2020 50 Book Challenge

[Fueco]

66. Genghis Khan and the Quest For God: How The World’s Greatest Conqueror Gave Us Religious Freedom, by Jack Weatherford

A little on the dry side, but this is a fascinating history of the founding of the Mongolian Empire and how freedom of religion played an integral role in how Genghis built his empire.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

74. Is this how you see me? by Jaime Hernandez
The Hernandez brothers, Jaime and Gilberto are America comics legends, and their stories published as Love & Rockets from the early 80s onwards chronicle the lives of the eccentric inhabitantis of a small Mexican village (in the case of Gilerto's Duck Soup) and for Jaime, the unconventional residents of Hoppers and Huerta, two heavily Mexican-American neighbourhoods in California: the punks, the lesbians, the drop-outs and the losers. Earlier stories had a hefty dose of magic realism, even science fiction, but over time these themes have given way to a more straight realism as Jaime continues to document his characters as they get fatter and older, and either get more conventional or continue to let their freak flag fly. I loved this latest volume, which covers just a few days during which the two central characters, Maggie and Hopey, get together again, and leave their boyfriend and wife respectively to attend a punk reunion back in the barrio. There are arguments, reunifications, bloody noses and mistakes, and interspersed between are episodes from the very early days when the two first met and became inseperable, at various times friends, lovers, partners-in-crime and more besides.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

51.The Man From The Diogenes Club by Mr Kim Newman Esq.

Based on FlyingMonkey’s review I sourced this form the public library. Think Sherlock Holmes meets Hammer Horror and Austin Powers. Mind you the last story in the book definitely reminded me of Bond’s Thunderball.

A most agreeable & entertaining diversion in these troubled times. The gentlemen's fashion completely transcended the idea of groovy baby and was totally far out.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I just noticed I wrote that Gilberto Hernandez wrote Duck Soup, of course I meant Heartbreak Soup - my brain apparently defaults to the Marx Brothers when it comes to soup...

 

[LonerMatt]

Spoiler: List

1. The Tangled Land
2. The Test
3. Grace of Kings
4. Wall of Storms
5. Where there was Still Love
6. The Secret Commonwealth
7. Children of Ruins
8. Hunger
9. Legacy of Ash
10. When we were Vikings
11. The Yellow Notebook
12. A Couple of Things Before the End
13. Agency
14. Sword of Fire
15. How to Fix the Future
16. The Topeka School
17. Beijing Payback
18. The Lucky Country
19. A horse walks into a bar
20. The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
21. The Secret Scripture
22. Stone Sky Gold Mountain
23. The Return
24. The Lost Decade
25. Shop Class as Soulcraft
26. Makers
27. Between the World and Me
28. How to do nothing
29. Amusing Ourselves to Death
30. The Bear
31. Eden
32. The Medium is the Massage
33. The Book of Koli
35. The End of Education
36. Exploded View
37. Quarterly Essay: Cry me a river
38. Water Knife
39. Dance Dance Dance
40. Norwegian Wood
41. Snow Crash
42. Being Ecological

41. Snow Crash

Re-read of one of my favourites. Great book, lots of fun. Amazing how some of the larger problems of our world (corporate interests owning more than they are due then manipulating conflict and interests for their own gain) is present in the early 90s.

42. Being Ecological

Philosophy superstar Tim Morton writes this book that largely argues that ecological thinking is about inclusivity not about telling people off. Obnoxiously overbearing in language, despite pretending not to. Over-rated.

 

[Fueco]

67. Command Authority, by Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney

 

[FlyingMonkey]

42. Being Ecological

Philosophy superstar Tim Morton writes this book that largely argues that ecological thinking is about inclusivity not about telling people off. Obnoxiously overbearing in language, despite pretending not to. Over-rated.

I used to know him a bit a long time ago before he was famous. He was a wanker who tried desperately hard to be cool back then, and he hasn't changed. I was an actual environmental activist for years and he's never done anything more than talk. I really do not understand why he has a following.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

I used to know him a bit a long time ago before he was famous. He was a wanker who tried desperately hard to be cool back then, and he hasn't changed. I was an actual environmental activist for years and he's never done anything more than talk. I really do not understand why he has a following.

I think he has a certain philosophical appeal to people based on a wholistic environmental systems approach to climate change which transcends speciesism incorporates a post Gia participation mystique and reduces the whole environmental issue to a form of all encompassing intellectual metaphysics.

Just my interpretation after reading Humankind.

 

[Fueco]

I think he has a certain philosophical appeal to people based on a wholistic environmental systems approach to climate change which transcends speciesism incorporates a post Gia participation mystique and reduces the whole environmental issue to a form of all encompassing intellectual metaphysics.

Just my interpretation after reading Humankind.

I honestly can’t tell whether you’re serious or if you’re making fun of the author.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

I honestly can’t tell whether you’re serious or if you’re making fun of the author.

Depends on whom you play pool with.

 

[PhilKenSebben]

I think he has a certain philosophical appeal to people based on a wholistic environmental systems approach to climate change which transcends speciesism incorporates a post Gia participation mystique and reduces the whole environmental issue to a form of all encompassing intellectual metaphysics.

Just my interpretation after reading Humankind.

Chortle. You should submit this quote to be on the dust jacket of the next edition

 

[FlyingMonkey]

The thing is, I teach social theory at a major university. I can tell when someone is making this **** up. And for the most part, he is. He has come up with a couple of good concepts but he's parlayed those into a career. But that kind of grift is what America is all about, right? You can even get to be President that way...

 

[PhilKenSebben]

The thing is, I teach social theory at a major university. I can tell when someone is making this **** up. And for the most part, he is. He has come up with a couple of good concepts but he's parlayed those into a career. But that kind of grift is what America is all about, right? You can even get to be President that way...

 

[Fueco]

View attachment 1474301

The philosophy students will elevate you to godhood...

 

[FlyingMonkey]

View attachment 1474301

I love XKCD, and as it happens he's married to the daughter of one of my colleagues...