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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 12:56 am
by flaggETERNAL
Boobs not Moobs wrote:1400 pages on my ereader, 1.5 reader page turns ish per page.

Really could have done with some editing. It didn't make it a bad book, or one I wouldn't finish but at times it did drag. Shallan's woe is me POV was done too many times, same with Dalinar's guilt POV, too much on the emotions of Shallan and Dalinar at the expense of others meant that motivations of others are left unconvincing, Moash, Szeth in particular, minor characters but with big impacts. The whole Taravangian thing and how Dalinar dealt or didn't deal with it didn't feel true to character, I assume that will be really picked up in the next book, perhaps the reveal to Dalinar shouldn't have been in this book(reader already knows). Also the who radiants thing is now confusing as to who and how. Not convinced about the mental battle towards the end with Dalinar either bit of a cop out solution to a battle that couldn't be physically won, but maybe by that point I wasn't paying attention. There's a big reveal which was very predictable as even I saw it coming, I assume the fall out from that will form the basis of the next book. However there was some interesting nuggets, spren stuff, Pardenshi (spelling), you get a bit mired with the Alethi's but you do get detours, hope he does more of that in the next.
4/5 or 7.5/10

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Holy shit it's finally out! Thanks boobs! About to start on this. I don't care what anyone says NDT is a hero of mine. :thumbup:

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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 1:26 am
by Nieghorn
Anybody read this? I took the bait when plugged on the Cracked Podcast (by one of the editors). I'm only halfway through, and while it's not terrific, it's enjoyable though very, very messed up. :)

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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 1:34 am
by flaggETERNAL
Nieghorn wrote:Anybody read this? I took the bait when plugged on the Cracked Podcast (by one of the editors). I'm only halfway through, and while it's not terrific, it's enjoyable though very, very messed up. :)

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Haven't read it but I have watched the film about it. Surprisingly good tbh.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 1:38 am
by jono45
Anything that Niall Ferguson has written

The Ascent of Money is a good starting point.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 1:48 am
by Miguel Indurain
"Barren Metal - A History of Capitalism and the conflict between labour and usury" by Professor E Michael Jones.

A very informative, but long (1,456 pages), read.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 2:10 am
by Lacrobat
Pat the Ex Mat wrote:Can the Bored Historians assist with pointing me towards the definitive versions of:

1). Europe pre WW11 - Belle Epoch, etc

2). Germany - immediately postwar. Black Market, Marshall Plan, etc

3). Japan - immediately postwar. Black Market, etc
1:

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3:

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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:18 am
by Pat the Ex Mat
:thumbup:

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:19 am
by Lacrobat
Sometimes you find a book that completely revises your understanding of history. This is such a book:

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I had taken on board the conventional wisdom that the Portuguese were the interlopers in the Indian Ocean in the 16th Century, while the Ottoman Turks were the defenders of the established order. But that is incorrect; both empires were expanding into the same space. Yes, the Turks were Muslims, but what connection did they have with the Indian Ocean before blowing out the Mameluke Caliphs in 1517? I was fascinated to learn that other Muslim powers - not just the Shi'a Empire in Persia, but Yemen, even Basra - would look to the Portuguese for tactical alliances against the Sublime Porte even while the Ottomans were seeking to put together a trans-oceanic coalition stretching from India to Acheh to balance against the Portuguese.

Staying in the Indian Ocean, this book:

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Gave a really enlightening introduction to how important trade with the Orient really was to the Roman Empire.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 7:16 pm
by Demilich
Nieghorn wrote:Anybody read this? I took the bait when plugged on the Cracked Podcast (by one of the editors). I'm only halfway through, and while it's not terrific, it's enjoyable though very, very messed up. :)

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I read it a few years back. Wasn't bad, but think I expected a lot more because it got talked up as the greatest thing ever by a couple of guys I worked with.


Anyone have any recommendations for books with short-stories or books of anecdotes from war? Not after any war in particular - I just like collections of short tales to pick through between books. Something along the lines of "Letters from Vietnam: Voices of War".

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 7:33 pm
by OptimisticJock
Demilich wrote:
Nieghorn wrote:Anybody read this? I took the bait when plugged on the Cracked Podcast (by one of the editors). I'm only halfway through, and while it's not terrific, it's enjoyable though very, very messed up. :)

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I read it a few years back. Wasn't bad, but think I expected a lot more because it got talked up as the greatest thing ever by a couple of guys I worked with.


