Read any good books lately?

GMorrison

Gunter Grass died today. His book The Tin Drum had a strong positive effect on my later tastes in literature. I don't think I have read anything quite like it, ever since.

I read it, too, when I was studying German in college.  I read The Flounder (Der Butt), too back then.  I enjoyed how he wove history, including of his native Danzig, together with some absurdity, in putting forth the themes.   He reminded me that way, too, of Kurt Vonnegut.  The Diary of a Snail was interesting, too.

One of my patients just lent me a book "H.M.S. Puncher". It is not quite a book as a photo collection with short stories about life and service on her. The hook? My patient served on her so it is an instant connection...

Reading the biography of Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery of Alamein.  Slow going at the moment.  A young Monty has just been accepted into Sandhurst.

Gunter Grass died today. His book The Tin Drum had a strong positive effect on my later tastes in literature. I don't think I have read anything quite like it, ever since.

stikpusher

On my days off this past week I read "U-Boat War" by Lothar-Gunther

Buchheim. He is the author of "Das Boot"on which the movie of the same name was based, and this book is more his actual wartime experiences coupled with lots of photos that he took during his time on U-96, as well as before and afterwards. Very personal and very compelling. The photos he took are simply captivating to look at as you read his words of events going on and captured on film. Great stuff for anyone interested in subs, the Battle of the Atlantic, or the film.

I actually have had that book on my shelf from the 80's.very good account and the photos were indeed very good.

Just finished "Killing Patton" by Bill O'Reilly.It was borrowed,fairly good light reading,some interesting accounts that I hadn't heard.

I just finished "Night fighter over Germany", by Graham White. An RAF Flight Sergeant, who flew Mossies. He has a very interesting writing style and inserts a lot of humor. Pretty interesting book.

Currently reading Fire and Fury : The Bombing of Germany.

In non-military related books, I pre-ordered 'Go Set a Watchman' by Harper Lee at Barnes  & Nobles for $16.79.

On my days off this past week I read "U-Boat War" by Lothar-Gunther Buchheim. He is the author of "Das Boot"on which the movie of the same name was based, and this book is more his actual wartime experiences coupled with lots of photos that he took during his time on U-96, as well as before and afterwards. Very personal and very compelling. The photos he took are simply captivating to look at as you read his words of events going on and captured on film. Great stuff for anyone interested in subs, the Battle of the Atlantic, or the film.

I just finished "Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution" by Nat Philbrick.

I'd recommend it- it draws from a variety of personal accounts that keeps it pretty human scale.

Adams and his rabble were really a bunch of violent criminals, who openly murdered authorities and replaced the King's Law with their own version of justice. It's a REALLY good thing for them that they won, and that's a miracle too. Otherwise they'd all be swinging from gibbets.

A little hyperbole on my part, but it's a pretty violent story.

Beans, Look forward to seeing you there.  

I've been wondering about  A Higher Call as well, so its now added to the list.

John

I just added A Higher Call to my reading list.

wolfhammer1,

I'm on it.

I'm hoping to complete the rockets and the book in time for March's meeting.

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

For your information, you can buy decal sets (1/72 & 1/48 scale) of both Ye Old Pub and the Bf-109 portrayed

Read the book about 6 or 7 months ago and have been thinking about building the 2 planes.  Amazing book. Hard to put down.  Loads of info on the two planes to work with. The 109 wouldn't be too hard but the bomber is another story.  Tons of scratch work.

Jim 

mustang - I have and read that book when it first came out.  I couldn't put it down.

I am still working my way thru my "Complete Sherlock Holmes" collection that I received for Christmas in 2013 and did not start until late last year... Great stuff!

If there's any aviation nuts here (and I know there are) and haven't read this book yet, then you need to...........  Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it folks.

Hey Beans, I'll bet Kevin would love a review of that for the newsletter.  ;-)

John

I started working on the AMT Man in Space kit and I bumped into the book on the internet as I was looking for references.

I highly recommend it.

I'd love to read that.

