Author Topic: Non-Fiction (Read 419592 times)

Frybabe · « **Reply #2760 on:** March 10, 2015, 04:54:54 PM »

TO NONFICTION BOOK TALK

What are you reading? Autobiographies, biographies, history, politics?

Tell us about the book; the good and the bad of it.

Let's talk books!

Discussion Leader: HaroldArnold

Yes, JoanK. If you are interested, here is the download page. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48382 Lots of pictures. If you don't care to download, just click the html link.

PatH · « **Reply #2761 on:** April 05, 2015, 06:28:49 PM »

For those of you who have read The Boys in the Boat, but don't go into The Library, here's what I posted there:

When we were discussing The Boys in the Boat, I kept trying to get a chance to talk to my neighbors across the street about it. They are a family of rowers, the parents for fun now, though she was on a team in school, and the son and daughter on school teams. But they're busy, and hard to get hold of long enough to talk, so I didn't get a chance until now. I asked if the author got it right about what it's like to row on a team. "Absolutely; he got it exactly right." Of course they loved the book

Several years ago he gave her a boat for her birthday--a one-man (or woman) thing, long and skinny, just wide enough for your rump, a royal blue, with beautiful lines. It turns out it was made by George Pocock. When they bought it, it had suffered some damage, and they had to do a lot of reglueing, but it's in good shape now. I'll have to take a better look the next time they take it out.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2762 on:** April 09, 2015, 09:19:18 AM »

Found another book on Project Gutenberg for anyone interested in early American Indian life.
The Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha by Ellen H. Walworth
An early convert to Christianity, she lived in the mid to late 1600's and was known as "The Lily of the Mohawks."
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37421

marjifay · « **Reply #2763 on:** April 09, 2015, 09:59:37 AM »

I'm reading an interesting book: THE RISE OF THE VULCANS; THE HISTORY OF GEORGE BUSH'S WAR CABINET. I've always been curious to understand why this group was so anxious to get us into the war in Iraq. The Amazon summary of the book says: "When George W. Bush campaigned for the White House, he was such a novice in foreign policy that he couldn't name the president of Pakistan and momentarily suggested he thought the Taliban was a rock-and-roll band. But he relied upon a group called the Vulcans—an inner circle of advisers with a long, shared experience in government, dating back to the Nixon, Ford, Reagan and first Bush administrations. After returning to power in 2001, the Vulcans were widely expected to restore U.S. foreign policy to what it had been under George H. W. Bush and previous Republican administrations. Instead, the Vulcans put America on an entirely new and different course, adopting a far-reaching set of ideas that changed the world and America's role in it. Rise of the Vulcans is nothing less than a detailed, incisive thirty-five-year history of the top six members of the Vulcans—Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Armitage, and Condoleezza Rice—and the era of American dominance they represent. It is the story of the lives, ideas and careers of Bush's war cabinet—the group of Washington insiders who took charge of America's response to September 11 and led the nation into its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Actually, how many people would have known who was the president of Pakistan? I sure wouldn't have known, but, then, I was not president of the U.S.)

Marj

Frybabe · « **Reply #2764 on:** April 13, 2015, 11:49:03 AM »

I'm now reading an interesting book called, A Spy among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/books/review/ben-macintyres-a-spy-among-friends.html?_r=0

JoanK · « **Reply #2765 on:** April 13, 2015, 05:17:10 PM »

"The Story of Civilization" discussion is continuing We are up to the 15-1600s, and discussing the laws at the time. Come and join us if you are interested.

http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=64.2360

marjifay · « **Reply #2766 on:** April 17, 2015, 06:06:57 PM »

Thanks, JoanK, for the update on the Story of Civilization group. Is Robby still around? I know he used to moderate it, and was perhaps the person who started the group.

Marj

JoanK · « **Reply #2767 on:** April 19, 2015, 03:30:46 PM »

No, although he looks in once in a while. Trevor from new Zealand runs it.

serenesheila · « **Reply #2768 on:** April 23, 2015, 11:27:25 AM »

I just finished reading "The Residence". I found it both interesting and entertaining.

marjifay · « **Reply #2769 on:** May 02, 2015, 05:16:57 AM »

I may look in on the Story of Civilization group. love history. I have the entire 11-volume set and had meant to read thru them all, but, of course, never finished them.
They are really interesting, altho. a prof. at UCLA poo-pooed them when I said I liked to read from them.

