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Road to Disunion about antebellum southern politics is the book that made me realize why people wanted guilliotines
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# ? Jan 7, 2019 02:30 |
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# ? Jun 8, 2024 06:29 |
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SKULL.GIF posted:I've been reading "The Storm Before The Storm" by Mike Duncan and while I'm enjoying the content the actual writing itself is bugging me because it's essentially a transcript of how Duncan talks during his podcasts and it doesn't look like he had an editor go through it because I keep catching missing words or stuff that a good editor would never have let pass muster like overuse of "literally" his podcast is enjoyable and i'm glad to have supported it by buying the book. but i had the same reaction: it was a terrible read
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 18:15 |
I'm kind of bored of everything I'm reading right now so I might just read A Deepness in the Sky
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 20:15 |
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I'm reading How To Read Donald Duck which is deeply weird and entertaining. It was published in socialist Chile to counter imperialist messages entering the country through translations of Donald Duck comics. Lots of copies got burned by Pinochet and it was banned in the US. It comes with an introduction that points out all its flaws. I love it so much.
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 20:26 |
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an actual dog posted:I'm reading How To Read Donald Duck which is deeply weird and entertaining. It was published in socialist Chile to counter imperialist messages entering the country through translations of Donald Duck comics. Lots of copies got burned by Pinochet and it was banned in the US. It comes with an introduction that points out all its flaws. I love it so much. drat that looks cool
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 20:28 |
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It opens by calling out all it's haters
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 20:30 |
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an actual dog posted:It opens by calling out all it's haters every book should do this imho
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 20:31 |
im on the net me boys posted:I'm kind of bored of everything I'm reading right now so I might just read A Deepness in the Sky I'm also thinking about giving Cryptonomicon another chance since it's been six years. I've had some success going back to old books I didn't finish the first time around recently
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 20:59 |
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Does the three body problem get better as it goes on, because the first chapter scans as an absurd stereotype of the culture revolution, complete with Ben Shapiro destroying the emotional communists with logic and reason
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 21:57 |
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Algund Eenboom posted:Does the three body problem get better as it goes on, because the first chapter scans as an absurd stereotype of the culture revolution, complete with Ben Shapiro destroying the emotional communists with logic and reason much much better, you'll notice that a lot of the framing and emphasis is quite different than western sci-fi and grow to appreciate it the virgin academic vesus the chad belt buckles
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 22:06 |
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3bp always has weird stilted writing and if you're actually a Maoist you probably wont like it although the lady whose dad was killed gets so angry at communism she basically becomes a supervillian. It does have some interesting ideas so if say put up with it a bit longer
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# ? Jan 11, 2019 22:23 |
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James Hal Cone's God of the Oppressed is some solid ammunition for bringing rural women trapped in service industry jobs around to "Christ as marxist revolutionary"quote:To locate the scandal of the Jesus story at the point of God's liberation of the poor and in opposition to Rudolf Bultmann's emphasis on human self-understanding means that the gospel comes not only as a gift but that the acceptance of the gift of freedom transforms our perception of our social and political existence. The New Testament gospel of liberation turns our priority system upside down and demands that we fight for the freedom of those in captivity. This message of liberation cannot appeal to those who profit from the imprisonment of others but only to slaves who strive against unauthorized power. The gospel of liberation is bad news to all oppressors, because they have defined their "freedom" in terms of the slavery of others. Only the poor and the wretched who have been victims of evil and injustice can understand what Jesus meant when he said: "Come to me, all whose work is hard, whose load is heavy; and I will give you relief. Bend your neck to my yoke, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble-hearted; and your souls will find relief. For my yoke is good to bear, my load is light" (Matt. 11:28—30 NEB). shame on an IGA has issued a correction as of 22:45 on Jan 11, 2019 |
# ? Jan 11, 2019 22:37 |
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SKULL.GIF posted:I've been reading "The Storm Before The Storm" by Mike Duncan and while I'm enjoying the content the actual writing itself is bugging me because it's essentially a transcript of how Duncan talks during his podcasts and it doesn't look like he had an editor go through it because I keep catching missing words or stuff that a good editor would never have let pass muster like overuse of "literally" I copped it as an audiobook and don't have this problem
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# ? Jan 12, 2019 07:38 |
i liked 3 body problem, haven't read the sequels yet
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# ? Jan 12, 2019 07:42 |
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Epic High Five posted:The Half Has Never Been Told....basically an actual primary source history of slavery as it relates to how it was the primary driver of both Capitalism and expansionism in the US i've been meaning to read this, glad to hear that it's good. when it first came out it lead to an argument between the author and The Economist, which later lead to a very public spat between historians and economists more broadly over how to approach slavery, the history, etc. i didn't pay much attention to it at the time because i hadn't read the book yet, but since you have you might find it interesting. here's a link to the article i bookmarked about it: https://marcparry.org/2017/01/10/shackles-and-dollars-historians-and-economists-clash-over-slavery/
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# ? Jan 12, 2019 13:26 |
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I wonder how many economists there are that assert both that capitalism will always embrace only the most efficient solutions AND that slavery was an inefficient parochial holdover that was destined to be abandoned by capital
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# ? Jan 12, 2019 14:08 |
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Epic High Five posted:I wonder how many economists there are that assert both that capitalism will always embrace only the most efficient solutions AND that slavery was an inefficient parochial holdover that was destined to be abandoned by capital
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# ? Jan 12, 2019 22:17 |
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dang, talk about strike two, i only respect professions with enough members to fill a college football stadium
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# ? Jan 12, 2019 22:22 |
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I just read Springs of Affection, a collection of Maeve Brennan’s short stories. It’s good. There’s three main segments - first is light & sweet, second is a bit bleak but still delightfully written, third is a synthesis.
