What are you reading?/Book Recomendations

2620. Shaxson, Nicholas. Treasure Islands, Uncovering the Damage of Offshore Banking and Tax Havens. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. (H)

I recommend it.

 

You Belong To Me by Karen Rose.

 

You Belong To Me by Karen Rose.

 

I'm about to start reading "The Secret Psychology of Freemasonry: Alchemy, Gnosis, and the Science of the Craft" by Cliff Porter. Go figure, right?

 

I recently read Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville which is sci-fi and I would recommend it. One of my favorite horror/ off beat books is The House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski, which I would also recommend.

Just started The Darkness that comes Before, By R. Scott Bakker, will have to see what my final opinion will be on the book, at times it has me engrossed in deep thought, and at times I am wishing for a little more.

 

Yes it has a lot of great information in it - but god is it slow and repetitive!

Another one with a lot of Myth and Religion info is THE WHITE GODDESS, by Robert Graves.

And of course anything by Joseph Campbell.

 

I'm currently rereading Without Warning America is Gone by John Birmingham.

Rather than typing something out I'll copy paste a review.


Without Warning is the first of a new trilogy, which, unusually for the genre, has nothing to do with WW II or the American Civil War. During the worst excesses of the Bush regime, many people around the world found themselves wishing that America was gone. This book speculates what might happen to the world if that actually occurred. As premises go, it's an interesting one, and very adroitly handled by John Birmingham.

The setting is March 14, 2003, where US armed forces are poised to invade Iraq. In an instant, there is a major and catastrophic change. A mysterious wave of energy appears with no warning, standing miles high and encompassing much of Canada, Mexico, half of Cuba and almost the entire United States. All life caught within the standing wave vanishes, leaving vast areas unattended, and instantly impenetrable except by unmanned drones. The only Americans left alive are those overseas when the wave struck, the military outposts in Pearl Harbour and Guantanamo Bay, plus the city of Seattle which stands just outside of the wave.

Rather than getting bogged down with the science-fiction physics of the premise, the author wisely concentrates on the effects in the world outside of what was America. Early on, we discover that cars within the affected area, aircraft and ships passing through the wave, some en-route when it hit, continued along their path without passengers or crew until they crashed. Inside the now lifeless America, unattended electric devices in thousands of homes start fires, and power plants begin to melt down. Before too long, entire cities are engulfed in fire-storms, which the survivors beyond the wave are powerless to stop.

Meanwhile, in the Middle-East, those opposed to America and her allies see the event as the will of Allah, and rejoice that the 'Great Satan' has been struck down. Unfortunately for them, what is left is infinitely more dangerous, as the rules have changed. Now, there is no United Nations to appease, and no civilian chain of command and control to reign in the world's most powerful military force. Worse still, there is no one capable of exerting a calming influence on the fear and fanaticism of Israel, whose leaders state they will not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against any and all whom they perceive as a threat to their existence. Concurrent with the big picture that Birmingham paints, are several smaller but no less interesting stories featuring individual level experiences. We ride with a party of ocean roving smugglers, who through sheer good fortune find themselves in possession of Greg Norman's super yacht, which emerges from behind the wave minus the Great White Shark and crew. We see the effect of US society on the brink through the eyes of James Kipper, Chief Engineer of Seattle, who struggles to restore normality among his terrified countrymen, and curb the excesses of a military without civilian command. Meanwhile, Brett Melton, a veteran reporter, is out in Iraq, and then France, covering life on the front line. We also look over the shoulder of Caitlin Monroe, an American agent on a deep cover Echelon anti-terrorist mission in France, who finds that she is suffering from a brain tumour, as the country descends into civil war. These, and other smaller stories, combine with the overall themes to paint vivid, often riveting scenes of life after the fall of America.

Birmingham's publisher describes this work as a 'fast, furious story of survival, violence and a new reality.' I would add that it also provides an ingenious insight into what might actually happen, if American military, political and economic influence were suddenly and drastically diminished. The fact that the author is an Australian helps in a number of ways, the most import of which are his outsider's perspective, and greasy realism; noxious clouds from burning American cities, currency collapse, mass panic, survival of the fittest, and the triumph of the human spirit all help to make Without Warning an absolutely cracking read.

http://www.sfsite.com/03b/ww292.htm

 

I'm anxious to read that. I've read his "Axis of Time" trilogy and loved it!

The premise is a anti-terrorist naval task force from 2021 gets time warped to the Battle of Midway, during World War 2, and instantly changes history with it's disruption. For an Aussie, Birmingham does a great job in presenting the US military, so the military is presented in an authentic manner. So the whole world wants to get a hold of the advanced 21st Century military technology.

Another thing Birmingham does well is present the cultural differences between World War 2 era Americans and their 21st Century counterparts. The gulf is huge and he does a good job of presenting it.

 

Oh yeah, the Axis of Time trilogy is awesome.

Basically, and this is found in all reviews, a multination, multicultural fleet from 2021 is sent accidentally back in time to 1942 where the US fleet at Midway spots a Japanese ship in the fleet and opens fire.

You have the segregated US military from 1942 tying to deal with the fleet from the future who have lesbian military commanders, etc.

 

I read "The Masks of God" by Campbell many years ago. Actually, only the Oriental and Occidental volumes. Both very good.

I'm now re-visiting "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo. It's a riveting and powerful book that should give pause to all aspiring neo-cons.

 

This is one of the greatest books I've read since "Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas"! Wickedly funny, painfully truthful, the spirit of Dr. Thompson lives on!

 

Haha. That whole LeBron situation is just...depressing.