What Are You Reading Now?

[happyone]

I've had some extra time this past week, so I've finished The War Lovers and A Mighty Fortress by David Weber.

I really like the War Lovers. It is a look at the run up to the Spanish American War through the lives of 3 pro war figures and 2 anti war figures. It was interesting to read the rationalizations the three pro war people had. They were very concerned that the end of the frontier would have the effect of sapping the energy and vigor of the elite class in the United States. All three of them felt that war was the way to restore that attitude.

All three also felt that they had missed something, in being too young for the Civil War. Also 2 of the 3 fathers had avoided serving in the Civil War.

Intersting facts -
The 3 pro war figures almost had us in a war with Britian in 1895, but cooler head prevailed.

Roosevelt was a widower and his second wife and oldest son were extremely ill when the Spanish American War started. He went anyway.

The two anti war figures also had the same concerns, but not the same solution. William James, Henry James' brother, one of the leading American philosphers of the day, was looking for a way to get the same commitment with out war.

Good read.

A Mighty Fortress is the forth book of the Safehold series. It is standard David Weber. It is fairly long, about 700 pages. If you have liked his other work you'll like this.

Currently reading The last stand : Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick

[il Padrino Ute]

The World Set Free - H. G. Wells

[Flattop]

The Story of the Frontier: A Social History of the Northern Plains and Rocky Mountains from the Earliest White Contacts to the Coming of the Homemaker by Everett Dick, Ph.D.

I have been developing an interest in western history and found this at the library. As the subtitle says, this is a social history of the different groups and activities involved in the history of the frontier: fur traders, mountain men, pioneers, miners, steam boat crews, soldiers, Pony Express riders, cowboys, etc. I haven't found everything that has been discussed to be interesting, but most of the book has been facsinating.

[Flattop]

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Captain Ted W. Lawson.

An excellent personal account of Lawson's part in the April 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japan by B-25s launched from the carrier USS Hornet (CV-8). This book is a classic.

[happyone]

Finished The last stand : Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn I enjoyed it. The author uses the Native American accounts as well and recent archeology(SP) studies of the battle field to reconstruct Custer's movements after Trumpeter Martin left. He was the last soldier to see Custer alive. He also does a really good job on the story of Reno and Benteen and their leadership or lack thereof on Reno Hill after Custer met his demise. He also paints an interesting portrait of the internal politics of the 7th Cav and the relationship between Benteen, the senior Captain in the regt and commander of a batt of three coys during the battle, and Custer. To say that Benteen dispised Custer would be an understatement.

All in all a good addtion to the canon on the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Interesting Facts -
Benteen was taking a nap and had to awakened during the Souix assult on his position the morning after the Last Stand. He also did not have his company entrench during the previous night, causing them to take more than their share of casualities.
Several of the officers, including Maj Reno, on Reno Hill were if not drunk, seriously impaired during the battle.
Contrary to myth Custer's body was mutilated, although not extensively.

Currently reading Patton, Montgomery, Rommel : masters of war by Terry Brighton

[Flattop]

Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie

Another classic World War II memoir! Leckie served with the 1st Marine Division and fought on Guadalcanal, Cape Glouschester and Peleliu and some of his experiences were recently highlighted in the HBO miniseries The Pacific.

[happyone]

Finished Patton, Montgomery, Rommel : masters of war

Interesting look at the command/leadership styles of argueably the three most recognized generals of WWII. Brighton looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the 3 generals, how they developed there military philosphies and there personal lives.

Interesting Facts -
Monty had an annoying habit of stretching and bending the truth. If anything didn't go exactly to his plan, afterwards he would claim that what happened was his plan in the first place.

Monty was dispised by the senior US commanders and many of the senior British commanders.

Patton and Monty had the same stratigic goal for Europe, A single thrust into Germany, however they both wanted to lead it. Monty going north of the Ruhr and Patton through the Saar.

The opening scene in the movie Patton is taken word for word from some of his speeches to the 3rd Army units prior to deploying to France.

