What book are you reading?

**Hooahguy** · 09-11-2009, 01:38

i just finished Patriot Games, by Tom Clancy. im turning out to be a TC junkie, arent i?

it was, in all honesty, sort of boring. sure, when the action is there is very good, but most of the book, and it was quite long, was talking. only a few pages in the beginning, a few pages in the middle, and a a dozen pages in the end had action, which was a letdown.

i just requested The Bear and the Dragon from my local library, and cant wait to get that one started.

**johnhughthom** · 09-11-2009, 10:50

The Bear and the Dragon isn't great. Have you read Red Storm Rising, I think you would enjoy that.

**Alexander the Pretty Good** · 09-12-2009, 16:44

Recently read Battles of the Bible, an account of ancient Israel's military history. It felt too high-level and rather dry without also being really informative. I think part of the problem is a lot of work went on behind the scenes - they'll take a passage from the Bible, say "this probably meant this strategic or tactical move" and then follow it up with "and that's why X historical figure was such a great general." What would be more interesting to me would be a little more information on how they reach the conclusions about what the Bible was saying in such-and-such a battle.

Also re-read Animal Farm on a whim when looking for something short to read. It's a little too short and I'm a little too familiar with it now. The preface inspired me to get the library to put Homage to Catalonia on hold so I'm waiting on that.

Currently in the middle of Mere Christianity. Starts out very philosophically punchy, which I like. Lewis does a good job of going right for the jugular. Then as he goes from broader goals (establishing there is a God or eliminating moral relativity) he gets mired in the details of Christian religion. Which is the point, I suppose, but it also slows things down. Part of the problem is also probably ideological. I simply disagree with some of the premises he uses (not a lot but some niggling ones).

And I've got the book on the Wehrmacht that was mentioned in the Monastary on order from the library system as well, so once those come in I'll have plenty of material to read while not doing my course work.

**johnhughthom** · 09-17-2009, 03:10

Saw Dan Brown's new book at half price so thought I may as well give it a go, predictably it's exactly the same as Angels and Demons and the da Vinci Code with a different "secret". I never come across an author with such a lack of subtlety, it's almost like he writes with a sledgehammer.

**Hooahguy** · 09-17-2009, 03:15

for shame johnhughthom, The Bear and the Dragon is an excellent book. about 200 pages into it and loving every page of it.

**johnhughthom** · 09-17-2009, 03:21

Originally Posted by Hooahguy

for shame johnhughthom, The Bear and the Dragon is an excellent book. about 200 pages into it and loving every page of it.

Fair enough, if you're enjoying that then the rest of the Clancy back catalogue will be a real treat for you. You have many months of good reading ahead of you, just remember to read the Jack Ryan books in order otherwise some of the later books may spoil the earlier. I think you've read Red October and Patriot Games so you're on the right track, Cardinal of the Kremlin is next AFAIR.

**Hooahguy** · 09-17-2009, 03:24

yea... i just realized that i jumped too far ahead with TBATD, but im too far into the book and it took me too long to get it, thanks to some

(3 weeks having it on hold FTW).

**Lemur** · 09-17-2009, 04:47

Originally Posted by Alexander the Pretty Good

The preface inspired me to get the library to put Homage to Catalonia on hold so I'm waiting on that.

Great book, great book. Won't let you down.

**Mouzafphaerre** · 09-17-2009, 06:42

.
Vox Graeca
A Natural History of Latin

(LotR is going on...)
.

**Mouzafphaerre** · 09-17-2009, 06:44

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Vox Graeca
A Natural History of Latin

(LotR -nth time- is going on, at v.2...)
.

**Subotan** · 09-17-2009, 20:29

"Thus Spoke Zarathustra" - Firedrich Nietzsche
Absoloutely kickass. I highly recommend it.

**Lemur** · 09-17-2009, 21:15

Originally Posted by Subotan

"Thus Spoke Zarathustra" - Firedrich Nietzsche
Absoloutely kickass. I highly recommend it.

"Women are not yet capable of friendship; they are cats and birds, or at best cows."

For some reason that's the quote that stuck in my mind all of these years. "At best cows" became a bit of a running joke with my friends, since it was so utterly absurd.