I love Ken Follett. His older war thrillers were very good, but his historical fiction novels are some of the best books I've ever read. I've devoured 'em all, starting with Pillars of the Earth, and have preordered every one since. His 20th century trilogy - the one you're reading - was great. I'd highly recommend his last one from 2017, A Column of Fire, which goes back to 16th century England and is actually better than the trilogy. Not that I have a particular love for that period, but the story and characters are so well-written you come away feeling like you've had a feast. Super satisfying.
OT: The Good Book: What are you reading right now?
- Thread starter Runner77
- Start date
"Life" was a great read. I know these autobiographies are ghost-written, but Richards comes across as unexpectedly thoughtful, with some great perspectives on so many notable people, starting of course with Mick and the boys. Richards really is the heart and soul of the band.
Man, you guys are nailing all my favourites this morning! From my favourite author, Follett, to my favourite comedian, Carlin. One of my regrets is never having seen him live, but George Carlin was a brilliant guy who found his voice in middle-age as a hybrid raconteur/comedian. His jokes were great, but they were built around his philosophical musings, these long, angry tirades that ripped apart everything from god to golf to America to the green movement. He was merciless.
I have his biography, "Last Words", which was good, honest, worth reading, but not overly compelling. Maybe because he can't work up the same passion and anger for himself that he directed outward at the world.
BehindTheTimes
Registered User
- Jun 24, 2018
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Pompeius Magnus
Registered User
Carlin's comedy helped me deal with being an atheist in a very religious family when I was younger, I used to quote him quite often to my relatives. He always had a very well thought out and rational (albeit super vulgar but that was his style in a nutshell) opinion on religion in general that I found very inspiring.
VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
Thanks, LShap, I will track down some of these as well. I really enjoy this interplay between historical figures and fictional protagonists in his novels. My main problem is that my job is not 9-to-5, especially when the fall and winter terms heat up. I can make time in the summer and justify to myself the time spent reading fiction then, but I almost feel guilty not reading something scientific (to stay current) during the rest of the year.
Edit: there, I got A Column of Fire in hardcover format on EBay. Tough to beat that price ($4.99 plus $3.68 shipping). I will try to get through it during my last week of holiday in mid-August. Renting a beachhouse at Hilton Head.
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VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
I definitely endorse these books. Just for fun, here are a few historical characters in Fall of Giants (book 1) and Winter of the World (book 2):
Book 1...
US
| Real historical characters | |
| Woodrow Wilson, 28th President | William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of State |
| Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy |
UK
| Real historical characters | |
| King George V | Queen Mary |
| Mansfield Smith-Cumming, called “C” | Sir Edward Grey, MP, Foreign Secretary |
| Sir William Tyrrell, private secretary to Grey | Frances Stevenson, mistress of Lloyd George |
| Winston Churchill, MP | H.H. Asquith, MP, Prime Minister |
| Sir John French |
Germany & Austria
| Real historical characters | |
| Prince Karl Lichnowsky, German Ambassador to London | Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg |
| General of Infantry Erich Ludendorff | Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, Chancellor |
| Arthur Zimmermann, Foreign Minister |
Russia
| Real historical characters | |
| Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik Party | Leon Trotsky |
Book 2...
US
| Real historical characters | |
| President F. D. Roosevelt | Cordell Hull, Secretary of State |
| Marguerite ‘Missy’ LeHand, his assistant | Sumner Welles, Undersecretary of State |
| Vice-President Harry Truman | Colonel Leslie Groves, Army Corps of Engineers |
Russia
| Real historical characters | |
| Lavrentiy Beria, head of the secret police | Vyacheslav Molotov, Foreign Minister |
VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
I've enjoyed George Carlin in my time, but for me the funniest, wriest (and best of all, most iconoclastic) humor was that of Steven Wright. I have no idea if he has written anything.
Grate n Colorful Oz
The Hutson Hawk
I havent either
Cant believe no one mentioned you in the poster love fest thread.
Chili
Time passes when you're not looking
- Jun 10, 2004
- 8,786
- 4,920
Curious if anyone has read any books by Laurence Bergreen?
