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Read Anything Good Lately?

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vikkyvik 30 Dec 13, 23:35Post
JeffSFO wrote:I'm currently reading First Light by Richard Preston, written in the 1980s about the hunt for quasars. The techniques used back then that were cutting edge pale in comparison to what's available now, though still very impressive.


In a similar vein, while at my parents' house over Christmas, I read Big Bang by Simon Singh. Quite good - a very succinct primer on the history of....um.....the Big Bang theory.

Dammit.

That show is terrible. I apologize.

Seriously though, the book is worth a read.
JeffSFO (Photo Quality Screener & Founding Member) 31 Dec 13, 00:16Post
miamiair wrote:Damn good read.

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Gets into the 777 development and out of the box ETOPS. How Airbus tried to screw Boeing at every turn... The "residual value" of some Airbii... How Airbus got IB to buy the A340...

Half way through it.

And if anybody is interested in a primer for ETOPS, click here.


Just downloaded it. For anyone interested the Kindle version is $6.95 compared to $15.26 for the paperback version:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Boeing-Defied-Airbus-Challenge/dp/1450501133
halls120 (Plank Owner) 31 Dec 13, 00:47Post
The Roberts Court by Marcia Coyle. Every once in awhile, I don't read fiction. {blush}
At home in the PNW and loving it
Boris (Founding Member) 31 Dec 13, 03:34Post
The latest by Michael Connelly. This is a Mickey Haller story.

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Not his best, but it keeps you turning the pages... {thumbsup}
The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers...
miamiair (netAirspace FAA) 07 Aug 14, 20:22Post
I am sure this book could have had more details, but it was a quick read. Picked it up at the Air & Space Museum a week ago.

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And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
Fumanchewd 12 Aug 14, 04:35Post
My girlfriend is all into the Giver series and can't stop talking about it. She's trying to force me into reading the first one.
"Give us a kiss, big tits."
miamiair (netAirspace FAA) 17 Feb 15, 09:39Post
I am looking forward to this:


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Amazon Link
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
vikkyvik 23 Feb 15, 22:45Post
Aided by my girlfriend giving me a Kindle Fire for Christmas, I've been doing lots of reading lately:

The Godfather - good book, very interesting to note the differences in the characters from the movie(s), and the characters and scenes which weren't included in the movie. In some ways I think I like the movie better though, which is unusual. I certainly find Vito Corleone a more sympathetic character in the movie, which I think helps to accentuate the differences between him and Michael Corleone.

Prince of Thieves - the book on which The Town is based. Good book, different ending than the movie.

Heart of Darkness - being a huge Apocalypse Now fan, I was quite interested to read this. Unfortunately, I didn't like it that much.

The Red Badge of Courage - pretty good. Still mulling it over a bit.

And currently reading Dracula. Quite good so far.
JeffSFO (Photo Quality Screener & Founding Member) 24 Feb 15, 07:31Post
vikkyvik wrote:The Godfather - good book, very interesting to note the differences in the characters from the movie(s), and the characters and scenes which weren't included in the movie. In some ways I think I like the movie better though, which is unusual. I certainly find Vito Corleone a more sympathetic character in the movie, which I think helps to accentuate the differences between him and Michael Corleone.

Very good book, IMO. Read it back in college almost 25 years ago during a Christmas break. Vik, your point of view is really interesting to me because I have the opposite view in that I found Vito Corleone to be more sympathetic in the book and certainly much more of a well-rounded character (and he gets more time in the book than he does on screen). Also, I liked the book more than the film (although the film is great). Anyway, this is subjective territory but it's fun to compare notes.
vikkyvik wrote:Heart of Darkness - being a huge Apocalypse Now fan, I was quite interested to read this. Unfortunately, I didn't like it that much.


Yeah, that one's a tough allegorical slog full of grim symbolism and imagery. Definitely not good for light reading before bed. {crazy}

- - -

I've been reading Atomic Awakening about the history of nuclear power by Dr. James Mahaffey, nuclear scientist and engineer. Instead of being dry and technical, it's an entertaining overview of the history of nuclear energy from how uranium is produced by supernovae, to a description of the first nuclear reactor on Earth forming naturally 1.7 billion years ago in what is now Africa, to the history of modern chemistry and electricity production. It's also funny as Mahaffey pokes fun at various absurdities and situations:

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Fumanchewd 10 Mar 15, 08:44Post
Not read lately but.........

