What Are You Reading Now?

[happyone]

Finished FrontSoldaten - it is in the same vein as The GI's War by Hoyt. Fritz uses the diaries and mail of German infantrymen, landsers Capt and below, and tries to distill their feeling about the war. He purposely does not use recent interviews and memoirs of any officers major or above. It is not a very smooth read, a bit disjointed at times, but I think is is a very important look at the attitudes of the German soldiers of WW II.


Tidbits

The basic German soldier was very well trained. The German Army was more willing to accept deaths in training than their opponents.

The Germany Army, more than their enemies, tried to make the small units a family. In fact the nickname for the Platoon Leader/Squad leader was often Papa

Due to the fact that most of the fighting done by the German Army was in Russia, most of the stories are from Russia. Due to the Nazi theories on race, the Landsers were encouraged to look at the Soviets as less than human and they could commit almost any crime, including rape and murder and get away with it.

German military discipline was harsh. The German military executed more than 20,000 soldiers during the war, with appox 8,000 coming in the last 6 months

The comman German landser caused appox 50% more casualities than his Russian, American or British counterpart

currently reading

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Prophecies-Medieval-Murderers-Group/dp/1847391214/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324845054&sr=1-5"]Amazon.com: The Lost Prophecies (Medieval Murderers Group 4) (9781847391216): The Medieval Murderers: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IhgRk07iL.@@AMEPARAM@@51IhgRk07iL[/ame]

I like medieval mysteries and this is the 4th in a series of books by a group of my favorite medieval mystery authors. The group selects a theme for a book and then 4 or 5 of them each write a novella using main characters of their respective series of books and the theme. Brain candy I know, but...

[edward777]

A follow-up from an earlier post:

http://deladream.com/freedom-conscience/ A review at deladream.

[old_gregg]

mike leach is a weird dude, but i turns out i agree with him on most things.

[cougjunkie]

Amazon.com: Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (9780316067591): Marcus Luttrell, Patrick Robinson: Books

I read this about a year ago, great book. I just picked this up yesterday:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Seal-Honor-Operation-Michael-Murphy/dp/1591149576/ref=cm_srch_tsr_rtr"]Amazon.com: Seal of Honor: Operation Red Wings and the Life of LT. Michael P. Murphy, USN (9781591149576): Gary Williams: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DkpkL4UIL.@@AMEPARAM@@51DkpkL4UIL[/ame]

He was with Luttrell during Operation Redwing.

[happyone]

Finished The Lost Prophecies - not bad, but definately not the best of the series.

Currently reading

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Better-War-Unexamined-Victories-Americas/dp/B003IWYJNG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325201827&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam: Lewis Sorley: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VGhbLY-tL.@@AMEPARAM@@51VGhbLY-tL[/ame]

Sorley is another one of the authors I've seen on BookTV - It is a look at the final years of the American involvement in Viet Nam, post TET offensive. From what I saw and heard of Sorley in the BookTV interview, he is a great admirer of Creighton Abrams, the US commander in Viet Nam from 1968-1972 and despises William Westmoreland - the man Abrams replaced. Should be interesting

[happyone]

Finished A Better War - good book. It is a little bit of revisionist history, but I think Sorley backs up his claims fairly well. He states in in prolog the one of the reasons he wrote this book in that this period is given short shrift in most of the histories of the war.

His main thesis seems to be that by the end of '71 the US/RVN had the war won and then we (the US) threw it away.

I don't totally buy that, because to win a war the other side has to quit and obviously the North Vietnamese weren't ready to quit in '71.

Some points he made

When Abrams took over in '68 he made building up the South Vietnamese military a priority - some of this was necessity, the US was pulling out no matter what. However according to Sorley most of it was Abrams philosophy - he had been preaching this for years.

By the end of '71 Saigon was safer than New York City. The US ambassador took a visiting British diplomat on a jeep ride down in the delta unescorted by military personal - just two jeeps.

By '71 the mid-level and lower officer corps of the Vietnamese military was pretty good (BDE level and lower) There were not enough good division and corps commanders however.

Sorley takes issue with the notion that the ARVN panicked during the Laotian incursion of '71. He says that the 3 divisions that went in there were hit by at least 7 NVA divisions and for the most part accomplished what they went in there to do - destroy the built up supplies and ammunition.

The final battles in '75 were not a guerilla uprising. It was an invasion of 20 NVA divisions supported by the latest in Soviet Armor and given the constraints the ARVN was fighting under they gave a good account of themselves

On the whole it is a little bit technical, but an interesting take on the last 7 yrs of the Viet Nam war.


Currently reading

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Neptunes-Inferno-U-S-Navy-Guadalcanal/dp/055380670X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325553302&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal (9780553806700): James D. Hornfischer: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VhZ58mMQL.@@AMEPARAM@@51VhZ58mMQL[/ame]

This is about the naval battles of Guadalcanal in WW II - right up flattop's alley

[happyone]

Finished Neptune's Inferno - excellent book. I highly recommend this to any student/buff of WW II or naval history. I found it very well written and very readable.

Some interesting facts

The Capt of the USS Chicago at the Battle of Savo Island (Aug 9) commanded the Oklahoma on Dec 7. It was just luck that he wasn't on board that day. His story is really tragic. He was the only officer held responsible for the defeat.

The oldest of the 5 Sullivan brothers survived the sinking of the Juneau. He was lost at sea after the sinking waiting rescue. The Juneau wasn't sunk during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, but was torpedoed afterwards trying to get to Esprito Santo for repairs. The commander of the task force refused to stop and pick up survivors.

The US Navy never really took advantage of their edge in radar gunnery. The only exception to this was the USS Washington and USS South Dakota fight with the Japanese battleship Kirishima.

In the Naval battles off Guadalcanal the US Navy and the Japanese Navy lost the same number of ships (24), but the US lost more tonnage.

Currently reading Alison Weirs newest book on the Tudors

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Boleyn-Mistress-Alison-Weir/dp/0345521331/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326412005&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings (9780345521330): Alison Weir: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519rUKqQ-%2BL.@@AMEPARAM@@519rUKqQ-%2BL[/ame]

This is about Anne Boylens sister who was Henry VIII's mistress before he became involved with Anne.

[CardiacCoug]

Talking about MD Anderson made me remember that I read this book recently:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Emperor-All-Maladies-Biography-Cancer/dp/1439107955"]Amazon.com: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (9781439107959): Siddhartha Mukherjee: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qVm-8ZJgL.@@AMEPARAM@@51qVm-8ZJgL[/ame]

I really liked it -- it's kind of long but very well written for a general audience and also for a medical audience. It's pretty great general overview of the history of cancer treatment and research.

[happyone]

Talking about MD Anderson made me remember that I read this book recently:

Amazon.com: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (9781439107959): Siddhartha Mukherjee: Books

I really liked it -- it's kind of long but very well written for a general audience and also for a medical audience. It's pretty great general overview of the history of cancer treatment and research.

I saw the author on BookTV - It looks really good and I have it on my wish list at the library

[Parrot Head]

Currently reading Alison Weirs newest book on the Tudors

Amazon.com: Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings (9780345521330): Alison Weir: Books

This is about Anne Boylens sister who was Henry VIII's mistress before he became involved with Anne.

This would put you in high regard with the women at a PAC family gathering.

(Not meant as a jab, just saying they're fans of Weir, Penman and their ilk.)

[happyone]

This would put you in high regard with the women at a PAC family gathering.

(Not meant as a jab, just saying they're fans of Weir, Penman and their ilk.)

I've loved English history ever since I first read Thomas Costain''s books on the Plantagenet kings of England, esp The Three Edwards, back when I was a teenager (many more years ago than I like to admit)

If Weir is not the best writer of English history right now, but she is certainally the most prolific. I personally think she is one of the better ones.

[venkman]

Just finished Ship of Ghosts by James Hornfischer. It's about the crew of the USS Houston in WWII, sunk by the Japanese, and the ordeal of it's survivors, most of whom worked as POW's on the Burma Thai Railroad (think Bridge on the River Kwai). Excellent read.

I periodically get on a Band of Brothers kick, so over the Christmas break I read the war memoirs of Dick Winters, I think it's called Beyond Band of Brothers. Another good read, he was a damn fine man.

[happyone]

Just finished Ship of Ghosts by James Hornfischer. It's about the crew of the USS Houston in WWII, sunk by the Japanese, and the ordeal of it's survivors, most of whom worked as POW's on the Burma Thai Railroad (think Bridge on the River Kwai). Excellent read.

...

Good book, I've liked everything I've read by him. I would also recommend his book on the Battle of Leyte Gulf

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Stand-Tin-Sailors-Extraordinary/dp/0553381482/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326842398&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour (9780553381481): James D. Hornfischer: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515i%2B2CLClL.@@AMEPARAM@@515i%2B2CLClL[/ame]

Finished Mary Boleyn - interesting look at rather minor character in Tudor history. My main question about this book is Why - Weir must be running out of subjects to write about

Their is really not a lot of documentary evidence about her, and Weir spend most of the book speculating on the various rumors that surrounded the lady and trying to debunk most of them.

Some of the things Weir decided were at least plausible

- Mary was the mistress of both Francis I of France and Henry VIII of England
- Mary's time with Francis was brief at best, maybe what effectively was a 1 night stand. Her relationship with Henry was probably lasted 2-3 years at most
- One of Mary's children (her daughter Cathrine) was probably fathered by Henry VIII, but not her son who was born a couple of years later
- One of the many rumors that swirled around the Boleyns was that both Mary and her mother were at one time Henry's mistresses. Weir doesn't believe that Henry slept with the mother.
- Mary was not as intellegent or driven as her sister Anne and that ultimatly worked to her advantage. She alone of her siblings that reached adulthood, died a natural death.
- The relationship between Anne and Mary was strained at best.

Weir does use Mary's story to examine the sexuality of the two courts - Francis' and Henry's and Tudor era England in general.

currently reading Conn Igludon newest book in his series on the Mongols

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Conqueror-Novel-Kublai-Conn-Iggulden/dp/0385343051/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326843449&sr=1-2"]Amazon.com: Conqueror: A Novel of Kublai Khan (9780385343053): Conn Iggulden: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vQRzqXZNL.@@AMEPARAM@@51vQRzqXZNL[/ame]

[OrangeUte]

i just finished "The Looming Tower" by Lawrence Wright. it is about the rise of al Qaeda. Very enjoyable and reads like a David McCullough history - flowing along nicely and rarely stumbling into zzzzzzz territory.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Al-Qaeda-Road-11/dp/1400030846/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327705459&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (9781400030842): Lawrence Wright: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51USOQW90sL.@@AMEPARAM@@51USOQW90sL[/ame]

Now i am knee deep in Confessions of Nat Turner. Terrific book. I understand that some of the more strident black right's groups in the 1960s found the book to be racist in its tones, but what i have read has been a very gritty depiction of slavery and human rights.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Nat-Turner-William-Styron/dp/0679736638/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327705572&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: The Confessions of Nat Turner (9780679736639): William Styron: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516SCQXFBRL.@@AMEPARAM@@516SCQXFBRL[/ame]

[LA Ute]

i just finished "The Looming Tower" by Lawrence Wright. it is about the rise of al Qaeda. Very enjoyable and reads like a David McCullough history - flowing along nicely and rarely stumbling into zzzzzzz territory.

Amazon.com: The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (9781400030842): Lawrence Wright: Books

I read that one too. Pretty chilling.