Official Book Thread - What You're Reading & Everything Book Related (merged)

#578
#578
Just finished One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Here's my review:


One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Two-Stars

I would like to take this moment to state that I am enamored with the way Gabriel Garcia Marquez writes. One Hundred Years of Solitude is the third book by Marquez that I have read. The first Marquez book I picked up was Love in the Time of Cholera and I was blown away by the story and the remarkable and beautiful prose. Next, I picked up a small novel of Marquez's, Memories of My Melancholy Whores, and once again walked away delighted. I found that Marquez had a very unique ability to create emotional ties to the characters in his stories. I also found that I was reveling in the joys of those characters, as well as suffering their grief. Unfortunately, in One Hundred Years of Solitude, I never made those emotional connections.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a novel that is ostensibly about a family, the Beundias, and the lot they drew which apparently leads to eternal suffering and misery for everyone in the family. As compelling as that theme should be, I found that deep down, the story was simply about a town, Macondo and the suffering is tangential and always on the periphery.

Marquez does tell the reader that the characters are suffering, and he does so with vivid language:

The need to feel sad was becoming a vice as the years eroded her...

He could not understand why he had needed so many words to explain what he felt in war because one was enough: fear...

Rebeca, who had needed many years of suffering and misery in order to attain the privileges of solitude...

These are all beautiful descriptions of grief and torment; however, over the course of the novel, each set of characters is replaced about every thirty pages. No relationships or attachments are formed between the reader and the character. So, while I can see the pain and suffering, I can read the eloquent descriptions, I could not feel the emotion.

The disconnect I felt while reading One Hundred Years of Solitude made finishing the novel a chore. The disconnect, along with frustration, grew with the passing of each set of characters. I found myself not really caring how Marquez wrapped up the end of the book, as long as the book ended. Therefore, I found the story had no climax, no central moment, no real theme other than "suffering exists".

I was once told that if you have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything at all. Well, I may have broken that rule, but, I will stop here so that I avoid digressing and letting my frustration show anymore than I already have.

More reviews and suggestions
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#579
#579
I'm just passing my time reading some sci fi short stories from the 1930's-1940's. Fun reads for me. Got Blood Meridian up and ready to go when I finish or get tired of these.
 
#583
#583
JTrainDavis said:
Sadly I haven't gotten into it, the Revolutionary one was superb.
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Didn't know he did Rev War books. I loved Gods and Generals. How a movie could screw up such a good book dumbfounds me. I have The Rising Tide (book 1 of WWII trilogy) for over a year. Just haven't read it yet.
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#584
#584
G&G was too much to squeeze into a 3 hour movie. That and it failed opposed to Turner's Gettysburg with far too much drama and not enough battle related to make the length bearable. Plus the character representations were pretty bad.
 
#586
#586
JTrainDavis said:
G&G was too much to squeeze into a 3 hour movie. That and it failed opposed to Turner's Gettysburg with far too much drama and not enough battle related to make the length bearable. Plus the character representations were pretty bad.
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Yes. Left out way too much. And where did all the lengthy Shakespearic dialogue come from? I was very disappointed. If you like to visit historic places, Lexington, VA is really cool where they filmed. VMI campus& museum, Lee and Jackson tombs, Washington& Lee college, Jackson's home. A really neat place if you are inclined to such places.

If you are a Stonewall Jackson fan, the biography by James I. Robertson (despite being a hokie professor) reads like a novel. I highly recommend it. Long but engrossing.
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#587
#587
Reading Thus Spake Zarathustra by Nietzsche.

I recently read Lasher by Anne Rice.
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#588
#588
You people make me bump this old thread up. Read more!

Just got through with a few of Robert Heinlein's books and am onto his most popular book "Stranger in a Strange Land" - "The Greatest Science Fiction Novel Ever Written!" Haha, I love advertisements on the cover of books. The story is starting off way better than expected. Progresses well, has bits of great humor, is unique in that it provokes thought, and most of all, it's a damn entertaining read thus far.
 
#589
#589
Volunteer_Kirby said:
You people make me bump this old thread up. Read more!

Just got through with a few of Robert Heinlein's books and am onto his most popular book "Stranger in a Strange Land" - "The Greatest Science Fiction Novel Ever Written!" Haha, I love advertisements on the cover of books. The story is starting off way better than expected. Progresses well, has bits of great humor, is unique in that it provokes thought, and most of all, it's a damn entertaining read thus far.
Click to expand...

Working on three book reviews, Kirby. I should have them up by Monday evening.

Just started Decision Points and Warranted Christian Beliefs.
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#592
#592
Known and Unknown: A Memoir by Donald Rumsfeld
3-Stars
Reports that say something hasn't happened are always interesting to me because as we know, there are known knowns: there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns: that is to say we know there are some things [we know] we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult one.

When I picked up Donald Rumsfeld's book I did not know what I was getting into. I figured that at best, Rumsfeld would offer insight to his time as Secretary Defense, accept blame for some of the mistakes that were made over his tenure while offering hypothetical and historical "what-ifs", and, at worst, simply show himself to be an apologist for the Bush administration and lay blame for elsewhere. Having finished the book, I find that Rumsfeld offered incredible insight into the workings of the Federal Government over the past sixty years, yet failed to take personal responsibility or hold himself accountable for any of the mistakes that the government has made throughout that epoch.

Rumsfeld grew up in Chicago and was offered an "academic" scholarship to Princeton for his wrestling prowess (Ivy League institutions do not award athletic scholarships; I have known more than one person with subpar grades, yet above average athletic talent, who have received "academic" scholarships to these institutions). In order to support himself and bolster his spending money in college, Rumsfeld joined the Naval ROTC program and upon graduation he was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy. Rumsfeld went to flight school. At some point during his training, Rumsfeld was requested by the Navy to try out for the US National Wrestling team. While working out, Rumsfeld injured himself and was medically discharged from the Navy. Shortly thereafter, he returned to Chicago with his wife and began his life in politics.

Rumsfeld's political life really began during the LBJ administration and the Vietnam War. Surprisingly, Rumsfeld, who would later be seen as a "hawk", was against the war effort and stated this to LBJ.

I thought it was easy for the administration to order the American military, largely made up of draftees, to Vietnam, but it was a vastly more difficult task to marshal diplomatic or economic experts who could help the Vietnamese develop the capabilities they needed to be able to sustain themselves.

By increasing American troop levels still further in the country, we were increasing the number of targets, which would lead to more casualties and further undermine support for the war at home. The U.S. approach seemed to be playing into the hands of the enemy.

Of course, for the reader today, one could simply interpret that as an idealized, revisionist history offered by Rumsfeld to display that he was on the correct side of history. However, the following exchange occurred on February 25, 1966:

"So, my question is: Why are the Viet Cong not convinced of our national will?" I asked. "In what ways have we failed to convince them of this determination, and what is being done, or can be done, to convince them?"
"I'll tell ya what'll convince 'em!" LBJ almost shouted. "More of the same like we've been given 'em!"
"Like the bombing pause?" I asked skeptically.
"For the past thirty days, we've stepped up bombing!" Johnson raged. "The Reds have seen twenty thousand casualties!"
"Well, Mr. President, if we have been doing this since the conclusion of the pause," I continued, "is there any hint or indication that we are, in fact, being successful in convincing them? Is the message getting through?"
"No," he eventually conceded, "there isn't."

Rumsfeld went on to be Secretary of Defense for two Presidents, Ford and George W. Bush, and, ultimately, he has been blamed for the failures that occurred in Iraq; however, Rumsfeld does a great job in demonstrating the responsibilities of the Federal Government and the functions of specific Departments with regard to the two biggest issues during the Bush administration: Iraq and Hurricane Katrina.

As regards the perceived failures in Iraq, Rumsfeld makes the compelling case that the failures ultimately fall on the shoulders of the State Department. The Department of Defense is charged with the task of building and maintaining a military capable of defeating enemies in combat. The U.S. military decisively defeated the Iraqi military in March and April of 2003 and, under martial law, controlled the civilian population in the following months. The State Department is in charge of nation-building and diplomacy. When Paul Bremer took over the CPA in Iraq, he instituted deBaathification, effectively disintegrating all municipal functions in Iraq, to include policing and utilities management. The leaders of the insurgency paid previously employed people who were now legally barred from working, to carry out the majority of their attacks and cause the violent instability that reigned in Iraq through 2006.

