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Post by hikerjer on Jan 6, 2019 14:54:39 GMT -8
I'm currently halfway through Max Hastings' Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy - 1945-1975.
I've always like Hasting's writing and this book is no exception. In it he details the history of the war from the French debacle to America's colossal failure. After reading it you begin to realize that no one really won in a war that should have never been fought. Atrocities were committed on a grand scale by all parties involved and all sides suffered horrendously for the vanity and pride of political leaders on both sides. The greatest losers were the American soldiers who were fighting for a cause they didn't understand and largely didn't believe in and of, course, the Vietnamese people, both in the north and the south, who suffered horrendously at the hands of both sides. There were no heroes. It was a colossal failure and an extremely dark chapter in American history. I really hope we learned something from it, but I have my doubts.
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Post by cheaptentguy on Jan 9, 2019 19:11:48 GMT -8
At the moment, I'm reading The Net Delusion by Evgeny Morozov. He provides a pretty interesting critical lens to how digital tools are being used or misused. I'd definitely recommend it if you have a significant interest in the role of technology and social media in our lives. Also reading But What if We're Wrong by Chuck Klosterman. Guy is hysterical and writes about a variety of topics, though most effectively about sports and music. This book isn't as humorous as his usual books, but it makes some interesting points about how we judge and value things. It's a nice parallel read for me with Net Delusion. This past year I read two books that I definitely recommend for hikers, backpackers, or anyone who enjoys the outdoors: On Trails, by Robert Moor. Great book that explains the history of trails on the planet all they way back to simple organisms making trails millions of years ago. It's a nice mixture of history and commentary on how trails have developed and function. Really good. The other is Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey. I'm sure many of you are already very familiar with this work, as it's a classic in the outdoor and conservationist communities. Very poetic work written about Abbey's time working at a Arches National Park. Lots of interesting commentary about the role of wilderness and the problems of development, especially for the sake of making wilderness easily accessible.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Jan 13, 2019 18:18:11 GMT -8
I just finished "The Plantagenets" by Dan Jones. It covers slightly longer than the official Plantagent years in England and France, from latter part of Henry I's rule through that of Richard II (1120-1399). Although not explicitly the topic, an important theme is the development of the rule of law and the parliamentary system of government, mainly in reaction to misrule or excess economic pressure on the nobility brought on by royal territorial ambitions and their related military expenses. Here's a handful of things that struck me along the way: - That the Plantagenet kings were predominantly French-speaking, spent much of their lives living in France, and valued their French duchys nearly as much (if not more) than their English holdings. This appears to be a principal cause of dissension between the kings and the British nobles that resulted in the concessions of the Magna Carta.
- The Magna Carta was not consistently honored from its initial charter and had to be re-instituted half a dozen times.
- French was the language of court until nearly the end of this period.
- "The Lion in Winter" was more historically accurate than I thought.
- The number of civil wars and kings overthrown by the nobility was greater than I thought.
- The overwhelming dependence by kings on Flemish mercenaries as opposed to Britons, both for wars in France and in controlling domestic uprisings. This also resulted in huge debts to Italian banks. Outsourcing war on borrowed money started early.
- Henry VIII wasn't the first king to divorce, and early nobles married divorced women. In particular, Joan of Kent was simultaneously married to two other men before wedding the Black Prince and giving birth to the future Richard II.
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Post by hikerjer on Jan 14, 2019 20:07:39 GMT -8
Here's a handful of things that struck me along the way: And we thought politics today was complicated.
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Post by hikingtiger on Jan 15, 2019 10:47:10 GMT -8
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Post by catonsvillebill on Jan 22, 2019 15:51:42 GMT -8
I just finished "The Plantagenets" Big Load: That is a great book. Consider reading The War of The Roses also by Jones. It is a companion piece of sorts to The Plantagenets
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Post by zipposdad on Mar 7, 2019 14:19:31 GMT -8
Just started The Imopossible Climb by Mark Synnott. 142 pages in...
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Post by zipposdad on Mar 7, 2019 14:20:08 GMT -8
OOoopps Impossible
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amaruq
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Call me Little Spoon
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Post by amaruq on Mar 8, 2019 5:18:30 GMT -8
Currently reading John le Carré's The Honourable Schoolboy.
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Mar 11, 2019 19:15:55 GMT -8
Haven’t read anything outdoor-related for a while. I’ve been alternating between brain candy (mostly light mysteries) and my own novel (revisions require reading, so that counts, right?). I think I’m overdue for a good outdoor adventure, maybe even some well-written natural history essays ala Craig Childs.
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Post by burntfoot on Apr 26, 2019 20:04:41 GMT -8
Several books, actually I have started. 1. A biography of Harriet Tubman 2. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton 3. What School Could Be by Ted Dintersmith 4. Homes and Libraries of the Presidents by William Clotworthy 5. Best Summit Hikes in Colorado
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Post by starwalker on Apr 27, 2019 19:55:55 GMT -8
Poetry right now...James Merrill: Selected Poems.
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Apr 28, 2019 4:55:51 GMT -8
I’m currently reading the second of Anne Hillerman’s continuation of Tony Hillerman’s mystery series. But I’m also excited to start reading Michelle Obama’s Becoming; I thought I’d be waiting another year for it from the library, but a friend just gave me an extra copy.
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Post by plaidman on Apr 30, 2019 13:53:46 GMT -8
Welcome back from your own Real World adventure! I'm reading The Forgotten 500 by Gregory Freeman right now. It's about the rescue of several hundred airmen whose aircraft were shot down over Yugoslavia in 1944-45. Before that, I read In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides. It's very well written and told. You might enjoy To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey. I like it a lot. I am sucker for exploration tales and epistolary novels. This is both.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on May 2, 2019 12:55:34 GMT -8
Recently I read 4 books by an author from this place, and 2 others from suggestions from this thread. 5 of the 6 were good reads. All of rebeccad's, and 1 of Swan's.
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