Book Thread

[RichardE]

So Far as of May 20th we have these ones suggested

The Blind Watchmaker
What's wrong with Kansas
The Wimp Factor
Bad News
Beyond Fear
American Theocracy
Wedding of the Waters: The Erie Canal And The Making of A Great Nation
The History of the Fed
Freakonomics
End of Poverty
The World is Flat
Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World
Cobra II
Guns and Steel
Misquoting Jesus
Collapse by Jared Diamond
The Corporation - Joel Bakan
The Functions of Social Conflict - Lewis Coser

So...what are you guys reading now?

 

[Looney]

I just got The Blind Watchmaker. Haven't had a chance to read it yet, and probably won't for a few weeks.

 

[Tab]

What's wrong with Kansas is a good one, but I haven't finished yet because I am so lazy...

 

[Rainsford]

"The Wimp Factor" is pretty entertaining, it is a book about the whole macho political culture written from a psych angle...although I suspect conservatives might not find it quite so amusing.

For the slightly less partisan selections, I recommend "Bad News" and "Beyond Fear". Bad News talks a lot about the problems with our media today, going beyond the typical ranting "liberal media" stereotypes found in Sean Hannity style books. It's written by Tom Fenton, a longtime CBS reporter, and takes a very clearheaded look at the state of our media today.

Beyond Fear is a truly excellent book about how to think rationally about security in modern times. It's a few years old now (2003 if I remember correctly), but is still a very relevant look at how the average person can make reasonable security decisions without giving in to all the FUD. The author is Bruce Schneier, a well known (in security circles) security expert and the author of several well known crypto algorithms (Blowfish being the most popular). Despite being very non-political, Bruce is generally hated by conservative Republicans because of his well argued stance against police state style security.

I really like those last two books because they are well thought out discussions of issues that are very important to modern politics without any of the political jabs that seem to find their way into every other book written about anything close to politics. A very refreshing change for people interested in the issues who are tired of having to choose between Ann Coulter and Michael Moore.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: RichardE
So Amazon has the free shipping again. Any suggestions for reading? Preferabke Historic/Political or Artistic/Cultural reads. Or anything a P&Ner would find interesting.

The Audacity of Hope

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: Rainsford
"The Wimp Factor" is pretty entertaining, it is a book about the whole macho political culture written from a psych angle...although I suspect conservatives might not find it quite so amusing.

For the slightly less partisan selections, I recommend "Bad News" and "Beyond Fear". Bad News talks a lot about the problems with our media today, going beyond the typical ranting "liberal media" stereotypes found in Sean Hannity style books. It's written by Tom Fenton, a longtime CBS reporter, and takes a very clearheaded look at the state of our media today.

Beyond Fear is a truly excellent book about how to think rationally about security in modern times. It's a few years old now (2003 if I remember correctly), but is still a very relevant look at how the average person can make reasonable security decisions without giving in to all the FUD. The author is Bruce Schneier, a well known (in security circles) security expert and the author of several well known crypto algorithms (Blowfish being the most popular). Despite being very non-political, Bruce is generally hated by conservative Republicans because of his well argued stance against police state style security.

I really like those last two books because they are well thought out discussions of issues that are very important to modern politics without any of the political jabs that seem to find their way into every other book written about anything close to politics. A very refreshing change for people interested in the issues who are tired of having to choose between Ann Coulter and Michael Moore.

Thank you Rainsford, I will be picking up Beyond Fear.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: RichardE

Originally posted by: Rainsford
"The Wimp Factor" is pretty entertaining, it is a book about the whole macho political culture written from a psych angle...although I suspect conservatives might not find it quite so amusing.

For the slightly less partisan selections, I recommend "Bad News" and "Beyond Fear". Bad News talks a lot about the problems with our media today, going beyond the typical ranting "liberal media" stereotypes found in Sean Hannity style books. It's written by Tom Fenton, a longtime CBS reporter, and takes a very clearheaded look at the state of our media today.

Beyond Fear is a truly excellent book about how to think rationally about security in modern times. It's a few years old now (2003 if I remember correctly), but is still a very relevant look at how the average person can make reasonable security decisions without giving in to all the FUD. The author is Bruce Schneier, a well known (in security circles) security expert and the author of several well known crypto algorithms (Blowfish being the most popular). Despite being very non-political, Bruce is generally hated by conservative Republicans because of his well argued stance against police state style security.