Right now I'm finding Ken Follett's On Wings of Eagles fascinating. The true story of how Ross Perot arranged to get two of his executives out of an Iranian prison in the late 1970s. Colonel "Bull" Simons led the group that rescued them. I'd never heard about him, but finding him very interesting, along with Ross Perot who I didn't pay much attention to back when he was running for president.

Marj

Jonathan · « **Reply #2770 on:** May 02, 2015, 03:08:02 PM »

'MY favorite furniture is bookshelves.'

I have to smile every time I see that in your post, Marj. You should see my place. Not a room in the house that doesn't have bookshelves in it. With lots of history on them, or built right into them. Including the Durant's Story. His and Hers. I too am sorry to see that discussion ending. It was always interesting to look in. In fact, I was going to join the party when they got to the Age Of Voltaire, my favorite volume.

Since you're keen on history, you might find An Honorable Englishman interesting. The biography of Hugh Trevor-Roper, the distinguished historian, is absolutely absorbing. JFK loved reading him, along with so many others. It makes one realize that most history is made at universities.

I have to tell you about Claude Jenkins, mentioned in the book. He was Regius Professor at Oxford. But let me quote: 'He was an Oxford eccentric....Piles of books on both sides of the steps up to his rooms left only a narrow corridor for visitors to ascend, before they squeezed into a study so stuffed with books as to be almost impenetrable. Even the bath was filled with them. Jenkins mind was as chaotic as his rooms....'

Have you by any chance read American Raj: Liberation or Domination? It's about 'Resolving the Conflict Between the West and the Muslim World', by Eric Margolis. This guy really plays with historical fact. But very readable.

I was asked just this morning by a senior friend who is downsizing...could I use a bookcase. Of course. I've had my eye on it for years.

JoanK · « **Reply #2771 on:** May 02, 2015, 03:57:04 PM »

Bookcases are precious! But I've run out of wall space to put them! however, some of the ones I have are short -- they could be replaced by tall ones.

the kindle has solved the problem. I have over 1000 books on it or recoverable from the archives, and I can hold it in my hand. But it's beginning to get squirrely! If it goes bad, do I lose all those books?

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #2772 on:** May 02, 2015, 04:59:48 PM »

I would definitely check with Amazon before it "goes out". Just call and tell them it is acting "squirrely" and inquire as to what would happen to your books if it croaks. They are very helpful.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #2773 on:** May 02, 2015, 05:39:40 PM »

Yes, a front bedroom where I used to sew had two full walls of bookcases the third is windows with a table between and the fourth is a wall of closet that yep, the top shelf of each is books. I ended up getting two collapsible 36 high bookcases and put them at right angle to the wall of books leaving about 18 inches between and then the two are back to back still room to walk around and even sew if I ever get back to that again - no room for the cutting board and table though - but like all of you, books everywhere in any unused drawer and the top of every closet except the pantry and my bedroom closet - none though in my bathroom but I saw in a friend's house once how she had them piled in her bathtub - since she had a separate shower it worked.

I do not have a 1000 on my Kindle as you do Joan but many - mostly books I will simply read through without wanting to go back and a few collections that I have not gotten to yet, including Voltaire - Joan I think all our books go into the cloud so that if we get a new kindle or even if not and just want to read them online they are there.

Jonathan have you read 'A Visit from Voltaire' by Dinah Lee Küng - a delightful little story but it really brings Voltaire to life far better than the small section of his life Nancy Mitford wrote about in Voltaire in Love - he is a ghost seen by a housewife who left her remarkable career to go with her new husband to his hometown in Switzerland where together they raise two children. The Swiss village is not far from some of Voltaire's old haunts across the border in France. Voltaire, using the earmarks for an eighteenth century successful party helps her plan and carry out a party - the entire story is charming and a real snapshot of Voltaire, his passions, beliefs and outsized but refined ego.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #2774 on:** May 02, 2015, 05:43:03 PM »

OK Joan just go to the link called your account and a drop down includes - manage your content and devices and viola there are all the books you have downloaded.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2775 on:** May 02, 2015, 05:45:38 PM »

