I just finished reading "Vaccinated" by Paul A. Offit, MD. It is about the life of DR. Maurice Hilleman, the father of modern vaccines and CCDHS graduated. Very educational.

Hal, did you give it a read and if so, what did you think?

I'm waiting to get my copy of it Brady. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it . . . sounds like it's a good read.

I recently finished Dan O'Neill's THE FIRECRACKER BOYS (1995). It's a pretty good read.
http://blogcritics.org/ar...184830.php

Among other things I'm currently rereading Xenophon's THE PERSIAN EXPEDITION (ANABASIS).

Just finished Night Watch, Russian sci-fi horror book. Written by Sergey Lukyanenko, it has more depth and scope than your average sci-fi epic.

Also read I Am Legend and the accompanying short stories. For being written in 1953, the stories are remarkably fresh and freaky. If not slightly smacking of Tales From The Crypt.

The closest I get to sci-fi is Dean Koontz--He's my ultimate favorite author; in the process of reading Fear Nothing right now. Would like to get my hands on all his earlier books--which are out of print...but hard to find and when I do find, they are EXPENSIVE!!!!

Re-reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Next on the list is Love in the Time of Cholera.

I am reading a little sci-fi myself.....good when its -15 outside.

"Planet of Adventure" by Jack Vance....its 4 novels under one cover....nice easy reading.

Has anyone here read Ken Follett's new one, "World Without End"? His earlier, "Pillars of the Earth" was probably my favorite all time book, so I can't wait to read this sequel.

I am reading "Imperialism and World Economy" by Nikolai Bukharin.

Great book written in 1915 and not published until after the Russian Revolution. He was executed after the 1938 Moscow trial. The forward was written by V.I. Lenin. The information contained within the pages of this insightful work are as relevant today as then.

There is much to learn from the past. He addresses the growth of monopoly in capitalist societies, the process of "internationalization" of capital, international division of labor and the change in state structure.

Blind Your Ponies - Stanley Gordon West

Basketball in a dying town, Willow Creek, MT, where they can just barely field a team. If you grew up in a very small town, this book hits really close to home because of the sports angles, family issues, and the characters.

Love in the Time of Cholera was great. Love to hear what you think when you've finished.

Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg. If you have ever programmed a computer, it will resonate deeply with you. Those interested in programming specifically or management of engineering generally would enjoy it. Those not interested in such topics should probably read something else.

Gunnar, Jack Vance? Yes! Especially his Dying Earth stuff. Sci-fi is the fiction of ideas, and Jack Vance will toss half a dozen good ones over his shoulder while pulling out a better one.

I'm reading Ken Follett's "Pillars of the Earth" Great Story! I also have the sequel and will start that next. Ken Follett's book "White Out is also good.

I just completed "The Olive Hotel Thread". I can't recommend it. It seems sophomoric, even juvenile in spots and I must say, mean spirited.

"Benjamin Franklin" by Edmund S. Morgan

Hal, I thought you might enjoy this read. It is not a biography but an in depth analysis of Franklins politics. Especially his colonial diplomacy leading up to the war. It is very interesting how Great Britain and the American colonies progressively and slowly moved towards division and ultimately, war. A painful weaning.

Brady Stone

Thanks for the tip Brady, I'll add it to my list. Love that diplomatic history.

Among the books I've got going right now is Larry Kaniut's ALASKA BEAR TALES (1984). It's probably not the best choice of reading material for someone who lives in bear country, but he's collected a bunch of good stories.

I'm also reading a piece of fiction for a change, RULED BRITANNIA by Harry Turtledove. It's an excellent read.
http://turtledove.wikia.c..._Britannia

I am reading "Thunderstruck" by Erik Larson...a good yarn of the Victorian age, with some interesting stuff on Marconi and the development of radio thrown in.

Now, if I can just pick up the book without reading the title and having this start going through my head....

THUNDER!
ah wowah ahhh wawahh ah ah
THUNDER!
ah wowah ahhh wawahh ah ah

...everything would be golden.

I just read 'The Halfling's Gem' by R. A. Salvatore.
You can tell that he was very heavily influenced by 'The Lord of the Rings' books, but they're well written and a great popcorn read.

