Author Topic: What are you reading?  (Read 551640 times)

dr.chimps

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #750 on: June 05, 2013, 03:15:00 PM »
Moshin Hamid's 'How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia.' Mixed bag on this one. It's a step-by-step/self-help book about getting wealthy in India/Pakistan/Bangladesh, and each chapter is purportedly a step-by-step ladder to getting rich, but also about maturing from aggressive youth to passive old age. Get it? The structure was an interesting conceit, which I thought lazy. This guy is awesomely talented, the author of Moth Smoke, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, but he's written his best book with the shakiest of frames.

dr.chimps

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #751 on: June 05, 2013, 03:23:58 PM »
Book tip for this month. Philipp Meyer's 'The Son.' I 've been waiting for this one since he wrote his 1st book: American Rust. Critics suggest it should be elevated to Cormac McCarthy country. Harumpph. I'll wait on those kind of laurels...but if you have few bucks to spare, this is the book to pick up (hardcover only, please!) especially in a 1st edition. Could not go wrong for book lovers. : )


/anyone who needs a hand with id'ing 1sts shoot me a pm

Roger Bacon

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #752 on: June 05, 2013, 10:06:59 PM »
I need to learn how to clear my mind and forget about crazy stressful shit.  Any good books on that?

Anyone?


calfzilla

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #753 on: June 05, 2013, 10:41:56 PM »
I need to learn how to clear my mind and forget about crazy stressful shit.  Any good books on that?

Anyone?



Not a book but a blog of sorts. I subscribe to zenhabits.net. You can either read on their site or have them email you new posts. Everything is free (the owner actually made his material public domain) but they do sell ebooks.

Not exactly about clearing your head but more about minimalism, organization and living life. At least check it out.

Roger Bacon

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #754 on: June 05, 2013, 10:55:37 PM »
Not a book but a blog of sorts. I subscribe to zenhabits.net. You can either read on their site or have them email you new posts. Everything is free (the owner actually made his material public domain) but they do sell ebooks.

Not exactly about clearing your head but more about minimalism, organization and living life. At least check it out.

Thank you sir, I really do appreciate it!!!

I'll let you know how it goes!

FitnessFrenzy

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #755 on: June 08, 2013, 12:17:42 PM »
I am still reading this book and it is pretty good.


dr.chimps

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #756 on: June 09, 2013, 08:27:52 AM »
Sad news. Iain Banks, who recently talked about his struggle with cancer, has died. He was 59. If you haven't read his stuff, I'd recommend him. His first book, The Wasp Factory is a mind-fuck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_Banks

DroppingPlates

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #757 on: June 19, 2013, 05:27:53 PM »
Underground Anabolics by William Llewellyn

James28

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #758 on: June 21, 2013, 12:11:37 AM »
Reading the Troy series by David Gemmell. My 5th or 6th time reading this trilogy. So good.
*

syntaxmachine

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #759 on: June 25, 2013, 06:15:11 PM »
In Deadly Combat: A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front
http://www.amazon.com/In-Deadly-Combat-Soldiers-Eastern/dp/0700611223/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372209204&sr=8-1&keywords=In+Deadly+Combat%3A+A+German+Soldier%27s+Memoir+of+the+Eastern+Front

"In the hell that was World War II, the Eastern Front was its heart of fire and ice. Gottlob Bidermann served in that lethal theater from 1941 to 1945, and his memoir of those years vividly recaptures his grueling experiences with an army marching on the road to ruin.

A riveting and reflective account by one of the millions of anonymous soldiers who fought and died in that cruel terrain, In Deadly Combat conveys the brutality and horrors of the Eastern Front in detail never before available in English.

Wounded five times and awarded numerous decorations for valor, Bidermann saw action in the Crimea and siege of Sebastopol, participated in the vicious battles in the forests south of Leningrad, and ended the war trapped in the Courland Pocket. He shares his impressions of countless Russian POWs seen at the outset of his service, of peasants struggling to survive the hostilities while caught between two ruthless antagonists, and of corpses littering the landscape. He recalls a Christmas gift of gingerbread from home that overcame the stench of battle, an Easter celebrated with a basket of Russian hand grenades for eggs, and his miraculous survival of machine gun fire at close range. In closing he relives the humiliation of surrender to an enemy whom the Germans had once derided and offers a sobering glimpse into life in the Soviet gulags."

syntaxmachine

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #760 on: June 25, 2013, 06:52:31 PM »
('Imminent reads' list -- proto-Nazi edition)

Encyclopedia Of German Tanks Of World War Two
http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-German-Tanks-World-Self-Propelled/dp/1854095188/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372209833&sr=1-1&keywords=Encyclopedia+of+German+Tanks+of+World+War+II

"1,000 illustrations!* A complete illustrated directory is finally available that shows and describes nearly 300 types of German battle tanks, armored cars, self-propelled guns, and semi-tracked vehicles manufactured and put into service from 1933 to 1945. Only recently have the records of the manufacturers been made public, so never before could you know just how many of each model were available, along with accurate dates of their production and mobilization.

