Books Ok for the high brow crowd what books you are reading - Page 109

big nasty kcnut · 03-11-2006, 10:37 PM

I'm reading The New American Revolution by tammy bruce. She is a great thinker and funny.

chiefs1111 · 03-05-2011, 11:59 PM

Reading Robert McCammon-Ushers Passing

LiveSteam · 03-06-2011, 12:11 AM

**DaKCMan AP** · 03-06-2011, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

How was the Fall of Giants?

Very good. If you enjoyed Pillars of the Earth and/or World Without End, you'll like Fall of Giants.

keg in kc · 03-06-2011, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Christmas gift card for Amazon is netting me a hefty box of treats on Monday.

I'm starting a recent fantasy series entitled Shadows of the Apt by a British fantasy author named Adrian Tchaikovsky. Amazon's delivering the first three novels, Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling and Blood of the Mantis. I picked up the fourth book, Salute the Dark, a few months back.

Also getting a science fiction novel that was highly reviewed by a source I trust, Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

And last, but certainly not least, is Joe Abercrombie's latest, The Heroes.

Just finished The Heroes and it was tremendous. Bit better than Best Served Cold, right on par with The First Law trilogy.

joesomebody · 03-06-2011, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Over-Head

The newer stuff with `The Fargos`kinda takes off where Dirk and whats her name from DC left off. Chick who was the senator or congress woman he was banging

I have read probably 90% of the Dirk Pitt books. It seemed he was gearing up to start writing about Dirks surprise super twins.

Then he switched it up more and went with "The Numa Files" or something like that. I love Cussler, but admittedly haven't read many of the non-Dirk Pitt ones.

Did you see the movie, Sahara? I thought it was decent, and really liked the actor they chose to be Al Giordiano(sp)

**Easy 6** · 03-06-2011, 09:44 AM

The last 3 were...

Clint Eastwood: American Rebel - Marc Elliot - a very comprehensive look at Clints life, going from childhood right thru present day. It delves very deeply into the intrigues of Hollywood that he had to navigate his way thru to make it to the top. Like a lot of stories of Tinseltown succcess', we find that our hero is capable of being very cutthroat to get his way, usually its necessary but not always. A few interesting tidbits - Clint was in a military plane that crashed into the pacific when he was an Army swimming instructor & saved the pilots life, also, Gene Hackman had to be asked atleast 3 times to take the role of 'Little Bill Daggett', because he thought the character was too repugnant for him, i dont get that at all, Little Bill was the kind of rough ass lawman that the old west called for IMO.

Colin Powell: Statesman/Soldier - Howard Means - a straightforward look at the famous 4 star. A man that leaped ahead of other candidates with regularity throughout his career, but yet noone was ever able to make the charge of 'ticket puncher' (an officer that only volunteers/goes after assignments that help them get ahead) stick. The guy simply went where the Army seemed to need him most & for a Washington insider like himself VERY few people to this day have anything bad to say about him. Not many good war stories since he only did 1 tour in Nam & was often not in the field there. Nonetheless an interesting read about a guy that i still wish would run for President, he's a straightforward man that has kept his dignity & self respect.

It Doesnt Take a Hero: Norman Schwarzkopf - Peter Petre - a very thorough look at the Lion of the Gulf War. Great read on a guy that took a lot of flak for being too brash etc. I found him to be very humble about all of his accomplishments, somewhat surprising since he grew up for the most part in relative high style, his dad was an Army general & he spent much of his childhood traveling the world with his dad, living in Iran, Switzerland, Germany to name a few. Another guy that nobody can call a ticket puncher, he always took the assignment that put him in charge of troops, a true field commander. Lots of great war stories from Vietnam, Panama, Grenada & Iraq. Greatest quote from the book comes from Saudi General Khalid that oversaw all Arab forces during the Gulf War... 'If there is only one superpower in the world, thank God its the United States of America'.

Jenson71 · 03-06-2011, 10:16 AM

About two nights ago I had a dream that I was on some mission with Colin Powell. I was asking him what his ground experience in Vietnam was all about as we were walking down a dusty road outside of some ghost town.