My Kindle 2nd Gen has gotten slow even though I still have almost half the storage space available. I sometimes wonder if it is because I delete books I have read that I got from sources other than Amazon. When the Kindle reboots itself, I believe it cleaning old files up, but I don't think it actually defrags the space like the computer does. It is not a good idea to defrag it from your computer defrag program. I did that once, not knowing that Amazon did not recommend it. It messed up my Kindle for a bit. The only other problem I had with it was that once, it rebooted itself and it removed all my collection files. My ebooks (or most of them as far as I could tell) were still there, but I had to redo my collections. I keep wondering how much longer the battery is going to last. I heard you can't replace that yourself, but since I haven't had to, I haven't looked into it.

marjifay · « **Reply #2776 on:** May 03, 2015, 11:13:15 AM »

Thanks for your book recommendations, Jonathan. I'll look for both of them. That was a funny bit about Claude Jenkins. I remember reading about someone who died when hisbookcases fell on him and trapped him in his apartment. So be careful about yours, Jonathan. No, I haven't read American Raj, but it sounds very interesting. Right now I have waiting The Balfour Declaration by Jonathan Schneer. I think I read this quite a while ago, so it will be a re-read.

And thanks for your recommendation, Frybabe for the book about Philby, A Spy Among Friends. I've heard about him. I see (NY Times?) that Philby also wrote a book about it, as well as two of his four wives.

marj

marjifay · « **Reply #2777 on:** May 03, 2015, 11:56:36 AM »

Barb, I wonder if anyone now sews clothing using a sewing machine. I know I do not. I used to. Back in the 1960s I made all my maternity clothing, as well as other dresses that I wore to my secretarial job. Now I just go into town where a nice little old man shortens my slacks and other things as needed for me -- much easier. I went to buy some thread recently and was surprised at how expensive it was.

Marj

Frybabe · « **Reply #2778 on:** May 03, 2015, 12:24:05 PM »

I have a sewing machine that I bought but never used. I am going to have to try it out soon because my windows are long by a couple of inches, and I can't find suitable kitchen curtains. It is sooooo easy to make cafe curtains with sheets or pillow cases because half the hemming is already done. I've also been wanting to try out small quilt projects, like pot holders and ornaments.

Marj, my sister is only two years younger than me, and she doesn't remember a thing about it. It was a world class shocker at the time. Thirty years, he got away with it. One of the things I didn't know was that he had been assigned to the Washington, DC, MI6 ops for a few years. He was so good he was able to get lots of info from our guys as well as his British buddies. And, buddies they were. He wasn't found out until the younger operatives started smelling a rat. It still took years to nail him. His buddies on both sides of the pond refused to believe he was involved in spying for the Russians. What a supreme con man this guy was.

marjifay · « **Reply #2779 on:** May 06, 2015, 02:42:19 AM »

I still am unable to get to the next discussion page after reading the last message on this page. I guess that if someone posts another message, the next page will automatically appear?

Marj

Frybabe · « **Reply #2780 on:** May 06, 2015, 08:11:21 AM »

I see that yesterday Simon & Shuster released David McCullough's new book, The Wright Brothers. Anybody going to read it? It looks like our library system only had two hardcopies (both on order) and one CD. All have a waiting list.

marjifay · « **Reply #2781 on:** June 14, 2015, 12:11:40 PM »

I have Mccullough's The Wright Brothers on my TBR list. It does look interesting.

Marj

ginny · « **Reply #2782 on:** June 25, 2015, 01:46:49 PM »

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JoanK · « **Reply #2783 on:** June 27, 2015, 04:41:35 PM »

Reading a book "Why Did the Chicken Cross the World" by Andrew Lawler, a history of the relationship between men and chickens. Doubt I'll finish it but it's kind of interesting. He's trying to trace the history of humans domesticating chickens from a wild fowl in Asia, and then taking them with them wherever they go (including to the moon). Historical evidence is scrappy (literally: he depends on dating fossil chicken bones found in excavations). They indicate that Polynesians may have explored South America centuries before Europeans did.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2784 on:** June 27, 2015, 05:01:59 PM »

Just started Timothy Egan's The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt & the Fire That Saved America.

JoanK · « **Reply #2785 on:** June 27, 2015, 05:48:31 PM »

what fire is that?