Anyone have any recommendations for books with short-stories or books of anecdotes from war? Not after any war in particular - I just like collections of short tales to pick through between books. Something along the lines of "Letters from Vietnam: Voices of War".
I've probably plugged it before but Medic: Dunkirk to Afghanistan is a cracking read. Pretty much as it sounds, different levels of medics from docs to CMTs spanning a range of conflicts since Dunkirk to present day.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 2:19 am
by Nieghorn
Demilich wrote: Anyone have any recommendations for books with short-stories or books of anecdotes from war? Not after any war in particular - I just like collections of short tales to pick through between books. Something along the lines of "Letters from Vietnam: Voices of War".
Might be difficult to find:

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... looking for that image also showed me this! :shock:

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https://archive.org/details/truestoriesofnew00bake

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 2:39 am
by unseenwork
Pat the Ex Mat wrote: Non-fiction?

City and the City certainly has socialist undertones.
Here Pat, what did you make of the City and the City? Really thought it fell off badly towards the end when I read it a while back.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 3:38 am
by Redsfan
Bindi wrote:And it’s pretty fucken good. About an hour in. About to kick off a revoltution in Australia.

Glad you're enjoying it mate. CC me into the revolution plz.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:07 am
by jdogscoop
Just finished Mr Life with Mr S. by Sinatra's former butler George Jacobs.

It's a good yarn if you're into stories featuring lots of:

- gossip about big names
- booze
- whoring

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 6:32 am
by Pat the Ex Mat
unseenwork wrote:
Pat the Ex Mat wrote: Non-fiction?

City and the City certainly has socialist undertones.
Here Pat, what did you make of the City and the City? Really thought it fell off badly towards the end when I read it a while back.
I never finished it...my E-Reader died and I never reloaded it.

Odd as I always finish books. I'll try it again but I didn't find it as captivating as his earlier work.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:05 am
by Bindi
Pat the Ex Mat wrote:
unseenwork wrote:
Pat the Ex Mat wrote: Non-fiction?

City and the City certainly has socialist undertones.
Here Pat, what did you make of the City and the City? Really thought it fell off badly towards the end when I read it a while back.
I never finished it...my E-Reader died and I never reloaded it.

Odd as I always finish books. I'll try it again but I didn't find it as captivating as his earlier work.
Thought the entire book was brilliant. Got me into Miéville, then went and read the Bas-Lag triology which, IMO, are the best fantasy books ever written.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:24 am
by Pat the Ex Mat
Bindi wrote:
Pat the Ex Mat wrote:
unseenwork wrote:
Pat the Ex Mat wrote: Non-fiction?

City and the City certainly has socialist undertones.
Here Pat, what did you make of the City and the City? Really thought it fell off badly towards the end when I read it a while back.
I never finished it...my E-Reader died and I never reloaded it.

Odd as I always finish books. I'll try it again but I didn't find it as captivating as his earlier work.
Thought the entire book was brilliant. Got me into Miéville, then went and read the Bas-Lag triology which, IMO, are the best fantasy books ever written.
Like I said, I'll give it another go.

Currently re-reading the entire Malazan series ( Both authors).

My pic for the second best Fantasy if all time ;)

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:29 pm
by Lacrobat
Nieghorn wrote:
Demilich wrote: Anyone have any recommendations for books with short-stories or books of anecdotes from war? Not after any war in particular - I just like collections of short tales to pick through between books. Something along the lines of "Letters from Vietnam: Voices of War".
Might be difficult to find:
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Hey Niegs - keep an eye out for this one - due in July:

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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:32 pm
by Lacrobat
And if you're even just a little bit Irish, you'll want to cash in whatever gift card money you have left from Christmas and purchase this for your coffee table:

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It even has its own website:

http://atlasirishrevolution.ie/

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:01 pm
by He Man Rugger Pints
Reinforce your coffee table first though

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 8:00 pm
by Nieghorn
Saw this in a Goodreads review and laughed out loud. Need go no further!

Probably could find use here as well. :)

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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:18 pm
by Fangle
I have just read The reason I Jump, by a 13 year old autistic kid.
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For me it was extremely interesting even though I don't know any autistic people, as he tries to explain how he sees and feels things.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 12:50 am
by Gordon Bennett
village wrote:
Gordon Bennett wrote:
Read that recently. It was definitely a good read and funny, but I didn't quite reach laugh out loud levels.

Just finished reading Barry Unsworth's Sacred Hunger. Absolutely fantastic historical fiction ostensibly about a slaving vessel and its crew. The book is really a lot deeper than the slaving backdrop, and you had a really strong view of how the personalities of the protagonists had a lasting impact throughout the tale.

Only 7 Booker winners left for me to read now. Onto James Kelman next.
Barry Unsworth is brilliant. Ruby in her Navel is another awesome novel set in the Kingdom of Sicily under the Normans.
Didn't have that one in the library, but they did have Morality Play which sounded a bit naff from the blurb, but was also another fantastic bit of historical fiction - a kind of medieval murder mystery set against the backdrop of a set of destitute actors.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 9:58 pm
by He Man Rugger Pints
Excellent but terrifying.

