Post by BakFu on Dec 19, 2018 14:45:47 GMT
I was looking through some on my books trying to find something for a friend to read after a "you read lots of shit, give me something I'd like!" request. looking through my little collection, I noticed a few that I read a while back that some of you people might be interested in.
First up, a non-fiction title called Do No Harm by British Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh. Dr Marsh recounts his youth, his education, his residency, and practice. Very candid, honest, at times humorous stuff, and a behind the curtain glimpse at how much of a dark art medicine and surgery are, a a highly educated, best-guess practice that strives to minimize chances for error even though physiological variation constantly throws curve balls at them. You get a real feeling of how terrifying it must be to open up a patient, especially the very seat of our consciousness and identity, and try to repair damage while minimizing any unintended effects. These people need unrivalled confidence and definitely come across as egomaniacs (Marsh addresses his own ego issues), and it is interesting to see how living in their world changes their perspective on life and survival. This book isn't for everyone (a couple of people I lent it to handed it back after a chapter or two, others devoured it.), especially when you realize how much of the pioneer edge of medicine was basically guess work, but it also makes it interesting. Marsh comes across as confident but always humbled by his art, and I'm glad I got a chance to check this one out. Can't wait to check out his other book, Admissions.
A couple fiction titles I really liked by a Canadian author Joseph Boyden are The Orenda and Three Day Road. The Orenda is set in mid 1600s Quebec and alternately follows the stories of three characters from their perspectives. A Haudenosaunee girl, Snow Falls, is taken prisoner after her father and uncles are killed by a rival Huron group. A Huron warrior named Bird, takes Snow Falls captive and intends to raise her as his own since his wife and child were killed by Haudenosaunee in the recent past. The last character is a Jesuit priest named Christophe, sent by France to bring Christianity to the new world, is another of Bird's captives, and a bit of a curiosity to be studied. Interesting perspectives from the three characters of different age, culture and beliefs. Interesting changes in perspective and subsequent effects on the beliefs and decisions made by the characters and their communities based on the influence of the three characters, i really liked this one, it's not the cheeriest book, but the perspectives of the characters with language and cultural barriers, coupled with the horror of bad winters, scarce food, warfare, and murderous captors makes this a pretty amazing read.
Three Day Road follows the story of a couple of Aboriginal cousins from northern Ontario, Xavier and Elijah, who sign up to fight as snipers for Canada in World War One. The story is told as their aunt paddles three days to town from her home in the bush in a traditional canoe to pick up one of her nephews who has just come home from the war physically injured, mentally shattered, and addicted to morphine. She talks to him, relating her story and her past, and the story of the cousins in the war Europe is also related as she paddles him in the canoe back to her home. Crazy stuff from the aunt's perspective about cultural reprogramming and the horrors of being torn away from her family as a child to be given "culture", and about how she rebelled to keep her old ways of life, even as a child. The recounting of culture shock and racism the cousins encountered while fighting for their country, and the horrors of trench warfare in WWI France and Belgium are expertly told by Boyden, and anyone interested in WWI stories and just great fiction in general will find a story that they will be happy to have spent the time reading. I really liked this book, and definitely recommend it! Also, the character Xavier is based on a real Aboriginal Canadian soldier, Francis Pegahmagabow, a sniper with a ridiculous confirmed kill count and a pretty amazing story in general. Really great book, and my personal favourite of Joseph Boyden's titles.
OT: Just finished read number ??? of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, I read it every year, I don't know why, but I love the story. I used to watch the old, 1951 Alistair Sim film at my grandparents place when I'd stay for christmas, it was alway on TV, and is one of my earliest memories of Christmas. I think I fell in love with Sim's performance as a little kid before I even really knew what the hell I was watching, but yeah, for a long time now, I've read that book every year, and I still like it, judge away! :)
Also, FINALLY finished the First Law Trilogy! Seriously, THANK YOU to all of you who recommended the series, I really enjoyed it all from start to finish. Lots of cool swerves, amazing characters (GLOTKA!!!) , and just awesome writing! I love the waggish nature of Abercrombie's writing, that dry wit threaded through the whole thing coupled with BRUTAL, sudden, smack you in the face violence (felt like I was watching Berzerk's GUTS chopping people to pieces reading Logen's fight sequences as the BLOODY NINE!). Thank you all again, you people all need to give yourselves Barry Horowitz self back pats! :)
First up, a non-fiction title called Do No Harm by British Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh. Dr Marsh recounts his youth, his education, his residency, and practice. Very candid, honest, at times humorous stuff, and a behind the curtain glimpse at how much of a dark art medicine and surgery are, a a highly educated, best-guess practice that strives to minimize chances for error even though physiological variation constantly throws curve balls at them. You get a real feeling of how terrifying it must be to open up a patient, especially the very seat of our consciousness and identity, and try to repair damage while minimizing any unintended effects. These people need unrivalled confidence and definitely come across as egomaniacs (Marsh addresses his own ego issues), and it is interesting to see how living in their world changes their perspective on life and survival. This book isn't for everyone (a couple of people I lent it to handed it back after a chapter or two, others devoured it.), especially when you realize how much of the pioneer edge of medicine was basically guess work, but it also makes it interesting. Marsh comes across as confident but always humbled by his art, and I'm glad I got a chance to check this one out. Can't wait to check out his other book, Admissions.
A couple fiction titles I really liked by a Canadian author Joseph Boyden are The Orenda and Three Day Road. The Orenda is set in mid 1600s Quebec and alternately follows the stories of three characters from their perspectives. A Haudenosaunee girl, Snow Falls, is taken prisoner after her father and uncles are killed by a rival Huron group. A Huron warrior named Bird, takes Snow Falls captive and intends to raise her as his own since his wife and child were killed by Haudenosaunee in the recent past. The last character is a Jesuit priest named Christophe, sent by France to bring Christianity to the new world, is another of Bird's captives, and a bit of a curiosity to be studied. Interesting perspectives from the three characters of different age, culture and beliefs. Interesting changes in perspective and subsequent effects on the beliefs and decisions made by the characters and their communities based on the influence of the three characters, i really liked this one, it's not the cheeriest book, but the perspectives of the characters with language and cultural barriers, coupled with the horror of bad winters, scarce food, warfare, and murderous captors makes this a pretty amazing read.
Three Day Road follows the story of a couple of Aboriginal cousins from northern Ontario, Xavier and Elijah, who sign up to fight as snipers for Canada in World War One. The story is told as their aunt paddles three days to town from her home in the bush in a traditional canoe to pick up one of her nephews who has just come home from the war physically injured, mentally shattered, and addicted to morphine. She talks to him, relating her story and her past, and the story of the cousins in the war Europe is also related as she paddles him in the canoe back to her home. Crazy stuff from the aunt's perspective about cultural reprogramming and the horrors of being torn away from her family as a child to be given "culture", and about how she rebelled to keep her old ways of life, even as a child. The recounting of culture shock and racism the cousins encountered while fighting for their country, and the horrors of trench warfare in WWI France and Belgium are expertly told by Boyden, and anyone interested in WWI stories and just great fiction in general will find a story that they will be happy to have spent the time reading. I really liked this book, and definitely recommend it! Also, the character Xavier is based on a real Aboriginal Canadian soldier, Francis Pegahmagabow, a sniper with a ridiculous confirmed kill count and a pretty amazing story in general. Really great book, and my personal favourite of Joseph Boyden's titles.
OT: Just finished read number ??? of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, I read it every year, I don't know why, but I love the story. I used to watch the old, 1951 Alistair Sim film at my grandparents place when I'd stay for christmas, it was alway on TV, and is one of my earliest memories of Christmas. I think I fell in love with Sim's performance as a little kid before I even really knew what the hell I was watching, but yeah, for a long time now, I've read that book every year, and I still like it, judge away! :)
Also, FINALLY finished the First Law Trilogy! Seriously, THANK YOU to all of you who recommended the series, I really enjoyed it all from start to finish. Lots of cool swerves, amazing characters (GLOTKA!!!) , and just awesome writing! I love the waggish nature of Abercrombie's writing, that dry wit threaded through the whole thing coupled with BRUTAL, sudden, smack you in the face violence (felt like I was watching Berzerk's GUTS chopping people to pieces reading Logen's fight sequences as the BLOODY NINE!). Thank you all again, you people all need to give yourselves Barry Horowitz self back pats! :)
