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mcustic posted:I'm looking for a good modern history of Iran, something encompassing the 1953 coup, the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. Specific books on the said subjects would also be welcome. Generally speaking, I second dokmo's recommendation of Ervand Abrahimian. He's a prolific writer and is very knowledgeable about his subject matter. I've only read one of his books, A History of Modern Iran, but I highly recommend it to you as it fits in squarely with your request for a book that encompasses all of the above events and then some—if I remember correctly, the book starts from the early 1900s/final years of the Qajar dynasty. All around, it's easily one of the best accounts of modern Iran I've ever had the pleasure of reading. For the 1953 coup, Christopher de Bellaigue's Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup is a very recent release and a must-read. Despite the fact that it was published in 1990, The Lessons Of Modern War, Vol. 2: The Iran-Iraq War by Anthony Cordesman and Abraham Wagner is probably still the most comprehensive book you'll find on the subject. Other books that deal exclusively with this conflict have certainly been released since then, but their treatment is very superficial compared to Cordesman and Wagner's. I haven't read any books that deal strictly with the Islamic Revolution, so like you, I'd also be keen on finding a particularly thorough treatment of that event and the years preceding and succeeding it. Ervand Abrahimian's Iran Between Two Revolutions has been highly regarded as a classic work on this subject—however, it was published in 1982, so its scope with regard to the years following the revolution (particularly throughout Khomeini's tenure as Supreme Leader) is inherently limited. Nevertheless, if that's a period that interests you, then I don't think you can ignore this book. Also, Abbas Milani's The Shah—an excellent biography, by the way—provides solid context for how the Revolution eventually came about, specifically towards the end of the book, which deals with the Shah's final years in power. Adib fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Jan 9, 2014 |
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Jan 9, 2014 19:25
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Thank you guys, these will keep me busy for a while.
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Jan 9, 2014 23:55
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mcustic posted:I'm looking for a good modern history of Iran, something encompassing the 1953 coup, the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. Specific books on the said subjects would also be welcome. I enjoyed Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuscinski, but it stops short of the Iran/Iraq war.
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Jan 10, 2014 04:21
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This may be a weird request, but can anyone recommend some really well-reasoned / well-written literary criticism? I've always wanted to improve my ability to take apart a text and analyze elements of it critically, but I'm not sure who I should start reading to get a stronger grasp on it. A lot of literary criticism seems to be bogged down in absurd levels of unnecessary jargon or else involve a lot of logical leaps that don't get explained, as if you are just supposed to assume the author's assertions are all correct with no justification (Harold Bloom seems really bad about this, in particular. I tried reading him because he's one of the "big names" in criticism but he just comes across as really condescending and overly authoritative). Any ideas?
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Jan 11, 2014 03:52
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Full Fathoms Five posted:This may be a weird request, but can anyone recommend some really well-reasoned / well-written literary criticism? I've always wanted to improve my ability to take apart a text and analyze elements of it critically, but I'm not sure who I should start reading to get a stronger grasp on it. A lot of literary criticism seems to be bogged down in absurd levels of unnecessary jargon or else involve a lot of logical leaps that don't get explained, as if you are just supposed to assume the author's assertions are all correct with no justification (Harold Bloom seems really bad about this, in particular. I tried reading him because he's one of the "big names" in criticism but he just comes across as really condescending and overly authoritative). Any ideas? Have you read any of Edward Said's literary criticism?
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Jan 11, 2014 16:21
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dokmo posted:I read and enjoyed Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution by Nikki Keddie. But you may look at the works of Ervand Abrahamian, who is a specialist in modern Iranian history and has a bunch of books on the topic. I second this. Definitely look into A History of Modern Iran by Abragamian. The Coup: 1953, The CIA and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations would probably be good as well but I have not read it yet.
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Jan 11, 2014 21:35
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Full Fathoms Five posted:This may be a weird request, but can anyone recommend some really well-reasoned / well-written literary criticism? I've always wanted to improve my ability to take apart a text and analyze elements of it critically, but I'm not sure who I should start reading to get a stronger grasp on it. A lot of literary criticism seems to be bogged down in absurd levels of unnecessary jargon or else involve a lot of logical leaps that don't get explained, as if you are just supposed to assume the author's assertions are all correct with no justification (Harold Bloom seems really bad about this, in particular. I tried reading him because he's one of the "big names" in criticism but he just comes across as really condescending and overly authoritative). Any ideas? You might also consider poking around on the New York and/or London Review of Books sites and see if anyone appeals to you. The both have extensive, searchable archives, but some stuff is paywalled. I've enjoyed reading Michael Wood's reviews.
