[Bulaba Khan Jones]

...who did stop Vietnam. Lol.

Which is one of the last times an American presidential candidate was serious about a campaign promise.

[Drlee]

I did. But I don't like to talk about it.

[The Sabbaticus]

The Sabbaticus is still working on high-school prescribed existentialism, so we can assume he's about 17 years old- or there's something terribly wrong with the Dutch education system. I can only imagine what kind of "Dutch youth literature" they prescribe in their public school system.

These books are wasted on adolescents.

Read another short one 'Stranger on a trainer'. Apparently Hitchcock based a movie on it. Haven't seen it yet. It was a brief and entertaining read. One of those typical American stories where the degeneracies were piled on top of each other in order to explain a murder.

E.g. the secondary character was always drunk (alcoholic), was physically undeveloped, he thought his mother's leg looked good (hinting at incestuous thoughts), often commented on women's clothing (transsexual) and had a sickly obsession with his 'male friend' (homosexual).

Other themes: happenstance, secret murder cabals and nihilism.

Now reading '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

[Bulaba Khan Jones]

Read another short one 'Stranger on a trainer'. Apparently Hitchcock based a movie on it. Haven't seen it yet. It was a brief and entertaining read. One of those typical American stories where the degeneracies were piled on top of each other in order to explain a murder.

Strangers on a Train is a classic Hitchcock thriller, and worth checking out.

[MB.]

Now reading '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

Before you read 2001 you should read the Prelude to Space.

[colliric]

Probably mentioned it before, still reading this particular exact edition of it.

[The Sabbaticus]

Before you read 2001 you should read the Prelude to Space.

Too late now.

[skinster]

Just read this. I love Salaita. This one was probably more directed at students of native studies but I enjoyed it anyway. There was some good stuff on the BDS movement and I enjoyed the parts analyzing poetry from the natives of America and Palestine.


I saw this writer speak on Friday. He said some interesting things so I bought the book.

[The Sabbaticus]

Read

Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest (Lots of banalities masquerading as wit.)
D.H. Lawrence - Sons and Lovers (If you want to learn about relationships.)

Currently reading 'Planet of the Apes' - Pierre Boulle.

It would appear to be a science fiction allegory for the treatment of animals, with a heavy dose of eroticism and sexuality. It starts off with the male crew members of the ship getting naked on a foreign planet to take a swim in a pond, only to be spied upon by an exotic golden-hued native woman with perfect breasts and the most angelic countenance. Naturally she was also naked. *spoiler'esque* At one point the main character performs certain sexual acts in a cage for the 'scientific research' of the monkey scientists.

It reads like fan fiction, except that the writer is obviously talented and put a great deal of research in the book. His description about space travel by means of various naval concepts and analogies was interesting. The ship uses solar sails, which is currently seriously being explored by Hawkins and a Russian billionaire to send micro-probes to another solar systems. (At the time it wasn't an entirely new concept I suspect, but still.)

The main character was also written to consider himself as a creature of the Christian deity, which was interesting from an anthropological perspective. Theological exceptionalism as a point of pride, something the West has lost in order to accommodate culturally inferior interlopers.

[mikema63]

We have no idea: a guide to the unknown universe by Jorge cham and Daniel whiteson

It's very interesting, it's about the things we don't know and don't understand about the universe.

[Decky]

[ThirdTerm]

I purchased the book above when it was first published and I'm currently reading "God and Gold" by Walter Russell Mead. Mead is a rare American scholar who can see world history from the British perspective.



God and Gold
Britain, America, and the Making of the Modern World

An illuminating account by Walter Russell Mead of the birth and rise of the global political and economic system that, sustained first by Britain and now by America, created the modern world.

Book by Walter Russell Mead

[Heisenberg]

Mead is a rare American scholar who can see world history from the British perspective.

In that case, what is he waiting for? He should renounce his traitorous American "citizenship" and return to the loving embrace of Her Majesty.

[The Sabbaticus]

Planet of the Apes was marvellous social parody. Much better than those silly movies, except for the sartorial preferences of the chimpanzees. That they would be dressed exactly the same as humans is just nonsense. The sexual tension between the male character and the female chimpanzee was also pretty gutsy.

[Drlee]

Looks good Decky.

Are you a Patrick O'brien fan?

[MB.]

Ah yes, Nick's great series. He's still going on volume III, word is it may be published before 2020. Or not.

[Decky]

Looks good Decky.

Are you a Patrick O'brien fan?

Afraid not I mostly read history and just a little fiction. Of course I make an exception for Sharpe, most of my Napoleonic fiction comes from there.

I might go for a biography of Jacky Fisher (the best first sea lord) once I need a new book but I am not 100% decided yet.

[MB.]

Arthur Marder's 3 volume Fisher papers is the best Fisher source. The best biography of him is James Morris' Fisher's Face.

[Drlee]

Afraid not I mostly read history and just a little fiction. Of course I make an exception for Sharpe, most of my Napoleonic fiction comes from there.

Try Patrick Obrian. It is historically remarkably accurate. The Harvard Review of Books said, "The best writer in English since Jane Austen." The New York Times review of books said, "The greatest historical fiction, ever." Read the first three and you will be hooked.

[Lexington]

Try Patrick Obrian

Seriously, you and my dad need to meet, every time I read one of your posts I'm like "Christ, that's exactly like my dad..."

I'm reading Jon Meacham's biography of Andrew Jackson "American Lion".