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Read Anything Good Lately?

A forum about lifestyle: toys, gadgets, fine food, drinks and smokes.
 

halls120 (Plank Owner) 23 Jul 12, 02:53Post
Just finished "A Good Year" by Peter Mayle. Before that it was "The Litigators" by John Grisham, and I'm currently reading "Firebird" by Jack McDevitt.
At home in the PNW and loving it
GQfluffy (Database Editor & Founding Member) 30 Jul 12, 15:09Post
miamiair wrote:
GQfluffy wrote:I'm not man enough to share what I'm almost finished reading. It's a trilogy...for people a bit younger than myself. A bit dark though... {blush}


Let the missus read it. You will not be disappointed... :))



{bugeye}
Teller of no, fixer of everything, friend of the unimportant and all around good guy; the CAD Monkey
Zak (netAirspace FAA) 30 Jul 12, 15:11Post
I just got "A Short History Of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson. Anybody read that?

But I guess I will have to spend a few more hours with my books on SEO first... {bored}
Ideology: The mistaken belief that your beliefs are neither beliefs nor mistaken.
helvknight (Founding Member) 30 Jul 12, 15:40Post
I recently reread Shooting Script by Gavin Lyall. It's an old book written back in the 60s but well written.

The main protagonist is an ex services pilot (in this case RAF) barely scraping a living doing charter work out of KIN in a beat up DeHavilland Dove (a common theme in Lyall's aviation work) who gets tangled up in a revolution in the Caribbean.
Hire Engineers to drive the vision and execute a plan. Hire MBAs to shuffle the papers and work in sales. Hire Accountants to manage your staff working a viable livable wage, and never have either an Accountant or an MBA run your company. - Steve Jobs
HT-ETNW 30 Jul 12, 18:03Post
In German language:
"Expedition zu den Polen" by Steffen Möller.
An introduction for Germans to Poland, and to Polish people, and to Polish culture.
Set in a train ride from Berlin to Warsaw (Warszawa Wschodnia).
Made for a very interesting read, as it is written by a German who used to be a teacher for German language in Poland (and also had a role in a Polish (daily ?) soap for some years) and now shuttles between Berlin and Warsaw by train regularly.
-HT
Use your time wisely; remember that today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Fumanchewd 31 Jul 12, 01:52Post
HT-ETNW wrote:In German language:
"Expedition zu den Polen" by Steffen Möller.
An introduction for Germans to Poland, and to Polish people, and to Polish culture.
Set in a train ride from Berlin to Warsaw (Warszawa Wschodnia).
Made for a very interesting read, as it is written by a German who used to be a teacher for German language in Poland (and also had a role in a Polish (daily ?) soap for some years) and now shuttles between Berlin and Warsaw by train regularly.
-HT


Sounds interesting, I love the Polish people.

If anyone is interested in the history of Poland one of the best comprehensive books is God's Playground by Norman Davies. Its a two book set, but a Polish girlfriend of mine gave it to me and it is excellent.

http://books.google.com.sg/books/about/ ... edir_esc=y
"Give us a kiss, big tits."
ShyFlyer (Founding Member) 11 Oct 12, 21:55Post
ShyFlyer wrote:Finished Part 1 of Atlas Shrugged over the weekend. Aside from the fact that Ayn Rand has a fetish for the word "astonished," it's been a great read so far. It's also very eerily prophetic. {bugeye}

So I've now finished it. I had set it aside a while, but I picked it back up and have even watched the movie version.

Imagine a world in which the economy is slowly grinding to a halt. A world in which society is increasingly unwilling to face harsh realities but instead tries to focus it's efforts on making people feel better. A world where the "movers and shakers" are increasingly tasked with supporting those who decide they cannot or will not support themselves. Imagine a world where political leaders are more than willing to aid them. Now, imagine that slowly, one by one, those "movers and shakers" start to disappear.

It's quite surprising that this book was written in the 50s as it could almost be describing today's world. If you haven't read this book, it should be high on your reading list.

Ayn Rand really needs a thesaurus. She uses the word astonished way too much. I found John Galt's broadcast speech waaaaaay too long, especially by that point in the book, the reader should have a good grasp on his philosophy.

Overall, I give the book:
ImageImageImageImage
Make Orwell fiction again.
Mark 11 Oct 12, 22:24Post
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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
graphic 20 Oct 12, 19:50Post
Just started The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith. $0.99 on iBooks.
ANCFlyer (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 20 Oct 12, 20:14Post
Back in my always on a plane days I read voraciously.

Now, not so much. I have over 2000 books, and now they collect dust.

What really sucks, I have many duplicates. Probably a hundred.

Why?

Cause I'd get to the airport and discover I'd left Clancy at home and therefore purchased another of the same book. Once, four times.

{facepalm}
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!!
graphic 20 Oct 12, 20:39Post
ANCFlyer wrote:Back in my always on a plane days I read voraciously.

Now, not so much. I have over 2000 books, and now they collect dust.

What really sucks, I have many duplicates. Probably a hundred.

Why?

Cause I'd get to the airport and discover I'd left Clancy at home and therefore purchased another of the same book. Once, four times.