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# ? Jan 12, 2019 23:43 |
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I'm downloading the audio book version of Shattered from my library, because I like being angry. Gonna start listening to it on the commute home.
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# ? Jan 14, 2019 20:39 |
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Just finished The New Jim Crow and yeah it should be required reading for all AmericansGoon Danton posted:I'm downloading the audio book version of Shattered from my library, because I like being angry. Gonna start listening to it on the commute home. Author?
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# ? Jan 14, 2019 20:56 |
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Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes
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# ? Jan 14, 2019 21:01 |
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Goon Danton posted:Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes lol oh yep, that should get ur angry juice flowin
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# ? Jan 14, 2019 21:13 |
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Started Debt, the IMF, and the World Bank: Sixty Questions, Sixty Answers by Éric Toussaint and Damien Millet this morning. I'll update when I finish.
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# ? Jan 14, 2019 22:40 |
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I've only read 40 or so pages of New Dark Age by James Bridle but it owns bones. Get it if you can.
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# ? Jan 18, 2019 04:16 |
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Epic High Five posted:just finished Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson and it was very enjoyable and rigorous overall, but what the gently caress was up with that ending and how long it lingered on it Have you read The Years of Rice and Salt by the same dude? The premise is that the Black Plague killed off Christianity/whitey and history continues as primarily Muslim and Buddhist. The narrative format is great, too, with the two protagonists getting Buddhist-style reincarnated as history progresses. I tried to also read Shaman by Robinson, but it was prehistoric porn about dudes wanting to gently caress dirt. Every page I opened to was a caveman's inner monologue as he laid pipe. For anyone wanting to know more about economics I'd recommend old-as-gently caress Michael Hudson and his book Killing the Host. If you have read economics books but felt in your bones that you weren't getting the real picture, this is the book for you. He also has a series of books on the economics of the ancient near east that I want to read. Btw anyone know any good humorous essayists who aren't self-congratulating smug pieces of Boomer poo poo? (David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs, and Bill Bryson can go straight to hell)
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# ? Jan 19, 2019 08:36 |
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Christoph posted:Have you read The Years of Rice and Salt by the same dude? The premise is that the Black Plague killed off Christianity/whitey and history continues as primarily Muslim and Buddhist. The narrative format is great, too, with the two protagonists getting Buddhist-style reincarnated as history progresses. I tried to also read Shaman by Robinson, but it was prehistoric porn about dudes wanting to gently caress dirt. Every page I opened to was a caveman's inner monologue as he laid pipe. It's on my to-read list I like Sedaris and Bryson. Sedaris grew up gay in MAGAmerica so while you do need to sort of ignore the comfort of his material conditions that is a back drop to everything (and he is aware of it at least), there's not any real nostalgia or justifying going on. Bryson I will lightly defend here because he and Bourdain are about the only travel writers I can stand, Bryson because of the humor and Bourdain because he was an angry commie who was willing to roll around in the dirt with the poor wherever he went. I've made an effort to learn absolutely nothing about Bryson's opinions on anything for this reason. Travel as a hobby is so inherently bourgie that it's almost without exception insanely painful to read or experience. That said I don't know many other humor essayists. If Bourdain has any collected essays that'd be good probably, especially about his time in kitchens.
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# ? Jan 19, 2019 19:48 |
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Yeah, Bryson was great in In a Sunburned Country and the first half of A Walk in the Woods. I also liked At Home and his stuff about the English language. The problem is the rest of his work is pretty phoned-in. The Road to Little Dribbling is him being a prick or calling things splendid repeatedly and that's when I got sick of him. As for David Sedaris, I just don't think he's funny.
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# ? Jan 20, 2019 00:04 |
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Christoph posted:Yeah, Bryson was great in In a Sunburned Country and the first half of A Walk in the Woods. I also liked At Home and his stuff about the English language. The problem is the rest of his work is pretty phoned-in. The Road to Little Dribbling is him being a prick or calling things splendid repeatedly and that's when I got sick of him. tastes will always differ so maybe Sedaris just ain't for ya, I haven't read those ones you didn't like from Bryson but I wasn't a big fan of Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid but being <30 at the time, I DEFINITELY was not the audience A Short History of Nearly Everything is a fine book as well and I usually recommend it along with Cosmos to anybody who wants an intro into easy to digest pop sci, as covering a lot of stuff in a shallower narrative format is sure to present them with something that will definitely pique their curiosity and get them to dive deeper on their own A Short History especially directed me to The Fatal Shore which is a surprisingly excellent read considering everything else about it screams "PONDEROUS HISTORICAL TOME"
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# ? Jan 20, 2019 00:10 |
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Goon Danton posted:Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes Epic High Five posted:lol oh yep, that should get ur angry juice flowin Having finished the book, I'm proud to say I made it all the way until the chapter on election night before I started screaming incoherently about liberals! My screaming was much more incisive up until then.