Writes biographical type books (i.e. Magellan, Marco Polo, Al Capone, Louis Armstrong, etc.)
Currently reading his book on Columbus : The Four Voyages. Some of the expériences remind me of Errol Flynn's autobiography : My Wicked Wicked Ways.
Writes biographical type books (i.e. Magellan, Marco Polo, Al Capone, Louis Armstrong, etc.)
Currently reading his book on Columbus : The Four Voyages. Some of the expériences remind me of Errol Flynn's autobiography : My Wicked Wicked Ways.
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VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
CDN24
Registered User
- Jun 17, 2009
- 3,728
- 3,185
I recently read one of those that was not ghost written. What does this Button do? by Bruce Dickenson, lead singer of Iron Maiden. He apparently wrote it all himself by hand. He is a interesting individual in that he seems to excel at whatever he does, in addition to fronting Iron Maiden, he is an airline pilot (he flies the band,crew and set from show to show in a 747), he is a world class fencer who could have attended the 84 Olympics but was on tour with Maiden at the time and he owns a Aircraft maintence business that does heavy maintenance on airliners.
Whole I enjoyed the book, it is certainly not a tell all like many of the rock star autobiographies. He deliberately avoids wives, girlfriends, kids ex-wives etc. Great bit about getting kicked out of boarding school for cooking the headmasters clams. Drank the wine they were supposed to be cooked in and cooked them in piss. Great history on playing a concert in Sarjevo during the height of Balkan conflict.
Ken Follet is amazing
QuebecPride
Registered User
Started reading "Molson et le Québec". It's a very interesting book, about how intertwined the history of the province and the Molson family are. It's also a nice story that has taught me a lot about Montréal as a city.
The Molsons were everywhere, they have been at one point, on top of their famous Brewery, in the Distillery business, steam boat business and even Banking. I'm roughly halfway through it, but it's definitely a cool read for anybody who likes history or who is intrigued by the Molson family.
The Molsons were everywhere, they have been at one point, on top of their famous Brewery, in the Distillery business, steam boat business and even Banking. I'm roughly halfway through it, but it's definitely a cool read for anybody who likes history or who is intrigued by the Molson family.
- Jun 24, 2012
- 85,398
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On the subject of rock autobiographies, which is the best you've ever read and why?
I had once heard George Strombo mention his favorite and completely forgot about it. If anyone knows what it is, can you please post it? He was particularly bullish about it.
I had once heard George Strombo mention his favorite and completely forgot about it. If anyone knows what it is, can you please post it? He was particularly bullish about it.
I'm currently reading Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe, by Stuart McLean. I love his short stories. A really great writer taken from us way too soon.
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Not an autobiography, but the Jim Morrison biography "No One Here Gets Out Alive" helped to revive interest The Doors when it was released in '80, about 10 years after Morrison's death. Apocalypse Now was about a year old then and the opening scene is nothing without "The End". A new generation (including myself) was introduced to the band by the the movie, the book and an accompanying greatest hits album. Radio stations throughout North America, including CHOM in Montreal, began to play the Doors hits and deep cuts frequently through the 80's. If not for that book and the subsequent resurgence of interest in the band, it's likely that Oliver Stone doesn't sign on to direct The Doors which was released in '91. With the release of that film, another generation of music lovers is introduced to the band. And with three decades of listeners, the band is now cemented as one of the greatest.
My sister bought the book for me as a birthday or Xmas present sometime shortly after it was released. I read it several times in a row, while fighting off friends who wanted to borrow it. I was just developing my critical thinking ability then so it escaped me that the book mostly glorified Morrison's exploits, but man it was fun. I bought into the troubled genius persona utterly and completely, and ignored the obvious flaws in his personality. And most importantly, I also learned that I could be anything I wanted to be, do anything I wanted to do, and say anything I wanted to say. Later I learned to accept the consequences! That glimpse into Morrison's life gave me immeasurable confidence, and for that I will always be grateful.
