OT: The Good Book: What are you reading right now?

[zzoo]

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Could you please recommend me a good novel where I can learn a bit of factual history, science or something interesting ? Something like the novel Da Vinci code.
Or a good book inspired on true story.
Thanks.

 

[Chili]

Could you please recommend me a good novel where I can learn a bit of factual history, science or something interesting ? Something like Da Vinci code.
Or a good book inspired on true story.
Thanks.

If Leonardo da Vinci is of interest, this is one of the best biographies I have read.
Very well researched, written and illustrated. Such an interesting man, so far ahead of his time.

 

[Kiss Under the Guy]

Could you please recommend me a good novel where I can learn a bit of factual history, science or something interesting ? Something like the novel Da Vinci code.
Or a good book inspired on true story.
Thanks.

The Pillars of the Earth - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet is a classic and a good read for factual history. It's settled around 1000 BC, when they were building cathedrals in Britain. It's less of a thriller than Da Vinci code, but still a page turner and way more plausible. Don't read too much about it or you'll have the ending ruined by spoilers. The motivations of the bad guys are plausible, so it's way better than Da Vinci imo.

March Violets - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

March Viloets is a historocal detective novel by Phillip Kerr, in Nazi Germany. I have read another novel with the same protagonist and I liked the film noir atmosphere.

The Three-Body Problem (novel) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

If you're into Science Fiction, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin is a good hard science book. The emotional intelligence of the characters baffled me (as it did in Da Vinci Code), but the book made me wonder in awe about the size of the universe and the nature of time. If you watched the Netflix show, they covered most of the first book and a part of the second (it's a trilogy). They just couldn't reproduce the astonishment I felt in the book when they talked about the actual three-body problem, and I feel the same will occur with the third book when they'll get there in the show.

 

[Runner77]

Anyone hear of this:



Sanitation, huh? Probably gross.

 

[Frankenheimer]

Anyone hear of this:



Sanitation, huh? Probably gross.

Looks amazing. Curious to read. Sanitation is always on my mind when I watch period movies that portray beautiful princesses who probably stink to high heaven.

 

[waitin425]

Just got my pre-order of this....starting this weekend!

 

[VirginiaMtlExpat]

The Pillars of the Earth - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet is a classic and a good read for factual history. It's settled around 1000 BC, when they were building cathedrals in Britain. It's less of a thriller than Da Vinci code, but still a page turner and way more plausible. Don't read too much about it or you'll have the ending ruined by spoilers. The motivations of the bad guys are plausible, so it's way better than Da Vinci imo.

March Violets - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

March Viloets is a historocal detective novel by Phillip Kerr, in Nazi Germany. I have read another novel with the same protagonist and I liked the film noir atmosphere.

The Three-Body Problem (novel) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

If you're into Science Fiction, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin is a good hard science book. The emotional intelligence of the characters baffled me (as it did in Da Vinci Code), but the book made me wonder in awe about the size of the universe and the nature of time. If you watched the Netflix show, they covered most of the first book and a part of the second (it's a trilogy). They just couldn't reproduce the astonishment I felt in the book when they talked about the actual three-body problem, and I feel the same will occur with the third book when they'll get there in the show.

I endorse the whole Kingsbridge series by Ken Follett. Pillars may be the best one though. Edit : also loved Column of Fire.

 

[angusyoung]

I don't recall the original, but I believe that it appeared on TV in the 70s, and US television much more vanilla then, compared to the edgier programming that we can find now.

Back in the day, I did the JPLT level 3, and was studying to do level 2, which is exponentially more difficult. Since then, my Japanese atrophied, especially with 3 years in Leipzig right after that, with German pushing out Japanese from my limited RAM. But recently I studied it again, at the university where I work, with the instructor generously letting me audit a class. The latter is a bit annoyed at me for not following up, but I plan to do another course eventually more dedicated to Kanji reading.

Tot ziens!

Had to check but it was 1980, a mini series starring that noted macho leading ladies man Richard Chamberlain. Long time ago and don't really remember it well enough to say it was riveting, unlike Roots which was to this day and also compelling read.

Having many languages in ones head can get cumbersome at times, especially when re-acclimatizing from one to another not continuously in use.

At least you got some formal education which must have aided where I relied solely on a few books and the mrs pushing me. Thought that being trapped there for far much longer than anticipated with the pandemic it would spur me on but feeling like a prisoner, had the opposite effect. Unlike when I first went to Greece with my Grecian fiancée to meet her family, learned PDQ that I needed to improve my Greek tremendously, which to be fair, is much easier to learn. I put in a massive amount of effort and by the time we were finished building our home and forming new collaboratives, my reading, writing and conversational ability was, as the locals say ''poli kala ''

Mata Ne.

 

[Leto]

Just got my pre-order of this....starting this weekend!

I've long accepted that we won't see the end of the series. The last two novels barely advanced the plot forward. I've read the series while in high school and here I am close to 15 years later with no new novel in sight. It's a shame, I'd like to complete my hardcover set.​