Thursday, December 14, 2006

Request for Recommendations

The reason I'm posting so little, as mentioned before, is that I'm getting ready to leave for Canada and am getting my affairs in order before leaving.

To prepare for my trip I went looking for books in the big Piccadilly Waterstone's (my local bookstore in one of the bizarre consequences of living where I do) and couldn't find the books I was looking for (the "American Ceaser" biography of Douglass MacArthur and Fritz Stern's "Einstein's German World). I picked up Jasper Becker's book on North Korea as his work on China is so utterly definitive but could use some more ideas, perhaps a novel or some more political history/thinking (nothing too dry before anyone gets academic on me).

I have four flights of upwards of five hours so will need more to read and none of the books I have in my "waiting to be read" list seem suitable. As I am leaving on Saturday recommendations before then would be greatly appreciated.

3 comments:

Gracchi said...

Matt have a great flight.

I've read some quite fun books recently if you want reccomendations- there is a wonderful book on the 14th century family called the Pastons- really well written by a woman called Helen Castor- the title is blood and roses. Jean Yves La Naour wrote a book called the Unknown soldier I think which is about a man called Anthelme Mangin who was discovered in the trenches in France in 1918 wondering about without a memory and taht again is very well written. Ronald Dworkin has got a new book of popular political philosophy out, I've started it but haven't finished it yet its called something can we have democracy here and its quite readable. Bryan Ward Perkin's book about the Fall of Rome is also very interesting and is a slim volume and very readable- if you haven't read any Peter Brown then he is incredibly good, really easy to read but really clever- his book the World of Late Antiquity is worth looking at. There's some for starters.

Have a great time- hope the blog doesn't completely die!

Lizzie said...

Did you see 'Christmas Books: Mr Simpson Recommends' on Iain Dale's Diary?

Haven't started reading it yet, but Alex gave me Boris Johnson's 'Have I Got Views For You'. Another friend said it was a highly amusing read.

If you're at all into fantasy like Lord of the Rings, try 'Eragon' by Christopher Paolini. It's the first of a trilogy and the film adaptation of it is out on the 15th. There's a website about the trilogy at http://www.alagaesia.com/index.php Again though, I haven't read it, but seeing as it's been recreated as a film it should be fairly good.

Wishing you peaceful journeys and a fantastic time in Canada!

Dave Cole said...

The Citadel by AJ Cronin
The Saddest Summer of Samuel S by JP Donleavy
Carpet People by Terry Pratchett
Strata by Terry Pratchett
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller Jr