FOT SUMMER READING CHALLENGE

[jimswanson]

Really disappointed with myself for getting hooked on "A Song of Ice and Fire"....

[Steve of Bloomington]

- Any quality book I can find about the history of Israel and Palestine that is not Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem"

Have you read Arab and Jew by David K. Shipler, Jon? I can recommend that one.

I'm reading 1948 by Benny Morris and it is pretty solid. But obviously only a history up to and including the 1948 war. Seems "objective;" as in not overtly politically-skewed. As a Jew (and as a sentient being in general) I am certainly learning lots of things nobody ever told me in Saturday school. Especially about early Zionism and such.

There's also the Robert Fisk one, The Great War for Civilization, which I just snagged from someone's stoop along with Miles' Davis autobiography.

I love Miles' Davis' autobiography. The story about his dinner with Reagan is classic.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

- Any quality book I can find about the history of Israel and Palestine that is not Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem"

Have you read Arab and Jew by David K. Shipler, Jon? I can recommend that one.

I'm reading 1948 by Benny Morris and it is pretty solid. But obviously only a history up to and including the 1948 war. Seems "objective;" as in not overtly politically-skewed. As a Jew (and as a sentient being in general) I am certainly learning lots of things nobody ever told me in Saturday school. Especially about early Zionism and such.

There's also the Robert Fisk one, The Great War for Civilization, which I just snagged from someone's stoop along with Miles' Davis autobiography.

I love Miles' Davis' autobiography. The story about his dinner with Reagan is classic.

So psyched to have found it. I had it on my library hold list but I like that I can take my time. I've renewed the Phil Spector bio like 11 times and haven't cracked it yet. Picking up RZA's Wu-Tang manual today and I've had to give that one back once or twice because lots of Brooklynites have holds on that one (though it would probably take me 20 minutes to read).

[~L]

As you batten down your East Coast hatches, maybe to do some old fashioned reading by flashlight!

[Steve of Bloomington]

Woo-hoo! I actually finished a book - 'The Pale King'. I had put it down for a while.

[davidgoeschatting]

Knocked out The Logicomix book, Sartre's Existentialism, and Lipsyte's Homeland in the past couple weeks. Back on track.

[Steve of Bloomington]

What'd you think of Logicomix? As a mathematician gone wrong and fan of Bertrand Russell, I liked it a lot.

[davidgoeschatting]

What'd you think of Logicomix? As a mathematician gone wrong and fan of Bertrand Russell, I liked it a lot.

You know, I liked it a lot. My affinity in philosophy has always been Continental, but I think there are great Analytical thinkers, and it was very easy to learn about Russell through a graphic novel. You know what it made me want is, another book dedicated solely to Wittgenstein. I bought his biography a while back and have yet to get through it completely. I like him, though. But this book was good. Wouldn't be surprised to see a movie one day, maybe like A Beautiful Mind but with a better lead.

[Steve of Bloomington]

What'd you think of Logicomix? As a mathematician gone wrong and fan of Bertrand Russell, I liked it a lot.

You know, I liked it a lot. My affinity in philosophy has always been Continental, but I think there are great Analytical thinkers, and it was very easy to learn about Russell through a graphic novel. You know what it made me want is, another book dedicated solely to Wittgenstein. I bought his biography a while back and have yet to get through it completely. I like him, though. But this book was good. Wouldn't be surprised to see a movie one day, maybe like A Beautiful Mind but with a better lead.

I read Wittgenstein's biography a couple years back (The Duty Of Genius), and liked that. Actually I believe there is a movie about Wittgenstein floating around, and yes, a movie of Logicomix would be a good thing (rotoscoped? I'm kidding).

[JonFromMaplewood]

- Any quality book I can find about the history of Israel and Palestine that is not Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem"

Have you read Arab and Jew by David K. Shipler, Jon? I can recommend that one.

Oops. I just noticed this.  Thanks!  I am adding that to my short list.  This is next after I finish Blood Meridian and Cheney's memoirs.  Summer fun!

[babylonsean]

Reading has been my main hobby this past summer. These are the books I read:

George RR Martin- "Game of Thrones," "Clash of Kings," "Storm of Swords," "A Feast For Crows," and "A Dance With Dragons."- Great series! Well worth the time invested.
Scott Lynch- "The Lies of Locke Lamora"- Incredible book. It is like a mafia movie mixed with "Ocean's Eleven" and fantasy.
Jon Maberry- "Patient Zero"- Utter garbage, do not waste your time.
China Mieville- "Perdido Street Station"- Absolutely fantastic! One of the most brilliant things I've read in a long time.
Jim Butcher- "Storm Front," and "Fool Moon"- Not bad, good enough to where I think I'll keep reading the series, but not as good as the Martin, Lynch, or Mieville books I read.

[~L]

I just finished my last book of the summer challenge, A Dance with Dragons, just in time as it's due back at the library tomorrow.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer of reading, thanks for reading and posting about your books!

Onto fall reading, I am picking up the new "Area 51: an uncensored history" tomorrow. I guess that place does exist, or at least the book about it exists. After reading this Contents description I can hardly wait!

   Jacobsen, Annie.
Title   Area 51 : an uncensored history of America's top secret military base / Annie Jacobsen.
Pub Info    New York , NY : Little, Brown & Co., 2011.
Rating   


Contents    The secret city -- The riddle of Area 51 -- Imagine a war of the worlds -- The secret base -- The seeds of a conspiracy -- The need-to-know -- Atomic accidents -- From ghost town to boomtown -- Cat and mouse becomes downfall -- The base builds back up -- Wizards of science, technology, and diplomacy -- What airplane? -- Covering up the cover-up -- Dull, dirty, and dangerous requires drones -- Drama in the desert -- The ultimate boys' club -- Operation Black Shield and the secret history of the USS Pueblo -- The MiGs of Area 51 -- Meltdown -- The lunar-landing conspiracy and other legends of Area 51 -- From camera bays to weapons bays, the Air Force takes control -- Revelation.
Summary    Presents a history of the most famous secret military installation in the world, assembled from interviews with the people who served there and formerly classified information.
Subject   Aeronautics, Military -- Research.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

I heard this woman interviewed on Democracy Now. It sounds awesome, especially the bit about Stalin's UFO plan.

[~L]

I am about 1/3 through the Area 51 book.  Based on recently de-classified documents and interviews, the book is full of what happened behind the scenes throughout our modern American History, and the mayhem these secret rogues caused! In addition to contaminating and damaging our environment testing many nuclear and thermonuclear bombs, they actually tried to cause a hole in the ozone layer to see what would happen!  All that, and the post-WWII recruitment and hiring of Nazi scientists (photo included),  will really demolish any faith you may have had, in the forces that were and are in charge of research and development in the name of the USA.  It is frightening to read how, for years, these people blundered ahead, blindly, having no or little idea of what they were working on or the possible consequences of their research.  This secrecy invented the term "need to know" basis, which resulted in no one knowing exactly what is going on where and when, all in the name of progress and protecting and developing American interests, while hidden even from the Presidents at times.
Since many more files are still classified... who knows how long it will be for true transparency in these endeavors.  With 2/3 left to read, I am almost at the UFO section.