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Andrew Hess
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 9842
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| Posted: 21 August 2012 at 9:18pm | IP Logged | 1
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32) "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, read by David Horovitch
An Englishman takes a boat down the Congo, he meets up with some traders, then he comes home.
The language Conrad uses struck me that this is a horror novel without the truly supernatural, that the world itself is magical and our reaction to it can be terror or awe. It also struck me that the main character, Marlow, was sympathetic to the natives; very forward thinking for a book written over a hundred years ago. Kurtz, on the other hand, was the manifestation of English imperialism.
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Shaun Barry
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 08 December 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 6833
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| Posted: 24 August 2012 at 10:32pm | IP Logged | 2
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Coffee Table Book Alert! Caught a nice little steal at my local Barnes & Noble a few weeks back... was able to pick up Mark Evanier's Kirby: King of Comics (2008) and Steve Saffel's Spider-Man: The Icon (2007) in their bargain discount section for about $12 and $15, respectively. GREAT deal, considering their original $45 and $50 list prices! Not a particular fan of Evanier's writing... somewhat "undercooked," presumptuous and unfocused, but of course, the stellar Kirby artwork inside more than makes up for the text. Saffel's Spidey book is jam-packed with a ton of neat photos & artwork (including a few nice pieces from our esteemed host)... again, maybe not essential "reading," per se, but a fun overview of Spider-Man from his 1962 debut up until (the unfortunate) SPIDER-MAN 3.
Edited by Shaun Barry on 24 August 2012 at 10:34pm
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Wallace Sellars
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 01 May 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 17669
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| Posted: 25 August 2012 at 5:51am | IP Logged | 3
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I just finished reading the introduction to MAN OF ROCK: A BIOGRAPHY OF
JOE KUBERT.
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Matthew Chartrand
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Joined: 17 June 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 1357
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| Posted: 25 August 2012 at 7:42am | IP Logged | 4
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The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's new vision of ancient Israel and the origin of its sacred texts.
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Andrew Hess
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 9842
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| Posted: 26 August 2012 at 3:36pm | IP Logged | 5
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33) "75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking" by Paul Levitz
Working my way thru this book all summer, finally finished this past week.
I was hoping for a bit of behind the scenes dirt, but instead got a thorough look into the history of the comics company responsible for Superman, Batman, et al. by someone who was behind the scenes (writer, editor, president, publisher) since the mid-70s. The fine production of the artwork that fills the book is worth the hefty price tag alone, but Levitz's prose goes a long way explaining the milestones along the way. The timelines that end each chapter are a great help in putting everything in context.
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Derek Cavin
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 03 June 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2403
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| Posted: 26 August 2012 at 4:05pm | IP Logged | 6
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Good luck with your goal, Andrew.
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Derek Cavin
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Joined: 03 June 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2403
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| Posted: 26 August 2012 at 4:06pm | IP Logged | 7
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I'm reading Plague Ship by Clive Cussler ($.25 for the books so I figured I've got nothing to lose)
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Eric Morin
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Joined: 22 February 2007
Posts: 450
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| Posted: 26 August 2012 at 4:09pm | IP Logged | 8
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Just about anything from Clive Cussler is money and time well spent.
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Matt Reed
Byrne Robotics Security
Robotmod
Joined: 16 April 2004
Posts: 35728
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| Posted: 26 August 2012 at 5:20pm | IP Logged | 9
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Taking a break from the Longmire series, I'm now halfway through GREEN RIVER, RUNNING RED by Ann Rule. True crime book on the Green River serial killer in early 80s Seattle. Didn't know much about it, but the book certainly paints a chilling portrait. First time reading anything by Rule and I'm enjoying it.
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Carmen Bernardo
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Joined: 08 August 2006
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| Posted: 26 August 2012 at 7:13pm | IP Logged | 10
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I finally broke down and brought three paperback versions of Anthony Everitt's biographies on prominent figures from the history of the Roman empire, Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian. I'm curious to see how the contemporary historian views these men. Cicero was the Roman politician and magistrate who lived through the turbulent final years of the republic, locking horns with such figures as Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. Augustus was Caesar's nephew and adopted heir who assumed the role of Emperor of Rome at the close of the series of civil wars that destroyed the republican system. And Hadrian was one of the emperors who came after him, having seen the Roman empire at its greatest extent and being seen as one of the "good" emperors whose benevolent aspects outweighed his vices. I just can't seem to pull myself away from the Romans. It must be in my blood.
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Andrew Hess
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| Posted: 27 August 2012 at 7:29pm | IP Logged | 11
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34) "Superman" by Larry Tye
Not a comic! Not a graphic novel! It's a true story!
This book covers the history and behind-the-scenes story of the Man of Steel, from his birth as an idea of a couple of teens in Cleveland, Ohio in the early '30s to his place as one of the most recognized figures (fictional or real) in the world.
Incredibly well researched, the author conducted a number of interviews with people who were involved in creating the myth, from actors of various TV shows and movies to creators who wrote and drew the character in recent years. (Unfortunately, since they died in the 1990s, he doesn't include first-hand info from the creators; tho he does do a lot of due diligence in getting their side of the story.)
The chapters in the book cover the decades in the nearly 80 years since Superman's inception, and focuses on a big story of that decade: "Adventures of Superman" TV show during the '50s, "Superman: The Movie" during the '70s, and so on. For the '80s he focused on the Chief's reboot, and included some quotes from the source.
Even tho I consider myself fairly well acquainted with the behind-the-scene story of Superman, this had a number of things I was unaware of and was still a treat.
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Andrew Hess
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Posts: 9842
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| Posted: 29 August 2012 at 9:38pm | IP Logged | 12
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35) "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut, read by Ethan Hawke
A man writing a book about writing a book about being in World War II and seeing the bombing of Dresden; and about a fictional character who sees the bombing of Dresden, and who is unstuck in time and is taken away by aliens from outer space (tho these last two parts are unrelated).
The writer also appears many times within the fictional narrative, as do a couple of his other fictional characters.
First Vonnegut book I've read; have friends who have recommended him, but just now taking a dip into his work. Might need to find more.
Also, I was afraid that listening to Ethan Hawke read this I would get his voice confused in my head as the voice of Vonnegut (considering how personal this book was in parts). That didn't happen, unlike how I associated Carl Jung sounding like Michael York.
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