Hi,
1.Just happened onto the MC website. I only happen there from time to time, but couldn't resist discussing books.
One of the very best books I have ever read: The Raj Quartet (4 novels in l about the closing years of the British in India). Also made into a 13 part television series for PBS But even if you watch the video series, don't miss reading this wonderfully written 4 books in 1 publication by Paul Scott.

2. With The Old Breed by E. B. Sledge. Sledge was a marine at Peleliu and Okinawa and was in thick of it. He tells it exactly like it was. Reading this can be your memorial to those who fought in the Pacific Theatre of Operations during WWII.

3. Another book about some of the events of WWII: The Battle of Alamein by John Bierman and Colin Smith. I won't try to give a synopsis here -- JUST READ IT!

4. The Bear's Embrace by Patricia Van Tighem. The trials of a young couple after being attacked by a bear a few years ago while hiking near the Canadian border and the subsequent suicide of the young lady involved. Again, JUST READ IT.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Frank E. Ross

`

Hal, I know how you love Larry McMurtry. I just finished reading his small book called "BOOKS" It talks about Larry's love of reading, collecting, buying and selling of books. It is a life long passion of his. For any one who just plain loves books this is a must read. He also goes into the death of used bookstores. -
This reading and then a PBS special on Google got me to thinking about books and their future in a cyber society. Google book search is in the process of scanning and cataloging all the books in Stanford University's Library. They intend on one day having every book ever published on line and being able to cross translates to other languages, instantly. I am not kidding it is very ambitious and at face value is an awesome undertaking but what will this mean for the life of paper books? A thought for the future.

"The Uprising" by David Sirota- It is as good a read as "Hostile Takeover". I hope that Rick K. will take a couple of years and give these two books a read. The first chapter is solely written about the last Montana Legislative stand off between Democrats and Republicans. He calls this chapter the Thrilla in Montana. He was there and gives the reader a day-by-day account of the poop and how it went down.

This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind by Ivan Doig. I believe that you recommended this on your Montana list. A great novel that I could relate to. What a picture he portrays. His charcter live in my soul. Maybe because I grew up with them or people just like them.

>> I just finished reading his small book called "BOOKS"

Stone, he must read a lot, to be able to copy (err . . . "derive from other influences") as much as he does ; -)

With fishing, work, etc - I've been a slacker this summer and haven't read a great deal. Mostly I've been working my way though some local histories and archaeological / anthropological studies of the area. Interesting stuff in many ways. Some of my neighbors appear to have roots in the region going back for 7-8 thousand years.

I've been re-reading some favorite fiction, the Black Company series by Glen Cook - good stuff - as far as fiction goes ; -)
= = = = = = = =

as far Doig goes - the man is a treasure. Montana has been very fortunate to have been blessed with some great story tellers over the years (Dorothy Johnson, Bud Guthrie to name a couple) and Doig stands along side the best of them.

[This message has been edited by Hal Neumann (edited 9/3/2008).]

K. Duffy:

> "Pillars of the Earth" was probably my favorite all time book

...and Tammy:

That is a *great* book.

Me, I just finished a short by Keith Laumer, "The Body Builders"; read it years ago, loved it, lost it, forgot who wrote it, and ran into it the other night by accident. We have a moderately disorganized library... things get lost sometimes...



...we keep the paperbacks in the ceiling. Mostly.

I am currently wading through The Reformation by Diarmid McCullough. I started it on the flight to Sitka, and am only a third of the way through it.

I want to gain some insight into the minds of how some people think, and how the political divisions we see today came to be. Thus far, I have come to the conclusion that most people in 16th century Europe were friggin' crazy.

> Thus far, I have come to the conclusion that
> most people in 16th century Europe were friggin' crazy.

So... you're arguing that people today haven't changed, then.

Major Pain, I am jealous I wish I had that kind of storage for my books instead of boxed up in the garage attic.

I am in the middle of "TITAN"- "The Life of John D. Rockefeller" by Ron Chernow. It is a monumental undertaking to tackle Rockefeller and Standard oil and to try to put it into historical perspective without demonizing or glorifying him. Chernow pulls it off masterfully. This is the fourth book that I have read about the robber barons of the gilded age-fascinating.