Frybabe · « **Reply #2786 on:** June 28, 2015, 05:30:16 AM »

Wildfire in the Northwest in 1910. Here are some links about it.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/burn/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_1910

I didn't know PBS had a program about it on The American Experience. I'll have to watch it later today.

The fire happened when the Forest Service was new and very controversial with those who had mining and timbering interests in the forefront of those trying to get it dismantled.

JoanK · « **Reply #2787 on:** June 28, 2015, 03:32:01 PM »

Oh, yes, I think I saw part of that PBS program.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #2788 on:** June 28, 2015, 04:47:30 PM »

As I understand the fire was so monstrously big there was no way any human at the time could stop it or even contain it and as a result of that fire setting aside large swaths of land was offered as a solution - thus the beginning of the National Park system.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2789 on:** July 09, 2015, 07:08:58 AM »

This morning I read a synopsis of several reviews to Tom Holland's book, In the Shadow of the Sword: The Battle for Global Empire and the End of the Ancient World. I don't think I've ever run across such a difference of opinion among reviewers over one book. Some thought it played up to Islamophobia while others didn't. Some applauded his attempt to trace back to the beginning of the "Islamic myths" surrounding the origins of the religion. Others derided his book as revisionist, inaccurate, unreliable. I wonder if this is the same book as In the Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire? I can't find a book under the first title. At any rate, I am not tempted to read it.

I've read Mr. Holland's, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic (which seemed a bit hard to read (dry maybe?).

mabel1015j · « **Reply #2790 on:** July 09, 2015, 12:25:38 PM »

Some of you may be interested in a project I'm facilitating today at our library. I came across a book titled Elderwriters: Celebrate Your Life! By Sue Borocas. She's a retired high school math teacher who started this idea at the library in Rochester, NY. The sub-title is "A guide for creating your own personal legacy document." I prefer to use the word "project" rather then "document". Document sounds like you're writing a memoir, which this isn't.

The point is to gather a collection of original and/or otherwise authored writings (opinions, sayings, poems, etc) and objects that reflect your thoughts and feelings about what life has meant to you. It is a gift to give your family, friends, future generations and yourself. The first exercise is to list 20-25 of your favorite things.

Of course, for me, the fun part will be the discussion of the ideas that people write about.

I mentioned this here before, but today is the first day of the group meeting.

The book is available from Amazon for $13 or less.

Jean

JoanK · « **Reply #2791 on:** July 09, 2015, 04:47:20 PM »

That sounds like a fantastic idea!

just finished "The Vatican Pimpernel" by Brian Fleming. not well written, but the content is fascinating. it's about monsignor Hugh O'Flannery, a Vatican priest who during WWII aided over 6000 people escape; first escapees from POW camps, later Jews and others trying to escape the Nazi's. he's called the Vatican Scarlet Pimpernel because he used to travel around Rome in various disguises, meeting and helping escapees.

At first he worked alone. but a lot of the people he helped stayed to help him, and by the end of the war, he had a whole network with 22 safe houses, a delivery system for food and supplies, doctors for the wounded, people who created false papers, etc. He was safe as long as he stayed in the Vatican (the Italians and Nazis respected the territorial sovereignty of it) but he would still creep around Rome in disguise. At the end, the talian police were on to him, and they would park just outside of the boundaries and watch him while he preyed outside. They tried all kind of tricks to lure him out, but didn't succeed.

JoanK · « **Reply #2792 on:** July 16, 2015, 04:44:15 PM »

Read another good book (am I the only one reading non-fiction?) "The Barefoot Lawyer" by Chen Guangcheng. It's by a blind Chinese man who used his knowledge of the law to fight for justice in modern China. He was persecuted, beaten, jailed, finally put under an abusive house arrest. The story of how he escaped, blind and alone, is spine-curdling.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #2793 on:** July 16, 2015, 05:09:50 PM »

I've heard of this story - sounds like a book we need to read...especially today when fear messages is all we hear - to be reminded of our inner strength in more difficult conditions than most of us will ever experience. Although I am thinking if some of those unjustly imprisoned in the US started to escape I doubt we would be reading a book heralding their courage and bravery.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2794 on:** July 17, 2015, 06:12:17 AM »

Quote

am I the only one reading non-fiction?)

