CS.com Book Club: Spring 2019

[Ivytalk]

You aren’t wrong about any of that^^^

I take issue with you saying that Hamilton isn’t a darling of the left right now. He is - precisely because of the distortions you talk about.

Turns out the left is just as capable of twisting history to suit as the right is

Actually I can’t wait to see Randall Park dancing and singing “Little Red Book” on stage

Human culture has a way of really beating the drum to hero worship the reconstructions of the dead

This is really good. You should give a poetry reading sometime.

[Ibanez]

Reading Snow Crash right now

Also just finished Masters of Doom, which incidentally mentioned SC 4-5 times

SC is probably my favorite of his after Cryptonomicon, though if he's written anything since REAMDE I haven't read it

I’ve tried Cyprtonomicon and Seveneves(?) but I just can’t get through them


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[houndawg]

It’s ironic really - the whitewashing of flawed heroes of the new left is very similar to a LOT of previous “lost cause” scholarship on Confederate military types. It is no coincidence that books like Grant attracted so much attention roughly around the same time Confederate statues were being pulled down. Hamilton and Grant, Seward, and a few others are getting the Washington and the Cherry Tree treatment.

I like reading about people with warts... everybody has them. That’s why Chernow has disappointed me more than once. He is too protective of the people he writes about. I like Grant better for the reality of who he was. Great general, sh1tty President. There’s nothing wrong with that. And Chernow’s Grant was not near the exaggeration as Chernow’s Hamilton.

What are your thoughts on david mccullough? I’m reading his book on Truman and it’s alright. I get the sense that Truman was a geeky dandy who had no business running anything.


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That sounds more like Barkley, his VP. As I mentioned the fly-on-the-wall White House photographer for the Truman admin is a neighbor of mine. He says 'Uncle Harry" was blunt to the point of rudeness - Ed heard him tell a Congressman "you need to brush your teeth, your breath stinks". Barkley on the other hand he presents as exactly the kind of dandy described above. The significant others of two of Barkley's great-granddaughters were regulars on the local bluegrass scene for years and one of them was a bandmate when we played on A Prairie Home Companion a couple of decades ago.

You guys don't fuck with me. I know people.

[houndawg]

SC is probably my favorite of his after Cryptonomicon, though if he's written anything since REAMDE I haven't read it

I’ve tried Cyprtonomicon and Seveneves(?) but I just can’t get through them


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Seveneves is probably my least favorite and Cryptonomicon does take a while to get moving, at least it does if you aren't a math/techie enthusiast, but is well worth it just for the stolen nazi submarine and the pile of gold stacked neatly in the jungle. I won't read Seveneves again but Cryptonomicon I put up there with A Canticle for Leibowitz in the sf pantheon. If you aren't so much into techie stuff you might give Anathem a try.

[Ibanez]

I’ve tried Cyprtonomicon and Seveneves(?) but I just can’t get through them


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Seveneves is probably my least favorite and Cryptonomicon does take a while to get moving, at least it does if you aren't a math/techie enthusiast, but is well worth it just for the stolen nazi submarine and the pile of gold stacked neatly in the jungle. I won't read Seveneves again but Cryptonomicon I put up there with A Canticle for Leibowitz in the sf pantheon. If you aren't so much into techie stuff you might give Anathem a try.

I'm listening to Cryptonomicon now....god it's dense.


Anyone have a good book recommendation? No matter the genre.

[GannonFan]

I'm reading the Frederick Douglass biography now (the one called the "Prophet of Freedom", or something like that). Decent book. Not the best biography I've read but didn't know a lot about him prior to reading this.

[Silenoz]

Seveneves is probably my least favorite and Cryptonomicon does take a while to get moving, at least it does if you aren't a math/techie enthusiast, but is well worth it just for the stolen nazi submarine and the pile of gold stacked neatly in the jungle. I won't read Seveneves again but Cryptonomicon I put up there with A Canticle for Leibowitz in the sf pantheon. If you aren't so much into techie stuff you might give Anathem a try.

I'm listening to Cryptonomicon now....god it's dense.


Anyone have a good book recommendation? No matter the genre.

The best ones I've read in the last couple years
Song of Ice and Fire (all of it)
The Forever War
Under the Dome
11/22/63
The Wasp Factory
Blood Meridian

[Silenoz]

I also started Prince of Thorns. From what I hear it's like if Ramsey Snow from Game of Thrones was the main character of his own series

[UNI88]

I also started Prince of Thorns. From what I hear it's like if Ramsey Snow from Game of Thrones was the main character of his own series

I need to give Prince of Thorns a try but I would recommend Prince of Fools (and the Red Queen's War Trilogy). Another author to consider is Joe Abercrombie and the Shattered Sea Trilogy.

[Silenoz]

I also started Prince of Thorns. From what I hear it's like if Ramsey Snow from Game of Thrones was the main character of his own series

I need to give Prince of Thorns a try but I would recommend Prince of Fools (and the Red Queen's War Trilogy). Another author to consider is Joe Abercrombie and the Shattered Sea Trilogy.

Yeah I actually have a bunch of Abercrombie stuff I picked up dirt cheap (Missoula has an awesome discounted book store).

[UNI88]

I need to give Prince of Thorns a try but I would recommend Prince of Fools (and the Red Queen's War Trilogy). Another author to consider is Joe Abercrombie and the Shattered Sea Trilogy.

Yeah I actually have a bunch of Abercrombie stuff I picked up dirt cheap (Missoula has an awesome discounted book store).

If you like Abercrombie I think you'll like Lawrence too. The Red Queen's War is probably closer than the Thorns books though.

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[houndawg]

I'm listening to Cryptonomicon now....god it's dense.


Anyone have a good book recommendation? No matter the genre.

The best ones I've read in the last couple years
Song of Ice and Fire (all of it)
The Forever War
Under the Dome
11/22/63
The Wasp Factory
Blood Meridian

Pretty bleak. Even for McCarthy.

[Silenoz]

Most of what I just listed is.