[quote]sen say wrote:
My answer is “Like Water For Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel: Like Water for Chocolate - Wikipedia
The writing is perfect in its humor, heartbreak and picture of life. Add to that that you can read it in like 3 hours, so you could read it every day and if any women washed up on shore you’d look not just smart, but like you cared about dopey chicks and you reek of win!"
[/quote]
You are not just a muscle building machine, but obviously a desert island chick magnet.
[quote]Bismark wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]Bismark wrote:
Inside Terrorism by Bruce Hoffman is a modern classic within the literature and should be required reading for anyone who wishes to discuss the subject intelligently. It’s not only highly informative, but an extremely readable work as well.[/quote]
That’s what you’d read if you were stranded on a desert island with only one book for the rest of your life?[/quote]
That would be Manchester’s multi volume biography of Churchill titled “The Last Lion”.[/quote]
I would’ve thought you’d be more of a Metternich/Bismarck type. Anyway, the best biography is the Martin Gilbert/Randolph Churchill official biography. Of course it is cross referenced with Churchill’s own huge collection of autobiographical works spanning from his entire life with five and six volume works respectively on the World Wars.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]Bismark wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]Bismark wrote:
Inside Terrorism by Bruce Hoffman is a modern classic within the literature and should be required reading for anyone who wishes to discuss the subject intelligently. It’s not only highly informative, but an extremely readable work as well.[/quote]
That’s what you’d read if you were stranded on a desert island with only one book for the rest of your life?[/quote]
That would be Manchester’s multi volume biography of Churchill titled “The Last Lion”.[/quote]
I’ve only read the first one and the last one but they are really good. I mentioned them earlier but they aren’t my absolute favorite.[/quote]
It’s certainly not the most scholarly and comprehensive work. The official biography by Martin Gilbert is probably the best but it’s a bit biased and it’s worth reading other accounts to supplement it. It’s also a must for anyone seriously interested in Churchill’s statesmanship to read his own works - again, supplemented by less biased accounts.
I’ve already suggested Nietzche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra in your log so Elizabeth Kostova’s “Swan Thieves”. Truly a great book!
I liked “Titan, the life of John D. Rockefeller” alot. Very nicely written and very informative. I like biographies because they can theach you things most people take a life to learn.
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]Bismark wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]Bismark wrote:
Inside Terrorism by Bruce Hoffman is a modern classic within the literature and should be required reading for anyone who wishes to discuss the subject intelligently. It’s not only highly informative, but an extremely readable work as well.[/quote]
That’s what you’d read if you were stranded on a desert island with only one book for the rest of your life?[/quote]
That would be Manchester’s multi volume biography of Churchill titled “The Last Lion”.[/quote]
I’ve only read the first one and the last one but they are really good. I mentioned them earlier but they aren’t my absolute favorite.[/quote]
It’s certainly not the most scholarly and comprehensive work. The official biography by Martin Gilbert is probably the best but it’s a bit biased and it’s worth reading other accounts to supplement it. It’s also a must for anyone seriously interested in Churchill’s statesmanship to read his own works - again, supplemented by less biased accounts.[/quote]
So my view on this having read Gilbert’s one volume and the three Manchester (/Reid) volumes is that Manchester’s is the superior read because, setting aside the issue of bias noted by the above poster, it is a better mix of biography and history. What I like about Manchester’s work is that it gives much more background into the global politics of the time and situates Churchill, whereas Gilbert has a much more laser-like focus on the man.
Ultimately, it depends on what you look for in biography. I generally prefer the more hybridized biography/history.
[quote]MinusTheColon wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]Bismark wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]Bismark wrote:
Inside Terrorism by Bruce Hoffman is a modern classic within the literature and should be required reading for anyone who wishes to discuss the subject intelligently. It’s not only highly informative, but an extremely readable work as well.[/quote]
That’s what you’d read if you were stranded on a desert island with only one book for the rest of your life?[/quote]
That would be Manchester’s multi volume biography of Churchill titled “The Last Lion”.[/quote]
I’ve only read the first one and the last one but they are really good. I mentioned them earlier but they aren’t my absolute favorite.[/quote]
It’s certainly not the most scholarly and comprehensive work. The official biography by Martin Gilbert is probably the best but it’s a bit biased and it’s worth reading other accounts to supplement it. It’s also a must for anyone seriously interested in Churchill’s statesmanship to read his own works - again, supplemented by less biased accounts.[/quote]
So my view on this having read Gilbert’s one volume and the three Manchester (/Reid) volumes is that Manchester’s is the superior read because, setting aside the issue of bias noted by the above poster, it is a better mix of biography and history. What I like about Manchester’s work is that it gives much more background into the global politics of the time and situates Churchill, whereas Gilbert has a much more laser-like focus on the man.
