Te of Piglet was excellent. I dug it more than the Tao of Poo.

Dick Winters doesn't live far from me in Hershey, PA. I was telling my dad the other day that if I ever ran into him somewhere, I'd be more starstruck than if i met ANY actor, musician, or athlete. He's larger than life through both the book and mini series.

I'll have to check that book out. Is this his autobiography? I saw that advertised on history Channel when they were playing Band of Brothers a couple weeks ago.

From what I've read, it's in the works.

I think that guy was on the Daily Show not too long ago. Really seemed to know his shit.

Without a doubt, although he does get a lot more political in it. There was even one point where the writing seemed kinda pissed. He wasn't necessarily wrong, of course ... :)

I wish I would've read them in college—I've had them since then and just never got around to it.

MM
~~:shrug:

I believe it's Thomas Friedman ...

and yes and no -- his theories seem to make since, but he's been spectacularly wrong a few times (but who hasn't?).

MM
~~:)

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore.

That guy cracks Bob Dole up.

Agreed. Winters is amazing I dusted off the Band of Brothers DVDs and I'm going to start rewatching them tonight.

And the book isn't an autobiography. The author is Larry Alexander. He did work closely with Winters, though.

It's now on my summer reading list.

Christopher Moore is fantastic. I still feel indebted to a friend who gave me a copy of Practical Demonkeeping. Lamb, The Stupidest Angel, and Fluke were also fantastic.

If you like him, you might like one I just finished. Came out a while back, but they finally released it in Hardback. It's called "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. One of the funniest things I've read in years.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006...Fencoding=UTF8

Dirty Job just got on the to-read list. I didn't know he had a new one. Thanks!

first off, I love that reading is considered "high brow."

But I am reading "Hetty: the genius and madness of america's first female tycoon." and re-reading "moby dick."

Bob Dole will check it out. Thanks!

The book on Hetty is something else. I've not read it through, but skimmed it a couple of times. She was indeed a miser, but for a woman to pull off what she did in that time was an accomplishment. Kind of a shame it's overshadowed by the fact she let her son die because she was cheap.

Happy to be of service, Bob. Drop me a PM and let me know what you think. I can't wait for Dirty Job to get here...already ordered it from Amazon. :D

It's got his typically funny narative style.

While you wait, you might visit his website and check out his "Beta Male Manifesto" posted in the forums. It pertains to the book.

I just finished my first Jeffery Deaver book The Coffin Dancer it definitely won't be my last.

"Fair warning to newcomers: Author Deaver is just as cunning and deceptive as his killer; don't assume he's run out of tricks until you've run out of pages." – Kirkus Reviews

Did you catch the episode of Rescue Me where they were making fun of Tao of Poo?

Classic.....

One thing I learned from the the Winters biography - Albert Blithe, the guy who was the main character of Episode 3 (he was the one who suffered from hysterical blindness) did, in fact, recover from his wounds, stayed in the Army, went on to serve in Korea, and eventually died in 1968. At the end of Episode 3, which I am currently watching, we are told that he never recovered from his wounds and died in 1948. Band of Brothers was amazingly accurate, but that was one of a handful of glaring mistakes that were apparently included for dramatic effect.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through Gates of Fire.

This is the best book I've read in 25 years; it's been that long since I read Dune. It reminds me of Dune in the way it completely immerses the reader into the lives of the Spartans through the eyes of an outsider (the refugee Xeo) as Dune completely immersed the reader in the lives of the Fremen through the eyes of outsiders (Paul and Jessica).

I can't recommend this book highly enough. Wow.

Okay, here's mine...

Just got done with:
Cherie Carter-Scott "If Life is a Game These are the Rules."

It's Awesome, a great read.

Reading now:
John Maxwell, "Failing Forward."
Fred Gratzon, "The Lazy Way to Success."
Lazy Way is incredible, he's 10-15 years ahead of his time, and about that long from now all business books will be like his. I haven't read much past the first chapter of Failing Forward, so I can't tell you much about it at this point.

I agree with frazod...
 

I'm reading The Killer Angels for an American Civ class.

I bought Things Fall Apart cheap today, I've read about half of it and for some reason, never finished it.

I just finished The Leopard, one of the best books I've ever read.

I'm now on the third and final book in this series. It was a slow start, but really grabbed me once I got going. A great variation on the classic tale of King Arthur, from a unique perspective.

The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur, by Bernard Cornwell.

Great light reading.

Very cool. I have the Criterion film, with Burt Lancaster. Sort of an Italian Gone With the Wind, I really love the movie.

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. I'm hoping that one of the libraries around here has it. One of the list makers on amazon.com has "The Leopard" on the top of his lists for best book/DVD combinations.

