What book are you reading now?

[dangerboy]

Just got "Arnham: The Battle fir the Bridges, 1944" by Antony Beevor https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32934807-arnhem.

I have read a number of books on Operation Market Garden and would normally say, oh yet another book about the battle. However, I really like Antony Beevor's writing and find that he is one of those military history writers that always has something new and interesting in his books. I am thinking that this book will just as good as his previous books.

 

[tomahawk6]

Just finished the Bolitho series by Alexander Kent.For bing reading buying the ereader version worked well for me.Part of the series featured Canada and the american colonies.one of the books dealt with the American attempt to invade Canada around 1812 via the Great Lakes which probably caused the burning of the White House.

 

[winnipegoo7]

War from the Ground Up: Twenty-First Century Combat as Politics is a 2012 book on war and military strategy written by Emile Simpson, a former British Army officer. The book analyzes the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) in terms of Carl von Clausewitz's theory of war, arguing that modern counter-insurgencies have more in common with domestic political struggles than the traditional state-on-state conflicts described by Clausewitz. The book was favorably reviewed by Michael Howard, a prominent military historian, among others.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_from_the_Ground_Up

 

[dimsum]

I'm halfway through New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson.  It's a take on how life would be in NYC when sea levels rise 15 meters and drown out the lower parts of the city from various points of view, from government officials to bankers to folks on the "street".  So far I'm enjoying it, but I have a feeling I'd get the geographical references more if I've been/lived there.

 

[brihard]

I'm halfway through New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson.  It's a take on how life would be in NYC when sea levels rise 15 meters and drown out the lower parts of the city from various points of view, from government officials to bankers to folks on the "street".  So far I'm enjoying it, but I have a feeling I'd get the geographical references more if I've been/lived there.

Ooh, neat! He wrote a great trilogy years ago about the colonization of Mars. A gifted author.

 

[kratz]

I'm halfway through New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson.  It's a take on how life would be in NYC when sea levels rise 15 meters and drown out the lower parts of the city from various points of view, from government officials to bankers to folks on the "street".  So far I'm enjoying it, but I have a feeling I'd get the geographical references more if I've been/lived there.

Thank you for mentioning the book.

I'd read it, but overlay Toronto, Vancouver or Halifax streets in my mind. The perspectives covered in the book might make more sense to me that way.

 

[dimsum]

Ooh, neat! He wrote a great trilogy years ago about the colonization of Mars. A gifted author.

I've heard about the Mars trilogy but haven't read it yet.  I've read Aurora, 2312, Shaman and this one so far.  2312 got a little weird for me but everything else was awesome.

And kratz, thanks for the tip.  I was pretty much doing the same.

 

[Journeyman]

.....Emile Simpson, War from the Ground Up: Twenty-First Century Combat as Politics

I thought War from the Ground Up  was an excellent book, especially when read with Hew Strachan's The Direction of War. 

Simpson was a student of Strachan.  As such, the latter book provides more detail and insight into the higher, strategic-level concepts  Simpson presents.  Simpson's theories on "the narrative," which (in addition to consistency -- a Western weakness) requires an understanding of the audiences;  I assume that the cultural aspects got much practical depth from his time with the Gurkhas.

 

[winnipegoo7]

To be honest "War From the Ground Up" is a little over my head at points, but it has definitely blown my mind. I'll have to check out Strachan's book sometime.

 

[Cloud Cover]

A Column of Fire by Ken Follett...another continuation book from The Pillars of the Earth..probably one of the best books I've ever read. Looking forward to cracking this one open.

I just finished this book finally. The last 150 pages I could not put it down. I don’t believe Pierre was not a real person, I guess he was an an amalgam of every wicked asshole one could imagine.

 

[Journeyman]

I don’t believe Pierre was not a real person, I guess he was an amalgam of every wicked asshole one could imagine.

I haven't read any of the books, so I don't know if "Pierre" is some reference to our 15th Prime Minister.   

 

[jollyjacktar]

I haven't read any of the books, so I don't know if "Pierre" is some reference to our 15th Prime Minister.   

Sadly, for me, he was a real person.

 

[FJAG]

I've just finished Michael V. Hayden's The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies (2018) Penguin Press, New York, NY

https://www.amazon.com/Assault-Intelligence-American-National-Security/dp/0525558586

For those of you who may not remember, Hayden was a four-star USAF general and the director of the National Security Agency (Initially under Bill Clinton and then George W Bush 1999 - 2005) and then the director of the  Central Intelligence Agency (under George W Bush 2006 - 2009)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hayden_(general)

IMHO Hayden presents a balanced view of the challenges currently confronting the US intelligence community and how the situation came to be. His balance can be seen in that he pulls no punches in detailing the failings that came about during the Obama administration. Those who look at the controversies which surround his tenure in those jobs will see that he definitely leans to the right.

