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Quote from: Rigg44 on December 13, 2018, 05:38:57 PM1) The Dark Tower2) Battlefield earth5) The StandJust, 0 for 3 on the movie adaptations, right? I don't know how you mess up Dark Tower THAT badly (hopefully the Amazon show or wherever they're doing it is better) but holy heck. Same for The Stand remake they're doing, hopefully it's a little better now. I haven't read the Caesar series, but I did read a book recently that's the same type of "using what facts we know and filling the rest in with fiction" type of book. Now, I've never read the Bible myself, but this book was written by Ann Wroe and it's simply titled "Pontius Pilate." I guess there's really not very much at all known about him? So, it uses a lot of speculation and what factual evidence there is (and some myth) to try to piece together his life. It acknowledges different ideas, interpretations, and possibilities, it doesn't ever try to present itself as the definitive story but tries to find the truth amongst multiple stories regarding him. It truly was fascinating and was such an incredibly vivid picture of the times he lived in, I have no idea how a person has such a clear vision but she really knocked it out of the park. I bet you'd enjoy it.
1) The Dark Tower2) Battlefield earth5) The Stand
Good topic, I'll play.Top 5 Favorite Books You've Read In no particular order...1. World War Z, Max Brooks - Presented in the style of firsthand accounts of the zombie apocalypse, aftermath, and recovery, the style just works here. Provides assessments of how the zombies spread (including missteps along the way), and how various countries fought back against it. Was a very hard book for me to put down, and don't bother with the movie.3. Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton - Made the mistake of picking up this book right before one of my finals my freshman year in college. Ever have one of those books that you just can't put down? Yeah, it was about 5am before I noticed that I had a final in three hours. Whoops...but the book was that enjoyable for me. Took the final then came back and continued to read instead of going to sleep. Anyway, you know the plot of the book.5. Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel - I love dystopian future novels with a twist, and Mandel does a terrific job of drawing you into the characters. The novel jumps between the start of the flu that ends up wiping out 99% of the population and almost 20 years after the outbreak. I won't say much else because I don't want to spoil any of it for you that might want (you should) check it out.
I can see I have distinctively different preferences from everyone else, but here you go anyway...1 Five FamiliesSelwy Raab Called the Bible of the mafia, Raab covers the mafia from Italy to Jersey and everything in between.It is a fascinating read that discusses and examines the effect of the mob on society, the law on the mob and the weight of omertà.Walking through the creation of the RICO statute from the 50's to the fall of the mob in the 90's, Hoover's FBI rejecting the evidence the mob exists, how law enforcement used technology, Joe Pistone, Goodfellas, Gotti, The Godfather, all covered in such a fastidious manner, your head will be swimming with intrigue.11/22/63Stephen KingIf's ands buts, c Andy and nuts.Blackhawk Down: A Story of Modern WarfareMark BowdenThis book evolved out of an in depth series Mark was writing for the Philadelphia Enquirer regarding the US involvement in Somalia in 93.As one of the first (I think he was actually the first to have such unfettered access) to gain insight directly from archives and soldiers from the Rangers and Delta forces, Bowden built a timeline of harrowing, gut wrenching and heroic events involving the US military in its involvement of a civil war in Somalia.While reading this book, you see how easily good intentions go bad and humanitarian efforts turn in to revenge and how needlessly lives are lost and changed for ever. Mark demonstrates how the goalposts move during time of war and what a soldier faces in dire situations asking the question, how would you react?The film adaptation was well done, but do your self a favor and read the book.And not for nothing but while I think of it, read Bowdens book on Pablo Escobar too, just as mesmerizing and exhaustive.
I am going to have to check this out myself and recommend it to my father.
Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo were incredible books, Mark Bowden is a great author! Can’t believe I missed those two...
Some great books. I don't think your tastes are different its just hard to narrow the list and not miss some great books.