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# ? Jan 24, 2019 14:13 |
Verso is having a Marie Kondo inspired sale presently: https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/42..._eid=c035269fd6
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# ? Jan 24, 2019 19:18 |
I'm rereading James Howard Kunstler's* World Made by Hand, which I first read in I think 2010-2011, and back then reading that was an interesting thought experiment on what post-collapse living would look like, but nowadays it's just horribly depressing knowing that there's a decent chance I'll actually get to find out what living like that is and I'm having trouble getting through the book. One thing that stands out to me nowadays that didn't back then is how thoroughly white the cast is. It's set somewhere rural in the Northeast coast only a few years after the collapse but there's not a single person with a dark skin shade to be seen. * I know Kunstler has plunged deep into crank blogging but I'm in a doomsday mood and he's perfect for that.
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# ? Jan 31, 2019 01:11 |
I got the copy of The New Jim Crow I placed a hold on today. I also just finished reading LIVEBLOG by Megan Boyle. It's.... certainly a lot. I enjoyed reading it.
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# ? Jan 31, 2019 01:17 |
Reading the acknowledgements of The New Jim Crow where she mentions her husband is a federal prosecutor.... Why would you write a book like this then say that he simply has a different world view than you? I don't understand.
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# ? Jan 31, 2019 19:45 |
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SKULL.GIF posted:I'm rereading James Howard Kunstler's* World Made by Hand, which I first read in I think 2010-2011, and back then reading that was an interesting thought experiment on what post-collapse living would look like, but nowadays it's just horribly depressing knowing that there's a decent chance I'll actually get to find out what living like that is and I'm having trouble getting through the book. This book looks interesting but reading up on the author he seems very big on peak oil theories that were really hot in the mid 2000s but which seem to have been largely discredited now. Sad to think that nowadays the whole peak whole scenario and the return to localism seems optimistic compared to a scenario where all the fish and insects die and instead of having to eat food grown within a days journey of our homes we all starve to death and the remnants of humanity scrape out a vestigial existence farming cockroaches on the shores of the North American great lakes.
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# ? Jan 31, 2019 21:30 |
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SKULL.GIF posted:
I would just stick with Octavia E. Butler for that type of genre. Verso is having a sale on their anti-fash books.
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# ? Jan 31, 2019 21:39 |
Helsing posted:This book looks interesting but reading up on the author he seems very big on peak oil theories that were really hot in the mid 2000s but which seem to have been largely discredited now. Lol it's really something isn't it? This book has brought back a lot of memories of how pessimistic I was about the general global future a decade ago, and how it's only gotten way worse since then, bit by bit. And yeah Kunstler was a huge, huge critic of American car culture and especially our godawful suburban sprawl and poor urban planning, which is how I originally got into him. I still think "The Geography of Nowhere" is worth reading (while keeping in mind it was written in 1993, right in the middle of the 90s boom). Most of what he has to say nowadays is just crank jeremiads, and peak oil ended up not being a big deal with all the advancements humanity has made in extraction and alternative energy.
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# ? Jan 31, 2019 22:34 |
Idia posted:I would just stick with Octavia E. Butler for that type of genre. The Parable series looks interesting; any other books of hers that you'd in particular recommend?
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# ? Jan 31, 2019 22:37 |
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SKULL.GIF posted:The Parable series looks interesting; any other books of hers that you'd in particular recommend? No, I haven't read anything beyond the Parable series. The first book was very memorable for me. I'll probably read some her stuff in the future but right now I'm just reading tons of non-fiction books.
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# ? Feb 1, 2019 00:07 |
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# ? Jun 8, 2024 06:29 |
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SKULL.GIF posted:Lol it's really something isn't it? This book has brought back a lot of memories of how pessimistic I was about the general global future a decade ago, and how it's only gotten way worse since then, bit by bit. For another good but dated book on the topic, check out Suburban Nation, written by architects instead of a crank, although they come to some of the same conclusions. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13086.Suburban_Nation The big thing that these authors miss (it came out in 2000) was the renaissance of density in the big cities. Peak oil was interesting. It looked like those guys were going to be right on the money until hydraulic fracking was invented... though we might've been in better shape had it not been and oil prices were high and we used less. (One minor quibble, 1993 was the very beginning of the 90s prosperity. It was a time that sure felt like the recession was still on, similar to say, 2011.)
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# ? Feb 1, 2019 00:23 |