IGX

Turdacious wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:11 am

newguy wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:30 pm Hey all -

Seeking a book recommendation. I'm looking for something along the lines of a Lonesome Dove....or Shogun. One of those 8...9 hundred page turners that while they could be made into a movie also contain wisdom and I might just learn something. They satisfy the need for action and for love. Not lame and boring. Fiction. Genre open. But again, I want to emphasize...I'm not looking for an 1300 page character study. Plot. Some action. Mystery. Adventure. Etc.

'Exodus' by Leon Uris is good. 'August 1914' by Solzenitzyn if you're feeling up to it. Anything by Tom Wolfe is excellent-- 'The Right Stuff' (not fiction) and 'Bonfire of the Vanities' are fantastic.

Re really old stuff that holds up-- Don Quixote, and the Fitzgerald translations of the Odyssey, Iliad, and Aeneid are all fantastic.

Re the Flashman series-- you'll either love it or you won't. I don't think there's any middle ground.

I read Wolfe's I am Charlotte Simmons and quite enjoyed it for what it was. But never got further along with him than that.

I will check out the recs. Thank you.

I'm bouncing between a couple of YA books my daughter recommended/liked. I try to keep up with her reading so we have things to talk about. It's interesting you meantion the Iliad. One of the next books on my "daughter" list is The Song of Achilles and we've been talking about the Iliad. Which I read many years ago, as well as the tomb of achilles.

I've recc'd it here before but if you like narrative history and early US history then Eckhart's Frontiersmen and Tecumseh can't be beat.

If you liked Lonesome Dove then those books are right there. Fantastic.

Bennyonesix1 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 1:27 pm I've recc'd it here before but if you like narrative history and early US history then Eckhart's Frontiersmen and Tecumseh can't be beat.

If you liked Lonesome Dove then those books are right there. Fantastic.

Awesome. Thank you. Just took a look on Amazon. Added Frontiersman to the pile.

I do love narrative history...historical fiction, etc.

Albion's Seed is an incredible book about early US. It charts the settlement patterns from England into the US. And argues pretty convincingly that the cultures of the regions of the US (before infinity Mexicans and Somalis) was largely determined by where the founding stock came from in England.

I don't know why one would read this now though. That's going to be memory holed so we can enjoy FAVELA WORLD without understanding what once was and what could be.

There really is no alternative to FAVELA WORLD that isn't racist and homophobic and transphobic.

newguy wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 3:18 pm

Bennyonesix1 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 1:27 pm I've recc'd it here before but if you like narrative history and early US history then Eckhart's Frontiersmen and Tecumseh can't be beat.

If you liked Lonesome Dove then those books are right there. Fantastic.

Awesome. Thank you. Just took a look on Amazon. Added Frontiersman to the pile.

I do love narrative history...historical fiction, etc.

If you do read it, please let me know what you think.

It is one of my favorite books.

I wish St Mel Gibson would make a movie out of it.

Frontiersman is good, I read it in Sarajevo like five years ago.

The indentations between his fingers from carrying musket balls between them?

His reloading at a run?

BASED

Tecumseh might even be better. He really was one of the noblest men of all time.

I finally finished Azincourt. It’s one of the most violent, rapey-ist books I’ve read.

Waiting for the new Anthony Ryan book to be released on August 4th.

Fat Cat wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:36 pm

newguy wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:30 pm Hey all -

Seeking a book recommendation. I'm looking for something along the lines of a Lonesome Dove....or Shogun. One of those 8...9 hundred page turners that while they could be made into a movie also contain wisdom and I might just learn something. They satisfy the need for action and for love. Not lame and boring. Fiction. Genre open. But again, I want to emphasize...I'm not looking for an 1300 page character study. Plot. Some action. Mystery. Adventure. Etc.

The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas

Thanks for the rec. Thoroughly enjoying it.

SPOILER ALERT
------------------------------------
Dante has escaped the prison and hooked up with a smuggler ship.

Couldn't sleep this AM. For the first time in a long time I thought...fuck it. Get up and read.

I actually like The Three Musketeers better. They're both phenomenal stories. But the characters in Musketeers are so damn cool. Each one fully formed and cool in diff ways. Esp the bad guys.

The escape scene in Cristo had me stressed. I had to put the book down a few times. I was just overloaded. Ellroy and O'brian only other authors to pull that off for me.

Bennyonesix1 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 8:12 pm I actually like The Three Musketeers better. They're both phenomenal stories. But the characters in Musketeers are so damn cool. Each one fully formed and cool in diff ways. Esp the bad guys.

The escape scene in Cristo had me stressed. I had to put the book down a few times. I was just overloaded. Ellroy and O'brian only other authors to pull that off for me.

I'll check out The Three Musketeers as well.

It's been awhile, but I remember getting stressed reading American Tabloid. It might be his writing style....I don't know. But something about Ellroy is panic inducing.

I went to bed reading and

SPOILER ALERT

Abbe Cristo had just finished his first seizure.

Had a restless night and at 5:00 AM was awake and thought fuck it. Let's just see what happens. Then spent the early AM (for me right now) reading the escape to the smuggler ship.

My kid's (teen) YA novel might have to wait a bit. Although she seems to have decent taste and I do enjoy the books she recommends me. For what they are.

Based

DrDonkeyLove... wrote: ↑Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:50 pm Farenheit 451
Probably a mistake considering my recent mood.

Finished. Written in 1953. TBH I found the writing to be OK, but certain plot points are as apropos today as they were then. Some of the technology he envisioned and our soulless consumption of empty entertainment was pretty spot on. He essentially predicted big screen reality television and entertainment overload very vividly.

The gov't Firemen book burner's job was to destroy ideas and all too similar to today's cancel culture.

Written almost 70 years ago it left me with an everything changes and nothing really changes feeling.

It's a classic but where Bradbury stands out as a fantasist is short stories, a genre that is more difficult to write than most people realize.

DrDonkeyLove... wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2020 2:42 am

DrDonkeyLove... wrote: ↑Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:50 pm Farenheit 451
Probably a mistake considering my recent mood.

Finished. Written in 1953. TBH I found the writing to be OK, but certain plot points are as apropos today as they were then. Some of the technology he envisioned and our soulless consumption of empty entertainment was pretty spot on. He essentially predicted big screen reality television and entertainment overload very vividly.

The gov't Firemen book burner's job was to destroy ideas and all too similar to today's cancel culture.

Written almost 70 years ago it left me with an everything changes and nothing really changes feeling.

Yeah. It almost makes me think that back in the caveman days Rarnok was complaining that all people wanted to do anymore was sit in caves and paint and that one day there would be a way to take painting outside and then all society would be fucked.

Been flying through Gemmell's Drenai series. Really enjoying it.

It's all about Death and Life as viewed from a Christian perspective.

The Christianity is not explicit, but that's the frame. And it is Medieval in it's approach. Living and dying and love are the only things that matter. Life is hideous and beautiful. And the challenge is to overcome the fear of truly living (which is loving others which has in it forgiveness) and truly dying (which is sacrificing for others).

People say it's repetitive and macho. Repetitive? Ehhh. Life and Death are the only important things. Macho? Lol. The love and emotions the characters experience show the lie of that. But they do fight and kill.

If you haven't lost the ability to feel and sense higher things and the agony and ecstacy of living and dying and still sense the urgency of life I'll think you'll like it a lot.

As to style, the prose is there to tell the story. Not flashy but very effective.

I read them in the chronological order and not the published order fwiw.

DrDonkeyLove... wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2020 2:42 am

DrDonkeyLove... wrote: ↑Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:50 pm Farenheit 451
Probably a mistake considering my recent mood.

Finished. Written in 1953. TBH I found the writing to be OK, but certain plot points are as apropos today as they were then. Some of the technology he envisioned and our soulless consumption of empty entertainment was pretty spot on. He essentially predicted big screen reality television and entertainment overload very vividly.

Not a book, but Idiocracy gets more and more on point.

nafod wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:14 pm

DrDonkeyLove... wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2020 2:42 am

DrDonkeyLove... wrote: ↑Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:50 pm Farenheit 451
Probably a mistake considering my recent mood.

Finished. Written in 1953. TBH I found the writing to be OK, but certain plot points are as apropos today as they were then. Some of the technology he envisioned and our soulless consumption of empty entertainment was pretty spot on. He essentially predicted big screen reality television and entertainment overload very vividly.

