• @morten200:

    I think we differ in what type of litterature we like, El. I don´t care too much for biographies (and history books - yawn! Reminds me of going to high school). I prefer books that either have a really good story to tell (Grisham, Clancy) or that are really inventive in their use of the english language (Adams, Rankin, Pratchet).

    keeping in mind that when you’ve read one Grisham, you’ve read them all . . . .


  • I knew there was one I was forgetting, A Brief History Of Time, By Stephen Hawking.

    First of all, this man is brilliant, easily the smartest man alive (he is widely regarded as just such), and possibly the smartest man ever.

    Second, the book tackles such vast topics as the very nature and creation of time and space.

    Third, for all those who have been on the thread regarding the existence of god, this book addresses all the topics with regards to god, from a neutral point of view.

    Finally, while this man is a brilliant physicist, and almost everything he discusses involves very advanced science, it is written in such a way that even a laymans can understand


  • “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress” by Robert Heinlein


  • @El:

    -Please, a little about Fermat’s last theorem…

    It’s by Simon Singh
    (look at http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/1841157910/qid=1057649064/sr=2-4/ref=sr_aps_prod_4_2/302-8350062-3794462 )
    and nicely covers (a part of) the history of maths, as the name says, centering on Fermat, the history of diophantine equations before Fermat, and the history of tries to prove the theorem.
    I liked it a lot. If it had been out before i started to study, i might have paid much more attention to maths :)

    @Janus1:

    A Brief History Of Time, By Stephen Hawking.

    First of all, this man is brilliant, easily the smartest man alive (he is widely regarded as just such), and possibly the smartest man ever.

    I think most of his fame stems from the fact that he is severly handicapped and “should have died” from many medics point of view quite some time ago.

    I prefer Feynman (who is regarded as the most important physicist of the second half of the 20th century ;) ). He was brilliant, but not only in physics, but also kept in touch with real life problems, and he wrote very well also.


  • Ah, yes. Stephen Hawking - I forgot to read anything by him. Must do.

    El: If you´re serious about reading all those books, make the following consideration: Terry Pratchett has “invented” Discworld and as such most of his books have to be read in succession (although they can easily be read singly), whereas Robert Rankins books (although also containing a recurring theme) can stand alone. Have a great summer!


  • Falk, I dont care at all about Hawking’s fame, and indeed, much of it does stem from his handicap. But he is still one of the most brilliant men on the planet (his IQ has been measured at well over 200) and is widely recognized as the smartest man on the planet.


  • Gentlemen, gentlewomen and gentleits,

    Peace and long life(or whatever.)

    I meant this to be a pleasant sharing of data.


  • Jefe,

    Just checking in to see if you have tackled any of these books and your thoughts, there were an awful lot of great works thrown out there for you.


  • I’ve jsut started reading Myths and Facts - A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict. It’s very informative and helpful on the subject, especially because it includes information on events since 9/11.


  • i just read Slaughter House Five. good and funny book :)


  • Have to agree with you, Ewok. :wink:
    As for books… I really suggest The Killer Angels (the book Gettysburg was based on).


  • i suggest the book Red Storm Rising by Tom clancy about a possible world war 3. good book and very interesting


  • “How Few Remain” by Harry turtledove was a good book describing the world if the Confederate States of America had won the Civil War in 1862.


  • Interesting. I’ve always like “What-if” books, and since I’m a Civil War nut, this one is worth checking out. :)


  • I also like Harry Turtledove’s alt-history books. Unfortunately, he does have a series where WWII came out differently-no A&A, horror of horrors! :D


  • I just finished an excellent book, called “Life Of Pi”. It doesn’t seem to fit in with the other books that have been suggested here, but it’s a good one! Very good storytelling.


  • A book that i consider most remarkable:

    “Destined to Witness” by Hans J. Massaquoi
    (german title: Neger, Neger, Schornsteinfeger)

    have a look at
    http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0003/black_nazi.html


  • The web biography was interesting enough to me. :)


  • Berard Cornwell-

    The man is a genius- Sharpe’s series, Starbuck, Archer’s tale etc.

    Jefe- if you are going to read AnnCoulter’s recent book then I
    Highly reccomend Sam Tannenhaus’ biography Whittaker Chambers.

    I read TR Frehenbach’s This Kind of War (it’s about the Korean War)
    every June for the last 4 years.

    I also reccomend, Stanley Karnow’s, Vietnam.

    Recently, I’m reading Ernest R. May’s, Strange Victory. It’s about how the French lost against The Germans in 1940.

    -Joseph Ellis’, Founding Brothers.

    -John Earl Haynes & Harvey Klehr’s Venona:
    Decoding Soviet Espionage in America.

    And Reading the Lord of the Rings Books with my oldest.

Suggested Topics

  • 6
  • 5
  • 22
  • 5
  • 14
  • 19
  • 2
  • 45
Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

42

Online

17.0k

Users

39.3k

Topics

1.7m

Posts