Ah..opposite coast.Originally Posted by Kingspoint
Ah..opposite coast.
Reds Fan Since 1971
Continuing with the Americana theme, I picked up and am reading as a supplement to the Conrad Richter series, "The Awakening Land", Eric Sloane's 1954 work, "American Barns and Covered Bridges", which covers the tools and techniques used, the understanding of woods and their hewing and cutting, and the Barns and Bridges themselves.
It's one of 38 books of Pioneer America by Sloane. You can see in his writing a reference to Richter's writing. Sloane tries to capture in the tools, types of trees and types of woods, along with his own illustrations, a feeling for the character of the people who used them and built with them the necessities for 17th and 18th Century living. He called his current 1954, "the age of plastic" in his first paragraph.
Last edited by Kingspoint; 01-09-2019 at 03:10 AM.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
I think 1984 is probably a good read for any and every one these days. Hopefully as a warning and not as an instruction manual!
marcshoe (01-31-2019)
Finishing up Walter Isaacson's biography of Benjamin Franklin. It's a fascinating, sometimes funny, holistic look at Franklin's life, writing, and research. Weirdly, Isaacson seems to have a passive-aggressive disdain for Franklin. He's really critical of his relation with his family and portrays him as aloof and hard to get along with. Really well written, regardless.
"I never argue with people who say baseball is boring, because baseball is boring. And then, suddenly, it isn't. And that's what makes it great." - Joe Posnanski
cumberlandreds (01-23-2019),marcshoe (01-23-2019),RFS62 (01-26-2019)
I read that at the beach several years ago.
Having just finished the new Frederick Douglass bio, I'm going back to fiction for my audiobook, as well as going back in time, with Brian Lumley's Necroscope. Seems like I should have read this by now, but I was always put off by the covers. I read a novella by Lumley a while back that I liked very much, though, and have been meaning to get to this since.
It is on the whole probable that we continually dream, but that consciousness makes such a noise that we do not hear it. Carl Jung.
Currently reading a very good book called The Giants of the Polo Grounds by Noel Hynd. It's a comprehensive history of the New York baseball Giants. It just not a retelling of games but Hynd has very good stories of all of the characters of the time from the late 19th century until the end of the NY Giants. If you like baseball history this is something you want to check out.
Reds Fan Since 1971
Speaking of aloof, Franklin's autobiography is pretty empty.
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
As an IU fan, going through a miserable season, as well as some tough winter weather. I dabbled into my collection. I chose "Knight:My story". Hadn't read it in quite a few years. To be honest, I don't know how I got through it again. It has to be the worst written book I have ever read. I put it back on the shelf, right next to "A Season on the Brink". I chuckled. So I grabbed "Last of the Mohicans".
Almost finished with Necroscope, and I'm pretty disappointed with it. The writing's not nearly as good as the novella I'd read by Lumley. It seems clunky and overwritten, taking a whole book to get what should be the beginning. I understand it's the first in the series, and I may pick up the next one just to see.
Not sure where I'm going next. I might go high fantasy with R.A. Salvatore's Homeland, or I might just start something I've never heard of.
It is on the whole probable that we continually dream, but that consciousness makes such a noise that we do not hear it. Carl Jung.
Just finished King’s Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman. It’s about Richard I and his return from the Holy Land, subsequent captivity, and up to his death. It’s full of Penman’s usual crazy historical detail and ability to bring historical folk to life and make you give a darn about them. Not reading anything else at the moment, since I’m close to finishing another novel. When I finish that, I’ll probably pick up something else to read before I start writing another one.
The contents of this post may be disseminated without the express written consent of the Cincinnati Reds or Major League Baseball.
https://www.amazon.com/Charles-DeMaris/e/B07BD4JBQB
Kingspoint (02-01-2019)
I'm about halfway through my first Salman Rushdie novel, The Satanic Verses. It's the one that caused the Ayatollah to issue a bounty on Rushdie's head. The Indian slang and wild dream sequences make for a bit of a tough read, but it's outstanding so far.
"I never argue with people who say baseball is boring, because baseball is boring. And then, suddenly, it isn't. And that's what makes it great." - Joe Posnanski
Log Horizon, Volume 11. Just released yesterday
Last edited by Kirito-Sama; 01-31-2019 at 07:30 PM.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Kay_Penman
"One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues."
I've been trying to knock out some of the great American books that I've never read—here are a few of my favorites from the year:
Dune
The Right Stuff
In Cold Blood
All the King's Men
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Corrections
I'd be curious to hear some other folks' favorite American novels (or novel/history hybrids) to find some more gaps in my reading.
"I never argue with people who say baseball is boring, because baseball is boring. And then, suddenly, it isn't. And that's what makes it great." - Joe Posnanski
Has anybody read "The Overstory" by Richard Powers? Just finished it, I was blown away.
Posting Permissions
|
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please. |
Reply With Quote