Book Recommendations [Archive] - Page 4

Coyotesfan97

04-10-2019, 02:18 PM

Two books I've read recently are guaranteed page turners.

The first is "Blood on the Risers," by John Leppelman, who served for 35 months in Viet Nam. It's not for the squeamish - as told by "the man on the ground," not a co-written book.

The second is "Into Thin Air," by Jon Krakauer. I've always been interested in anything about mountain climbing - especially Mt. Everest. This is also a first person/he was there retelling of a grueling expedition that didn't end as planned.

No one who reads these two books will be able to forget them. I know I can't.

I’ve read Blood on the Risers a long time ago. It’s a good book. Into Thin Air was outstanding. Sadly it shows what happens when safety protocols in a dangerous environment aren’t followed.

11B10

04-10-2019, 06:08 PM

Into Thin Air was outstanding. Sadly it shows what happens when safety protocols in a dangerous environment aren’t followed.[/QUOTE]

The failure to follow the safety protocols was, sadly, the mistake that doomed them. However, IMO, the attitude (it can't happen to me/us) that enabled them to THINK they could get away with it was the final straw. They MIGHT have survived IF the perfect combination of horrible weather and the aforementioned breach of protocols hadn't occurred simultaneously. Jon Krakauer has taken much flak for writing the book so soon after the tragedy. It would seem possible that he just might have saved some lives by doing so. Again, FWIW, only my opinion.

Cheap Shot

04-10-2019, 07:38 PM

Cheap..I was less than candid when I called Krakauer a "truly gifted writer." I haven't read everything he's written, but what I have read has been excellent.

No the fault is mine, and my poor communication skills. I agree Krakauer is a great writer. My issue with "Into the Wild " was he seemed to glamorize and ignore poor decision making, incompetence, and perhaps a slightly mentally challenged young man.

It was a well crafted story but I disagreed with Krakauers interpretations and explanations. Sometimes it seemed he was writing more to get a movie deal than tell the truth.

However, there is no doubt Krakauer did infinitely more research than I've done, and I could be not only wrong but doing a disservice to Krakauer and the unfortunate young man the story was about.

Cheap Shot

04-10-2019, 07:48 PM

Some other mountaineering books I've enjoyed

https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Void-Story-Miraculous-Survival/dp/0060730552/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QUO8IJT7QARO&keywords=touching+the+void+book&qid=1554943439&s=gateway&sprefix=Touching+the+Void%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

Touching the Void

"Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, had just reached the top of a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when disaster struck. Simpson plunged off the vertical face of an ice ledge, breaking his leg. In the hours that followed, darkness fell and a blizzard raged as Yates tried to lower his friend to safety. Finally, Yates was forced to cut the rope, moments before he would have been pulled to his own death.

The next three days were an impossibly grueling ordeal for both men. Yates, certain that Simpson was dead, returned to base camp consumed with grief and guilt over abandoning him. Miraculously, Simpson had survived the fall, but crippled, starving, and severely frostbitten was trapped in a deep crevasse. Summoning vast reserves of physical and spiritual strength, Simpson crawled over the cliffs and canyons of the Andes, reaching base camp hours before Yates had planned to leave." from amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Conquistadors-Useless-Lionel-Terray/dp/1594851115/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BVVLAB99SHJ2&keywords=conquistadors+of+the+useless&qid=1554943488&s=gateway&sprefix=Conqui%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-1

Conquistadors of the Useless Lionel Terray

" If my library was to somehow catch fire and I could save one book, the long out of print Conquistadors of the Useless, by Lionel Terray, would be it. The great news for readers is that this classic book has finally been reissued by The Mountaineers...[Terray] is someone you will wish you had a chance to know and learn from -- about nature, the mountains and the human spirit. Explore magazine"

Cheap Shot

04-10-2019, 08:18 PM

Into Thin Air was outstanding. Sadly it shows what happens when safety protocols in a dangerous environment aren’t followed.

The failure to follow the safety protocols was, sadly, the mistake that doomed them. However, IMO, the attitude (it can't happen to me/us) that enabled them to THINK they could get away with it was the final straw. They MIGHT have survived IF the perfect combination of horrible weather and the aforementioned breach of protocols hadn't occurred simultaneously. Jon Krakauer has taken much flak for writing the book so soon after the tragedy. It would seem possible that he just might have saved some lives by doing so. Again, FWIW, only my opinion.[/QUOTE]

I crossed paths with one of the people that survived the climb and is in the book, Lou Kasischke. Mr Kasischke turned back from summitting when he could have made it.

A number of years afterward he along with a couple hundred other people and I were a participating at a noncompetitive XC ski event. What I remember about him was how humble and encouraging he was with other participants who were struggling physically on the course. He was an elite endurance athlete who dialed it down for the benefit of others. Very much a class act who elevated those around him.

11B10

04-10-2019, 08:25 PM

I crossed paths with one of the people that survived the climb and is in the book, Lou Kasischke. Mr Kasischke turned back from summitting when he could have made it.

A number of years afterward he along with a couple hundred other people and I were a participating at a noncompetitive XC ski event. What I remember about him was how humble and encouraging he was with other participants who were struggling physically on the course. He was an elite endurance athlete who dialed it down for the benefit of others. Very much a class act who elevated those around him.[/QUOTE]

So glad you had the opportunity. He does sound like a class act.

Dog Guy

04-10-2019, 11:26 PM

For climbing/mountaineering books: If you can find it, grab "The Great Climbing Adventure" by John Barry. British author with a very British sense of humor and stiff upper lip outlook. I could only find it on Amazon UK though. It was published in 1985 and is out of print for a while. Also "We Aspired" by Pete Sinclair, https://www.amazon.com/We-Aspired-Last-Innocent-Americans/dp/1607815656 , about American mountaineering particularly in the Tetons. There are some comments that the "published on demand" version at Amazon has some glitches so choose wisely. And, anything be David Roberts.

Stephanie B

04-12-2019, 06:33 PM

Speaking of Vietnam war novels..."Matterhorn" (https://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel-Vietnam-Karl-Marlantes-ebook/dp/B003V8BRTQ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) by Karl Marlantes may be the best I've ever read.

It is right up there, imho, with the greatest war novels ever written...and I've read hundreds at the very least.

Highest recommendation.

Thanks for recommending it. Matterhorn has to be one of the best books that I have read in years.

blues

04-12-2019, 06:42 PM

Thanks for recommending it. Matterhorn has to be one of the best books that I have read in years.

Very welcome, Stephanie. Glad to hear this.

Stephanie B

04-12-2019, 09:04 PM

Very welcome, Stephanie. Glad to hear this.
The problem for me was that I got really sucked into the story when they were assaulting Helicopter Hill and Matterhorn and screaming at the zoomies for not dropping their ordinance where it was needed. My roomie began talking about some bullshit about what somebody's cousin said and I had to restrain myself from verbally biting her head off.

A really good book can do that to me.

When I was in college, I checked out a copy of The Three Musketeers. I thought I'd start and read a couple of chapters before turning in. The next thing I knew, I was finished with the book and it was time to go to breakfast. I was kind of disciplined as a student; I never pulled all-nighters. But I did fthat night.

Yung

04-12-2019, 10:40 PM

There's no training for this month, so weekends are free again and I don't want to spend two days in bed fading in and out of consciousness while refreshing my bookmarks like I did last week.

Some time ago I bought Ordinary Men since it was one of the few books mentioned by Jordan Peterson that I thought I'd actually enjoy reading, so I guess I can start that now.

I'm also halfway through Strategies and Standards since I bought it in paperback (no electronics on the floor at my side job) and so far I think it's relevant and important to the future of the American people to the point that I'm considering buying multiple copies and giving them to people who I think would really appreciate it.

peterb

04-13-2019, 08:39 AM

Into Thin Air was outstanding. Sadly it shows what happens when safety protocols in a dangerous environment aren’t followed.

The failure to follow the safety protocols was, sadly, the mistake that doomed them. However, IMO, the attitude (it can't happen to me/us) that enabled them to THINK they could get away with it was the final straw. They MIGHT have survived IF the perfect combination of horrible weather and the aforementioned breach of protocols hadn't occurred simultaneously. Jon Krakauer has taken much flak for writing the book so soon after the tragedy. It would seem possible that he just might have saved some lives by doing so. Again, FWIW, only my opinion.[/QUOTE]

“Into Thin Air” has probably affected my decision-making on some hikes when I had to choose between reaching a goal or turning around in the face of weather or decreasing daylight. It reinforces the local(for me) lessons of “Not Without Peril” and “Where You’ll Find Me”.

blues

04-13-2019, 09:14 AM

The failure to follow the safety protocols was, sadly, the mistake that doomed them. However, IMO, the attitude (it can't happen to me/us) that enabled them to THINK they could get away with it was the final straw. They MIGHT have survived IF the perfect combination of horrible weather and the aforementioned breach of protocols hadn't occurred simultaneously. Jon Krakauer has taken much flak for writing the book so soon after the tragedy. It would seem possible that he just might have saved some lives by doing so. Again, FWIW, only my opinion.

Managing risk is a very important, (and too often overlooked), facet of any wilderness outing. Totally agree.

On the same extended outing I was on with Fischer and others at NOLS, we encountered avalanche, rockfall, whiteouts, lightning and more on some of our climbs over five weeks. Fortunately, good planning and willingness to retreat when and where prudent prevented serious accidents.

feudist

04-13-2019, 10:39 PM

This is a series set in an alternate history, where vampires, werewolves, zombies(the Voodoo kind) and many other nasties are real. And vampires just got the right to vote.

Anita is a Licensed Vampire Executioner. That's her side job. Her main job is raising the dead, temporarily. She also consults with the St. Louis Police department

concerning preternatural murders. So she doesn't get much sleep.

The Good: Anita is an interesting character. In the beginning, she's a very law abiding, religious and rather chaste young woman with a real sense of moral duty. She makes

a very good living raising zombies. Turns out there's all kinds of reasons this is done. She also hunts rogue vampires. That is: vampires who take blood from unwilling victims.

She gets a warrant(they're citizens) and executes them. This is horrifically dangerous work, and Anita has been badly injured several times.

She is a tough, scrappy little thing though. Her power to raise the dead gives her some advantages in fighting the vampires, and she has executed 17 at the time the story opens.

This is one of the highest kill records in the USA. She uses guns, not stakes. She favors a Browning Hi Power(loaded with Glaser Silver:cool:) silver buckshot, and a Mini Uzi.

But her consulting work with the police leads her down a very dark path. In order to help them she is forced to make a series of moral compromises that significantly changes

her personally and drives her character arc. The descriptions of the various Undead and Were societies and relationships are fascinating. She is mentored by Edward, an amoral

killer who specializes in bounty hunting werewolves.

The Bad: this is a series and around the tenth book the author, Laurell Hamilton, changes the focus of the stories from Horror/Detective to, well, porn. I mean chapter after

chapter of graphic sex, increasingly with multiple partners serially and simultaneously. When they pause for breath, you get chapter after chapter of endlessly argumentative

detailed relationship talk. Worst of all, the vamps are all Chippendale dancer/stripper gorgeous. It's tedious.

Seriously, the first ten books are great. After that, the quality drops (fans have bitched and complained endlessly, but Hamilton ignores them.)

The Fantastic: before you say: Buffy the Vampire Slayer...no. She predates Buffy and the tone is much darker. The violence and horror are Grand Guignol in style.

The world building is incredibly imaginative, with well thought out consequences of magic, Were creatures, and the undead upon society. Some of the creatures are truly

monstrous. A million year old Hominid vampire. A Voudoun Priestess who raises zombies with their souls still inside their rotting corpses. Witches that wear the skins of

Were-creatures. A man who has sold his soul.

But it is Anita's story arc that is unique. The novels occur in real time, covering 3 or 4 years of her life so far. This allows for plotlines to develop and for the cumulative effects of

her violent life to reveal themselves. Anita slowly changes into a hardened and deadly person. She commits murders and extra-judicial killings. She shows signs of severe PTSD.

She suffers disfiguring wounds that will eventually cripple her and shorten her life. She becomes casually violent, trigger happy, and seduced by the power of her magic.

I truly wish HBO had chosen this instead of True Blood.

blues

04-16-2019, 06:18 PM

Just finished "The Last Stone" (https://www.amazon.com/Last-Stone-Masterpiece-Criminal-Interrogation/dp/0802147305) by Mark Bowden ('Black Hawk Down').

While an interesting case, the book's telling is tedious. Any experienced criminal interrogator will recognize the techniques, methods and also the errors made by the investigators...and while I found the reading tedious and redundant, I heartily applaud the detectives working the case for their determination to see the case through over the course of multiple years. The crime involved is particularly heinous as it involves children.

Don't go into it expecting "Black Hawk Down". It's a very different story told in a very different style.

Glenn E. Meyer

04-17-2019, 12:09 PM

Anita Blake - I agree. The switch to porn killed the series for me. I did read that the author trained with Ayoob or consulted with him. In one of the books, someone was using a 10mm Beretta. I was incensed that someone was using that until I thought that if there were monsters, Beretta might make a 10 mm.

I'm finishing National Security by Marc Cameron. It's a decent book with a Mitch Rapp like character. Basically, the author has a series of books with Islamic terrorists deeply infiltrating the USA to the highest levels and committed terrorists acts and starting plagues. The hero goes all Rapp on them. Not bad.

The only downside is that the plots to get a little stretched.

Spoiler - in this one, there is a chase scene at the end with the terrorist inflected with the horrible disease. So the book kind of lost it.

1. The author likes the gun details. Lots of scopes and ammo type. However, the good guys used a 22 cal Glock to interrogate bad guys by popping them a little bit.
2. The hero carries a Kimber 10 mm that has been gussied up by the smiths to be superb. So he is chasing the bad guy on a motorcycle (all kinds of bike tech, I know nothing about). He runs out of ammo and can't reload while riding, so he has to use a samurai sword to take out his opponent. Ok. Something to be said to cut the custom gun crap and carry a higher capacity gun - maybe?
3. They know the terrorist is coming to a certain house to get revenge on someone. So how to catch him? Well, get you motorcycle gang buddies as your team. The Islamists have an inexhaustible supply of guys who are back up. The motorcycle gang screws the pooch and the terrorist gets away. Surprise. On the good side, no reserve forces. No specialized teams in depth around the entire area. No copters - just gang members? That's stupid.
4. The person the bad guy is after has been moved from that house to protective custody to hide! Where - well, at her mother's house. What a plan as the terrorists google mom for the finale.

So the book was fun but got stupid at the end.

feudist

04-17-2019, 01:28 PM

^ ^ ^
If I never read or, God forbid, see another Samurai Sword fight again, I will die a happy man.

They are as lame a trope as amnesia in a Soap Opera.

blues

04-17-2019, 02:32 PM

^ ^ ^
If I never read or, God forbid, see another Samurai Sword fight again, I will die a happy man.

