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FFB book thread

BDR

First Grade
Messages
7,526
I'm currently reading Ruth Maier's diary. Bit of a tough read as most of her rescued diary's were pre-war so it takes a while to get interesting but I've learnt quite a bit while tracking through. At the very least you can clearly see the difference in intelligence between late teens in the 30's / 40's compared to now. Before the war, Maier read extensively, quoted great poets and authors alike, could hold a conversation about politics, the arts and theater and had a vast appreciation for it all. She was insightful and witty. Most people of her age nowadays would struggle to string a coherent sentence together.

She came from a rich, educated Jewish family. Her dad held a doctorate in philosophy.

A lot of teens of that era were breaking their backs doing factory work by the time they were 14
 
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15,545
She came from a rich, educated Jewish family. Her dad held a doctorate in philosophy.

A lot of teens of that era were breaking their backs doing factory work by the time they were 14

True.

However her schooling was significantly stunted by the death of her father in her early teens and of course, the war in her later teens.

She was exceptionally intelligent, all things considered.
 

butchmcdick

Immortal
Messages
49,079
Just finished hard time by Shaun Attwood about an English guy who is a stockbroker who goes to the US, gets involved in selling E, gets locked up in sherif Joe's jail in maracopa county. It's the one where he brags he only pays 40c a day for the prisoners food. The county has had to pay out 63 mil in wrongful death suites more than all other prison systems combined

If you want a funny funy laugh out loud book try I hope they serve beer in hell by Tucker Max
 

BDR

First Grade
Messages
7,526
Norwegian Wood. Helped me come to terms with some bad things that have happened around me this year.
 
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15,545
Two brothers by Ben Elton. Was ok. Felt that it was building towards heights that it never really reached. The end of the novel seemed a bit rushed. Like Ben had spent too much time setting up the story, then realised he only had 20 pages left to wind it all up.
 

Misanthrope

Moderator
Staff member
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47,604
Been burning through stuff lately.

Just finished Ender's Game and started on the Necroscope series. I know there's more of the Ender books to go, so I'll come back to them later.

Also finished (as far as I can) Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller stories. Good reading.
 

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
I've been involved in the creation of a few books via RLP.

A Short History of Rugby League by Will Evans
an 8 book collection about the history of the Castleford Tigers
an autobiography about Peter Dimond called Playing With Legends

and there's a few more on the way.
 

Rhino_NQ

Immortal
Messages
33,045
finished bravo two zero on the weekend, was disappointed when my brother told me that a good chunk of it is made up.

Reading The Long Road to Changi now, tackling the issue of the aussies copping most of the blame for losing singapore to the japs from the poms and sorting out what is true and what isn't. pretty interesting read
 

madunit

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
62,358
You want good war books, then read
The Guns Of Muschu - about a small group of Australians sent to do a covert op in New Guinea during WWII to find Japanese anti aircraft guns. In just a few hours all bar one are picked off, tortured & killed by the Japanese. True story. One of the Australians was Spencer Walklate who played for the Dragons.

We Were Soldiers - the full story. The movie was based on a few chapters.
 

Rhino_NQ

Immortal
Messages
33,045
Just finished reading a chapter about the japanese armies troubles in the pacific. Hadn't heard of this one before but they had their own version of what happened to the crew of SS Indiannapolis ( if you aren't like me and haven't seen the old war movie about or seen any doco's on it you'll remember quinns story when they are sitting at the table drinking in the boat in jaws). 1000 of them got stranded on an island and had to flee through the swamp before they were annihilated. When the British troops found them on the other side only 20 were left alive all wounded and in severe shock. Crocs ate the rest of them. Pretty brutal stuff
 

Rhino_NQ

Immortal
Messages
33,045
bonzai motherf**ker

Read "The Changi Brownlow" which is a decent read about AFL comp the prisoners put on as well as a Brownlow prize for best player. He tells a story of a bloke he met in the camp who got captured by two japs who weren't planning on bringing him in but tied him up and started taunting him with their bayonettes (alot of poor blokes got tortured and found tied to trees with their guts/heads/both missing). He was about to have a very long night when just as about the first blow was about to come a tiger jumped out of nowhere and nailed both of them and while it was busy he managed to climb up the trunk with his arms tied around the back of it and spent the next few hours wearing the rope down until it broke. More japs came and shot the tiger and found him still up the tree and captured him again
 
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15,545
Just started reading Peter Fitzsimons book on Mawson.

I know the author is a Rugby Union loving twatface generally, but when he actually writes a "Biography", he does a pretty good job of it.

Will make a nice change from all the war books that I've been reading lately.

War stories absolutely fascinate me though. There is something about how things which people classify as barbaric and even insane, when carried out outside of wartime, suddenly become mundane and even day to day happenings during war that I just can't get a handle on.

Rape, murder, torture and mutilation which are normally only carried out by the most abhorrent and evil individuals, suddenly boil dow to daily events which are regularly carried out by people who were accountants and sales people just a few months ago. Then, even more bizarrely, the war ends and these same people go back to being sales people and accountants.

One week, they are lobbing grenades down a fox hole and killing 20 - 30 unknown Japanese soldiers at a time, the next, they are doing tax returns and balancing books...

The two periods of World War are the most amazing times in all of Human history imo and they brought out all of the very best and very worst traits of society, all in one go.

Facinating times.
 

afinalsin666

First Grade
Messages
8,163
Read my first book in over a year. Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb, continuing the farseer series. f**king magical, every moment.
 

Misanthrope

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
47,604
Read my first book in over a year. Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb, continuing the farseer series. f**king magical, every moment.

I'm slowly making my way back through the Hobb novels before I start on the newer ones.

Finished the Farseer Trilogy a while back, and making my way through Liveship Traders now.

Not going to bother with Rainwild, as it was the drizzling shits.

Still 1.5 Liveship books + 3 Tawny Man before I tackle the new ones.
 

afinalsin666

First Grade
Messages
8,163
I still need to get the last two rain wild books. I didn't mind them, but i was more in it for the lore than the characters if i remember correctly. It's been about 7 years since i have read the farseer books, probably gonna give them another spin soon. The new one does a good job of slowly sinking you back into the world.
 

Misanthrope

Moderator
Staff member
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47,604
Which one started with Soldier's Son?

I remember adoring the first book and then being bitterly disappointed at how f**king awful the second two were.

Maybe I haven't tackled Rain Wilds before. Which one has the kid cursed to be a fat, idiot shaman?
 

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