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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 12, 2008 19:29:55 GMT -5
I dropped author Steven Pressfield an email telling him how much I enjoyed his book, Gates of Fire and got a reply (see above). I guess I'm on his mailing list because I just received another email from him flogging his newest work, Killing Rommel. Here's the email: Dear Friends,
Please forgive this bulk mailing; I'm trying to get the word out about my new book, "Killing Rommel," that just came out three days ago. It's a WWII story, set in the North Africa campaign of 1942-3. It's got a lot of hardware and action, but it's a serious novel too about ethics in wartime -- in a campaign that Rommel himself called Krieg Ohne Hass, "War Without Hate."
Try this link: killingrommel.com/content/index.asp?id=long.
It's a video I shot to promote the book. We did it (for far too much money!) in the California desert, using WWII re-enactor vehicles, stock WWII footage and myself as on-camera host. It ain't bad. Hit Control plus click and it'll take you right to it.
Thanks and all my best,
Steve PI haven't replied him as yet, but will later tonight. If it's anything like his previous work it's bound to be excellent. Cheers. |
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Post by Skilly on May 13, 2008 9:27:49 GMT -5
I might have to pick up the Rommel book ... my grandfather fought in the North Africa campaign in WWII
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Post by franko on Jun 22, 2008 17:27:18 GMT -5
The Sirens of Baghdad, by Yasmina Khadra.
An interesting perspective.
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Post by roke on Dec 15, 2008 17:48:14 GMT -5
As much as I hate to bring up an old thread, I thought it was unnecessary to start a new one on the same topic. Well, perhaps I do not hate bringing up old threads.
Anyway, with the Winter break upcoming, I'm planning on getting some pleasure reading done. The plan is to read actual literature, rather than the quick and easy fiction I usually read (Tom Clancy and other easy-to-read fiction). I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions. Requested to come up with a Christmas list (I loathe making lists asking for stuff, but that's the point) I focused on notable Russian authors I've heard good things about.
Is anyone else reading or planning on getting some reading done? I'm only pages away from finishing Churchill's The World Crisis, 1911-1918. It was generally a terrific read, giving Churchill's accounts of the events of and leading up to the First World War. I should have known better from hearing and reading some of his speeches, but the man was a tremendous author and there are passages in the book which are among the best writing I have ever read. If I could write like any person in history, I would probably choose Churchill.
Happy reading.
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Post by duster on Dec 15, 2008 18:19:50 GMT -5
I enjoy reading Churchill as well and he's a good model on how to write. Consider that Churchill benefited from a public school Classical education and he attended Sandhurst. As such, his writing style was heavily influenced by the writings of Thucydides, Julius Caesar, Cicero, Demosthenes, Pliny, Suetonius and others. Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and the works of Thomas Macaulay were major influences on his writing style. All were either gifted orators and/or superb authors.
Another interesting historical work is Barbaba Tuchman's "Guns of August". Might fit in quite nicely after you've finished your current book.
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Post by duster on Dec 30, 2008 14:45:44 GMT -5
Not sure if anyone has read it, but I just finished reading the book "Honoured Canadiens" published by the Hockey Hall of Fame. The foreword is by Henri Richard and it outlines the careers of 44 players and ten builders.
The section on Howie Morenz was especially touching, imo. According to doctors, his broken leg was fine and he was recovering nicely. It's when he found out he would never play hockey again that things went downhill. He had a nervous breakdown and, according to Aurel Joliat, lost the will to live. Moving stuff.
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Post by Skilly on Dec 30, 2008 14:50:21 GMT -5
Not sure if anyone has read it, but I just finished reading the book "Honoured Canadiens" published by the Hockey Hall of Fame. The foreword is by Henri Richard and it outlines the careers of 44 players and ten builders. The section on Howie Morenz was especially touching, imo. According to doctors, his broken leg was fine and he was recovering nicely. It's when he found out he would never play hockey again that things went downhill. He had a nervous breakdown and, according to Aurel Joliat, lost the will to live. Moving stuff. I got the book for Christmas! |
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Post by habernac on Jan 5, 2009 12:37:47 GMT -5
Read a couple over the holidays:
Slap Shot Original - Dave Hanson
An entertaining recap of Dave Hanson's hockey career and of course the filming of the movie Slap Shot.
Open Ice - Jack Falla
a really good book, lots of Canadiens content. John Buccigross was talking about it lots on his ESPN columns. Sadly, Falla died recently.
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Post by roke on Apr 18, 2009 22:58:30 GMT -5
With another year of university wrapping up, I'm finally getting some time to read for the pleasure of reading, so why not bring this thread back and find out what everyone's reading.