They are as lame a trope as amnesia in a Soap Opera.

I feel like I don't know you anymore!

;)

baddean

04-17-2019, 07:28 PM

Freedom's Nightmare by Harald Zieger

Written by a man currently living in Ohio (he lives very near me), but raised/worked in East Germany before The Wall came down. A true exposé of the evils of the Communist and Socialist philosophy.
Highly relevant in todays social climate.
Bare in mind that the book is written exactly the way he talks considering his German accent.

Glenn E. Meyer

04-21-2019, 12:52 PM

After Hitler: The Last Days of the Second World War in Europe
by Howard Hughes (Author)

Interesting read about what happened between Hitler's death and VE day. All kinds of machinations and interactions between the Allies, Germans, partisans. Horrific descriptions of the concentration camp liberations.

Interesting little tidbits, as for example, the Czech's revolted in Prague but faced serious opposition from SS units. They were saved by of all things a unit of Russians that were fighting for the Germans and hoped to better their position after the war than face the Soviet Army. Didn't work out so well but it helped the Czechs.

Medusa

04-23-2019, 06:02 PM

This is the review of this i posted on Goodreads. A truly excellent and memorable book. Thanks for the suggestion, Blues.

“If you took SLA Marshall’s nonfiction sense of the details of small unit actions generally, and in Vietnam in particular, and added a novelist’s fine eye for motives and appreciation of the complexities combat reveals about those who participate in it, and those who spend time around and love such people, you’d have this book. It’s outstanding.”

Side note. When I was a graduate student, the school I was at had one of the best Vietnam collections in the USA, and I had academic borrowing privileges, meaning I could check out as many books as I wanted. That’s when I found SLA Marshall’s books. I highly recommend them, not just the the Vietnam studies either. His book “The River and the Gauntlet,” about the US Eighth Army’s battles at the Chongchon River, Korea in November of 1950, mentions my father’s unit and fleshed out many of the stories he told me.

I’m gonna start on Kent Anderson’s Sympathy for the Devil. I guess Lester Polfus and CoyotesFan97 have had an influence as that wouldn’t normally have been the kind of book I’d pick up and try.

Speaking of Vietnam war novels..."Matterhorn" (https://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel-Vietnam-Karl-Marlantes-ebook/dp/B003V8BRTQ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) by Karl Marlantes may be the best I've ever read.

It is right up there, imho, with the greatest war novels ever written...and I've read hundreds at the very least.

Highest recommendation.

Coyotesfan97

04-24-2019, 12:33 AM

I’m gonna start on Kent Anderson’s Sympathy for the Devil. I guess Lester Polfus and CoyotesFan97 have had an influence as that wouldn’t normally have been the kind of book I’d pick up and try.

“The God of War was pleased that night. He had gotten an initiate intro his priesthood.”

It’s a quote from the book during Hanson’s basic training but appropriate :cool:

JSGlock34

04-28-2019, 09:54 AM

Glenn E. Meyer

04-28-2019, 01:37 PM

James Lee Burke - New Iberia Blues - just started it and seems good.

I like Dave but he's getting a little old now for the job. He discussed being old a bit but he's aging out. That's a problem for long running series. I'm about his age and my back is killing me.

The story is interesting as are the characters.

NEPAKevin

04-29-2019, 12:37 PM

I'm really struggling to finish Brad Tor's The Lions of Lucerne. Do these novels get better? So far his former Olympic skier turned former Ninja Team Six operator turned Secret Service Agent seems like a copy of every other lone wolf super agent who wages his one-man war on politicians, bureaucracy, and the occasional enemy of freedom.

Yes and no. :) The Horvath character does have most of the traits and flaws of your typical patriotic political action thriller hero but eventually develops some unique quirks such as a penchant for funk music. I generally like the series and and enjoy Brad Thor's writing . The one thing that kind of grinds on my nerves since someone pointed it out is the shilling of merchandise and brand name dropping. FFS, I spend enough money reading threads on PF. :D

Medusa

05-04-2019, 09:42 AM

Finished Anderson’s Sympathy for the Devil and enjoyed it. It was by turns engrossing, distressing and hilarious, and at times all three at once. I was wrong, it IS the kind of book I’ve read fairly continuously since I was pretty young, like early grade school, and used to get in trouble for reading in class. I thought this book was only partly set in Vietnam and partially a police / crime book. The latter I’ve really never read, or had any idea what would be worth a look, before spending time here. I see now Sympathy is in part a setup for what comes in the next two books, though it also stands up on its own as a fine war novel.

Starting up with Night Dogs today which is clearly the latter sort of book, and thus, essentially new territory for me.

“The God of War was pleased that night. He had gotten an initiate intro his priesthood.”

It’s a quote from the book during Hanson’s basic training but appropriate :cool:

Coyotesfan97

05-04-2019, 05:27 PM

I’m glad you liked it. I’ve read it repeatedly and it always holds up. Night Dogs is good too.

Gater

05-05-2019, 02:43 PM

Thanks blues and Rapid Butterfly for the mention of Matterhorn. My father bought me a copy when it came out, and I pulled it off the shelf to re-read on a recent trip. It's a good one.

It also inspired me to re-read (once again) James R. McDonough's non-fiction "Platoon Leader". Highly recommend.

https://www.amazon.com/Platoon-Leader-Memoir-Command-Combat/dp/0891418008/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=platoon+leader&qid=1557085150&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Medusa

05-05-2019, 08:48 PM

I’m reading Night Dogs, as I said, and also just started Close Quarters, by Larry Heinemann, another novel of Vietnam. Protagonist seems to be in an M113 unit.

Coyotesfan97

05-05-2019, 09:37 PM

I’m reading Night Dogs, as I said, and also just started Close Quarters, by Larry Heinemann, another novel of Vietnam. Protagonist seems to be in an M113 unit.

Another one of my Vietnam favorites. Yep Dosier the protagonist is in an M113 ACAV unit in #73 “The Cowcatcher”. I’ve still got the paperback copy I bought in the ASU bookstore thirty years ago.

Coyotesfan97

05-05-2019, 09:43 PM

Stephanie B

05-05-2019, 09:57 PM

“The Only War We Had” and “Vietnam 1969-1970, a Company Commander’s Journal” by Michael Lee Lanning

“Dear Mom: A Sniper’s Vietnam” by Joseph T. Ward.

I read all three at least 25 years ago.

FNFAN

05-06-2019, 01:16 AM

I'm really struggling to finish Brad Tor's The Lions of Lucerne. Do these novels get better? So far his former Olympic skier turned former Ninja Team Six operator turned Secret Service Agent seems like a copy of every other lone wolf super agent who wages his one-man war on politicians, bureaucracy, and the occasional enemy of freedom.

I couldn't do anymore of Thor's books. I can tolerate some pretty weird shite but when it gets into the "flipping your reload mag into the air so you can distract your opponent while you apply the Dim Mak Death Touch; do a forward roll while ejecting your empty and tilting the mag well up to catch the fresh mag" -territory, I tend to put the book down and watch, hmmm, professional miniature golf or somethin'.

blues

05-06-2019, 08:02 AM

I couldn't do anymore of Thor's books. I can tolerate some pretty weird shite but when it gets into the "flipping your reload mag into the air so you can distract your opponent while you apply the Dim Mak Death Touch; do a forward roll while ejecting your empty and tilting the mag well up to catch the fresh mag" -territory, I tend to put the book down and watch, hmmm, professional miniature golf or somethin'.

Tell it brother!

I don't think I made it past the first couple of pages of whichever was the first in his series of books. I just don't see why a good tale has to be composed of complete and utter nonsense. I have neither the time nor patience.

jtcarm

05-07-2019, 12:11 PM

This thread is 79 pages so I’m guessing someone’s mentioned it, but “We Were Soldiers Once, And Young” by Lt General
Hal Moore and Joe Galloway is outstanding. Follows Moore’s 1st Cav battalion from its beginning, at the conversion to Air Mobile through the battle at Ia Drang.

Galloway was a correspondent attached to Moore’s battalion.

Glenn E. Meyer

05-07-2019, 01:17 PM

Back to my James Lee Burke recommendation. Here's a bit of a spoiler - in one of the critical incidents a hero brings his AR with a bump stock to the party. Wonder what Burke was saying with that?

Wyoming Shooter

05-07-2019, 03:13 PM

Just finished "The Border" (https://www.amazon.com/Border-Novel-Power-Dog-Book-ebook/dp/B079DR5C12/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) by Don Winslow...the finale to his narco-trafficking trilogy. A good read but be prepared for more political content than you might have expected or preferred. Worth the detours, imho. SNIP

I concur. Winslow is one of my favorites. That said, fans of President Trump will not be amused. The audible book narration is outstanding. From the Big Empty, ELN.

Drang

05-07-2019, 03:21 PM

I don't think I made it past the first couple of pages of whichever was the first in {Thor's} series of books. I just don't see why a good tale has to be composed of complete and utter nonsense. I have neither the time nor patience.
I think I got one chapter into one of his novels, and took it back to the library. I know people who brag that they've finished every book they've started, and can only think that either they don't read many books, they're extremely picky about what they read, or they're masochists.

Lester Polfus

05-07-2019, 04:54 PM

I think I got one chapter into one of his novels, and took it back to the library. I know people who brag that they've finished every book they've started, and can only think that either they don't read many books, they're extremely picky about what they read, or they're masochists.

I've mostly switched entirely to e-books, but I do miss the satisfaction of reading a chapter or two of a paper book and hurling it across the room in disgust.

feudist

05-08-2019, 11:03 AM

Have you read “Reflections of a Warrior” by Franklyn Miller Rapid Butterfly? If you haven’t I’m sure you’d like it. It’s about his six years in Vietnam. He covers his time in a scout platoon and MACVSOG where he was awarded the MOH. He’s got some very funny stories as well as some sad ones. The chapter covering the event where he gets the MOH is outstanding!

In his first firefight, literally minutes after getting to his unit, Miller calmly zeroes his rifle under fire. He picks out a knot on a tree and shoots at it, then dopes his sights onto the knot.
It's hard to picture a more badass response.

Francis

05-11-2019, 08:23 AM

Recently finished A Michigan Polar Bear Confronts the Bolsheviks (https://www.amazon.com/Michigan-Polar-Bear-Confronts-Bolsheviks/dp/0802865208/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=39J0K1AFWXCLI&keywords=a+michigan+polar+bear+confronts+the+bolsh eviks&qid=1557579795&s=gateway&sprefix=a+michigan+%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1-fkmrnull).

It's an edited memoir from one who served in a field hospital in and after WWI in a non WWI campaign. Until a friend mentioned he had a relative who was a Polar Bear I never knew troops were deployed to Russia (and continued fighting after Nov 11) in WWI. Since reading the book I've learned that the father of a relative by marriage was also part of the campaign. Not a book that you can't put down but definitely interesting enough to finish. Just surviving the winter was a feat. To do so while fighting and maneuvering even more so.

peterb

05-17-2019, 04:29 PM

Don't know if it's already been mentioned here, but I'm liking the Library Extension for my browser.

https://www.libraryextension.com/

It tells you if your local library has the book you're looking at on sites like Amazon and Goodreads.

blues

05-17-2019, 04:57 PM

Stephanie B

05-19-2019, 05:07 PM

A Florida State of Mind by James D. Wright (https://amazon.com/Florida-State-Mind-Unnatural-Weirdest/dp/1250185653)

It's fairly funny, but if you're thinking of moving to Florida, this book may convince you to move to Maine.

Stephanie B

05-31-2019, 04:57 PM

This is the cover of a first edition of The Power of the Dog:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190531/c9e935810b79611079f82b79bbbe46ff.jpg

Has anyone seen such a target?

Cheap Shot

05-31-2019, 07:51 PM

Have you read “Reflections of a Warrior” by Franklyn Miller Rapid Butterfly? If you haven’t I’m sure you’d like it. It’s about his six years in Vietnam. He covers his time in a scout platoon and MACVSOG where he was awarded the MOH. He’s got some very funny stories as well as some sad ones. The chapter covering the event where he gets the MOH is outstanding!

1. Thank you to Coyotesfan

2. Reflections of a warrior is one of the best books I've read this year, and thanks to this thread I've read some great ones.

3. Fair warning, read on the weekend or on vacation, otherwise you will go to work the next day (or days) sleep deprived. Not a burdensome read but very very hard to put down.

Coyotesfan97

05-31-2019, 10:24 PM

1. Thank you to Coyotesfan

2. Reflections of a warrior is one of the best books I've read this year, and thanks to this thread I've read some great ones.

3. Fair warning, read on the weekend or on vacation, otherwise you will go to work the next day (or days) sleep deprived. Not a burdensome read but very very hard to put down.

You’re welcome sir. I’m glad you liked it. It’s probably one of my most recommended books.

Dave Williams

06-01-2019, 08:02 AM

This is the cover of a first edition of The Power of the Dog:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190531/c9e935810b79611079f82b79bbbe46ff.jpg

Has anyone seen such a target?

Good book?

Stephanie B

06-01-2019, 10:08 AM

Good book?
So far. I learned about it in this thread.

Stephanie B

06-04-2019, 10:12 AM

Good book?So far. I learned about it in this thread.
"So far" lasted about a third of the way.

Dave Williams

06-04-2019, 10:13 AM

"So far" lasted about a third of the way.

I’ve got it reserved on Overdrive I’ll let ya know how it goes.

Lex Luthier

06-04-2019, 10:24 AM

My spouse, who possesses a puckish sense of humor, just gave a fresh copy of Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser to my 76- year-old mom.
Mom's usually a chick-lit reader.
Hilarity might ensue.

blues

06-04-2019, 10:26 AM

My spouse, who possesses a puckish sense of humor, just gave a fresh copy of Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser to my 76- year-old mom.
Mom's usually a chick-lit reader.
Hilarity might ensue.

I've only read the first one or two books in the series. Should I endeavor to read them all or is just more of the same?

Stephanie B

06-04-2019, 12:18 PM

I've only read the first one or two books in the series. Should I endeavor to read them all or is just more of the same?
Sort of like the Evanovitch "Stephanie Plum" series, One for the Money, etc. Once you get past #5 or #6, it's the same shit with minor variations.

blues

06-04-2019, 12:25 PM

Sort of like the Evanovitch "Stephanie Plum" series, One for the Money, etc. Once you get past #5 or #6, it's the same shit with minor variations.

Unfortunately, that doesn't give me much context but for the "once you get past #5...". Point taken. Thanks.

It's probably quite rare that a series can maintain a standard of excellence throughout.

bravo7

06-04-2019, 05:53 PM

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190604/a87c5d4609defa8dd569e50e940e5be1.jpg

Actually a pretty good book.

Stephanie B

06-04-2019, 06:15 PM

It's probably quite rare that a series can maintain a standard of excellence throughout.

It seems that a lot of book series get to the point that no matter what dreck an author puts out, it'll be published and become a best-seller.

