Author Topic: Good Books  (Read 794 times)

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Offline Michael Hardner

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #30 on: June 12, 2019, 08:28:59 am »
I just got a copy of Clyde Fans by Seth, which I think is probably the best picture novel I've ever read (or looked at) since Louis Riel by Chester Brown. He was doing a signing at my local book store, so I even got an original illustration inside. It's a melancholy story of two old brothers who run a fan manufacturing business in the fictional city of Dominion, Ontario in the last half of the 20th century, and the images largely focus on the storefronts and architecture of that time.



OMG this looks great.  I have the Louis Riel somewhere but never read it.  Maybe Easy and I will enjoy it someday.

Offline Omni

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #31 on: June 12, 2019, 09:24:22 am »
I have become a fan of Gwynne Dyer. The first book of his I read was given to me as a Xmas gift by an uncle, and it was given early as I was going to be away during the holiday season. I took that gift with me and opened it on the 25th. I realized my uncle had thought ahead on this choice of a gift since the book covered the war in Afghanistan and I was at the time living in Jalalabad and traveling throughout the country. How interesting it was at times when I might read a chapter describing a specific location and then travel to that location the next day. Dyer is known for the depth of his historical research and it often deals with real people. I learned more from that trip than from any classroom history class I ever sat in.

Offline Super Colin Blow

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #32 on: June 13, 2019, 11:54:39 am »
I have become a fan of Gwynne Dyer. The first book of his I read was given to me as a Xmas gift by an uncle, and it was given early as I was going to be away during the holiday season. I took that gift with me and opened it on the 25th. I realized my uncle had thought ahead on this choice of a gift since the book covered the war in Afghanistan and I was at the time living in Jalalabad and traveling throughout the country. How interesting it was at times when I might read a chapter describing a specific location and then travel to that location the next day. Dyer is known for the depth of his historical research and it often deals with real people. I learned more from that trip than from any classroom history class I ever sat in.

That's really awesome. Nothing like visiting a place in person to get a real feel of its people and history.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Offline Omni

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #33 on: June 13, 2019, 12:53:46 pm »
That's really awesome. Nothing like visiting a place in person to get a real feel of its people and history.

One particular experience that occurred while there was when I was sent on a trip to the Canadian military base south of Kandahar. Some of those boys there took a fellow Canadian on a little tour, one of the highlights of which was a visit to the church where the Taliban originated. That had been mentioned in a chapter of the book I had read the night before. If ever I felt a shiver go through me it was then. 

Offline Super Colin Blow

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #34 on: June 16, 2019, 12:37:05 am »
I've read about a third of the way through a book that chronicles the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire by UK/France/Russia, and involves the colonial land grab of the Middle East and Central Asia.  It's called A Peace to End All Peace, it's by David Fromkin.
WAR IS PEACE
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Offline Super Colin Blow

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #35 on: June 23, 2019, 09:39:10 pm »
Anyone ever read "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu?
WAR IS PEACE
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Offline Super Colin Blow

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #36 on: June 26, 2019, 02:44:56 am »
Picked up another I'm reading along with Sun Tzu: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. It's hard to tell whether he was a communist or not.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Offline Super Colin Blow

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #37 on: July 28, 2019, 09:55:21 pm »
About finished The Time Machine; now onto a version of the Arabian Nights. Pretty amusing stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-New-Deluxe/dp/0393331660/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3UOQARYVK9GLQ&keywords=arabian+nights+haddawy&qid=1564368796&s=gateway&sprefix=arabian+nights+h%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-1

Arabian Nights has a pretty extensive story as far as its different translations and publications. Some are less authentic than others, Burton's supposedly hard to read.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
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Offline wilber

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #38 on: July 29, 2019, 02:55:10 pm »
I've read about a third of the way through a book that chronicles the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire by UK/France/Russia, and involves the colonial land grab of the Middle East and Central Asia.  It's called A Peace to End All Peace, it's by David Fromkin.

