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Iceheart
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It's about the Squire for the Spartans. Mainly just how they become such fierce warriors by their training techniques. It leads up to the battle of Thermopylae where there were 300 Spartans taking on the whole Persian army. I got it because I wanted to read more after the 300 movie. I'ved only just started it.

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Nice.

 

Currently I'm involved in the Collected Novellas of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It's not my usual sort of reading, but a co-worker lent it to me and I'd be rude not to read it. To my surprise (and delight!) it's quite interesting so far.

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I finally finished the "Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant". It is an incredible read for anyone interested in history, the Civil War, Presidential biographies, etc. I heartily recommend it. Grant is modest, complimentary of even the Confederate generals and provides his feelings on both the War with Mexico and what he calls the Rebellion (The Civil War itself).

 

He is highly entertaining and observant. For example, "I would not have the anniversaries of our victories celebrated, nor those of our defeats made fast days and spent in humiliation and prayer; but I would like to see truthful history written. Such history will do full credit to the courage, endurance and soldierly ability of the American citizen, no matter what section of the country he hailed from, or in what ranks he fought. The justice of the cause which in the end prevailed, will, I doubt not, come to be acknowledged by every citizen of the land, in time. For the present, and so long as there are living witnesses of the great war of sections, there will be people who will not be consoled for the loss of a cause which they believed to be holy. As time passes, people, even of the South, will begin to wonder how it was possible that their ancestors ever fought for or justified institutions which acknowledged the right of property in man."

 

He observed that the South was run like a military camp with every able-bodied male between 14-60 in the army and the press tightly controlled. In the North, it was much different. He is highly-critical of the press of the North which he categorizes as being "free up to the point of open treason" and that often praised the Confederate army - exaggerating their victories while trivializing those of the Union Army. On General Lee - "his praise was sounded throughout the entire North after every action he was engaged in: the number of his forces was always lowered and that of the National forces exaggerated. To be extolled by the entire press of the South after every engagement, and by a portion of the press North with equal vehemence..."

 

One flaw of Grant's is his inability to be critical of his own officers. He doesn't hold accountable those Union officers that delayed in moving their troops, chalking it up to a flaw in their personality that they couldn't control or dismissing "momentary" lack of courage on their parts. But his good feelings toward those Confederate officers that he fought against, many of whom he attended West Point with and fought alongside in the Mexican War is warming.

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Currently, I'm in the middle of The Children of Men by PD James. It's been awhile since I read a book that was partly in first person narrative, and partly in third person so it's kind of interesting.

 

Though different factually from the movie, I'm finding that the tone of the story is the same which in most cases is the most important thing.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just finished up Red Death by P.N Elrod. Not as enthralling as the Vampire Chronicles, but not too bad. I am going to have to get the second book to see if it gets better.

 

I also finished up the Sookie Stackhouse series. Loved it! But I am going to re-read book 7, since I read that first by mistake. I am going to check out one of Harris' other series, about some girl who got struck by lightening and now has the 'gift' to find corpses. Something like that.

 

I am also still wading through Bram Stoker's Dracula. Surprisingly for me, this is not a fast read, but I like it so far.

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Since I last updated in August, I've read:

 

Three Plays: Desire Under The Elms, Strange Interlude, Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O'Neill

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England by Daniel Pool

Civil Disobedience and Other Essays by Henry David Thoreau

Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth by David Browne

The Suicide Club by Robert Louis Stevenson

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Self-Reliance and Other Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

That's a lot of reading.

 

Now I'm reading Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks, which is awesome.

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Currently reading:

 

“Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination†by Neal Gabler

- So far, I would say that this is the definitive Disney biography with a lot of great reveals that I was never privy to (and I’ve read a lot about Walt ever since I was 7).

- If I ever get the chance, I would love to do a really great biographical film on Walt’s life. I hope Ryan Gosling doesn’t age too much in 10-15 years.

 

Next on the list:

 

NYSDMV Manual

– Because I need my permit so I can get my license and move up at this job.

 

“Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World†by David Koenig

- I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book. It should be a decent follow up to the Gabler biography and as a former cast member, I can’t wait to read about that drama.

 

“Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney†by Lee Cockerell

- As I’m trying to move my way up the ladder at AMC, I’m using my old roots at Disney and basically exploring as much material as I possibly can to help me succeed.

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I'm reading The Dark is Rising. I only vaguely remember the story since I last read it in sixth grade or so. Next on my list is another Lisa Carey. I had to spread it out after crying so much during the last one. Then I'll move on to the first three Harry Potter books, since I haven't re-read them since they first came out. That should keep me busy for a few weeks.

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Haha, thanks, Copper. I've been looking around here for some suggestions, and when I saw that somebody had read The Dark is Rising I got all nostalgic and had to pick it up.

 

As for the Lisa Carey, that's the one! I'm starting it tonight. Do I need to pick up tissues?

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