What book r u reading?

[The Hammer]

 

[Debater Slayer]

 

[Debater Slayer]

This is my first time reading two books in tandem. I have this one lined up slightly behind the above one:

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I just purchased Pax (Tom Holland).

But my 15 year old daughter and I decided to trade a novel, and read something in the other's tastes. If nothing else, it will let us talk about the books.
She gave me Heaven Official's Blessing (Mo Xiang Tong Xiu)
I gave her Half a King (Joe Abercrombie)

 

[JustGeorge]

I just purchased Pax (Tom Holland).

But my 15 year old daughter and I decided to trade a novel, and read something in the other's tastes. If nothing else, it will let us talk about the books.
She gave me Heaven Official's Blessing (Mo Xiang Tong Xiu)
I gave her Half a King (Joe Abercrombie)

I finally got a child who loves reading in my youngest; the oldest two hate it.

We could trade books. I wouldn't mind reading The Big Cat for the 164th time. But I fear the only word he'd pick out of the Mahabharata is his own name.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I finally got a child who loves reading in my youngest; the oldest two hate it.

We could trade books. I wouldn't mind reading The Big Cat for the 164th time. But I fear the only word he'd pick out of the Mahabharata is his own name.

My eldest wasn't a huge reader, but she got quite into graphic novels at one point, and got used to 'grabbing a book'. When one of her friends introduced her to a series of Chinese novels (of all things) she was pretty hooked, and has since branched out into some other (similar) series. I'm tipping they lose a little in translation, but hey...she's got about 15 or so, and they run 400 pages each, so I'm happy she's supplementing online time with reading (and she's always done a stack of art, too).

It was funny, though. When she suggested a book trade, she then said 'Oh, but mine is a fantasy book, and I know you only read fact history thingies...'

Which is funny when considering the very large amount of fantasy novels in my bookshelf, and the fact that I write (amateurish) fantasy. I'm actually hopeful she enjoys Half a King. It's a lot grittier than she's used to, but it's pitched at young adults, so it won't be beyond her, or too long for her concentration.

She did borrow my Norse mythology book (Neil Gaiman) at one point, and she picked out a few stories she had heard about and enjoyed it.

 

[jbg]

I just finished reading A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes by Eric Jay Dolin. I will give this book 3.5 stars.
A Furious Sky is a thrilling page-turner, and made me look forward to coming home from work early to read. I am quite the weather buff and history buff, having been in my high school's weather club. The book focused on something I didn't know much about, both the meteorological history of knowledge of hurricanes and their historical impact. On the latter, I was aware, through reading Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton by by Andrew Porwancher, of the indirect impact of a major hurricane, sending a Founding Father to these shores from the hurricane-devastated St. Croix. I wanted to, and did, learn more. A key quote, without spoiling the book, from Edward R. Murrow:

"There it is, [the eyewall] ... thousands of feet, as high as Everest. ... What a beautiful sight! We're in an amphitheater surrounded by clouds. It looks like a lovely alpine lake surrounded by snow."
***
"In the eye of a hurricane you learn things other than of a scientific nature. You feel the puniness of man and his works. If a true definition of humility is ever written, it might well be written in the eye of a hurricane.”

Now, as usual, the quibbles. Mr. Dolin, in his Epilogue, recites uncritically the mantras about global warming and climate change. Does every article or book that touches weather or climate history have to take this invitation? His political leanings were already clear; they didn't have to be pounded. And one unforced error; in his excellent discussion about Katrina he dates its first reference to 1992, not 2005.

 

[jbg]

I just finished reading Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency by Dan Abrams, David Fisher. I rated it "4", rounded up from 3.75. I gave the other book I've recently read by Dan Abrams a "3", so I'm giving this one the benefit of the doubt.

As legal non-fiction thrillers go it was quite decent. The trial it covered, murder charges against a resident of a small town near Springfield, Illinois quite clearly presaged Lincoln's greatness. At this time, 1859, he was strictly a local and statewide figure. The trial, and some finagling by the lead prosecutor, propelled him to the nomination for the Republican Party. The book well covered a less known part of his life. Less ink has been spilled about these early years than his great presidency and tragic assassination.

 

[JustGeorge]

Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Canto 70

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Xenogenesis. I'm hearing Jdahya's voice as Morgan Freeman's.

