Three recently read non-fiction works:

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant (2014) by Roz Chast. A graphic memoir describing the final years of the long-time New Yorker cartoonist's elderly parents. Very moving, with quite a few hilarious lines.

Will in the World (2004) by Stephen Greenblatt. Good "speculative" biography of Shakespeare, by necessity more about his time (mid 1500s to early 1600s) than about him. Lots of conjecture, but intelligently done.

John McGraw (1988) by Charles C. Alexander. Very entertaining bio of the larger-than-life manager (and player) whose career touched on, and was often at the center of, everything that happened in Major League Baseball from the 1890s to the 1930s -- two-fisted brawling, rival leagues, game throwing, the transition from deadball to liveball, etc. I enjoyed this one even more than the previous Alexander bios I've read (on Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby).

By the way, thanks to dino27 for providing me with the McGraw book, as well as about 50 other books he recently sent me.

im going to write a list of some current authors that are cutting edge or not very well known by the general public but great in their genre imo..i would love to see other' lists.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Which has me wondering...if you could be someone else, who would you be?

Here's three choices:

1) Bruce Wayne
2) James Bond
3) Hugh Hefner

Posted by DoctorKz on 5/3/2016 8:48:00 PM (view original):
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Which has me wondering...if you could be someone else, who would you be?

Here's three choices:

1) Bruce Wayne
2) James Bond
3) Hugh Hefner

James Thurber is more or less forgotten now, but I'm still a big fan. Some of the humor is dated (or worse -- you can't even figure out what the joke is supposed to be), but a lot of it holds up. And the drawings/cartoons are great.

heh

protofeminism maybe

Posted by DoctorKz on 5/3/2016 8:48:00 PM (view original):
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Which has me wondering...if you could be someone else, who would you be?

Here's three choices:

1) Bruce Wayne
2) James Bond
3) Hugh Hefner

I don't think any of those. The first 2 are too stressful, Heff doesn't seem like he should actually be happy/satisfied, somewhere deep inside.

Pedro Martinez or Randy Johnson might be fun. And while I'm not really feeling Bruce Wayne, John Wayne might be cool. Jimmy Page would also be high on the list.

for anger mgmt - bruce wayne
for cool - james bond
for always easy in my easychair - hef

1. Indiana Jones - same reason someone else would want to be James Bond, but a) you don't have to dress as well and b) you get to read books sometimes.

2. Arya Stark. I have a list; if she could be combined with Tyrion Lannister into one person (she hits people, he reads books) we would have it made. Plus he at least knows how to interest women, despite obvious disadvantages.

3. The Hulk. Again, you get to read books (Bruce Banner) and hit people (Hulk). Need a Tony Stark element for the womanizing part though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d59mOxLVZrA

the nod by Scarlett Johansenn says it all here.


Indiana has these things in lesser doses than the others, but he is a complete player: books, hitting people, women.

This video - and Plinkett's Reviews are THE GREATEST thing on the whole internet but are decidedly NOT APPROPRIATE FOR WORK, FAMILY, COMPANY OR ANYTHING ELSE!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zphhfHon_I

The point is at 36:40 of this video, the very beginning of part two.

If you like this, you will love the brilliant reviews of the horrible Star Wars Prequels - Red Letter Media.

Posted by italyprof on 4/28/2016 7:06:00 PM (view original):
I am reading bagchucker's comment above in this thread. Oh, wait I am not now, I am reading what I am writing...no, caught in a self-referential loop...

you gotta admit, those are the best kind

Posted by bagchucker on 5/6/2016 9:28:00 AM (view original):

Posted by italyprof on 4/28/2016 7:06:00 PM (view original):
I am reading bagchucker's comment above in this thread. Oh, wait I am not now, I am reading what I am writing...no, caught in a self-referential loop...

you gotta admit, those are the best kind

A joke we used to tell in academia in the late 1990s:

Postmodernist Anthropologist to remote stone age lifestyle tribe in the Amazon rain forest: "Now enough about you. Let's talk about me."

Posted by rleo on 8/27/2012 11:18:00 PM (view original):
1776 by David McCullough...

Every high school student and teacher should read this amazing story. It starts in Cambridge MA and ends in Trenton NJ.

geez no

the geographical challenges alone are daunting

Posted by dahsdebater on 11/13/2012 9:11:00 PM (view original):

Posted by contrarian23 on 11/10/2012 8:33:00 PM (view original):
Keynes: The Return of the Master - Robert Skidelsky

Should be required reading for every American...each generation re-learns that Keynes was pretty much right about everything.

Well there's a totally subjective opinion that a significant majority of the economists I know would disagree with...

big ben bernank says suck it

Posted by just4me on 11/15/2012 1:09:00 AM (view original):

Posted by contrarian23 on 11/15/2012 12:12:00 AM (view original):
"Opinion"?  I suppose.  In the same way that saying "Einstein was right about physics", would also be an opinion.
"Totally subjective"?  No.  In fact the whole point of the book is that there is an overwhelming amount of objective evidence for the thesis.
"A significant majority of the economists you know would disagree with"?  Exactly why Skidelsky should be mandatory reading for all Americans, so they don't get misled by what passes for contemporary economic thought.

I'll buy it on your recommendation, but as an economics major, I'd argue that the objective evidence overwhelmingly would suggest Keynes was wrong about most things. I'll wait to pass judgment though until I read the book.

chicago school teachings do not equal economic evidence

chicago school teachings is 1800s prussia thought, viking thought, let me ply my way, get behind me Law