The correlations between what is going on with corporate American now as compared to then is scary. Her is a small excerpt of the book:

"Standard oil had taught the American public an important but paradoxical lesson: Free markets, if left completely to their own devices, can wind up terribly unfree. Competitive capitalism did not exist in a state of nature but had to be defined or restrained by law. Unfettered markets tended frequently towards monopoly or, at least, toward unhealthy levels of concentration, and government sometimes needed to intervened to ensure the full benefits of competition."

Just finished Memoirs of a Survivor by Doris Lessing. Prior to that, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.

You guys should read some fiction! (with the exception of Wendy)

I just finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. It's a fantastic book, I think it's better than "The Kite Runner" and gives you a lot of perspective on the country of Afghanistan as well.

I finished "The Terror" by Dan Simmons not too long ago - it's an excellent historical fiction book based on the lost Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage in 1845.

R.A. Salvatore's latest book, "The Pirate King" wasn't bad, but not up to par with some of his earlier books. I love Drizzt Do'Urden as a character, but I can't say the latest installment was my favorite.

I'm also currently reading a couple of anthologies, re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and am massively into about seven different comic book story arcs.

Having been a Wizard of Oz fan my whole life I wasn't sure if I wanted to read Wicked. But my daughter convinced me. It was a wonderful book. I am now working on Son of a Witch. They are NOT easy to read. Don't mistake them for flighty fairy tale stories. But they are definitely worth it.

I'm with Stone on Larry McMurtry. I looked up Hal's objections to the similarities of the lives of Gus and Call to those of Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight following a past thread like this and I think it's being a bit picky to condemn McMurtry for having a few bits of the plot that were similar to real events. Lonesome Dove is a classic and richly deserving of the Pulitzer Prize it won. I have read 14 of McMurtry's books, both the westerns and the ones set in the modern day and I consider him easily one of the best character authors working today.

With regard to Ivan Doig, I think anyone that grew up in Montana, especially if they spent time on a ranch, should read "This House of Sky". Wonderful book. I have also read a couple of his novels and while they don't reach the standard of "This House of Sky", they are good as well.

[This message has been edited by Levi Forman (edited 12/9/2008).]

"The Ford Y-Block", yes, it is a book about the y-block series of engines...my library is probably pretty boring by most standards

I just finished reading James B. Stewart's - Den of Thieves.

I am now reading, again, Eramus of Christendom by Roland H. Bainton.

Hal, I have taken your advice and have started "The Plainsmen of the Yellowstone". Colter was a stud.

>>Colter was a stud.

they don't seem to make many like him anymore.

Bet you'll enjoy Plainsmen - it's all history straight out of your backyard.

What I'm presently reading (or have just finished):

1.) God's Demon by Wayne Barlowe (awesome book, especially for fans of Milton's Paradise Lost or Guillermo del Toro movies).

2.) The Grand Inquisitor's Manual: A History of Terror in the Name of God by Jonathan Kirsch.

3.) Several different comic book titles (IDW Publishing's on-going Transformers titles, Marvel's Deadpool, Invincible Iron Man, War Machine, Kick-Ass, Universal War One, Ultimatum, and Daredevil, Dark Horse Comics' Conan the Cimmerian and Star Wars: Legacy and Avatar Press' No Hero.

4.) The 2009 Boston Red Sox Media Guide.

Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War by Joe Bageant. Very illuminating for readers from both sides of the aisle, regardless of whether that aisle is in a capitol building or a bowling alley. Tio o' the hat to Gary Oschner for loaning it to me. Thanks!

Just finished The Pillars of the Earth. Highly recommend it.

I loved Pillars of the Earth, also. The sequel World Without End was equally well written and entertaining.

Thank you for the recommendation. I have been debating purchasing World but reviews have been mixed, so I was undecided. Your ever-so-slight push has made up my mind for me.

Did you see that Pillars is being made into an 8-part miniseries airing this July?

"Grazing Influence, Objective Development, and Management in Wyoming's Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat With Emphasis on Nesting and Early Brood Rearing"

Unless we get "lek-y", I doubt this gets made into a movie.

Thanks for the heads up on the movie. In the summer I do not watch much television. Another good read is Glass Castles and Half Broke Horses, by Jeannette Walls.

Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War by Joe Bageant

I haven't read this, but Joe Bageant is an amazing writer: http://www.joebageant.com..._figh.html

It's comic book day, so I can tell you what I will be reading in about an hour or so.

