What are you reading now?

[Davidokun]

Red Famine, about famine in Russia and particularly Ukraine in the 1930s and whether there was deliberate intent on the part of Stalin and Moscow to starve the whole of Ukraine.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Famine-St.../dp/0385538855

Coincidentally, I recently watched The Great Famine (2011), an American Experience documentary about the earlier Russian famine of 1921–1922.

The little-known story of the American effort to relieve starvation in the new Soviet Russia in 1921, The Great Famine is a documentary about the worst natural disaster in Europe since the Black Plague in the Middle Ages. Five million Russians died. Half a world away, Americans responded with a massive two-year relief campaign, championed by Herbert Hoover, director of the American Relief Administration known as the ARA.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexp.../films/famine/

The film is based on The Big Show in Bololand: The American Relief Expedition to Soviet Russia in the Famine of 1921 by Bertrand M. Patenaude.

https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=3250

[Adam$]

I read 4 of Lynne Olson's pre-WW2 set, mostly dealing with the Britain. Very pleasantly surprised. She's good.
I took a shot at Pat Buchanan's WW2

Churchill, Hitler and the unnecessary war.

. I was interested in the content but also to find out why this book got him thrown out of network tv for all intents. My guess was that saying Hitler was a vicious murderer isn't enough if you also add that he didn't want to attack UK or fight a two-front war. Buchanan does not regard Churchill highly ( other than his speech making).

[lonewolf]

When do yall find time to do all this reading? I have been self-unemployed for 48 years and here I sit surrounded by hundreds of books, most read when I was employed.
This raises a point. Having read (and forgotten) so much in our lifetime, why do we keep cramming more in?

[Django]

When do yall find time to do all this reading? I have been self-unemployed for 48 years and here I sit surrounded by hundreds of books, most read when I was employed.
This raises a point. Having read (and forgotten) so much in our lifetime, why do we keep cramming more in?

You’ve raised good points! Especially during summer evenings, I will sometimes re-read “ light” books, eg, “A Year in Provence”, and find that most of it is very familiar yet pleasurable to read again. There are, however, also parts that I’d forgotten.
On the other hand, I have a friend whom I met when we were 6 years old, and he’s never read a book for pleasure in his life! I think that he’s missed a lot by not reading, but that’s just my opinion!

[scottmitchell74]

Concurrently:

Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe - Thomas Ligotti

Perelandra - C.S. Lewis

A Clash of Kings - G.R.R Martin

lonewolf - I like to read of an evening (or morning...or afternoon, as life allows) while having music in the background. This allows me to kill two birds with one stone.

I also read in-between sets in the weight room or in-between plays when the wife and I are playing Scrabble. We also listen to music during Scrabble so, unlike Costanza's sordid "Trifecta" this is my "trifecta."

[Conor Dary]

The Old Boys: The Decline and Rise of The Public School.

[DrJay]

Finished Red Famine by Anne Applebaum. I’d like to read something on the Gulag now. She has a single volume simply called the Gulag. Has anyone read that? would that be a better read than Solzhenitsyn, and I believe his writings on the Gulag span three volumes.

[Davidokun]

Finished Red Famine by Anne Applebaum. I’d like to read something on the Gulag now. She has a single volume simply called the Gulag. Has anyone read that? would that be a better read than Solzhenitsyn, and I believe his writings on the Gulag span three volumes.

A single-volume abridged edition of the latter, approved by Solzhenitsyn, was published in 2018.

Reference: The Gulag Archipelago

[CKuykendall]

Just finished: Scott Stossel. Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver. New York: Other Press, 2011. Paperback, 761 pp. Original hardcover publication = Washington: Smithsonian Books, 2004.

