The GF book thread

[SasaS]

2 hours ago, Sut said:

It's not a bad picture. Bryan Singer made it in between Usual Suspects and X-Men.

And in between some other... goings on.

[polymerpunkah]

"Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa" Jason Stearns

 

"Africa's World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe" Gerrard Prunier

 

Two books on the wars that took place in the DRC following the genocide in Rwanda.

 

The first is the one to read first, the second is a much-more complex attempt to present all the different factions involved, and all the events that took place between 1994 and 2004. 

 

5 million excess deaths in a series of conflicts driven in large part by Kagame's Rwanda and Museveni's Uganda, with most of the other surrounding nations involved in one way or another.

 

The violence continues up to the present day, though at a lower level, with Kagame and Rwanda still heavily involved.

[Sut]

I'm nearing the end of my reread of The IPCRESS File at the minute, juggling it with Kathryn Bigelow Interviews, which is a load of interviews with, er... Kathryn Bigelow. Also got The Warrior's Camera on the go - a book about the films of Kurosawa Akira.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

14 hours ago, polymerpunkah said:

"Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa" Jason Stearns

 

"Africa's World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe" Gerrard Prunier

 

Two books on the wars that took place in the DRC following the genocide in Rwanda.

 

The first is the one to read first, the second is a much-more complex attempt to present all the different factions involved, and all the events that took place between 1994 and 2004. 

 

5 million excess deaths in a series of conflicts driven in large part by Kagame's Rwanda and Museveni's Uganda, with most of the other surrounding nations involved in one way or another.

 

The violence continues up to the present day, though at a lower level, with Kagame and Rwanda still heavily involved.

Cheery stuff!

[Elite]

For anyone with an Audible subscription, the new audiobook for  George Orwell's 1984 is brilliant. Probably the best production I've come across in my audiobook journey. It's free on the plus catalogue.

[SasaS]

And when you say the best production, you mean...?

 

[Elite]

6 minutes ago, SasaS said:

And when you say the best production, you mean...?

 

The sound quality as a whole, great music, voice acting and sound effects.

[SasaS]

3 minutes ago, Elite said:

The sound quality as a whole, great music, voice acting and sound effects.

Who's reading?

[Elite]

Just now, SasaS said:

Who's reading?

Andrew Garfield, Tom Hardy, amongst others. Google it.

[SasaS]

You mean this?

 

https://www.audible.com/pd/George-Orwells-1984-Audiobook/B0CRRP4WW7

 

That's not an audio book. I hate this direction towards radio drama. The more popular audio books get, the more they think they have to "improve" the medium. Give me a good reader like Sean Barrett and please no music or sound effects or celebrities or acting or multiple narrators it they are not absolutely necessary.

 

Just read me the book, please.  

[Elite]

13 minutes ago, SasaS said:

You mean this?

 

https://www.audible.com/pd/George-Orwells-1984-Audiobook/B0CRRP4WW7

 

That's not an audio book. I hate this direction towards radio drama. The more popular audio books get, the more they think they have to "improve" the medium. Give me a good reader like Sean Barrett and please no music or sound effects or celebrities or acting or multiple narrators it they are not absolutely necessary.

 

Just read me the book, please.  

Don't listen it then. 

 

I enjoyed it, others may or may not.

[SasaS]

I don't doubt it's a great radio drama adaptation,  I just don't like it where it's all going with audio books. And we used to be so happy.

[Elite]

3 minutes ago, SasaS said:

I don't doubt it's a great radio drama adaptation,  I just don't like it where it's all going with audio books. And we used to be so happy.

I think the big productions will only be for certain books anyway as it'd cost a fortune to do it for all.

 

I like one narrator as well, I don't disagree there but this was a nice change.

[Sut]

The BBC did full-cast radio plays of every single Sherlock Holmes with Clive Merrison, and they're ace. Their Sexton Blake is really good too. If you can get hold of it, the 90s American Werewolf in London that they produced was bloody brilliant.

[polymerpunkah]

1967: Israel, the War, and the Year that Transformed the Middle East 

 

by Tom Segev

 

A detailed examination of the Six Days War, after which Israel annexed East Jerusalem, re-occupied the Gaza strip, and occupied the Golan heights and the West Bank.

 

Deals almost exclusively with Israel, which is a limitation, but still an excellent book.

 

In particular, the discussions of the top leadership before during and after the conflict.

 

A book well worth reading if you want a better understanding of the modern world.

[NoelM]

Exit by Belinda Bauer, I always enjoy her books. This is a crime novel about a group called the Exiteers who help facilitate suicide for the terminally ill. Very good, funny and sad - 4/5.

 

[SasaS]

Great recommendation, we all need cheering up right now.