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Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2020 12:27 pm
by Gaucho
My Brother in Aerospace is a good name for a band. But maybe not for a good band.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2020 12:42 pm
by shafnutz05
I am starting this today...looking forward to it.
This might be the finest biography I've ever read. I'm only about 25 percent (maybe, it's huge) into it but the level of research and insight into Oppenheimer's life is fascinating.
I'm reading now about his flirting with the Popular Front back in the 1930s, which didn't help him during the Red Scare of the 50s. You would think a book this thick about one person would get repetitive or boring, but I can't put it down.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2020 10:34 pm
by Shyster
Ignition!: An informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
Oops, that's not sci-fi. Still a good book that my brother in aerospace recommended.
It's a great book. Yeah, there's chemistry in there, but it's actually a really entertaining book.
I'd add in
The Mote in God's Eye and its sequel
The Gripping Hand by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Good books.
The
Expanse books are also good. I've never seen the TV show, but I have read the books.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2020 10:38 pm
by dodint
Everywhere I posted this question The Expanse was the most common answer. Someone even offered to sell me theirs. Which is why I passed on it, surely if he wanted to read it by now he would have.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 4:34 am
by Gaucho
peak dodint
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 7:22 am
by DigitalGypsy66
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 8:38 am
by dodint
Okay.
I did end up buying him a copy of Ignition! to go along with the fiction books.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 8:44 am
by Gaucho
Of course you ended up buying the non sci-fi book.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:33 am
by eddy
Okay.
I did end up buying him a copy of Ignition! to go along with the fiction books.
What all did you end up with?
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:34 am
by dodint
I bought the first three in a sci-fi series and threw in Ignition! because I've heard here and elsewhere (friends, also Scott Manly) that it's a good book.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:37 am
by dodint
eddy, I went with the Drake books I had already picked out. Was looking for something good but obscure enough that he might not have read it. The only thing I had to go off was literally a note saying he wanted a "Space SciFi Book - title of your choice."
In hindsight instead of the first three in a series I might've gotten him the first in three series and let him decide what he wanted to continue with. Oh well.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 11:04 am
by LeopardLetang
Cant remember if someone mentioned the Ancillary Justice series. It keeps getting recommended to me and it looks good. If I'm reading sci-fi it's Gene Wolfe all the time though
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 7:36 am
by Gaucho
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 6:09 am
by Gaucho
I didn't read the novel, but this seems to touch on what I felt the series lacked.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 10:32 am
by eddy
Trying to find a decent collection of John Carter books.
Anyone ever get the barnes and noble collections? Any good?
https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/john-car ... 1126911593
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 10:35 am
by dodint
My sister ended up getting my brother The Expanse books, so I'm glad I didn't go with the overwhelming recommendation. Though he hadn't read The Martian either which is what I would have liked to have gotten him. He seemed happy with the Drake books, though Amazon **** up and sent me a cruddy mass market paperback of the first book when I specifically ordered a hardback copy. Was not happy with that.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 10:54 pm
by DigitalGypsy66
Lots of that sort of thing for the DG66 family from Amazon this year. Ended up ordering from Books a million, and when they **** up an order, Barnes and Nobles to the rescue. Weird year.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:33 am
by eddy
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:43 am
by DigitalGypsy66
Thanks for bumping this thread lol. I’ve been too lazy to find it and do it myself.
I read Nomadland over the holiday, after seeing the trailer for the film. Fascinating look at how a large group of Americans began living out of vans and RVs after the housing crisis back in 2007-8. Mostly in their 60s, they travel around the country for seasonal work like Amazon warehouses and sugar beet harvesting (!) Made me feel guilty for ordering so much from Amazon, who has a program for older itinerant workers in select warehouses.
The author - a journalist - also mentions Empire, NV which was a company town for USG - manufacturing sheet rock/gypsum. It was an old school factory town, and once the factory closed, the city closed down and everyone was evicted. If you go on Google Maps, you can still drive through the streets and see green lawns and people walking dogs etc., but it is now closed off and a ghost town. Fascinating stuff.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:09 am
by dodint
Nomad and was a book I got for free somehow but stuck with me very well. Maybe because my parents are right at that age, I don't know.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:48 am
by DigitalGypsy66
My parents are a little older, but I couldn’t imagine them doing what these workkampers are doing. It’s scary.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:24 pm
by eddy
Didn't realize nomadland was based off a book. Will read now. Thanks
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:30 pm
by DigitalGypsy66
The film is going to have a mixture of real people from the book with actors like Frances Mcdormand and David Straithairn. Mcdormand actually lived in her character's van for several months while filming.
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2021 4:20 pm
by eddy
Thanks for bumping this thread lol. I’ve been too lazy to find it and do it myself.
I read Nomadland over the holiday, after seeing the trailer for the film. Fascinating look at how a large group of Americans began living out of vans and RVs after the housing crisis back in 2007-8. Mostly in their 60s, they travel around the country for seasonal work like Amazon warehouses and sugar beet harvesting (!) Made me feel guilty for ordering so much from Amazon, who has a program for older itinerant workers in select warehouses.
The author - a journalist - also mentions Empire, NV which was a company town for USG - manufacturing sheet rock/gypsum. It was an old school factory town, and once the factory closed, the city closed down and everyone was evicted. If you go on Google Maps, you can still drive through the streets and see green lawns and people walking dogs etc., but it is now closed off and a ghost town. Fascinating stuff.
This is a very interesting book. Thanks for the heads up
Bibliophile Thread
Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2021 4:21 pm
by DigitalGypsy66
Yeah, I finished it a couple of weeks ago and still thinking about it a lot. Every RV I see, every white van...it's something.