*will probably just keep this out on the coffee table and jack off to it rather than read it in full ala a typical book

A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940
http://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Hell-Russo-Finnish-Winter-1939-1940/dp/1565122496/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372210253&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Frozen+Hell%3A+The+Russo-Finnish+Winter+War+1939-40

"In 1939, tiny Finland waged a war --the kind of war that spawns legends--against the mighty Soviet Union, and yet their epic struggle has been largely ignored. Guerrillas on skis, heroic single-handed attacks on tanks, unfathomable endurance, and the charismatic leadership of one of this century's true military geniuses --these are the elements of both the Finnish victory and a gripping tale of war"

Panzer Aces
http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Aces-Franz-Kurowski/dp/0345448847/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372210574&sr=1-3&keywords=panzer+aces

"Panzer Aces chronicles the battles of six decorated officers who helped create the legend. Based on extensive research, these gripping narratives of Normandy, the bloody campaigns in Italy, the ferocious combat at Kursk --the greatest armored battle in the history of war-- and many others, offer resounding evidence of how the armored tank, in German hands, became the twentieth century's single most important development in land fighting."

The Red Army Handbook: 1939-1945
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Army-Handbook-1939-1945/dp/0750917407/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372210815&sr=1-1&keywords=Red+Army+Handbook+1939-1945

Stalin's Red Army entered the war as a relatively untried fighting force. In 1941, with the launch of Operation "Barbarossa", it joined battle with Hitler's army --the most powerful in history-- and after a desperate war of attrition over four years it beat the Nazis into defeat on the Eastern Front. Although the Red Army won lasting fame and glory in 1945 by eclipsing the military might of the Nazis, there is currently a glaring lack of published material available about it. This book fills the gap.

The chapters which follow describe infantry, armor and mechanized forces, cavalry, airborne and Special Forces and artillery, and take a detailed look at the combat arms from an organizational viewpoint. Soviet infantry weapons, Soviet armored vehicles and artillery, and support equipment are outlined, including a technical overview of the equipment, including data charts.

German Battle Tactics on the Russian Front, 1941-1945
http://www.amazon.com/German-Battle-Tactics-Russian-1941-1945/dp/0887405827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372210943&sr=8-1&keywords=German+Battle+Tactics+on+the+Russian+Front%2C+1941-1945

"The amazing tenacity and cohesion of the German Army in Russia from 1941-1945, fighting against overwhelming odds but refusing to disintegrate, has fascinated readers for decades. But most of the available sources concentrate on the maneuvers of armies and Panzer corps, leaving the divisions, regiments, and individual soldiers in the background. This fact has obscured the skillful use of tactics employed by the German soldiers at the divisional level and below. Until now, this information has been sequestered in manuscript reports in various archives. In German Battle Tactics on the Eastern Front, 1941-1945, Professor Steven H. Newton has retrieved, retranslated, and annotated the detailed tactical accounts of combat in Russia that German officers provided their American captors after the war. In this collection of ten essays, the Chief of Staff of the XXXXI Panzer Corps describes the final furious dash toward Moscow."

Infanterie Aces
http://www.amazon.com/Infanterie-Aces-Franz-Kurowski/dp/0921991223/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372211003&sr=8-1&keywords=Infanterie+Aces

"Hard cover, 9"x6", 525 pages, 130 photographs, 16 maps. Details the combat experiences of 8 German infantry soldiers: 2 Waffen SS; 1 paratrooper; and, 5 regular army. Each soldier receives a separate chapter with an additional chapter on infantry tactics. It was the hard-fighting infantry that was the backbone of the German armed forces. This book features lots of exciting accounts of small-unit actions"

Panzer Leader
http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Leader-Heinz-Guderian/dp/0306811014/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372211231&sr=1-1&keywords=panzer+leader

"The 50th-anniversary edition of the German general's legendary memoir. When published in 1952, Panzer Leader quickly became a best seller, but over the half-decade that followed, it also established itself as a classic, lauded by Stephen Ambrose as "a mesmerizing read." A dramatic first-person account by the father of modern tank warfare, it is also a searing group portrait of the Third Reich's leading personalities as they turned imminent victory into agonizing defeat."

Panzer Commander
http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Commander-Memoirs-Colonel-Hans/dp/0440208025/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372211267&sr=1-1&keywords=panzer+commander

A stunning look at World War II from the other side...
From the turret of a German tank, Colonel Hans von Luck commanded Rommel's 7th and then 21st Panzer Division. El Alamein, Kasserine Pass, Poland, Belgium, Normandy on D-Day, the disastrous Russian front--von Luck fought in all those places with some of the best soldiers in the world --German soldiers. Awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross, von Luck writes as an officer and a gentleman. Told with the vivid detail of an impassioned eyewitness, his rare and moving memoir has become a classic in the literature of World War II, a first-person chronicle of the glory--and the inevitable tragedy--of a superb soldier fighting Hitler's war.

