EPT![[image loading]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514IJ9JdzeL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
The 2017 Donner Prize winner for best book about Canadian politics and political science this year.
Really excited to read it, I have some others on order related to public policy too!
(I am boring)
What Are You Reading 2017 - Page 9
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ZeromuS
Canada13389 Posts
The 2017 Donner Prize winner for best book about Canadian politics and political science this year. Really excited to read it, I have some others on order related to public policy too! (I am boring) | ||
Flicky
England2665 Posts
Anyway, I'm not sure I can add anything new to this discussion but it's a beautifully written book and incredibly interesting and captures these people in such an amusing way. I've noticed a great many of my character traits appearing in characters which reminds me of a quote I recently dug up from Philip Seymour Hoffman (the exact quote is about the joy of finding something written down, but I think you need the full context). | ||
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Acrofales
Spain18107 Posts
+ Show Spoiler + Firstly, I think his representation of society in the crisis era is quite unrealistic, with the wallfacers' ideas getting torpedoed because they build doomsday devices instead of "ways of winning the war": if MAD is an acceptable strategy for all the world's superpowers why would it not be for war with the Trisolarians? Secondly, Zhang Behai's "future history" was a stupid and unnecessary reference to Foundation. Foundation works because psychohistory is a bit handwavy, but is the setup for the rest of the story. Meanwhile this book tries to adhere to strict scifi rules, but then throws "future history" in en passant for no real reason. Finally, it had too many irrelevant plotlines. Especially the 3 chinese neighbours... I still haven't figured out why I should care about them OR their tie-in to Da Shi. But to a certain extent, following the other 3 wallfacers was also just not done in an engaging manner. In closing, not even close to Three-body Problem quality, although I did like the game theoretic solution to galactic sociology and the Fermi paradox. | ||
Carnivorous Sheep
Baa?21244 Posts
On May 23 2017 19:40 Acrofales wrote: Just finished reading The Dark Forest (Cixin Liu) and was quite disappointed. [spoiler] Firstly, I think his representation of society in the crisis era is quite unrealistic, with the wallfacers' ideas getting torpedoed because they build doomsday devices instead of "ways of winning the war": if MAD is an acceptable strategy for all the world's superpowers why would it not be for war with the Trisolarians? there was also a huge global economic depression that plays into it. Secondly, Zhang Behai's "future history" was a stupid and unnecessary reference to Foundation. Foundation works because psychohistory is a bit handwavy, but is the setup for the rest of the story. Meanwhile this book tries to adhere to strict scifi rules, but then throws "future history" in en passant for no real reason. lol, that's what you took reference with, and not the actual explicit reference to Foundation? book 2 is far better than book 1 tbh. book 1 just got a lot of media attention in the west for the focus on the cultural revolution | ||
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Nyxisto
Germany6287 Posts
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Alucen-Will-
United States4054 Posts
![[image loading]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41Y7P4FAh8L._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) This'll take some time, Wallace is a legend and his breadth is remarkable in being able to even develop such a book that would normally so obtruse to even those of the highest caliber. Will help for my philo phd apps tho. well maybe | ||
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Alucen-Will-
United States4054 Posts
On May 23 2017 18:58 Flicky wrote: I read Swann's Way by Marcel Proust (C. K. Scott Moncrieff translation with Terrence Kilmartin revision). I managed to get the complete Remembrance of Things Past free from a colleague so that's nice. Anyway, I'm not sure I can add anything new to this discussion but it's a beautifully written book and incredibly interesting and captures these people in such an amusing way. I've noticed a great many of my character traits appearing in characters which reminds me of a quote I recently dug up from Philip Seymour Hoffman (the exact quote is about the joy of finding something written down, but I think you need the full context). Good stuff; Next to Nabokov, I've not read a writer whose prose contains the lyricism of Proust. Maybe some english romantic poets, but even then | ||
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corumjhaelen
France6884 Posts
 Rereading one by one slowly too, having gone through it all once makes it all more amazing, especially Combray, already something incredible in itself. | ||
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dmnum
Brazil6910 Posts
I'm interested in reading more about this system. Does anyone have a recommendation? Kinda of a long shot but worth a try, I guess. | ||
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Jerubaal
United States7684 Posts
On June 02 2017 17:27 dmnum wrote: So, in the Cost of Rights Cass Sunstein says that: "Admittedly, the current economic boom in China suggests that, when suitably integrated into the world economy, a society without a strong court system can use kinship and other informal networks to breed credible commitments even in the absence of reliable judicial enforcement of property rights." (p. 75). I'm interested in reading more about this system. Does anyone have a recommendation? Kinda of a long shot but worth a try, I guess. I was talking to a few people about this quotation and the book Trust by Francis Fukuyama came up. | ||
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zulu_nation8
China26351 Posts
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dmnum
Brazil6910 Posts
On June 05 2017 08:50 Jerubaal wrote: I was talking to a few people about this quotation and the book Trust by Francis Fukuyama came up. Reading the synopsis it sounds like what I was looking for. Thanks a bunch. | ||
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B.I.G.
3251 Posts
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{CC}StealthBlue
United States41117 Posts
![[image loading]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q0AWKDWRL.jpg) | ||
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Flicky
England2665 Posts
Misbehaving by Richard Thaler. A history of behavioural economics. Pretty interesting overall, but lost me during finance chapters (not that interested in those numbers). The Plague by Albert Camus. I don't think I enjoyed this book as much as I thought I would. It wasn't bad by any means, but it went a different direction to how I thought at the start and sometimes that's enough to mess with me for the duration of a book. Still looking forward to reading more Camus though. | ||
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corumjhaelen
France6884 Posts
I'm really less interested today, but I think the only novel which I still love as much is The Fall. | ||
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IgnE
United States7681 Posts
I like The Plague but I think I like it better as ethico-theological framework than novel, per se. | ||
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Carnivorous Sheep
Baa?21244 Posts
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Flicky
England2665 Posts
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse - I read this in German and I loved it. Stayed up until the following morning (come at me Seneca) and really enjoyed it. I still find the notion of a book dripping in eastern philosophy being written in German in the 20s slightly odd, but it's a lovely story and a book you could recommend to almost anyone. Some beautiful passages and one has the air of a classic fable. Has slipped into my top books list I think and I'm pretty happy I got through it in German with almost no issue. Also, will be reading The Fall and The Outsider/Stranger at some point in the future. Three votes for The Fall is something I'm not going to ignore. | ||
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Nyxisto
Germany6287 Posts
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