My favorite part is when Shriver is in Indonesia, to explore whether that country might accept some Peace Corps volunteers, and is able to get a meeting with President Sukarno. An assistant who happens to be along for the visit is a psychiatrist, Joe English, whom Shriver has hired to go to Asia as part of an entourage and determine why Peace Corps staff and volunteers in some countries are having problems. The psychiatrist has helped out in a big way, on that matter, at a previous stopover in the Philippines

So, as the meeting proceeds, and Shriver keeps trying to focus the conversation on what he's there for, Sukarno keeps peppering him with questions about Hollywood. After a bit, English the assistant realizes that Sukarno probably has Shriver mixed up, thinking Shriver is Peter Lawford, the actor married to a different Kennedy sister. Sukarno knows that John F. Kennedy has a Peace Corps brother-in-law, and knows that Kennedy has a Hollywood brother-in-law, but apparently thinks they're the same brother-in-law. So English whispers to Shriver his guess as to what's going on. It makes sense, and Shriver decides that he best play the part rather than embarrass the Indonesian president by correcting the mistake.

Whereupon, Sukarno eventually asks the two Americans, 'The actress, Marilyn Monroe...how did she die?' Shriver momentarily is stumped as to how to respond, and is only able to stammer, 'Well, gee, it's hard to say and there's a lot of speculation.' But then he recovers and says, punting, 'But Dr. English is a psychiatrist. He can tell you.' English then proceeds to suggest that Marilyn Monroe probably committed suicide, but that it's hard to say for sure. Sukarno cuts him off, interrupting, and says 'No, let me tell you what happened.' He then patiently explains to Shriver and English that what almost certainly occurred was that Marilyn Monroe took her sleeping pills, fell sleep, was awakened by a phone call, forgot she'd taken her sleeping pills, and took a second dose which became an overdose.

Later, after more conversational diversions and a Sukarno call to staffers for refreshments, brushing off yet another Shriver attempt to steer the non-progress chitchat to serious matters...this outcome, quoting the book:

"Just as Shriver was beginning to despair of accomplishing anything with his visit, he thought he overheard Sukarno saying, 'And when the Peace Corps comes to Indonesia....' Shriver wasn't even sure he had heard right, but he forged directly ahead. 'When the Peace Corps comes to Indonesia,' Shriver said, 'where would you like the volunteers to go?' Sukarno responded with a list of towns and villages where he was already making arrangements to accommodate volunteers. As easy as that, the Peace Corps was on its way to Indonesia."

[SoCal45]

for the 2nd time: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...api_tkin_p1_i0

I will never look at GDR performances BY ANY ATHLETE without disgust...none of their "records" should still be accepted! And their "non record" performances should be stricken from all lists.

[aaronk]

Not reading them yet, but two memoirs due out next March are definitely worth a pre-order at Amazon!
Choosing to Run by Des Linden
The Longest Race by Kara Goucher

The latter is especially exciting!
It's a tell-all about her years at NOP, and her years with Salazar!
I hear it's going to be sizzling!!!

[DrJay]

Finished Red Famine by Anne Applebaum. I’d like to read something on the Gulag now. She has a single volume simply called the Gulag. Has anyone read that? would that be a better read than Solzhenitsyn, and I believe his writings on the Gulag span three volumes.

Decided to tackle Applebaum, 75% through it. It's dense but readable and informative, feels repetitive, but then every day was probably like that for the labor camp workers. I may go back and read One Day in the Life after this, read that in about 8th grade.

[Black September]

for the 2nd time: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...api_tkin_p1_i0

I will never look at GDR performances BY ANY ATHLETE without disgust...none of their "records" should still be accepted! And their "non record" performances should be stricken from all lists.

IMO, the following is a much better book on the DDR sports program:

Synthetic Medals: East German Athletes' Journey to Hell

https://www.amazon.com/Synthetic-Med...926036&sr=8-14

[Black September]

Not reading them yet, but two memoirs due out next March are definitely worth a pre-order at Amazon!
Choosing to Run by Des Linden
The Longest Race by Kara Goucher

The latter is especially exciting!
It's a tell-all about her years at NOP, and her years with Salazar!
I hear it's going to be sizzling!!!

Do you really think Goucher has anything new to add? If so, why didn't she reveal it earlier?

[SoCal45]

IMO, the following is a much better book on the DDR sports program:

Synthetic Medals: East German Athletes' Journey to Hell

https://www.amazon.com/Synthetic-Med...926036&sr=8-14

yes, I have read that as well and my opinions stand...