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What are you reading?

I was at Borders a few nights ago and I picked up 'Warhammer 40,000: The Killing Ground', 'The Art of Clint Langley: Dark Visions from the grim Worlds of Warhammer', 'The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road: 1567-1659' by Geoffrey Parker, 'Forgotten Wars: The End of Britain's Asian Empire' by Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper and 'The grand Strategy of Philip II' by Geoffrey Parker.

I finished 'The Lover' by Marguerite Duras a few days back. I have just started on 'Battles of the Thirty Years War: From White Mountain to Nordlingen 1618-1635'. I am also in the midst of a few other books including 'God is not great: How religion poisons the world' by Christopher Hitchens.

What you are guys reading?

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Permalink Reply by Joseph on October 10, 2014 at 5:12pm

Read: "Nomad: From Islam to America" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This is a follow up to the author's earlier outstanding book, "Infidel". This is about islam down to the quantum level. A must read and Highly Recommended. The author is a most courageous and outstanding Human Being.

"Ancient India: From the Earliest Times to the First Century A.D." by E.J. Rapson. A good overview of this period in Indian History. Very Good and Recommended.

"Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor" by Charles Allen. This is a detective story on how British and some other Europeans discovered Ashoka and his times which had been lost from memory. Very Good and Recommended.

"Deadline" by John Sanford. A novel on Virgil Flowers, a most interesting detective, who has hilarious ways of solving crime in the backwoods of Minnesota. Outstanding read and Highly Recommended.

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Permalink Reply by Chuang Shyue Chou on October 13, 2014 at 9:52pm

I bought 'Infidel' some years ago but I have not found the time nor energy to read it at this point but I will some day.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph on October 14, 2014 at 3:22pm

"Infidel" is excellent on mohammadean social life. The author has a 'murder contract' on her. I do the same thing; "Nomad" and "Ancient India" have both been around for some years before reading them.

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Permalink Reply by Chuang Shyue Chou on August 27, 2019 at 1:32am

I have still not read it after all these years. Too much to read, too little energy and time.

I have an order for "Why I Am Not a Muslim", by Ibn Warraq which is a pen name.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph on August 27, 2019 at 4:13pm

This is the "Silver Bullet" on muhammadans and their beliefs. Read it decades ago and set me on the path of Factual History. He has several other books that are enlightening.

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Permalink Reply by Chuang Shyue Chou on October 26, 2014 at 8:52pm

I am reading Teutonic Knight 1190-1561 by David Nicolle. I am also reading Super Highway by Chris Parry. He has a curious way of denoting imperialism and colonisation as 'globalisation'. Most curious.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph on November 4, 2014 at 6:21pm

Read: "The Greeks in Bactria and India" by William W. Tarn. Excellent history of the Greek-Macedonians who ruled over Bactria without any big problems from the locals who usually join their armies to fight with them. They even had time to fight among themselves without any serious revolts. They pushed into India and conquered the NW and sacking the Mauryan capital of Pataliputra. This was much further than Alexander the Great. Highly Recommended.

"The Hellenistic Settlements in The East from Armenia and Mesopotamia to Bactria and India" by Getzel M. Cohen. This is more of a research book that helps in the above book. Only Recommended for the people most interested in the subject.

"Muslim Spain and Portugal: A political History of al-Andalus" by Hugh Kennedy. This is from the muhammadan perspective. The book covers from 711-1492AD. It was Deja vu reading this book. It was just like the world news today. The muhammadans conquered the Iberian Peninsula and after failing to take France proceed to butcher each other with the occasional military campaign against the non-muhammadans. Very good and Recommended.

"The Early History of India From 600B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest" by Vincent A. Smith. The title says it all. The Book covers the major and minor Kingdoms of India such as the Mauryan and Gupta Empires. Starting in 711A.D., the muhammadan crusaders would bring destruction to Indian Society. It was done in spurts over a period of time. Just OK.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph on November 14, 2014 at 11:12pm

Read; "Slow Train to Arcturus" by Eric Flint and Dave Freer. A SF novel on a large object entering the Miran star system. The Miran send a space ship to investigate and are attacked by savage aliens called "Humans". Very Good and Recommended.

"Rome and Parthia: Power, Politics, and Profit" by Daryn Graham. The interplay between Rome and Parthia till the mid-3rd Century A.D. when the Parthian Kings are overthrown by the Sassanian Persian Kings. Very Good and Recommended.

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Permalink Reply by Nate on November 21, 2014 at 6:20pm

Clapton's autobiography..Once started, never put down.

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Permalink Reply by Don Cooper on November 23, 2014 at 11:48pm

Reading "Napoleon: A Life" by Andrew Roberts. Another book on Napoleon. I couldn't resist. This one appears to be a bit more even handed, with a strong focus on military history. Much of the research is from Napoleon's personal letters, which are still being translated.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph on November 29, 2014 at 6:55pm

Read: "Coming Home" by Jack McDevitt. A SF novel in 11,256A.D.. It is the author's Alex Benedict series, who deals in ancient artifacts. He is looking for early antiques of the Space Age, such as Neil Armstrong's landing on the moon, first trip to Mars, etc. All these have disappeared so it is going to take some digging to find any, if still around. Very Good and Recommended.

"How Civilizations Die(and Why Islam is Dying Too.)" by David P. Goldman. The Death of the West is in the news today but the mohammadan world is on the brink of an even grater collapse. This is based on population lost through collapsing birthrates with the muhammadans declining even faster than anywhere else. The West, is going to die quietly, while the mohammadans will try for broke. Very Good and Recommended.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph on December 24, 2014 at 4:39pm

"The Middle East Under Rome" by Maurice Sartre. This is a history of the Semitic Near East(modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel) from the eve of the Roman conquest to the end of the 3rd century A.D..This covers military, political, economic, social, cultural, and religious developments.Very Good and Recommended.

"Roman Conquests: North Africa" by Nic Fields. This covers the wars of conquest against Carthage, Numidia, and the tribal groups of Western North Africa. Very Good and Recommended.

"Bringers of War: The Portuguese in Africa during the Age of Gunpowder and Sail from the Fifteenth to Eighteenth Century" by John Laband. This is a military/political history of the period stated. Outstanding and Highly Recommended.