Brian, your list scares me.

I'm not reading anything right now but short stories. Still recovering from the tax season and my attention span is very limited.

My present reading list:

1.) Re-reading Executive Orders by Tom Clancy. I will re-read The Bear and the Dragon shortly. It's good for slow night shifts. I've been on a Tom Clancy kick, lately. I recently re-read Without Remorse and Rainbow Six, the former of which is my favorite Clancy novel.

2.) Ten or so comic titles, the most impressive of which are Vertigo Publishing's Daytripper (by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon) and IDW's Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers (by Nick Roche and James Roberts). I cannot recommend either of these highly enough. They are fantastic. Even if you're not into comics, give Daytripper a chance. Think of it as collection of illustrated short stories rather than a comic. It is truly beautiful.

3.) I am about to start in on The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land, by Thomas Asbridge. I've heard good things and am looking forward to it.

4.) Columbine, by Dave Cullen. My coworker has lent this to me. I'm told that it's a quick read, so I'll probably get it in before I start on The Crusades.

5.) I recently finished 20th Century Ghosts, by Joe Hill (Stephen King's son). Outstanding collection of short stories, "Pop Art," especially.

6.) Prior to that, I read Carrion Comfort, by Dan Simmons. It starts off a little slow, but it definitely gains momentum. I ended up liking the book a lot. Not quite as much as The Terror, but still quite a bit.

Wendy wrote:

Brian, your list scares me.

Why is that, Wendy?

[This message has been edited by Brian A. Reed (5/18/2010)]

the best book out there is "the Irish Origins of Civilization" and everyone should read the "The Virus and the Vaccine" M. Tsarion and D Bookchin. Science fiction is a waste of time. Perceived reality is 100% science fiction/mythology. Every one's mind has been manipulated by ancient royalty who today are creating reality. the word "real" stems from royalty. all world events are planned and implemented by ancient royalty.

The truth is hidden in books and the truth is the way out!

In your mind you are programed to believe Mother Nature c o n t r o l s the w e a t h e r. Actuality starts here and all science has been corrupted? To you the above is just my opinion, we are surviving in the end of the Age of Pieces and moving into the
Age of Aquarius which started in the 1970's when all the w e a t h e r stations of SE MT received 16" or more of annual precipitation. What happen? I am learned [educated means indoctrinated]in range science and I can tell you the ecosystems are rapidly terminating. Where are the meadow larks, the prairie canary is at an all time low?

In your mind you are programed to believe Mother Nature c o n t r o l s the w e a t h e r. Actuality starts here and all science has been corrupted? To you the above is just my opinion, we are surviving in the end of the Age of Pieces and moving into the Age of Aquarius which started in the 1970's when all the w e a t h e r stations of SE MT received 16" or more of annual precipitation. What happen? I am learned [educated means indoctrinated]in range science and I can tell you the ecosystems are rapidly terminating.

Umm... not really. The change in transitional states in our rangeland that started in the 1970's was largely the result of using bigger exotic breeds of livestock (1500-1800 lbs vs.950-1000 lbs) and a failure of range managers to accordingly adjust their stocking rates. A 1500 pound animal is another .5 AUM that was seldom included in the "rule-of-thumb" stocking rate calculation. With proper management, current rangeland trends can and are being reversed and reclaimed to be more productive and diverse than they were pre-1970's.

If you're interested in range science, I recommend this (based on the research of and written by Dr. Fred Provenza, who is a very thought provoking individual) as a must read:

http://www.behave.net/pro...oklet.html

[This message has been edited by Richard Bonine, Jr (5/18/2010)]

obviously the education system is in your brain, big cows are stupid and are rooted in the Universty system, go read some trend plots, where did Bogr-bluegrama go, and where are the meadow larks {the prairie canary} the rest of your responds is b.s., I did enjoy your response tho? Read what I wrote then think??? ... respond in a couple of days and blast me. All in fun Richard jump buck n'kick Sagebrush of Montana

Stupid unversity system...dadgum think tanks full of lies and treachery.....Richard, throw those text books away and guy buy some Edward Abbey books.

Cactus Plains: Rob, is that you?

