What are you currently reading?

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gregl
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#61

Post by gregl »


I'll toss a couple more onto the pile:

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West, written by Stephen Ambrose. This account of the expedition brings it to life in a way others have not. And it reminds us that the interior of the continent was not a vast wasteland, as some of us were taught in grammar school, but a lush territory that was populated and had plenty of game and resources for those who knew how to look for them.

Also by Stephen Ambrose, Nothing Like It In The World is a narrative history of building the transcontinental railroad that concentrates on the actual construction rather than the politics and upper-level personalities of some of the other histories of the project. It details how ten thousand men with shovels and picks put the line across the plains, through the desert and over the mountains in a way that would be unthinkable today. The idea was to build it quick and dirty, get it done, and then come back and fix any deficiencies later. A most worthwhile read.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#62

Post by GCoyote »


Any metaphor will tear if stretched over too much reality.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#63

Post by bobharmony »


I recently read "Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy" by Suzanne Mettler and Robert C. Lieberman. It describes various times in American history where the democratic experiment was at risk from various social forces. They tie it back nicely to current events in a very non-partisan way.

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Re: What are you currently reading?

#64

Post by John999R »


gregl wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 4:31 pm John:
Having been out in Death Valley many times both tent camping and with a truck camper, I'd advise taking a 4-wheel vehicle rather than a two-wheeled one. The wind can come up at any time and you really don't want to be outside during a dust or sand storm. The last time we were there Mesquite Springs campground got snowed in just after we left and we were stuck at Stovepipe Wells because the road out was snowed over. Strange to see CalTrans trucks in Death Valley outfitted with snow plow blades.
Sorry Greg I didn't respond back to you sooner. But I do agree regarding the 4-wheel version vs two-wheel. I got lucky on our trip, the only weather issue was when we took a wrong turn in the valley headed to our hotel in Beatty and got stuck out in the middle of pitch-black conditions and near-freezing temps. I came equipped with the proper cold-weather gear, but there was no place to turn off the desert road due to very soft and sloping away shoulders on the side of the road. The wind picked up and this went on for about an hour before I spotted a structure off to the right and we were very happy to have the opportunity to pull over and put on warmer clothes. In my case, I had heated gear and I swear you could ride in arctic conditions when so equipped. A smile returned to my face, but the idea of going out into the desert after dinner wasn't in the cards. According to my research, I would have had to ride out at least 20 miles to reach a sufficiently dark sky spot to image the night sky, the low temperatures canned that idea.

The above experience has me thinking of two ways to approach my next DV visit. Go by motorcycle again, which was awesome by the way, or leave it at home and take my truck and imaging gear. I've pretty much decided to go by motorcycle again with friends and for any dark sky imaging, there are more convenient opportunities for that in Northern California where I live.

A riding buddy of mine also loves going to DV, but he does it in style. He and his wife go in their motorhome and pull a trailer with two dual-sport motorcycles on board. He was the originator of now the largest Ducati motorcycle website probably in the world and currently manages it. Super nice guy and so is his wife and he has a background in professional photography. They set up I believe in Stovepipe Wells and then go exploring on their dual sport (street legal dirt bikes) far and wide to places in the valley not many people visit. As you know the weather can go south on you in a hurry, especially at higher elevations, and their group got caught in a high wind snowstorm at one such location. It is winter after all and as much as I looked at weather trends, you never really know what might happen once you get there, especially at higher elevations I suppose. Again, except for that one night, the weather for us couldn't have been better, but we all know it gets cold at night in the desert. What a place!
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#65

Post by jrkirkham »


My reading habits are all over the place. Right now I am reading Pope John Paul II's doctoral thesis on the writings of John of the Cross. I've always found mysticism interesting and here is a 20th century mystic trying to explain the writings of a 16th century mystic. I think I am in over my head though. I'm lucky if I can understand a couple of pages at a time, lol.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#66

Post by pakarinen »


"An Intro to the Sun and Stars", Green and Jones editors, intro level college text by Cambridge. A little more mathematical than "Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology" by Bennett, et.al.

"The Deep Sky", Harrington. One of the Sky and Tel's observer guides.

"The Third Reich at War", Evans, military history. A little deeper dive into WW2 history.