Ed Harris played him pretty well in the movie.

I'm in the middle of Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond by Gene Kranz.

ISBN-13: 978-1439148815

Taken from Amazon.com:

This memoir of a veteran NASA flight director tells riveting stories from the early days of the Mercury program through Apollo 11 (the moon landing) and Apollo 13, for both of which Kranz was flight director.

Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America’s manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA’s Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race. He helped to launch Alan Shepard and John Glenn, then assumed the flight director’s role in the Gemini program, which he guided to fruition. With his teammates, he accepted the challenge to carry out President John F. Kennedy’s commitment to land a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s. 

Kranz recounts these thrilling historic events and offers new information about the famous flights. What appeared as nearly flawless missions to the Moon were, in fact, a series of hair-raising near misses. When the space technology failed, as it sometimes did, the controllers’ only recourse was to rely on their skills and those of their teammates. He reveals behind-the-scenes details to demonstrate the leadership, discipline, trust, and teamwork that made the space program a success. 

A fascinating firsthand account by a veteran mission controller of one of America’s greatest achievements, Failure is Not an Option reflects on what has happened to the space program and offers his own bold suggestions about what we ought to be doing in space now.

I've been unable to put it down.

waynec

wolfhammer1

Hey waynec, I am a huge David Weber fan and love his work.  Have you ever read the Safehold series by him?  To me it raises some interesting questions about faith and religion, given that it is set in a science fiction time with late 1600s technology and but with a few futuristic twists.  Could anyone recommend a good book or 2 about the Korean War?  I am starting a research kick on that time, as my dad served in combat there and I have never heard or seen much about it.  Thanks.

Ihey WOLF  'll look into that when i am done with the honorverse.

THE FORGOTTEN WAR by Clay Blair

SLA Marshall has a few including, I think. PORK CHOP HILL. good movie too.

Marshall's The River and the Guantlet is really good.

wolfhammer1

Hey waynec, I am a huge David Weber fan and love his work.  Have you ever read the Safehold series by him?  To me it raises some interesting questions about faith and religion, given that it is set in a science fiction time with late 1600s technology and but with a few futuristic twists.  Could anyone recommend a good book or 2 about the Korean War?  I am starting a research kick on that time, as my dad served in combat there and I have never heard or seen much about it.  Thanks.

Ihey WOLF  'll look into that when i am done with the honorverse.

THE FORGOTTEN WAR by Clay Blair

SLA Marshall has a few including, I think. PORK CHOP HILL. good movie too.

I've got quite a few books waiting to be read. However, I did get a couple around Christmastime. "Conversations with Major *** Winters" and "Untold Valor"

Recently I've finished:

"The General" by C.S. Forester

-Good read and easy read, hard not to get frustrated (at the characters) reading it though

"The Barbary Wars: American Independence in the Atlantic World" by Frank Lambert

-Good book, loaded with information, looks at the Barbary Wars from an interesting perspective

And a couple others that aren't worth mentioning

I just read a great book that I found in a used book store last night.

"Battleship Bismark, a survivors story".

Published in 1980 by the Naval Institute Press.

I had not ever heard of this book before and I recommend it.

The highest ranking survivor of the sinking wrote it based on personal recollection, interviews of other survivors and members of the Royal Navy, plus German and British records.

It's a bad sign when the Fuhrer starts conferring battlefield citations before the battle is over.

Josiah, thank you for those recommendations.  I will look into getting them.

John

wolfhammer1

Could anyone recommend a good book or 2 about the Korean War?  I am starting a research kick on that time, as my dad served in combat there and I have never heard or seen much about it.  Thanks.

Only couple books on the Korean War that stand out for me

"The Last Stand of Fox Company" (which I highly recommend)

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Stand-Fox-Company/dp/0802144519

and, "The Darkest Summer" by Bill Sloan. 

Just finished reading "The Admirals" by Walter Borneman, well written and very informative.  Will be starting quite a few other books next week.

Reading 'American Sniper' now. Good book!