faggoty book read'n

[Bronco]

Picked up The Creature from Jekyll Island, first few pages look pretty good. Didn't know the backstory of the creation of the Federal Reserve.

[ivan]

2015 reading list:

january:

the generals: american military command from world war 2 to today - thomas ricks - got a copy from my pops, well annotated w/ his neat handwriting - basic premise, the quality of army generals has degraded since the days of marshall due largely to the institutional abolishment of relieving incompetent officers - the glorification of tactics over strategy, generals becoming glorified squad leaders - the classic rut, an organization devoted to doing what it's always done, rather than what it should be doing now

 

February:

warlord: a life of winston churchill at war, 1874-1945 by carlo d'este - a big old tome at 700 pages but every page was great - never had learned much of his early life and enjoyed that bit the most - an insufferable child w/ serious daddy issues - thought an idiot boy by most, notable only for the bizarely intricate games he liked to play w/ thousands of toy soldiers - games in which no else could play, unless they swore to obey him and be defeated - a thoroughly lackluster student who only late in life took to academics w/ a vengeance

 

a total pain in the ass to be with, never without a contrarian opinion on any subject at hand since his earliest days - many who worked w/ him couldn't bring themselves to like him, yet were thankful for the opportunity - "When you first meet him, you see all his faults. It takes a lifetime to appreciate his virtues."

 

great quote of his on monty, a man every bit as aggravating as himself:

"Indomitable in retreat; invincible in advance; insufferable in victory."

 

and, in response to monty's claims to extreme health as a result of his tee-totaling: "well i both drink AND smoke, and am 200% fit"

 

taken captive in the boer war, he escaped, perhaps by betraying his fellow captives who's plan he horned in on and then ruined by his hasty flight - rose to prominence as a curious mixture of soldier and self-aggrandizing journalist in india, sudan and south africa - was a renowned polo player in his youth as well, totally reckless

 

didn't know that, after eviction from high office in the wake of gallipoli, he rejoined the army and got posted to the front line in france for a spell - he had a great taste for danger that persisted throughout his life, evident in ww2 by his watching the nightly bombings of london from the rooftops

 

 

march:

the irish war: the hidden conflict between the ira and british intelligence - tony geraghty

 

seemed appropos for the month of st paddys - despite the sub-title, a good primer on the entirety of irelands troubles with her big brother next door - the auther often injected into the action as he was an ex-soldier turned journalist who got the shit beat out of him while on assignment in the 6 counties during the 70s on after - written just a year or so after the good friday peace accord, wonder how old boy feels a decade plus on? seems like the shit worked, despite inevitable cynicism

 

the physical force tradition, often carried about by folk who couldn't rightly explain what it would amount to - the insanity of terrorist movements that attempt to speak for a people that repeatedly reject them in public referendums - brendan behan: the first item on any irish republican agenda is "the split!" - "my owld alarram clock" - semtex - the reliable "honeypot" assassination technique - the classic case for extra-judicial killings - sinn fein: "ourselves alone"

 

finished while being flung through the Deep Space and Wastelands of idaho and u-tard at the onset of yet another glorious spring break

Edited April 16, 2015 by ivan

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

I read "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury en route to Vegas (and back) last week. A great read, beautiful language. A perfect book as I head into summer again (and deeper into middle age)

 

 

[ivan]

2015 reading list:

january:

the generals: american military command from world war 2 to today - thomas ricks - got a copy from my pops, well annotated w/ his neat handwriting - basic premise, the quality of army generals has degraded since the days of marshall due largely to the institutional abolishment of relieving incompetent officers - the glorification of tactics over strategy, generals becoming glorified squad leaders - the classic rut, an organization devoted to doing what it's always done, rather than what it should be doing now

 

February:

warlord: a life of winston churchill at war, 1874-1945 by carlo d'este - a big old tome at 700 pages but every page was great - never had learned much of his early life and enjoyed that bit the most - an insufferable child w/ serious daddy issues - thought an idiot boy by most, notable only for the bizarely intricate games he liked to play w/ thousands of toy soldiers - games in which no else could play, unless they swore to obey him and be defeated - a thoroughly lackluster student who only late in life took to academics w/ a vengeance

 

a total pain in the ass to be with, never without a contrarian opinion on any subject at hand since his earliest days - many who worked w/ him couldn't bring themselves to like him, yet were thankful for the opportunity - "When you first meet him, you see all his faults. It takes a lifetime to appreciate his virtues."