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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 11:04 pm
by Xin
Lacrobat wrote:Sometimes you find a book that completely revises your understanding of history. This is such a book:

Image

I had taken on board the conventional wisdom that the Portuguese were the interlopers in the Indian Ocean in the 16th Century, while the Ottoman Turks were the defenders of the established order. But that is incorrect; both empires were expanding into the same space. Yes, the Turks were Muslims, but what connection did they have with the Indian Ocean before blowing out the Mameluke Caliphs in 1517? I was fascinated to learn that other Muslim powers - not just the Shi'a Empire in Persia, but Yemen, even Basra - would look to the Portuguese for tactical alliances against the Sublime Porte even while the Ottomans were seeking to put together a trans-oceanic coalition stretching from India to Acheh to balance against the Portuguese.

Staying in the Indian Ocean, this book:

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On a similar note really liked The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

Gave a really enlightening introduction to how important trade with the Orient really was to the Roman Empire.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:34 am
by Nieghorn
Stumbled upon this at the library the other day. Wouldn't have picked it by the spine, but was doing some re-arranging and saw the man playing football in what looked like part of an army uniform so explored.

Simply, a minor German aristocrat who was a noted footballer before the war, and with family/fame connections, has been taking it easy for a few years in a role as a Sgt in a French seaside town where local people respect him. On the eve of D-Day he's forced to make a big decision that will affect the rest of his life and those in the town.

The author wrote books that were classified for 'juveniles' from the 40s-70s (maybe longer), and often about history and/or sport. I read that he never claimed to be an author of books for youth and I'd agree with this one. It's a great little story or all ages that I polished in a couple of nights (rare for me). It's got an interesting premise with no fluff and just enough character detail for me to buy into it (could have been stronger) and want to know how the drama played out. Over-all I loved it and thought that it'd make a great movie.

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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 6:13 am
by Bindi
Listening to Senlin Ascends as an audiobook. Absolutely outstanding. Incredible that it was self-published to begin with, before getting picked up. Seriously talented writer. The book is speculative fiction set in a version of the late 1800s, and written in the style of the age. Best debut I’ve read (listened to) in many many years.

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/352 ... in-ascends

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 9:44 am
by MungoMan
An exceedingly enjoyable SF / fantasy book from the local library. Definitlety recommended.

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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 3:20 pm
by Boobs not Moobs
I don't know if this would appeal to you lot but I was surprised how much I liked it.
From the Orange Prize-winning, internationally bestselling author of The Song of Achilles comes the powerful story of the mythological witch Circe, inspired by Homer's Odyssey

Chosen as must-read book of 2018 by the Guardian, i, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Express and Stylist
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I bought this back in 2013, now inspired to read it as I've forgotten so much.
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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 5:43 pm
by julian
I am kind of a book freak and never noticed the existance of this thread, bought this lately :blush:
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Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 6:35 pm
by Jim Lahey
I'm currently listening the final book of David Baldacci's Camel Club series.
Gripping, if outrageous stuff :thumbup:

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 6:51 pm
by PourSomeRuggerOnMe
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Recently finished the Broken Earth trilogy, some of the most interesting, thought-provoking books I've read in years. The first in particular is spectacular. The first two have won the last two Hugo awards, and the third is nominated for it this year. It would be a hell of an achievement for her to win three in a row.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:29 pm
by Nolanator
They be of interest to a sci-fi fan, PSROM?

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:40 pm
by Fangle
The writeup says fantasy. Pity. I don't like magic etc.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:41 pm
by PourSomeRuggerOnMe
Nolanator wrote:They be of interest to a sci-fi fan, PSROM?
Yeah definitely, hard sci-fi would usually be my preferred genre, I've only dabbled in proper fantasy. Although I wouldn't say this trilogy is proper fantasy per se either. Probably speculative fiction or something, but yeah, as a big sci-fi fan, I loved them.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:37 pm
by Fangle
Educate me please. What is PSPROM?

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:39 pm
by Salix
Enjoying the Jackson Lamb series of books by Mick Herron.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:43 pm
by The Native
Fangle wrote:Educate me please. What is PSPROM?
PSROM = PourSomeRuggerOnMe. The chap above your post.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:47 pm
by Boobs not Moobs
Fangle wrote:The writeup says fantasy. Pity. I don't like magic etc.
It's not like that. I wouldn't describe it as fantasy though it is in another world sort of. It's quite hard to place. It's certainly not your medieval magic fantasy usual stuff.

Re: The PR Book Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 9:08 pm
by Fangle
The Native wrote:
Fangle wrote:Educate me please. What is PSPROM?
PSROM = PourSomeRuggerOnMe. The chap above your post.
Thanks. I'm a bit slow.