Just started "Boys in the Boat."
Taylor
Jack Bogle's Words of Wisdom: “It is the power of words and books - explaining and dramatizing great ideas and articulating high ideals - that is the greatest weapon in the missionary's arsenal.”
Jack Bogle's Words of Wisdom: “It is the power of words and books - explaining and dramatizing great ideas and articulating high ideals - that is the greatest weapon in the missionary's arsenal.”
This looks interesting. Disappointed our library doesn't have it but will probably buy it myself. Beavers are making a comeback in my area. In a few spots they are over-populating and destroying too much riparian edge forest but there are programs to trap them and move them. I've not heard of any being converted to hats.Katredbeard wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 5:58 pm Eager by Ben Goldfarb
The surprising and secret lives of beavers and why they matter.
It is a fascinating look at the positive impact beavers would have on environments if allowed to recolonize areas they historically inhabited . Including many of the issues we are seeing in the US right now such drought, loss of wetlands, species declines, etc. They are a true keystone species and probably the species with the greatest impact on their environment after humans.
Damn; I've been thinking about visiting that part of Quebec but it just doesn't seem safe.ruralavalon wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:44 am A Better Man, by Louise Penny.
Back in Three Pines, Quebec there is an abused wife who is murdered and found in the river during an epic flood.
I loved this book!
See the "Style" section of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22#Style
Although its nonchronological structure may at first seem random, Catch-22 is highly structured ...
Great book. I also enjoyed the PBS American Experience film, The Boys of '36, which was based on the book; very well done.Taylor Larimore wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:15 am Bogleheads:
Just started "Boys in the Boat."
TaylorJack Bogle's Words of Wisdom: “It is the power of words and books - explaining and dramatizing great ideas and articulating high ideals - that is the greatest weapon in the missionary's arsenal.”
One of all time favorites. The sad thing is that so much of what was then satire is now just reality. Very minor spoiler:
Admittedly that's a special case. Anyone recognize "A family of dolls explored a floating island?" I don't. Maybe it's something from E. Nesbit?Every bit of the lake’s surface seemed to be suddenly alive, and each bit of it was alive in a different way. It was like trying to keep track of a dozen three-ring circuses, only more so.
Water babies gamboled in the shallows. A sea serpent rose from the depths. Some rather insipid-looking fairies flew over. A witch hobbled on a far bank. A rat and a mole and a toad paddled along near the willowy shore, simply messing about in a boat. A family of dolls explored a floating island. On the other side of the same island, a solitary man stared at a footprint in the sand. A hand appeared in the middle of the lake holding a sword. Britannia ruled the waves. Davy Jones came out of his locker. Neptune himself appeared, with naiads and Nereids too numerous to mention....
They all looked at the lake again. Some Jumblies had appeared, going to sea in a sieve. A walrus and a carpenter danced with some oysters on a nearby shore. In the distance Columbus was discovering America.
I like it!nisiprius wrote: ↑Sun Jul 18, 2021 10:52 am Re-reading Magic by the Lake, by Edward Eager, as a candidate for reading, for a foreign-speaking student I'm tutoring in English. I liked it then, and I like it now... but I had not realized, when I read it as a kid, just how densely-packed his literary allusions can be!
Admittedly this is a special case, but:Admittedly that's a special case. Anyone recognize "A family of dolls explored a floating island?" I don't. Maybe it's something from E. Nesbit?Every bit of the lake’s surface seemed to be suddenly alive, and each bit of it was alive in a different way. It was like trying to keep track of a dozen three-ring circuses, only more so.
Water babies gamboled in the shallows. A sea serpent rose from the depths. Some rather insipid-looking fairies flew over. A witch hobbled on a far bank. A rat and a mole and a toad paddled along near the willowy shore, simply messing about in a boat. A family of dolls explored a floating island. On the other side of the same island, a solitary man stared at a footprint in the sand. A hand appeared in the middle of the lake holding a sword. Britannia ruled the waves. Davy Jones came out of his locker. Neptune himself appeared, with naiads and Nereids too numerous to mention....
They all looked at the lake again. Some Jumblies had appeared, going to sea in a sieve. A walrus and a carpenter danced with some oysters on a nearby shore. In the distance Columbus was discovering America.
[Added] Google is good. It's a book entitled Floating Island, by Anne Parrish, both unknown to me.
[A chumar is a leatherworker, a bunnia a shopkeeper]All casts and kinds of men move here. Look! Brahmins and chumars, bankers and tinkers, barbers and bunnias, pilgrims and potters – all the world going and coming. It is to me as a river from which I have withdrawn like a log after a flood.
The James Macpherson (Battle Cry of Freedom) and and the David Kennedy ones (Freedom from Fear and the one about WW2) are magnificent. I also like the Harry Patterson ones (?) (Restless Giant and the other one - takes the story up to 2000). On the latter, you live through those events but you are so busy having *your* life that you don't really see what is going on - I had the newspaper and nightly news version of many of those events (or my parents' telling of them) but my high school education in history stopped with 1945.MoonOrb wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:29 pm What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America 1815-1848. It's part of the Oxford history of the US. It's long been a goal to read volumes from this series and for some reason I'm starting with this one, I can't really explain why. I decided I didn't want to tackle them all in order. One motivation for me I think is that I have done almost no reading about this period of American history since high school so I'm hoping this provides depth and context to my understanding of American history that I lack now.
moshe wrote: ↑Sun Jul 18, 2021 10:39 am "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara.
Following a recent visit to the historic battle site/national park. In one of the talks by a park ranger he mentioned this book as it was the basis for the movie Gettysburg,
A "novel" but based on the historical account. the included maps diagrams really helped bring it to life as well. Recommended+.
~Moshe
I stopped reading his a couple of books ago. A lot of the same formula and also has excessive background passages for readers who haven't read prior books and don't know the characters. Some writers (editors?) are better at staying fresh than Silva is.
Good choice .
This sounds very interesting. A couple of years ago, I read “The Admirals” by Walter Borneman which was a “portrait” of Halsey, Nimitz, Leahy, and King. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this biography once you have finished.Californiastate wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:20 am Master of Seapower: A biography of Ernest J. King
I've read quite a few biographys on WW2 Generals and Admirals. He didn't suffer fools to a fault. He quickly consolidated his power when FDR gave him his post. Marshall was the Army's man of the hour. Marshall was quiet and stoic. King wasn't.
I haven't read that one yet. I've read work on Nimitz and Halsey but not Leahy.Horologium wrote: ↑Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:07 pmThis sounds very interesting. A couple of years ago, I read “The Admirals” by Walter Borneman which was a “portrait” of Halsey, Nimitz, Leahy, and King. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this biography once you have finished.Californiastate wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:20 am Master of Seapower: A biography of Ernest J. King
I've read quite a few biographys on WW2 Generals and Admirals. He didn't suffer fools to a fault. He quickly consolidated his power when FDR gave him his post. Marshall was the Army's man of the hour. Marshall was quiet and stoic. King wasn't.
jebmke wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:48 amDamn; I've been thinking about visiting that part of Quebec but it just doesn't seem safe.ruralavalon wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:44 am A Better Man, by Louise Penny.
Back in Three Pines, Quebec there is an abused wife who is murdered and found in the river during an epic flood.