Given that I have a 45min wait getting on the boat in the morning,
a 20 min crossing,
then half hr or so wait at night,plus the 20 min crossing time, I find myself with LOTS of reading time.:)
Done everything by Cussler, Marcinko, Coonts, Evanovich and 90%of Jack Higgins.
Just finished " Storm Warning" and started another book in the same crossing.
I can have any number of books on the go at one time.
Current books I have on the go atm:
-in the wife’s car is "Immediate Action" by Andy McNab (Think Rouge Warrior only not funny) having a hard time finishing this one
-my car "Angel of Death" by Jack Higgins
-beside my easy chair ""Rip Tide" by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
-in my lunch box "She’s having a Baby-(and I’m having a breakdown") by James Douglas Barron (Funny is not the word)

And no matter how bad the book is, I ALWAYS finish reading it.

I finished Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne the other day. It's about a navy pilot surviving the Zombocalypse (Zombie Apocalypse) through the use of journal entries. It is bare bones with no prose or other literary devices and is a quick read. I would recommend it if you are interested in Zombies and the destruction/survival of.

Bump-age...
 

I am currently reading the book Flags Of Our Fathers by James Bradley.

The book is an account of the six men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. I'm drawn to this part of WWII because my Dad fought on the two islands that led to the battle of Iwo Jima- Saipan and Tinian.

I read this novel and think of the baby faces - like my dad - who endured jungle fighting, rooting Japanese out of caves and the like, and how it shaped his life after the war.

The book goes into great detail about these men in that same way. Especially their early years.

Only most of them didn't come home form the battle.

A ver compelling and (for me) a very emotional book.

Also just recently read george Friedman's: America's Secret War

It's a great read on today's stategies in fighting the WoT. It's documants our successes and and our failures. He blisters the Bush Administration for their blunders.

It also documents the history of the bin Laden terror movement and the West's responses to them.

All in all a very good, readable book.

Did you know Mr. Clint Eastwood is directing the film adaption of this, with the same title? Comes to theaters in October I believe.

I thought I read that on the cover of my book. But as I look at it right now, it doesn't say that.

I think the concept is safe in the Clint Eastwood's hands.

Hey, William, I didn't know you liked books? Hell, I didn't know you could read what with that KSU education. I have a couple of books you might like. You only need the small crayola pack and the lines are wide enough even you can stay between them. PM me and I will send you these books. Please post your creations on the Planet. Your pal, Big Dick Jones

No Dick or Stones (yes skip, we all know it's you)

you still haven't told everybody why you bailed out on your old screen name. All that hubris about how many "100 post threads" you've started finally wear thin on you? Or did WPI finally "kill for a poster like you?" Personally, I think the you got spanked by everybody over the n00b thing, and you ran away. Like a Kotter. Embarrassing.

You friggin' putz.

Speaking of education, that KU psychology degree must come in pretty handy when you're setting up the azimuth on dish?

In the future try to keep with the theme of the thread. I realize that reading the DTV installation manual probably maximizes your synaptic potential, but I promise not to laugh.

Really. I won't.

Reading the classic 'The Brothers Karamazov'by Dostoevsky. It's pretty thick book,especially considering I had been sticking to short ones like 'The Great Gatsby' lately.

I'm about 2/3rds of the way through American Sphinx, a Thomas Jefferson biography.

And I still think he's a friggin weasel.

Almost finished with "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole. I find myself quoting Ignatius daily....great book.
Plus Ignatius' character has given me plenty of motivation to stay in shape and keep the ol' valve functioning.

I finished this a few days ago (felt like a homework assignment towards the end). It wasn't a terribly good book, and Jefferson was most definitely a friggin weasel. This quote from Hamilton sums him up perfectly: "I admit that his politics are tinctured with fanaticism, that he is too much in earnest in his democracy, that he has been a mischievous enemy to the principal measures of the past [Washington's] administration, that he is crafty and persevering in his objects, that he is not scrupulous about the means of success, nor very mindful of the truth, and that he is a contemptible hypocrite." Definitely not the pillar of virtue we have all been led to believe. Not even remotely close.

But enough with that bastard. Just started another Steven Pressfield novel - Tides of War. Excellent so far.

Finished Flags Of Our Fathers a while back. All I can say is.... there isn't anything I can say. It's a most incredible story. Hopefully, Clint Eastwood will be able to bring the book to life. At many points it left me in tears.

I've been facinated by the fact that so many men who fought in that war came home and never mentioned their duty. Ever. The characters in this book did it, and my Dad did it too.

Now, I understand why.

I'll be looking to for more books covering the Pacific theater, especially the battles that took place on Saipan where my Dad fought.

But I need a break from that stuff.

So I broke out Jack Nicklaus' Golf MY Way. An instructional book about all aspects of the game. The book won't make me cry. The way I play golf makes me want to sometimes.

I hope so too. I think Eastwood is making another film after Flags of Our Fathers, a sort of companion piece, that shows the Japanese side of the war.

