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Winter Reading - What's On Your Nightstand?
Torbjorn mentioned that one thing that gets him through these long winter nights is reading.
Me too.
Do you find yourself reading more these days? What's on your nightstand right now? What books are you reading? Or what have you read recently that you really enjoyed and would recommend?
Views: 47
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Torbjorn Karlsen on -
I'm reading this book:
http://translate.google.no/translate?sl=no&tl=en&js=n&p...
(sorry about the awful Google translation, couldn't be bothered to translate the article. "You're not all man home from the valley" should be "All of you may not come back from this valley," for instance)
It's not on my nightstand though, because as soon as I'm in bed I'm pretty much unconscious... I read on my work commute instead.
It's fairly unique in a Norwegian context, I don't think there's been a similarly detailed account of battlefield experiences by Norwegian soldiery since WW2. It's a little like Generation Kill, but in a book format and without the journalist filter.
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Permalink Reply by Wael on -
Interesting. Several years ago, during the second Chechen war for independence, I read an ongoing online diary written by a Norwegian convert to Islam who was fighting with the Chechen rebels. This was before they became radicalized and began bombing subways and such. His entire life was marching through the forest, sleeping in snow, engaging in skirmishes with Russian special forces, eating hurried meals provided by sympathizers... I don't know what happened to him. Probably dead now.
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Permalink Reply by Torbjorn Karlsen on
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Huh. I couldn't find anything online referring to that... do you have a link? It generally causes a big hullaballoo when Norwegians get killed abroad, so I'd expect he's alive and well.
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Permalink Reply by Wael on
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I doubt the complete diary (which he wrote for a few years back in '97 to '99 or so) is still available online, but I found one posting reprinted here:
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?12295-Diary-of-...
I did not realize until I searched that he had posted as late as 2000. Maybe he's still alive.
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Permalink Reply by Wael on
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The diary was called, "Diary of a Foreign Mujajid in Chechnya". Just realize that these fighters are now considered to be terrorists, so such searches may be monitored by your government. Back in the 90's there was a lot of international sympathy for the Chechen independence movement, but after 9-11 the perception changed, as did the reality on the ground when the rebels became radicalized and somewhat gangsterized.
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Permalink Reply by Torbjorn Karlsen on
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Oh, I'm not too worried about that, the secret services here are quite busy covering their collective butts after this summer's shattering terrorist attacks, which they completely failed to prevent despite plenty of available intelligence.
Anyway, it looks like that fragment is all that remains of the original diary, at least on open forums - it's reposted on a large number of jihadist websites I notice. I do have to say that the author has a very strong grasp of English, much more so than I would expect an average Norwegian youth to possess, and especially in light of it allegedly having been written while engaging in guerrilla warfare.
The perception of Chechen rebels, at least in Europe, changed long before 9-11, as the movement entered a downward spiral of terrorism and, as you say, gangsterism.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel McCullar on -
2 sets of Chinese Boding Balls, some nick nacks, a photo and a knife.
Book wise I am reading "Code of the Samurai" (almost Done), "Soul of the Samurai" (3/4 done) I also have the "Book of 5 Rings" I need to read. One I would recommend is "On the Warrior's Path" (second edition) by Daniele Bolelli. I really liked it.
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Permalink Reply by William Milewski on -
Just finished re-reading the 47th Samurai by Stephen Hunter part of the Bob Lee Swagger series, first one was made into the movie The Shooter.
Am pulling out some old favorites to re-read this year, Including something called the Trilogy, a series of books about Poland written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. He also wrote Quo Vadis.
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Permalink Reply by Alex on -
Currently reading,
Bioethics by Ruth Groenhout
Shopclass as Soulcraft by Michael Crawford (lives on my nightstand)
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
Absinthe and Flamethrowers by William Gurstelle
The Sutras of Patanjali
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on the docket for the near future,
The Secret History of the Sword by somebody Amberger
A microbiology book with emphasis on fermentation science
An evolutionary biology book
An organic chemisty book
A physical chemistry book
yeah, they're all textbooks for winter/spring semester
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Permalink Reply by Wael on
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Wow, you have some very eclectic interests. Some of those titles are baffling to me.
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Permalink Reply by Alex on
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They're great reads if you have a background for them.
For most On Food and Cooking is a great reference book, if you like science it's just plain interesting.
Shopclass as Soulcraft is a challenge to the notion that a "good" job is a white collar job, even when a plumber can make upwards of 60k/yr. It explores the loss of kinesthetic learning in the US school system, the loss of taught creativity, and the destruction of the industrial American economic base.
Bioethics (finished it) is a brief philosophical (with a heavy christian leaning) look at issues such as stem cell research, dealing/helping someone with chronic illness, removing someone from life support, and other contentious ideas.
Absinthe and Flamethrowers is about why the everyday person can and should add a calculated amount of danger and risk for the betterment of their lives. Martial arts counts here!
Patanjali writes about singular ideas, somewhat thoughts of the day, from which one can be a better person. His sutras are the basis of Raja yoga.
© 2012 Created by Wael.