 

great quote of his on monty, a man every bit as aggravating as himself:

"Indomitable in retreat; invincible in advance; insufferable in victory."

 

and, in response to monty's claims to extreme health as a result of his tee-totaling: "well i both drink AND smoke, and am 200% fit"

 

taken captive in the boer war, he escaped, perhaps by betraying his fellow captives who's plan he horned in on and then ruined by his hasty flight - rose to prominence as a curious mixture of soldier and self-aggrandizing journalist in india, sudan and south africa - was a renowned polo player in his youth as well, totally reckless

 

didn't know that, after eviction from high office in the wake of gallipoli, he rejoined the army and got posted to the front line in france for a spell - he had a great taste for danger that persisted throughout his life, evident in ww2 by his watching the nightly bombings of london from the rooftops

 

 

 

march:

the irish war: the hidden conflict between the ira and british intelligence - tony geraghty

 

seemed appropos for the month of st paddys - despite the sub-title, a good primer on the entirety of irelands troubles with her big brother next door - the auther often injected into the action as he was an ex-soldier turned journalist who got the shit beat out of him while on assignment in the 6 counties during the 70s on after - written just a year or so after the good friday peace accord, wonder how old boy feels a decade plus on? seems like the shit worked, despite inevitable cynicism

 

the physical force tradition, often carried about by folk who couldn't rightly explain what it would amount to - the insanity of terrorist movements that attempt to speak for a people that repeatedly reject them in public referendums - brendan behan: the first item on any irish republican agenda is "the split!" - "my owld alarram clock" - semtex - the reliable "honeypot" assassination technique - the classic case for extra-judicial killings - sinn fein: "ourselves alone"

 

finished while being flung through the Deep Space and Wastelands of idaho and u-tard at the onset of yet another glorious spring break

april:

the hard way around: the passages of joshua slocum by geoffrey wolff - a piece of road mercy from some friend of tvash's - me, mid-blizzard, the only book i'd brought for the trip kicked only 2 days in - a fine read and breezed through quick - an odd lad i'd never heard of - product of a dying generation, the last of the age of sail - as an old man he undertook the first solo circumnavigation of the globe - lauded widely abroad, he returned to derision and suspicion, disappearing into the Deep Blue Sea soon there, never to be seen again

 

fine quote it contained from dr johnson: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

[Fairweather]

the hard way around: the passages of joshua slocum by geoffrey wolff - a piece of road mercy from some friend of tvash's - me, mid-blizzard, the only book i'd brought for the trip kicked only 2 days in - a fine read and breezed through quick - an odd lad i'd never heard of - product of a dying generation, the last of the age of sail - as an old man he undertook the first solo circumnavigation of the globe - lauded widely abroad, he returned to derision and suspicion, disappearing into the Deep Blue Sea soon there, never to be seen again

 

fine quote it contained from dr johnson: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

 

Similarly, from the age of adventure, you might like this one. First guy to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle in the 1930s. It's on my re read list.

 

 

[ivan]

young scotchman obewon kenobi did a series a few years ago on biking round the world too - only managed an episode or two though...

[Fairweather]

Their second series, "Long Way Down" was a lot better. Scotland to South Africa. Ethiopa looks really cool--Namibia too.

[Fairweather]

Someday, when I hang up my climbing gear, I hope to point my Zuki DR650 south and head for Punta Arenas.

[ivan]

2015 reading list:

january:

the generals: american military command from world war 2 to today - thomas ricks - got a copy from my pops, well annotated w/ his neat handwriting - basic premise, the quality of army generals has degraded since the days of marshall due largely to the institutional abolishment of relieving incompetent officers - the glorification of tactics over strategy, generals becoming glorified squad leaders - the classic rut, an organization devoted to doing what it's always done, rather than what it should be doing now

 

February:

warlord: a life of winston churchill at war, 1874-1945 by carlo d'este - a big old tome at 700 pages but every page was great - never had learned much of his early life and enjoyed that bit the most - an insufferable child w/ serious daddy issues - thought an idiot boy by most, notable only for the bizarely intricate games he liked to play w/ thousands of toy soldiers - games in which no else could play, unless they swore to obey him and be defeated - a thoroughly lackluster student who only late in life took to academics w/ a vengeance

 

a total pain in the ass to be with, never without a contrarian opinion on any subject at hand since his earliest days - many who worked w/ him couldn't bring themselves to like him, yet were thankful for the opportunity - "When you first meet him, you see all his faults. It takes a lifetime to appreciate his virtues."