The thrust of his book, however, details the fact that the US is currently under cyber attack from Russia through a massive effort to destabilize American democracy and that the current administration is doing nothing about it.

Hayden details that there is a convergence of the way Americans gravitate (intentionally and by way of search engines tuned to reinforce an individual's preconceptions) to information, regardless as to whether it is true or not, that is mutually reinforced by a swirl of Russian-influenced social media, alt-right websites and talk radio, Presidential tweets, Russian press like RT and some US mainstream media like Fox News. While there is no overarching plan and each of these entities work towards their own purposes, the sum total is a dovetailing of these elements that further Russian intents to fracture US society and keep the US focused on it's internal problems rather than fulfilling it's role as the world's leader.

What is even more troubling to Hayden is that the current US administration is deliberately not treating this issue with any of the seriousness it deserves. He firmly places the blame on Trump who is deliberately avoiding mounting a concerted response to what is currently, in Hayden's eyes, the greatest security threat facing the US. He considers this situation to be an appalling national security lapse that while not necessarily leading to social collapse, threatens America's core democratic structures, processes and attitudes.

He believes the country's intelligence community is under tremendous stress from Trump who, having been given overwhelming intelligence that Russia is engaged in a cyber war with the US, not only refuses to lead a strong response to those attacks but instead is acting aggressively in undermining the intelligence community that provided him the evidence.

A good and compelling read for all.

:cheers:

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Just finished the Bolitho series by Alexander Kent.For bing reading buying the ereader version worked well for me.Part of the series featured Canada and the american colonies.one of the books dealt with the American attempt to invade Canada around 1812 via the Great Lakes which probably caused the burning of the White House.

A great set of books, war of 1812 is why you have a "Whitehouse", cover up the burn marks caused by Royal Marines, Canadian Militia and Natives

 

[FJAG]

Continuing my quest to understand what's going on down south, I'm now nearing the end of David Frum's Trumpocarcy: The Corruption of the American Republic.

https://www.amazon.ca/Trumpocracy-Corruption-American-David-Frum/dp/0062796739/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528134760&sr=8-1&keywords=trumpocracy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Frum

David Frum is a conservative Republican who is a senior editor for The Atlantic and was a speech writer in the George W Bush White House. While a life long Republican he voted for Clinton in 2016 because he simply couldn't stomach voting for Trump. You may know him as the son of Barbara Frum.

I think this quote from Peter R Blake, a reviewer on Amazon, best sums up the book:

Well written. David clearly shows his disgust with Trump as a person and symptom of a much greater malaise. David brings his understanding of politics, history, democracy and deep social patterns and trends together to help explain how Trump got elected and continues to enjoy support from his "base". Whereas, Clinton's "deplorables" remark sought to dehumanize Trump's base, David does show that they are people that have legitimate issues, but also have made a number of choices that compromise their "souls", democracy and their own economic positions even more. While I know Trump will pass and will cause great damage during his tenure, I am more deeply worried about the social patterns and trends, which the author identified well - the attributes of momentum and inertia come to mind. Tremendous positive energy is needed, instead of the swamp gas flames of today. In the end David attempts to forecast potential "silver lining" side effects and provides advice on how to combat the social and political malaise at a local level.

I would add that Frum really hits the nail on the head with his astute observations that it wasn't only the Democrats who completely failed to understand the mood of the conservative side of the country but also the Republican leadership which ought to have seen the writing on the wall after Romney's defeat. Frum analyses the pre-existing conditions that were in place when Trump decided to run and then looks to the enablers and appeasers who allowed him to advance. From there he puts his heart and soul into explaining why Trump is a clear and present danger to democracy in the US (and it's not only because he's a high level kleptocrat and narcissist). The trouble here is that the swamp that is being drained is being refilled with raw sewage.

The introductory line to his book sums up his premise nicely:

Democracy is a work in progress. So is democracy's undoing.

Well worth the read for those who despise Trump and would like reinforcement of their feelings but, more importantly, an excellent read for those who support Trump despite the niggling feeling in the back of their minds that they might have made and may still be making a mistake.

[cheers]

 

[winnipegoo7]

The Exile: The Stunning Inside Story of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda in Flight
https://www.amazon.ca/Exile-Stunning-Inside-Story-Flight/dp/1620409844


I thought that I knew a fair bit about Al Qaeda, but I was wrong. Mind blowing book.

Here's a review from Foreign Affairs magazine:

Scott-Clark and Levy tapped a remarkable array of sources to put together this detailed and intimate investigation into how Osama bin Laden, his family, and some of his closest collaborators spent the decade that began with the planning of the 9/11 attacks and ended with bin Laden’s death in Pakistan at the hands of U.S. Special Forces. The authors reveal the complex set of relations among bin Laden’s many wives and children, the disagreements within al Qaeda (most of its senior figures opposed the 9/11 plan), and the challenge posed to the organization by the brutal sectarianism of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of its affiliate in Iraq. The books sheds considerable (although not conclusive) light on the question of whether senior Pakistani officials knew that bin Laden was hiding in their country. Perhaps the book’s most fascinating sections explain how a large group of senior al Qaeda figures and bin Laden family members found unlikely refuge in Iran after the 9/11 attacks. They were both guests and hostages, providing Iran with some immunity from al Qaeda attacks and representing potential bargaining chips—ultimately never cashed in—during negotiations with the United States.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/2017-10-16/exile-stunning-inside-story-osama-bin-laden-and-al-qaeda-flight

 

[Journeyman]

I've just finished Michael V. Hayden's The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies (2018) Penguin Press, New York, NY

I'm wrapping up James Clapper's Facts and Fears: Hard Truths from a Life in Intelligence.  He writes about Snowden's intelligence leaks, and the media's salacious cherry-picking, often inaccurately and out of context, when the Int Community was under all kinds of political and media fire.  Clapper notes with gratitude that Hayden was consistently out there on CNN, Fox, etc  trying to explain the whole story (that those still working within the IC could not).


Oh, and I also just finished Political Risk: How Businesses and Organizations Can Anticipate Global Insecurity  by Condoleezza Rice and Amy Zegart.

 

[FJAG]

About half way through

https://www.amazon.ca/Restless-Wave-Causes-Fights-Appreciations/dp/1501178008/

So far so good. Seems even handed and provides some interesting insight to the man and the events of his time.

:cheers:

 

[dimsum]

I'm slowly working my way through Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds.

So far (1/3 through) looks like revenge/noir in his Revelation Space sci-fi universe.  If you've read his other Revelation Space novels, I think you'll like this one - the books and printsf subreddits seem to have most people recommending it as their favourite of his works.

 

[FJAG]

Have now finished McCain's The Restless Wave (see above)

A good book with his take on recent politics starting from his 2008 presidential run and going back and forth a bit. Not really an autobiography but more his take on key issues and events during his years in the Senate.

Two quotes stood out for me. The first respected Putin:

China is the challenge of the century, but Putin is the clear and present danger, the immediate threat to America, and the world we have helped to make and thrive in. We must fight him as cleverly and as determinedly as he fights us. We will stop him when we stop letting our partisan and personal interests expose our national security interests, even the integrity of our democracy and the rule of law, to his predation

The second respects the polarization of society and politics and Congress:

There are a lot of contributing factors to the gridlock that frustrates so many. Chief among them is how much more polarized we are as a society. We are secluding ourselves in ideological ghettos. We don't have to debate rationally or even be exposed to ideas that contradict ours. We have our own news sources. We exchange ideas mostly or exclusively with people who agree with us, and troll those who don't. Increasingly we have our own facts to reinforce our convictions and any empirical evidence that disputes them is branded as "fake." That's a social trend that's going to be very hard to turn around given the prevalence in our daily lives of media and communications technology that enables it . . . We have to recover our sense that we're part of a community that's larger than our political cohort, that we all, despite our disagreements, have shared interests and values.

That requires, paradoxically, taking politics more and less seriously. If you're alarmed by our descent into all-consuming partisanship, by the fact that much of the grassroots energy in both parties is with the closed-minded absolutists on the fringes, what are you doing about it? Are you voting in primary elections? Are you helping choose party leaders for your country, your state? Are you running for leadership positions yourself? Are you showing up for precinct committee meetings, district elections, town halls for elected officials? Because I guarantee you, voters on the Far Right and Far Left are. They show up. And if those are the voices party leaders and elected officials hear from most then those voices will exercise influence over local and state parties, over the national party, and over our national affairs that exceed the strength of their actual numbers. If you want politics to be more civil, if you want Congress to argue less and get more done, then show up.

Words to live by.

:cheers: