What Are You Reading Now?

[SeattleUte]

You should read them. They are marvelous. The one criticism I woudl repeat is that they are from the genteel southerner POV. Slavery is an almost unmentioned factor, but his recounting of the war and the persons in the war, more than makes up for it, in my mind.

Maybe Lebowski has inspired me. I've got the set on the shelf right by where I work at home. I look at them every night and think I should read them cover to cover.

Battle Cry of Freedom is a good northern perspective. You don't miss that on the Southern side there were some evil folks bent on preserving an evil institution.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Maybe Lebowski has inspired me. I've got the set on the shelf right by where I work at home. I look at them every night and think I should read them cover to cover.

Battle Cry of Freedom is a good northern perspective. You don't miss that on the Southern side there were some evil folks bent on preserving an evil institution.

Don't derive too much inspiration yet, as I have just started. But so far I enjoy his writing style and I am feeling good about the endeavor.

[Flattop]

Up Front by Bill Mauldin

Mauldin created the famous Willie and Joe cartoons during World War II, and this book contains many. But it is more than just a collection of such, it is also an intimate look at what it was like to be a dogface, a U.S. Army infantryman. Fantastic.

[LA Ute]

You don't miss that on the Southern side there were some evil folks bent on preserving an evil institution.

What??? What is this about? Some effort to draw attention away from the purely economic reasons for the War of Northern Aggression?

[happyone]

I just finished Broken Jewel by David L. Robbins. It is a fictional look at the events at and rescue of the internees at the Los Banos Internment camp near Manila during WW II.

It is extemely well researched and follows the actual events very well. The author includes 15 page appendix that recounts the actual people and events that he used in the novel. I feel that is well written and a pretty good read.

One word of warning one of the main characters is a "comfort girl" and some of her scenes get rather explicit. The experiences of this character reinforces what was said in "Rape of Nanking" thread in one of the other forums.

A note for dabrockster - this is one author you might want to put on your list. He has writen several other novels on WWII including three on the war on the eastern front:
War of the Rats - the story of snipers in Stalingrad
Last Citadel - the story of a Soviet Tank crew at Kursk
The End of War - the last six months of WWII

[Flattop]

I have read The End of War. It was good, but I was annoyed that Eisenhower wasn't allowed to defend himself on not taking Berlin.

[Pheidippides]

Just picked up Game Change, which is supposedly a book about the 2008 presidential campaign and all the dirt therein.

[LA Ute]

Just picked up Game Change, which is supposedly a book about the 2008 presidential campaign and all the dirt therein.

That one sounds juicy! It's not available for Kindle yet, so I do will not get to it for a month or so. I understand it oozes awe and admiration for Obama, but I can get past that. (Half the people I work with love him too.)

[The_Tick]

Just finished The Lost Symbol. meh.

Now...I have to fulfill a promise to my daughters. All 4 Twilight books.

Yippie?

[Katy Lied]

Im just starting Kruger's Men, the true story about the Nazi plot to counterfeit British Pounds and American Dollars in order to flood the world with them and destabilize both monetary systems. They assembled a team of highly skilled printers, but were missing an experienced counterfeiter of the highest caliber. His name was Salomon Smolianoff and when they located him he was interned in a concentration camp, barely avoiding death by working as the camp artist.

I mostly bought this book because it was recommended by one of my favorite artists, David Kahn. IF anyone has read it and found it wanting , please let me know soon. Thx.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Now...I have to fulfill a promise to my daughters. All 4 Twilight books.

fixed

[The_Tick]

fixed

Never break a promise to your child...never ever.

[Pheidippides]

That one sounds juicy! It's not available for Kindle yet, so I do will not get to it for a month or so. I understand it oozes awe and admiration for Obama, but I can get past that. (Half the people I work with love him too.)

So far, so good. It's very juicy, in the sense that it shows the candidates as humans. Halfway through, you definitely get the sense that Obama is the most grounded out of all of them. I come off with less hatred for Hillary, though, and more for Edwards. I'm not yet to the Palin/McCain parts.

Re the awe and admiration for Obama, I heard one of the authors respond to that. He said that, when the Clintons are only the fourth most unstable marriage in the book, that a guy who has a stable relationship by all accounts - like Obama - is going to come off pretty well. So far that is the case.

[Donuthole]

Outliers... Fairly interesting. Some chapters are more interesting than others.

Just finished this yesterday. Overall, not bad and I agree with his premise. Nevertheless, he offers the information up as if it's some sort of revelation, when it really isn't. Some interesting tidbits in there, though.

[happyone]

Just picked up Game Change, which is supposedly a book about the 2008 presidential campaign and all the dirt therein.

I've put it on my hold list at the library. It looks interesting