Books
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@taniwharugby said in Books:
Most today couldn't last the ship journey south let alone what happened once they got there.
Try "Over the edge of the world: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe" - Lawrence Bergreen. Reinforces your thoughts. Have read it and listened to the audio book, both are great, but books always seem a bit better.
Thanks for the recommendation, read it this week. Funny how little I know about this stuff and yet how many names I recognised from the story, have been to Getaria a few times and always wondered why Elkano was so famous.
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Dead in the Water: Murder and fraud in the world most secretive industry
True story that has piracy/hijacking, murder, intimidation, all but secret societies, fraud.
Fascinating story that tells the story of the alleged hijacking of the oil tanker Billante Virtuoso that resulted in many years of investigations into the hijacking, scuttling, murder, insurance, litigation.
Story also talks on the history of the shipping, the marine insurance market and a host of other stuff.
Very good read.
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@taniwharugby said in Books:
Most today couldn't last the ship journey south let alone what happened once they got there.
Try "Over the edge of the world: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe" - Lawrence Bergreen. Reinforces your thoughts. Have read it and listened to the audio book, both are great, but books always seem a bit better.
Finished this yesterday, fascinating! Def worth the read/listen however you do books.
Who knew Cinnamon and Cloves were so valuable back then, and I kinda always felt the world had been explored further earlier, but on actually thinking about it more, it seems about right.
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I Am a Hitman: The Real-Life Confessions of a Contract Killer
Assuming this is legit, that I guess there is no reason not to suspect it isnt, fascinating story!
Says he has changed lots of dates/times/locations etc to avoid identifying people, but you'd have to think someone could link up at least a couple of the alleged hits if they had the time and inclination as a couple seem like they would have been pretty high profile deaths, even if deemed an "accidental death or suicide" as was his preference over straight up murdering them.
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Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingways secret adventures
Decent enough book, with plenty of good stuff, but felt more more a factual walk through of his life, rather than the story of it, if that makes sense.
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Eject, eject! By John 'Tornado down' Nichols. Written in a conversational style, which I didn't enjoy for his Spitfire book. But works here as a series of ejection anecdotes written beside the history and technology of the systems. Some crazy stuff, damn interesting for me
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@taniwharugby said in Books:
I Am a Hitman: The Real-Life Confessions of a Contract Killer
Assuming this is legit, that I guess there is no reason not to suspect it isnt, fascinating story!
Says he has changed lots of dates/times/locations etc to avoid identifying people, but you'd have to think someone could link up at least a couple of the alleged hits if they had the time and inclination as a couple seem like they would have been pretty high profile deaths, even if deemed an "accidental death or suicide" as was his preference over straight up murdering them.
Will check that out. Reminded me of the Richard Kuklinski story, he was legit it seems. Scary guy.
"The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer". Pretty sure that it was the Phillip Carlo one that I read years ago (it was good), but there are other books about him.
If I was actually a serial killer, he would be an inspiration...a true psycho. Have heard of his rat method from medieval times.
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@taniwharugby said in Books:
@Snowy yeah I listened to a podcast on him then watched the movie, think.it was Michael Shannon that played Kuklinski
Think I saw the movie and was underwhelmed. As is usually the way if you have read the book previous to watching movie.
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Just finished 'Serviceman J: The untold Story of an NZSAS Soldier'
Pretty easy read, tells the story of his life from entry to the army, some of the pivotal events in his military career, including working alongside one of our more well known SAS members, Willie Apiata (who he was photographed with in Afghanistan on active duty that was published) losing mates, through to his struggles after he left to his work with the Kiwis and Warriors and now at Dilworth College.
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@taniwharugby said in Books:
Just finished 'Serviceman J: The untold Story of an NZSAS Soldier'
Pretty easy read, tells the story of his life from entry to the army, some of the pivotal events in his military career, including working alongside one of our more well known SAS members, Willie Apiata (who he was photographed with in Afghanistan on active duty that was published) losing mates, through to his struggles after he left to his work with the Kiwis and Warriors and now at Dilworth College.
Willie Apiata ... if they ever do a "The Beehive has fallen" movie...
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Mossad - The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service
Decent enough read, several of the missions detailed are well known, with a some having been made into movies.
Mossad always seem to play by thier own rules and to hell with any fallout.
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James Lucas' "War on the Eastern Front"
Overall it was a good read, parts were interestingly told, other parts, less so.
I knew about this part of the war, but didnt realise the scale of it.
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Have been struggling with finishing some writing this week, so have gone back to an old favourite for inspiration. JG Ballard really was great.
I am looking into a silent world. Through the viewfinder of this cine-camera, set at its maximum field, I can see the Hotel Coral Playa three hundred yards along the beach, covered by a desert light so glazed that it would embalm Pharoah. It’s incredible that the sea is only a few feet to the right of frame – with this dense powdery light we could be at Karnak, in that tourist hotel by the necropolis where Helen befriended her Stuttgart dentist and first set in train this epic of the amateur camera.
"Stuttgart dentist"
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Finished the Inspector O series by "James Church". Inspector O is a police detective in North Korea, dealing with geopolitical threats/ mysteries to be solved. Your protagonist embodies quiet, sardonic wit in navigating the bureaucracy and inherent corruption of an authoritarian regime.
The books are written by an ex-intelligence officer who specialised in North Korea. Even if that isn't true, they're remarkably well written depictions of the environment, both physical and mental, North Koreans have to contend with. They're easy page turners with a great insight into what it must be life to live and work in a surveillance state.
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@kiwiwomble said in Books:
Might put this in the movie thread too for obvious reasons
Anyone read other books by Andy Weir? they author of "the Martian"
I loved the film so read the book and very much enjoyed it, did he just hot one rich vein or are his other books good too?
Martian was Apex.
Project hail Mary good fun
Artemis is ok to poor depending on your life perspective
so, got around to reading Artemis as was sale on amazon...easily the worst of the 3 IMO, I think what i like about the Martian and PHM is there isn;t a "bad guy"...the hero is fighting against his situation, i realised re watching the martian over xmas that i was surprised there wasn't a penny pinching accountant...or a rival manufacturer sabotaging things...people argue and disagree but theyre generally all trying to solve the same problem...Artemius has all those things...selfish people, double crossing, hit men
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@nonpartizan said in Books:
Am currently working my way through a Travellers history of NZ by John Chambers.
Actually, a very fascinating book. I did not realise that NZ was so sparsely populated well into the 19th century. The author cities that the number of non native settlers in NZ in the early part of the 19th century was just 2,000 - a combination of 1. missionaries
2. professionals and then the type of opportunists and
3 disreputable people that any new frontier always attracted.Author talks about the French exploration of the south Pacific in the 18th century by Cooks contemporaries. It seems that NZ could have just as easily have been settled by the French.
Another fascinating element was how the author says the Maori were very receptive to Christianity and incorporated it into their existing belief systems. Rather than abandoning or rejecting one or the other I find it fascinating how people's will borrow from other religions and give it a new twist.
I do want to tackle Michael King's history of NZ which appears to be considered the best book of its kind.
Did you get this digitally? I'd like to read it but don't want to buy the paper book (and in Oz so no access to the library). Your's is the first positive review I've heard of it. A couple of mates of mine (ones a historian and the other is writing a travel book based on famous people's recollections touring NZ so they're a little bit biased) are not that fond of it. So, I'd like to read to see for myself.
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@nonpartizan Recommend pairing the Michael King with Ranginui Walker's Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou if that's available.
