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jerry-book

jerry-book

Avid reader of books since I was three years old. I am 59 now and still try to read every chance I get. My mother's favorite expression about me was how do we get his nose out of a book.

I read history, sci fi, contemporary fiction, fantasy, biographies such as Churchill, and Great Literature.

I grew up in Iowa but now reside... more »
  • Richmond, VA, USA
  • member since July 11 2007

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jerry-book’s last login was 2 days ago. show recent activity »

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Public Notes

  • Annemarie W

    Annemarie W says

    i went shopping for books ... :D

    posted yesterday. ( send a note )
  • Annemarie W

    Annemarie W says

    hello jerry...unfortunately i only started reading quo vadis but left it for some other time...now i am reading some books on communication science. when i will finish quo vadis i will let you know. thx for your note...i will come back on that.

    posted yesterday. ( send a note )
  • Justin P

    Justin P says

    Absolutely, this underlines the concept of a Christian empire envisaged by the western papacy generally and Urban specifically; adherence to God under the Roman model.
    I think the bottom line remains that the Franks believed they were doing what was right by their own values and standards. The danger is, I suppose, to try and judge their motivations by our modern, politically correct ideologies through revisionism.

    posted 12 days ago. ( send a note )
  • Justin P

    Justin P says

    Interesting. I believe the crux of Urban's speech was the reunification of the Catholic Church in the west with a view to spreading its influence to its Orthodox cousins in the east. Jerusalem and its liberation became the focal point of any expedition as its emotive resonance made it an ideal recruiting tool. I do think that the concept of a christian empire - as originally envisaged by Constantine the Great - was much alive in the Papal mind set at the time. The increasing Islamification of the east would undoubtedly have been of great concern to religious leaders in Europe and the need to check it an imperative.
    The plight of the Byzantine Christians did not really feature in the minds of the first crusaders as borne out by the formers treatment at the hands of their 'liberators' during the First Crusade.
    Any exaggeration of Muslim atrocities would have been deemed necessary to stir the required response from the target audiences.
    As for the Gospel's advocation of non-violence, I suppose the established papal leaders tended to play pretty loose and fast to suit their own imperatives at the time. Besides, the targets were merely 'infidels' and outside of compassion.
    One reliable source - Fulcher of Chartres - cited Urban as encouraging his listeners to 'exterminate this vile race from our lands'.
    I am currently reading 'The Cross became a sword' by Fred Wright (on my shelf) which provides an excellent companion to Ashbridge and I recommend it to you.

    posted 13 days ago. ( send a note )
  • againstthetide

    againstthetide says

    I must admit that The Road was the first post apocalyptic literature that I've ever read! So to me, it probably came across as a lot more original. Sounds like you are well read on the topic, and that The Road was influenced by its predecessors. Frankly, it wasn't the imagined world that really grabbed me about the story, but rather the parent/child relationship. I found that to be portrayed in a very realistic way - - and it moved me deeply. The setting provided a lot of fodder for the portrayal and heightened the tension in the relationship . . .but for me, the book was more about the relationship than it was any kind of social commentary or strong interpretation of what the world could be like post apocalypse.

    Do you recommend any of the titles you reference as follow on reading?

    posted 13 days ago. ( send a note )
  • Roxanne B

    Roxanne B says

    Hi Jerry,

    Thank you for your reply. I do like Richard Preston's books (The Hot Zone, about the ebola virus, The Demon in the Freezer, and The Cobra Event, about biological weapons) and hope that one day you will read them. They are page turners!

    I will let you know the benefits of the kindle when I get it and have had time to play with it. I have been asking around and most people who have one love it.

    As for getting my kids to read...hhmmm...this has been a battle since they were little. I have three children (daughter is 19, two boys ages 15 and 17) and can't get any of them to pick up a book. They won't even read books assigned for English class! They look up details on a website devoted to giving summaries of books assigned by schools. Unfortunately they have gotten okay grades by doing this, which only reinforces their belief that they don't need to read.
    I read to them all the time when they were little so it's not like they were never exposed to books/reading. The only reason I can think of as to why they refuse to read is because I want them to. Isn't it just like a kid to do exactly the opposite of what your parents want you to do? When I finish a book I will often tell them how good it was and give some juicy details, hoping to hook them. My efforts always fail!

    Speaking of books I have finished :)
    I just finished a book called Ishmael. I highly recommend it if you have not alread read it. I had to read it for an environmental geography class I am taking and am so glad I did. It's about the idea that man thinks that the earth was made for him and because it's his he feels he can do what he wants with it. Of course there's lots more to the book than this and I hope you will read it.

    What kind of law do you practice? Is your wife a lawyer as well? I am a full time mom and part time student. My goal is to go into nursing and if that doesn't work out my second choice is social work. My husband is a veterinarian and yes, we have lots of animals! Four cats and two dogs.

    Hope to hear from you soon,
    Roxanne

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • HemingwayHeroine

    HemingwayHeroine says

    He has a website and he talks about the next book. If you read his blog (on livejournal) he updated a couple months ago, saying that it was almost as big as.. I think Clash of Kings and he's hoping to finish up once it's around the size of Game of Thrones and hopes it doesn't take on the size of Sword of Stones. I don't know what any of that means, but at least he's writing! Also, if you go on his website, you can read Daenaerys' first chapter. Right now, he's all preoccupied with the HBO series - Game of Thrones - he's been on set in Ireland. Aaaand, yes -- I did spend an entire day on George R.R. Martin's website.