**Easy 6** · 03-16-2011, 05:50 PM

Almost done with 'Horse Soldiers' by Doug Stanton, its the story of the first special operators dropped into Afghanistan right after 9/11. Not even sure where to start with this book except to say that if you like war stories, and more importantly, the role & tribulations of special operators during the crazy weeks & months after 9/11... you are going to LOVE this book, its like crack on paper. I'm considering re-reading it when i'm done & i never do that for atleast a year with any book i've read.

Horse mounted cavalry charges straight into machine guns & tanks like something out of 'The Last Samurai', hellish escape & evade's, how these teams prepare for deployment, operators trying ease tensions between rival warlords, on & on i could go, its easily as close as most of us will ever get to understanding the spec ops world.

I've come away especially impressed with one of the northern alliances main leaders, general Rashid Dostum, often mentioned in the news as a very bad character. But he treated our teams like his own sons, personally swung the momentum of a crucial battle by charging ahead of his severely faltering troops into the worst part of the battle & as far as his feelings for the Taliban he said 'i refuse to live in a country where a man cant drink vodka & women cant wear skirts & go to school'... that is about as good as its gonna get in that country as far as i'm concerned.

Next up, United Nations Journal - A Delegates Odyssey by William F. Buckley jr.

keg in kc · 03-16-2011, 06:21 PM

My latest audiobook (this is what I do while I walk or run and often while I work on video projects) has been a novel called Rally Cry by William R. Forstchen. It's about a civil war regiment from maine that gets sucked through a random tunnel of light and ends up on a world populated by humans from various epochs of history as well as a horde of giant axe-wielding man-eating monsters. I've enjoyed it way more than I expected to (got it on the cheap...), so much that I'm going to pick up the next book in the series, Union Forever. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it is entertaining. Looks like he wrote nine of them between '90 and '00.

**Easy 6** · 04-09-2011, 07:31 PM

United Nations Journal - William F. Buckley Jr, this book only confirmed my deep suspicion that 90% of the time, the UN is a worthless organization. Lots of hot air gets expelled, but little usually comes of it. When they finally do try to stop some kind of madness going on across the world, their people are chased around & killed just like the refugees they're there to protect. A huge, lurching & usually useless bureaucracy. It had a few interesting little bits about Kissinger & Nixon, but i wouldnt really recommend it. It'll only confirm your worst feelings about the UN.

ROTTEN - John Lydon, great read on a pivotal band. You get the unvarnished story from long before the beginning to the end. He squashes a lot of fandoms long held beliefs, like Malcolm McClaren being the 'spiritual' inspiration of the band, he talks in much detail of what a piece of untrue junk 'Sid & Nancy' was (though he's a big Gary Oldman fan), he dismisses any notion that the Pistols were influenced in any way by the Ramones, whom he didnt like at all which surprised me a lot, i figured they were regarded as spiritual brothers from across the pond, i sensed a bit of jealousy over the subject. Its a kick to read about how everyone thought doing a tour in the southern US would be a disaster & might even get them killed, instead he says he absolutely loved it & that the southerners were the friendliest people he's yet to meet in the US. He developed his persona around Sir Laurence Oliviers portrayal of Richard the III, just over the top ego & madness. Great, great read... i'm gonna put some Pistols in the video thread tonight.

Iceman:Confessions of a Mafia Killer - I'm sure many here have seen atleast one of the HBO specials on him & i'd seen two of them, but like anything, the book is always better, filled with much more detail & answers a lot more questions. This guy was incredible, in a very evil way. He was the Italian mafias premiere contract killer, even sent overseas on numerous occasions. His favorite method of killing was to take his mark to a deserted cave in Pennsylvania that was infested with giant rats, he would tie the guy up, cut or shoot him just enough to draw blood & get the smell of it in the air, set up a video cam on a tripod with a motion sensor then leave. When he'd come back, there was usually nothing left but a stain on the floor, even the bones were dragged away. He'd record it for the satisfaction of whoever ordered the hit & they'd sit & watch it together, he usually used this method when he was told the guy had to suffer. He also perfected a way of mixing cyanide with another chemical, putting it in a spray bottle & shooting a guy in the face with it, one shot of that mist would kill within seconds every single time, the guy was beyond diabolical. Another wily trick, was to give a guys car a flat then just walk up on him... i'll always be wary of flat tires from now on. He got away with this for over 20 years, he'd often go into the city (NY) & kill just for sport, or to try out a new weapon, like the totally innocent of anything guy he nailed in the head with a mini high power crossbow. I know for a fact several storylines for the Sopranos were lifted directly from this book or tweaked a bit, he was a Jersey guy that started out with the DeCavalcante family, whom the Sopranos are modeled after. This book is crazy good, crazy scary. Wanna know what really happened to Jimmy Hoffa? this guy helped do the hit, go get the book.