Top Five..................................................................websites you visit daily? A bit boring, I know, I know, but I'm bored at work and can't think of anything else (well, I thought of Top 5 Vacations but I didn't feel like typing quite THAT much myself). Oh, and don't use BSB, just, because, I mean obviously. In no particular order:1) io9 - this is where I get a lot of my sci-fi/fantasy and comic book movie news. They merged with gizmodo, although I still usually go to io9 classic (basically I deal with fictional science vs actual science, I guess). I enjoy the articles here, although the site's content isn't as good since Charlie Jane Anders and...I can't think of the other editor's name right now, but since they both left. 2) Deadspin - I mean, obvi. Kissing Suzy Kolber is dead, FireJoeMorgan is long dead and I don't go to Bleacher Report or SB Nation, so this is my sports in comedy in one space. Plus, Drew Magary. 3) Twitter - I used to follow a crazy amount of people, although it was mostly literary: Authors, publishers, editors, agents, etc. There were some sports people in there (mostly the former KSK staff) and what-not, but I recently cut down majorly and now follow ONLY 8 people for my mental health, and they're all just authors (and one Forbes movie reviewer). 4) AVClub - similar to io9, but this covers the rest of the movies (and TV shows) that don't fall into the sci-fi/fantasy category. A combination of their reviews, io9's and Scott's (the Forbes reviewer) are what I reference when deciding whether to see a movie I'm on the fence about. I can usually tell by their styles and who's writing the reviews whether I'm likely to enjoy something they hated or agree with their assessment. 5) Kotaku - Kinda like io9 and AVClub (and all under the Gizmodo Media Group now, whereas AVClub USED to be owned by TheOnion, who I think is also now owned by GMG). Kotaku is for anime, manga, cosplay and video games, however I use the /kotakucore URl so I only get video game news from here, because I just don't care about the other stuff. Good way to keep up on news in the industry, they have some fun little features (Highlight Reel is usually a pretty funny, short video showing off video game glitches or cool gameplay). Also Jason Schreier is a really good writer and I enjoy his articles and his first novel, Blood, Sweat and Pixels (he has another one in the works I'm excited about too).
Let's see...Top 5 Websites I visit daily (besides here)...1. Facebook - typically only for Messenger at this point, otherwise I might've deleted my account awhile ago. 2. Twitter - another place I can't let go of. Typically find more up to date news here though, whether it's sports related or something related to King Dotardus the First and his idiot band of racist xenophobes. Whoops, there I go talking again-if you're shocked by that you must not know me well. 3. Reddit - Got hooked on to this a bit more recently, but some decent stuff there. 4. YouTube - Can find just about anything on there. One day it's 80s videos, other times it's trailers, and some days it's looking up a volta release into a shadow samba walk.5. Sporcle - I love the little trivia type games you can play here.Topics you endlessly research or read about1. Developments in NICU Nursing/Nursing in general - It's in my top 5 and I still should keep more up to date on stuff like this. 2. History of Detroit - I love my hometown, and eventually I got to a point where I should know more about it than just the sports teams I cheer for. From the low point of bankruptcy to its current renaissance, I love reading about it and the people too. That reminds me, you should check out Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown episode on Detroit, and if you can find it check Chef Marcus Samuelsson's No Passport Required episode on Dearborn and Detroit as well. 3. Asian-American History - more specifically, I like reading about Filipino contributions to Asian-American culture. I've found in the past whenever someone mentions Asian-American they always tend to think in terms of Japanese or Chinese contributions only. 4. Cold War History - I could read up on this stuff for hours, especially the different times the US and USSR almost accidentally ended up starting World War III.5. Ballroom dance stuff - It's been my go-to hobby the last few years, and I've enjoyed looking up song ideas for routines, competition and showcase tips, and so on.
Raspberry pi stuff, eh? I might need to chat with you sometime lol.
I can't recommend it enough. Look up a studio close to you (I go to Arthur Murray), and most places will have a free lesson. Don't need a partner. One of the best things I've ever done for myself. Granted, it can turn into an expensive hobby in a hurry (especially at places like Arthur Murray/Fred Astaire/etc.), but most places that have social dancing available will tend to have a free group lesson at the start to teach basics and then open dancing where you can dance with whomever's available.
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November 14, 2019, 06:50:35 PM