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Jan 11, 2014 23:30
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Are there any good English language books about postwar/contemporary Japanese politics? I'm looking for something that's a little bit more interesting to read than a straight up textbook.
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Jan 12, 2014 15:50
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More of an ID question, what's that short story by Vonnegut about the kid who buys the car and fucks it up, and is it part of Welcome to the Monkey House?
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Jan 13, 2014 01:02
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barkingclam posted:I enjoyed Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuscinski, but it stops short of the Iran/Iraq war. I finished this last night. If you're going to read one non-fiction book in your life, try this one. Seriously. It's the kind of book that haunts your mind throughout your daily life. Beautiful writing. I learned so much about Iran from just a few hundred pages. Thank you for the recommendation!
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Jan 13, 2014 21:16
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I just finished Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers and also just listened to a good story on This American Life about deep water divers, and I'm looking for something similar in the realm of non-fiction books about diving, deep water discovery, and the dangers of diving in large depths. Edit: bonus points if there's an audio book Ross Perowned fucked around with this message at 08:12 on Jan 14, 2014 |
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Jan 14, 2014 08:06
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I work for a school that trains commercial divers. I've worked for them for two years, and while I've never worked offshore, I've helped train people, I've been to 186 feet, and I'm a scuba instructor part-time. Part of my job is to inform people interested in the program on the career, and I have a hand out sheet that I give people to look into. These are the books on the hand-out: The Simple Guide to Commercial Diving by Steven. M. Barsky and Robert W. Christensen Deep, Dark and Dangerous by Rebecca Harrison 20,000 Jobs Under The Sea: A History of Diving and Underwater Engineering by Torrance R. Parker Cast a Deep Shadow by Gary L Harris Diving Pioneers by Eric Hanauer Bottom Time: The Adventures of a Commercial Diver by Norbert Weissinger "Bottom Time", "Diving Pioneers", and "Deep Dark and Dangerous" are your best bets for what you want. The others are best found on ebay. If you want, I can PM you some links to documentaries on the subject too.
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Jan 14, 2014 16:05
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That's exactly what I was looking for, thank you! Some of those books are $95+, are those recommendations text books? (not that I mind, I buy text books about film making all the time) And of course I'll take those documentary recommendations as well!
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Jan 15, 2014 03:45
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I'm just coming up on the end of book 3 of The Hank Thompson Trilogy by Charlie Huston and I must say this might be the best crime novel(s) I have ever read. OK, I'm listening to the audio version with a friend but I read these a few years ago. I've always been a fan of the anti-hero (such as Richard Stark's Parker) and I believe this is the best ever. Caught Stealing Six Bad Things A Dangerous Man ...and the author is giving them away for free. http://charliehuston.com/post/43023171697/free-ebooks
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Jan 15, 2014 03:49
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Jabronie posted:Have you read Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse? Thank you. The most wonderful 150 pages. I have a friend/colleague who let me borrow it. He also gave me The Glass Bead Game, which is apparently the one I was thinking of when I asked of it was hard to read. Anyone here read it? I also bought The Fault in Our Stars which was an in store recommendation. Anyones thoughts on which I should read next? Also goodreads username is anthonymorris in case anyone wants to be my friend and turn me on to other great books. ButtWolf fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Jan 15, 2014 |
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Jan 15, 2014 04:29
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Momotaros posted:That's exactly what I was looking for, thank you! Some of those books are $95+, are those recommendations text books? (not that I mind, I buy text books about film making all the time) No, they're just out of print, or are history books of the career. It's an extremely small industry compared to anything else, and the printing of reading material reflects that. There are only about nine good schools in the country, the one I work for being in the top two, and we're in the top 4 or 5 in the world. That said, it's a rapidly growing industry, and it's a lucrative career path if you're willing to put in the work. As for our text books, we use the US Navy Dive Manual and The Professional Diver's Handbook, but both are pretty dry reads and are more for theory and How-To-Do-This and things, and aren't really worth reading unless you want to get in the career.
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Jan 15, 2014 15:17
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This may be a little uncalled for, but I need 14 recommendations. I have set my goal at 24 this year. I just read Siddartha. I have 5 books on my shelf that Im reading next. I'm saving 4 more for myself. I want to gather 14 randoms for the rest of the year to add to my to read list. I'm really not feeling fantasy or scifi too much anymore but its ok and nothing to do with WWII. Thanks much. Also please dont nominate something that is just a terrible waste of time.
