog. Too much introspection, too much "not moving the story along."
I suppose I'll finish it, but it's not as good as "Interview."
wrote on 12 Aug 2024, 23:33 last edited by@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
It's a real slog. Too much introspection, too much "not moving the story along."
I suppose I'll finish it, but it's not as good as "Interview."
Yeah, this book was twice as long as it needed to be. But, I finished it.
Next up...
"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?:
Why not?
It's a real slog. Too much introspection, too much "not moving the story along."
I suppose I'll finish it, but it's not as good as "Interview."
wrote on 13 Aug 2024, 00:03 last edited by Doctor Phibes@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
Why not?
It's a real slog. Too much introspection, too much "not moving the story along."
I suppose I'll finish it, but it's not as good as "Interview."
I remember buying "Interview with the Vampire" while on holiday on a whim when it originally came out in the 70's (I must have been all of 13 or 14 so it would probably be considered totally unsuitable), and being completely blown away by it. I was massively disappointed by the sequel and I haven't read another Anne Rice novel since.
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@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
Why not?
It's a real slog. Too much introspection, too much "not moving the story along."
I suppose I'll finish it, but it's not as good as "Interview."
I remember buying "Interview with the Vampire" while on holiday on a whim when it originally came out in the 70's (I must have been all of 13 or 14 so it would probably be considered totally unsuitable), and being completely blown away by it. I was massively disappointed by the sequel and I haven't read another Anne Rice novel since.
wrote on 13 Aug 2024, 00:06 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in What are you reading now?:
I was massively disappointed by the sequel
It was remarkably weak - long, boring, and wordy.
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wrote on 13 Aug 2024, 00:48 last edited by
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@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
It's a real slog. Too much introspection, too much "not moving the story along."
I suppose I'll finish it, but it's not as good as "Interview."
Yeah, this book was twice as long as it needed to be. But, I finished it.
Next up...
wrote on 13 Aug 2024, 00:50 last edited by@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
@George-K said in What are you reading now?:
It's a real slog. Too much introspection, too much "not moving the story along."
I suppose I'll finish it, but it's not as good as "Interview."
Yeah, this book was twice as long as it needed to be. But, I finished it.
Next up...
I’m through the first couple of chapters. Good to start.
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wrote on 13 Aug 2024, 14:24 last edited by
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81B7RV2CTdL.AC_UF1000,1000_QL80.jpg
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The Coming of the Third Reich
The Third Reich in Power
The Third Reich at WarEvan’s trilogy is excellent historiography although as you say heavy reading. His style though flows well and therefore readable. I read it a couple of years ago. The parts dealing with Nazi racial theories, policies and acts of genocide because of their depressing nature, took a lot of effort to get through on my part.
wrote on 19 Aug 2024, 15:37 last edited by@Renauda said in What are you reading now?:
The Coming of the Third Reich
The Third Reich in Power
The Third Reich at WarEvan’s trilogy is excellent historiography although as you say heavy reading. His style though flows well and therefore readable. I read it a couple of years ago. The parts dealing with Nazi racial theories, policies and acts of genocide because of their depressing nature, took a lot of effort to get through on my part.
Just finished the first volume. It was quite "heavy". Very very well researched. I don't think that Adolf Hitler or the Nazis were mentioned until more than 1/3 through the book. I will take a break but will definitely want to try the #2 and #3 volumes.