{Cough}Looking at you, Kate Scarpetta/Patricia Cornwell{/Cough}

NEPAKevin

06-05-2019, 11:45 AM

The Unthinkable - Who Survives When Disaster Strikes

http://www.amazon.com/The-Unthinkable-Survives-Disaster-Strikes/dp/0307352900

Similar to Deep Survival, but focuses more on who survives natural disasters/terrorist attacks/traumatic situations and why. (Rather than "survival" situations like in Deep Survival.)

I've found some good nuggets in it.

(Remember in the Korea Air crash in San Fran that some passengers took the time to grab their carryon bags when they were supposed to be evacuating? Turns out it's pretty common.

Just finished reading The Unthinkable. Some very good anecdotes in it such as the brief interview with Jim Cirillo and the final chapter about Rick Rescorla (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rescorla) .

Drang

06-05-2019, 12:14 PM

I've only read the first one or two books in the series. Should I endeavor to read them all or is just more of the same?

Did you enjoy the Richard Lester (Oliver Reed/Raquel Welch/Michael York/Charlton Heston) Three and Four Musketeers? He did the screenplays, and exhibit the same, um, sensibility.
His memoirs of WWII, Quartered Safe Out Here, are interesting, as is his history of the Scottish and English Borderers, The Steel Bonnets.

ACP230

06-05-2019, 06:20 PM

I recently read You Don't Lose 'Til You Stop Trying by Sammy Lee Davis with Carolina Lambert.

I met Medal Of Honor recipient Sammy Davis at one of the old Second Chance Bowling Pin Shoots. Talked to him
a few times. My oldest son got to shoot some of the deer slugs that Mr. Davis was promoting at the shoot.
It's been many years but my son still remembers Mr. Davis.

Found out more in the book than I did talking to Mr. Davis. Including the fact that during the action for which he
was recognized he was hit by both enemy and "friendly fire."

Worth reading.

peterb

06-05-2019, 07:44 PM

Straying away from my usual haunts.....

"Fear is the Mind Killer" by Kaja Sadowski. Once you get past the title it's a straightforward guide to building a positive environment for martial arts training -- everything from policies to motor learning science to stress testing, with an emphasis on non-traditional students. I'm not qualified to critique it but I found some things that'll help me with other sports I like to teach.

"Roar" by Stacy Sims. I heard the author on a bicycling podcast about how female physiology affects athletic performance (https://www.velonews.com/2019/05/training/fast-talk-ep-74-why-women-are-not-small-men-with-dr-stacy-sims_493960), was interested, picked up her book. At first glance it looks like just another women's diet & exercise guide, but goes much deeper into the the details -- not just "eat more protein" but "women need more of this amino acid for recovery and here's why", how the hormonal cycle affects hydration, etc. Refreshing in that there is zero emphasis on weight loss or appearance -- it's all about optimizing performance. Might be useful for female endurance athletes.

sylvan

06-07-2019, 08:07 AM

Taliban Safari (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QW32VZ5)

Recently released.

Reviews are good on Amazon.

LittleLebowski

06-07-2019, 03:21 PM

Taliban Safari (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QW32VZ5)

Recently released.

Reviews are good on Amazon.

Highly recommended. The author is one of us.

Medusa

06-07-2019, 05:03 PM

I requested that our library buy Reflections of a Warrior.

Finished the three books by Kent Anderson a while back. I liked them all, minus some important dings, but the first for me was the best.

Read a trilogy by lgbt sci fi author Melissa Scott (the Silence Leigh trilogy). Very original in parts, but not her best.

Can’t remember if I mentioned that I’d finished the third of pf’s own Lester Polufs’ Dent Miller books. Enjoyed it. If you have kindle unlimited, get them.

Listened to an audible member freebie short story, The Dispatcher by John Scalzi. A worthy entertainment, less bombastic than one expects of Scalzi.

On a whim because it was inexplicably in the local dollar store as a “mystery” for three bucks, picked up Rome: Destroy Carthage by phd historian David Gibbins, a historical novel about the period roughly 168 to 146 bc. It’s rich in historical detail including about weapons and tactics of the era, and I enjoyed it.

In that vein, picked up Imperium, by Robert Harris, another historical novel set in Rome.

Also got The Reaper, by Irving Nicholas, an autobiographical account of a present day sniper, from the library.

We have an amazing library system.

Have you read “Reflections of a Warrior” by Franklyn Miller Rapid Butterfly? If you haven’t I’m sure you’d like it. It’s about his six years in Vietnam. He covers his time in a scout platoon and MACVSOG where he was awarded the MOH. He’s got some very funny stories as well as some sad ones. The chapter covering the event where he gets the MOH is outstanding!

Coyotesfan97

06-07-2019, 11:11 PM

Nice Rapid Butterfly. I’m glad you liked it. I would’ve liked to have met Miller.

Bigghoss

06-08-2019, 03:18 PM

Also got The Reaper, by Irving Nicholas, an autobiographical account of a present day sniper, from the library.

I've seen him on Demolition Ranch and I've been wanting to read his books. I've got a decent backlog of books I got from the thrift store though so I haven't bought them yet.

dogcaller

06-15-2019, 11:17 PM

About Face.
and
Steel My Soldiers Hearts.

Col David Hackworth

Agreed, especially About Face. Read it a couple of times, pre-kids. Now I just wish they’d put it on Audible. Wolfhounds!

Medusa

06-15-2019, 11:58 PM

I've seen him on Demolition Ranch and I've been wanting to read his books. I've got a decent backlog of books I got from the thrift store though so I haven't bought them yet.

It’s a decent book in terms of content; some compelling tales. Writing and editing are sloppy. Worth getting from the library.

Read Imperium, by Robert Harris. A fictional account of Cato, the Roman politician. Well done but a touch dry for me to want to continue the series.

Read Hero of Rome, by Douglas Jackson. Highly recommended. The first is a novel set in Roman occupied Britain during Nero’s reign. Lots of historical detail, and a worthy read. I’m continuing with the series.

Coyotesfan97

06-16-2019, 12:36 AM

I just bought Hero of Rome. It’s a $1.99 on Kindle. I just started On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers.

Darth_Uno

06-16-2019, 08:00 AM

Just finished Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds. Bit of slow going at first, and the story jumps around from different perspectives (and decades, what with cryosleep and cybernetic/nano enhancements being common) but it all comes together nicely. It’s got an interesting answer to the Fermi Paradox. You could just read the summary on Wikipedia if you’d like to know what that is, but it’s not the same experience as reading the book.

And in the same universe, there’s the novella Diamond Dogs. You can read this as a stand-alone without reading Revelation Space. Basically there’s a planet with nothing on it except a huge alien tower, and each room has a puzzle. If you solve it, you move on. If you don’t...you die. Kinda like Cube. What’s the prize for beating the game? Nobody knows, but it’s gotta be pretty good right?

SeriousStudent

06-16-2019, 12:26 PM

Pre-ordered this: Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead by Jim Mattis and Bing West

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812996836/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Very much looking forward to reading it.

Medusa

06-22-2019, 10:16 PM

I read and enjoyed Tin Men, a near ish future sci fi book by Christopher Golden. It posits the United States possessing the ability to project human controlled drone soldiers all over the world, in the service of United States interests and goals, unilaterally, and without effective response by others - until suddenly, there is a response. It’s an entertaining read and manages, for the most part, to capture the ambiguity and tensions that arise from unilateral us supremacy. Also, fighting mechs, so fun. Decent book.

SeriousStudent

06-23-2019, 07:49 PM

I will have to snag that. One of my nephew's is turning into a scifi fan. I gave him my first edition hardback copy of Dune as a birthday present today.

Stephanie B

06-23-2019, 07:59 PM

Two books that I remember fondly: Stand By-y-y to Start Engines and Cap'n Fatso by David Gallery.

Drang

06-25-2019, 09:02 PM

Two books that I remember fondly: Stand By-y-y to Start Engines and Cap'n Fatso by David Gallery.
Everybody needs to go to Amazon and click the "I want to buy this on Kindle!" link for these titles, and Admiral Dan Gallery's (https://smile.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B001HO9QJ4?_encoding=UTF8&node=2656022011&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeader) other titles. .

Lester Polfus

06-26-2019, 10:06 AM

And what about blogs? Do you read any?

I'm a fan of this one:
https://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/ even though the Blog Operator is a known industry shill.

NEPAKevin

06-26-2019, 01:18 PM

Everybody needs to go to Amazon and click the "I want to buy this on Kindle!" link for these titles, and Admiral Dan Gallery's (https://smile.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B001HO9QJ4?_encoding=UTF8&node=2656022011&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeader) other titles. .

Didn't know you could do that. FWIW, I also put in requests for Unrepentant Sinner by Askins, Unintended Consequences by Ross, and Cooper's Principles of Personal Defense.

Medusa

06-26-2019, 02:18 PM

SeriousStudent

06-26-2019, 08:48 PM

Have you tried Marko Kloos' books yet? Tam turned me onto them, and they are excellent. He has a new series starting next month.

Medusa

06-26-2019, 09:05 PM

Willing to read one to see....kindle unlimited has many of his books. Got a suggestion as to which series you like best ? SeriousStudent

Bigguy

06-26-2019, 09:48 PM

Have you tried Marko Kloos' books yet? Tam turned me onto them, and they are excellent. He has a new series starting next month.

Marko was a member here. Maybe still is, though I haven't seen a post from him in years. I'm a fan of the front line series. Two of the shorts on "Robot Wars," are based on his works. "Lucky 13," and "Dog Soldiers."

Bigguy

06-26-2019, 09:55 PM

Picked up a book at work library. "Undetected," by Dee Henderson. It's a Romance-thriller. A lot of the action takes place on a Boomer. (Ballistic missile Submarine.) Not having served in the "Silent Service," I can't speak with authority on the realism, but it was good as far as I could see. If I don't know good, I do know bad. This isn't it. The characters are very religious and it can get a bit "preachy." Still, i'll give it at least 4 of 5 stars.

Medusa

06-26-2019, 10:26 PM

Marko was a member here. Maybe still is, though I haven't seen a post from him in years. I'm a fan of the front line series. Two of the shorts on "Robot Wars," are based on his works. "Lucky 13," and "Dog Soldiers."

I posted elsewhere how much I loved lucky 13 on the Netflix series. That does it, I’ll definitely read some of his stuff.

Bigguy

06-27-2019, 12:30 AM

I posted elsewhere how much I loved lucky 13 on the Netflix series. That does it, I’ll definitely read some of his stuff.

"Lucky 13" was a short story based on his "Frontlines" series. If you liked it, you'll love "Frontlines."

LittleLebowski

06-27-2019, 08:34 AM

I posted elsewhere how much I loved lucky 13 on the Netflix series. That does it, I’ll definitely read some of his stuff.

Dang, I had no idea. Checking that out.

LittleLebowski

06-27-2019, 08:36 AM

Continuing on the Mech theme. Read and enjoyed William Keith Jr.’s Warstrider, and will continue the series. I’m sort of surprised I hadn’t come across these years ago.

Started John Steakley’s Armor, another military sci fi book often compared with Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. So far it’s much more nuanced, though being more nuanced than Heinlein is a low bar.

I'm going to consider it my good deed of the day if I am the first to alert you to Haldeman's "The Forever War" (https://amzn.to/2XdCpSO) :cool: Way more complex and nuanced than Heinlein. Written by a Vietnam combat vet.

Glenn E. Meyer

06-27-2019, 09:20 AM

Might have mentioned it already but John Scalzi's books are in the same vein as Marko's. Recommended.

Alafair Burke - James Lee Burke's kid. Decent mysteries - have some plot holes but ear candy when I am driving.

Rereading Turtledove's Lizard war books. I usually don't like his alternate history but these are good. Sitting on my shelves and found them when cleaning house.

Tamara

06-27-2019, 10:25 AM

I posted elsewhere how much I loved lucky 13 on the Netflix series. That does it, I’ll definitely read some of his stuff.

Terms of Enlistment (https://www.amazon.com/Terms-Enlistment-Frontlines-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00CIXX144) would be the starting point for that series.

Medusa

06-27-2019, 10:53 AM

I'm going to consider it my good deed of the day if I am the first to alert you to Haldeman's "The Forever War" (https://amzn.to/2XdCpSO) :cool: Way more complex and nuanced than Heinlein. Written by a Vietnam combat vet.

Thank you; read it some time ago. Edit. I see gave it two stars on goodreads. Recall some problematic elements. That’s a below average rating from me. I love military sci fi and Vietnam war history, but that book rubbed me the wrong way.

I understand there’s a sequel but the reviews aren’t promising. At some point I might see if the library has it.

Medusa

06-27-2019, 11:02 AM

Terms of Enlistment (https://www.amazon.com/Terms-Enlistment-Frontlines-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00CIXX144) would be the starting point for that series.

Thanks. As it happens I see the series in my want to read shelf from goodreads from some time ago. Will get to it in the next little while.

LittleLebowski

06-27-2019, 12:24 PM

Thank you; read it some time ago. Edit. I see gave it two stars on goodreads. Recall some problematic elements. That’s a below average rating from me. I love military sci fi and Vietnam war history, but that book rubbed me the wrong way.

I understand there’s a sequel but the reviews aren’t promising. At some point I might see if the library has it.

There's at least two iterations of it that I know of. I believe the movie rights have been optioned as well.

NEPAKevin

06-27-2019, 12:26 PM

Medusa

06-27-2019, 12:36 PM

There's at least two iterations of it that I know of. I believe the movie rights have been optioned as well.

Movies are virtually never as good as the books, but which one was optioned?

I looked back at my highlights and notes from Forever War and remembered why I didn’t like it. It seems unlikely I’ll spend time with the sequel. If the movie has the same stance on things as the book, I’ll be skipping that as well.

LittleLebowski

06-27-2019, 01:23 PM

Movies are virtually never as good as the books, but which one was optioned?

I looked back at my highlights and notes from Forever War and remembered why I didn’t like it. It seems unlikely I’ll spend time with the sequel. If the movie has the same stance on things as the book, I’ll be skipping that as well.

I couldn't tell you on which iteration it was. Apparently Ridley Scott bought the movie options, but the movie itself fizzled out.

LittleLebowski

06-27-2019, 04:10 PM

Thank you; read it some time ago. Edit. I see gave it two stars on goodreads. Recall some problematic elements. That’s a below average rating from me. I love military sci fi and Vietnam war history, but that book rubbed me the wrong way.

I understand there’s a sequel but the reviews aren’t promising. At some point I might see if the library has it.

Are you strictly in a sci-fi mood? I just did a mental inventory of my favorites (I need to dust off my GoodReads account) and I think my top 3-5 books aren’t all sci-fi.

Medusa

06-27-2019, 04:30 PM

Are you strictly in a sci-fi mood? I just did a mental inventory of my favorites (I need to dust off my GoodReads account) and I think my top 3-5 books aren’t all sci-fi.

