Read any good books lately?

Bill,

Sorry, the brain turned left at Alberquerque when I typed Greg. 

John

GMorrison

Yes and its hard to mention Guadalcanal as anything other than it's own key battle.

Have you read "Battle Cry"?

 

I vaguely recall reading that, along with another one of his novels, Mitla Pass. Leon Uris, right?

Just ordered "The Battle for Hell Island".

I'm up to Vol V of Samuel Eliot Morison's 15 Volume History of the United States Naval Operations in World War II. A great Canvas to view the USA's War at Sea.  It has many personel entries from the actual participants. A perfect stating point for developing future modeling interests in the USN.

Jim.

I'm reading Dan Barry's "Bottom of the 33rd", about the longest baseball game in history, the April 18th, 1981 game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings, of the Triple-A International League.  The game was started on a cold Saturday night, was tied after nine innings, and eventuall lasted over 8 hours before someone was able to reach the league president, who ordered the game suspended.  Apparently, the game should have been suspended after midnight, according to the league's curfew rule, but the umpire calling the game had an older rule book that did not contain that rule.  There were a number of records set by that game, and Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken, Jr both played in that game.

stikpusher

 

 

GMorrison

Yes and its hard to mention Guadalcanal as anything other than it's own key battle.

Have you read "Battle Cry"?

 

 

 

 

I vaguely recall reading that, along with another one of his novels, Mitla Pass. Leon Uris, right?

 

Battle Cry is his personal account of his service in the 6th Marine Regiment, San Diego, New Zealand, Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Saipan.

I think you'd like it.

ManCityFan

Bernard Cornwell's "Saxon Tales" series of books. That man can write!! Now working on Bruce Catton's series of Civil War books written for the Centennial. A little old, but great reading.

 

I'll 2nd the Saxon Tales!

Since finishing All The Fine Young Eagles, I've read Capturing Hill 70; an account of one of Canada's forgotten significant battles of WWI that occurred between the offensive at Vimy Ridge and the Third Battle of Ypres (Paaschendaele) in 1917.  The battles for Hill 70 and Lens were a semi-diversionary attack for an upcoming major offensive in the Flanders regions of Belgium.  They successfully captured Hill 70, on the outskirts of the town of Lens.  What the leaders and planners underestimated was the resolve of the German forces.  Planners presumed that once Hill 70 was captured, the Germans would fold up their tents and retire from Lens.  They were wrong.  The German defenders put up a good fight and held Lens and the Canadians and other Empire tropps were denied their walk into Lens.  Lens did eventually come under control of the British and Canadians but not until later in the war.

I finished "Stay The Rising Sun", a biography of CV-2 USS Lexington.

I liked it, plus as a bonus there's an appended chapter about CV-16, and also summary bios of the main characters.

I started "Flyboys".

I want to like it and the author is respectable, but gosh it is so factually inaccurate right from the get-go.

Anyone else have an opinion?

Is that the one about the Navy aviators downed at Chichi Jima?

Yes, same author who wrote "Flags of our Fathers".

The first couple of chapters are an unholy mess. The erradication of native Americans, the persecution of Christians in Medieval Japan, European 19th Century Imperialism and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians by B-29s all get conflated into a huge hairball that seems to point to the cause of war being our base inhuman instincts rather than any geopolitical factors.

I guess I'll ride it out. I'm also starting a book about VS-6 while they were based at Henderson Field in 1942.

I suspect that it's parts of both- the base human instincts and geopolitical ambitions combined. But that's for folks way above my pay grade to worry about and deal with.

Just finished up my forth.  An Autobiography of Nigel Mansell.  It was a pretty good read if you are a Mansell Fan.   The Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue, The German Army 1933-1945 by Matthew Cooper and last, Crisis of Character by Gary J. Byrne.  THAT was an exceptional read.  

I just finished Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. It was a definite page turner.

Steve

Just finished "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck.  Great book!

GMorrison

I started "Flyboys".

I want to like it and the author is respectable, but gosh it is so factually inaccurate right from the get-go.

Anyone else have an opinion?

 

 

the truth can hurt... I did like that book and it's been quite awhile since I read it. It is a very different way of starting a WW II narrative but I feel it conveys the root of that Generation of Japanese people's feelings and beliefs, whether right or wrong. 

If you want to read the Japanese perspective on WWII, I highly recommend John Toland's two volume work "The Rising Sun". Very eye opening for a westerner to see the other side's viewpoint for the portion of time covered in the book.

Mopar Madness

Just finished "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck.  Great book!

I made a stop at a local Barnes & Noble last night on the way home and loaded up on some books for my queue.  Along with the first two volumes of the "Expanse" series by James S. A Carey (a pseudonym for a team of two authors, actually), and two David Drake novels, I also picked up, "In Harm's Way", about the sinking of the Indianapolis.  I started it last night, and it's a quick read.  I got half-way through it, ending up at the end of the first day the survivors spent in the water.  I expect to finish it tonight.

And so far, there's been no mention of Quint, or Herbie Robinson....

I never knew they were the basis for those characters!  Very interesting!

I just re-read the Grail Quest series by Bernard Cornwell, three great novels about an English archer's personal adventures during the Hundred Years War.  Also, if you like Cornwell, there are several wonderful adventure/maritime novels about early 1660's South Africa (English, Dutch, Portugese, Arab) conflicts by Wilbur Smith.  Everyone in the world seems to know his name except we Americans. :)

Currently, I'm finishing up Rustico, Regional Italian Country Cooking by Micol Negrin.  This was brought about due to my daughter, who was bored with ham/turkey and insisted that everyone bring something Italian to this year's big family Christmas dinner at her house.  Turned out to be a great success, while I learned that real Italian cooking does not mean tomato paste and oregano.  So be warned, if you read this book, you may never open up a can of Chef-Boyardee again!

Jack

Yes, theres so much there, regional cooking. A couple of years ago we created the Feast of the Seven Fishes for Christmas as a family project. It doesnt have to be seven, just an odd number, but we made it. 

Nice change up of subject.

I'm working my way through a re-read of Isaac Asimov's Robot, Empire and Foundation Series.  This time I'm reading them in the order Asimov suggested in the 80's.

I love pulling these old jems out of the pile every 15-20 years.

Also reading "Sailing Three Oceans" by Herb and Doris Smith.  It chronicles their building, sailing  and selling of wooden schooners in Maine, the last one being Eastwind.  Eastwind offers day sails in the Spring/Summer/Fall out of Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Clive Cusslar's The Dirk Pitt series.  Starting to collect hard copies of this series of books.  I don't like ebooks.

I'm the opposite - I bought a Kindle some years ago and recently find that I can't go back to reading a paperback or hard copy book...

Some I've recently read (some have nothing to do with war):

Joe Buck - Lucky *** (autobiography)

Giles Milton - Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (excellent book about guerilla warfare, Britain's development of secret weapons, etc)

Derek B Miller - The Girl in Green

Derek B. Miller - Norwegian By Night (you'll love Sheldon)

Now reading Choke by Chuck Palahniuk and Crazy Horse and Custer by Stephen Ambrose.

All, I just finished one of the most interesting and engaging books I've read in a long time.  The Fleet at Flood Tide by James Hornfisher covers the last year or so of WWII in the Central Pacific and the development of the strategic bombing campaign against Japan culminating with the atomic bombs.  Hornfisher discusses how the decision to drop the bombs was developed, and you meet several of the key players in the decision.  It may be his best book to date.

John

Just finished Ron Chernow's "Washington: A Life" and loved it.

Next up Alfred Lansing's "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage"

Also working through Laurence Gonzales "Deep Survival"

I