When you return to the Pacific campaign, I think you should check out "With the Old Breed" by E.B. Sledge. His memior of his Marine experiences on the islands of Peleliu and Okinawa. I just finished it for my class, and it's really good. John Keegan, the great British historian and writer, used "With the Old Breed" and some of it's stories for his own books on World War II.

http://images.usatoday.com/life/_pho...lags-large.jpg

The new poster to Flags of Our Fathers

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...irstlook_x.htm

Clint Eastwood's new film Flags of Our Fathers looks at the back story of one of the nation's most iconic images of unity in the face of war.

The two-time Oscar-winning director focuses on the raising of the American flag during World War II's battle of Iwo Jima. The moment was captured in photos and on film and later immortalized as a sculpture for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va.

Executive producer Robert Lorenz says Eastwood's film explores the men in photographer Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize-winning picture. Some did not survive the battle.

"You can't really recognize the faces of the people in it. It's all anonymous," Lorenz says. "And yet there's a desire to know more about them, and individualize them. This is the story behind the picture and the lives that came together because of it."

Is Juggs considered "high brow"????

:)

getting ready to get into Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill

Right now I'm reading a book called "How to Read a Book". I've learned a lot so far today that can help me. A great tip for me: become an active reader by following the fingers.

When I was learning to read, it was a good thing if you could read without having your fingers do the guiding for you. But I like this strategy and will continue using it.

Who else uses follows their fingers while reading?

At the moment I'm reading 'Beginning Perl' and 'Rman backup and recovery'

Gawd I'm such a geek! :banghead:

Thanks much, Jenson. I'll look into that book soon.

I'm reading a rather funny book titled The Flat Stick by Noah Liberman.

Funny as all hell.

Just finished 'The Dance of Time' by David Drake/Eric Flint. Final book in their Belisaurius alt. history series, not bad but Drake's done better. About to start Captain Alatriste, a spanish 'swashbuckler'. Knowing some of y'all like historical fiction, here's a link to Amazon's write up. On sale there, cheap.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...040727?ie=UTF8

Just finished S.M. Stirling's "The Domination". Disturbing piece of fiction, that.

It's a what-if, with a "point of departure" from our timeline around the time of the American Revolution. Rather fanciful, but a very good analysis of "can absolute evil exist".

One hell of a dystopia....Basically, in the Domination of the Draka (named for Sir Francis Drake) (a rival to the US) there are two classes. Citizens, and serfs (read slaves). They have one long term goal..to put the rest of humanity "Under the Yoke". It's the kind of place that embraced Nietzche and the ideals of "Will to Power".

Stirling may actually have invented a state worse than Orwell's, if considerably less plausible.

I preferred his "Emberverse" series that starts with "Dies the Fire", where on one day in March 1998, all High-density energy technologies (I.E. gas and steam engines, electricity, even gunpowder and explosives) suddenly stop working. Things get very very grim, very fast. That said, I found it a fun read.

Sterling's Draka novels aren't much 'fun', but he made his bones with 'em, opened the door for everything else that followed. Let me suggest his alt-history work w/David Drake. The General was the orignal name of the series, Baen just re-released it as a 2 book set (the Conqueror / the Warlord). Drake and Sterling put their hero on a distant planet settled by humans. The plot basically follows the real life exploits of Roman general Belisarius' with a sci-fi twist here and there. Considering that Count Belisarius rocked in real life, it's pretty good stuff, and a decent collaboration. Drake tends to rein in Steriling, who's a pretty good writer so long as someone keeps him pointed in the right direction.

Well, let's see. Since I last posted here, I've finished Tides of War and two other Pressfield novels, Last of the Amazons and The Afghan Campaign. All three are excellent, although none is as good as Gates of Fire. After that I read The Black Dahlia, since I heard the movie sucked balls but the book was great. It was.

I'm currently reading New Found Land, about Lewis and Clark. It's rather odd, in that its written in poetic prose from the viewpoint of multiple historic characters, including Lewis' dog (I didn't realize that when I picked it up on sale for $2.50). It's interesting, though. And it reads quick - I'll probably be done with it early next week.

Anybody got any more good recommendations out there?

Just finished Richard Wright's Early Works. Lots of cool short stories.

I just finished the Black Dahlia this evening. Second time trough. I'll probably watch the movie once it comes out on DVD. Ellroy is my absolute favorite author. Try LA Confidential if you haven't read it. Then American Tabloid and the Cold 6000.

I'm going to read Panic by James Abbott, starting in just a few minutes.

I just finished "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," and I thought it was excellent. The story centers around a boy whose father died in 9/11. The book is not as depressing as it may sound. I generally don't like stories where the narrator is young, but it works perfectly for this book.
Here's the link on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Extremely-Loud...e=UTF8&s=books

L.A. Confidential is in my all time top 5 favorite movies, but I've never read the book. I'm definitely going to read more of Ellroy's stuff.