I have an excessive backlog of books to read, but they should be good ones. I'll touch on a few here:
Fever Pitch- Nick Hornby
I found about this on a Canadian soccer blog of all places, apparently it's quintessential reading for soccer fans; if only I had known sooner. The book is about a soccer fan and his obsession with the sport, or rather, his favorite club (Arsenal). It's written in what I guess is a memoir-like style, with Hornby relating his memories of his life with the soccer club. He mixes the two together really well. The back cover has quotes from GQ and Elle saying that it was hilarious, but I didn't laugh once. I believe that, rather than not having a sense of humour, the similarities between Hornby's obsession with Arsenal and my passion for the Habs are striking; a bit too close to home. Quite a lot of historical soccer stuff in there two, especially the parts talking about the Heysel tragedy and Hillsborough disaster. I couldn't put it down, read it in a 30-hour period which included sleeping and writing a paper for school, a terrific read, even if you don't follow professional soccer.
White Man's Burden-William Easterly
I just started re-reading this one, as what I wasn't exactly in the mood one night for any of the books I had on the go. I originally read, and wrote a paper on it, for a modern history course I was taking two years ago, but I only had a rudimentary understanding of the point the author was trying to make. Basically, the book is about the failure of the Western World's aid programs to the world's poor, and how the $3.1 trillion in aid since the 1950s (a figure he mentions often early on) has been poorly spent and hasn't reached the people in need because many aid organizations have the wrong idea; they are too busy thinking of the big picture and big plans, failing to figure out the logistics.
I finally became aware of the point after having to read/discuss a business case about an Indian company who buys produce (well, rice) from small farmers and re-sells it. The company (according to the case) had recently been providing internet to the farmers so they could use the information to be more efficient in their production. The main point of the case was the Indian company provided the internet in such a way that it was integrated into the social fabric community, rather than disrupting it.
Anyway, bringing that all back to the book, what Easterly is talking about is basically the same thing. He emphasizes that the most successful aid programs are operated by those close to those who need aid, because they know what works and what is needed. I of course, didn't realize this until I was sitting in a completely different class 2 years later. The book itself is fairly casually written; it's not as academic as I had originally expected a few years ago. I'm hoping to understand more of what the author was trying to say.
Crime and Punishment-Fyodor Dostoyevsky
At Christmas time, after finishing the Churchill book, I decided to read more literary works, and this was the first one I'm trying out. I haven't had much time on my hands, so I've been reading pages sporadically, but I'm enjoying the story and characters a fair bit.
God's War-Christopher Tyerman
I quite enjoy reading history books, and I find the Medieval period especially interesting. I bought the book after hearing that it was fairly accessible, but well-written. Unfortunately, the thing is huge, covering the Crusades. I got through the introduction at Christmas and couldn't find the time to read it, so I need to crack it open again, but it was well written so it should be pleasant.
... anyway, what is everyone else reading?
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Post by jkr on Apr 19, 2009 9:06:10 GMT -5
My wife found the Trudeau biography, Citizen of the World volume 1, at Coles for 8 bucks. Just started it ( less than 100 pages in). I like biographies in general so I am looking forward to getting in to it.
Roke, I will look for Fever Pitch. I think you are on the mark when you relate the author's obsession with Arsenal against our obsession with the Canadiens.
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Post by duster on Apr 19, 2009 16:06:45 GMT -5
Roke, if you are indeed interested in the Medieval Period, may I suggest a couple of good reads:
"A Distant Mirror: The calamitous 14th Century". It's by Barbara Tuchman (as you may have surmised, one of my favourite historians). Her description of a world in complete chaos is very detailed and her opinion of medieval knights as "a terrible worm in an iron cocoon" is quite appropriate.
A fascinating overview of the time can be found in Colin Well's "Sailing from Byzantium". It's quite readable and illustrates how much three of the world's major civilizations owe to the Byzantines.
Steelhead and salmon season has begun in earnest so I'm reading "The Gilly : A flyfisher's guide". A wonderful book.
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Post by roke on Apr 19, 2009 16:58:15 GMT -5
Thanks for the recommendations duster, I've added them to a list I keep... it's getting quite long; I haven't even tried finding "Guns of August", which you recommended a while ago.
jkr, regarding Fever Pitch, if you aren't a soccer fan at all, I wouldn't recommend it. Also, it would be an asset to know the "big" teams in England, but I think that Hornby does a decent job of explaining the setting of the leagues and how the teams relate to himself personally, and their stature as a whole.