If you find me on goodreads you’ll see I read and have a very broad range of stuff (what I have on there is by no means complete), but I do enjoy sci fi a great deal and read a lot of it, for its ability to take issues from today and cast them in interesting lights, to illustrate other ways of being and looking at things, etc.

I’ll gratefully entertain any suggestions you have. That’s what’s good about this thread, which I make an exception for in terms of the general forum. I’ve found some good books here, made some suggestions others have appreciated, even met an author through here.

LittleLebowski

06-27-2019, 06:29 PM

If you find me on goodreads you’ll see I read and have a very broad range of stuff (what I have on there is by no means complete), but I do enjoy sci fi a great deal and read a lot of it, for its ability to take issues from today and cast them in interesting lights, to illustrate other ways of being and looking at things, etc.

I’ll gratefully entertain any suggestions you have. That’s what’s good about this thread, which I make an exception for in terms of the general forum. I’ve found some good books here, made some suggestions others have appreciated, even met an author through here.

I simply cannot recommend Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel (https://www.amazon.com/Bring-Bodies-Masterpiece-Book-Bundle-ebook/dp/B00URW6FEG/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=wolf+hall+by+hilary+mantel&qid=1561677899&s=digital-text&sr=1-4) enough. I’m sure that you’ve already read it, but just in case...

If you’re in a sci-fi mood, the Cloak of Aesir (https://amzn.to/2Lv66HU) is a great and short old school sci-fi read. Also, Thirteen by Richard K Morgan (https://amzn.to/2Xc1UnR) is great, I liked it even better than Altered Carbon.

Medusa

06-27-2019, 07:29 PM

Thanks. I’ll have a look at the first two, see if the library has them.

I believe I’ve read everything Richard Morgan has published.

blues

06-27-2019, 09:25 PM

I simply cannot recommend Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel (https://www.amazon.com/Bring-Bodies-Masterpiece-Book-Bundle-ebook/dp/B00URW6FEG/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=wolf+hall+by+hilary+mantel&qid=1561677899&s=digital-text&sr=1-4) enough. I’m sure that you’ve already read it, but just in case...

I can't tell you how disappointed I've been that book three of the trilogy, "The Mirror and the Light" is still not yet available. Sigh.

Cromwell deserves to have his story completed.

LittleLebowski

06-27-2019, 09:45 PM

I can't tell you how disappointed I've been that book three of the trilogy, "The Mirror and the Light" is still not yet available. Sigh.

Cromwell deserves to have his story completed.

I can’t wait.

LittleLebowski

06-27-2019, 10:52 PM

Medusa

06-27-2019, 11:15 PM

Ok cool, thanks. I’ve suggested some of my faves earlier in the thread.

Doubtful I’ll read about intrigue in Henry VIII’s court until I’ve literally run out of other stuff to read. The sci fi suggestions I’ll take under advisement - I put Banks’ Consider Phlebas on hold and will see what I think of it. Library doesn’t have Cloak of Aesir but I may come across it sometime.

I grabbed Kloos’ Terms of Enlistment from kindle unlimited. Of note, it comes with audible narration. That’s my favorite way to read - switch between listening and reading during the day. Cover a lot ground that way.

Lester Polfus

06-27-2019, 11:25 PM

Cheap Shot

06-28-2019, 06:58 AM

I started reading The Terminal List (https://smile.amazon.com/Terminal-List-Thriller-Jack-Carr-ebook/dp/B074ZL7LY1/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+terminal+list&qid=1561655701&s=digital-text&sr=1-1) by Jack Carr and so far am liking it. Similar to Vince Flynn, Brad Thor type thrillers but darker.

Read your post yesterday and reserved Terminal List at my local library. Coincidentally, later in the day I noticed the author is on Jocko's latest podcast. http://jockopodcast.com. (#183)

On a side note, I can't recommend Jocko's podcast highly enough. He'll review a book and in many cases interview the author every week.

Drang

06-28-2019, 04:41 PM

So, a "blast from the past" post at Military History Now (Operation Downfall - The Campaign to Conquer Japan Would Have Dwarfed the D-Day Landings - MilitaryHistoryNow.com (https://militaryhistorynow.com/2013/11/06/the-campaign-to-conquer-japan-would-have-dwarfed-the-d-day-landings/)) reminded of two more out of print books I highly recommend:
Death Is Lighter than a Feather by David Westheimer (https://smile.amazon.com/Death-Lighter-Feather-David-Westheimer/dp/0929398904/ref=pd_ybh_a_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8TCTV0ZZ9XMS809F83DN) and The Burning Mountain: A Novel of the Invasion of Japan by Alfred Coppel. (https://smile.amazon.com/Burning-Mountain-Novel-Invasion-Japan/dp/015114978X/ref=pd_ybh_a_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8TCTV0ZZ9XMS809F83DN)
The first is a novelization, as it were, of Operation Olympic, the planned invasion of Kyushu, and the second carries the story into Operation Coronet, the planned invasion of Honshu.

BehindBlueI's

06-28-2019, 05:29 PM

Cromwell deserves to have his story completed.

I guess that's one of the big reasons I just couldn't get into the book like many here have. I know how his story is completed, and as such just can't get invested in him. I had the same experience trying to watch Game of Thrones after reading the books.

blues

06-28-2019, 05:36 PM

I guess that's one of the big reasons I just couldn't get into the book like many here have. I know how his story is completed, and as such just can't get invested in him. I had the same experience trying to watch Game of Thrones after reading the books.

Well, I know Cromwell's story and ending as well, but this is literature, and good literature compared to what passes for it these days, imho. (With rare but happy exceptions.)

SeriousStudent

06-28-2019, 10:28 PM

BehindBlueI's

06-30-2019, 02:04 PM

Well, I know Cromwell's story and ending as well, but this is literature, and good literature compared to what passes for it these days, imho. (With rare but happy exceptions.)

I know I'm apparently in the minority, I just didn't care for it. I couldn't get invested in the characters nor did I find any of them particularly sympathetic. The themes of the narrative don't resonate for me. Ruthless pursuit of ladder climbing, the Icarus rise/fall, they aren't the types of plots I am usually drawn to. If there's to be ruthless ladder climbing, I want a Count of Monte Cristo. I want some external motivation and some clear goal. I want the ladder climbing to be about more than ladder climbing. So, I could not rely on sympathy for characters or themes to draw me in.

Given that I'm reasonably familiar with the base non-fiction source I didn't have any sense of suspense or feel pulled through the narrative. There was no tension, nothing to make me turn the page because I just had to know what happened next.

I'm not saying it's a bad book or you're wrong to enjoy it. I'm just saying that I found it a slog due to those factors. The writing itself is good. It just wasn't enough to make reading it seem like diversion instead of work to me.

blues

06-30-2019, 02:14 PM

^^^You had me at Dumas. I'll throw in a healthy dollop of Hugo for seasoning.

BehindBlueI's

06-30-2019, 04:31 PM

^^^You had me at Dumas. I'll throw in a healthy dollop of Hugo for seasoning.

You know, I don't think I ever read Les Miserables. I should probably remedy that at some point. Speaking of the classics, I read almost all of Dostoevsky's works some 15 years ago. There were times I was quite lost but enthralled none the less. The writing can be rather dense, but the big issue was sometimes I didn't know who was who. The Russian nicknames threw me and I'd often have to re-read something because I didn't know how many characters were in the room, so to speak. I imagine it's equally difficult for a Russian to track that William, Bill, Slick Willy, and Mr. Clinton are all the same person depending on speaker and in what context.

Dostoevsky's personal story of being sentenced to death, standing over his own grave about to be shot, and the last minute reprieve...that's compelling. The recurrent theme that we only savor life when we think it's ending, that we commit to sucking the juice out of every single second if only we can live more...then when we get that reprieve falling back into wasting time and meaningless pursuits rather quickly.

blues

06-30-2019, 04:44 PM

You know, I don't think I ever read Les Miserables. I should probably remedy that at some point. Speaking of the classics, I read almost all of Dostoevsky's works some 15 years ago. There were times I was quite lost but enthralled none the less. The writing can be rather dense, but the big issue was sometimes I didn't know who was who. The Russian nicknames threw me and I'd often have to re-read something because I didn't know how many characters were in the room, so to speak. I imagine it's equally difficult for a Russian to track that William, Bill, Slick Willy, and Mr. Clinton are all the same person depending on speaker and in what context.

Dostoevsky's personal story of being sentenced to death, standing over his own grave about to be shot, and the last minute reprieve...that's compelling. The recurrent theme that we only savor life when we think it's ending, that we commit to sucking the juice out of every single second if only we can live more...then when we get that reprieve falling back into wasting time and meaningless pursuits rather quickly.

Les Miserables is a great book. Well worth the effort.

I've read many of Dostoevsky's works as well as a number of other prominent Russian authors of the period. Gogol is a favorite. Lermontov as well. I'd have to refresh my memory on some of the others, I know there were a few I was taken with.

Oddly, I never read War and Peace. I believe I had started it and never completed it for some reason.

BehindBlueI's

06-30-2019, 05:30 PM

Oddly, I never read War and Peace. I believe I had started it and never completed it for some reason.

I read it, primarily because it's one you are supposed to read. I don't remember much about it other then thinking I preferred Dostoevsky to Tolstoy.

Tamara

06-30-2019, 06:03 PM

Currently re-reading Poul Anderson's The Enemy Stars. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

randyho

06-30-2019, 08:39 PM

Read your post yesterday and reserved Terminal List at my local library. Coincidentally, later in the day I noticed the author is on Jocko's latest podcast. http://jockopodcast.com. (#183)

On a side note, I can't recommend Jocko's podcast highly enough. He'll review a book and in many cases interview the author every week.

I was just going to recommend this. Jack came off as a completely affable guy with a metric crap ton of knowledge and experience. I'll be picking up his books as soon as I figure out where to start. One of Jocko's better interviews, imo.

Stephanie B

06-30-2019, 09:34 PM

I read Dostoyevsky’s “House of the Dead, or Prison Life in Siberia”. As hard as it was, I suspect that the zeks in the Gulag would have found those conditions to be almost cushy.

Anyway, so much classic stuff is available for Kindle and other formats, free, on Project Gutenberg.

rob_s

07-01-2019, 10:10 AM

Stephanie B

07-08-2019, 05:30 PM

flying out on Wednesday and desperately looking to fill up the Kindle. I've been a big fan of Carl Hiassen and James Carlos Blake, but I've pretty much read all their stuff as far as I know.

Anyone have suggestions in that vein?

I just read The House of Wolfe (https://www.amazon.com/House-Wolfe-Border-Noir-ebook/dp/B00OV9D99K) by Blake. It took me a little bit to get into it, but I enjoyed it. Thanks for recommending him.

Greg Bell

07-08-2019, 07:20 PM

Lonesome Dove

LittleLebowski

07-08-2019, 07:23 PM

Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn (https://amzn.to/2xEiQUx). Great fantasy writing, really good. Rereading it tonight, no idea how many times I’ve read the whole series. Rapid Butterfly

Medusa

07-08-2019, 07:58 PM

Thanks.

Speeding my way thru Kloos’ Terms of Enlistment series. On the third book. It appears audible narration comes with all 5 books in the series if you have kindle unlimited. Pretty rad if you enjoy military sci fi. There are some lacunae and plot / device holes, but I’m enjoying them a lot.

BehindBlueI's

07-08-2019, 09:27 PM

Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn (https://amzn.to/2xEiQUx). Great fantasy writing, really good. Rereading it tonight, no idea how many times I’ve read the whole series. Rapid Butterfly

I strongly concur. It's one of the few fantasy series that's actually surprised me routinely. Mistborn is a fantastic trilogy. If you liked Mistborn you'll probably like Night Angel. They are fairly different story lines but the writing and characters are on par.

BehindBlueI's

07-08-2019, 09:28 PM

Les Miserables is a great book. Well worth the effort.

I'm through the first five chapters. So far what I've gotten is the bishop is a pretty darned good guy.

LittleLebowski

07-09-2019, 08:19 AM

I strongly concur. It's one of the few fantasy series that's actually surprised me routinely. Mistborn is a fantastic trilogy. If you liked Mistborn you'll probably like Night Angel. They are fairly different story lines but the writing and characters are on par.

Noted, I'll grab Night Angel next. Sanderson can write.

Darth_Uno

07-09-2019, 09:37 AM

Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn (https://amzn.to/2xEiQUx). Great fantasy writing, really good. Rereading it tonight, no idea how many times I’ve read the whole series. Rapid Butterfly

I read the first trilogy but never got around to the second.

If you’ve got a lot of time to kill (they’re fairly big books), his Stormlight Archive series is outstanding. He’s only three books into a proposed 10 book series so you’ve got time to catch up.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

JAD

07-09-2019, 09:42 AM

flying out on Wednesday and desperately looking to fill up the Kindle. I've been a big fan of Carl Hiassen and James Carlos Blake, but I've pretty much read all their stuff as far as I know.

Anyone have suggestions in that vein?

I find Elmore Leonard to be a good extension of Hiassen. Hombre is his great western work, Fifty-Two Pickup his early masterpiece, and his later stuff like Get Shorty is like candy.

ACP230

07-09-2019, 11:22 AM

You might try The Sea Runners by Ivan Doig.
Not the same neighborhood as Hiassen but a good story.

blues

07-09-2019, 11:30 AM

You might try The Sea Runners by Ivan Doig.
Not the same neighborhood as Hiassen but a good story.

There's a name I haven't heard in a while. The "Montana Trilogy" (English Creek, etc.) is a worthy read as well. But about as far from Hiaasen as Cormac McCarthy from Raymond Chandler.

BehindBlueI's

07-09-2019, 12:48 PM

I read the first trilogy but never got around to the second.

If you’ve got a lot of time to kill (they’re fairly big books), his Stormlight Archive series is outstanding. He’s only three books into a proposed 10 book series so you’ve got time to catch up.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Second one isn't as good, IMO. Especially the first one. It's still a good read, mind you, just not on the same level.

rob_s

07-09-2019, 05:05 PM

I just read The House of Wolfe (https://www.amazon.com/House-Wolfe-Border-Noir-ebook/dp/B00OV9D99K) by Blake. It took me a little bit to get into it, but I enjoyed it. Thanks for recommending him.

Blake really sets the stage. It’s like reading the Bible with a kind of “Jacob begat Moses who begat Saul...” kind of thing.

The Wolfe series was the most recent I read. I really enjoyed the series.

Stephanie B

07-09-2019, 06:46 PM

Blake really sets the stage. It’s like reading the Bible with a kind of “Jacob begat Moses who begat Saul...” kind of thing.

The Wolfe series was the most recent I read. I really enjoyed the series.
That’s why I didn’t like the Bible: all of begat this begat that. Moses really needed a new page limit.

feudist

07-09-2019, 07:24 PM

If you're in a western mood I highly recommend Mary Doria Russell's elegiac fictional duology Doc and Epitaph about the Earp's and Holliday.

