What book are you reading atm?? CHAPTER TWO

Ranger 22: Lessons From The Front by Ray Goggins

Ray Goggins is a former Army Ranger in the Irish Defence Forces and the current chief instructor on Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week which airs on RTE. This book chronicles his life from starting out in the Irish Army, to joining the ARW, undergoing multiple training courses to be an effective operator to serving oversees as both a member of the Irish Defence Forces and a private contractor.

I really enjoyed this as it is both a humorous and honest account of both his successes and mistakes during his lifetime. It is also fascinating to be given a little more insight into the highly secretive ARW. Definitely up there as one of the best reads this year for me.

Genghis khan and the making of the modern world, by Jack Weatherford.

I have meant to read this for the last 10 or so years, just kept forgetting to start. It takes what some may think is a contrarian approach to the history of the Mongol empire and expansion. It turns the traditional view of Mongol hordes on its head and presents a well evidenced thesis that, quite the opposite to the European and Islamic powers of the time. That the Mongol empire was religiously permissive and socially adaptable. From Genghis Khan's abandonment of the Steppe aristocratic system in favour of a meritocracy. To the integration and promotion of conquered people's and allies (apart from the Han).

It also picks apart the myth of the 1241 and the Europeans turning back Mongol expansion. They didn't, the Mongols won decisively it Mohi and Legnica but a combination of factors, primarily the edge of the Steppe grasslands and the lack of pasture for the horses, and the death of Ogedei and the subsequent jostling for the Khanate.

The influence of 1241 and subsequent Mongol raids on Europe is outlined along with the reasons for the conquest itself halting at the edge of the Steppe.

Of particular interest is the power held by Mongol queen's/concubines and this is a matter of much discussion in this book. For a period of perhaps 20yrs women held the centre of the greatest Empire yet seen.

One of the things that did jump out to me from reading this book, are the similarities between the rise of Genghis and Mongols with the rise of Cyrus the Great and the Persian empire particularly regarding the meritocracy (tho the Mongols were far more in favour), religious toleration and the means of control adopted. Persians and Mongols often left ruling families in place with oaths and such.

A common theme of the Great Eastern empires? Would one count the Macedonians as eastern? Or just food for thought.

I've been reading Dune recently in preparation for the movie coming out and I've been thinking. These days you often hear criticism for Mary Sue characters. However, what is the definition for male characters who are portrayed equally the same? I remember when the Star Wars sequels came out and how many people hated the Rey character because some believe she was too much of a Mary Sue character. That being said, the character of Paul Atreides seems to possess Mary Sue traits in the sense that he is well above the level of a normal kid and moreso than a lot of adult characters as well. He's basically a Mentat with Bene Gesserit training. If he were a Jedi, he would already be a Jedi Master.

I guess since the book was written in 1965, Mary Sue wasn't really known at the time but it's something to think about next time someone has a go at a movie or book that has a strong female character.

That’s my next one lined up, thanks.

Just read it for the first time too and it's an amazing book.

As for Paul his power is explained as is Rey's so neither are a Mary Sue not that it stopped people misusing the term.

Did a bit of book shopping today. Picked up:

Women Don't Owe You Pretty, Florence Given

Every Third Thought, Robert McCrum

The Chrysalids, John Wyndham

Frog Music, Emma Donoghue

The Women of Troy, Pat Barker

I'll start with Troy as soon as I've finished my current book, I absolutely loved The Silence of the Girls.

I just finished rereading Salem's Lot on kindle, which also came with the two related short stories Jerusalem's Lot and One For The Road.

What did you think?

Finished ‘The Bushwhacked Piano’ by Thomas McGuane there recently. Took me awhile to get into it but it really picked up in the second half. The haemorrhoid surgery part had me in stitches, rare that I would actually laugh out loud at a book.

Also got through ‘Wasp’ by Eric Frank Russell. An enjoyable read about a guy disguised and planted onto an alien world to wreck as much havoc as he can.

Starting into ‘Ghost Wall’ by Sarah Moss now. It’s about a family who spend a couple weeks with a group of students, and their professor, living like Iron Age people. It’s told from the perspective of the family’s teenage daughter. The dad is a prick.