 

great quote of his on monty, a man every bit as aggravating as himself:

"Indomitable in retreat; invincible in advance; insufferable in victory."

 

and, in response to monty's claims to extreme health as a result of his tee-totaling: "well i both drink AND smoke, and am 200% fit"

 

taken captive in the boer war, he escaped, perhaps by betraying his fellow captives who's plan he horned in on and then ruined by his hasty flight - rose to prominence as a curious mixture of soldier and self-aggrandizing journalist in india, sudan and south africa - was a renowned polo player in his youth as well, totally reckless

 

didn't know that, after eviction from high office in the wake of gallipoli, he rejoined the army and got posted to the front line in france for a spell - he had a great taste for danger that persisted throughout his life, evident in ww2 by his watching the nightly bombings of london from the rooftops

 

 

 

march:

the irish war: the hidden conflict between the ira and british intelligence - tony geraghty

 

seemed appropos for the month of st paddys - despite the sub-title, a good primer on the entirety of irelands troubles with her big brother next door - the auther often injected into the action as he was an ex-soldier turned journalist who got the shit beat out of him while on assignment in the 6 counties during the 70s on after - written just a year or so after the good friday peace accord, wonder how old boy feels a decade plus on? seems like the shit worked, despite inevitable cynicism

 

the physical force tradition, often carried about by folk who couldn't rightly explain what it would amount to - the insanity of terrorist movements that attempt to speak for a people that repeatedly reject them in public referendums - brendan behan: the first item on any irish republican agenda is "the split!" - "my owld alarram clock" - semtex - the reliable "honeypot" assassination technique - the classic case for extra-judicial killings - sinn fein: "ourselves alone"

 

finished while being flung through the Deep Space and Wastelands of idaho and u-tard at the onset of yet another glorious spring break

 

april:

the hard way around: the passages of joshua slocum by geoffrey wolff - a piece of road mercy from some friend of tvash's - me, mid-blizzard, the only book i'd brought for the trip kicked only 2 days in - a fine read and breezed through quick - an odd lad i'd never heard of - product of a dying generation, the last of the age of sail - as an old man he undertook the first solo circumnavigation of the globe - lauded widely abroad, he returned to derision and suspicion, disappearing into the Deep Blue Sea soon there, never to be seen again

 

fine quote it contained from dr johnson: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

may:

sphere - michael crichton

 

yeah,yeah, i know - fiction is the weak focus of a fool's mind - reckon it weren't no better than the movie, but it made the miles go by...

 

 

death grip: a climber's escape from benzo madness - matt samet

 

didn't care to read a climber's story, which i expected given my wife'd picked this up from the library thinking "oh, it's about climbing, you'll love this"

 

more the melancholy story of a dude born to madness n' drugging n' only late in life able to sort his shit out and get on the mostly straight n' sorta true - seems mandatory reading if you're on any prescription meds meant to slather over the demons you done tried to dodge too long - dug the writing style as it's of my own sensibilities, though sadly beyond my abilities i'm afeared

 

enjoyed the erstwhile assertion: there were few sporto-retards in the way-back that weren't harboring a hard-edged eating disorder

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Currently reading "A Moveable Feast" and "Eaters of the Dead". Both are quite enjoyable, light, summer reads :-)

[ivan]

the movie they made out of "eaters" just wasn't up to snuff, but then, no attempt to adapt beowulf to silver screen ever has been...

[KaskadskyjKozak]

the movie they made out of "eaters" just wasn't up to snuff, but then, no attempt to adapt beowulf to silver screen ever has been...

 

could a movie ever do it justice?

[ivan]

seems like it should, but if you've thrown angelina jolie's (pre-surgery) tatas at the problem w/o result i guess not (kinda like "the hitch-hikers guide" in that respect)

[ZimZam]

Dave Robert's "Finding Everett Ruess."

