Books... What are you reading? And what do you recommend?

Unclebaldrick

Unclebaldrick

Well-Known Member
One of the cool things about a Kindle or other e-reader is that you have access to an amazing trove of old public domain stuff. Sometimes you can get a nice copy with all the extras for a buck - like annotated Shakespeare or Sherlock - which is usually worth it.

One of my favorites is Prescott's "The Conquest of Mexico" and "The Conquest of Peru". Written some time in the late 19th century by an amazing blind scholar, they remain the best books written about the subject IMO.

"The Conquest of Mexico" is an insanely good story that just happens to have really happened. Peru is good too but Mexico is just nuts.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Anyone mentioned Dr Diamond's books?

Guns, Germs & Steel- history of civilization from a geographic deterministic point of view.

Collapse- part history and part discussion of how and why civilisations fall. WARNING; scariest work of nonfiction you'll ever read.
 
Unclebaldrick

Unclebaldrick

Well-Known Member
Singlemalt said:
And the minx of all minxes, Myrna
Click to expand...
Can't believe I left her out. I once heard that the book got optioned but that they scrapped the plan when Belushi died. Not sure if it is true.

I need to crack that again. Been a while - too long. Last time I handed out the paperback it did not come back. Have to go to the hardcover. It will be a nice change from Fuchida's "Midway" - another great read in a different vein.
 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
The Alaskan Retreater's Notebook: One Man's Journey Into the Alaskan Wilderness
By Ordorica, Ray

When Breathe Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. (Doc who is diagnosed with lung cancer in his 30’s)

Evicted, by Matthew Desmond. (Renting problems facing the poor)

What the Dog Knows, by Cat Warren. (About our best friend) good

Playing to the Edge, by Michael V. Hayden. (Hayden defends himself, Meh)

Astoria, Peter Stark (J. Astor and the NorthWestern fur trade)
 
Unclebaldrick

Unclebaldrick

Well-Known Member
Seriously, that book impacted me like a mother-fucker. I was kind of a tight-ass Republican-type at the time being forced to take liberal arts classes against my will. The profs were a strange older couple, one with Parkensons. And they made me read it.

It was a good thing too. I could have gone down a bad path and marked up AIDS drugs by 15000% or made a fortune on bad mortgages. Instead I grew weed. Thank the gods.
 
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