Have you read any of Peter Hopkirk’s books. The Great Game, Secret Service East of Constantinople etc. Haven’t read them all yet but an interesting and relatively unknown period of history full of larger than life characters on both sides. Look up a guy called Reginald Teague-Jones.
"Never trust a man without a single redeeming vice" WSC

Offline Super Colin Blow

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #39 on: July 30, 2019, 01:00:17 am »
I certainly will. The one by Fromkin mentions the Russian/British intrigues about keeping each other out of Afghanistan so as not to threaten the Raj. Apparently Russia and France were number 1 and 2 on Britain's **** list of the time. The strange lines that were drawn on the present middle eastern map were for the purpose of keeping France and Russia in their proper places (but then Russia w/d from the war before the Sykes-Picot-Sazonov Agreement became the Sykes-Picot pact.)

I know Im getting a bit off topic, but the whole purpose of grabbing Iraq, etc., had nothing to do with oil. It had to do with the protection of the British "lifeline to India" (i.e., the supply line from the Med, through the Suez Canal, around Arabia and up the Persian Gulf). Iran was also partitioned into Russian, British and neutral zones. It might have been suspected Iraq had oil, but no one actually KNEW for a fact that there were gargantuan quantities under Iraq. Or Saudi Arabia for that matter. In the age of the railroads, they wanted a more efficient transport system of troops from the Indian Empire to Med, if need be. Those who say "Churchill wanted oil so he seized Iraq" are putting the cart before the horse. Extremely so.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Offline wilber

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #40 on: July 30, 2019, 11:15:18 am »
I certainly will. The one by Fromkin mentions the Russian/British intrigues about keeping each other out of Afghanistan so as not to threaten the Raj. Apparently Russia and France were number 1 and 2 on Britain's **** list of the time. The strange lines that were drawn on the present middle eastern map were for the purpose of keeping France and Russia in their proper places (but then Russia w/d from the war before the Sykes-Picot-Sazonov Agreement became the Sykes-Picot pact.)

I know Im getting a bit off topic, but the whole purpose of grabbing Iraq, etc., had nothing to do with oil. It had to do with the protection of the British "lifeline to India" (i.e., the supply line from the Med, through the Suez Canal, around Arabia and up the Persian Gulf). Iran was also partitioned into Russian, British and neutral zones. It might have been suspected Iraq had oil, but no one actually KNEW for a fact that there were gargantuan quantities under Iraq. Or Saudi Arabia for that matter. In the age of the railroads, they wanted a more efficient transport system of troops from the Indian Empire to Med, if need be. Those who say "Churchill wanted oil so he seized Iraq" are putting the cart before the horse. Extremely so.

It was partly due to oil, shipping and particularly the navy was switching from coal to oil fired boilers but the priority had always been to protect India and Suez. Whether from the Russian Empire, Turks and Germans, or the Bolsheviks. He is out of fashion as an imperialist but Kipling’s Kim is also a good Great Game read.
"Never trust a man without a single redeeming vice" WSC

Offline wilber

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #41 on: July 30, 2019, 07:57:21 pm »
They got me interested in reading John Buchan’s, Richard Hannay novels. 39 Steps, Greenmantle etc. Dirt cheap on Kobo or Kindle because they are a century old. Looking forward to them. Buchan is another interesting dude. Among other things, the 15th Governor General of Canada.
"Never trust a man without a single redeeming vice" WSC

Offline JMT

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #42 on: July 30, 2019, 11:10:52 pm »
The Life we Bury - Allen Eskens. A must read.

Offline Super Colin Blow

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #43 on: July 31, 2019, 03:26:01 pm »
They got me interested in reading John Buchan’s, Richard Hannay novels. 39 Steps, Greenmantle etc. Dirt cheap on Kobo or Kindle because they are a century old. Looking forward to them. Buchan is another interesting dude. Among other things, the 15th Governor General of Canada.

Yes I have heard of Greenmantle. John Buchan I think had a hand in the Arab Revolt didn't he? I had no idea he became Governor-General of Canada. Interesting.

In the last episode of Season 1 of Archer, Mallory is reading John Buchan's Greenmantle in bed. (Appropriate for a spy show I guess?)
« Last Edit: August 08, 2019, 09:13:39 am by SuperColinBlow »
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Offline Michael Hardner

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Re: Good Books
« Reply #44 on: December 20, 2019, 02:51:26 pm »
https://www.amazon.ca/Microwave-One-Sonia-Allison/dp/1852250437

Microwave for One  :'(

Sonia Allison

...

folks - take care of yourself this season

I'm off for the holidays
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