Free Republic Book Club, 2/24/05

Tanniker Smith

[Tanniker Smith]

Welcome to the Free Republic Book Club.

It was suggested a couple of days ago, in the FReeper's Book Rockets Up Amazon After Ingraham Show! thread (somewhere toward the end) that it would be great if there FR Book Club. Somehow, I think I got nominated to start one. I don't really know how to do that other than just to go ahead and do it. So I am -- please, feel free to point out mistakes, or point out how to make a "ping" list for folks that want to be a part of this.

Anyway, if there are no complaints, I think it would be better to have a Book Club rather than a Conservative Book Club (or a Republican Book Club or a Libertarian Book Club, etc). Yes, let's focus on the bounty of conservative books that we didn't have even a dozen years ago, but if anyone wants to occasionally talk about a mystery or SF book, it won't be off topic (unless The Powers That Be decide that it is, at least at FR). I don't know about anyone else, but the majority of my reading is composed of other stuff, as can be seen on this thread: Books Read in 2004 (Read Any Good Books Lately?)

Other than that, I have only one ground rule: judge (or slam) the books themselves, not the authors. The latter is way too easy, and beside the point. Likewise, I know the opinions folks have of Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly, but please separate the books from the people, particularly if you haven't read them.

So what should we discuss first?

[Galactic Overlord-In-Chief]

I've read recently and have enjoyed very much:

Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America by Mark Levin

Reagan's Revolution : The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All by Craig Shirley

Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror by Richard Miniter

[Brasil]

Ping me, ping me!!

Holy War on the Home Front by Harvey Kushner is the scary book I'm reading now.

p.s.That blue underlined word was self formatted.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Picked this up at MWR. Don't get much time to read, though.

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

It's very well done. It's easily understood and so far Sharansky is making strong arguments in support of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush's policies regarding "fear states". It is also full of passages that would be profound FR taglines.

[RebelTex]

"Quest novels have a central figure who strikes out in search of something -- and finds both helpers and those who impede him/her alng the way."

hmmm, quest novels, huh.   OK, how about the classics: the Iliad and the Odyssey?  You have Hector and Odysseus. 

And for side stories, there's Diogenes, Jason and the Argonauts, or how about the works of Socrates or Plato?

Seems to me they all have their own quest.  The thirst for knowledge and truth is one of most powerful quests of all.

Unfortunately, these classics seem to have been ignored by our education system for a long time.  But the good news is that you can still find most of them at good libraries.  Now, if we can just get the kids to read them.

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

What did you think about "Men In Black"?

[SweetCaroline]

GOOD, I LIKE THIS IDEA!

[jocon307]

bumping you for later!

It's mysteries all the way for me, but I'll try and post something a little more coherent in the AM. Have recently resumed commuting via mass transit, so I'll have time to READ! again.

bbl! Ping list me too please.

[nutmeg]

fyi

[LittleSpotBlog]

I'd love to join in... please add me to the ping list.

I'm almost finished with "Nine Parts of Desire" by Geraldine Brooks about women under Islam; an older book, but fascinating and timely nonetheless. The religion, among other things, is inherently misogynistic, and it's amazing that women under it survive at all. The very few positive female role models to come out of the Middle East are really interesting to me, if not a little depressing.

Another favorite was "Bush Country : How Dubya Became a Great President While Driving Liberals Insane" by John Podhoretz. That book really summed up what I love about W. Despite the bad rap, he has big ideas and the fortitude to see them through. Also, even though he's crucified for his verbal gaffes, his speeches are actually among the best ever delivered by a president. It's always amusing to me when the lib lesbos at my office go off on how stupid Bush is, etc. I just love that his critics are so consistently wrong!

[Galactic Overlord-In-Chief]

What did you think about "Men In Black"?

Very good, it's my favorite of the three I mentioned. I went through it very quickly. I got a lot of it. I learned things about the courts, judges, and our own country's history that I didn't know before, and that was one of the great things about the book. Levin states the case for judicial reform better than I think I've heard anyone state it before.

[Ax]

1. "My Pet Goat."

2. Anything by Wilbur Smith

[elli1]

Great idea. Add me to the ping list.

[Galactic Overlord-In-Chief]

Quest novels have a central figure who strikes out in search of something -- and finds both helpers and those who impede him/her alng the way.

Just about every fantasy novel that I've read has a variation on that theme: The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Chronicles of Prydain books by Lloyd Alexander (I'm especially fond of those, BTW), The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (I don't think most of the Narnia books strike me much as "quest" stories), and The Neverending Story (Which has two quests in one book!). Even the book I just had published has the quest theme, although it's more so in the second half.

[ovs.in.texas]

....Another excellent title is "A Conflict of Visions" by Thomas Sowell...

Thanks for the reference

I am very impressed with Sowell's work. His Vision of the Anointed gave me a remarkable whole framework to view current events. I highly recommend it.

[Txsleuth]

Beowulf just about did me in, in the 9th grade!!!

[Tanniker Smith]

The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings are the granddaddies of quest fantasy novels, and so many other books imitate them (and also the fact that the latter was a trilogy -- I don't think you can sell a single fantasy book anymore if you can't make it a trilogy.)

TS

[Travis McGee]

Shameless self promotional plug.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"So what should we discuss first?"

Will there be adult beverages served at said "Book Club?" Will I have to write Book Reports? Will there be comfy couches to lounge upon?

If not, count me out. ;) (But thanks for all the book suggestions. I always find great reads through word-of-web.)

[EdReform]

Please add me to your ping list. Thanks!