{facepalm}


always ebay ;)
DXing 20 Oct 12, 21:09Post
I just finished collecting my winter reading material given that I will be spending a lot of time up where flip flops and tank tops won't cut it. {mad} Bought all 9 books in the Harry Turtledove trilogies of the Great War series. I had read "How Few Remain" years ago and never realized that he followed that up. I've just finished the first book "The Great War: American Front" and am moving on to "A walk through hell". I think it would be interesting to see someone write an alternative history of the world where the ArchDuke Franz Ferndinand was not assasinated, one of the major events that precipitated the 1st World War. How then would have airplanes developed and at what pace? Artillery? Tanks? How would the world political map look today without that war and all the follow on events that are tied directly to it? Might be a good thread all on its own.

But anyway, those are the books that I have read and will be reading this winter while I contemplate once again living someplace where it snows and the women are all covered up. {sigh}
What's the point of an open door policy if inside the open door sits a closed mind?
GQfluffy (Database Editor & Founding Member) 21 Oct 12, 06:16Post
Image

The wife wants one....wants one enough we're entertaining a move. {grumpy}
Teller of no, fixer of everything, friend of the unimportant and all around good guy; the CAD Monkey
miamiair (netAirspace FAA) 13 Dec 12, 11:22Post
Tom Clancy's Threat Vector.

Hard to put down.

Image

And I bought it at Amazon... :))
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
GQfluffy (Database Editor & Founding Member) 13 Dec 12, 16:01Post
Is that part of the Jack Ryan series?
Teller of no, fixer of everything, friend of the unimportant and all around good guy; the CAD Monkey
mhodgson (ATC & Photo Quality Screener & Founding Member) 13 Dec 12, 16:02Post
Apparently - I've just bought it for my Kindle along with its predecessor. I didn't realise he'd gone back to the Ryan series.
There's the right way, the wrong way and the railway.
miamiair (netAirspace FAA) 13 Dec 12, 16:07Post
GQfluffy wrote:Is that part of the Jack Ryan series?


Yup. Good shit. Can't put it down now.
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
Boris (Founding Member) 14 Dec 12, 02:34Post
I picked this up the day it came out a few weeks ago:

Image

So I read it, then started reading all Connelly's books again in order.

I've read The Black Echo, The Black Ice, and The Concrete Blonde over the last couple weeks. I just pulled out The Last Coyote, but I haven't started it.
The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers...
halls120 (Plank Owner) 15 Dec 12, 19:01Post
Just finished Neuromancer by William Gibson and currently reading Winter Prey by John Sanford
At home in the PNW and loving it
Cadet57 17 Dec 12, 00:19Post
miamiair wrote:Tom Clancy


I used to read his books constantly right up until college and then it was textbooks from there on out. Last one I read was Red Rabbit. {vsad}

I have no idea where I need to start back up. {facepalm}
Zak (netAirspace FAA) 17 Dec 12, 00:25Post
halls120 wrote:Just finished Neuromancer by William Gibson

How did you like it? I found it rather difficult to read, but still it's one of my favorite novels. I read almost all of Gibson's books.
Ideology: The mistaken belief that your beliefs are neither beliefs nor mistaken.
Braniff747SP 18 Dec 12, 03:04Post
Today's book was Orwell's "Keep the Aspidistra Flying".

Brilliant, as to be expected.
The 747 will always be the TRUE queen of the skies!
halls120 (Plank Owner) 18 Dec 12, 03:30Post
Zak wrote:
halls120 wrote:Just finished Neuromancer by William Gibson

How did you like it? I found it rather difficult to read, but still it's one of my favorite novels. I read almost all of Gibson's books.


It was indeed difficult, but I enjoyed it, and will be reading other Gibson works as soon as I finish those books I have on deck.

Changing to a commute that is almost always the bus and Metro {mad} is giving me more reading time. :)
At home in the PNW and loving it
ANCFlyer (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 18 Dec 12, 05:20Post
miamiair wrote:Tom Clancy's Threat Vector.

Hard to put down.

Image

And I bought it at Amazon... :))


I get worried about TOM CLANCY with schmedlap in that Clancy prolly had a hand in it, such as ideas and advice, but schmedlap prolly wrote it.

I've read another series of CLANCY with douchebag and was less than enthused.

Still has to be better than reading minutes from the Last BOD meeting . . . {facepalm}
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!!
Boris (Founding Member) 18 Dec 12, 14:32Post
ANCFlyer wrote:I get worried about TOM CLANCY with schmedlap in that Clancy prolly had a hand in it, such as ideas and advice, but schmedlap prolly wrote it.

I've read another series of CLANCY with douchebag and was less than enthused.

I totally agree. I read all of Clancy's stuff the day it came out for years, but was very disappointed with the collaborative stuff, although I have read a few of them.

Cadet57 wrote:
miamiair wrote:Tom Clancy


I used to read his books constantly right up until college and then it was textbooks from there on out. Last one I read was Red Rabbit. {vsad}

I have no idea where I need to start back up. {facepalm}

If it's been a few years, start at the beginning.

I like going back years later and reading a whole series in a row. That's what I'm doing now with the Connelly stories. There are 26 novels and a few short stories written over twenty years. I'm on the fourth one.

Maybe when I finish with Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller I'll dig out Jack Ryan and read all of them again...
The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers...
 

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