[ivan]

2015 reading list:

january:

the generals: american military command from world war 2 to today - thomas ricks - got a copy from my pops, well annotated w/ his neat handwriting - basic premise, the quality of army generals has degraded since the days of marshall due largely to the institutional abolishment of relieving incompetent officers - the glorification of tactics over strategy, generals becoming glorified squad leaders - the classic rut, an organization devoted to doing what it's always done, rather than what it should be doing now

 

February:

warlord: a life of winston churchill at war, 1874-1945 by carlo d'este - a big old tome at 700 pages but every page was great - never had learned much of his early life and enjoyed that bit the most - an insufferable child w/ serious daddy issues - thought an idiot boy by most, notable only for the bizarely intricate games he liked to play w/ thousands of toy soldiers - games in which no else could play, unless they swore to obey him and be defeated - a thoroughly lackluster student who only late in life took to academics w/ a vengeance

 

a total pain in the ass to be with, never without a contrarian opinion on any subject at hand since his earliest days - many who worked w/ him couldn't bring themselves to like him, yet were thankful for the opportunity - "When you first meet him, you see all his faults. It takes a lifetime to appreciate his virtues."

 

great quote of his on monty, a man every bit as aggravating as himself:

"Indomitable in retreat; invincible in advance; insufferable in victory."

 

and, in response to monty's claims to extreme health as a result of his tee-totaling: "well i both drink AND smoke, and am 200% fit"

 

taken captive in the boer war, he escaped, perhaps by betraying his fellow captives who's plan he horned in on and then ruined by his hasty flight - rose to prominence as a curious mixture of soldier and self-aggrandizing journalist in india, sudan and south africa - was a renowned polo player in his youth as well, totally reckless

 

didn't know that, after eviction from high office in the wake of gallipoli, he rejoined the army and got posted to the front line in france for a spell - he had a great taste for danger that persisted throughout his life, evident in ww2 by his watching the nightly bombings of london from the rooftops

 

 

 

march:

the irish war: the hidden conflict between the ira and british intelligence - tony geraghty

 

seemed appropos for the month of st paddys - despite the sub-title, a good primer on the entirety of irelands troubles with her big brother next door - the auther often injected into the action as he was an ex-soldier turned journalist who got the shit beat out of him while on assignment in the 6 counties during the 70s on after - written just a year or so after the good friday peace accord, wonder how old boy feels a decade plus on? seems like the shit worked, despite inevitable cynicism

 

the physical force tradition, often carried about by folk who couldn't rightly explain what it would amount to - the insanity of terrorist movements that attempt to speak for a people that repeatedly reject them in public referendums - brendan behan: the first item on any irish republican agenda is "the split!" - "my owld alarram clock" - semtex - the reliable "honeypot" assassination technique - the classic case for extra-judicial killings - sinn fein: "ourselves alone"

 

finished while being flung through the Deep Space and Wastelands of idaho and u-tard at the onset of yet another glorious spring break

 

april:

the hard way around: the passages of joshua slocum by geoffrey wolff - a piece of road mercy from some friend of tvash's - me, mid-blizzard, the only book i'd brought for the trip kicked only 2 days in - a fine read and breezed through quick - an odd lad i'd never heard of - product of a dying generation, the last of the age of sail - as an old man he undertook the first solo circumnavigation of the globe - lauded widely abroad, he returned to derision and suspicion, disappearing into the Deep Blue Sea soon there, never to be seen again

 

fine quote it contained from dr johnson: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

 

may:

sphere - michael crichton

 

yeah,yeah, i know - fiction is the weak focus of a fool's mind - reckon it weren't no better than the movie, but it made the miles go by...

