What Are You Reading Now?

[happyone]

finished The Professor and the Madman - fascinating! It is well worth your time if you are interested in the English Language, Victorian Era Great Britian, how dictionaries are created, or just a good story. The book is fairly short, about 230 pages, so it is a quick read. Style wise it seemed a little old fashioned, but quite readable never the less.

This the story of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and two of the main characters behind it - the editor, James Murray and one of the major contributors of definations and examples - William Minor. Minor was locked up in an insane asylum for murdering a man.

Interesting Facts - the OED took more than 70 yrs to complete - long after both Murray and Minor were dead.

Minor probably contributed more than 10,000 words, definations and examples to the OED

Minor was medically retired US Army capt and surgeon and contributed financally to the widow and family of the man he killed for the rest of his life.

I also completed P.T. Deutermann's new novel

[[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Glory-P-T-Deutermann/dp/0312599447/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303085845&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Pacific Glory: A Novel (9780312599447): P. T. Deutermann: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51puoYvunZL.@@AMEPARAM@@51puoYvunZL[/ame]


If one likes WW II novels, I think this a excellant entry in that genre. It covers the time from Midway to Leyte Gulf through the eyes of 3 main charaters - 2 Annapolis class mates, a naval aviator, a destoryer skipper and the widow of a third classmate who died on the Arizona. The author is a retired Navy Capt. and the son of WW II destroyer commander, so he definately has some opinions on Leyte Gulf. The way he portrays the Battle of Savo Island and the destroyer actions at Leyte are riviting.

I guess you can say I liked the book - highly recommended

Currently reading

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bloodlands-Europe-Between-Hitler-Stalin/dp/0465002390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303087222&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin (9780465002399): Timothy Snyder: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kQzdQDyVL.@@AMEPARAM@@51kQzdQDyVL[/ame]

This another book that I saw the author on BookTV and it looked interesting - It basically a look at who was worse Hitler or Stalin.

[CardiacCoug]

finished The Professor and the Madman - fascinating! It is well worth your time if you are interested in the English Language, Victorian Era Great Britian, how dictionaries are created, or just a good story. The book is fairly short, about 230 pages, so it is a quick read. Style wise it seemed a little old fashioned, but quite readable never the less.

This the story of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and two of the main characters behind it - the editor, James Murray and one of the major contributors of definitions and examples - William Minor. Minor was locked up in an insane asylum for murdering a man.

Interesting Facts - the OED took more than 70 yrs to complete - long after both Murray and Minor were dead.

Minor probably contributed more than 10,000 words, definitions and examples to the OED

Minor was medically retired US Army capt and surgeon and contributed financially to the widow and family of the man he killed for the rest of his life.

That was a great read -- I really liked that book, too.

Anybody here read a new book called Scorecasting? I just finished that -- it was basically a Freakonomics style book about sports that provided statistical support for a lot of the things like:

Coaches don't go for it on 4th down as often as they should.
Coaches pull players out of the game way too much for foul trouble.
Calling timeout to ice a FG kicker or FT shooter doesn't work.
Home court advantage is almost entirely statistically explained by "home cooking" by refs and umpires.

Anyway, I highly recommend it for people who like statistics/economics and sports:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Scorecasting-Hidden-Influences-Behind-Sports/dp/0307591794"]Amazon.com: Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won (9780307591791): Tobias J. Moskowitz, L. Jon Wertheim: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41IZD31gNDL.@@AMEPARAM@@41IZD31gNDL[/ame]

[happyone]

That was a great read -- I really liked that book, too.

Anybody here read a new book called Scorecasting? I just finished that -- it was basically a Freakonomics style book about sports that provided statistical support for a lot of the things like:

Coaches don't go for it on 4th down as often as they should.
Coaches pull players out of the game way too much for foul trouble.
Calling timeout to ice a FG kicker or FT shooter doesn't work.
Home court advantage is almost entirely statistically explained by "home cooking" by refs and umpires.

Anyway, I highly recommend it for people who like statistics/economics and sports:

Amazon.com: Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won (9780307591791): Tobias J. Moskowitz, L. Jon Wertheim: Books

Its on the nightstand - I'll probably read it after I finish Bloodlands

[Eddie]

Finished "Killer Angels" last week. What a great book. I don't know how much liberty the author took with describing the characters - but it really gets you to form an opinion about the people leading the troops during the Battle of Gettysburg. I had a hard time putting it down.

Currently reading an old Clancy novel I hadn't gotten around to before - just brain candy.

Getting ready to read "The Gift of Fear" next. I've heard a lot of good things about it - and it came up again so I went and picked it up at the library.

[Green Lantern]

Finished Nick Hornby's High Fidelity the other day. Great novel and it's fun to compare the differences and similarities between the London set novel and the American set John Cusack movie.

I'm now about halfway through Chuck Klosterman's latest, Eating the Dinosaur.

[happyone]

Finished "Killer Angels" last week. What a great book. I don't know how much liberty the author took with describing the characters - but it really gets you to form an opinion about the people leading the troops during the Battle of Gettysburg. I had a hard time putting it down.Currently reading an old Clancy novel I hadn't gotten around to before - just brain candy.