My question of significance was "What has happened?" in relation to the 16" of annual precipitation that eastern Mt received in the 1970's.

I think Richard indicated that big cows was the cause of the range deterioration/devastation that has and is occurring on the range lands.

Cows fertilize the range land ecosystems naturally and are in fact the best ecological range management tool bar none.

Thanks for the compliment, Wendy, Rob is extremely intelligent unlike the County Commissioners that the people have elected since 1997 to date.

Rob should be reinstated, he is a good guy and is very entertaining.
In my opinion he cares more about the people of eastern Montana than all our local politicians of the last 13 years.

When stupidity arises it should hit the ground like sheet!
Rob knows the people of America are being managed not unlike sheep.
Vaccinated or is it inoculated, brainwashed with bull sheet in the dumbed down indoctrinating system, ripped off with fraud and deception, and corrupted everything to mention a few of the insane protocols stemming from the evil bloodlines created in Ancient Egypt!

jump buck n' kick means "wake up, you should be mad as hell"

bacteria causes of inflammation, vaccinations cause brain inflammation, in the news since yesterday. What does that tell you?
I've written about the above for 10 years; the Montana Politicians have been to stupid to figure it out!

Cactus Plains

Questions: I have only been following milescity.com for a little while. This seems to be a thread in which Richard is the calm, practical voice of reason. I like it. Does that happen often? And why does the mention of Rob fill me with foreboding?

Oh, and in the spirit of the thread I should mention I just finished reading E. J. Kenney's translation of Apuleius' The Golden Ass.

[This message has been edited by Bill Freese (5/19/2010)]

Mad Cow Disease has infiltrated MC.com, Wendy. Head for the hills!

No way! That's where all the zombies are!

"Roadwork" by Tom Wright.
Tom is a photographer and good friend of Pete Townsend from the Who. Tom hasn't told the story until 2006.

Tom was instrumental in helping Pete move forward as a young artist. He also promoted many of the concerts at The Grande ballroom in Detroit that furthered the careers of The Faces, Joe Walsh, Bob Seeger, MC5. He was also on the road with the Who, JD Souther, Rod Stewart, The Stones.

It's a captivating read with a lot of photos . It's rock and roll baby!

I am currently reading "One Night In a Bad Inn" a true story by Christy Leskovar. I ran across it in the Palamino Mercantile store in Forsyth, the lady recommended it so I picked it up. I am not very far into the book, but so far it's very interesting, being a true story that takes place around Miles City/Forsyth areas. Has any one else read this book?

I'm with Brian Reed on 'Without Remorse' being the best Clancy novel...love his stuff.

I'm rereading ... for the umpteenth time ... Isaac Asimov's Foundation Novels. I'm currently on Foundation's Edge, the fourth of the five novels written by Asimov.

There are three other Foundation novels not written by Asimov, but by the the 'Three B's' ...Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, David Brin...I read those as part of this series also, but I don't care for them nearly as much as Asimov's originals.

I'm also a huge fan of Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven...clear I'm a Sci-Fi fan. Lucifer's Hammer being my favorite there.

For you carpenters and handymen check out John Carroll's Working Alone. Lots of tricks on how to do stuff without a helper. Small, fairly inexpensive, but extremely handy book. I'm not far into it but have already picked up some good pointers.

Also been looking at Fu Teng Cheng's books on concrete countertops. Great intro to the subject, lots of great pictures. Not as detailed as I'd like on the mixture contents but I'm learning a lot.

My weekly Economist feels like a book sometimes, wonderful periodical but dense at times. Much more informative than the nightly news. The 2010 B&H Pro Video catalog has been chiseling its way into my hands regularly as well.

Most of all I've been reading Hooray for Fish, The Napping House and the Blue's Clues Preschool workbook with my son. Don't get much time for leisure reading anymore.

I've just about finished Sea Change by James Pollick--didn't think it'd be real good, but I can't put it down!!!! I can't wait to get home tonight to hopefully finish it!!! Next book is Dying Scream (can't remember the author at the moment)....need more Dean Koontz books, but I've read just about everything he has except his early stuff...

What do you consider to be his "early stuff," TK?

I am in the middle of reading Columbine by Dave Cullen. Great book on a horrible topic. It's outstanding. And disturbing.

Kind of like Kyle's fondness for bacon.