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(padmasa) Member Since: 2008-06-07
Location: Eastern Standard Time
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Posted: 2008-09-27 7:57 PM PDT | |
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Despite the fact that I doubt you actually read anything, Burne. Hell I'm not entirely sure you know how to read... meh. I was at work today and I noticed something on the shelf next to other (much better) books (about TR). Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend by Gary L. Roberts. I haven't read it, not even sure if it's a new book but since we have a bunch of copies and it's hard cover I must assume it is... I just saw it and thought of you. Figured you'd like to know. |
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Member Since: 2008-06-08
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RE: Books Posted: 2008-09-27 11:30 PM PDT |
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A hardcover book about Doc Holliday. You fail for not buying it! Now go correct your mistake and add it to your library. Also check out Vicksburg (A great novel about Vicksburg that looks at the mentalities of civilians during the Civil War, as well as Western theater vs Eastern theater perspectives.), Hardtack and Coffee (This book was actually written by a veteran of the Civil War. It gives great insight into the lives of the average soldier.), and also check out Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy. It's an amazing series that is both easy to read and gives a non-biased viewpoint on the Civil War. Those are my recommendations. On a different topic, I also have Baron Von Steuben's book that contains everything that he taught the Continental Army at Valley Forge. Officer positions, troops formations, field tactics, artillery tactics, it's all in there. A great book, but I haven't gotten around to reading it all the way through just yet. Anyways, I'll just leave it at that. Now go read some real books, something that doesn't have Dragons and Mermaids or whatever. =P _______________ Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring. |
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(padmasa) Member Since: 2008-06-07
Location: Eastern Standard Time
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RE: Books Posted: 2008-09-28 12:47 AM PDT |
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Nah, don't think any of that is gonna happen any time soon. Although I do plan to pick up Guns, Germs, and Steel soon. Also found a couple of books on the French Foreign Legion... definitely gonna pick those up and certainly before any of your civil war books. Ugh. Besides? Why should I buy any hardcover books when I can rent it for 2 weeks from my Borders, read it all, and just wait until soft cover to purchase it? No good reason in the world. But yeah, once I finish Highway to Hell I may pick up that book on Doc Holliday... but the books on the Legion are calling to me. |
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Member Since: 2008-06-08
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RE: Books Posted: 2008-09-28 12:57 AM PDT |
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BLASPHEMY! Hardcover books are best. The pages remain in pristine condition. I've never had a hardcover book that looked like it had a lot of wear and tear. And one more recommendation as well, there are several books out there about the San Patricios. (AKA The Saint Patrick's Battalion.) The San Patricios were a group of mainly Irish immigrants that served the US during the Mexican American War. They got fed up with the anti-catholicism prejudice and defected to the Mexican side, and quickly rose to become the elite fighting force for the Mexican army. It's quite a fascinating story, as even though these people did defect to the other side, it's easy to understand why they did it. I haven't read any novels on them, but I know there are plenty out there. There is also a movie based on them called "One Man's Hero" starring Tom Berenger. It's actually a pretty historically accurate film. (As far as historical movies go.) _______________ Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring. |
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(padmasa) Member Since: 2008-06-07
Location: Eastern Standard Time
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RE: Books Posted: 2008-09-28 6:03 PM PDT |
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You know, I disagree about hard covers. Yeah, they're nice but they can easily get battered. You trade mobility for a bit more difficulty in getting damaged. For collectibles or first editions of famous texts, sure. It's great then. Ditto Graphic Novels where a bent page can ruin the art. But really... Quality Paperback is the best way. Quality paper is the larger form of Soft Cover, usually costs around 13-14 dollars rather than close to 30 for a hard cover. Quality, like Cloth (hard cover) also has higher grade paper (harder to tear and better contrast with the ink) and slightly larger font for easy reading, as opposed to Mass Market. Plus you can usually fit a Quality into your pocket, might not be as comfortable as putting a Mass Market into your pocket but still, the best type of binding for a book you want to read but don't want to display on a shelf. And fuck books you keep just to read once and then display on a shelf. I keep my books in good condition, I don't fold down pages, but I read them. It shows. The spine is always creased and damaged, the cover always gets dinged up and damaged, they look like someone read them. Not just once and put on a shelf but several times. Anyway, on to other things, I've found a couple of books I want to read: From Crayons to Condoms. Hardcover, talks about america's public schools and the debacles they've become. Interesting subject and one I really do want to be more conversant on. I mean, all the talk, especially with you Burne about how most prospective teachers learn more about how to talk and not be offensive rather than learning their field is pretty accurate and very disturbing. In a similar vein, The Dumbest Generation, I've read about 20-30 pages of this while on my breaks and it looks very... well yeah. It's talking about the current generation, even parts of our generation how we have been given the best tools in the world to learn, how the internet should provide more information than ever before and how it's not. How it's turned into nothing but Myspace and Facebook. How the myth that kids are getting too much homework is crap, and any number of other things. Really, lovely to read about how education standards are slipping. Makes me scared to fucking death of when this upcoming generation can vote. I mean just look at Healing M Onk. Perfect goddamn example. 13 Things that Don't Make Sense. Science book, talks about... you guessed it... 13 things that don't make sense. Including the Placebo Effect among others. Looks very interesting but I haven't picked it up yet. Still in Cloth. Gonna rent it soon... ish. I really do worry that it'll end up too dry to read and enjoy though. Also, a new book that was just released and is pretty D'AWWWWWWW... I think it's called Dewey. Meh, not sure. It's a book about a stray cat that got adopted by the head librarian and it's one giant human interest story clusterfuck but still kinda interesting. Who doesn't like a human interest story about a cat? Hell I just read From Baghdad With Love. Story of a marine who finds a stray puppy in Fallujah and how much it took for him to get the dog back to America and adopt it. Sure it's one giant D'AWWWWWW human interest thing but it's still a good break from all the too dry science and depressing looks at education or american kids. Also, I highly recommend Highway to Hell. I'm about half-way done with the book and it's very interesting. Mostly the author is talking how British mercs operate as opposed to american outfits like Blackwater, which would be engaging enough, but every other chapter is a story from one of his mates or his own of some firefight or event that has happened during the war. Really, incredibly interesting to read and it paints an interesting picture of Iraq that is nothing like what you're seeing on the news. |
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