Doc comes first but Epitaph is free on Kindle Unlimited. I actually read it first.

Go read the introduction to Epitaph-it's a great commentary on the "Streetfight in Tombstone" in and of itself. "30 seconds..."

If you took Tombstone and Wyatt Earp and shuffled them together like a deck of cards...

Coyotesfan97

07-10-2019, 01:11 AM

blues

07-10-2019, 07:50 AM

I just bought Doc on Kindle. If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read Epitaph for free

I thought both books were pretty good when I read them.

BehindBlueI's

07-10-2019, 11:01 AM

Anyone use Kindle Unlimited, and are the books available worth it?

blues

07-10-2019, 11:15 AM

Anyone use Kindle Unlimited, and are the books available worth it?

I didn't think so but I don't read a lot of the titles mentioned here...so...not much help.

Lester Polfus

07-10-2019, 11:28 AM

Anyone use Kindle Unlimited, and are the books available worth it?

Yes, and not usually.

I just left KU. Many of us in the author community have had a discussion about how the reading community seems to be split into two camps: KU readers and non-KU readers. KU readers seem to value quantity over quality. Most of them are pretty forgettable books. I've pulled hundreds of books onto my Kindle for market research, and have had no desire to go beyond the first chapter or so of most of them.

When I pulled my books out of KU, I briefly saw a spike in sales, which is the exact opposite of what I expected. It died off pretty quick since I turned off all my marketing as I'm getting my books ready to go "wide" across all platforms. I'm curious to see what happens once I turn the marketing machine back on.

A bunch of us are starting to wonder if the "available in KU" sticker is the kiss of death for readers that are willing to actually pay for a book.

Darth_Uno

07-10-2019, 11:30 AM

Anyone use Kindle Unlimited, and are the books available worth it?

It’s not unlimited reading of any and all books. You get a lot of books that would be $2-3 for ‘free’, but the quality of those is more or less in line with Apple’s free books. Some are gems; most aren’t. Although Kindle does seem to have a whole lot more indie novels in all genres.

I use it to kill a weekend with light, if not entirely memorable, sci-fi.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lester Polfus

07-10-2019, 11:34 AM

It’s not unlimited reading of any and all books. You get a lot of books that would be $2-3 for ‘free’, but the quality of those is more or less in line with Apple’s free books. Some are gems; most aren’t. Although Kindle does seem to have a whole lot more indie novels in all genres.

I use it to kill a weekend with light, if not entirely memorable, sci-fi.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I should provide the caveat that almost all of my KU reading has been in the mystery/thriller/suspense genre. The bar might be higher or lower in different genres.

Medusa

07-10-2019, 11:46 AM

KU is definitely hit or miss. I get most books from my excellent public library system, but ku will surprise you with gems in military history and sci fi, sometimes with audible narration included. Sometimes I’ll take a chance on an author or genre I don’t normally look at - I read Mr. Polfus’ books on ku and wouldn’t have read them otherwise, for example.

ku isn’t essential, but nice to have. The library, now that’s essential.

BehindBlueI's

07-10-2019, 01:06 PM

It’s not unlimited reading of any and all books. You get a lot of books that would be $2-3 for ‘free’, but the quality of those is more or less in line with Apple’s free books. Some are gems; most aren’t. Although Kindle does seem to have a whole lot more indie novels in all genres.

I use it to kill a weekend with light, if not entirely memorable, sci-fi.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, I know it's just certain books. That's my concern with the quality. Sounds like it's fairly low from the feedback..

Gun Mutt

07-10-2019, 01:08 PM

KU is pretty meh unless you know who you're looking for and even then it's a big maybe whether any of it is free. I wouldn't have it if my Kindle weren't linked to my wife's account. It's only been really useful to me when I've been totally out of purchased or library downloads and wanted something to read without budging from my spot.

I'd liken it to having a bunch of free movie channels when you first sign up for cable; handy when you just want an easy list to chose from, but it's pretty rare you land on Way of the Gun or anything with Carla Gugino in it so you don't bother renewing any of them.

Darth_Uno

07-10-2019, 02:24 PM

Yeah, I know it's just certain books.

KU is pretty meh unless you know who you're looking for and even then it's a big maybe whether any of it is free.

I'd happily pay substantially more to have unlimited access to all books. I don't know how well that'd work from an author's financial standpoint. But I mean I pay Apple $10/mo for all the music I can listen to - I'd pay quite a bit more for access to books. I know the public library is free (practically) but I actually have to get off my butt and go there. Mine offers e-books too, but it's pretty limited.

NEPAKevin

07-10-2019, 02:54 PM

Les Miserables is a great book. Well worth the effort.

Apparently Ilhan Omar agrees.

Alex Griswold
@HashtagGriswold
lmao, Ilhan Omar literally just ripped off the plot of Les Miserables and tried to pass it off as part of her life story
https://twitter.com/HashtagGriswold/status/1148590787539755014

blues

07-10-2019, 02:57 PM

Apparently Ilhan Omar agrees.

https://twitter.com/HashtagGriswold/status/1148590787539755014

I'm not reading her tweet but I'll agree she's miserable.

Medusa

07-10-2019, 04:34 PM

I'd happily pay substantially more to have unlimited access to all books. I don't know how well that'd work from an author's financial standpoint. But I mean I pay Apple $10/mo for all the music I can listen to - I'd pay quite a bit more for access to books. I know the public library is free (practically) but I actually have to get off my butt and go there. Mine offers e-books too, but it's pretty limited.

I like the idea. One option would be to pay for access to a public library system that has a robust ebook program and good delivery infrastructure. Multnomah County Oregon has both and I think you can get a card for 200 a year no matter where you live. That’s just one example, which I can vouch for personally, but I’m sure there are others.

Darth_Uno

07-11-2019, 05:07 PM

I like the idea. One option would be to pay for access to a public library system that has a robust ebook program and good delivery infrastructure. Multnomah County Oregon has both and I think you can get a card for 200 a year no matter where you live. That’s just one example, which I can vouch for personally, but I’m sure there are others.

Our local system has most physical copies I'd want, so no complaints there. Some of the local branches share with St. Louis branches, so it's pretty broad.

Their e-book system is odd. You can "check out" a book, but if someone else already has it checked out you have to wait for them to "return" it. Makes no sense to me, but what do I know.

BehindBlueI's

07-11-2019, 05:13 PM

Our local system has most physical copies I'd want, so no complaints there. Some of the local branches share with St. Louis branches, so it's pretty broad.

Their e-book system is odd. You can "check out" a book, but if someone else already has it checked out you have to wait for them to "return" it. Makes no sense to me, but what do I know.

Probably a licensing thing, like software. Makes you pay for multiple copies if you want multiple copies in use at one time.

Lester Polfus

07-11-2019, 05:47 PM

Probably a licensing thing, like software. Makes you pay for multiple copies if you want multiple copies in use at one time.

This is exactly correct. The library buys multiple licenses to have multiple copies in circulation at once.

Darth_Uno

07-11-2019, 05:51 PM

Well there ya go. I learn something every day.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Medusa

07-11-2019, 08:24 PM

I don’t find it any more burdensome than when a physical book is checked out. That being said our library does have some books where the licenses are unlimited- no waiting ever.

Our system has a lot of stuff on paper, ebook, and audiobook, so you usually don’t have to wait too awful long for a lot of items.

Lester Polfus

07-25-2019, 08:54 PM

This discussion led me to examine my Kindle Unlimited history.

I've had a KU subscription for three years. As I said earlier, I've not found many great books there. Some back of the envelope math shows that I've finished reading a whopping 8% of the titles I've downloaded from KU.

Many of those were books I downloaded for market research. Now that I'm "wide" and my books are out of KU, I don't need to do that anymore. Because I still carry a scarcity mentality around if I'm not careful I often would force myself to try to find a book on KU instead of just buying one.

Life is too short for shitty books, so I canceled KU. I'll spend the $120 a year on books I actually read.

Here's an article from KM Weiland (https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/why-do-so-many-bad-stories-sell-on-amazon/)about why so many bad books sell on 'zon.

snow white

07-25-2019, 09:17 PM

I just finished "The dark side of man" by Michael Ghiglieri. it was a fantastic read. exploring male violence by looking at the great apes.
now reading "peak" by Anders Ericsson about the science of mastering things through deliberate practice.

Stephanie B

07-27-2019, 08:06 AM

The Western Star by Craig Johnson, which is # 12 or 13 in the Longmire series.
l
I really do with that the series would not have gotten into some arc about damn international hitman with a hardon for Longmire. The stories would have been just peachy without that.
Not that Craig Johnson cares what I think, but if I were to sit down with him over a beer, I would tell him exactly that. He's at his best dealing with the small town, local stuff. Once he got into the big-time international criminal conspiracy, he left his lane.

It's still Walt though, and I'll still read it.
I just finished the next book in the series, Depth in Winter. The good news, it finally finishes off the damned international hitman arc.

The bad news: It's almost painful to read. Longmire's moral code gets people helping him killed. Besides that, he's an awfully damned spry septuagenarian to be running around, doing the stuff that he does in the book.

Hopefully, in the next book, he can get back to being a county sheriff and dealing with local bad guys.

Lester Polfus

07-27-2019, 09:55 AM

I just finished the next book in the series, Depth in Winter. The good news, it finally finishes off the damned international hitman arc.

The bad news: It's almost painful to read. Longmire's moral code gets people helping him killed. Besides that, he's an awfully damned spry septuagenarian to be running around, doing the stuff that he does in the book.

Hopefully, in the next book, he can get back to being a county sheriff and dealing with local bad guys.

Boy Howdy.

Craig Johnson (Longmire series), William Kent Kruger (Cork O'Conner series), and CJ Box (Joe Pickett series) have all gone this same direction. They started out telling stories that were based on well drawn, local characters embroiled in local dramas, then shifted to big-time international conspiracy plots. It didn't work well for any of them, in my opinion. That would be a difficult shift to pull off, even if done well, and in all three of these cases it was painfully obvious the author was out of his wheelhouse. Box's was the worst, with the "terrorists constructing the giant HERF gun plot," but all three of them stumbled.

I suspect some of this was driven by a desire to take the characters and stories in new directions after over a dozen books, and some of it was probably editorial pressure along the lines of "look how well all this international hit man stuff is selling."

The saving grace in all three series was usually how much we love the characters. The b-line plots that covered the characters personal lives were often better done, and you could just skim across the waves of the a-line plot.

Regarding Walt's age, Johnson has said that he was acutely aware that he was starting a rather elderly character when he started the series. So each book is a season. Walt only ages a year for every four books, but yeah, he's getting up there.

idahojess

07-27-2019, 10:56 AM

I finished CJ Chivers' The Fighters this week.
The level of personal detail in the stories he tells is quite compelling. Hard to put down (it's not a fun read), and hard to stop thinking about.
He's a good journalist, and it seems to me he has a great understanding and sympathy with the people he is writing about.

(He also wrote the The Gun, a history of the AK-47.)

https://www.amazon.com/Fighters-C-J-Chivers/dp/1451676646

Clark Jackson

08-04-2019, 02:53 PM

The recent active killer events in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio got me thinking about a resource for those who are not as dedicated to self-defense. I expect that any reading resource would need to be affordable, easy-to-read/comprehend, concise, and contain realistic and reliable information from a vetted source to be of any real use.

That book is Pat McNamara's "Sentinel: Become the Agent in Charge of Your Own Protection Detail (https://www.amazon.com/Sentinel-Become-Charge-Protection-Detail/dp/1475960492/ref=asc_df_1475960492/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312038987516&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5043448305598404333&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010792&hvtargid=pla-437041950623&psc=1)".

For those who are not students of self-defense, the book will provide a plethora of information that may just save a life.

For those out there who are serious students of self-defense, this book will still provide a few useful tips and tricks in addition to being a generally good refresher on a solid basics. Worth the price of admission.

Highly recommend regardless of whether you carry a gun as a responsible armed citizen, as a law enforcement/mil professional, or don't carry at all.

Glenn E. Meyer

08-04-2019, 06:21 PM

To Hell and Back: Europe 1914-1949 (The Penguin History of Europe) Paperback – November 15, 2016
by Ian Kershaw (Author)

The Global Age: Europe 1950-2017 (The Penguin History of Europe) Hardcover – April 30, 2019
by Ian Kershaw (Author)

Really well written histories of Europe. Covers social, political, the wars, etc. The destruction of budding democracies after WWI and the rise of tyrannies is fascinating and frightening. The fall into ethnic and religious hatred is a lesson for now.

Coyotesfan97

08-06-2019, 01:00 AM

So I’m currently reading Christopher Ruocchio’s Howling Dark which is the second book in his Sun Eater space opera series. I’m liking it. The dilemma is I just got Sarah Hoyt/Larry Correia’s new book Monster Hunter Guardian and DJ Butler’s new book Witchy Kingdom on my Kindle. Whatever I decide to read after Howling Dark I’ve got a lot of reading to do. :cool:

Drang

08-11-2019, 09:28 PM

So I’m currently reading Christopher Ruocchio’s Howling Dark which is the second book in his Sun Eater space opera series.

Read the first one, couldn't get over the feeling it was a mashup of Dune and Gene Wolf's Long Urth books.

Grey

08-11-2019, 09:34 PM

If you like sci-fi - Three Body Problem. Pretty freaking epic.

blues

08-11-2019, 09:56 PM

If you like sci-fi - Three Body Problem. Pretty freaking epic.

I read the trilogy and I don't even read sci-fi (but for once every decade or two).

Stephanie B

08-12-2019, 07:12 AM

The Pioneers, by David McCullough. It’s about the settling of Ohio, focusing on Marietta, OH.

Coyotesfan97

08-13-2019, 11:10 PM

If you’re a fan of MHI and you haven’t read Guardian yet what are you waiting for? Outstanding!

Glenn E. Meyer

08-14-2019, 09:08 AM

Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne. Lightweight but readable Irish based Urban Fantasy.

Kukuforguns

08-21-2019, 03:26 PM

Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors (https://www.amazon.com/Last-Stand-Tin-Sailors-Extraordinary/dp/0553381482). An in depth description of a portion of the naval battle of Leyte Gulf in WWII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf). It focuses on the experience of sailors on destroyers and destroyer escorts.

I was only marginally aware of the battle. I had no knowledge of the specifics. If you like reading about the best that America has raised and how they deal with adversity, this is a must read. Highest recommendation.

revchuck38

08-21-2019, 03:50 PM

revchuck38

08-21-2019, 04:03 PM

C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet. Late 1930s science fiction, it's the first book of a trilogy he finished in the 40s. His development of different species is fascinating. I got it bound with all three books of the trilogy, haven't made it through the other two yet.

Darth_Uno

08-22-2019, 11:47 AM

The Shooters by Leon Claire Metz.

