[garygreen]

The Martian was fucking awesome.  There's nothing else to say say about a book that sort of makes me want to be get stranded on Mars.



I'm almost finished with the first George Smiley novel.  If you like spy fiction, then you'll likely enjoy this.  I'm enjoying it, anyway, so I'll probably read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy next.

[Crudblud]

Joseph Heller - Catch-22

[Saddam Hussein]

Joseph Heller - Catch-22

I love that book.

[Crudblud]

Joseph Heller - Catch-22

I love that book.

I tried to read it as a kid but I didn't get it all so I gave up. I'm enjoying it a lot this time around, though.

[Ghost Spaghetti]

The Martian was fucking awesome.  There's nothing else to say say about a book that sort of makes me want to be get stranded on Mars.

The Martian really annoys me. I had begun plotting for an almost identical novel, except my protagonist wouldn't have had a hope of ever returning to Earth and would slowly be driven mad by the isolation.

[Roundy]

I just read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  It was great.  Such a shame he died before his career as a novelist had even started.

[garygreen]

I just finished my first memoir.  History has officially ruined fiction for me.  This is way more interesting than any adventure novel or war epic I've read, and it actually happened to someone.  Also it's only $0.01 on Amazon.

The Martian was fucking awesome.  There's nothing else to say say about a book that sort of makes me want to be get stranded on Mars.

The Martian really annoys me. I had begun plotting for an almost identical novel, except my protagonist wouldn't have had a hope of ever returning to Earth and would slowly be driven mad by the isolation.

Although I really loved The Martian, that would have been a way more interesting finish.

[Rama Set]

Check out The River of Doubt.  It is a non-fiction account of Theodore Roosevelt's exploration and mapping of a major Amazon tributary.

[garygreen]

Check out The River of Doubt.  It is a non-fiction account of Theodore Roosevelt's exploration and mapping of a major Amazon tributary.

I'll definitely check that out.  Teddy is super interesting.  I'm a big fan of Dan Carlin's description: "The guy sorta reminds me sometimes of a heavily armed, imperialistic, racist version of Peter Pan."

[Crudblud]

Umberto Eco - Foucault's Pendulum

[Saddam Hussein]

I just read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  It was great.  Such a shame he died before his career as a novelist had even started.

The first three quarters or so of that book are good.  It becomes terrible once the central mystery is cleared up and the story devolves into a bizarre revenge-fantasy rant that clearly had a lot more to do with Larsson himself than the actual plot of the book.  Also, Blomkvist is one of the most blatant Mary Sues in all of literature, and Lisbeth is a prominent example of inaccurate and annoying stereotypes in pop culture about mental illness and hacking.

[Rama Set]

I just read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  It was great.  Such a shame he died before his career as a novelist had even started.

The first three quarters or so of that book are good.  It becomes terrible once the central mystery is cleared up and the story devolves into a bizarre revenge-fantasy rant that was clearly had a lot more to do with Larsson himself than the actual plot of the book.  Also, Blomkvist is one of the most blatant Mary Sues in all of literature, and Lisbeth is a prominent example of inaccurate and annoying stereotypes in pop culture about mental illness and hacking.

I thought the book was about 300 pages too long. Who the fuck cares that he ate open face sandwiches at that stupid fucking cafe?

[Vongeo]

I'm reading a book a cute girl I know wrote.

[Crudblud]

Previously: Mary Mackey - McCarthy's List

Now: Don DeLillo - Underworld

[juner]

A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick

A scary-real dive into the world of drug addicts. One of those novels that keeps you thinking and analyzing once you're done.

[naildownx]

Agents of Artifice - A Planeswalker Novel

Jace Beleren is a planeswalker who has taken the path of least resistance. He is gifted and powerful, but chooses not to push himself. Part of an inter-planar consortium that deals in magical artifacts, Jace has some power and influence. He also has a certain amount of security. That’s all about to change.

When Liliana, a dark temptress with demons of her own (quite literally), comes into his life, she brings with her more possibilities, but also more problems.

Under attack from external interests, a friend dies because of decisions Jace made. Upset with himself and fearing for his life, Jace sets out to find who is behind this new threat. What he uncovers along the way, an inter-planar chase filled with peril, will alter everything he knows.

Ari Marmell is what makes this book so good. I really enjoyed the story and the action throughout.

[Ghost Spaghetti]

A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick

A scary-real dive into the world of drug addicts. One of those novels that keeps you thinking and analyzing once you're done.

That's the one where he dedicates the novel to all his friends who've been killed by drugs and lists himself amongst them, isn't it?

[juner]

A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick

A scary-real dive into the world of drug addicts. One of those novels that keeps you thinking and analyzing once you're done.

That's the one where he dedicates the novel to all his friends who've been killed by drugs and lists himself amongst them, isn't it?

That's the one. Killed or severely debilitated.

[garygreen]

I've nearly completed my introductory Eastern Front Reading List.



Deathride is the only one of the five that I wouldn't recommend reading.  The author's argument is that it's nothing short of a miracle that the Wehrmacht was defeated by the Red Army, that Hitler's strategic assessment of the Eastern Front was entirely rational, and that the war didn't begin to turn against Germany until the 6th Army's surrender at Stalingrad.  His argument would be compelling if it didn't omit the most salient argument against Barbarossa: logistics.  He focuses far too much on raw casualty figures and fails to recognize the complete inability of the Wehrmacht to sustain those operations in Soviet territory.  Operation Barbarossa makes a much, much more compelling argument that Barbarossa was always a total fantasy.

Stalingrad and Leningrad are by far the most readable, and I would recommend them to anyone.  I think there's a real value to reading the firsthand experiences of people who suffered in the manner these folks did.  Leningrad was truly heartbreaking at times.  Like a mother describing in her journal how she killed her 1-year-old child to feed her 2-years-old child.  Also, apparently there is a level of hunger where you're totally willing to boil wallpaper to separate the glue and eat it.  No thanks; I'll just die.

Stalin is actually the first proper biography I've ever read.  I enjoyed it, but I enjoy memoirs more I think.  Stalin was an interesting figure.  Not what I expected.  The juxtaposition between total brilliance and completely irrational narcissism is something.

[Eddy Baby]

I know Stalingrad is supposed to be well good. I might bump it up my to-read list.