Patton bent the rules on giving supplies and gas to Monty during Market-Garden to keep his advance going. He was basicly stealing gas from the US 1st Army and not reporting fuel supplies captured by his troops and using it himself.

Rommel was a believer in Hilter until almost to the end. However he was also a realist. He would disobey a Hilter order if he felt it made no military sense. The retreat from Alamain is one example.

Nothing really new or earth shattering, but put together in a interesting way. Good read.

Currently reading Warriors edited by George R. R. Martin. This is an anthology of new fiction about warriors. It follows no particular genre. It has historical fiction, crime, suspense, science fiction stories and novellas. Some really good authors have contributed. People like Steven Saylor, Diana Gabaldon, Joe Haldeman as well as Martin himself have contributed stories. Obviously the connecting theme is all of the stories are about warriors.

[Flattop]

No Less Than Victory by Jeff Shaara

Out in hardback last fall, saw this in paperback in early June. That's the fastest hardcover to paperback I've ever seen.

This is the final book in Shaara's World War II trilogy covering the last months of the war in Europe from the Battle of the Bulge to VE-Day. The Bulge takes up almost two thirds of the book. It takes the reader onto the battlefield, following a few soldiers of the 106th Division. Shaara also takes us into the headquarters of Eisenhower, Patton, and Von Runstedt.

Another excellent book by Shaara.

[happyone]

finished Warriors Like most anthologies a bit uneven. Looking at the copywrite dates of the stories it was all new material. It is really all over the map on genres. It has everything from historical fiction about the end of the Punic wars and the English capture of Quebec, to current crime/suspence to Science Fiction/Fantasy stories. Interestingly there are no stories about the current wars in Iraq/Afganistan. One of the most intersting stories was one about a fighting dog told from the dog's perspective. It is long - runs 735 pages but enjoyable,

Currently reading Cromwell, the Lord Protector by Antoina Fraser, the same author who wrote Mary, Queen of Scots

[happyone]

No Less Than Victory by Jeff Shaara

Out in hardback last fall, saw this in paperback in early June. That's the fastest hardcover to paperback I've ever seen.

This is the final book in Shaara's World War II trilogy covering the last months of the war in Europe from the Battle of the Bulge to VE-Day. The Bulge takes up almost two thirds of the book. It takes the reader onto the battlefield, following a few soldiers of the 106th Division. Shaara also takes us into the headquarters of Eisenhower, Patton, and Von Runstedt.

Another excellent book by Shaara.

Did you read the hardback or paperback. The hardback edition I read had some annoying proofreading errors ( things like calibers of arty that the US didn't use, bombidier was a sgt and had been to bombidier school thing like that) I was wondering if they had cleaned them up for the paperback release

[MarkGrace]

I did a quick-read of Julia Child's memoir in between reading sections of Rough Stone Rolling. Now I'm back to that a bit while starting Blood Meridian by McCarthy. I'm having a tougher time getting into that one than The Road.

[CardiacCoug]

Mormon Country by Wallace Stegner.

Interesting take on Mormons from 1942 -- Stegner's first work of non-fiction after several novels.

Stegner includes a chapter on the Deseret Alphabet. Good stuff.

http://www.deseretalphabet.com/

[LA Ute]

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: a Righteous Gentile vs. The Third Reich, by Eric Metaxas. I'm learning a lot about the Weimar Republic and the WWII era in Germany, and about Bonhoeffer, who was a true hero. Kind of a Thomas More without the warts.

[Green Lantern]

I did a quick-read of Julia Child's memoir in between reading sections of Rough Stone Rolling. Now I'm back to that a bit while starting Blood Meridian by McCarthy. I'm having a tougher time getting into that one than The Road.

But it's so heartwarming and uplifting!

[faith]

Mormon Country by Wallace Stegner.

Interesting take on Mormons from 1942 -- Stegner's first work of non-fiction after several novels.

Stegner includes a chapter on the Deseret Alphabet. Good stuff.

http://www.deseretalphabet.com/

I just finished Stegner's Angle of Repose. I had read it years ago and remembered that I loved it, so I picked it up again. I highly recommend it.