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Jan 16, 2014 02:08
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specklebang posted:I'm just coming up on the end of book 3 of The Hank Thompson Trilogy by Charlie Huston and I must say this might be the best crime novel(s) I have ever read. OK, I'm listening to the audio version with a friend but I read these a few years ago. Quoting this as a reminder for when I get home.
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Jan 16, 2014 02:11
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jimcunningham posted:This may be a little uncalled for, but I need 14 recommendations. I have set my goal at 24 this year. I just read Siddartha. I have 5 books on my shelf that Im reading next. I'm saving 4 more for myself. I want to gather 14 randoms for the rest of the year to add to my to read list. I'm really not feeling fantasy or scifi too much anymore but its ok and nothing to do with WWII. Thanks much. Why not go through the 2014 reading challenge thread and read people's mini-reviews? It sounds like you've got enough to keep you busy for bit, which will allow the faster readers some time to start accumulating reviews.
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Jan 16, 2014 04:42
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Ornamented Death posted:Why not go through the 2014 reading challenge thread and read people's mini-reviews? It sounds like you've got enough to keep you busy for bit, which will allow the faster readers some time to start accumulating reviews. That works I guess.
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Jan 16, 2014 05:07
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jimcunningham posted:That works I guess. I'm reading Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright. I had it on my list to read for a while, and someone in the 2013 challenge thread ravaged about it. I'm not too far into, but it's incredibly well researched and puts a whole different face on who L. Ron Hubbard actually was. I just ended the section about Hubbard, and I'm incredibly interested to read about the religion he created.
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Jan 17, 2014 01:03
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Momotaros posted:I just finished Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers and also just listened to a good story on This American Life about deep water divers, and I'm looking for something similar in the realm of non-fiction books about diving, deep water discovery, and the dangers of diving in large depths. Diving into Darkness is a fantastic account of a real diving expedition in a deep chasm in South Africa. Couldn't put it down. IDK anything about diving but it seemed pretty well-researched and talked about all kinds of interesting details regarding their suits, their air mixture, etc and was a compelling story as well.
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Jan 17, 2014 01:35
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jimcunningham posted:This may be a little uncalled for, but I need 14 recommendations. I have set my goal at 24 this year. I just read Siddartha. I have 5 books on my shelf that Im reading next. I'm saving 4 more for myself. I want to gather 14 randoms for the rest of the year to add to my to read list. I'm really not feeling fantasy or scifi too much anymore but its ok and nothing to do with WWII. Thanks much. The books I generally recommend when someone just generally wants something good to read are: The Count of Monte Christo. The version on Project Gutenberg has a translation that hits just the perfect tone between historical flavor and modern relevance. The Magus. Not fantasy, despite the title. A bit of a slow start but once you're a couple hundred pages into it, you won't be able to put it down. A book everyone should read once just for the way it has fun teasing and manipulating the protagonist and the reader. House of Leaves. A good horror story wrapped in a meta-fictional narrative. Not available on Kindle (nor can I imagine how it could possibly be done), if that's an issue. Blindness. Saramago's best. If you've seen the very bad movie version, I imagine that will lessen the impact of the book. Saramago's prose style can be difficult to get into, but it is a perfect match for the subject matter as it gives the reader a similar feeling of disorientation and occasional confusion that the characters must feel. The Kite Runner. Good, entertaining, thoughtful book. Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. I could well recommend Douglas Hofstadter's entire oeuvre but this is arguably his masterpiece. A rambling non-fiction musing on artificial intelligence, consciousness and identity, the fugue form in music, recursion and self-reference, and much more. It won the Pulitzer, and rightfully so. It can be a bit intimidating and dense; a somewhat more straightforward and streamlined account can be found in his book I am a Strange Loop. And while GEB is the easy recommendation, my personal favorite of his books is Le Ton Beau de Marot (English language, despite the title) which is ostensibly about the challenge of translating a simple poem written for a child ... but in typical Hofstadter fashion talks about the art of translation, identity, death, Chopin, Nabokov, and more. Speaking of Nabokov, Lolita is really great. It's easy to classify it as "that pedo book" but it is really much more than that. I think it has a case for being the "great American novel" -- perhaps ironic, given his Russian birth. The Idiot by Dostoevsky. Simply incredible book that had always intimidated me with the whole aura of russian-lit but it's extremely readable (again, in the translation used on Project Gutenberg) and is charming, funny, sad, sweet. Shogun by James Clavell. This and The Count of Monte Christo are the lightest of the bunch but that's not a mark against them -- they're both hugely entertaining romps that feature schemes within schemes. Just a blast to read. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. If you liked Siddhartha you'll like this. It has a bit of a hippy-dippy reputation but is legitimately good. The Bonfire of the Vanities. THE book about 80s decadence. Biting satire with some absolutely hilarious parts (though it's not a comedic book per se) -- there's a 3 or 4 paragraph passage in particular that I'd read out loud to my wife and we'd both just fall into hysterics. regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Jan 17, 2014 |
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Jan 17, 2014 01:49
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regulargonzalez posted:The Magus. Not fantasy, despite the title. A bit of a slow start but once you're a couple hundred pages into it, you won't be able to put it down. A book everyone should read once just for the way it has fun teasing and manipulating the protagonist and the reader.
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Jan 17, 2014 02:42
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jimcunningham posted:These are on my list now. Ive read House of Leaves. I think my list is rounded out now. Great! If you think about it, please do post here with your thoughts about them. It's so rare to see feedback about the recommendations in this thread and so much fun to experience a book again through new eyes.
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Jan 17, 2014 03:36
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regulargonzalez posted:
The Magus is very, very good. Don't read anything about it when you buy it, it makes it so much better when you are just as clueless as the protagonist.
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Jan 17, 2014 04:04
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I am trying to find a new book series to read but am coming up short on idead. I typically read fantasy, recently devouring the mistborn trilogy. Other favorite authors of mine to give more examples of my questionable taste in literature would be David Eddimgs(RIP), Marion Summer Bradley(also RIP) and Anne Bishop. Prefer something that is a series rather than just a single book as the single book would be finished too quickly.
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Jan 17, 2014 04:40
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Khisanth Magus posted:I am trying to find a new book series to read but am coming up short on idead. I typically read fantasy, recently devouring the mistborn trilogy. Other favorite authors of mine to give more examples of my questionable taste in literature would be David Eddimgs(RIP), Marion Summer Bradley(also RIP) and Anne Bishop. Prefer something that is a series rather than just a single book as the single book would be finished too quickly. A Song of Ice and Fire is the obvious first choice. And I guarantee you won't finish the series before you die. Other grimdark style stuff: The Black Company series by Glen Cook. First trilogy is the best, you can keep reading if you really love the series and want more. The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie Not as grimdark: Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey. Opinions here are viciously split on this (because characters have sex in it, including S&M, and despite it being handled in a far more mature and literary manner than something like 50 Shades of Grey it terrifies and traumatizes some goons (who will surely show up to rebut this)). It has a really, really cool concept -- what would medieval Europe be like if Jesus had been interpreted in a certain very different way, plus a dash of magic. Even less grimdark: Wheel of Time but I'd be rather surprised if you haven't read it. It's basically the final evolution of Tolkein-style fantasy and is rather good except for a series dip at the 3/4 mark of this long series. Picks up again towards the end though! Klayboxx posted:The Magus is very, very good. Don't read anything about it when you buy it, it makes it so much better when you are just as clueless as the protagonist. 
regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 06:41 on Jan 17, 2014 |
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Jan 17, 2014 06:34
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regulargonzalez posted:A Song of Ice and Fire is the obvious first choice. And I guarantee you won't finish the series before you die. I've read most of those actually. Really enjoyed the kushiel books, liked the first few books of a song of ice and fire but the last couple of books have kind of gotten blah. WoT got way too tedious for me around book 4. Will look into the other 2 series you recommended though, thanks.
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Jan 17, 2014 07:06
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regulargonzalez posted:Opinions here are viciously split on this (because characters have sex in it, including S&M, and despite it being handled in a far more mature and literary manner than something like 50 Shades of Grey it terrifies and traumatizes some goons (who will surely show up to rebut this)). "If I felt like reading graphic erotica, I'd look at erotica" = "'terrified and traumatized' by sex existing," okay. The main thing that made me give up on it was that the ideas of a 16-year-old getting auctioned off for sex on his birthday to come of age, and before that having kids grow up learning how to be consorts, skeeved me out. Combined with my lack of interest in reading glorified porn and annoyance with the narration style ("I wouldn't know until later what this meant, and you have to sit through hundreds of pages to find out, by which point you'll have forgotten this hint!" "He was beautiful, she was beautiful, everyone was SO BEAUTIFUL and oh look that guy's even MORESO"), it wasn't worth continuing. If you like it, fine, but let's not accuse anyone who doesn't of curling into a sobbing ball because a book reminded them that genitals exist. Khisanth Magus posted:Prefer something that is a series rather than just a single book as the single book would be finished too quickly. Johannes Cabal the Necromancer is witty, hilarious, and three books in the series. Never laughed so hard, so consistently, at a book. Carol Berg is my favorite fantasy author, the best I've read in terms of well-drawn, often flawed yet heroic characters and writing quality, particularly her Lighthouse Duet and the Collegia Magica trilogy.