 

[Yerda]

Pure Dead Magic by Debi Gliori.

I knew that author had to be Scottish from the title.

 

[ChristineM]

I knew that author had to be Scottish from the title.

Yes and much of the book is based in Scotland

 

[Orbit]

I'm reading "God: An Anatomy" and it's actually very interesting. https://www.amazon.com/God-Anatomy-...&qid=1693789421&sprefix=god+an,aps,118&sr=8-1

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Xenogenesis
1984
Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe.

 

[jbg]

I'll start out with two quotes from The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives' War on Fun by Noah Rothman:

35:
ℎ ' , ℎ ℎ . , ' ℎ ℎ .
243
ℎ ℎ ℎ ( ') ℎ. ℎ ℎ . ℎ ℎ ' ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ. ℎ , ℎ ℎ .

This book was pretty good, but could have been improved. The premise of the book is new and original; that the modern progressivist movement bears striking similarities to the Puritanism of the late 17th Century. This argument is well supported, suggesting that modern progressives are conducting a dour war on anything that is fun. Mr. Rothman gives worthy examples, such as the war on good food, calling much of it "cultural appropriation." The war on literature is another. Progressives seem to want to dump classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn, as well as much of Shakespeare, off school libraries and maybe even store shelves.

Here are my arguments about the shortcomings. Though he mentions Covid and the lockdowns glancingly, he does not mention lockdown advocates' derision of "mani pedi withdrawal rage" or public postings such as "just gimme a mani pedi and don't tread on my lawn." Well, at least "progressive" Breed London criticized the "fun police" for having some "fun" with her over her flouting her own mask mandate (link).

Similarly totally omitted from being called out were other "progressive" Puritans such as Greta Thunberg. As a result, I am giving this book a "3." The overall problem with these books is that they "preach to the choir" and are unlikely to draw many new people to their cause.

Still, it is an educating read and I recommend it.

 

[JIMMY12345]

I bet The Bible, The Koran, The Veda's The Torah will all be mentioned but does not have to be religious.
*********************************************
I was in a charity shop and picked up David Niven's The Worlds a balloon. Hilarious 6/10.
Your turn.

The great post office scandal by Nick Wallis ( copied review below)

This factual thriller details a scandal which has been described as one of the most widespread and significant miscarriages of justice in legal history. On 23rd April 2021, the Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 39 former Sub-postmasters and ruled their prosecutions were an affront to the public conscience. They had been prosecuted by the Post Office using IT evidence from an unreliable computer system called Horizon. When the Post Office became aware that Horizon didn’t work properly, it covered it up.Note head of the PO Board was an ordained priest from St Albans.

Nick describes how disastrous failures of leadership, malicious corporate denial and conniving civil servants combined to ruin hundreds of lives over a two decade period. He also details how a group of Subpostmasters fought the government-owned Post Office through the courts to eventual victory.

"An extraordinary journalistic expose of a huge miscarriage of justice” - Ian Hislop

“A tale brilliantly told” - Rev Richard Coles

"Nick Wallis’s narrative has the power of a great thriller” - Dame Joan Bakewell

 

[bobhikes]

Found an Interesting series for me. It's a Fictional fantasy that merges mythological creatures and Gods with the real world is a realistic way. The Series is The Iron Druid by Kevin Hearne. The main character is a Druid so the main focus is Celtic Gods and characters, but after reading the first 3 novels, it has Roman, Greek, Indian, Christian, American Indian, and Middle east Gods involved. Of the myths I know, it keeps pretty honest to the god's characters. My one complaint is that the story is frantic, it never really slows down. Some of the interesting God twists. Jesus doesn't like coming to earth because most human's see him as a white man on a cross with thorns on his head. All the God's hate Thor and don't understand why human's think he is so great. The premise for the Gods is that they can come to earth in an avatar a human creates for them or by their religions rule, such as the rainbow bridge for Asgardians. It also has witches, werewolves, vampires and ghouls so far. If you're interested in mythological creatures, humor and battles then this is a recommended series to read.

 

[metis]

I'm just finishing "It's OK To Be Angry About Capitalism" by Bernie Sanders. GREAT BOOK with lotsa stats.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Space and Place

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Good Omens.