Women Talking by Miriam Toews. It's an imagined response to a real-life event, the repeated rape of pretty much every woman and child in an ultra-conservative religious colony in Bolivia over a number of years. The women were told it was Satan punishing them for their sins, when in reality it was a group of 11 men from the colony who were using animal sedatives to anaesthetise and then assault them.

It's tough going, I'm not going to lie. My rage levels are high.

There is a little bit of language and he does briefly mention how some operators he served with died (explosion and one poor fella from another country being hacked to death). He also mentions a civilian who was killed in an bombing in Afghanistan when he was there as a private contractor. He doesn't go into the gory details but could be upsetting for a child.

Also, he does discuss the babies that his wife and him lost so that could be upsetting for a child.

There is another book, Shadow Warriors: The Irish Army Ranger Wing by Paul O'Brien, which isn't written by ex-Rangers but goes into the history of the Wing. There isn't anything risky in that particular book that I recall.

Just finished reading a collection of short stories by Alice Munro.

First time reading her, absolutely blew me away.

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: Life Lessons From Space by Chris Hadfield

This was such an interesting read to see all of the sacrifices and the amount of dedication required to put yourself into the running for selection to Astronaut School, nevermind actually being selected to fly to space three times over your career. Whenever I have seen Hadfield on TV I always thought that he came across as a genuine nice guy and this book reinforces that belief.

D-Day by Stephen E Ambrose

Band of Brothers book by him is a great read too.

The underground railroad is an outstanding book.

I have just bought the new Colson Whitehead book so looking forward to this.

Shuggie Bain is an unbelievable read, so heartbreaking but you can't put it down.

I’d go with ‘A Wild Sheep Chase’ and ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ before moving onto ‘Hardboiled Wonderland’ and ‘Wind Up Bird Chronicle’ next.

After that you can go for the IQ84 books, and the rest. As long as you don’t get tired of playing “Murakami bingo”, which I never do.

I have Killimg Commandatore lying about somewhere which I hope to read at some point. Have you read it?

Read it a while back and enjoyed it. If you like Murakami, you'll like it I think, very much in familiar territory. The previous novel was a bit sub par I thought.

Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 are both worth reading imo. Not as developed as the later books and I think Murakami himself is a little dismissive of them but I like them; they're short and fun and it's interesting to see such a fascinating mind in its embryonic stages.

In my utterly pedantic hobby of reading history 😉 I am currently reading a book called "Fifth Sun, A new history of the Aztecs" by Camilla Townsend.

1st things 1st, incredible book with a fantastic and empathetic insight into the Aztec and central Mexican valley people. The discovery of near contemporary Aztec accounts and their translation totally reinterprets the Aztec and wider Mexican societies. I'd hand on heart recommend this book as the 1st step in unlearning everything you think you know about pre-Columbian central America.

There is a glaringly enormous gap IMO. In that the impact of the Yucatan and late Maya culture is only mentioned in passing and as a stepping stone to the Aztecs and the fall of Moctezuma.

The coastal culture in Mexico was notably different to the Aztecs and while the Aztecs were expanding control and demanding tribute. That expansion overlapped with the arrival of the Spanish and the Maya were one of the driving forces in coalescence of an anti-Aztec coalition that grew Cortez' force from 400 Europeans. To thousands of native levies too.

Yes the main golden age of Maya civilization was long past, they suffered a collapse similar to the Mediterranean bronze age collapse in @ 10th century and. The rump of Mayan civilization extant at the time of the Conquistadors puts a completely separate cultural history and kinship in play. Those differences drove much of the rapid success of the Europeans questing for Tenochtitlan. That important undercurrent of cultural tension is largely overlooked in this book and I would hope that it was done so deliberately, in the aim of a new book covering the Maya in depth.

The history, detail and knowledge imparted in this book completely torpedo long held notions. Cortez wasn't thought a god. Moctezuma wasn't in awe or frozen by inaction due to fear. Quite the opposite and the level of info that was gathered on the Spaniards is quite amazing.

Well worth a read and a real eye opener. It also given the loss of the Aztec and Maya libraries to 16th century Catholic iconoclasm...

Shines a light on how little we do know and how much we lost.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I watched the movies years ago and enjoyed them, so when I came across the trilogy boxset at a reasonable price last year I snapped them up.