It’s a summary of famous ‘gunslingers’ in the West, good and bad. Most get about 10 pages or so each, in a very interesting matter-of-fact manner with some wry humor mixed in (not always intentional).

Many minor characters get one-sentence summaries throughout. “He was arrested along with so-and-so, who retired as a surveyor in Arizona territory.” Or “He was arrested along with so-and-so, who was hanged the next year in Colorado for cattle rustling.”

Interesting that most these guys probably weren’t even very good shots. They were just your basic criminals, to varying degrees.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Medusa

08-22-2019, 12:19 PM

Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle. It’s original, dense as a prose poem at times, evocative, and troubling. Our library had the audiobook and it was narrated by the author. Highly recommended.

Cheap Shot

08-22-2019, 12:43 PM

41573

"More people have died exploring underwater caves than climbing Mount Everest, and we know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans. From one of the top cave divers working today—and one of the very few women in her field—Into the Planet blends science, adventure, and memoir to bring readers face-to-face with the terror and beauty of earth’s remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.

Jill Heinerth—the first person in history to dive deep into an Antarctic iceberg and leader of a team that discovered the ancient watery remains of Mayan civilizations—has descended farther into the inner depths of our planet than any other woman. She takes us into the harrowing split-second decisions that determine whether a diver makes it back to safety, the prejudices that prevent women from pursuing careers underwater, and her endeavor to recover a fallen friend’s body from the confines of a cave. But there’s beauty beyond the danger of diving, and while Heinerth swims beneath our feet in the lifeblood of our planet, she works with biologists discovering new species, physicists tracking climate change, and hydrogeologists examining our finite freshwater reserves."

Haven't read it yet but Jill Heinerth is a very well known and accomplished tech diver. I'm a big fan of her, as well as diving and exploration books. Anxious to read

Medusa

08-27-2019, 03:48 PM

Y'all ever read John Twelve Hawks Fourth Realm Trilogy? (https://www.amazon.com/Traveler-Book-Fourth-Realm-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B000FCK6ZC/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=john+twelve+hawks&qid=1561695842&s=gateway&sr=8-2)

Ok I tried reading the first one. Returned to the library after a few pages. Just didn’t care and the writing was sub-par or seemed that way to me.

Finished Empire of Silence by Ruocchio and liked it a lot despite a few hiccups and miscues. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Bigghoss

08-27-2019, 04:45 PM

I am Alive!: A United States Marine's Story of Survival in a World war II Japanese POW Camp by Charles R. Jackson

A WWII marine tells a collection of stories of the men he knew serving in the Philippines in 1941 through the POW camps and later in a work camp in Japan through the end of the war.

Cheap Shot

08-27-2019, 06:03 PM

One Man's West, Hardcover – 1943 by David Lavender

https://www.amazon.com/mans-West-David-Sievert-Lavender/dp/B0007EAODM/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

"The country in which I grew up - the rugged areas of southwestern Colorado - was changing rapidly in the 1930s. I sensed that something unique in the nation's experience was ending, and I tried to capture a segment of the passing on paper - the breakup of the great cattle ranches and mines and the last efforts of the old-timers to hang on in the face of declining profits and increasing mechanization they themselves could not afford" - David Lavender.

Well written history and autobiography of author experiences as a miner, cattle rancher, cowboy in 1930's Colorado and Utah. Even a couple paragraph description about guns and there use.

Highly recommend

Coyotesfan97

08-27-2019, 11:49 PM

I’m sorry I don’t remember who recommended Doc (Dodge City) and Epitah (Tombstone) by Maria Russell because I’d like to thank you personally. They are OUTSTANDING!

blues

08-28-2019, 07:57 AM

I’m sorry I don’t remember who recommended Doc (Dodge City) and Epitah (Tombstone) by Maria Russell because I’d like to thank you personally. They are OUTSTANDING!

I've read both and agree they were good reads. I may have commented on them here in the past but don't specifically remember.

Medusa

08-28-2019, 10:45 AM

If you like Mary Doria Russell, The Sparrow is an a absolute must read. It’s sci fi...I think I recommended it earlier. It’s absolutely one of the best books I’ve ever read.

I will read Doc and the other soon as I can because if they are half as well done, they’ll be worth my time.

Coyotesfan97

08-28-2019, 10:51 AM

The Sparrow is ordered. I’ll be reading it as soon as I finish Epitah.

BehindBlueI's

08-28-2019, 11:18 AM

Darth_Uno

08-28-2019, 12:45 PM

BehindBlueI's

09-01-2019, 09:39 PM

Gun Mutt

09-02-2019, 08:18 AM

I’m sorry I don’t remember who recommended Doc (Dodge City) and Epitah (Tombstone) by Maria Russell because I’d like to thank you personally. They are OUTSTANDING!

I love this thread! Currently enjoying the hell out of Doc, thanking you.

Coyotesfan97

09-02-2019, 11:01 AM

You’re welcome. I just started The Sparrow.

Medusa

09-02-2019, 12:21 PM

I really enjoyed Doc and found it to exemplify many of the themes found in The Sparrow, albeit in a radically different time and place. Russell’s Catholic background and realistic, strengths-with-weaknesses depictions of Jesuits resonate strongly with me, as does her sense of human suffering, which is timeless. She has become one of my favorite authors. I’ll read Epitaph soon, just gonna read the second book of Fonda Lee’s Jade City books before it comes due back at the library.

I read and enjoyed, though was at times troubled by, Boessenecker’s book on Frank Hamer. It, and the adulation he has received around these parts, was an education.

I also loved reading Swarthout’s The Shootist. Much as I love the movie, the book is far richer, far more nuanced, and more brutal and squalid; and thus more lifelike.

My library had all of these books, many in audio, kindle, and print. Color me a fan of that brand of politics which creates and sustains a healthy, vibrant, diverse, and technically versatile public library system.

BehindBlueI's

09-02-2019, 12:26 PM

While I had a cold I was “working from home” for a couple days, and finished Brian McClellan’s Powder Mage Trilogy. Thoroughly entertaining. Instead of swords & sorcery, it’s muskets & sorcery. Tech level is comparable to early 1800’s.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think I've mentioned it here before but "Shadow Campaigns" is a similar setting. "Gunpowder fantasy" is the most common term, I believe. Shadow Campaigns is obviously using Napoleanic Wars for it's source material and the author says as much. The twist is the occult is real and magic exists. You read a "spell" and you get that power until you die, and only one person can have that "spell" active at a time. Nobody calls them spells, though, it's either a gift or it's allowing yourself to be possessed by a demon, depending on who you ask.

There's some great scenes and characters in the series and while it's not my favorite it's definitely worth the read.

Glenn E. Meyer

09-02-2019, 12:57 PM

Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness
by Kenneth M. Pollack | Jan 15, 2019

Analysis of Arab military performance. Looks at the various theories of their typical poor performance with a quite analytic eye that dismisses the cliches. Compares to other comparable forces that do work well. Good discussion of culture, economics, psychological and anthropological aspect. Good read also, not boring.

BehindBlueI's

09-02-2019, 01:25 PM

Glenn E. Meyer

09-02-2019, 01:29 PM

No, I'll look for it. I saw the Pollack book on the new book shelf of the library. Thanks for the recommendation.

peterb

09-09-2019, 07:26 PM

Just reread John McPhee's “Uncommon Carriers” this weekend. Fun collection of his stories about transportation.
https://www.amazon.com/Uncommon-Carriers-John-McPhee/dp/0865477396

Cheap Shot

09-10-2019, 09:03 AM

Spearhead by Adam Makos

https://www.amazon.com/Spearhead-American-Gunner-Enemy-Collision-ebook/dp/B07D6CGMRN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1552202905&sr=8-1

At first, Clarence and his fellow crews in the legendary 3rd Armored Division—“Spearhead”—thought their tanks were invincible. Then they met the German Panther, with a gun so murderous it could shoot through one Sherman and into the next. Soon a pattern emerged: The lead tank always gets hit.

After Clarence sees his friends cut down breaching the West Wall and holding the line in the Battle of the Bulge, he and his crew are given a weapon with the power to avenge their fallen brothers: the Pershing, a state-of-the-art “super tank,” one of twenty in the European theater.

But with it comes a harrowing new responsibility: Now they will spearhead every attack. That’s how Clarence, the corporal from coal country, finds himself leading the U.S. Army into its largest urban battle of the European war, the fight for Cologne, the “Fortress City” of Germany.

——————

This was an awesome read. If you like WWII military history and armor you’ll like this book. I read three quarters of it in one sitting.

https://youtu.be/X30JRShpm9U

The fight between the Pershing and the Panther in Cologne was filmed. It’s in the video.

Thank you very much Coyote!

Thats one of the best books I've ever read. I'm continually stunned at the courage, character, humanity and toughness of the greatest generation. What a legacy.

I'll be buying copies as gifts.

Darth_Uno

09-10-2019, 09:24 AM

The Light Brigade (https://www.amazon.com/Light-Brigade-Kameron-Hurley/dp/1481447963/ref=asc_df_1481447963/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312094611819&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1385641000570198640&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9022381&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-666237883120&psc=1) by Kameron Hurley. Very good sci-fi/war novel. Basic premise is, they figured out how to teleport troops Star Trek style, but some people don't go where they're supposed to. But nobody else seems to notice that you ended up in the wrong country (or planet).

If you're familiar with the author, she's kind of a SJW which might turn you off if you know that ahead of time. But the book got a great review on the Elitist Book Reviews blog, and their tastes usually line up with mine. The world is controlled by your standard issue Dystopian Future Evil Corporation. There's a few offhand comments that give you a sense of the author's opinions, but nothing that takes away from the story.

This is one of the best sci-fi books I've read recently, and recommend it if you like books in the style of Old Man's War or the Forever War.

Stephanie B

09-10-2019, 10:29 AM

I've read a couple of the "Harry Hole" mysteries by Jo Nesbø. They seem to be almost standard detective novels (world-weary homicide cop, struggling with alcoholism, can't maintain a decent relationship, his bosses think he's worthless so he gets the shit jobs etc).

On the gun front, Nesbø knows about as much about guns as does my cat. In "Cockroaches", there's a Beretta 35mm, some guy has a Glock that he's been carrying since Vietnam, a Thai cop has a S&W 640 in .45, but Hole knows that a Ruger SP-101 only holds five rounds 'because it's my business to know such things".

A solid "meh". Maybe they're better in the original Norwegian.

If you want to read one in English, I suggest checking one out from your public library.

Bigghoss

09-11-2019, 10:03 AM

I just finished A Rumor of War, an autobiographical account of a Marine LTs experience at the very beginning of the Vietnam conflict. A good read.

Medusa

09-11-2019, 10:56 AM

I added it to my library holds list, thank you. I really disliked the first book of her Worldbreaker Saga, despite many aspects I appreciated about the place of lgbt people in it. I’ll give her another chance. I hear this book mentioned in the same breath as Downbelow Starion, by CJ Cherryh, which I liked and whose Foreigner series is one of my all time faves. I enjoyed Scalzi’s Old Man’s War but disliked Forever War by Haldeman.

The Light Brigade (https://www.amazon.com/Light-Brigade-Kameron-Hurley/dp/1481447963/ref=asc_df_1481447963/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312094611819&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1385641000570198640&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9022381&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-666237883120&psc=1) by Kameron Hurley. Very good sci-fi/war novel. Basic premise is, they figured out how to teleport troops Star Trek style, but some people don't go where they're supposed to. But nobody else seems to notice that you ended up in the wrong country (or planet).

If you're familiar with the author, she's kind of a SJW which might turn you off if you know that ahead of time. But the book got a great review on the Elitist Book Reviews blog, and their tastes usually line up with mine. The world is controlled by your standard issue Dystopian Future Evil Corporation. There's a few offhand comments that give you a sense of the author's opinions, but nothing that takes away from the story.

This is one of the best sci-fi books I've read recently, and recommend it if you like books in the style of Old Man's War or the Forever War.

Glenn E. Meyer

09-11-2019, 12:46 PM

Wondering Beard

09-11-2019, 01:30 PM

The Rook and Stiletto (sequel) - British supernatural secret agency in internal conflict and conflict with secret Belgian society of biological enhanced superman. Very interesting read. Note, the TV show based on the book is nothing like the books' plot and is rather boring for the change.

Never read the books and only saw the show. That it was a little more light Le Carre spying and civil service backstabbing oriented worked for me better than magic and dragons (as per wikipedia) of the books. Then again, I've always been more "cloak and dagger" than "sword and sorcery".

Glenn E. Meyer

09-11-2019, 01:35 PM

I like well done Urban Fantasy like the Laundry series or Harry Dresden books. Didn't like Harry Potter at all.

rayrevolver

09-11-2019, 09:14 PM

I just finished A Rumor of War, an autobiographical account of a Marine LTs experience at the very beginning of the Vietnam conflict. A good read.

I remember the author, Caputo, and I remember loving the book. But I can't for the life of me remember a single detail from the book. Dang it.

At the time I reading like crazy, buying $1 books in Seattle. I read a bunch of Vietnam and Iraq/AFG books at the time.

Chickenhawk
Kill Bin Laden
The Mission, the Men, and Me
Overworld: The Life and Times of a Reluctant Spy
House To House
One Bullet Away

I liked all of these books.

Spoon Dog

09-11-2019, 09:37 PM

Atlas Shrugged

FNFAN

09-11-2019, 10:06 PM

idahojess

09-11-2019, 10:42 PM

I just finished A Rumor of War, an autobiographical account of a Marine LTs experience at the very beginning of the Vietnam conflict. A good read.

That's a classic -- Philip Caputo.

Darth_Uno

09-25-2019, 08:45 AM

Joe Abercrombie - A Little Hatred.

It's the first book of a new trilogy in The First Law world, set about 25 years after the last one. If you liked the first trilogy and the other novels, this is every bit as good. A lot of the characters are still around for this one too.

0ddl0t

09-26-2019, 01:43 AM

Permanent Record - Edward Snowden

An interesting autobiography offering a peek into CIA & NSA cyber operations following 9/11. Those that already think Snowden a traitor will probably be put off by some of the disclosures he seems to casually make throughout the book (e.g. locations & descriptions of sensitive sites & strategies). And at times he comes off as smug. But he is clearly a brilliant man who ably explains complex ideas while telling an interesting story.

The book isn't all serious. Moments of levity include looks back at the early internet (e.g. how he met his girlfriend on Hot or Not) and the indifference of fellow clandestine workers to his passing out Cato Institute copies of the Constitution every September 17th. I particularly related to his reminiscing about the higher quality & camaraderie of email groups & message boards in the 1990's when the internet was a bit more exclusive (Pistol-forum remains a glaring exception to the decline in modern message boards).

While I still disagree with giving classified material to a foreign journalist, I better understand his reasons and I hope bringing things back to light under a less popular presidency will lead to reforms.