 

 

death grip: a climber's escape from benzo madness - matt samet

 

didn't care to read a climber's story, which i expected given my wife'd picked this up from the library thinking "oh, it's about climbing, you'll love this"

 

more the melancholy story of a dude born to madness n' drugging n' only late in life able to sort his shit out and get on the mostly straight n' sorta true - seems mandatory reading if you're on any prescription meds meant to slather over the demons you done tried to dodge too long - dug the writing style as it's of my own sensibilities, though sadly beyond my abilities i'm afeared

 

enjoyed the erstwhile assertion: there were few sporto-retards in the way-back that weren't harboring a hard-edged eating disorder

june:

moby dick - herman melville - forced to read it as a child, i enjoyed it far more voluntarily as an adult - the "monkey rope" chapter was particularly appropriate for a climber, as indeed the rationale espoused in the opening paragraph for the need for adventure in a drab and dreary world

 

july:

margaret thatcher: power and personality - jonathan aiken - obeys the classic law of all biographies: if'n you don't hate'em to begin w/, you will by the end is it possible to be reckoned great in the estimation of the world without being a godawful grand jackass?

 

august:

the worldly philosophers - robert heilbroner - a history of economics and plenty enjoyable - every economist from adam smith on a prisoner to the prism of the current day, all of them purporting to paint the picture beneath the flower, but finding their portrait stained with the pollen of the blossom they were fingering along the way

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

Currently reading "Tender is the Night" and "Roughing It". Twain cracks me up.

 

I loved Moby Dick as an adult as well. My fav was the chapter on how white is the actual color of evil.

 

 

[ivan]

2015 reading list:

january:

the generals: american military command from world war 2 to today - thomas ricks - got a copy from my pops, well annotated w/ his neat handwriting - basic premise, the quality of army generals has degraded since the days of marshall due largely to the institutional abolishment of relieving incompetent officers - the glorification of tactics over strategy, generals becoming glorified squad leaders - the classic rut, an organization devoted to doing what it's always done, rather than what it should be doing now

 

February:

warlord: a life of winston churchill at war, 1874-1945 by carlo d'este - a big old tome at 700 pages but every page was great - never had learned much of his early life and enjoyed that bit the most - an insufferable child w/ serious daddy issues - thought an idiot boy by most, notable only for the bizarely intricate games he liked to play w/ thousands of toy soldiers - games in which no else could play, unless they swore to obey him and be defeated - a thoroughly lackluster student who only late in life took to academics w/ a vengeance

 

a total pain in the ass to be with, never without a contrarian opinion on any subject at hand since his earliest days - many who worked w/ him couldn't bring themselves to like him, yet were thankful for the opportunity - "When you first meet him, you see all his faults. It takes a lifetime to appreciate his virtues."

 

great quote of his on monty, a man every bit as aggravating as himself:

"Indomitable in retreat; invincible in advance; insufferable in victory."

 

and, in response to monty's claims to extreme health as a result of his tee-totaling: "well i both drink AND smoke, and am 200% fit"

 

taken captive in the boer war, he escaped, perhaps by betraying his fellow captives who's plan he horned in on and then ruined by his hasty flight - rose to prominence as a curious mixture of soldier and self-aggrandizing journalist in india, sudan and south africa - was a renowned polo player in his youth as well, totally reckless

 

didn't know that, after eviction from high office in the wake of gallipoli, he rejoined the army and got posted to the front line in france for a spell - he had a great taste for danger that persisted throughout his life, evident in ww2 by his watching the nightly bombings of london from the rooftops

 

 

 

march:

the irish war: the hidden conflict between the ira and british intelligence - tony geraghty

 

seemed appropos for the month of st paddys - despite the sub-title, a good primer on the entirety of irelands troubles with her big brother next door - the auther often injected into the action as he was an ex-soldier turned journalist who got the shit beat out of him while on assignment in the 6 counties during the 70s on after - written just a year or so after the good friday peace accord, wonder how old boy feels a decade plus on? seems like the shit worked, despite inevitable cynicism

 

the physical force tradition, often carried about by folk who couldn't rightly explain what it would amount to - the insanity of terrorist movements that attempt to speak for a people that repeatedly reject them in public referendums - brendan behan: the first item on any irish republican agenda is "the split!" - "my owld alarram clock" - semtex - the reliable "honeypot" assassination technique - the classic case for extra-judicial killings - sinn fein: "ourselves alone"

 

finished while being flung through the Deep Space and Wastelands of idaho and u-tard at the onset of yet another glorious spring break

 

april:

the hard way around: the passages of joshua slocum by geoffrey wolff - a piece of road mercy from some friend of tvash's - me, mid-blizzard, the only book i'd brought for the trip kicked only 2 days in - a fine read and breezed through quick - an odd lad i'd never heard of - product of a dying generation, the last of the age of sail - as an old man he undertook the first solo circumnavigation of the globe - lauded widely abroad, he returned to derision and suspicion, disappearing into the Deep Blue Sea soon there, never to be seen again

 

fine quote it contained from dr johnson: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

 

may:

sphere - michael crichton

 

yeah,yeah, i know - fiction is the weak focus of a fool's mind - reckon it weren't no better than the movie, but it made the miles go by...

