I've been working my way through Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy, an excellent work on WWII in Africa and Europe. I read the last one "The Guns at Last Light" (on D-day through the surrender of Germany) first. Then read "An Army at Dawn," really excellent on the battle for North Africa. Now I'm working my way through "The Day of Battle," on Sicily and Italy. He does a great job of tacking between the high level strategy and generalship and details about combat on the ground.
I am reading some old Ray Bradbury stories from my developmental years. Pretty sure it was "the sound of summer running" that sent this 11 year old boy off on an excellent adventure. Or it may have been "fever dream". Anyway, concepts from his stories continue to shape me even now 40 years later.
@randelli Ray Bradbury is a favorite of mine as well. I even bought the Ray Bradbury Theater Collection on DVD. Some of my favorite Bradbury short stories were featured on that TV series.
I just finished reading Refighting the Last War: Command and Crisis in Korea 1950-1953 by D. Clayton James. It's a very enlightening look at the Korean War.
The Pipe Book by Alfred Dunhill (an older reprint, with 9 pix of pipes on the dust jacket.) The Great All-American Wooden Toy Book by Norm Marshall The Balance of Power (books 4, 5, 6) by Brian Rathbone on Kindle
I'm a long-time fan of books by Robert A. Heinlein, Andre Norton, Robert Silverberg, Jack Williamson (I have the impression that at the end of most of his novels, there's hardly anybody left alive), Jack Vance, Ray Bradbury, very distant cousin Leigh Brackett, among others.
I've done quite a bit (though not very extensively) of reading on the U.S. Civil War, partly because I had some 290-odd relatives in the Union Army and around 65 in the Confederate army. Plus, for a while I had the idea to join in with the Civil War reenactment people and setting up with the gear to portray one of the photographers Brady sent out to capture the war. I Thought using Direct to Positive paper in the camera instead of metal (tintype) or glass negatives would allow me to give souvenirs to the audience without resorting to sending by mail.
I've also read quite a bit about Tudor-era England, as I was with the Maine Renaissance Faire in Lebanon, ME for its entire six-year run, playing different characters each year.
No one would call me a scholar of either era, if they're wise.
Currently reading: Becoming a Barbarian by Jack Donovan. This is interesting because it really dives into the concept of masculinity and what it means to be a man at its core. Strangely though, after doing some research... supposedly the author was once a go-go dancer? Haha.
Recently finished a re-read of “The Autobiography of Henry VIII with Notes From His Fool, Will Somers” by Margaret George. It’s a very entertaining and insightful piece of fiction for you history lovers out there.
Just finished Rescue Warriors The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes by David Helvarg and published in 2009. It's a little outdated but gives an accurate picture of the state of the Coast Guard before 2009. If you find it, and only have time to read one chapter read the first one titled New Orleans Saints. Has nothing to do with the football team but tells the story of how the Coast Guard were the first organization on scene following Hurricane Katrina and conducting rescue operations before the first DOD units arrived on Thursday. Many of the Coast Guard personnel saving lives in the New Orleans area were men and women stationed in the area and who had lost everything.
I have this cool book called “Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess”. It’s kind of like a small workbook that’ll get me thinking more since I’m breaking out the chess board again. It’s been awhile.
I'm currently reading The Fabled Coast by Sophia Kingshill. It's a wonderful book about the legends and folklore surrounding the coasts of the UK and Ireland. Every page is filled with little tales of smugglers, ghosts, monsters, weird ocean phenomena, and other neat tidbits that gets my imagination going.
Just started The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Foreverby Mark Frost.
The following review comment is what peeked my interest:
"The year: 1956. Four decades have passed since Eddie Lowery came to fame
as the ten-year-old caddie to U.S. Open Champion Francis Ouimet. Now a
wealthy car dealer and avid supporter of amateur golf, Lowery has just
made a bet with fellow millionaire George Coleman. Lowery claims that
two of his employees, amateur golfers Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi,
cannot be beaten in a best-ball match, and challenges Coleman to bring
any two golfers of his choice to the course at 10 a.m. the next day to
settle the issue. Coleman accepts the challenge and shows up with his
own power team: Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, the game's greatest living
professionals, with fourteen major championships between them."
Still reading the other book I mentioned, but this one just came in the mail. Haunted Britain. It should go well with my other books on ghosts, myths, and legends.
@Charles, just finished that last week. My second reading of it. Fantastic, especially if you like the stories of the old days of golf. ......you feel like your there. Good reading ...
Thanks @Jeff20. I really enjoy those stories of the old days because it give you the feeling of being there. Whether it be golf, baseball, or even hunting and fishing, those stories are captivating to me. A great way to pass some time while enjoying a pipe and relaxing for a few hours.
Comments
I just finished reading Refighting the Last War: Command and Crisis in Korea 1950-1953 by D. Clayton James. It's a very enlightening look at the Korean War.
The Pipe Book by Alfred Dunhill (an older reprint, with 9 pix of pipes on the dust jacket.)
The Great All-American Wooden Toy Book by Norm Marshall
The Balance of Power (books 4, 5, 6) by Brian Rathbone on Kindle
I'm a long-time fan of books by Robert A. Heinlein, Andre Norton, Robert Silverberg, Jack Williamson (I have the impression that at the end of most of his novels, there's hardly anybody left alive), Jack Vance, Ray Bradbury, very distant cousin Leigh Brackett, among others.
I've done quite a bit (though not very extensively) of reading on the U.S. Civil War, partly because I had some 290-odd relatives in the Union Army and around 65 in the Confederate army. Plus, for a while I had the idea to join in with the Civil War reenactment people and setting up with the gear to portray one of the photographers Brady sent out to capture the war. I Thought using Direct to Positive paper in the camera instead of metal (tintype) or glass negatives would allow me to give souvenirs to the audience without resorting to sending by mail.
I've also read quite a bit about Tudor-era England, as I was with the Maine Renaissance Faire in Lebanon, ME for its entire six-year run, playing different characters each year.
No one would call me a scholar of either era, if they're wise.