What book is everyone reading at the moment?

[Moliere]

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
by Jack Weatherford

This has been an interesting book so far. Everyone knows the name, but how many people know just what he accomplished in his lifetime? How many people realize the revolutionary changes he implemented in the steppe social structure, the art of war and creating a bridge between the east and west?

State Of Fear
by Michael Crichton
I'm listening to this on CD. I wanted to hear the environmental arguments.

 

[Charlie Monoxide]

The Investigation by Stanislaw Lem

I've read it a few times before, but could never understand it. Am I doomed to reading it over and over again?

I read this last year. I hate books that end with no resolution. Still, it was a gripping read till the end. Maybe I was missing some pages.

Charlie (Lem me tell ya) Monoxide

 

[hgc]

I read this last year. I hate books that end with no resolution. Still, it was a gripping read till the end. Maybe I was missing some pages.

Charlie (Lem me tell ya) Monoxide

Oh, so I guess you are also not going to explain it to me.

 

[epepke]

Excelsior, You Fathead!

 

[Cleopatra]

A friend from this forum sent my the history of one of the most famous chess automatons; The Turk.

Two years before his death, my grandpa bought in a auction of Christies one of the few replicas that exist. It's in the attic right now

So the book.

The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous Eighteenth-Century Chess-Playing Machine by Tom Standage.

The books reminded me of "Fermat's Enigma" and "The Professor and the Madman". The whole story unfolds like a plot in a mystery novel while the reader learns things about inventions, the perception of artificial intelligence during 18th ce and of course the whole school of automatons.

Last night as I was reading the chapters selectively( since I know the story and I have studies a couple of the games that The Turk has played) I was thinking that people back then might have been unwilling to accept that a human created the perfect artificial intelligence but they were more open to paranormal theories. It seems that we don't rrust much our race or we are envious enough to admit that another human created something equally perfect with us humans.

Interestingly I was never amazed by The Turk. My grandfather though who was a scientist and a pioneer in medicine was fascinated by this automaton. The story of Turk was one of his favorite tales when he was trying to seduce younger people and hook them in the charms of chess.

Of course my friend didn't know all these and this is what makes this book so special.

 

[Cleopatra]

Awwww I have just received a furious message for my suggesting that I wasn't impressed by the automaton as a kid!

I need to apologize. I like machines and I adore gadgets but everytime I play with a machine or a gadget there is only one thought in my mind " What sort of brain created that? Where does it differ from my brain?"

Machines make me dream of the people that they have created them. For example what one can say about Kempelen who took the challenge to create something that would proof the Austrian intelligence!

 

[treble_head]

Blue Belle by Andrew Vachss. Andrew Vachss is a lawyer who takes on child abuse cases for free and makes his living writing books. If there's anyone who know's what it's like to see the heart of evil, it is he. I would check out www.vachss.com. He is an amazing man and a person who, I feel, bests Mr. Randi for bettering humanity. Say what you will, but please check out the website before deriding my post.

 

[tim]

Blue Belle by Andrew Vachss. Andrew Vachss is a lawyer who takes on child abuse cases for free and makes his living writing books. If there's anyone who know's what it's like to see the heart of evil, it is he. I would check out www.vachss.com. He is an amazing man and a person who, I feel, bests Mr. Randi for bettering humanity. Say what you will, but please check out the website before deriding my post.

I don't think it's a competition, treble_head. You can't compare the two. Randi works in his field, Mr Vachss in his. Both do great work, valuable work.
Thank you for pointing out Mr Vachss' books - I'll make a point of reading some of his work.

 

[treble_head]

I don't think it's a competition, treble_head. You can't compare the two. Randi works in his field, Mr Vachss in his. Both do great work, valuable work.
Thank you for pointing out Mr Vachss' books - I'll make a point of reading some of his work.

Oh, dear good god, I never meant to imply some sort of competition betwixt the two. I was merely trying to play up the importance of Andrew Vachss in my life. The more people who read his work, I feel the better we can be. I do not put anyone over anyone as far as importance. I only was trying to get people interested in Vachss' work. If anyone would like to borrow one of his books from me, I would be willing, postage aside.

I apologise if I made my post seem like Randi vs. Vachss.

 

[tim]

Oh, dear good god, I never meant to imply some sort of competition betwixt the two. I was merely trying to play up the importance of Andrew Vachss in my life. The more people who read his work, I feel the better we can be. I do not put anyone over anyone as far as importance. I only was trying to get people interested in Vachss' work. If anyone would like to borrow one of his books from me, I would be willing, postage aside.

I apologise if I made my post seem like Randi vs. Vachss.

No problem! Truly good people are rare, and Mr Vachss seems to be one of them!

 

[Foofer]

I just started "Ulysses" by Joyce.

 

[tim]

I just started "Ulysses" by Joyce.

Good luck to you! I never got past page 50.

 

[hgc]

The Dew Breaker by Edwinge Dandicat

 

[duckhook]

Has anyone read James Clavell's "Shogun"? It was recommended by someone (whose literary tastes I prety much trust) as "one of the greatest books ever". But he's a history geek and sometimes goes for really dry boring crap that nobody else cares about. Any thoughts on "Shogun"?

If you like "Shogun", try "Tai-Pan", which I enjoyed much more.

 

[Foofer]

Good luck to you! I never got past page 50.

Uh oh...I keep hearing that

 

[Bikewer]

Had the opposite reaction; Shogun was great, Tai-Pan I couldn't get into.

No problem with dry history, there's more action, subplots, and intrigues than you can shake a stick at.

 

[hgc]

If you like "Shogun", try "Tai-Pan", which I enjoyed much more.

I really liked Noble House, sequel to Tai-pan. The spy stuff in it is some of the best spy novel fun I've ever had.

 

[Giz]

I really liked Noble House, sequel to Tai-pan. The spy stuff in it is some of the best spy novel fun I've ever had.

Seconded, (though I liked all of Clavell's books, Noble House and Shogun were the best). What I remember about Noble House is the feeling - building steadily through the book - that the main characters did not have charmed lives, you were genuinely relieved when someone didn't come to a sticky end.

 

[LW]

Haven't been posting on this thread for a while, but I just finished a book that is so weird that I have to write about it:

Chad Ross, Naked Germany, Health, Race and the Nation.

This is a book on the history of German nudism in early 20th century (up to WWII).

Before I picked up the book, I believed that nudists were simply folk who wanted to go around without clothes.

Boy, was I wrong.

The book gives an overview on the nudist ideology that was a confusing mismash of pseudoscience (how nudism and homeopathy will cure all diseases, including masturbation), quest for reforming society (by being naked), eugenics (when everybody are naked, only the beautiful can find mates so the ugly genes are weeded out), misogyny, and anti-semitism.

Then the history section contains stuff like how Nazis prohibited nudism as dangerous degeneracy and encouraged it for racial improvement. At the same time. And as an extra bonus the Gestapo believed that nudists were communists in disguise.

Seriously weird stuff, I have to say.

 

[Foofer]

Good luck to you! I never got past page 50.

Well, I'm now at page 80 and I'm loving it. I can totally see why not everyone would like it, though.