What was the last book you read?

[Charha]

I too heartily recommend Guns, Germs and Steel. It's a cultural history classic. There's also a National Geographic documentary that's based on the book and it's available online.

[Cyrus Tegyr]

Right now I am currently going through The War That Ended Peace written by Margaret MacMillan, it's pretty good thus far, it's about the period of sustained peace that preceded the first world war. I read her Paris 1919 just before this again, which is an interesting read, gives you insight into the practices with which the allies undertook to carve out Europe after the war and how for good or for ill, it's effects can still be seen today nearly 100 years later.

[Iktomi]

Too much boring stuff up in here.

Just started on Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. A good read.

Everything by Neal Stephenson is gold. I think Snow Crash is probably my favourite.

[Kat Asherstone]

Sounds interesting. Max Webers the protestant ethics and the spirit of capitalism is a really interesting read as well. He argues that protestantism (specifically Calvinism) and the way they interpret christianity and the commandments created capitalism and the western mindset.

Yeah that was a pretty spirited book to read, very passionate about his views on that topic.
I always love a good "This is why X group thinks Y" book, great philosophical inquiry on Webers part.

A real good one for anyone interested in the ColdWar is "The Espionage Establishment"
talks about a lot of the particulars that each side was doing... a little outdated, which makes it a better read Imo because it was so close to the end of the Cold War that not quite everything was known yet (still isn't I'm sure) but man it had some interesting stuff in there on who was wire tapping who and how and what not.

[Glarundis]

Sounds interesting. Max Webers the protestant ethics and the spirit of capitalism is a really interesting read as well. He argues that protestantism (specifically Calvinism) and the way they interpret christianity and the commandments created capitalism and the western mindset.

i have that book on a collection of the 20 books that changed history or so and planning to read it eventually. but from that collection i've only read 1 so far, and started another :/

[Gorath Blackmind]

Just recently finished "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, and currently reading Stephen Hawking's "Universe in a nutshell". When I got the time I try push forward with the "Song of Fire and Ice" series.

[Jaskier Huntley]

Thinner by Stephen King

[Boern]

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre

It's a book about pseudoscience, hoaxes, and quackery that is going on in the field of pharma and medicine; how some scams have established a strong foothold here with no proper scientific base and also about media's role in all this. The author seems to be on a personal crusade against some alternative therapists and quacks who interpret scientific studies with bias and without proper knowledge, or make bogus and obscure studies of their own. I can't really blame him for being cross as it's people's lives at stake here, and there has been some quite sickening schemes and ignorance going on.

I thought the subject was intriguing and the book was written well for even a stoopid-head like me to understand what is going on with the example cases and how the methods of bad science is used on them. I especially liked the bit about the placebo effect. It's pretty nutters how our bodies are affected by our minds and vice versa. There is some ha-ha level of wittiness sprinkled in but I like that style of writing so I didn't mind it.

Oh, and I probably should stop reading these books about medical things like vaccinations, diseases, and lumbar punctures. I was reading on a train when I got to a part about colonoscopy that went wrong causing some kid's bowel to be punctured in twelve places (it was just mentioned, not in detail or anything). I started feeling physically sick, got the cold sweat, dizziness, nausea, and everything. I had to stumble and bumble to the train's toilet to hurl. That was great and not embarrasing at all, thanks Ben! I used to get the same kind of sensations during some of the health classes at school so I think there's something profoundly wrong with me. I probably wouldn't make a very good doctor, at least.

[Nymphea]

Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch



“Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a treeful of monkeys on nitrous oxide.”

“Anyway, if you stop tellin' people it's all sorted out afer they're dead, they might try sorting it all out while they're alive. ”

“It is said that the Devil has all the best tunes.
This is broadly true. But Heaven has the best choreographers”

“And then there were cats, thought Dog. He'd surprised the huge ginger cat from next door and had attempted to reduce it to cowering jelly by means of the usual glowing stare and deep-throated growl, which had always worked on the damned in the past. This time they had earned him a whack on the nose that had made his eyes water. Cats, Dog considered, were clearly a lot tougher than lost souls. He was looking forward to a further cat experiment, which he planned would consist of jumping around and yapping excitedly at it. It was a long shot, but it just might work.” --> btw, the dog in quote is supposed to be the three headed dog from hell.

Incredible to read and cry over with laughter

[Cyrus Tegyr]

Another boring book I am sure to most of you:
The End: Hitler's Germany 1944-1945

Just after that I went through:
The Nuremberg Trial by John and Ann Tusa

Currently going through and about finished with:
Mao: The Untold Story

All interesting and very informative reads, I decided to swap over to a different dictator's biography for different flavor, I'm up for suggestions for when I finish Mao's biography, curiously I am wanting to read a biography on Stalin but unsure of which of the many biographies out there are the better.

I'm not all about the cold hearted, ruthless leaders though, in particular I want to get my hands on though I do not believe it has been published in English, the published diary(s) of Victor Klemperer. Alas I think this is a moot desire as I have tried to locate them and I think they've only been published in foreign, a language I do not speak and even this I am unsure of.