Nope, but my non-fiction reading lately has been slow/spotty. I took back to the library unfinished, The Big Burn. It was interesting up to a point; a little disappointing in that, although the first chapter started out with the fire, it digressed into chapters of biographical material about TR, John Muir, and Gifford Pinchot. I believe it got back to the fire in the second half of the book, but by then I lost interest.

I am also still very slowing winding my way through two non-fictions books about the Romans and the Roman Empire.

The next book on my library wish list is Flash Boys, although my interest is waning on that subject.

JoanK · « **Reply #2795 on:** July 17, 2015, 04:13:46 PM »

I knew there. were human rights violations in China, but I was really shocked at the picture he presents: a government of hooligans who do whatever they want because they can. All Guangcheng was doing was introducing law suits to try to get the government to respect the laws that were on the books. It made me realize how important the rule of law is. It seems to be popular now to make fun of the law, and idealize vigilante justice. there is plenty wrong with our legal system -- it's mired in red tape. But the alternative is horrible.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #2796 on:** July 30, 2015, 01:50:08 AM »

Our Wild Days; Creating the Good Life on SeniorLearn

When we look back on
our many fond memories of
enjoying a story
that we discuss here
on Senior Learn,
we realize
it's not so much the story
we remember,
but the feeling
of friendship and security
that it gave us.

Join us Monday August 10
when we share our memories of books read on Senior Learn

marjifay · « **Reply #2797 on:** July 31, 2015, 03:04:38 PM »

I'm reading a very interesting book by Bill O'Reilly: KILLING PATTON. O'Reilly thinks that the auto accident which killed Patton was not an accident. But that's not the reason I find the book so interesting. It's because I'm learning some things about World War 2 that I did not know. One of them is that FDR (Franklin Roosevelt) along with his helper "Wild Bill" William Donovan helped Stalin take over Eastern European countries like Poland and Hungary. FDR considered Stalin a friend and ally and had no interest in those countries that Stalin wanted. I'd never heard of Donovan, and I thought I'd heard of most of Roosevelt's cronies. But now I want to read more about this man who started the OSS and CIA and did Roosevelt's "dirty work."

It was fascinating to read of Patton's speech to his soldiers, telling them not to be afraid to die (HA!) and then to read the battle descriptions and think to myself how I would have been able to cope with what those boys had to endure. I'm just getting into the part where Hitler is planning his battle that would be known as the Battle of the Bulge, and want to read more about that. The book is well written and keeps you turning pages.

Marj

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #2798 on:** August 01, 2015, 04:54:13 AM »

Most of our everyday is filled with meals, laundry, appointments, shopping, work, paying bills, gassing up the car, mowing, weekend cleanup, church, friends, volunteering, caring for partner/family, the cat or dog - some of these activities are written in our planners but most are the ordinary responsibilities we mentally track as, the week's "to do".

Now the big question - Does anyone ever really schedule in their appointment calendar a set time to read, or write and post a chapter analysis, or does anyone schedule on a chalk board time for a Senior Learn discussion, or set an appointment for research time to find more background for the current story?

Have you ever chucked it all and read for an entire afternoon or even a day? Have you ever sat down immediately to read a new book delivered or picked up from the library? Have you, as I have, binged for a day or more, reading more than one book, eating leftovers or heating up a bowl of soup.

“Voila!” - Our "Wild Days!"

Our "Wild Days" are all the unscheduled times we read and post on SeniorLearn and the times we binge read. All the time we do not schedule in our appointment book or even our mental 'to do' track. It's our Wheee time or me time??!!?? Our "Wild Days!"

We're excited about reading your stories that will capture and celebrate our golden "Wild Days" Starting on August 10 bring your ukulele, banjo, guitar, harmonica or just hum through an old tooth comb and tissue and sing outloud around our fire of memories in the discussion Our Wild Days; Creating the Good Life on SeniorLearn.

marjifay · « **Reply #2799 on:** August 16, 2015, 09:44:43 AM »

I'm reading a fascinating book: THE LONGEST DAY by Cornelius Ryan. Excellent writing about World War II. Somehow I missed the movie, but am now going to have to watch it. The book (and I guess also the movie) tells the story about D-Day from both the Allied and the German sides.

News:

Author Topic: Non-Fiction (Read 419592 times)