Books: What have you been reading?

[MajorHoy]

. . . As someone born in the NY/NJ area and a lover of history, I'm always a huge fan of anything that has to do with NYC.

Couldn't agree more with that sentiment!
(Born and raised in NJ and currently live within an hour or so of NYC in Connecticut.)

[Tien Long]

Couldn't agree more with that sentiment!
(Born and raised in NJ and currently live within an hour or so of NYC in Connecticut.)

Awesome to hear, bro! Yeah, the books are great and very relevant, which is key for me. As a teacher here in Northern NJ, I often try to relate a lot of historical or international events through relatable things for my students. Thankfully, when I talk about the city and its relationship to an event or a period, that really makes things click for kids.

[MajorHoy]

. . . As a teacher here in Northern NJ . . .

Where in NJ?
I went through the Montclair Public Schools system growing up.
(My Mom was born & raised in Bloomfield.)

And I also worked several years as a substitute teacher (K-8th) here in CT.

[Tien Long]

Where in NJ?
I went through the Montclair Public Schools system growing up.
(My Mom was born & raised in Bloomfield.)

And I also worked several years as a substitute teacher (K-8th) here in CT.

Hey MajorHoy. As for exactly where, I want to keep that close to the vest. However, I'll say that I went to school and predominantly work in Bergen County. Hence the feelings for the city. Sometimes, I've gone down to Union.

Still, I think you can agree that subbing can be challenging, since it's basically your first day every time you work. At the same time, there have been some great days as well. And, if you're receptive enough and ask questions, the kids teach you. Learned a lot about apps, websites, and tech, more than in any class at my teaching college. Learned about Fortnite from my kids as well .

Bringing it back to books, I saw one of my students reading this book, The Serpent's Secret a couple of months ago:


Very cool title in the same vein as Percy Jackson. This seems to marry Bengali folklore and tween angst. Hopefully get to see more myths get exposure out there.

[The Darknight Detective]

Currently reading two books at the moment. One is Tong Wars: The Untold Story of Vice, Money, and Murder In New York's Chinatown:



And the other (which is my second read through) is New York At War: Four Centuries of Combat, Fear, and Intrigue In Gotham:



As someone born in the NY/NJ area and a lover of history, I'm always a huge fan of anything that has to do with NYC. Tong Wars definitely appeals to my East Asian Studies background. I always wanted to know more about NYC's Chinatown, and this book is certainly enlightening. The theme that's sticking out to me is just how interrelated the Chinese were to non-Chinese. There's always been this belief that the Chinese were always closed off to others, but I'm seeing how the Tongs kept control of their criminal activities through dealing (and bribing) government officials.

New York At War shows how intimately tied NYC has been with events around the world which makes sense considering the city's history of having people from around the world. Reading the chapter about what happened in the city during Vietnam, and how issues relating to race, class, politics, and socioeconomic status led to a lot of conflicts was sobering. Like any good work of history, the book allows one draw parallels with events today.

Highly reccommend both of these books!

I was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island, so despite not living in NY for a quarter of a century now, I'm still interested in its history.

[The Darknight Detective]

Now reading First Meetings in Ender's Universe (2002) by Orson Scott Card.

[babyblob]

I just started started the Harry Potter series. I promised myself that I would give it a try after enjoying the movies. I also promised myself I wouldn't be a nerd about it.

[David Walton]

Just read the entire Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy.

The first book was decent, but things really picked up with the second (Life Debt) and third (Empire's End). I grew to love the characters and the dialogue was great.

[The Darknight Detective]

Finally finished The Dream of the Red Chamber after almost a month reading it! Well... I have finished the first 56 chapters, at any rate. For the other 64 chapters not in the public domain (which I didn't know about until recently), I'll take care of it another day. Great reading, FWIW.

Now reading on my Kindle the much, much, much shorter The Princess of Clèves (1678) by Madame de La Fayette. It's considered the first true French novel.

[Jack Dracula]

Currently slogging through Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan,and Bin Laden, From the Soviet Invasion to September,10 2001 by Steve Coll.
Touted as the CIA's go-to history book on Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and the events leading up to 9/11/01.
It's incredibly dense with nearly 600 pages of story and over 100 more pages of notes and bibliography.

[MajorHoy]

Yesterday I started on

The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett
(originally copyright 1928, 1929)

[The Darknight Detective]

I am now reading The Wrecker (2009), the second Isaac Bell book by Clive Cussler.

[The Darknight Detective]

On my Kindle, I am now reading The Devil's Pool (1846) by George Sand.

[MajorHoy]

On my Kindle, I am now reading The Devil's Pool (1846) by George Sand.

There's just something about using 21st century technology to read a 19th century novel . . .

[The Darknight Detective]

There's just something about using 21st century technology to read a 19th century novel . . .

Heh. Since almost all of the stuff that I read on it is pre-20th century, Major, I guess it doesn't bother me.