Getting ready to read "The Gift of Fear" next. I've heard a lot of good things about it - and it came up again so I went and picked it up at the library.

I first read this in high school and I've read it a couple of times since - I agree completely. It definately helped form my opinion of Meade and Hancock.

His son Jeff Shaara wrote both a prequel, Gods and Generals covering the Battle of Chancelorsville,and a sequel, The Last Full Measure covering the 1864 Lee v Grant campaign, if you haven't read them I would highly recommend both. In fact Jeff is one of my favorite writers of military fiction - he also written on the revolution, Mexican War, WW I and WW II.

[Eddie]

I first read this in high school and I've read it a couple of times since - I agree completely. It definately helped form my opinion of Meade and Hancock.

For me, it really got me thinking about Lee and Stuart, and in particular how easily things could've gone differently if not for pride and/or stubborness.

His son Jeff Shaara wrote both a prequel, Gods and Generals covering the Battle of Chancelorsville,and a sequel, The Last Full Measure covering the 1864 Lee v Grant campaign, if you haven't read them I would highly recommend both. In fact Jeff is one of my favorite writers of military fiction - he also written on the revolution, Mexican War, WW I and WW II.

Thanks for the tips - I'll definately give them a look.

[Jeff Lebowski]

For me, it really got me thinking about Lee and Stuart, and in particular how easily things could've gone differently if not for pride and/or stubborness.

Gettysburg showed that Lee was human. But he was head and shoulders better than any other general in the Civil War.

People often talk about how Gettysburg was the key battle that tipped the scales against the South. I think that is far too simplistic an analysis.

[Surfah]

I first read this in high school and I've read it a couple of times since - I agree completely. It definately helped form my opinion of Meade and Hancock.

His son Jeff Shaara wrote both a prequel, Gods and Generals covering the Battle of Chancelorsville,and a sequel, The Last Full Measure covering the 1864 Lee v Grant campaign, if you haven't read them I would highly recommend both. In fact Jeff is one of my favorite writers of military fiction - he also written on the revolution, Mexican War, WW I and WW II.

I live right next to the Chancelorsville battlefields. Gidget and me have walked through it a number of times. I was disappointed in the movie.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I live right next to the Chancelorsville battlefields. Gidget and me have walked through it a number of times. I was disappointed in the movie.

Do they have a shrine where Stonewall was shot?

[LA Ute]

Gettysburg showed that Lee was human. But he was head and shoulders better than any other general in the Civil War.

People often talk about how Gettysburg was the key battle that tipped the scales against the South. I think that is far too simplistic an analysis.

It seems more accurate to me to say that Gettysburg was Lee's best (and most daring) shot at turning the tide of the war. He still could have found other ways to do that but didn't.

Now that I think about it, Sherman's march to the sea was much more outcome-determinative than Gettysburg. Without that, Lincoln loses the 1864 election to McClellan, who then agrees to a peace deal.

[ERCougar]

That was a great read -- I really liked that book, too.

Anybody here read a new book called Scorecasting? I just finished that -- it was basically a Freakonomics style book about sports that provided statistical support for a lot of the things like:

Coaches don't go for it on 4th down as often as they should.
Coaches pull players out of the game way too much for foul trouble.
Calling timeout to ice a FG kicker or FT shooter doesn't work.
Home court advantage is almost entirely statistically explained by "home cooking" by refs and umpires.

Anyway, I highly recommend it for people who like statistics/economics and sports:

Amazon.com: Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won (9780307591791): Tobias J. Moskowitz, L. Jon Wertheim: Books

You really DON'T thoroughly study my posts!
http://cougaruteforum.com/showpost.p...&postcount=611
http://cougaruteforum.com/showpost.p...&postcount=628

Great book--I'm surprised more on here haven't read it. Lots of good cocktail party stuff.

[Jeff Lebowski]

It seems more accurate to me to say that Gettysburg was Lee's best (and most daring) shot at turning the tide of the war. He still could have found other ways to do that but didn't.

Now that I think about it, Sherman's march to the sea was much more outcome-determinative than Gettysburg. Without that, Lincoln loses the 1864 election to McClellan, who then agrees to a peace deal.

What if Jubal Early had reached the outskirts of Washington one day earlier (before the union reinforcements showed up from the Richmond area) and was able to torch all of the Union supply dumps and warehouses, not to mention scare the daylights out of all of the residents in the city? That could have tipped the scales also with the election.

You can point to a bunch of these things and play the what-if game.

[happyone]

It seems more accurate to me to say that Gettysburg was Lee's best (and most daring) shot at turning the tide of the war. He still could have found other ways to do that but didn't.

Now that I think about it, Sherman's march to the sea was much more outcome-determinative than Gettysburg. Without that, Lincoln loses the 1864 election to McClellan, who then agrees to a peace deal.

Actually I think it Sherman finally capturing Atlanta, sorry Wuap, that had the most effect on the '64 election. Sherman didn't come out at Savanah until Christmas time '64 - so the election was long over.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Actually I think it Sherman finally capturing Atlanta, sorry Wuap, that had the most effect on the '64 election. Sherman didn't come out at Savanah until Christmas time '64 - so the election was long over.

Yes. And Sheridan's successes in the Valley were also at a perfect time for the election.