"What book are ye reading ritemeow?"

John Vaillant. Fire Weather: On the Front Lines of a Burning World.

Ccfuchs wrote:

Just finished dune. Slow start but great end. Now starting the covenant of water

Got plans to read any of the other books in the six-part series? Just finished Dune Messiah, now started Children of Dune. I want to finish all six before the third film is released. They read pretty quick. 

Stephen L wrote:

Got plans to read any of the other books in the six-part series? Just finished Dune Messiah, now started Children of Dune. I want to finish all six before the third film is released. They read pretty quick. 

I am in the same boat, finished Messiah, read “The Passenger” by Cormack Macarthy now I’m reading “Children of Dune”

Cory N wrote:

I am in the same boat, finished Messiah, read “The Passenger” by Cormack Macarthy now I’m reading “Children of Dune”

How is The Passenger? I always think the writer is amazing but sometimes I wonder why he's doing this to me.

The Passenger was not a fave for this plaisure reader. Murky, self absorbed, cryptic.

One meow out of a possible three.

David Morison wrote:

How is The Passenger? I always think the writer is amazing but sometimes I wonder why he's doing this to me.

It's definitely a "Why is he doing this to me" book. I had just come from reading No Country for Old Men, its not as good. I ended up liking it in the end, but for about 80% of the book I was thinking to myself, "what am I reading right now"

My wife and I are reading "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt and it has provided some compelling insight into "the great rewiring" of society that has been brought about by smartphones and social media. It inspired me to start this other thread.

I recently took a break from bullshit professional development books and read a historical book about the circumstances leading up to the sinking of the Lusitania. The book was "Dead Wake" by Erik Larson - Well worth the read, definitely a page turner and also educational.

Mike V. wrote:

I recently took a break from bullshit professional development books and read a historical book about the circumstances leading up to the sinking of the Lusitania. The book was "Dead Wake" by Erik Larson - Well worth the read, definitely a page turner and also educational.

Added to my queue! I'm about due for a historical narrative and WW1 deserves more airtime.

Nice. Dead Wake is fantastic. I particularly remember the part about “U-boat baptisms.”

Just finished the new Larson piece “Demons of Unrest.”  Maybe I already mentioned that upthread; highly recommend though. Plus Devil in the White City. 

For WW1 Dan Carlin's blueprint for Armageddon is an excellent summary. 

Now I'm on When Titan's Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler 

It's another dry but balanced but engaging one and gives an exhaustive summary of the military story for Hitler vs Stalin. I found a few interesting things I didn't know. It's mind numbing everything that happened from 39-45 in-between those two. It skips atrocities which I can understand as they didnt want to make it a library. Nonetheless I was surprised to have made it to Stalingrad with no mention of Babi Yar. Search Babi Yar and you won't forget it.

Stephen L wrote:

Nice. Dead Wake is fantastic. I particularly remember the part about “U-boat baptisms.”

Just finished the new Larson piece “Demons of Unrest.”  Maybe I already mentioned that upthread; highly recommend though. Plus Devil in the White City. 

Yes! 

After I enjoyed Dead Wake my spouse got me a bunch more of his books, but all the topics where quite "heavy" so I haven't jumped into them yet.

Danny Birchman wrote:

For WW1 Dan Carlin's blueprint for Armageddon is an excellent summary. 

Now I'm on When Titan's Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler 

It's another dry but balanced but engaging one and gives an exhaustive summary of the military story for Hitler vs Stalin. I found a few interesting things I didn't know. It's mind numbing everything that happened from 39-45 in-between those two. It skips atrocities which I can understand as they didnt want to make it a library. Nonetheless I was surprised to have made it to Stalingrad with no mention of Babi Yar. Search Babi Yar and you won't forget it.

Awesome dude, I'll be looking into Babi Yar after this post. And here I thought I was all aware about the whole Eastern invasion and the Stalingrad standoff.

I just started "The Battle of Kursk", pretty much a horrific 2 week battle of all battles that was later in '43. But the notes on Hitlers Field Marshalls and his complete dismissal of their super valid concerns and the reality of the actual situation his army was in is extra fascinating, to me.

edit to add- "Gulag" by Annie Applebaum won the Pulitzer Prize for a very good reason. Crazy to think that Stalin was on the Allied side with us in WWII, fucken monster.

This thread is great.

Hank Caylor wrote:

Awesome dude, I'll be looking into Babi Yar after this post. And here I thought I was all aware about the whole Eastern invasion and the Stalingrad standoff.

I just started "The Battle of Kursk", pretty much a horrific 2 week battle of all battles that was later in '43. But the notes on Hitlers Field Marshalls and his complete dismissal of their super valid concerns and the reality of the actual situation his army was in is extra fascinating, to me.

edit to add- "Gulag" by Annie Applebaum won the Pulitzer Prize for a very good reason. Crazy to think that Stalin was on the Allied side with us in WWII, fucken monster.

This thread is great.

That was what it took. Western money and resources and Russian blood. 75 percent of German losses were fighting the Soviets. While yes Stalin was one of the greatest monsters of the twentieth century. Hitler was worse and would've proven it had he been more successful. It wouldn't be the first or last time the West would support evil in the struggle against their enemies. We propped up autocratic charlatans in Korea, South America, Vietnam, even Saddam Hussein, and right now in my opinion Benjamin Netanyahu. Although the latter isn't as much a dictator in his own country rather than a bad actor. 

It's never black and white. But the Soviet struggle against Hitler deserves to be remembered and acknowledged. At the same time it should also be remembered and acknowledged how they raped their way to Berlin on a scale not seen since Genghis Kahn. But I don't look at history as much as good guy vs bad guy. I look at it as what WE are capable of when swept into the white water inertia of chaos. 

I'm on the high seas with Hornblower: Beat to Quarters. Always good. 

I just read "Live. Fight. Survive.: An ex-British soldier's account of courage, resistance and defiance fighting for Ukraine against Russia"  by Shaun Pinner, a Brit married to a Ukrainian woman who fought for Ukraine. He was captured during the siege of Mariupol by the the barbaric Russian invaders, and he was tortured daily by high level FSB agents and/or the local goon squads in the horrific prisons he was held in.  He was exchanged in a prisoner swap. A truly harrowing tale. A must read, and a reminder why Ukraine must win. Don't read it on vacation, bad vibes.

Great recommendation, everyone!

Reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. Much more accesable, readable, and more "modern" than you might expect for a 19th century Russian masterpiece. And tells a story that is still quite interesting and relevant - basically, a young student becomes so alienated and isolated by modern society that he convinces himself that he is the next Napoleon, a man of destiny who has a license to break all of society's rules in order to achieve greatness. And then has to deal with the aftermath and guilt of doing so.

Aaron K wrote:

Reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. Much more accesable, readable, and more "modern" than you might expect for a 19th century Russian masterpiece. And tells a story that is still quite interesting and relevant - basically, a young student becomes so alienated and isolated by modern society that he convinces himself that he is the next Napoleon, a man of destiny who has a license to break all of society's rules in order to achieve greatness. And then has to deal with the aftermath and guilt of doing so.

Great choice! Dostoevsky is such an incisive psychologist. If you can power through the Russian proclivity to refer to any given character by four different names, there's a gold mine of powerful prose to be had.

If you enjoy that one (after which many routes are named "Climb and Punishment"), Brothers Karamazov would be a good continuation. A slightly more difficult read, but deep and rewarding.

"Notes from the Underground" has a hilarious dark opening paragraph, too; classic Gulag gallows humor. 

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