Re-reading the whole lot of Harry Turtledove alternate history stuff that starts with this:


Really neat stuff if you want to wade through eleven books of fake-histortical fiction. I read them originally as they came out, so reading them in the course of a few weeks vs. a decade I'm catching things I missed. It begins with the Confederacy having won the Civil War in 1863 and progresses from there, the USA and CSA remaining mortal enemies through the Second World War. It's all character-centric stuff, going back and forth through multiple viewpoints vs. plot-centric a la hard sci-fi or military thriller sorta things, and the sociocultural and political stuff is interesting; they're set on an American continent very different than ours. The characters, too, are all portrayed as people, not inherently virtuous or villainous cardboard things.

And of course, among the actual historical personages who figure in, one of our very own honorary Maplitonians is as important in that world as he was in the real one:

I'm reading a Lee Child book called Killing Floor. It's ok, easy to read.

I am pretty sure that is the author my dad loves right now. Name sounds real familiar.

I am reading this up ATM:

My dad loves them as well, keeps passing them on to me after he's read them so I just take em in to work to read in between races where I actually have to do some work

It's a cookbook by Salvadore Dali.

Truly, two great tastes that go great together. That is badass.

Recommended reading for anyone on here. A quality book full of classy truefacts and fucked-up historical whatnot. Falls into the "thing I've read repeatedly to pass the time" category. Contains graphic descriptions and images of all sorts of Tasteful Things; not for the faint of heart. It's solid history, though, and isn't all just perversion and violence.

It's definitely worth your time. The description doesn't do the thing justice.

I just read this:



Very German, just the right amount of bonkers.

On a German kick, i decided to re-read this:

Continuing then, on that theme:

Chris, both your German books there sound like good times. The subject matter is totally my bag.

Currently, this:


Which is fascinating. It touches on sociobiology and the convergent evolution of patterns in human violence across cultures, and I'm only on chapter 4. I like the sociological perspective the author brings, not merely a technological or tactical one.

I have this on standby for some light reading:


I really enjoyed his Thank You For Smoking. I admit, I prefer most of my non-historical fiction humorous largely because I am a miserable, lonely bastard and don't want to be emotionally hung up on the characters.

Began and finished No Way To Treat A First Lady in the day since I posted the above. So back to Of Arms And Men. Which really isn't much longer page-count wise, but it's set in much smaller type and is the sort of thing with copious endnotes published by Oxford University Press. It's a much heavier read and not something I'm likely to burn through in a few hours. Another reason for my non-fiction fandom.

A Brief History Of Time. This book is confusing as shit.

Finished Germania, which was swell.

Now reading this: