TBB Book Recommendation Superstation !!

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > TBB Book Recommendation Superstation !!

Grifter: Jul 24, 2003; I do this technique called a suplex. You probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure.

I recently finished The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. It ends almost immediately after the bombing of Nagasaki. What are some good books about the period afterwards? I'm interested in either the rebuilding of Japan or the relationship between the US and the Soviets right after WWII and on into the cold war. Semi-related to this, I'm also looking for a good biography of Reagan and/or exploration of the Reagan presidency.

# ¿ Sep 12, 2016 03:21

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# ¿ May 8, 2024 10:21

Grifter: Jul 24, 2003; I do this technique called a suplex. You probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure.

omg chael crash posted:

Can someone give me a recommendation on a book about the Manhattan Projects/atomic bombs/history behind dropping them in WW2?

Maybe that sounds a little too broad. I've been pretty interested lately in the development of the program and decision to actually utilize them, and I'd be really interested in learning more about it.

cocks out for lockout posted:

richard rhodes, the making of the atomic bomb is excellent and comprehensive

Based on your description, this is the right answer. It really delves deep. The book starts with a lot of fundamental physics discoveries made around the turn of the century and works its way forward from there. Expect examinations of the history of the key science figures and some of the military and government figures as well as an examination of all the key experiments that lead to the start of the development, through the development process itself. There's also some strategic information about the war but don't expect an emphasis on that, only things that directly affected the Manhattan Project (e.g. non-nuclear strategic bombing working to end the war without nuclear intervention). There is some discussion on the decision to use the bomb (they delve a bit into the long term strategic implications - do it to scare Russia!) but not a ton - mostly because at a certain point it seems largely inevitable. Expect many pages on the horrors that the bomb inflicted on Japan as well. I read this book recently and really recommend it to everyone. It can get a bit dense but it will really inform you on things that are still important today such as why Iranian centrifuges are important to their nuclear program.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2016 21:50

Grifter: Jul 24, 2003; I do this technique called a suplex. You probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure.

Good fiction stories that involve entrepreneurs? I liked the current era portions of Cryptonomicon and microserfs. Not necessarily silicon valley or IT entrepreneurs but that will work.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2017 22:45

Grifter: Jul 24, 2003; I do this technique called a suplex. You probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure.

Bullet Proof posted:

I'm looking for something to read that's similar to seven samurai/the magnificent seven.

Six of Crows is about a group of minor criminals who have different skill sets coming together to make a big score. It's YA but pretty good as far as that goes. Someone mentioned the Legacy of Heorot up thread for a totally different ask. It features an isolated community that ends up under siege from a horde of attackers and how they get there. These cover different aspects of the Seven Samurai idea. Can you explain more about which elements you're interested in?

# ¿ Oct 28, 2021 17:19

Grifter: Jul 24, 2003; I do this technique called a suplex. You probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure.

Hughmoris posted:

I'm a sucker for time-traveling books with my favorite being Replay by Ken Grimwood. Any recommendations for other books in the time-traveling genre?

Seeing this post reminded me of how much I liked Replay. Can anyone recommend books specifically about being in time loops where you get to try things repeatedly? Replay was in longer time frames (reliving lives) but Groundhog's Day type books would be cool too.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2021 03:44

Grifter: Jul 24, 2003; I do this technique called a suplex. You probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure.

I will be reading all the recs, except maybe 11/22/63. Where does it fall in terms of horror? I'm not up for Pet Semetery level stuff.

rollick posted:

All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka is a zippy Japanese SF novel with a gimmick like this. It got made into a Tom Cruise movie.

I read this over the last couple days after your rec. I have seen The Edge of Tomorrow and it's a good movie but the ending in the book makes 100% more sense.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2021 02:06

Grifter: Jul 24, 2003; I do this technique called a suplex. You probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure.

Opopanax posted:

If you want some dry science inexplicably showing up in the middle of the action you can't go wrong with Crichton

For me this peaked with the Andromeda Strain. He would spend pages talking about looking at a chip of paint under a microscope and it would be riveting.

Zkoto posted:

I have a bit of weird one, sorry if its been talked about, but I recently finished reading Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons and found I really enjoy reading about the rise and fall of a business or corporation and all the weirdness that goes on. Helps that I'm a big D&D nerd as well.

I've also read The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company so I enjoy a more political based history as well.

Any thoughts on interesting focused histories like that?

Lots of people have made recommendations but I'll throw in one more: Only the Paranoid Survive. This is the story of early Intel as they are forced to transition from being a RAM company to one that makes CPUs. Explores the fascinating concept of how companies must sometimes shift or they will die.

# ¿ May 10, 2022 18:02

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# ¿ May 8, 2024 10:21

Grifter: Jul 24, 2003; I do this technique called a suplex. You probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure.

radlum posted:

How's The Magicians? I see very varied opinions about the books; I watched a handful of episodes of the TV show and I liked it, but I know the books is not exactly the same.

This is about the Grossman novels right? First, they're significantly different than the TV show so seeing the show will not necessarily inform your opinion of the books. The books themselves are kind of a take on Harry Potter (only to the extent that there's a wizard school) and the Narnia books (explored much more deeply) but "what if the people who went through those stories were depressed instead of epic heroes?" I guess you could say that they're deliberately character focused books in a genre that is usually much more plot focused. If that sounds appealing to you you might like them. The closest comparison is the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant but less miserabilist and the characters are less terrible than Covenant himself. If you do decide to engage with them the first is easily the best, I really enjoyed it.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2024 03:20

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > TBB Book Recommendation Superstation !!