What are you reading?

[ytowndan]

American Nations - A History of the Eleven Rival Cultures of North America

really good read about the general historiography of this continent BUT they lump most of Virginia (e.g. the piedmont of Va. and parts of West Va.) into the Tidewater region which is plain ol bullcorn to me. Honestly though it's fascinating if you've ever driven from one state to the next and noticed a marked difference in culture/accent/ect. and wondered why.

I just read the sample pages on Amazon and decided to order it.  I want to say I read a review of it when it came out, because I definitely have seen that map before.  Now that I think about it, I might have seen it posted here in one of the political threads. 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the read.  Thanks for the recommendation.

Nice! Looking forward to comparing notes

I enjoyed it very much.  My biggest issue with it was that he seemed to gloss over the significance of the rural/urban divide -- particularly in today's climate.  But, then again, it was meant to be more about the dominant culture/politics of these "nations," so that complaint isn't all that valid I suppose.  He also seemed to gloss over the post-Reconstruction history rather quickly, too.  But, overall, I really dug it and thought it was a good read. 

So, you disagree that your area of Virginia is in Tidewater?  For the most part I think he got the boundaries correct in my general area (though I'd maybe adjust his map by a county here and a county there). 

[mopper_smurf]

[zimbra]

Although it is not for everyone, everyone should read this..

[rowjimmy]

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child.

[ytowndan]

Just finished this over the weekend, it's a really well done satire on tribalism.  As it states on the cover, his style reminds me a lot of Kurt Vonnegut.  I'd definitely recommend it. 

From the jacket:

"In the ghetto there is a mansion, and it is my father's house."

Warren Duffy has returned to America for all the worst reasons: His marriage to a beautiful Welsh woman has come apart; his comics shop in Cardiff has failed; and his Irish American father has died, bequeathing to Warren his last possession, a roofless, half-renovated mansion in the heart of black Philadelphia. On his first night in his new home, Warren spies two figures outside in the grass. When he screws up the nerve to confront them, they disappear. The next day he encounters ghosts of a different kind: In the face of a teenage girl he meets at a comics convention he sees the mingled features of his white father and his black mother, both now dead. The girl, Tal, is his daughter, and she's been raised to think she's white.

Spinning from these revelations, Warren sets off to remake his life with a reluctant daughter he's never known, in a haunted house with a history he knows too well. In their search for a new life, he and Tal struggle with ghosts, fall in with a utopian mixed-race cult, and ignite a riot on Loving Day, the unsung holiday for interracial lovers.

A frequently hilarious, surprisingly moving story about blacks and whites, fathers and daughters, the living and the dead, Loving Day celebrates the wonders of opposites bound in love.

[susep]

nice score for $13.00. 

[VDB]

Nice. I bet you get an interesting insider's perspective from him as opposed to the two big guns.

[emay]

just started this one
pretty interesting stuff

[VDB]

^ If that's about what I think it is, I'm sure it's depressing as hell.



I just finished this novel:



It's a science-y thriller that deals with quantum physics and its implications. Some pretty good mindfuck fodder in here. Very fast read.

[ytowndan]

I figured I would check this out because of all of the buzz and awards, and I'm very glad I did. 

The main character is a communist double agent embedded within the South Vietnamese government.  It picks up with him and his fellow southern officers fleeing the country in '75 after the fall of Saigon.  They begin a new life as refugees in the Vietnamese community in Los Angeles.  The main character's mission is to basically spy on his superiors' efforts in LA to quietly rebuild an army/resistance movement with the help of the US government, while reporting back to his communist agents in Vietnam.  That's the plot, in a nutshell. 

It deals with a lot of issues and themes -- from love and friendship, to the ethics and effectiveness of torture, to whether it's a gift or a curse to be able to sympathize with "both sides" of an issue or conflict -- but at its heart it's a fast-paced, kick ass spy novel that challenges the common American narrative of the Vietnam War.  With a decent amount of humor to cut all the darkness, it makes for both a fast and enjoyable read that will likely leave you with a new understanding of the war.  Or, you know...you'll at least be entertained.  I'd definitely recommend it. 

[emay]

^ If that's about what I think it is, I'm sure it's depressing as hell.

I find it pretty interesting, theres a little gloom as far as everyone is tied into a piece of technology these days but does help understand the business model in the tech world these days. The main point of the book is that platforms are currently the best way to organize tech based start up companies. Basically, platforms-like Amazon, Facebook, iTunes, SnapChat, etc.-move beyond the the linear business model (where products move through suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and THEN customers, buy for a nickel sell for a dime) and instead present commerce and information in a more easily accessible way that benefits both buyers and sellers at the same time.

[mistercharlie]

I just started re-reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Although I've read them quite a few times, this is my first time reading 'The Revised Edition' of The Gunslinger. Right from the start I can pick out the changes, that's how many times I've read the first book.

[kellerb]

I just started re-reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Although I've read them quite a few times, this is my first time reading 'The Revised Edition' of The Gunslinger. Right from the start I can pick out the changes, that's how many times I've read the first book.

He takes out the Parsecs reference!

[mistercharlie]

I just started re-reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Although I've read them quite a few times, this is my first time reading 'The Revised Edition' of The Gunslinger. Right from the start I can pick out the changes, that's how many times I've read the first book.

He takes out the Parsecs reference!

WHAT!?!?! Blasphemy! That's like making Greedo shoot first.

[VDB]

Recently finished Keef's autobiography:



Needless to say, there are some great stories in here. But what I took away the most was what a dedicated and talented artist he really is. And what a phenomenon the Stones were/are.

Guitarists might also appreciate those moments where he talks about how some of his more iconic riffs and guitar bits were developed. Apparently he messed around with a lot of different tuning and whatnot based on tips and tricks derived from how some of the old bluesmen did things. As I was reading these passages, it made me wonder how that might have affected Trey in trying to pull off Exile on Main Street. Then I went back and rewatched the set and, sure enough, Trey is switching guitars quite often between songs.