Posted on 12/24/2001 10:10:07 AM PST by ken5050
Was just wondering what new books various Freepers enjoyed most this year? and why? Fiction or non fiction? And books published this year please.....so the Bible, or any of the classics are out....Was it, sadly, Barbara Olson's last book, or the Adams biography, or a good novel?
Living Terrors: What America Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe by Michael T., Ph.D., M.P.H. Osterholm, John Schwartz A good basic primer on biowarfare written a couple of years ago and published last year in hardback and now out in paperback. This is the kind of book that you can give to someone without much scientific knowledge and by the end of the book they will have a decent layman’s knowledge of the subject. Sets up examples that read like a decent thriller and then goes on to explain the basic problems in clear concise and readable form.
John Adams by David McCullough. He’s an outstanding historian and writer and I’ve pretty much read every book he’s written. A couple months before I read his book on Truman. While I enjoyed that book you can tell from reading it that McCullough was a big Truman fan and it may have colored the writing a bit. In Adams you don’t have that problem and the writing is superb.
I’ve read these recently and would really have to think about what I read earlier in the year that I would recommend. Well perhaps any book by George McDonald Frazer in the Flashman series. Not great literature but a lot of fun. I’ve read all of them. Another of recommendation would be all of the books by Lawrence Shames starting with his first one, Tropical Depression . Nothing serious just a light suspense novel which deals more with relationships and characters than it does with suspense. In the summer I describe it as a great book to take to the beach or to read on the plane.
Had that one on my wish list at Amazon. Hope someone bought it for me.
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Interesting,Pillars of the Earth is one of my faves,too.Excellent Historical fiction.Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters take place in the same time period and follow Englands history from the early 1100's to about 1170,the same timeline that Ken Follett followed in Pillars.If you enjoyed it,check out Bro.Cadfael mysteries.
" A Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose is very interesting and also interesting to note what some of the " Band" went on to accomplish in their lives
Finally " Nothing Like It In the World" also by Stephen Ambrose, the story of how the Central Pacific Railroad, and the Union Pacific came into being. Talk of Lying, Cheating, stealing on a grand scale, let alone moving the Sierra Nevada 85 miles west on a map, in order that the Southern Pacific would be paid more per mile of track than they received on the flat ground. A real piece of Americana
The first book was bully; highly readable, with many amusing anecdotes; informative; not an academic biography but few bestsellers are.
Who knows what stories lurk in volume 2? Perhaps Theodore, as president, wrestling (physically) with Taft, hanging from a wire over the Potomac to strengthen his wrists, coining phrases ("throwing my hat into the ring", "good to the last drop")? Will Morris reveal the shocking true story behind the "Teddy Bear"?
Read it and find out.
This book details the third crusade involving Richard the Lionhearted and Saladin.
The treatment of Saladin was done after research among middle eastern scholars and sounds idyllic, naive and a white wash from a western point of view.
James Reston leaves himself open to the criticism of being estranged from Christianity to the point of not being able to be objective in his narrative.
His description of Christian crusaders, their motivations and treachery is contrasted against the idyllic Saladin.
If not for the third crusade, Saladin would have been well situated to take all of Europe. He had the resources, the backing of all Islamic leaders and had consolidated the power of the islamic world by becoming the emperor of Egypt and Syria.
This book is a must read for understanding why Saladin, a Kurd, is the blueprint and touchstone all Islamic leaders use. Sadam Hussein has referred to himself as "the new Saladin" as has Arafat. Every moslem wants to unit Islam, solidfy support and take over the world. They really Do want to take back Spain and Austria since they had conquered them at one time in the past and consider that a legitimate claim to ownership in the future.
Forget "moderate" mohammedans,... the impetus of islam is submit or die.
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