Not a book, but Idiocracy gets more and more on point.

I like the people involved. I'll try to look it up. Thank you.

Bennyonesix1 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:26 pm Been flying through Gemmell's Drenai series. Really enjoying it.

It's all about Death and Life as viewed from a Christian perspective.

The Christianity is not explicit, but that's the frame. And it is Medieval in it's approach. Living and dying and love are the only things that matter. Life is hideous and beautiful. And the challenge is to overcome the fear of truly living (which is loving others which has in it forgiveness) and truly dying (which is sacrificing for others).

People say it's repetitive and macho. Repetitive? Ehhh. Life and Death are the only important things. Macho? Lol. The love and emotions the characters experience show the lie of that. But they do fight and kill.

If you haven't lost the ability to feel and sense higher things and the agony and ecstacy of living and dying and still sense the urgency of life I'll think you'll like it a lot.

As to style, the prose is there to tell the story. Not flashy but very effective.

I read them in the chronological order and not the published order fwiw.

Really enjoyed the series. I missed the christianity component. I'll need to do a reread keeping it in mind.

My favorite book in the bunch was Quest for Lost Heroes. I love that book. It's one that every couple of years I'll see it on the shelf and reread it.

newguy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:15 pm

Bennyonesix1 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:26 pm Been flying through Gemmell's Drenai series. Really enjoying it.

It's all about Death and Life as viewed from a Christian perspective.

The Christianity is not explicit, but that's the frame. And it is Medieval in it's approach. Living and dying and love are the only things that matter. Life is hideous and beautiful. And the challenge is to overcome the fear of truly living (which is loving others which has in it forgiveness) and truly dying (which is sacrificing for others).

People say it's repetitive and macho. Repetitive? Ehhh. Life and Death are the only important things. Macho? Lol. The love and emotions the characters experience show the lie of that. But they do fight and kill.

If you haven't lost the ability to feel and sense higher things and the agony and ecstacy of living and dying and still sense the urgency of life I'll think you'll like it a lot.

As to style, the prose is there to tell the story. Not flashy but very effective.

I read them in the chronological order and not the published order fwiw.

Really enjoyed the series. I missed the christianity component. I'll need to do a reread keeping it in mind.

My favorite book in the bunch was Quest for Lost Heroes. I love that book. It's one that every couple of years I'll see it on the shelf and reread it.

Every book in the series is a meditation on The Crucifixion. Not surprising as that is the central moment in and for Christianity. The differences btwn the books are the personalities and how Christianity plays out between them. But in the end, for a Christian life is a Crucifixion and we should aspire to embrace it and live it fully like The Christ. And this is possible for fighting men.

In QFLH, take Beltzer's death beneath Ulrikham(sp?). He's a completely flawed human. But his death is Christ-like. He sacrifices himself for others out of love for them and belief in a higher power. And most importantly he does so without anger or regret or bitterness. He undergoes a crucifixion. This is Christ-like despite the fact that he kills 18 Nadir. Because he does so without wrath and because life was struggle even for the Christ. We can't establish a hierarchy of sin with Wrath/violence holding a special spot. The presence of conflict does not signal sin.

The Drenai series is a series of repetitions of that moment on the large scale (Delnoch) and the small scale (beltzer).

It's a profound meditation on what it means to be Christian. One that reached its peak in the Middle Ages.

I guess most today assume Joachim of Fiore's framework of the three sequential ages: Father, Son and then Holy Spirit. And that we are now in the more "evolved" Age of the Spirit. And all this talk of Christ and suffering and sin and redemption and CONFLICT is gross and a sign of a failure to get with the program.

Idk, I'm a Christian but other Christians today seem gross to me. Almost intolerable to be around.

Except St Mel Gibson.

Bought this for son (in Russian of course) but reading it myself right now :)

Wild Bill wrote: ↑Sun Aug 23, 2020 8:21 am Bought this for son (in Russian of course) but reading it myself right now :)

Russians can't read nigga c'mon.

good book.
I bought second part.

Just started this.

if lack of plot advancement were a person it would be Robert Jordan.