The Book Thread

[Primarch]

I've finished off a few books so far this summer, but all have been non-fiction.
I'd recommend Empire by Niall Fergusson

I'll look out for that.

I don't want to take this off on a tangent but I have to ask. Are you saying that imperialism (expansion of borders through colonization/military force/ any other means) is a good thing, or that it is a justifiable/understandable thing?

*the definition of imperialism is there just to make sure we are on the same page when it comes to how we define it.

I'm saying that, in my opinion, it is not always the absolutely evil thing it is made out to be. There are certainly a lot of negative points to it, and there were some awful incidents during that period, but there were good points to it that are often ignored or overlooked. I don't expect my views to be shared by everyone, but it is a good book and it does offer some insight as to what the world gained from the British Empire as well as what was lost.

*edit
I am talking purely about the British Empire here. I don't know enough about the other European/Asian powers to defend their actions on the world stage.

[Spevna]

I've finished off a few books so far this summer, but all have been non-fiction.
I'd recommend Empire by Niall Fergusson

I'll look out for that.

I don't want to take this off on a tangent but I have to ask. Are you saying that imperialism (expansion of borders through colonization/military force/ any other means) is a good thing, or that it is a justifiable/understandable thing?

*the definition of imperialism is there just to make sure we are on the same page when it comes to how we define it.

I'm saying that, in my opinion, it is not always the absolutely evil thing it is made out to be. There are certainly a lot of negative points to it, and there were some awful incidents during that period, but there were good points to it that are often ignored or overlooked. I don't expect my views to be shared by everyone, but it is a good book and it does offer some insight as to what the world gained from the British Empire as well as what was lost.

*edit
I am talking purely about the British Empire here. I don't know enough about the other European/Asian powers to defend their actions on the world stage.

Cheers for answering.

[Konrad]

"Empire" sounds interesting. I've read Fergusson's "The Ascent of Money", a history of the invention of money, and the development of financial markets and products, and learned a lot. I had never really thought about "money" as an invention, like fire, or metalworking before.
On a somewhat related topic, I'm in the middle of "The White Man's Burden", by an economist named William Easterly. It's a scathing critique of modern foreign aid efforts. He argues the "top-down-big-plan" approach does not work. Needless to say, he does not work for the World Bank anymore. I have not gotten to the section on "nation-building" efforts- a somewhat Empire-like practice, yet.

[Primarch]

I'll have a look for The Ascent of Money. That sounds like an interesting read.

[Konrad]

I'll have a look for The Ascent of Money. That sounds like an interesting read.

I'll dig out my copy and bring it next game day.

[Konrad]

Books, books, books. Clearing off the shelves and these are all up for grabs.

Jackie Brown(Rum Punch), Elmore Leonard
Split Images, same
Tarantino made a movie of it, nuff said.

Spook Country. William Gibson
A quirky, almost comical spy/suspense story from the father of cyberpunk

Golden Apples of the Sun, Ray Bradbury
No autumn is complete without a bite of R.B.

The Island of the Day Before, Umberto Eco
Starts a bit slow, but well worth it once it gets rolling. Half 16th century espionage adventure, half surreal medieval metaphysical journey, but what else would you expect from the man who did "In the Name of the Rose."

White Man's Burden, William Easterly
A sharp critique of modern 3rd world relief efforts. Needless to say Mr. Easterly does not work for the World Bank anymore.

Hot Flat and Crowded, Thomas Friedman
Continues along the lines of "The World if Flat" and adds global warming, energy/resource scarcity, and population growth.

Futures- A British sci-fi anthology. Really good novella called "Watching Trees Grow", a murder mystery spanning centuries, as the protagonists are all immortal citizens of a Roman Empire that never fell.

Island- Aldous Huxley
One of Huxley's last works. A Utopian study, with some really characterful bad guys.

The Bluest Eye- Tony Morrison
Not as good as "Beloved", but "Beloved" won the Pulitzer. Warning- You'll feel guilty about being male, white and American in equal portions.

Orxy and Crake- Margaret Atwood
3rd in a series of post eco-apocalyptic novels from the writer of "A Handmaid's Tale". You don't need to read the others to get into it.

Gig, Americans Talk About Their Jobs- An anthology of interviews. Really interesting slice of new-economy life.

Old Age and Guile- P.J O Rourke- an anthology of the only humorous right-wing conservative writer I know of. Even a pinko, eco-wimp like me would not mind having a drink and shooting shit with P.J.

The Sprit of "76"- A collection of writings from the American Revolution. Really interesting stuff. Read some Thomas Paine and you'll want to go punch a Brit in the nose. Or at least spill his tea.

Ancient Rome- a general overview of Roman history, politics, religion, etc from the early Republic to the "You too Brutus" scene. Lots of original excerpts and if you think politics are ugly now in America.....

If anyone wants a book, give me a shout. These all will be going in the recycle in a few weeks.

[Primarch]

I wouldn't mind the ancient Rome book.

[Konrad]

I wouldn't mind the ancient Rome book.

Tuum est.

[The Other Dave]

After it came up in conversation at my visit to Overlord, I've started rereading for the n'th time "The Good War," Studs Terkel's Pulitzer-prize-winning oral history of World War 2. If you haven't read it, you really should - it's specifically about the American experience of the war, which may make its draw a bit weaker to a lot of folks on this board, but it's a hell of a good book.

Counterpoint to that, and much less well-known, is Japan at War: An Oral History, by Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore Cook. A rough read in places, but a good, important book.

[Konrad]

After it came up in conversation at my visit to Overlord, I've started rereading for the n'th time "The Good War," Studs Terkel's Pulitzer-prize-winning oral history of World War 2. If you haven't read it, you really should - it's specifically about the American experience of the war, which may make its draw a bit weaker to a lot of folks on this board, but it's a hell of a good book.

Counterpoint to that, and much less well-known, is Japan at War: An Oral History, by Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore Cook. A rough read in places, but a good, important book.

I've never read any Studs Terkel. I hear he was quite the storyteller. I may have to hunt that one down.
A really good book on Japan at war is "Rising Sun" by John Toland. Does a really fair job of explaining all the politics and pressure that lead the Japanese people from one disastrous choice to another.