 

 

death grip: a climber's escape from benzo madness - matt samet

 

didn't care to read a climber's story, which i expected given my wife'd picked this up from the library thinking "oh, it's about climbing, you'll love this"

 

more the melancholy story of a dude born to madness n' drugging n' only late in life able to sort his shit out and get on the mostly straight n' sorta true - seems mandatory reading if you're on any prescription meds meant to slather over the demons you done tried to dodge too long - dug the writing style as it's of my own sensibilities, though sadly beyond my abilities i'm afeared

 

enjoyed the erstwhile assertion: there were few sporto-retards in the way-back that weren't harboring a hard-edged eating disorder

 

june:

moby dick - herman melville - forced to read it as a child, i enjoyed it far more voluntarily as an adult - the "monkey rope" chapter was particularly appropriate for a climber, as indeed the rationale espoused in the opening paragraph for the need for adventure in a drab and dreary world

 

july:

margaret thatcher: power and personality - jonathan aiken - obeys the classic law of all biographies: if'n you don't hate'em to begin w/, you will by the end is it possible to be reckoned great in the estimation of the world without being a godawful grand jackass?

 

august:

the worldly philosophers - robert heilbroner - a history of economics and plenty enjoyable - every economist from adam smith on a prisoner to the prism of the current day, all of them purporting to paint the picture beneath the flower, but finding their portrait stained with the pollen of the blossom they were fingering along the way

 

gudacanal diary by richard tregaskis - super quick and enjoyable read, published in the midst of ww2 - knew a good bit about guadacanal but enjoyed reading a first hand account of a feller who spent the first 2 months of what was a half-year adventure there - sparse story-telling - everyone of us lost in the immensity of a great event we can't help but understand only the tiniest toe of...

 

big boy rules by steve fainaru - the story of the kidnapping and murder of american "mercs" in iraq during the early days of the war there - war made into a for-profit exercise - "like being in the army minus all the bullshit" - when the laws of nations and of militaries can't touch you, all there is are "big boy rules"

 

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

Night, Elie Wiesel (finished last week)

 

Oliver Twist, Dickens

 

Don Quixote, Cervantes

[ivan]

yuck a minute book there, is night - a couple years ago i had the pleasure of meeting a woman who spoke at my school who grew up in the same village as wiesel - she ended up w/ him at auschwitz too - said he was a grumpy bastard even before then

[KaskadskyjKozak]

yuck a minute book there, is night - a couple years ago i had the pleasure of meeting a woman who spoke at my school who grew up in the same village as wiesel - she ended up w/ him at auschwitz too - said he was a grumpy bastard even before then

 

It's about as uplifting as 1984. Required reading (thematically at least) from time to time. Never forget and all that

 

I still have Shirer's magnum opus on my tick list...

 

 

[ivan]

used to be you had to read them books to remember the madness of xenophobia run wild - seems lately you can just read the frontpage?

[ivan]

never read "rise and fall of the 3rd reich" but growing up i had a vhs copy of the video version which i musta watched a million times - one of many small steps to becoming a history teacher...

[KaskadskyjKozak]

used to be you had to read them books to remember the madness of xenophobia run wild - seems lately you can just read the frontpage?

 

I don't agree with the comparison....

 

btw, speaking of xenophobia, bigotry an all that, you do know that socially-conscious, not-exactly-right-leaning Dickens has gotten more than his share of criticism for the character of Fagin

 

 

[ivan]

'cuz he was a fag or a child-molester or both?

[KaskadskyjKozak]

'cuz he was a fag or a child-molester or both?

 

No, because of his negative portrayel of a Jew and referring to him as such. Clearly Dickens was an anti-semite just as Trump is a xenophobe