I had the very good fortunate of finally seeing The Doors live in 2003. Krieger and Manzarek recruited Ian Astbury and he WAS Jim Morrison at that show. Man I've seen a lot of great shows, but this one might just be the best I've ever seen, given my love for the band and the the faithful reproduction of the live experience. This is the show: The Doors of the 21st Century, Wembley Arena, London
admiralcadillac
Registered User
- Oct 22, 2017
- 7,685
- 6,989
I highly recommend Nourritures Canailles by Madeleine Ferrières, it's a synthesis based on a phd thesis discussing the development of french cuisine through the lens of what peasants were eating and how between the Renaissance and the 19th century. Since nearly none of them could write, and any cookbooks were purely aristocratic, she used a ton of indirect historical sources (contemporaneous works of fiction, biographies, notes, journal entries, travelling clerics, doctors or journeymen's accounts, shopping lists and any kind of first hand accounts) to source how and when certain classic elements of french food became a thing.
Mushrooms and certain kinds of cuts on beef were never eaten by higher classes for example. The development of the french fry only really came about in the mid 19th century once peanut oil became a staple, people generally used fats sparingly as it wasn't readily available. There were fast food tripe saleswomen dating back 300 years in the streets of Paris. Some restaurants specialized in second or third hand food, they would serve a combination of whatever the masters of households, and then their servants (who got the seconds) didn't eat. For a pittance you could get something called an "arlequin", which was a combo of all this stuff, for example you got a plate with half a fish, a couple rinds of cheese, half-eaten vegetables, parts of shellfish that weren't fully dug into, etc.
It's a fascinating book.
Mushrooms and certain kinds of cuts on beef were never eaten by higher classes for example. The development of the french fry only really came about in the mid 19th century once peanut oil became a staple, people generally used fats sparingly as it wasn't readily available. There were fast food tripe saleswomen dating back 300 years in the streets of Paris. Some restaurants specialized in second or third hand food, they would serve a combination of whatever the masters of households, and then their servants (who got the seconds) didn't eat. For a pittance you could get something called an "arlequin", which was a combo of all this stuff, for example you got a plate with half a fish, a couple rinds of cheese, half-eaten vegetables, parts of shellfish that weren't fully dug into, etc.
It's a fascinating book.
BladeRunner66
Two-Headed Jerk
- Oct 23, 2017
- 1,164
- 747
Lost in Bill Murray
His first biography, unauthorised & awesome!
Bow down to the coolest man on earth, do it!
His first biography, unauthorised & awesome!
Bow down to the coolest man on earth, do it!
VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
Lost in Translation came out in the middle of the 5-year period when I was living in Japan, from Feb 2001 to Dec. 2005. There were a lot of scenes that I recognized as typically Japanese back then. Of course, I tried a lot harder to integrate than his character did in the movie.
BladeRunner66
Two-Headed Jerk
- Oct 23, 2017
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Before i answer poster below i suggest reading Happy f***ing Birthday, a graphic novel, not for children, looks are misleading 'cause it's sorta disturbing in a funny way.
I liked LIT, different role for him although Sophia Coppola wrote it for him. Razor's Edge is a lesser known film with BM that you might like.
Seems tough to integrate Japan's culture without complying to what seems overzealously conservative.
I hear the young generations are trying to come out of the mold though?
BTW i used to live in MTL.
Did you go to Japan to work/study?
He's too laidback to properly integrate. To understand him we probably have to integrate Bill Murray but then we risk getting lost in him. j/k
I liked LIT, different role for him although Sophia Coppola wrote it for him. Razor's Edge is a lesser known film with BM that you might like.
Seems tough to integrate Japan's culture without complying to what seems overzealously conservative.
I hear the young generations are trying to come out of the mold though?
BTW i used to live in MTL.
Did you go to Japan to work/study?
Grate n Colorful Oz
The Hutson Hawk
I really like Bill Murray. Groundhog Day remains one of my favorite movies of all time (ghostbusters too).
Although is it just me or does anyone else get the feeling he seems like a d**che in person?
Although is it just me or does anyone else get the feeling he seems like a d**che in person?
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You'll find it with his personal collection of seashells, scattered on beaches all over the world. Maybe you've seen it?
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