I really like those last two books because they are well thought out discussions of issues that are very important to modern politics without any of the political jabs that seem to find their way into every other book written about anything close to politics. A very refreshing change for people interested in the issues who are tired of having to choose between Ann Coulter and Michael Moore.

Thank you Rainsford, I will be picking up Beyond Fear.

No problem, I love spreading good books around.

 

[JACKHAMMER]

I have the "American Theocracy" here that I need to open up when I get some time.

 

[Thump553]

"Wedding of the Waters: The Erie Canal And The Making of A Great Nation" by Peter L. Bernstein. I don't know why I picked this book up, but I found it fascinating. The Erie Canal was the first great public works project in the USA. It was funded almost entirely by New York State at a huge risk and cost. It came in early and under budget. It also made a lot of profit, and generated enormous business for NY.

The book is written by an economist, and thus focuses more on the social effects and history than the technological achievements.

I found it a fascinating read about something I previously knew next to nothing about.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: JACKHAMMER
I have the "American Theocracy" here that I need to open up when I get some time.

That one is pretty good as well...although I sort of wish it was written at a slightly more readable level. It's interesting and all, but it reads more like a textbook than something that is going to hold my attention for very long.

 

[HombrePequeno]

I've been trying to get The History of the Fed, Freakonomics, End of Poverty, and The World is Flat from the library but they're always taken. They all seem pretty intersesting...to me at least.

 

[CanOWorms]

Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World - learn more about how the British Empire acted in creating and furthering famines that resulted in the genocides of millions. It might be interesting to you since you're Canadian and your history is biased positively towards the British empire. It may shock you to learn the truth.

 

[Todd33]

Cobra II, Guns and Steel, Misquoting Jesus

 

[LumbergTech]

the encyclopedia of biblical errancy

 

[TheBDB]

Collapse by Jared Diamond

 

[Truculent]

The Corporation - Joel Bakan
The Functions of Social Conflict - Lewis Coser

 

[RichardE]

bump

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

I've been trying to get The History of the Fed, Freakonomics, End of Poverty, and The World is Flat from the library but they're always taken. They all seem pretty intersesting...to me at least.

Freakonomics is one of the top ten best sellers at Barnes & Noble.

They always have it in stock.

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

I've been trying to get The History of the Fed, Freakonomics, End of Poverty, and The World is Flat from the library but they're always taken. They all seem pretty intersesting...to me at least.

Freakonomics is one of the top ten best sellers at Barnes & Noble.

They always have it in stock.

Is it worth buying?

 

[Mardeth]

Stalingrad by Antony Beevor

 

[BlueWeasel]

I'm finishing up "A Storm of Swords" (book3) in George R.R. Martin's Fire and Ice series. The 4th book, A Feast for Crows, is next, and I hope it's as good as ASOS.

 

[Pens1566]

The One Percent Doctrine

 

[PrinceofWands]

The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land ~Donna Rosenthal
Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran ~Elaine Sciolino
A History of the Modern Middle East 3rd Edition ~William Clevelend
The Contemporary Middle East ~Edited by: Karl Yambert

For a modern middle-east history/relations class. The Clevelend and Yambert texts are excellent. Persian Mirrors is semi-feminist tripe, celebrating elitism/aristocracy, with apologist undertones, but it gives insight that westerners very seldom receive. The Israelis is significantly one-sided, and plays to emotions too much, but is a good read overall.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: RichardE

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno

I've been trying to get The History of the Fed, Freakonomics, End of Poverty, and The World is Flat from the library but they're always taken. They all seem pretty intersesting...to me at least.

Freakonomics is one of the top ten best sellers at Barnes & Noble.

They always have it in stock.

Is it worth buying?

Basically tells it like it is.

That the numbers being used by the Government BLS etc is full of sh!t since Bush took over.

Basically what I have been saying all along for the past 6 years.

 

[StepUp]

A few books I've read this summer

The End of Faith by Sam Harris

Dispacthes from the Edge by Anderson Cooper

An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore

Of the 3, Sam Harris' book is the best hands down and is such a great commentary on the sad affair of our ability to suspend reason for religious faith. It's not a book for the faint of heart as it's basically a historical timeline with analysis of times that the moral majority of a religious group has caried out brutal , barbaric acts in the name of religion. Definitely a great read, and if you want to see him debate, there are clips of him on shows such as The O'Reilly Factor on his website. And if you really want to get an idea about his book, he gives a 20 minute presentation on his ideas to an audience in Canada if you'd like to watch it before you invest. Happy reading!