books: what are you currently reading?

[Silence Dogood]

I'm rereading ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe.  And to go along with the Daniel theme, I just started THE BOOK OF DANIEL in the Old Testament this morning.  Farewell, Ezekiel: thou wast a labour indeed!

[ducktrapper]

I'm rereading ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe.  And to go along with the Daniel theme, I just started THE BOOK OF DANIEL in the Old Testament this morning.  Farewell, Ezekiel: thou wast a labour indeed!

Then there's E.L. Doctorow's The Book of Daniel.

By the way, I put " "  around normal because Duane, the Moore family and the denizens of Thalia Texas are a whacky bunch, to say the least. Which is a why a philosophical treatise involving them is so bizarrely fascinating and indicative of the times we live in. 

[Queequeg]

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
(From amazon)
"The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in twenty-five years than the Romans did in four hundred. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization. Vastly more progressive than his European or Asian counterparts, Genghis Khan abolished torture, granted universal religious freedom, and smashed feudal systems of aristocratic privilege."

[ducktrapper]

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
(From amazon)
"The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in twenty-five years than the Romans did in four hundred. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization. Vastly more progressive than his European or Asian counterparts, Genghis Khan abolished torture, granted universal religious freedom, and smashed feudal systems of aristocratic privilege."

I have that book on my shelf and have been meaning to get to it.

[Silence Dogood]

I know next to nothing about Khan. It's funny how the mention of his name conjures up mental images of rape, pillaging, and general terror.  But according to that snippet there is much more to the story.  It goes to show how the zeitgeist trains us without our knowledge.  For what it's worth, the same thing happens when Puritans, Pilgrims, et al are mentioned.  So many people and groups don't even get a fair shot.  Facts be damned!

[Queequeg]

I know next to nothing about Khan. It's funny how the mention of his name conjures up mental images of rape, pillaging, and general terror.  But according to that snippet there is much more to the story.  It goes to show how the zeitgeist trains us without our knowledge.  For what it's worth, the same thing happens when Puritans, Pilgrims, et al are mentioned.  So many people and groups don't even get a fair shot.  Facts be damned!

He was no alter boy.
His troops did not just conquer people; they destroyed the way people lived and impacted every aspect of their life. This reputation often preceded them, causing many cities and armies to surrender without a fight, rather than face the Mongols' wrath.

[ducktrapper]

He was no alter boy.
His troops did not just conquer people; they destroyed the way people lived and impacted every aspect of their life. This reputation often preceded them, causing many cities and armies to surrender without a fight, rather than face the Mongols' wrath.

Yeah, I don't think altar boys ride in "hordes". He was ruthless to his enemies.   

[teh]

My friend just gave me John Prine's biography. It will be a great read.

[ducktrapper]

My friend just gave me John Prine's biography. It will be a great read.

If it's the one by Eddie Huffman, I have to say I was a little disappointed in it. It seemed to contain a lot of the author's biases and not a lot of deep insight. Let us know what you think.   

[JOYCEfromNS]

If it's the one by Eddie Huffman, I have to say I was a little disappointed in it. It seemed to contain a lot of the author's biases and not a lot of deep insight. Let us know what you think.   

Is there one on Prine you might recommend?

[ducktrapper]

Is there one on Prine you might recommend?

Not really. A friend lent me that one. I've read better biographies. It seemed to me the author was putting too much of himself into the story. There's a long interview on Youtube that likely tells you as much as this book, with John telling the tale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jar8wiaE0dw

[JOYCEfromNS]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jar8wiaE0dw

"The uploader has not made this video available in your country"
You Americans! 

[ducktrapper]

"The uploader has not made this video available in your country"
You Americans! 

My friend in Thunder Bay had a similar problem but did some digging and found a way to watch it. It's on CBS This Morning from 2019.  It's the best interview with a songwriter I've heard.

[Silence Dogood]

I'm a sucker for rock start memoirs, bios, etc.  I've got a couple Eddie Van Halen audiobook bios in the queue on my library app.

[StringPicker6]

I loved Buddy Guy's autobiography. I foolishly lent it to a friend and never saw it again. I'm tempted to buy a second copy.

[Silence Dogood]

I loved Buddy Guy's autobiography. I foolishly lent it to a friend and never saw it again. I'm tempted to buy a second copy.

I went through that one about ten years ago via audiobook.  I'm pretty sure Guy did the reading himself, though I can't quite remember.  People are always saying how any given player is "underrated," but I haven't heard Buddy Guy mentioned nearly enough over the years as a great player.  One night I was downtown in Fort Worth and happened upon a free show being put on featuring Guy and Jimmie Vaughan. I stood there and was pretty blown away by Guy's chops.  He played as fast as I've ever seen anyone play blues licks.  Since he was in SRV territory, and playing with Jimmie, they did a version of Texas Flood that was pretty amazing. 

[Queequeg]

The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson
In advance of my travel plans next month.
(Apparently only available as an audio book)



In this landmark work, one of the world's most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its final absorption into the Roman Empire - 3,000 years of wild drama, bold spectacle, and unforgettable characters.

Award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson captures not only the lavish pomp and artistic grandeur of this land of pyramids and pharaohs but for the first time reveals the constant propaganda and repression that were its foundations. Drawing upon 40 years of archaeological research, Wilkinson takes us inside an exotic tribal society with a pre-monetary economy and decadent, divine kings who ruled with all-too-recognizable human emotions.

[teh]

I am reading "Our Own Worst Enemy" by Tom Nichols.

Nichols is both an author and a columnist for The Atlantic and I had the opportunity to hear him speak in November. He gave lots of insightful perspective.

[Silence Dogood]

I just finished VAN HALEN RISING by Greg Renoff via audiobook.  I really enjoyed it.  It sat somewhere in the middle of being an academic work and a great piece of entertainment.  I just started another VH book that's not hitting nearly as hard.  We'll see if I finish it.

[Silence Dogood]

I've been enjoying a steady diet of rock and roll biographies this year.  I'm just finished up RUNNIN' WITH THE DEVIL by Noel Monk.  He was Van Halen's tour manager/manager for most of the Roth years.  This is probably the best book of its kind that I've ever read.  Lots of great info on how the music business works, or at least used to work back in the day.

One of the most interesting things about reading books like this in the age we live in is this: when a bombed concert performance, TV appearance, wacky interview, etc, is referenced in a book, one can often jump over on YouTube and see the very thing as it happened.  I do this quite a bit with books like this and find it a lot of fun. 

I was an 80s kid and all the music from the era is very close to my heart.  These kinds of books often mentally place me back in time and kick up all kinds of dust in my memory.