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Post by jkr on Apr 19, 2009 18:47:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the recommendations duster, I've added them to a list I keep... it's getting quite long; I haven't even tried finding "Guns of August", which you recommended a while ago. jkr, regarding Fever Pitch, if you aren't a soccer fan at all, I wouldn't recommend it. Also, it would be an asset to know the "big" teams in England, but I think that Hornby does a decent job of explaining the setting of the leagues and how the teams relate to himself personally, and their stature as a whole. I do like English soccer & know who the "big" teams are. Not sure why but I've always been partial to Liverpool - even begore Gillet bought them.  |
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Post by roke on Apr 19, 2009 19:11:37 GMT -5
Thanks for the recommendations duster, I've added them to a list I keep... it's getting quite long; I haven't even tried finding "Guns of August", which you recommended a while ago. jkr, regarding Fever Pitch, if you aren't a soccer fan at all, I wouldn't recommend it. Also, it would be an asset to know the "big" teams in England, but I think that Hornby does a decent job of explaining the setting of the leagues and how the teams relate to himself personally, and their stature as a whole. I do like English soccer & know who the "big" teams are. Not sure why but I've always been partial to Liverpool - even begore Gillet bought them. In that case, I'm sure you'll enjoy it then. One thing you have to keep in mind though is that Arsenal before Wenger took over played very negative football. They may have a reputation of playing beautifully with terrific passing and great flow, but that hasn't been the case in their history. |
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Post by habernac on Apr 20, 2009 10:43:01 GMT -5
just finished When the Lights Went Out: How One Brawl Ended Hockey's Cold War and Changed the Game by Gare Joyce, what a great read!!
I'd forgotten Pierre Turgeon was on that team (he was on the bench watching everything before the coach finally had to tell him to get his ass out there). One of the players on that team said it wasn't surprising that the Habs stunk during his run as captain. "It's tough to be good when your captain has balls the size of snow peas" was the quote I think.
Pick it up if you have a chance.
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Post by ValkyrieNS on Apr 20, 2009 18:09:43 GMT -5
You guys read "serious stuff"  Last night I finished "A Prisoner of Birth" by Jeffrey Archer, about a young man falsely accused of murdering his best friend, his subsequent escape from prison and how he got revenge on those who wronged him. Quick read (501 pages; 4 days). I've just started Jonathan Stroud's "The Golem's Eye", book two of the Bartimaeus Trilogy. It's a young adult book about magicians in London, who are at war with the magicians of Prague. Light reading A Trudeau bio... must put that on my list, I loved Pierre. |
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Post by franko on Apr 20, 2009 18:12:05 GMT -5
ya, anything by Archer is a quick read . . . nice mindless stuff
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Post by jkr on Apr 21, 2009 9:23:26 GMT -5
just finished When the Lights Went Out: How One Brawl Ended Hockey's Cold War and Changed the Game by Gare Joyce, what a great read!! I'd forgotten Pierre Turgeon was on that team (he was on the bench watching everything before the coach finally had to tell him to get his ass out there). One of the players on that team said it wasn't surprising that the Habs stunk during his run as captain. "It's tough to be good when your captain has balls the size of snow peas" was the quote I think. Pick it up if you have a chance. You should have a look at another book by Joyce - Future Greats & Heartbreaks. Columbus greanted full inside access leading up to draft day. Great inside stuff. |
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Post by habernac on Apr 21, 2009 10:01:12 GMT -5
yeah, read that one about a month ago, enjoyed it very much.
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Post by jkr on May 3, 2009 6:31:16 GMT -5
I do like English soccer & know who the "big" teams are. Not sure why but I've always been partial to Liverpool - even begore Gillet bought them. In that case, I'm sure you'll enjoy it then. One thing you have to keep in mind though is that Arsenal before Wenger took over played very negative football. They may have a reputation of playing beautifully with terrific passing and great flow, but that hasn't been the case in their history. Just started this Roke (about 15 pages in) but already I can see the parallels between Hornby's obsession with Arsenal & my obsession with the Habs. |
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Post by Doc Holliday on May 3, 2009 13:46:26 GMT -5
Somewhat unrelated to the novels and classics listed there.
But...
...I just finished reading Authentic Mexican from Rick Bayless, and that has to be considered the bible of true mexiacan cuisine. Amazing cook book for all you food enthusiasts out there.
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Post by ValkyrieNS on May 4, 2009 11:41:12 GMT -5
...I just finished reading Authentic Mexican from Rick Bayless, and that has to be considered the bible of true mexiacan cuisine. Amazing cook book for all you food enthusiasts out there. My library has it, and I'm on the list to get it Thanks for the suggestion. I recently finished "The Shack" by William P. Young (I think). It made my brain cramp. I'm RC, but I must be hard-wired differently because I didn't think it was "the best book ever". I believe, but not to that point, obviously... I must be a heathen  |
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Post by franko on May 4, 2009 12:11:10 GMT -5
Val, as the resident . . . I don't know . . . religious guy . . . I say "don't worry about it".
I thought the book was poorly written, tried to do too much poorly, and generally had ppor theology.
Far from the best book; leaning to the poor side [do I detect a theme?]
You haven't made it over to HA's side at all -- far from it -- in fact [imo] thinking the book poor merely shows your good taste.
Want Christian fiction? Randy Alcorn Deadline
Want Christian "science fiction" [how's that for an oxymoron]? Ted Decker's trilogy Red, White, Black
Want some "good stuff"? Phillip Yancy, CS Lewis, Henri Nouen, Tony Campolo.
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Post by The New Guy on May 5, 2009 14:36:32 GMT -5
Val, as the resident . . . I don't know . . . religious guy . . . I say "don't worry about it". I thought the book was poorly written, tried to do too much poorly, and generally had ppor theology. Far from the best book; leaning to the poor side [do I detect a theme?] You haven't made it over to HA's side at all -- far from it -- in fact [imo] thinking the book poor merely shows your good taste. Want Christian fiction? Randy Alcorn DeadlineWant Christian "science fiction" [how's that for an oxymoron]? Ted Decker's trilogy Red, White, BlackWant some "good stuff"? Phillip Yancy, CS Lewis, Henri Nouen, Tony Campolo. Speaking of Christian themed books, since I haven't seen it listed here I'd like to suggest Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore, which chronicles the missing years from the life and times of Joshua Bar Joseph. It's not for everyone - it has absurdist Douglas Adams tendencies and occasionally makes a religious joke or fifty (it also pokes fun at Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism) - but if you can take a joke or two about your religion it's well worth the read (and if you like that, his other stuff is pretty damned funny too) |
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Post by franko on May 5, 2009 14:44:46 GMT -5
Thanks -- just placed my order from the library.
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Post by CrocRob on May 5, 2009 14:49:09 GMT -5
If anyone here is interested in economics, Supercapitalism by Bill Reich is a pretty interesting book. I've thumbed through it a couple times now and is a good read that gives insight into the actions that put us where we are today, both the good and bad.
Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, is another book worth reading, but I'll warn it can get tiresome and truthfully is pretty pessimistic about anyone's ability to achieve anything.
I tend only to read nonfiction -- I find fiction boring and almost a waste of time (sorry Val!) -- so that's all I can help with in this thread. I will say one of the fiction books I've read which I thought was great and maddening at the same time, was Life of Pi by Yann Martel (a Canadian to boot).
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Post by franko on May 5, 2009 14:56:35 GMT -5
I find fiction . . . almost a waste of time the reason I read it! ;D After a day with people and problems and "serious study" I like a little mindlessness. |
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Post by duster on May 5, 2009 17:33:36 GMT -5
Somewhat unrelated to the novels and classics listed there. But... ...I just finished reading Authentic Mexican from Rick Bayless, and that has to be considered the bible of true mexiacan cuisine. Amazing cook book for all you food enthusiasts out there. Thanks for the tip. I'll look for it. I usually do a big Mexican thingy for Cinco de Mayo and Dia de Los Muertos. I'm not a fan of Tex-Mex. |
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Post by jkr on May 5, 2009 21:32:49 GMT -5
If anyone here is interested in economics, Supercapitalism by Bill Reich is a pretty interesting book. I've thumbed through it a couple times now and is a good read that gives insight into the actions that put us where we are today, both the good and bad. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, is another book worth reading, but I'll warn it can get tiresome and truthfully is pretty pessimistic about anyone's ability to achieve anything. Yeah, I noticed that too, unless the stars align correctly, it seems that making something of your life is an uphill climb.  |
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Post by ValkyrieNS on May 12, 2009 6:42:07 GMT -5
I find fiction . . . almost a waste of time the reason I read it! ;D After a day with people and problems and "serious study" I like a little mindlessness. Yes, I like me some *fluff* too Terry Pratchett is good for a laugh most days, "The Science of Discworld II: The Globe" is next on my list. Last night I finished "The Caged Virgin: an Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Well-known Muslim woman explains what is wrong with her religion. I've put her autobiography "Infidel" on hold at the library as well. |
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