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Roxanne B

    Roxanne B says

    Hi again Jerry,

    I was checking out your library and noticed a book on the plague. Have you read books about other diseases, such as the one by Richard Preston about the ebola virus. I think the name of the book is called The Hot Zone.
    I love books like this and am interested to know how you like the one on your reading list (sorry I don't remember the name of it).

    I also wanted to know if you own a kindle from amazon since you read quite a bit. I am planning on getting one before the year is out because I am running out of room on my bookshelves! It will also be really nice to take several books with me on vacation and not have to have a really heavy bag to lug around!

    Roxanne

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Roxanne B

    Roxanne B says

    Hi Jerry,

    I read Ariel quite a while ago (when I was in high school) and it was good then. Very memorable...so memorable that I paid a small fortune to buy it used on amazon.com so I could read it again. I see that you like fantasy books; if the book is available to you then I would say definately go for it. I don't think you will regret reading it as most people who have read it have really enjoyed it.

    Funny story about this particular book: a friend of mine in high school told me about it and let me borrow it. He specifically said he wanted it back so not to let anyone borrow it. I fell in love with it and purposely didn't give it back (shame on me!). Then I told my sister how awesome the book was and let her borrow it...with instructions to give it back! After she read it she told a friend, who borrowed it...and never gave it back! I think that this story speaks volumes about the book, don't you? And years later I paid a hefty sum to buy a copy of my own, which I will never let anyone borrow because I know it won't come back.
    Now after hearing this story I must tell you that since this book was written there have been many, many books just as good and even better than Ariel. When I told my daughter about it (she's 19) she read it and told me it was "just okay". Since you read a lot you may like this book and you may not. My hope is that you love it!

    Happy reading!
    Roxanne

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Justin P

    Justin P says

    Hello Jerry,
    In response to your question I would say that a couple of things need to be considered. Firstly, Urban's call for what would later be known as the First Crusade occurred some eight months after Alexius's original request of March 1095. Urban then spent the summer touring France overseeing the consolidation of the Catholic church and undoubtedly discussing the possibilibity of a common expeditionary venture with his contemporaries. His motivation though, remains conjecture as no copy of the original speech at Clermont survives, with only a number of different sources to draw upon. I personally believe Urban was genuinely concerned for the future of Christian dominance, particularly in the east and sought a common venture against an increasingly expansive Islam as a unification for an increasingly fractous Christian faith. A crusade would also unify the warring secular Frankish barons and lords under a revitialised Catholic banner. Interestingly, Jerusalem was not even decided upon as a focal point or main objective until around three months after Clermont.
    Hope this makes sense, mate!
    Your thoughts and comments most welcome,
    Best wishes,
    Justin

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • garry B

    garry B says

    I can't say that I would tell you to read Ariel. The story died off very quickly after a few chapters and became borderline ridiculous. Sorry

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Nancy D

    Nancy D says

    Thanks, but to be truthful, that's not my cat. It was included with the photos that Microsoft had put on the computer before I bought it. I'll eventually put a photo of one of my own cats up.

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Nancy D

    Nancy D says

    Yes, I really enjoyed it. It was unusual in the sense that while it was about unicorns, it was set in a post-apocalyptic world. So it's not your typical unicorn fantasy novel.

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Regina L

    Regina L says

    The Rakove book is considered a "text book" so I have found that it is not carried in the stores. I had to order on line from Barns & Noble. Let me know what you think of the Ketcham book. I am definitely going to read another book.

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Regina L

    Regina L says

    Are you reading Ketcham's book now or have you previously read it? I may go back and read it after I finish the Rakove book. I'm not getting the detail I want to out of it. Thanks for filling in the gaps for us :)

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Regina L

    Regina L says

    I agree Jerry. I think the other that was really surprising for me was the apparent influence Washington had on Hamilton's actions. Too bad he didn't retain that discipline once Washington retired. As you can tell I thougth the book was very well done.

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )
  • Diane H

    Diane H says

    iI'm so sorry about your friend. Also, I think these kinds of cats are beautiful. Glad you have one like my Jed.

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )
  • Cindy M

    Cindy M says

    Yes, I thought it was a very good book. I am envious that Mr. Greene had such a close friend and I thought it was a great tribute he paid to him by writing a book all about their friendship. Plus, as Bob Greene is from Bexley (not too far from where I live), I knew most of the places he talked about in the book.

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )
  • Diane H

    Diane H says

    It had been quite a while since I read it and I couldn't remember much but when i read about the synopsis I remembered how good and touching it was. I read a lot about women's relationships with each other so it was a nice change of pace to read about mens friendships. I do recommend it.

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )
  • TigerLily

    TigerLily says

    Compared to many of the biographies I read for grad school, no, I don't think that this particular book is too academic. It's certainly very thorough, but I found it to be very readable, and even a bit gossipy, which I enjoyed.

    I agree, she had a lot to overcome to survive in France at that time. When an ear infection could be as deadly as civil war, you know you're living in tough times!

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )


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