Read any good books lately?

I just finished The Map Thief by Michael Blanding. It's the non-fiction account of Forbes Smiley, who admitted to stealing 97 rare maps over a four year period from rare book collections at libraries in the Northeast. He gradually came under suspision  because of his frequent visits to libraries, and some jealousy among rival dealers of how he was able to undercut others in price.

No spoiler as the books opens with this; he was apprehended after leaving the Beinecke Library at Yale, at which point the librarians found a #11 blade on the floor under his chair and followed him out.

The first half of the book provides a general overview of rare maps, their creators, their uses and value. I really enjoyed that section.

The latter half details the arrest, trials, restitution and lessons learned. That was of much less interest to me but I stuck it out.

Bill

Not brand new, but just finished the autobiography from British comedian Eddy Izzard...subtitled "A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens." A bit repetitive in spots, but some great insights into a singular and brilliant performer.

Have you seen "Castles in the Sky?". He was great in that, and interesting story too.

Bill

GMorrison

Have you seen "Castles in the Sky?". He was great in that, and interesting story too.

Bill

Thanks, Bill.

Haven't seen that one yet...it's on the list...but I love his standup and just about everything else I've seen him in. I was one of those severely disappointed that "The Riches" only had two seasons.

Cheers

BTW...did you know he had a fear of flying...so, naturally, he decided to get a private pilot's license.

There's a nice Dragon Rapide and an Anson in the movie.

Bill

I've started a book named A Final Valiant Act.

It's the story of Doug Dickey, a young Marine who sacrifced himself to save the command element of his platoon on March 26, 1967 in Quang Tri Province, in Operation Beacon Hill 1.

While it's a remarkable story in it's own right and is published as a book in large part due to the efforts of the author, who has devoted his time to working to have heroes given their due, there's a local connection.

In that same action, a young Marine from Carmel, along with 10 others, gave his life as well. That Marine was a family friend. The platoon has an annual reunion of survivors. This year it was held here as the family is here, two more generations.

There was a book signing, and nine or ten of the guys from Dickeys platoon came, answered questions, and were quite impressive as a group.

Bill

I love attending events like that. Nothing like hearing from the guys who were there.

It's great that some vet's are opening up.  Most have buried it away and don't want to mention any of their experiences.

It was an interesting event, very serious tone. There were a dozen or so young Marines who came from the NPS which is in Monterey. The Vietnam vets really appreciated the turn out, they were surprised.

The book so far has an excellent timeline of actions from mid 1965 to where I'm currently, December 1966 in Okinawa.

Dickey graduated high school in 1965. In order to build up the Corps, the Marines entered the Selective Service- people forget about that. There were all kinds of incentives to enlist. Two years instead of three or four. Pick your buddies and you could all go through basic together, Defer induction for up to year after enlistment.

His father was in the Corps and fought in Saipan. 

Bill

Hey Bill, how did you go with 'A Barstard of a Place'? I would appreciate your thoughts.

Cheers

Ferg

I started reading Flight of the Intruder, I haven't seen the movie; it was released while I was deployed 30 years ago and by the time I returned to the US, it was long out of theaters.

Liked the movie, Glover and Defoe were great in their roles, imo

Rob Gronovius

I started reading Flight of the Intruder, I haven't seen the movie; it was released while I was deployed 30 years ago and by the time I returned to the US, it was long out of theaters.

 

Good book and good movie, but as usual, Hollywood changed things when turning the book into a film. 

I've just finished "Warburton's War" by Tony Spooner (updated edition, Chris Goss), about Wing Commander Adrian ("Warby") Warburton - a misfit who scraped through RAF pilot training in WWII & was eventually sent to Malta, where he proved to be an outstanding photo-reconnaissance pilot. 