PS: He is a gun guy and references taking his girlfriend to the range & splurging on her revolver.

His interview with Trevor Noah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PArFP7ZJrtg

NEPAKevin

09-28-2019, 05:50 PM

In Jack Carr's second novel, True Believer (https://www.amazon.com/True-Believer-Thriller-Terminal-List-ebook/dp/B07GNTMB9F/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Jack+Carr&qid=1569710276&s=gateway&sr=8-2), Three Sips of Gin (https://www.amazon.com/Three-Sips-Gin-Dominating-Battlespace-ebook/dp/B00IRHB1FQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=three+sips+of+gin&qid=1569701034&s=gateway&sr=8-1) is mentioned and sounded very familiar. So I looked down the library of books in my Kindle and apparently I had purchased it about five years ago but never read it. It's an autobiographical account of a guy who grows up in Africa, then his family splits up and he winds up in in Canada and eventually finds himself in Rhodesia fighting in their bush war. Good first hand accounts of some interesting times.

Bergeron

09-28-2019, 08:21 PM

0ddl0t,

I must disagree with politeness and respect. No one is ever forced into employment with national security, or is ever held there against their will. Everyone signs a Non-Disclosure Agreement, and works hard to prove that they are a useful and reliable cog in the machine of national security. Everyone also agrees to protect the information that they are exposed to, in alignment with that NDA, and hopefully with a love of the Stars & Stripes and the Consitution in their heart while they make that agreement.

Snowden's a traitor, in the meanest and most literal sense of the word. I admire high ideals, but I believe that there's a moral price to be paid for the actions Snowden's taken.

No one is assigned a security clearance, and all volunteers for such accept the reponsibility for protecting information that could otherwise be used to harm the greatest opportunity for humanities' freedom. No one is compelled to make the choice to receive such information, and I believe that great responsibility is communicated to those who would receive such information.

If there were things he wanted to reveal, then the responsibilty for revealing such also falls on his shoulders. His attempt to avoid such responsibility is even more cowardly than his actions to reveal information.

There's a reason the whole world hates informers, leaks, and stukachi.

Medusa

09-28-2019, 08:38 PM

I read Ruocchio’s Howling Dark and was disappointed with it for reasons I laid out at length on goodreads, but which boil down to the author’s philosophical reach significantly exceeding his grasp, habitual conflation of certain ossified habits of thought and language as The Truth, and his chronic failure to understand that simply because one person cannot swim t does not follow that all will drown. It was as if he read Bacigalupi’s Windup Girl and drew almost entirely the wrong conclusions from it. Still, I’ll give the series one more book to right the ship or sink more coherently.

I also thought Russwll’s Epitaph a bit of a let down after the outstanding Doc. The writing just wasn’t up to her usual standards, and a better editor could have helped. .

Jade War by Fonda Lee is a well told sequel, but I grow weary of the world and culture that is its setting. Probably done with it, but I may change my mind in a year.

I started Player of Games by Iain Banks on my way to reading Use of Weapons, which some here rate highly.

TheNewbie

09-28-2019, 08:40 PM

I am reading Holloway's Raiders right now. I am on chapter 9 and it's a good read.

0ddl0t

09-28-2019, 09:00 PM

I must disagree with politeness and respect. No one is ever forced into employment with national security, or is ever held there against their will. Everyone signs a Non-Disclosure Agreement, and works hard to prove that they are a useful and reliable cog in the machine of national security. Everyone also agrees to protect the information that they are exposed to, in alignment with that NDA, and hopefully with a love of the Stars & Stripes and the Consitution in their heart while they make that agreement.

Snowden would say, and I agree, that his oath to protect and defend the constitution from all enemies - foreign *and domestic* - supercedes his NDA.

I personally disagree with his jump from:
a) realizing that his immediate chain of command (and the intelligence community as a whole) can't be trusted to police itself
to
b) giving classified material to a foreign journalist.

In Snowden's own words, he didn't believe those with oversight in the Senate knew what was going on. So bringing the matter to them seems like an obvious step 1 to me. From there it is still a long road to giving the material (not even a summary) to a foreigner.

If there were things he wanted to reveal, then the responsibilty for revealing such also falls on his shoulders. His attempt to avoid such responsibility is even more cowardly than his actions to reveal information.
(Admittedly by his account) he was prepared to die for this leak. He was prepared to bring scrutiny and dishonor to his blue-blooded family (his American lineage predates the revolution, his admiral grandfather was even at the Pentagon on 9/11). He is willing to stand trial. He certainly was willing to leave a beautiful yoga instructor girlfriend and a ~$200,000 job in Hawaii. So I don't think it is fair to say he is a coward afraid of the consequences.

The real rub is that current whistelblower law effectively denies him his 6th amendment right to a jury trial - specifically his right to argue an affirmative defense ("yes I did violate the statute and this is why") in hopes the jury will reach the verdict of "not guilty." Any attempt for him to argue *why* he violated the law would be suppressed so he would effectively be looking at 10 years per classified item - easily a life sentence. And you can bet the prosecution would exclude anyone who knew the details of the Snowden case during jury selection so he'd be looking at a jury of Kardashian-followers who may have heard his name mentioned in the news about leaking, but knew nothing more.

That isn't my idea of a fair trial by an impartial jury.

Bergeron

09-28-2019, 09:23 PM

There really is room for fundamental disagreement between intelligent, educated, and moral individuals, and I think that's where we are. Seriously, with respect.

Snowden would say, and I agree, that his oath to protect and defend the constitution from all enemies - foreign *and domestic* - supercedes his NDA. * Then quit, then leave, then keep your own sense of personal honor and respect instead of looking with weakness, helplessness, and adoration towards international journalists.*

I personally disagree with his jump from:
a) realizing that his immediate chain of command (and the intelligence community as a whole) can't be trusted to police itself
to
b) giving classified material to a foreign journalist.

In Snowden's own words, he didn't believe those with oversight in the Senate knew what was going on. So bringing the matter to them seems like an obvious step 1 to me. From there it is still a long road to giving the material (not even a summary) to a foreigner.

*Quitting or filing formal reports are more obvious to me.*

(Admittedly by his account) he was prepared to die for this leak. He was prepared to bring scrutiny and dishonor to his blue-blooded family (his American lineage predates the revolution, his admiral grandfather was even at the Pentagon on 9/11). He is willing to stand trial. He certainly was willing to leave a beautiful yoga instructor girlfriend and a ~$200,000 job in Hawaii. So I don't think it is fair to say he is a coward afraid of the consequences.

*He speaks from a Moscow apartment. We will respectfully agree to disagree about Snowden's morals.*

The real rub is that current whistelblower law effectively denies him his 6th amendment right to a jury trial - specifically his right to argue an affirmative defense ("yes I did violate the statute and this is why") in hopes the jury will reach the verdict of "not guilty." Any attempt for him to argue *why* he violated the law would be suppressed so he would effectively be looking at 10 years per classified item - easily a life sentence. And you can bet the prosecution would exclude anyone who knew the details of the Snowden case during jury selection so he'd be looking at a jury of Kardashian-followers who may have heard his name mentioned in the news about leaking, but knew nothing more.

*Don't disclosure classified, or alternatively, do it like a proud, moral, invicible man, or leave from my presence. I will happily volunteer for jury or legal action associated with any action I've ever taken as an adult, and I invite all of my equals to do so.

That isn't my idea of a fair trial by an impartial jury. *I would further serve happily on a jury with a clean consceince against any action regarding Mr. Snowden. I doubt that I would ever be afforded such an opportunity.

I imagine that my views may change if Snowden was sitting proudly in Ft. Leavenworth instead of Moscow. But that's just me.

For the record, I love this place, and I love the participants. My own code compels me to a strong defense of my government against admitted traitors. I still retain my admiration and respect of those who particpate in this forum, and I wish for the difference in my feelings between law-abiding Americans (who I love and admire) and those I consider committed traitors to be made clear.

With admiration for my fellow P-F'ers.

BehindBlueI's

09-28-2019, 09:51 PM

In Jack Carr's second novel,

I met him at the NRA show in Indy. My partner for the day was a complete fanboi and drug me along. I got a signed copy of his first book while I was there, he was a really nice guy to meet (although I thought the guy partnered up with me was going to ask him to sign his tits....)

I've read a few chapters, but it's my "backpacking book" so it's still resting in my backpack waiting for my next outing.

JAD

09-29-2019, 04:18 AM

blues

09-29-2019, 08:09 AM

Re-reading Dune; it might have been 6th grade last time. Some elements are not super well thought out, but this is about as good as sci-fi gets. Trying to slog through the second book now, had to take a Flannery O’Connor break. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” might be the best piece of American short fiction not written by Hemingway.

Flannery O'Connor. Required reading back in freshman English Lit class. Excellent writer. I'm not prepared to make a bold statement on where the work resides in the pantheon of great short fiction, however. Mostly because there are so many good ones I've probably forgotten over the years.

BehindBlueI's

10-02-2019, 07:53 PM

It might be a bit early to recommend this since I just started the series, but the author of the Night Angel trilogy is dropping the final book in the Light Bringer series this fall. 5 book series, starting with The Black Prism. I'm about 1/6 of the way through the first book and it's sucking me right along almost as much as Night Angel did.

I'm done with the first 3 books and am 1/5 of the way through #4. Now I'm going to be on standby for nearly 3 weeks waiting for the series finale to drop. This series has continued to surprise me and has been consistently high quality writing. Every now and then I think "ah, he's trotting out that tired old trope" and a few pages later I'll have to admit he twisted it in a way that made it new again, and that surprise has been enjoyable.

I normally alternate fiction/nonfiction/fiction/nonfiction but not right now.

Medusa

10-02-2019, 08:34 PM

JDD

10-03-2019, 06:40 AM

Finished Player of Games by Banks. It was ok, with occasional flashes of brilliance. I see echoes of his handling of several things in contemporary authors like Joon Ha Lee, which deepens my appreciation of both authors. I’ll go on to read Use of Weapons when it comes available from the library.

Started Final Empire, first book of the Mistborn Trilogy by Sanderson. I know several of you spoke highly of this.

If it takes awhile for Use of Weapons to arrive, I would recommend Excession. It is a bad Banks to start with, but it might be my favorite of the culture series. I just finished the Revenant Gun and quite enjoyed it.

If you have not read The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie yet, I found it to be quite good - not as good as the Ancillary series, but much better than Provenance.

BehindBlueI's

10-03-2019, 07:01 AM

Started Final Empire, first book of the Mistborn Trilogy by Sanderson. I know several of you spoke highly of this.

I couldn't pick a favorite trilogy, but Mistborn is easily top 3. I've read the series twice. Night Angel and LoTR round out my top 3.

Medusa

10-03-2019, 09:22 AM

If it takes awhile for Use of Weapons to arrive, I would recommend Excession. It is a bad Banks to start with, but it might be my favorite of the culture series. I just finished the Revenant Gun and quite enjoyed it.

If you have not read The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie yet, I found it to be quite good - not as good as the Ancillary series, but much better than Provenance.

Thanks. We differ on Raven Tower - I liked Provenance much better. There were things I really appreciated about Raven Tower, but in the end it was mostly about the machinations of deities, never a topic to draw me in much. But I’m sure I will continue to read everything she puts out.

Glenn E. Meyer

10-03-2019, 12:37 PM

Finished a Stuart Woods. He puts out about 4 a year with Stone Barrington - ex cop,lawyer, now rich. Totally ridiculous but just reading candy.

blues

10-03-2019, 12:46 PM

Finished a Stuart Woods. He puts out about 4 a year with Stone Barrington - ex cop,lawyer, now rich. Totally ridiculous but just reading candy.

I had no idea he was still around.

Glenn E. Meyer

10-03-2019, 01:02 PM

blues

10-03-2019, 01:08 PM

Yeah:

1. Stone is billionaire due to a marriage and then becoming a widow.
2. He is in love with a female secretary of state who is running for president. However, he beds numerous other women as she is putting him off for the campaign.
3. Dino is the NYPD commissioner, he seems to get tons of time off to travel all over with Stone. Dino's wife is some big wig in a Blackhawk like security company.

The stories are somewhat ridiculous, on a comic level, I get get them from the library.

I haven't developed the ability (since I was a kid) to enjoy books, movies etc that don't have some sort of believability about them. I couldn't read those books.

(Even within the sci-fi genre, they can still portray humans and events within normal human boundaries. That makes it more palatable for me. Just the inclusion of magical realism irks me, which is sad since I've read some fine literature which, for me, was spoiled by its presence.)

Jim Watson

10-03-2019, 02:44 PM

I am eagerly awaiting library arrival of 'Bloody Genius' the latest adventure of that fuckin' Virgil Flowers by John Sandford.

JDD

10-03-2019, 03:57 PM

Thanks. We differ on Raven Tower - I liked Provenance much better. There were things I really appreciated about Raven Tower, but in the end it was mostly about the machinations of deities, never a topic to draw me in much. But I’m sure I will continue to read everything she puts out.

Interesting. In light of that, I temper my recommendation wrt Excession. It's the Culture book that is most heavily built around the internal and external deliberations of the ships and minds - potentially not your cup of tea.

JDD

10-03-2019, 04:01 PM

Yeah:

1. Stone is billionaire due to a marriage and then becoming a widow.
2. He is in love with a female secretary of state who is running for president. However, he beds numerous other women as she is putting him off for the campaign.
3. Dino is the NYPD commissioner, he seems to get tons of time off to travel all over with Stone. Dino's wife is some big wig in a Blackhawk like security company.

The stories are somewhat ridiculous, on a comic level, I get get them from the library.

There are more than a few mental twinkie series that I read like this. After about the 5th or 6th hour of flying I can't focus on a dense or well written book and do it justice, but I feel absolutely no guilt about the pulp; and as an added bonus, it makes better writing really pop out when I do read it.

Glenn E. Meyer

10-03-2019, 05:03 PM

I agree. Worst thing I did when flying is bring a bunch of journal articles. At changing planes, I ran to the bookstore to get some trashy thriller. I don't like the big evil government conspiracies. Given the clowns we have, I can't conceive of any of them running such operations.

Medusa

10-03-2019, 05:29 PM

Interesting. In light of that, I temper my recommendation wrt Excession. It's the Culture book that is most heavily built around the internal and external deliberations of the ships and minds - potentially not your cup of tea.

This intrigues me. The ships and artificial intelligences in Banks’ world aren’t gods, nor even supernatural, in the way various entities in Raven Tower were, unless something big changes in Excession, or I’ve just been unfair to Raven Tower.

Stephanie B

10-03-2019, 06:18 PM

I recommend avoiding The Bastard Brigade (https://www.amazon.com/Bastard-Brigade-Renegade-Scientists-Sabotaged/dp/0316381683) by Sam Kean. It's touted as the story of the German attempts to develop the atomic bomb, the sabotage done by scientists and technicians in Occupied countries and the Allies' attempts to both disrupt the German program and capture German scientists.

