Hey I really liked Charlie Wilson's War. Are there any other books of true spy stories? That would be awesome.
Spycatcher by Peter Wright is pretty good. It was banned in Britain upon its release because it had a bunch of stuff about their secret services that weren't intended to be made public.
Really, if you're interested in the way Britain went about spying at all, you should read it
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
edited May 2010
Catch-22 is my favourite book. I don't want to say it should be required reading, but if you read it and don't like it... Well. We would have to have words.
I'm reading these right now:
They are both really excellent.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell might as well be called "HEY THIS IS A BOOK WRITTEN FOR LOST SALIENT."
Lost Salient on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was so hard for me to get into. Once I actually pushed myself to read more of it though, god it was so excellent.
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PiptheFairFrequently not in boats.Registered Userregular
edited May 2010
that would be a poor marketing strategy sal
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Viscount Islands[INSERT SoKo HERE]...it was the summer of my lifeRegistered Userregular
edited May 2010
The only thing about Catch-22 so far is that I'm so bad with military titles and like 70% of the character have them and sometimes it's hard to remember who's who.
Viscount Islands on
I want to do with you
What spring does with the cherry trees.
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AntimatterDevo Was RightGates of SteelRegistered Userregular
edited May 2010
Catch-22 is wonderful, and I should check it out from my school's library again
Also VI, the titles aren't really important, except for Major Major. And I guess the Generals. Anyway my point is that I don't think the book hinges too much on their titles, so you shouldn't worry about the confusion they're inspiring! Not like watching Band of Brothers or something where you have to keep everyone's rank straight.
jezz, have you already read Parrot and Olivier in America? There was an excerpt of it in the Granta I picked up in the fall and I have been super-excited to read it since then. It just came out in the U.S. but I don't know when its release date was elsewhere...
Lost Salient on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
i've seen it about for quite a while, but i haven't picked it up. especially over here carey's great for second-hand finds, so i'm sure once it's a bit older it'll filter down and i might be able to grab a cheap nice edition
the last one i read was my life as a fake which was cool, but very much situated around the context of australian literary history, so maybe not so relevant unless you know about that
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Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
edited May 2010
Yeah I am not sure I'm entirely up on my Australian literary history. I read authors who are Australian but somehow I suspect that doesn't qualify me for much.
Lost Salient on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
it's not too dense - basically it's a reimagining of the ern malley affair, where a big-name editor was hoaxed into publishing nonsense poetry designed to parody the modernist movement. it's a really interesting story in itself.
in carey's version, when the false poems are created, so too its author is birthed. literally. so we end up with this frankenstein creature of an Uber-australian poet chasing his kind of decrepit creator around southeast asia
like a lot of carey's stuff it's hilarious and overboard in concept but crafted absolutely perfectly, and ends up being very real and relevant
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SwissLionWe are beside ourselves!Registered Userregular
edited May 2010
I am reading an out-of-print Argentinean novel about the Ghosts of This Guy and his expedition observing the history of South America from about 1515 onwards.
It is pretty daunting, and fascinating, but I am becoming a little sick of the undertones of "The Spanish really fucked over the natives, guys."
I'm also reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on the side for when it gets exhausting and it is just wonderful.
the fuck does the OP mean about Kindles not counting
i love mine to death
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BarcardiAll the WizardsUnder A Rock: AfganistanRegistered Userregular
edited May 2010
Ive got a bunch, thanks to my Kindle, fuck you first post
got this from when i saw the daily show interview
havnt started it yet, but i have heard great things
still only half way into this book, it has however gotten me to start tivoing his show, i watch it a lot.
got this after i saw the colbert report interview, its pretty good so far
rereading this for the umteenth time
rereading this because apparently the series has gotten really good since the real author died, so far its what i remember, the first book is pretty good. now i just have to figure out if i want to reread all of the crap inbetween the start and the current plot
Barcardi I'd like to point out that the audio book version of Kitchen Confidential is actually read by Bourdain, and, given the fact that you are Tivoing his show you must know what excellent news that is.