Ultimately, it depends on what you look for in biography. I generally prefer the more hybridized biography/history.[/quote]
Gilbert has written many books on Churchill. He’s the leading Churchill scholar. And you’ve obviously read one of his other books on Churchill not the biography because the biography is eight volumes with nine companion volumes that go with it. That’s seventeen volumes, although the first two were actually written by Churchill’s son Randolph shortly before he(Randolph) died. Yes, Gilbert’s biography is by far the most comprehensive but biased as I mentioned.
Might Is Right by R. Redbeard
As a suggestion, if you want to make a similar goal for next year, it would behoove you, imo, to not have a numerical goal that you really want to hit and focus more on the quality of books you want to read and make a realistic list based on that.
For example, I think Diarmaid MacCullouch’s History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years is eminently worth reading–as a history buff, it’s probably the greatest single volume history I’ve read of such a sweeping subject. Another great but very long one-volume work is Norman Davies’ history of Europe.
Either of those would reward careful reading, but they would also be an immense time expenditure if you really want to hit that 100 books per year mark. And if you do want to read any history, I’d say that any book of appropriate length to fit within your goal parameters would be far too short to do justice to the subject in question.
Instead, you’re probably best served focusing to some extent on literature and maybe history of limited subjects. But imo, Phillip Roth, Toni Morrison, Faulkner, etc.
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
Gilbert has written many books on Churchill. He’s the leading Churchill scholar. And you’ve obviously read one of his other books on Churchill not the biography because the biography is eight volumes with nine companion volumes that go with it. That’s seventeen volumes, although the first two were actually written by Churchill’s son Randolph shortly before he(Randolph) died. Yes, Gilbert’s biography is by far the most comprehensive but biased as I mentioned.[/quote]
All of these things are understood. I could have put my OP this way: if I’m confronted with three options to suggest to someone who isn’t a committed Churchill reader-- 1. Reading the Gilbert 1 volume; 2. Reading the Manchester 3 volume; 3. Reading the Gilbert 8 volume-- then I would suggest option 2 for the reasons outlined above.
Will second a few already mentioned:
Titan
Dune
Heinlein books, specifically:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Starship Troopers (if you saw the movie - just trust me on this one)
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
And some more -
David McCullough:
John Adams
1776
Ender’s Game (again, if you saw the movie - trust me on this)
Dune (yes, read it again)
The Amber Series by Zelazny (starting with Nine Princes in Amber)
Brave New World (every day more relevant)
Foundation Trilogy (Asimov)
Kissinger - The White House Years
“Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe” by Laurence Bergreen
A terrific read (like a film), and so much more than what we learned in school.
“Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War” by Nathaniel Philbrick
The real story of those who survived the voyage, and three subsequent generations of life around Plymouth. Particularly fascinating accounts of the native tribes’ influence on the colonies.
“In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex” by Nathaniel Philbrick
Real historical account of the Essex getting rammed by a sperm whale and sinking, leaving 20 sailors stranded in life boats for 93 days at sea. Only 8 survived. This current event in 1820 was the inspiration for Moby Dick!
but in response to the “one book” question, I’d just bring the Pelican Shakespeare, and it’s not a particularly close competition. Enough diversity there to keep me satisfied for a good long time.
As far as choosing only one book, I’d personally go with the complete short stories of Hemingway or Bradbury.
Fourth of July Creek:
Or Herbert by Frank Dune.
Just started reading “The Long Descent” by John Michael Greer. Only two chapters in, but it’s awesome. Probably not the book you’d take to a deserted island though…
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, get the more expensive edition with all the colors. No Kindle. That book wormed itself into my soul. I’m a fast reader and took great joy in following all the cross-references and internal citations of insanity.
one book-Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Add 1-Lord of the Barnyard: Killing the Fatted Calf and Arming the Aware in the Cornbelt by Tristan Egolf
[quote]Be_Sound wrote:
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, get the more expensive edition with all the colors. No Kindle. That book wormed itself into my soul. I’m a fast reader and took great joy in following all the cross-references and internal citations of insanity.[/quote]
This one for sure. Most unique read I’ve ever had.
Unbroken. Just finished it and thought is was exceptionally well written. It’ll probably piss you off though.