The structure of the book is, in parts, scattershot. The author brings in the Kennedy family, the story of PT-109 and Joseph Kennedy, Jr's death while arming a flying bomb for no reason that I can see, other than making the book sell. There is a lot of wholly irrelevant crap about the Kennedy family. At times, the book reads as though it is history related by a gossip reporter.

Stephanie B

10-03-2019, 06:22 PM

Finished a Stuart Woods. He puts out about 4 a year with Stone Barrington - ex cop,lawyer, now rich. Totally ridiculous but just reading candy.

Isn't he the one who wrote a series about a Southern cop who stole several million from a crashed drug plane, quit the force and joined the CIA? When caught on a polygraph test lying about never stealing anything, in a followup interview (off the box), she copped to swiping a 1911 when she was in the Army.

It seems a bit much.

Glenn E. Meyer

10-03-2019, 06:33 PM

She is now running for President of the USA. In the CIA, she came to the attention of the head of the CIA, who was a woman and married to the President. Then after his term was up, she ran. Holly (the cop in question), became Secretary of State. The female president wants her to run as her successor.

She and Stone are in love but Holly's ambitions come first and she put Stone off. It is known that they are involved but it is low key.

Stone has had many adventures with the CIA and various presidents. In one, he saved all of them from a nuclear bomb. IIRC (but don't count me on it), there was a countdown on the bomb and instead of cutting the red or blue wire, Stone shot the mechanism.

Stone has a penchant for buying houses now that he is rich. He crosses Russians, Arabs and gangsters. Other interesting characters are Dino, who was married to a Mafia chieftan's daughter. Stone was also married to the Godfather's daughter shortly. She turned out to be a psychopath and Daddy got the Pope to annul it. She periodically escape the institution and tries to kill Stone.

Stone has no problem shooting people and has probably arrange some evil to happen to folks that border on edge. He has a friend who was a prime assassin for the CIA, who went rogue to kill evil politicians. However, he was brought back into the fold and Stone got the President to pardon him. He sometimes takes care of 'things' for the Stone extended family.

Stone carries a fancy custom 1911 or a little 380 depending on dress. He was retired on medical grounds with pension from the NYPD for a bad knee that was shot and for political reasons, being a trouble maker. He was called back for a special case as a high ranking detective.

Totally silly but fun light reads. The author will respond to polite emails. I asked him why Stone didn't carry out of state as a retired cop (in the story there was something about carrying on the sly). Woods said that Stone found getting permission from the NYPD was a hassle. With Dino as commissioner, it should work now but Stone is also an associate director of the CIA when need be and that's that. Lots of flying in the book as Stone is rated for jets.

blues

10-06-2019, 04:40 PM

I just had to post this quote by author Clive James, whom I've never read, who remarked in an interview in The Guardian:

The most overrated books almost all emerged simultaneously from a single genre: magic realism. I can’t stand it. I always found ordinary realism quite magic enough.

I don't read much literary criticism but that pretty much captures my opposition to literature which relies upon that technique or "gimmick", if you will.

Actually, I've read some that were otherwise near great, imho, but lost me due to the reliance upon the suspension of reality they demand.

I certainly don't fault anyone who enjoys the genre...the issue is clearly my own. I was just heartened by reading James' quote in the article.

CalAlumnus

10-06-2019, 07:27 PM

Two suggestions, somewhat similar...

The Mandibles, by Lionel Shriver. The story of what happens when the national debt gets out of hand. Takes a very libertarian approach.

Submission, by Michel Houellebecq. The setting is near-future France. There's an election, and the Islamic party takes power and imposes Islamic law.

BehindBlueI's

10-06-2019, 09:57 PM

I just had to post this quote by author Clive James, whom I've never read, who remarked in an interview in The Guardian:

I don't read much literary criticism but that pretty much captures my opposition to literature which relies upon that technique or "gimmick", if you will.

Actually, I've read some that were otherwise near great, imho, but lost me due to the reliance upon the suspension of reality they demand.

I certainly don't fault anyone who enjoys the genre...the issue is clearly my own. I was just heartened by reading James' quote in the article.

I had to look up the term:

Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style of fiction that paints a realistic view of the modern world while also adding magical elements. It is sometimes called fabulism, in reference to the conventions of fables, myths, and allegory. "Magical realism", perhaps the most common term, often refers to fiction and literature in particular,[1]:1–5 with magic or the supernatural presented in an otherwise real-world or mundane setting, commonly seen in novels and dramatic performances. It is considered a subgenre of fantasy.

I am a fan of the genre. Neil Gaiman's books or The Dresden Files, for example. I really enjoy the new takes on myth, legend, and religion. Someone mentioned the Iron Druid series earlier and while it's not my favorite it's a nice read. Shadow Campaigns, basically a take on the Napoleanic Wars but with the occult being real.

Wendell

10-08-2019, 10:53 PM

I didn't read the whole thread, but... Unrepentant Sinner

Unrepentant Sinner: The Autobiography of Colonel Charles Askins by Charles Askins

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/641984.Unrepentant_Sinner

https://www.amazon.com/Unrepentant-Sinner-Autobiography-Charles-Askins/dp/158160582X

Lester Polfus

10-08-2019, 11:45 PM

I had to look up the term:

I am a fan of the genre. Neil Gaiman's books or The Dresden Files, for example. I really enjoy the new takes on myth, legend, and religion. Someone mentioned the Iron Druid series earlier and while it's not my favorite it's a nice read. Shadow Campaigns, basically a take on the Napoleanic Wars but with the occult being real.

The proper genre for a novel is something that MFA students could debate for hours over bottles of Boone's Farm, but The Dresden Files and Iron Druid fall into the setting of Urban Fantasy, or Contemporary Fantasy. Likewise, I would argue that Gaiman falls into a Dark Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy or Modern Fantasy Genres.

The above tend to be books normal people read for entertainment. That isn't to say they can't be well written, or even make some good social observations, but they will never be considered "literary" and if you were to bring one of them up at the kind of parties I used to have to suffer through, you'd hear a record scratch.

Magical Realism was a fad among the more the literary cognoscenti and the folks who really got it rolling were Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Jorge Borges. They tend to be the kind of books that normal people read and mutter "when the fuck is something going to happen" for several chapters before giving up in disgust. Dresden or Hearne tend to set up very early that there is an element of magic in the book, and try very carefully to make it internally consistent. In Magical Realism, it will come out of nowhere, arguably at the whim of the author, and will give MFA grad students plenty of of grist to grind in the mill of that the author MEANT when he or she included it.

blues

10-09-2019, 08:11 AM

Magical Realism was a fad among the more the literary cognoscenti and the folks who really got it rolling were Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Jorge Borges. They tend to be the kind of books that normal people read and mutter "when the fuck is something going to happen" for several chapters before giving up in disgust. Dresden or Hearne tend to set up very early that there is an element of magic in the book, and try very carefully to make it internally consistent. In Magical Realism, it will come out of nowhere, arguably at the whim of the author, and will give MFA grad students plenty of of grist to grind in the mill of that the author MEANT when he or she included it.

I would disagree with this. It's not an issue with when something is going to happen, it's how it happens.

Horses that fly, over the top mystical powers and other such "other worldly" or fantastic characteristics attributed to otherwise normal events or characters, for me, takes away from the depth and credibility of the novel. It loses some of its gravitas.

Now, I have no issue with reading something that is obviously intended as fantasy, satire or sci-fi even if it's not my standard genre. But again, for me, the most sublime novels are the ones that show the depth of human endeavor and character without the enhancement of powers beyond those of mortal men (or animals for that matter).

There's plenty of room for all of us...it's just my personal take. It just disappoints me to wade into an otherwise great novel or tale only to encounter what cheapens the story by my lights.

Medusa

10-11-2019, 04:52 PM

Finished Mistborn by Sanderson. It was ok. Interesting magic system, otherwise kind of unremarkable in my view, workmanlike and passable.

I started Scahill’s Blackwater, which I believe was referenced up thread. I’m half an hour in and it’s certainly already .....educational.

Wyoming Shooter

10-16-2019, 12:20 PM

I’m sorry I don’t remember who recommended Doc (Dodge City) and Epitah (Tombstone) by Maria Russell because I’d like to thank you personally. They are OUTSTANDING!

"Doc" in the audible format is most excellent. Thanks!

Medusa

10-16-2019, 09:00 PM

I finished this book
43698

And while it needed a much better editor, i found it disturbing AF, and think it’s an important topic - taxpayer money paying for mercs whose accountability, as of the date this book was written, is virtually nil, not to mention enriching the likes of Eric Prince.

Starting reading Dead Man’s Walk, by Larry McMurtry. Enjoying it so far.

BehindBlueI's

10-16-2019, 09:27 PM

And while it needed a much better editor, i found it disturbing AF, and think it’s an important topic - taxpayer money paying for mercs whose accountability, as of the date this book was written, is virtually nil, not to mention enriching the likes of Eric Prince.
r.

I'm going to go ahead and judge the book by the cover. Blackwater isn't a mercenary army. Both historical usage and modern international law would not classify them as such. If you are an American in a conflict America is a part of and sanctioned by the American government, you are not a mercenary. Using the term incorrectly is either intentionally inflammatory or shows a lack of understanding of a very basic relevant fact. In either case, I would suspect the author's work based on that alone.

Medusa

10-16-2019, 09:59 PM

I'm going to go ahead and judge the book by the cover. Blackwater isn't a mercenary army. Both historical usage and modern international law would not classify them as such. If you are an American in a conflict America is a part of and sanctioned by the American government, you are not a mercenary. Using the term incorrectly is either intentionally inflammatory or shows a lack of understanding of a very basic relevant fact. In either case, I would suspect the author's work based on that alone.

I commend actually reading a book before critiquing it. But it’s certainly easier to skip it, I’ll grant. At the time it was written, there was a substantial period where Blackwater troops, many of whom were foreign nationals, were not subject to the UCMJ and also got immunity from acts performed in theater. That in my view is a merc, whatever name you’d like to give it.

If Blackwater can deploy, as they claimed, in brigade strength, that makes them something more than a group of enthusiasts, does it not ? If not an army, then certainly a powerful force able to do tremendous harm.

Anyway, so far in this thread I’ve avoided judging books i haven’t read, and expected better of you.

Joe in PNG

10-16-2019, 10:30 PM

Coyotesfan97

10-17-2019, 04:38 AM

"Doc" in the audible format is most excellent. Thanks!

I used one of my Audible credits. Can’t wait to listen to it.

Yung

10-17-2019, 05:42 AM

I've been wanting to buy Kita Busse's Smart Move for a while now. Has anyone read it already?

This is a good compilation of titles with an excellent premise that was related to what I was discussing with a fellow pistol student the other day.

https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/institutional-memory

BehindBlueI's

10-17-2019, 07:11 AM

I commend actually reading a book before critiquing it. But it’s certainly easier to skip it, I’ll grant. At the time it was written, there was a substantial period where Blackwater troops, many of whom were foreign nationals, were not subject to the UCMJ and also got immunity from acts performed in theater. That in my view is a merc, whatever name you’d like to give it.

If Blackwater can deploy, as they claimed, in brigade strength, that makes them something more than a group of enthusiasts, does it not ? If not an army, then certainly a powerful force able to do tremendous harm.

Anyway, so far in this thread I’ve avoided judging books i haven’t read, and expected better of you.

With finite resources one must decide how much time and treasure to dedicate to any one pursuit or object. Incorrect use of "mercenary" tells me his enough to say it's not worth my time or money. Being subject to UCMJ is not what makes a mercenary, nor does it mean being unaccountable. If the government grants immunity, well, criminals get that every day for some perceived asset they possess.

Has Blackwater ever deployed against US interests to the highest bidder? Are there members solely profit motivated? I had a 2 year taste of the minor leagues of overseas contracting. We weren't mercenaries and I'm not wasting my time with anyone selling that narrative.

Medusa

10-17-2019, 10:27 AM

Like most books I read, this was a library book. I just posted the cover because I figured I’d start doing that for books I read and post about in this thread.

The normal definition of mercenary is what it is. Read the book or don’t, but bloviating on a book you haven’t read is not the same as simply deciding what books to read, which we all of course must do. You don’t want to read a book, cool. You’re untroubled by people in war zones not in the us military with immunity from the UCMJ and civilly, cool. You’re good with tax money paying these people, awesome.

The book absolutely suggests profit motive is key, along with sentiments of Christian superiority in the leadership. There is a good deal of space given to their hiring and deployment of foreign ex soldiers. There’s space given to Blackwater’s sua sponte armed deployment to New Orleans and some of the violence it engaged in there. Space given to the actual statements by its principals and leadership expressing beliefs that are troubling AF. That’s why I think the book is a worthy read.

With finite resources one must decide how much time and treasure to dedicate to any one pursuit or object. Incorrect use of "mercenary" tells me his enough to say it's not worth my time or money. Being subject to UCMJ is not what makes a mercenary, nor does it mean being unaccountable. If the government grants immunity, well, criminals get that every day for some perceived asset they possess.

Has Blackwater ever deployed against US interests to the highest bidder? Are there members solely profit motivated? I had a 2 year taste of the minor leagues of overseas contracting. We weren't mercenaries and I'm not wasting my time with anyone selling that narrative.

Medusa

10-17-2019, 02:08 PM

I used one of my Audible credits. Can’t wait to listen to it.

Did you like The Sparrow or did it disappoint?

Coyotesfan97

10-17-2019, 06:08 PM

Did you like The Sparrow or did it disappoint?

I like it but I haven’t finished it. I got sidetracked on other books. Life of a bookworm I guess.

10-17-2019, 06:48 PM

Did you like The Sparrow or did it disappoint?

I read Doc and Epitaph and enjoyed both. I also read Sparrow and enjoyed it. Some real 1950's science fiction type stuff going on for a while. :) I now have Children of God out of the library.

BehindBlueI's

10-18-2019, 09:27 AM

Read the book or don’t, but bloviating on a book you haven’t read is not the same as simply deciding what books to read, which we all of course must do. You don’t want to read a book, cool. You’re untroubled by people in war zones not in the us military with immunity from the UCMJ and civilly, cool. You’re good with tax money paying these people, awesome.

Are you looking for conversation on why the title is pejorative and thereby informative of the author's (hardly novel) narrative or just wanting to make a little jab?

The book absolutely suggests profit motive is key, along with sentiments of Christian superiority in the leadership.

I, for one, am shocked that a book with an incorrect pejorative in the title then goes on to paint the subject in a harsh light.

Perhaps this quote will look familiar to you:
Since I have and have had to live it, I don’t choose to spend time educating those who ask obtuse questions in bad faith

I feel the exact same about this book. I do not believe it is written objectively or in good faith based on the reasons I've already laid out. Or am I to pretend it's likely to be a fair and balanced look at the underlying subject matter despite the obvious disconnect?