With regard to Hurricane Katrina, I will defer to Rumsfeld's own words:

Tropical storm Katrina intensified to a category 5 hurricane on August 28, 2005, while it was still several hundred miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. Expecting landfall in the next forty-eight hours, the new NORTHCOM commander, Admiral Tim Keating, began issuing orders and alerts to military units across the United States. He deployed an advance headquarters to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and created a staging area for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

Governor Kathleen Blanco was reluctant to relinquish command of the thousands of National Guardsmen in her state, as President Bush had urged her to do. Her actions led to an unnecessary delay in the crucial early hours over the issue of who could organize and direct the Guardsmen. In light of Governor Blanco's unwillingness to cede control of the National Guard, President Bush was faced with two difficult choices: first, whether to federalize the Guardsmen, which would take away Blanco's authority over them, and, second, whether to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would suspend posse comitatus - the longstanding American law that bars federal military forces from conducting law and order missions on U.S. soil.
Until I read this account, I was unaware of the Federal restrictions regarding intervention; yet, Rumsfeld makes the case that, with over 40,000 troops on hand and ready to respond, it was the State of Louisiana who fumbled, causing unnecessary suffering and grief for those people who needed to be rescued in the wake of the hurricane.

Throughout his account, Rumsfeld does a decent job explaining the litigious tightrope and balancing act that had to be maintained throughout every facet of the Federal Government. In conclusion, while I do not think this was the best account, given the avoids taking personal responsibility, that Rumsfeld could have given regarding his time as a Federal Official, I do think it was a good account and one definitely worth reading.
 
#597
#597
therealUT said:
The Second World War...and, it is apparently six volumes.

I bought the first three at a hole in the wall, used book store in Victoria. They were fantastic.
Click to expand...

Just read about them on amazon......those will be bought.

I've always had a infatuation with WW2 since I was a kid, but I've never just dove into it. Don't know why.
 
#598
#598
therealUT said:
Known and Unknown: A Memoir by Donald Rumsfeld
3-Stars
Reports that say something hasn't happened are always interesting to me because as we know, there are known knowns: there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns: that is to say we know there are some things [we know] we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult one.

When I picked up Donald Rumsfeld's book I did not know what I was getting into. I figured that at best, Rumsfeld would offer insight to his time as Secretary Defense, accept blame for some of the mistakes that were made over his tenure while offering hypothetical and historical "what-ifs", and, at worst, simply show himself to be an apologist for the Bush administration and lay blame for elsewhere. Having finished the book, I find that Rumsfeld offered incredible insight into the workings of the Federal Government over the past sixty years, yet failed to take personal responsibility or hold himself accountable for any of the mistakes that the government has made throughout that epoch.

Rumsfeld grew up in Chicago and was offered an "academic" scholarship to Princeton for his wrestling prowess (Ivy League institutions do not award athletic scholarships; I have known more than one person with subpar grades, yet above average athletic talent, who have received "academic" scholarships to these institutions). In order to support himself and bolster his spending money in college, Rumsfeld joined the Naval ROTC program and upon graduation he was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy. Rumsfeld went to flight school. At some point during his training, Rumsfeld was requested by the Navy to try out for the US National Wrestling team. While working out, Rumsfeld injured himself and was medically discharged from the Navy. Shortly thereafter, he returned to Chicago with his wife and began his life in politics.

Rumsfeld's political life really began during the LBJ administration and the Vietnam War. Surprisingly, Rumsfeld, who would later be seen as a "hawk", was against the war effort and stated this to LBJ.

I thought it was easy for the administration to order the American military, largely made up of draftees, to Vietnam, but it was a vastly more difficult task to marshal diplomatic or economic experts who could help the Vietnamese develop the capabilities they needed to be able to sustain themselves.

By increasing American troop levels still further in the country, we were increasing the number of targets, which would lead to more casualties and further undermine support for the war at home. The U.S. approach seemed to be playing into the hands of the enemy.