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Jan 17, 2014 07:47
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regulargonzalez posted:A Song of Ice and Fire is the obvious first choice. And I guarantee you won't finish the series before you die. I stopped reading Kushiel Legacy way before there was any sex involved, simply because I didn't like the whole plot setup and did not care about the plot at all. Even people who don't care about the whole sex thing may dislike the book, really. On a side note: whoever recommended The Red Knight (Miles Cameron): thank you. I'm not that far in, but it's great so far and very promising. Really good fantasy book.
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Jan 17, 2014 11:23
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Khisanth Magus posted:I've read most of those actually. Really enjoyed the kushiel books, liked the first few books of a song of ice and fire but the last couple of books have kind of gotten blah. WoT got way too tedious for me around book 4. Thought of another series: Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Can be looked at as something of a transition between the epic style fantasy of Tolkien et al in that there's a Big Bad with an Evil Plan, and the grittier low fantasy stuff in that the protagonist is certainly not a good person, among other things. First trilogy is very good, second trilogy is imo pretty bad, and I haven't read the third trilogy.
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Jan 17, 2014 12:36
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Khisanth Magus posted:I've read most of those actually. Really enjoyed the kushiel books, liked the first few books of a song of ice and fire but the last couple of books have kind of gotten blah. WoT got way too tedious for me around book 4. Tad Williams has some good door-stopper trilogies. If you want something dense and challenging, you could peep Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun (and its follow-ups), and if you want something light and breezy, Michael Sullivan's Riyria Revelations.
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Jan 17, 2014 13:53
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Khisanth Magus posted:I've read most of those actually. Really enjoyed the kushiel books, liked the first few books of a song of ice and fire but the last couple of books have kind of gotten blah. WoT got way too tedious for me around book 4.
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Jan 17, 2014 13:59
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I really enjoy the survival aspect of apocalypse stories and was wondering if anyone had anything in that style? Stuff like The Walking Dead, but not a comic book. Fantasy is good as well. Really, any gritty survival story about a (preferably) small group of people against holy poo poo things.
Couch Life fucked around with this message at 19:26 on Jan 17, 2014 |
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Jan 17, 2014 19:20
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Couch Life posted:I really enjoy the survival aspect of apocalypse stories and was wondering if anyone had anything in that style? Stuff like The Walking Dead, but not a comic book. Fantasy is good as well. Really, any gritty survival story about a (preferably) small group of people against holy poo poo things. You checked out World War Z? The overarching story is that the zombie apocalypse happened, passed, and now a reporter is going around collecting the survivor's stories. So it's not so much about one specific small group, but lots of individual stories.
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Jan 17, 2014 19:48
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Couch Life posted:I really enjoy the survival aspect of apocalypse stories and was wondering if anyone had anything in that style? Stuff like The Walking Dead, but not a comic book. Fantasy is good as well. Really, any gritty survival story about a (preferably) small group of people against holy poo poo things. The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
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Jan 17, 2014 19:53
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It's not super heavy on the survival stuff (but there is quite a bit of it) and it's a classic and short, so I'll throw in I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.
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Jan 17, 2014 20:10
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Echo Cian posted:
And it's been a while since I pushed my favorite series. I know it's technically YA and I don't know if it is PA, Fantasy, Steampunk or Sci-Fi but I was absorbed completely and read all 7 twice. The second time I read all 7 back to back. Take a look at least: PHILIP REEVE Fever Crumb A Web Of Air Scrivener's Moon Mortal Engines Predator's Gold Infernal Devices A Darkling Plain
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Jan 17, 2014 20:11
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Brainamp posted:You checked out World War Z? The overarching story is that the zombie apocalypse happened, passed, and now a reporter is going around collecting the survivor's stories. So it's not so much about one specific small group, but lots of individual stories. Yeah, I read it a couple of years ago. I liked it, but looking for something new. Joramun posted:The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Surprisingly haven't gotten around to this! I'll put it down in the queue. Fremry posted:It's not super heavy on the survival stuff (but there is quite a bit of it) and it's a classic and short, so I'll throw in I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. Read this as well! Thanks for the recommendations, still hoping for something new to me if anyone has any ideas.
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Jan 17, 2014 20:21
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