Hmm. Sounds interesting.

Thomas Pynchon has a new book out in November.

makes life worth living....

I love how the heroes in his books are extremely flawed to the point they are no longer heroes.

His writing style starts changing a bit in his latter books, to a terse, staccato type prose. The transition starts in LA Confidential and comes to full bloom in White Jazz, and the American Tabloid - Cold 6000 duo. The plots get a whole lot more complicated too.

I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip. I really enjoyed Stirlings collaborations with Jerry Pournelle (The Mercenary/Sparta books). They were recently issued in an omnibus called "The Prince". John Christian Falkenberg became one of my favorite fictional characters. These sound as interesting.


BTW- I recently read a few by John Ringo that were...interesting. The "Posleen" books. I actually enjoyed them. The author calls it "Carnography", but it seemed like "Starship Troopers on Crack" to me.


Motion seconded.

Famous Women by Boccacio, The Legend of Good Women by Chaucer, An Accented Cinema by this dude named Naficy and various other texts :shake:

American Tabloid is the BOMB.

http://www.alphabetofmanliness.com/

By Maddox

Funniest book ever

Anti Heroes? Try Stephen Donaldson's mystery series "The Man Who...". The first one is "The Man who Killed his Brother". Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari will get and keep your attention.

Agreed. I liked it a little better than The Cold 6000.

Are you really reading that, Mr. Ari Chi3fs?

FAX

Jenna Jameson's "How To Make Love Like A Porn Star"

An autobiography with a victim narrative at first, some celebrity gossip...Howard Stern is really well endowed, but underneath it all Jenna is a girl just wanting to be a loving wife and mother. So it's really turns out to be a book about family values. :thumb:

Looks like it is going to be awesome, but I really hope it's more readable than Mason and Dixon.

Son of the Morning Star, a Custer bio.

funny you mentioned that....I just started M&D...for the second time...it's the only book I haven't/can't get through...I know if I'd hang in there for 100 pages it would be worth it, but the writing is borderline awful in spots....unlike Gravity's Rainbow, which is perfect from the first sentence, "A screaming comes across the sky."

Last three book:

Band of Brothers - 5/5 stars
Inside Delta Force - 3/5 stars
The Naked Soldier: A True Story Of The French Foreign Legion - work in progress

I'm on a military kick in the books department

- Fargo Rock City by Cuck Klosterman
- Citizen Soldiers by Stephen E. Ambrose

Currently reading: The Human Predator by Katherine Ramsland.

Recently finished: Without Conscience by Robert Hare

What's The Matter With Kansas? by Thomas Frank

Flying Blind by Michael Smerconish

You're not alone in your struggles with M&D. I've read most of Pynchon's works twice (some of them 3 times), but I haven't gotten past page 25 or so of M&D. A friend of mine who is an equally huge Pynchon fan has had the same problem.

The movie was great, but it isn't really much like the book. The book is really better in a lot of ways.

Ditto

Reading Crime and Punishment now for Humanities III. Surprisingly, not difficult and not boring like you might think of 19th century literature. It's got suspense, I'm really liking it.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens...I'm about half way through this monster, but its starting to drag a bit :(

The boys in The Cider House Rules really liked that story.

I am about to start chapter 2 in 1984 by George Orwell. Next in my lineup is Animal Farm.

A Meeting at Corvallis by S. M. Sterling

I would read the first two in the series though before picking this one up. Someone on the board got me started on all of this alternate history stuff.

I beleive the board reco was An Island in the Sea of Time or something like that. These three of his are far better than his Nantucket series.

Many Thanks to the people who have made suggestions on this Thread.

I have read quite of few books based on planet recommendations, here is a short list of the books that I have read this year that I highly recommend:

Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson - A masterpiece of Fiction with frighteningly accurate view of the future written in 1992, The Meteverse is here!

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote - "The best Documentary account of an American crime ever written" - I couldn't put it down.

The Smartest Guys in the room - The amazing rise & Scandalous Fall of Enron - This was a great read, The crap that they were pulling at ENRON was mind-numbingly ridiculous, the most amazing thing was how everybody went along with it because nobody wanted to rock the boat.

102 Minutes - The Untold story of the fight to survive inside the twin towers- Fascinating book, with details of how people survived, and how brave some people were, and what a ridiculous task the Firemen faced that day. Compiled from interviews with survivors, and transcripts of all the radio communication during the rescue effort.

Parallel Worlds - Michio Kaku - A tour of the cosmos & the Future of mans place in the universe - Excellent book, and an easier read than Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe. Both are eye opening.


The following are now in my Amazon Shopping cart thanks to the planet:

A Confederacy of Dunces
Band of Brothers
American Tabloid