Empire of the Sun - J.G. Ballard, another incredible true story of a 10 year old English boy who's dad was a diplomat in Shanghai in the years leading up to WWII. This 10 year old was seperated from his family when the Japanese marched in & took the city over, destroying an American warship in the process & spent many years on his own in pow camps. Its simply amazing how smart, gutsy & resourceful a 10 year old can be, i dont know if i would have made it. I practically ran out of the house to rent the movie when i finished this book, sad to say... it was a pretty big disappointment. While the locations, period clothes etc were all top notch, Spielberg took more liberty with the story than i think i've ever seen, when a book is put on screen. So if you liked the movie, do yourself a favor, go get the book & get the real story.

Mr. Laz · 04-13-2011, 01:35 PM

Brandon Muil's Fablehaven series is decent,light reading Fantasy.

Nothing deep about it but they are ok ... a little Terry Brooks' Landover or Harry Potter-ish . Good for kids imo although people do die a lot so it depends on how sensitive the kid is about that sort of thing.

#	Title	Released
1	Fablehaven	July 30, 2006
2	Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star	May 31, 2007
3	Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague	April 21, 2008
4	Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary	March 24, 2009
5	Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison	March 23, 2010

**DaFace** · 04-13-2011, 01:42 PM

I'm about 20 years too late, but I just finished up the Wheel of Time series and am starting in on the Song of Fire and Ice books. I was never much of a fantasy reader (or a reader, period, for that matter), but epic fantasy is nice when you're sitting on a bus for 45 minutes every day.

Otter · 04-13-2011, 01:46 PM

"World War Z"

I usually have a rule that fiction is for film and reality is for reading. Even when I'm reading for almost pure entertainment I go for something like "Catch Me if You Can" but I've read too many good reviews about this one to pass it up.

I'm not disappointed.

Mr. Laz · 04-13-2011, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

I'm about 20 years too late, but I just finished up the Wheel of Time series and am starting in on the Song of Fire and Ice books. I was never much of a fantasy reader (or a reader, period, for that matter), but epic fantasy is nice when you're sitting on a bus for 45 minutes every day.

love that series

Huffmeister · 04-13-2011, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

I'm about 20 years too late, but I just finished up the Wheel of Time series and am starting in on the Song of Fire and Ice books. I was never much of a fantasy reader (or a reader, period, for that matter), but epic fantasy is nice when you're sitting on a bus for 45 minutes every day.

I love the Song of Ice and Fire series, but I just couldn't get into The Wheel Of Time. Maybe I need to revisit and give it another try.

03-11-2006, 10:37 PM
big nasty kcnut The pizza king of kansas Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Somewhere in the u.s.a. Casino cash: $1640900	Ok for the high brow crowd what books you are reading I'm reading The New American Revolution by tammy bruce. She is a great thinker and funny.
Posts: 18,830

03-05-2011, 11:59 PM	#1621
chiefs1111 In Search of a Life Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $1563166	Reading Robert McCammon-Ushers Passing
Posts: 21,062

03-06-2011, 12:11 AM	#1622
LiveSteam The Constitutional Choo choo Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: homeof43conferencetitles Casino cash: $2225432
Posts: 44,293