Of course, for the reader today, one could simply interpret that as an idealized, revisionist history offered by Rumsfeld to display that he was on the correct side of history. However, the following exchange occurred on February 25, 1966:

"So, my question is: Why are the Viet Cong not convinced of our national will?" I asked. "In what ways have we failed to convince them of this determination, and what is being done, or can be done, to convince them?"
"I'll tell ya what'll convince 'em!" LBJ almost shouted. "More of the same like we've been given 'em!"
"Like the bombing pause?" I asked skeptically.
"For the past thirty days, we've stepped up bombing!" Johnson raged. "The Reds have seen twenty thousand casualties!"
"Well, Mr. President, if we have been doing this since the conclusion of the pause," I continued, "is there any hint or indication that we are, in fact, being successful in convincing them? Is the message getting through?"
"No," he eventually conceded, "there isn't."

Rumsfeld went on to be Secretary of Defense for two Presidents, Ford and George W. Bush, and, ultimately, he has been blamed for the failures that occurred in Iraq; however, Rumsfeld does a great job in demonstrating the responsibilities of the Federal Government and the functions of specific Departments with regard to the two biggest issues during the Bush administration: Iraq and Hurricane Katrina.

As regards the perceived failures in Iraq, Rumsfeld makes the compelling case that the failures ultimately fall on the shoulders of the State Department. The Department of Defense is charged with the task of building and maintaining a military capable of defeating enemies in combat. The U.S. military decisively defeated the Iraqi military in March and April of 2003 and, under martial law, controlled the civilian population in the following months. The State Department is in charge of nation-building and diplomacy. When Paul Bremer took over the CPA in Iraq, he instituted deBaathification, effectively disintegrating all municipal functions in Iraq, to include policing and utilities management. The leaders of the insurgency paid previously employed people who were now legally barred from working, to carry out the majority of their attacks and cause the violent instability that reigned in Iraq through 2006.

With regard to Hurricane Katrina, I will defer to Rumsfeld's own words:

Tropical storm Katrina intensified to a category 5 hurricane on August 28, 2005, while it was still several hundred miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. Expecting landfall in the next forty-eight hours, the new NORTHCOM commander, Admiral Tim Keating, began issuing orders and alerts to military units across the United States. He deployed an advance headquarters to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and created a staging area for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

Governor Kathleen Blanco was reluctant to relinquish command of the thousands of National Guardsmen in her state, as President Bush had urged her to do. Her actions led to an unnecessary delay in the crucial early hours over the issue of who could organize and direct the Guardsmen. In light of Governor Blanco's unwillingness to cede control of the National Guard, President Bush was faced with two difficult choices: first, whether to federalize the Guardsmen, which would take away Blanco's authority over them, and, second, whether to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would suspend posse comitatus - the longstanding American law that bars federal military forces from conducting law and order missions on U.S. soil.
Until I read this account, I was unaware of the Federal restrictions regarding intervention; yet, Rumsfeld makes the case that, with over 40,000 troops on hand and ready to respond, it was the State of Louisiana who fumbled, causing unnecessary suffering and grief for those people who needed to be rescued in the wake of the hurricane.

Throughout his account, Rumsfeld does a decent job explaining the litigious tightrope and balancing act that had to be maintained throughout every facet of the Federal Government. In conclusion, while I do not think this was the best account, given the avoids taking personal responsibility, that Rumsfeld could have given regarding his time as a Federal Official, I do think it was a good account and one definitely worth reading.
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Great review.
 
#599
#599
tigervol9802 said:
Just read about them on amazon......those will be bought.

I've always had a infatuation with WW2 since I was a kid, but I've never just dove into it. Don't know why.
Click to expand...

Have you read Once an Eagle? It is an historical fiction novel. The personalities of the main characters, Sam Damon and Courtney Massengale are loosely based on MacArthur and Eisenhower, respectively.

While the book does not delve into specific details regarding World War II, it is a great read into different leadership styles; it has been at the top of the Army Chief of Staff's recommended reading list for Junior Officers at least a decade.
 
#600
#600
therealUT said:
Have you read Once an Eagle? It is an historical fiction novel. The personalities of the main characters, Sam Damon and Courtney Massengale are loosely based on MacArthur and Eisenhower, respectively.

While the book does not delve into specific details regarding World War II, it is a great read into different leadership styles; it has been at the top of the Army Chief of Staff's recommended reading list for Junior Officers at least a decade.
Click to expand...

Have not. Most of my reading is theolgoical, business oriented, or biographies. Starting to throw in a bit of historical as well with it.
 
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