I was thinking about the two books by Robert Graves, I, Caludius and Claudius the God. I read them a few decades ago and liked them quite a bit.

I barely remember someone watching the I, Claudius series when I was a kid...I think it was Masterpiece Theater. Was it decent or would I prefer to go get a leeching instead?
"Give us a kiss, big tits."
vikkyvik 10 Mar 15, 15:41Post
Sorry Jeff, forgot to get back to this discussion.

JeffSFO wrote:Very good book, IMO. Read it back in college almost 25 years ago during a Christmas break. Vik, your point of view is really interesting to me because I have the opposite view in that I found Vito Corleone to be more sympathetic in the book and certainly much more of a well-rounded character (and he gets more time in the book than he does on screen). Also, I liked the book more than the film (although the film is great). Anyway, this is subjective territory but it's fun to compare notes.


So in the movie, I get the dominant feeling that Vito Corleone is just a regular poor immigrant from Sicily, just trying to support his family and do some good for people (and if some other people have to get screwed or killed, well, they probably were dicks anyway). I get the feeling he's really a decent guy. Just for example, in the movie when he's talking to Michael, he says approximately "I never wanted this for you..." He doesn't say that anywhere in the book, if I remember correctly. Then in the book, when Connie is asking him why he never hit his wife, he says "she never gave me reason to". I can't imagine the film Vito Corleone saying that, or actually hitting his wife for any reason.

Those are just a couple examples. In general, both book and film show his sympathetic side, but I find the book plays up his ruthless side more than the movie.

JeffSFO wrote:Yeah, that one's a tough allegorical slog full of grim symbolism and imagery. Definitely not good for light reading before bed.


I have no objection to heavy reading before bed. :)) It's certainly possible that I didn't get all the allegories and such, but then again, I'm not sure if that's my fault or the author's fault.

Overall, it was just incredibly anticlimactic.

In current reading news, Dracula is proving to be a MUCH longer read than I anticipated. Been reading it for over two weeks, and I'm not even halfway through. It's starting to get repetitive, but we'll see.
miamiair (netAirspace FAA) 12 Mar 15, 10:31Post
JeffSFO wrote:I've been reading Atomic Awakening about the history of nuclear power by Dr. James Mahaffey, nuclear scientist and engineer. Instead of being dry and technical, it's an entertaining overview of the history of nuclear energy from how uranium is produced by supernovae, to a description of the first nuclear reactor on Earth forming naturally 1.7 billion years ago in what is now Africa, to the history of modern chemistry and electricity production. It's also funny as Mahaffey pokes fun at various absurdities and situations:

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It is a very good read, especially with some of the details of the US WW2 atomic weapons program. {thumbsup} {thumbsup} {thumbsup} {thumbsup} {thumbsup}
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
Mark 13 Mar 15, 18:14Post
I'm re-certing in critical care. I'm reading this at the moment.

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Commercial aircraft flown in: B712 B722 B732 B734 B737 B738 B741 B742 B744 B752 B753 B762 B772 A310 A318 A319 A320 A321 DC91 DC93 DC94 DC1030 DC1040 F100 MD82 MD83 A223 CR2 CR7 E175
JeffSFO (Photo Quality Screener & Founding Member) 13 Mar 15, 20:40Post
vikkyvik wrote:So in the movie, I get the dominant feeling that Vito Corleone is just a regular poor immigrant from Sicily, just trying to support his family and do some good for people (and if some other people have to get screwed or killed, well, they probably were dicks anyway). I get the feeling he's really a decent guy. Just for example, in the movie when he's talking to Michael, he says approximately "I never wanted this for you..." He doesn't say that anywhere in the book, if I remember correctly. Then in the book, when Connie is asking him why he never hit his wife, he says "she never gave me reason to". I can't imagine the film Vito Corleone saying that, or actually hitting his wife for any reason.

Those are just a couple examples. In general, both book and film show his sympathetic side, but I find the book plays up his ruthless side more than the movie.


No worries, Vik.