03-06-2011, 09:44 AM	#1626
Easy 6 pie is never free Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat Casino cash: $3747775	The last 3 were... Clint Eastwood: American Rebel - Marc Elliot - a very comprehensive look at Clints life, going from childhood right thru present day. It delves very deeply into the intrigues of Hollywood that he had to navigate his way thru to make it to the top. Like a lot of stories of Tinseltown succcess', we find that our hero is capable of being very cutthroat to get his way, usually its necessary but not always. A few interesting tidbits - Clint was in a military plane that crashed into the pacific when he was an Army swimming instructor & saved the pilots life, also, Gene Hackman had to be asked atleast 3 times to take the role of 'Little Bill Daggett', because he thought the character was too repugnant for him, i dont get that at all, Little Bill was the kind of rough ass lawman that the old west called for IMO. Colin Powell: Statesman/Soldier - Howard Means - a straightforward look at the famous 4 star. A man that leaped ahead of other candidates with regularity throughout his career, but yet noone was ever able to make the charge of 'ticket puncher' (an officer that only volunteers/goes after assignments that help them get ahead) stick. The guy simply went where the Army seemed to need him most & for a Washington insider like himself VERY few people to this day have anything bad to say about him. Not many good war stories since he only did 1 tour in Nam & was often not in the field there. Nonetheless an interesting read about a guy that i still wish would run for President, he's a straightforward man that has kept his dignity & self respect. It Doesnt Take a Hero: Norman Schwarzkopf - Peter Petre - a very thorough look at the Lion of the Gulf War. Great read on a guy that took a lot of flak for being too brash etc. I found him to be very humble about all of his accomplishments, somewhat surprising since he grew up for the most part in relative high style, his dad was an Army general & he spent much of his childhood traveling the world with his dad, living in Iran, Switzerland, Germany to name a few. Another guy that nobody can call a ticket puncher, he always took the assignment that put him in charge of troops, a true field commander. Lots of great war stories from Vietnam, Panama, Grenada & Iraq. Greatest quote from the book comes from Saudi General Khalid that oversaw all Arab forces during the Gulf War... 'If there is only one superpower in the world, thank God its the United States of America'.
Posts: 91,656

03-06-2011, 10:16 AM	#1627
Jenson71 fides quaerens intellectum Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: United States Casino cash: $8330900	About two nights ago I had a dream that I was on some mission with Colin Powell. I was asking him what his ground experience in Vietnam was all about as we were walking down a dusty road outside of some ghost town.
Posts: 15,986

03-16-2011, 05:50 PM	#1628
Easy 6 pie is never free Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat Casino cash: $3747775	Almost done with 'Horse Soldiers' by Doug Stanton, its the story of the first special operators dropped into Afghanistan right after 9/11. Not even sure where to start with this book except to say that if you like war stories, and more importantly, the role & tribulations of special operators during the crazy weeks & months after 9/11... you are going to LOVE this book, its like crack on paper. I'm considering re-reading it when i'm done & i never do that for atleast a year with any book i've read. Horse mounted cavalry charges straight into machine guns & tanks like something out of 'The Last Samurai', hellish escape & evade's, how these teams prepare for deployment, operators trying ease tensions between rival warlords, on & on i could go, its easily as close as most of us will ever get to understanding the spec ops world. I've come away especially impressed with one of the northern alliances main leaders, general Rashid Dostum, often mentioned in the news as a very bad character. But he treated our teams like his own sons, personally swung the momentum of a crucial battle by charging ahead of his severely faltering troops into the worst part of the battle & as far as his feelings for the Taliban he said 'i refuse to live in a country where a man cant drink vodka & women cant wear skirts & go to school'... that is about as good as its gonna get in that country as far as i'm concerned. Next up, United Nations Journal - A Delegates Odyssey by William F. Buckley jr.
Posts: 91,656

03-16-2011, 06:21 PM	#1629
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	My latest audiobook (this is what I do while I walk or run and often while I work on video projects) has been a novel called Rally Cry by William R. Forstchen. It's about a civil war regiment from maine that gets sucked through a random tunnel of light and ends up on a world populated by humans from various epochs of history as well as a horde of giant axe-wielding man-eating monsters. I've enjoyed it way more than I expected to (got it on the cheap...), so much that I'm going to pick up the next book in the series, Union Forever. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it is entertaining. Looks like he wrote nine of them between '90 and '00.
Posts: 58,682