Panzer Battles: A Study of the Employment of Armor in the Second World War
http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Battles-Study-Employment-Second/dp/0345321588/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372211489&sr=1-1&keywords=Panzer+Battles%3A+A+Study+of+the+Employment+of+Armor+in+the+Second+World+War

"When Sam Donaldson interviewed General Norman Schwarzkopf in his quarters in the Gulf, PANZER BATTLES was one of the books on his desk. A model military history, this is one of the few close looks we will ever have of the tactics, the planning, and the operations of tank warfare from a participant.

It was the decisive victories of the German Panzer divisions in North Africa in World War II that taught the Allies the importance of an integrated combat team consisting of tanks, infantry, and artillery. PANZER BATTLES is a vivid account of the major campaigns of that war, especially the legendary desert battles fought by Rommel, who found the desert to be the perfect terrain in which to wage almost purely theoretical armored warfare with large-scale tank formations."

Tangentially Nazi-related material:

Devil's Guard
http://www.amazon.com/DEVILS-GUARD-George-R-Elford/dp/0440120144/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372212142&sr=1-1&keywords=devil%27s+guard

A former Waffen SS soldier's experiences enlisting in the French Foreign Legion and fighting in Indochina. There's some question as to whether any of its contents is genuine, but it should be entertaining all the same.

dr.chimps

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #761 on: July 05, 2013, 07:33:08 AM »
If you're looking for something to read this Summer, Flavorwire has put out a list of the 2013 top-ten book recommendations (so far), both fiction and non-fiction:

Non-fiction: http://flavorwire.com/402106/the-10-best-works-of-nonfiction-of-the-year-so-far/view-all

Fiction: http://flavorwire.com/401192/2013s-10-best-works-of-fiction-so-far/view-all

And Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=Bks_5p_B2_BBSF_I?ie=UTF8&node=3003015011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=CB9869EBBDD548D3A854&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1577776822&pf_rd_i=283155

*And if I haven't recommended it enough - take a gander at Phillipp Meyer's 'The Son.' Please support great writers.   :)

Teutonic Knight

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #762 on: July 12, 2013, 09:37:37 PM »
"Enforcer" by Cesar Campbell

Legendary Australian biker
Former MC Bandidos (Sydney) sergeant-at-arms
If you like old outlaw bikers culture this is book 4 you  ;)

FitnessFrenzy

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #763 on: July 22, 2013, 02:36:30 AM »
I just read this book. I recommend it:



CalvinH

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #764 on: July 23, 2013, 01:40:01 PM »
I am a book worm for saving up all my new books for vaca next month and re-reading some of my favs instead ??? :-\

CalvinH

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #765 on: August 02, 2013, 07:05:48 AM »
Re-read the Ben Kane series

The Ugly

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #766 on: August 08, 2013, 07:19:52 PM »
Just finished all of Dennis Lehane's stuff, now starting Michael Connelly (The Poet, first). Love the serial killer mysteries.

The Ugly

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #767 on: August 10, 2013, 10:52:55 AM »
Anyone read The Poet by Michael Connelly?

dr.chimps

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #768 on: August 10, 2013, 05:29:20 PM »
Anyone read The Poet by Michael Connelly?
I love him. He's a superb writer. Never read 'The Poet,' tho. Is that a Bosch title, or the reporter guy or sidekick girl?   

The Ugly

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #769 on: August 10, 2013, 05:43:24 PM »
I love him. He's a superb writer. Never read 'The Poet,' tho. Is that a Bosch title, or the reporter guy or sidekick girl?   

Reporter. Great first 400 pages, fell apart at the end. Reading The Narrows now (Harry Bosch).

Roger Bacon

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #770 on: August 10, 2013, 07:38:32 PM »
('Imminent reads' list -- proto-Nazi edition)

The Himmler Brothers: A German Family History

 8)

Archer77

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #771 on: August 10, 2013, 07:48:32 PM »
The Himmler Brothers: A German Family History

 8)

Albert Speer: Inside The Third Reich
A

Roger Bacon

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #772 on: August 10, 2013, 07:51:24 PM »
Albert Speer: Inside The Third Reich

YES!!  I have the ebook on my tablet.

Pretty interesting point of view.  

Roger Bacon

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #773 on: August 10, 2013, 08:32:56 PM »
Just finished I'm No Monster, the story of Josef Fritzl.

dj181

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Re: What are you reading?
« Reply #774 on: August 10, 2013, 08:53:26 PM »
The Himmler Brothers: A German Family History

 8)

do you have German ancestry brother?

i'm bout half German-Austrian, and the rest is Anglo-Saxon and petite peu Francais 8)

maybe we should meet up in German Village baby