"The Collapsing Empire", Scalzi. Pulp sci-fi, but I do love Scalzi's books. Reminds me of the sci-fi I grew up reading. Hey, everybody needs some "garbage" reading, right?
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#67

Post by John999R »


pakarinen, off topic, but your avatar caught my attention. Going back to my early childhood, is that character one of the bad guys in the TV series Flash Gordon? I used to love watching it, especially the smoking bullet-shaped spaceships that made indescribable exhaust noise as they circled around and around. They were like puppets on strings. Even then I knew the set was phony, but entertaining nonetheless.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#68

Post by pakarinen »


Ming the Merciless from 1936. Much better than the more recent Mings IMO.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#69

Post by helicon »


Yes DV and the Panamint range were an abode for shady con men, folks selling mining claims to investors back east then pocketing the money. Leland Stanford and George Hearst were amongst those who enriched themselves selling "futures." Sometimes the mines actually paid out until the silver and gold was exhausted. Other folks sold and transported Borax. Scottie's castle is closed I think. I'd also recommend a couple of places to visit in the park, the "racetrack playa" and the Eureka Dunes, but you need a 4wd drive to make it on the dirt roads. Another place is the hot springs in the Saline Valley where you can go sit in the springs for a hot soak.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#70

Post by Star Dad »


Naked Empire - by Terry Goodkind. Maybe the 5th book in the series??? I really enjoy his writing when he gets into a tense situation. Sometimes the dialogue where a character is explaining things can get too long and boring. They made a TV series on the books which did not cover much of it. To jog your memory (if you've seen the series or read the books) it features the absolutely gorgeous ladies of the Mord-Sith who carry the Agiel (spelling?) which would be very much like a taser and are the protectors of the Lord Rahl. The Lord Richard Rahl is the central character along with the Mother Confessor (Kaylen) (who can rip a person's brain apart and cause them to be absolutely devoted to her every wish). And they are fighting the Dark Forces of Jagang the evil emperor and hordes. All of the books are huge - 600+ pages each. And you really must read them in the proper order or too much gets left out.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#71

Post by notFritzArgelander »


My older daughter is a master of book recommendations! She gifted me with a copy of All Systems Red the first installment in The Murderbot Diaries, the adventures of a cyborg security unit that has hacked its own controls and named itself Murderbot.

It's a hoot and a half and the writing is a delight.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Murderbot_Diaries

I'm on my third of the series and enjoying the reads.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#72

Post by pakarinen »


Volume 1 of the Civil War history series by Shelby Foote.
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I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#73

Post by Pikaia »


Just finished "Sand & Steel: The D-Day Invasions and the Liberation of France" by Peter Caddick-Adams

This has a tremendous but deserved rating of 4.67 on Goodreads. It is very long but enjoyable, with lots of anecdotes, and it has a lot of information about preparations for the invasion. It corrects a number of erroneous beliefs about D-day.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/415 ... 5KQ&rank=1
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#74

Post by Star Dad »


Outlander - Vol IV "Drums of Autumn" by Diana Gabaldon. I've read the first 3 and am halfway through this one. How she can come up with such brilliant writing is beyond me. Every page is a turner and though the books are like 1000+ pages each they are non-stop action packed. There's a TV series based on the books. Unfortunately, film directors seem unable to let the stories stand on their own and have sheared away from the story line - to the point where some of the video makes no sense unless you read the books.

In case you are unfamiliar with this series the basic premise is that there is a set of stones arranged in a circle in Scotland through which time travel is allowed - supposedly about 300 years in the past (back and forth permitted). Claire Randall accidentally goes through the portal on one of the critical active days and falls in love with a Scotsman (Jamie Fraser) just before the battle of Culloden where Bonny Prince Charlie's last gasp attempt to overthrow the Scottish usurper (aka English monarchy) is doomed.

The stories are for the most part historically accurate. A really great read.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#75

Post by DEnc »


As a fan of Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking, I was happy to get my hands on his latest, Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells.

He notes that our perception of smells is tied into their contexts: cilantro smells "soapy" because it shares some chemical volatiles with soap. If visual perception were like this, we might identify the color green as "grassy"! The book is filled with tables listing various substances together with their smells and the chemicals that are the basis of those smells. For cilantro, it's a mix of dodecnal, decanals, and decenals.

Pretty dry, but hey, it's a field guide....
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#76

Post by goldstar »


Until my local library opens again for live shelf browsing----nothing!
I refuse to order books on (their) line and show up to step inside their unmanned vestibule to collect books issued to me in a bag that may or may not have been stolen.
I am a firm believer in judging a book by its cover.....
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#77

Post by mikemarotta »


I just finished When Worlds Collide by Wylie and Balmer. The astronomy started off OK. By the end of the book, I was less enthralled with their glosses. Even so, as the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn grew ever closer, I could not help but think of Bronson Alpha and Bronson Beta approaching the Earth.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#78

Post by GCoyote »


Any metaphor will tear if stretched over too much reality.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#79

Post by Shabadoo »


Egyptian Grammar
Being an Introduction to the study of heiroglyphs
By Sir Alan Gardiner,
Published 1927
Dude is a pioneer in translating Egyptian heiroglyphs.

I’m on lesson # 4.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

#80

Post by pakarinen »


"How a Cosmologist Explains the Universe to Friends and Family"
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I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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