04-09-2011, 07:31 PM	#1630
Easy 6 pie is never free Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat Casino cash: $3747775	United Nations Journal - William F. Buckley Jr, this book only confirmed my deep suspicion that 90% of the time, the UN is a worthless organization. Lots of hot air gets expelled, but little usually comes of it. When they finally do try to stop some kind of madness going on across the world, their people are chased around & killed just like the refugees they're there to protect. A huge, lurching & usually useless bureaucracy. It had a few interesting little bits about Kissinger & Nixon, but i wouldnt really recommend it. It'll only confirm your worst feelings about the UN. ROTTEN - John Lydon, great read on a pivotal band. You get the unvarnished story from long before the beginning to the end. He squashes a lot of fandoms long held beliefs, like Malcolm McClaren being the 'spiritual' inspiration of the band, he talks in much detail of what a piece of untrue junk 'Sid & Nancy' was (though he's a big Gary Oldman fan), he dismisses any notion that the Pistols were influenced in any way by the Ramones, whom he didnt like at all which surprised me a lot, i figured they were regarded as spiritual brothers from across the pond, i sensed a bit of jealousy over the subject. Its a kick to read about how everyone thought doing a tour in the southern US would be a disaster & might even get them killed, instead he says he absolutely loved it & that the southerners were the friendliest people he's yet to meet in the US. He developed his persona around Sir Laurence Oliviers portrayal of Richard the III, just over the top ego & madness. Great, great read... i'm gonna put some Pistols in the video thread tonight. Iceman:Confessions of a Mafia Killer - I'm sure many here have seen atleast one of the HBO specials on him & i'd seen two of them, but like anything, the book is always better, filled with much more detail & answers a lot more questions. This guy was incredible, in a very evil way. He was the Italian mafias premiere contract killer, even sent overseas on numerous occasions. His favorite method of killing was to take his mark to a deserted cave in Pennsylvania that was infested with giant rats, he would tie the guy up, cut or shoot him just enough to draw blood & get the smell of it in the air, set up a video cam on a tripod with a motion sensor then leave. When he'd come back, there was usually nothing left but a stain on the floor, even the bones were dragged away. He'd record it for the satisfaction of whoever ordered the hit & they'd sit & watch it together, he usually used this method when he was told the guy had to suffer. He also perfected a way of mixing cyanide with another chemical, putting it in a spray bottle & shooting a guy in the face with it, one shot of that mist would kill within seconds every single time, the guy was beyond diabolical. Another wily trick, was to give a guys car a flat then just walk up on him... i'll always be wary of flat tires from now on. He got away with this for over 20 years, he'd often go into the city (NY) & kill just for sport, or to try out a new weapon, like the totally innocent of anything guy he nailed in the head with a mini high power crossbow. I know for a fact several storylines for the Sopranos were lifted directly from this book or tweaked a bit, he was a Jersey guy that started out with the DeCavalcante family, whom the Sopranos are modeled after. This book is crazy good, crazy scary. Wanna know what really happened to Jimmy Hoffa? this guy helped do the hit, go get the book. Empire of the Sun - J.G. Ballard, another incredible true story of a 10 year old English boy who's dad was a diplomat in Shanghai in the years leading up to WWII. This 10 year old was seperated from his family when the Japanese marched in & took the city over, destroying an American warship in the process & spent many years on his own in pow camps. Its simply amazing how smart, gutsy & resourceful a 10 year old can be, i dont know if i would have made it. I practically ran out of the house to rent the movie when i finished this book, sad to say... it was a pretty big disappointment. While the locations, period clothes etc were all top notch, Spielberg took more liberty with the story than i think i've ever seen, when a book is put on screen. So if you liked the movie, do yourself a favor, go get the book & get the real story.
Posts: 91,656

04-13-2011, 01:42 PM	#1632
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2046899	I'm about 20 years too late, but I just finished up the Wheel of Time series and am starting in on the Song of Fire and Ice books. I was never much of a fantasy reader (or a reader, period, for that matter), but epic fantasy is nice when you're sitting on a bus for 45 minutes every day.
Posts: 51,762