For me, what stood out about Vito in the book is that he started down his criminal path almost by accident when trying to take care of his family in a corrupt and exploitive environment so it's ultimately ironic that he ended up co-opting what he was up against. However, he still loved his family and wanted good things for them (education, legitimacy, etc.).

And even though Vito was a crook he still had a code of ethics. When Johnny Fontane came crying to him about the studio executive, Vito asked if the man was one of integrity or if he was just being petty. His stance on integrity continues throughout the book (although that horse may disagree). {duck}

Anyway, it's been 25 years since I read it so it's entirely possible that I'd have a different point of view if I read it again.


miamiair wrote:
JeffSFO wrote:
I've been reading Atomic Awakening about the history of nuclear power by Dr. James Mahaffey, nuclear scientist and engineer. Instead of being dry and technical, it's an entertaining overview of the history of nuclear energy from how uranium is produced by supernovae, to a description of the first nuclear reactor on Earth forming naturally 1.7 billion years ago in what is now Africa, to the history of modern chemistry and electricity production. It's also funny as Mahaffey pokes fun at various absurdities and situations:

It is a very good read, especially with some of the details of the US WW2 atomic weapons program. {thumbsup} {thumbsup} {thumbsup} {thumbsup} {thumbsup}


Looking forward to that part.

Mahaffey's latest book, Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima, is a great read, too.

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Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 03 May 16, 04:32Post
Waiting to here something from Vik.
vikkyvik 03 May 16, 04:33Post
Lucas wrote:Waiting to here something from Vik.


Uh, books and stuff.
Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 03 May 16, 05:00Post
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Something ain't right with that boy!
vikkyvik 04 May 16, 03:23Post
So I recently finished reading 2010 by Arthur Clarke.

Absolutely fantastic sequel to 2001 (the book and movie). If you like 2001, definitely read it.
Fumanchewd 01 Aug 16, 11:56Post
I've been buying interesting books on ebay recently. I just picked up this signed book on the He 100 about a month ago. It was a very interesting read, I hadn't realized that the He 100 was that much of a superior fighter to the Bf109 nor did I know about the steam cooling system. I might start a thread about the plane.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Author-Signed-H ... true&rt=nc

I also just bought this interesting book on Gdansk/Danzig made in 1939 right after the Free City of Danzig was dismantled by the Nazi's. The Germans made this book with the very subtle title of Danzig ist Deutsch. :o {laugh} I have always thought the city was extremely interesting because of the history, the shared cultures of Poland and Germany, and being a fan of Gunter Grass also helps. The seller is in Germany and was asking way too much so I emailed him off of ebay and cut the price quite a bit. A pictorial book published in 1939 after WWI, after Danzig/Gdansk became a separate state administered by the League of Nations, right after the majority German population took the city back from the Poles, and this was the year the Nazi's forcibly abolished the free state making Danzig German again. No doubt Westerplatte was shelled right before(?)this book was published essentially starting WWII. This is the same year and place where the first WWII exodus Jews left for Palestine/Israel. This is just a few years before much of the city was destroyed by allied bombing.

The book is an amazing snapshot of a very dynamic and singular moment in time.

Check out the pictures....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/German-Book-on- ... 7675.l2557

I am not a Nazi or WWII memorabilia collector and don't focus entirely on history but when cool things come up on ebay....
"Give us a kiss, big tits."
Fumanchewd 15 Aug 16, 23:17Post
Anyone ever bother to read Proust's monstrosity? I envision it to be a long and boring French romance novel so have avoided it. But.....its one of the most praised books among literary types and I tend to appreciate those types of books. I loathed reading Ulysses because I thought it pretentious ....the first time I read it was in the sweltering summer heat in tent city and it blew me away. Proust is a serious investment of time though.. .
"Give us a kiss, big tits."
Fumanchewd 13 Oct 16, 18:04Post
I just picked up a book on Sikorsky supposedly signed by Sikorsky himself. I've read more comprehensive books on him and this one is kind of thin on material, so I'll probably just add it to the collection without reading it.

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"Give us a kiss, big tits."
Fumanchewd 15 Nov 16, 01:16Post
There is an interesting looking new TU160 book that was released this month if anyone is interested. Its a little pricey though.

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https://www.amazon.com/Tupolev-Tu%E2%80 ... _i=desktop
"Give us a kiss, big tits."
 

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