He flew numerous aircraft types, and always got his pictures, however difficult the job.  During the seige of Malta, he was a figure of inspiration to service personnel and populace alike and became, quite literally, a legend.  He taught his skills to others, becoming first a Squadron Leader, then a Wing Commander, also forming strong links with American units on Malta and in North Africa.  On one occasion, he flew his Martin Maryland through the Italian fleet in Taranto harbour, at an altitude of 50 feet, in order to confirm exactly which enemy ships were present, which he and his crew did by reading their names from the hulls!  He had a difficult early life, and was something of an enigma, and a bit of an oddball, throughout his life, which ended at a tragically young age.

A thoroughly engrossing read about an extraordinary man.

Hutch6390

I've just finished "Warburton's War" by Tony Spooner (updated edition, Chris Goss), about Wing Commander Adrian ("Warby") Warburton - a misfit who scraped through RAF pilot training in WWII & was eventually sent to Malta, where he proved to be an outstanding photo-reconnaissance pilot.

Seems a personality, career and...regrettably...a sad ending similar to ace 'Buzz' Beurling, in the same theater. Whether great artists or great military pilots, it seems exceptional talent often comes with difficult or misunderstood personalities.

stikpusher

Rob Gronovius

I started reading Flight of the Intruder, I haven't seen the movie; it was released while I was deployed 30 years ago and by the time I returned to the US, it was long out of theaters.

 

Good book and good movie, but as usual, Hollywood changed things when turning the book into a film. 

The book I finished just prior to this book was The Lost World, a sequel to Jurassic Park. I bought the book (still had the original sales receipt inside) in September 1996 when I was stationed at Fort Leavenworth for my command and staff school.

Having watched the movie when it came out, the book almost bore no resembalance to the movie other than Jeff Goldblum's character, and to a lesser degree, the female lead uses the same name, but is an entirely different character with different skill sets and motivations.

This year's New Year's resolution was to read more books, so I decided to concentrate on books that were made into movies. Flight of the Intruder is book number 19 of the year. I've read other books not made into movies this year, but here is the list of just the "movie" books I've read so far this year:

• Congo
• The Dark Tower (8 books)
• Eaters of the Dead (movie name The 13th Warrior)
• Ender's Game
• I am Legend
• Jurassic Park
• The Lost World
• Flight of the Intruder

Non-movie books are

• Casca The Eternal Mercenary
• Full Dark, No Stars
• Brotherhood of War Book I: The Lieutenants

The Dark Tower was probably the most disappointing movie. Stephen King used the Lord of the Rings and Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name as inspiration for the series. While I like Idris Elba, he doesn't come to mind when you expect an older Clint and the movie would be like re-editing Lord of the Rings into a 2-hour movie where Bilbo finds the ring, gives it to Frodo and he tosses it into the volcano.

Nope. No time.

Rob Gronovius

Non-movie books are Casca The Eternal Mercenary

Wow, that's a bulb going on!

I eagerly devoured the first dozen or so of the Casca series when they first came out in the '70s-'80s (about the same time as enjoying Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan 'the Executioner' series)...but sort of lost track after Sadler's death, when other authors picked up the franchise. Probably ought to go back and revisit them.

Enjoy!

Awsome photos Glenn. Thank you for service and thank you for sharing.

gregbale

Rob Gronovius

Non-movie books are Casca The Eternal Mercenary

Wow, that's a bulb going on!

I eagerly devoured the first dozen or so of the Casca series when they first came out in the '70s-'80s (about the same time as enjoying Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan 'the Executioner' series)...but sort of lost track after Sadler's death, when other authors picked up the franchise. Probably ought to go back and revisit them.

Enjoy!

As a young lieutenant living across the PX parking lot from the Stars & Stripes bookstore in Mannheim, Germany, I bought a lot of paperback books. I lent many of the Casca books to other lieutenants, but only have the first book, Eternal Mercenary and Casca: Warrior (he's stranded on a South Pacific island and becomes their ruler).

They are awesome "dime store novels" and a lot of fun. I think if anyone actually tried to timeline the stories, there would be instances where he was in two places at the same time or need some sort of transporter to get from one side of the Earth to the other.

Picked up a copy of "Japanese Destroyer Captain", by Capt. Tameichi Hara.  