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BarcardiAll the WizardsUnder A Rock: AfganistanRegistered Userregular
edited May 2010
sold, and quite literally buying right now, thanks for the tip
Sara LynnI can handle myself.Registered Userregular
edited May 2010
I still need to read one of the books I bought forever ago
last thing I read was David Sedaris' "When You Engulfed in Flames" and The Witch's Trinity which was really weird and not that great, but it kept me moderately interested.
Barcardi I'd like to point out that the audio book version of Kitchen Confidential is actually read by Bourdain, and, given the fact that you are Tivoing his show you must know what excellent news that is.
yeah, i mean reading about the history of an age-old, ever-developing craft which has played a role not only in beautiful art but sociological development and the foundation of economies. what a waste of time!
Posts
Spycatcher by Peter Wright is pretty good. It was banned in Britain upon its release because it had a bunch of stuff about their secret services that weren't intended to be made public.
Really, if you're interested in the way Britain went about spying at all, you should read it
What spring does with the cherry trees.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MRu8N2K0NY
I'm reading these right now:
They are both really excellent.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell might as well be called "HEY THIS IS A BOOK WRITTEN FOR LOST SALIENT."
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
What spring does with the cherry trees.
then i'm going to move on to theft by peter carey, because carey's books grab me where it feels nice
A poor marketing strategy for you, sure!
Also VI, the titles aren't really important, except for Major Major. And I guess the Generals. Anyway my point is that I don't think the book hinges too much on their titles, so you shouldn't worry about the confusion they're inspiring! Not like watching Band of Brothers or something where you have to keep everyone's rank straight.
jezz, have you already read Parrot and Olivier in America? There was an excerpt of it in the Granta I picked up in the fall and I have been super-excited to read it since then. It just came out in the U.S. but I don't know when its release date was elsewhere...
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
the last one i read was my life as a fake which was cool, but very much situated around the context of australian literary history, so maybe not so relevant unless you know about that
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
in carey's version, when the false poems are created, so too its author is birthed. literally. so we end up with this frankenstein creature of an Uber-australian poet chasing his kind of decrepit creator around southeast asia
like a lot of carey's stuff it's hilarious and overboard in concept but crafted absolutely perfectly, and ends up being very real and relevant
It is pretty daunting, and fascinating, but I am becoming a little sick of the undertones of "The Spanish really fucked over the natives, guys."
I'm also reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on the side for when it gets exhausting and it is just wonderful.
i love mine to death
got this from when i saw the daily show interview
havnt started it yet, but i have heard great things
still only half way into this book, it has however gotten me to start tivoing his show, i watch it a lot.
got this after i saw the colbert report interview, its pretty good so far
rereading this for the umteenth time
rereading this because apparently the series has gotten really good since the real author died, so far its what i remember, the first book is pretty good. now i just have to figure out if i want to reread all of the crap inbetween the start and the current plot
(Which is fantastic and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone interested in Marie Antoinette, Versailles politics or the history of fashion.)
And then I'll start
Which a friend gave to me last christmas and I'm horrible for letting it sit on my shelf this long!
After that I'm going to read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter as well, so highfive Barcardi!
Although vampire babies killing main characters by exploding out of stomachs certainly would be a wonderful way to end that whole shitfest.
I got my fancy HGttG back from my sister
gonna reread that
So now I need to decide what to pick up next out of my massive pile of unread books.
so I'll just be over here being a poser
Dear satan I wish for this or maybe some of this....oh and I'm a medium or a large.
last thing I read was David Sedaris' "When You Engulfed in Flames" and The Witch's Trinity which was really weird and not that great, but it kept me moderately interested.
Clockwork Heart
Queene of Light
Mars Vol. 12
Now reading:
The History of Beads: From 100,000 B.C. to the Present
The 4-Hour Workweek
Trying to decide which to read next, first:
Dead to the World
The Sea of Monsters
Making: LuvCherie Jewelry
Writing: Fibropreneur.com
Shopping: Amazon Wishes
Socializing: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Gaming: Xbox Live, Playstation, Steam
Adding this to my to-"read" list right now
I love that man.
Books like that exist so people can cite them in art history papers.
I laughed the same laugh when I was told that as when I saw the History of Beads.
A long, derisive series of scoffs.
Though actually it is often that kind of inane stuff that is most fascinating.
Greek History and pottery taught me this.