He was captain of the destroyer Shigure during and after the Solomons campaign, commander of the torpedo school, and captain of the cruiser Yahagi during the sortie of the Yamato mission at Okinawa.

He doesn't play favorites, telling the good and bad decisions in both sides, in the actions he was in.

Interesting read.

i just finished "A Final Valiant Act", about a young marine who was killed in Viet Nam on Easter Sunday, March 1967. His platoon engaged a larger NVA force infiltrating the DMZ. In the battle 28 of the 40 Marines were killed or wounded. one UH-34 was destroyed on the ground attempting resupply and evacuation.

The story follows the life of Doug Dickey, from high school through enlistment, boot camp and engagement in action. It also covers the rest of the platoon, which included a young man named larry Larsen who was a close friend of my wife's family and of her brother.

Larry was walking point and was shot and killed in ambush, which started the action. Enclosed on three sides, the platoon took position in a bomb crater.

Dickey was carrying the radio and threw himself on a hand grenade that was thrown into the crater. Before it exploded another one landed next to him and he grabbed it and shoved it under his body.

Very moving and follows the story to today. I actually got the book at a signing which was attended by the dozen or so survivors of that platoon here in Carmel.  

Bill

I've been reading & enjoying a lot of Adam Makos's books lately- "Spearhead","A Higher Call","Voices of the Pacific", & presently reading "Devotion".  Great historial books.

TJS 

MC passed on "Spearhead" to me for something to read while hospitalized in Boise.

Agree, a good read as told from one who was there, and still able to walk the ground he fought on.

While showing the author where he had been, and recounting the Panther/Pershing fight, they actually found one of the German crew.  By the time he had to leave they became friends.

Yea, lots of times I get my inspirition or ideas for my next build from either movies or books that I read.  For example after watching the movie "Greyhound" and reading "The Good Shephard" I built Lindberg's 1/125 Blue Devil destroyer kit.  After "Spearhead" I'd like to build that T-26 and after "Devotion" the F4U-4 flown by Jesse Brown.

TJS

I am towards the end of "Into the darkness" by Gitta Serenyi. She is an Israely journalist who interviewed Franz Stangl, the only commander of a concentration camp (Sobibor and Treblinka) who was brought to trial. It is more about his career path, how he become what he was, how did he feel about it, his relationship with other SS personel, interveviews his wife, how did she feel about what her husband is doing, how the survivors saw him. Very interesting.

For years, my main historical interest has been in WW2 and Classical Greece and Rome. But more recently i have taken more of an interest in English history. So after building my ECW bust earlier this year, i decided to start with a book on that conflict. For years its just been refferred to as the English Civil War, but i think in recent years the involvment of the rest of the British isles has been more recognised and the ECW is now seen as one part of whats known as the war of the Three Kingdoms. So after reading some reviews this is the book i have been reading.

I am still a little war to go, but its been a really interesting read. I was really surprised at the role of the Scots in all of this period and their attempts to force their view of the Christian Church onto the English which lead to their rift with the King. It was also interesting to read about Cromwell's campaign in Ireland, over which the Irish are still rather bitter, but the book does explain his actions and i don't believe he was as bad as the Irish make out.

Once i have finished this i have a Bio of Nelson and a history of the Anglo Saxons to read. But i have a couple of more books related to the ECW on my Waterstones wish list, one on the New Model Army and another on the role of the Eastern Association i am looking forward to getting

Bish

For years, my main historical interest has been in WW2 and Classical Greece and Rome. But more recently i have taken more of an interest in English history...

I have the companion book to Simon Schama's "History of Britain" series and that provides a good overview, from Neolithic times up to the beginning of the 20th century.

Looking at British history also provides new perspective on our own, because we were British, till 1776.

the Baron

 

 

Bish

For years, my main historical interest has been in WW2 and Classical Greece and Rome. But more recently i have taken more of an interest in English history...

 

 

 

I have the companion book to Simon Schama's "History of Britain" series and that provides a good overview, from Neolithic times up to the beginning of the 20th century.

Looking at British history also provides new perspective on our own, because we were British, till 1776.

 

Thanks, i will check that out.