Book Recommendations

[Cory]

I can't stand it. The lives and tribulations of a bunch of twits. It's not thing more than a soap opera in period dress.

Besides that, in an era where all of the local transport is horse-drawn, the streets are far, far too clean. The kid who had her arm scraped open by a horse's hoof should have died of blood poisoning.

Different strokes I suppose. I enjoyed the romantic tension and whatnot. I've never read any straight up romance stuff, so we'll see how it goes.

[BehindBlueI's]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SBS41XV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o07?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Star Mother

This was free with Amazon Prime a few months back and I just now got around to reading it. Honestly, without the 'free' part I am pretty unlikely to have picked it up as it's not the sort of thing I'd normally read. It was quite good, though. It's not a complex story, but it's a good one and I found myself staying up a bit too late just to finish it. It does start off a bit slow but snowballs nicely.


Finished another free Amazon Prime book, "The Singing Trees: A Novel"

Another one I would not have sought out. Small town blue collar family's daughter has rough start in life, wants to be an artist, roller coaster ride ensues.

I like the writing style, but the story was pretty vanilla. Don't expect any surprises beyond "will Trope A or Trope B be employed at this plot junction?" and no real surprises develop. The most damning thing of the book is how simplistic and one dimensional the vast majority of female characters and every single male character is. Men can be black hearted villain or white clad paladins only, zero moral ambiguity, zero character development, zero nuance, it's pure good guy/bad guy. Women can't be evil, only be selfish immature twats or nurturing mother figures with zero jealousy or ego, with very rare exception. It's also a better book if you read the first two sections and stop. The third section drags down the otherwise generally enjoyable read as it requires the main character to become uncharacteristically stupid and attempts to create tension where there can't be any due to the entirely predictable and too easily resolved outcome.

The saving grace is the writing, especially the second section. The author is better than his story and he can make you care more about the lackluster characters than you otherwise would be inclined to. He'd be a powerhouse if teamed up with someone with fresher narratives and stronger character development ideas.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

The Thirst by Nesbo. This is a Norwegian serial killer / police thriller. It has a vampire duplicating psycho and the classic retired super detective (with personal demons) who gets pull back to find him. It's pretty interesting but falls apart at the end. I will give this away. The super detective arrange the denouement where the killer is unmasked at a professional meeting. The crucial bit of info is a Ruger Revolver where the detective presents it for the AHA moment. Well, do you think it should be unloade? Why no. Guess who picks it up for some fun. Then any sensible police precautions for catching a psycho goes to hell for a long chase that is also incompetent. The plot is a touch overly complicated unless you like the big REVEAL!

Thanks to the library for not having to pay for this.

[Wyoming Shooter]

Here are 4 excellent books for your summer reading list:

The Last Green Valley
Mark Sullivan

Fire and Brimstone
Michael Punke

The Immortal Irishman
Timothy Egan

City on Fire
Don Winslow

[DDTSGM]

Here are 4 excellent books for your summer reading list:

City on Fire
Don Winslow

I recently picked up Winslow's book 'The Border.' I don't recall reading any of his titles prior to this one and was surprised by the complexity of the story line as it progressed. An excellent read, well researched as far as I can tell.

I stumbled on the book at 'Ollie's' a chain store that deals in overstocks. It's a sad commentary of our times that WalMart and online marketers such as Amazon, have robbed me of the joy of perusing the racks of local book stores.

I guess it's a sign that I'm a boomer, and prefer to turn pages when I read.

I also picked up 'Airborne 1943' which was about the British bombing campaign targeting the Ruhr Valley and Berlin during, you guessed it, 1943. It cover's Air Marshal 'Bomber' Harris's implementation of the British government's program of area bombing of German cities. It is largely a recap of the major raids, told using diaries and interviews with aircrew. I've read accounts of the U.S. bombing campaign, but non that brought home the sense of fatalism that the aircrew's must of felt as they did the math of loss percentages against missions flown.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Every Cloak Rolled in Blood (A Holland Family Novel) Hardcover – May 24, 2022
by James Lee Burke (Author)

Beautifully written but not the typical Burke. It has a strong supernatural aspect and reflects the author's grief over losing his daughter in real life. Some of his books hinted at the supernatural but it might have been more psychological than real. This is the real deal with the beyond.

Worth the read.

[DDTSGM]

I just finished 'The Investigator' by John Sandford. This is the first in what I assume will be a continuing series/storyline involving Lucas Davenport's daughter Letty. I was wondering how Sandford would handle grown up Letty, and this is apparently the answer.

Aside from Letty's entry into the DHS, which seemed contrived, the book runs along in pretty much formulaic Sandford fashion, including not-so-veiled commentary on firearms rights, which is the one peeve I have with Sandford.

Sandford is 78 now, he has three currently running series, and a viable fourth if he ever writes another standalone Kidd novel. Don't really know how he does it, but I appreciate the one or two new books each year. I've already pre-ordered 'Righteous Prey' which teams up Lucas and Virgil.

[Hambo]

Currently reading:

All Secure: A Special Operations Soldier's Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront.
Monkeys on the Road; a family that decided to go on the road in Central and South America.
The Comedians; Graham Greene's novel set in Papa Doc's Haiti.

[Jim Watson]

Sandford is 78 now, he has three currently running series, and a viable fourth if he ever writes another standalone Kidd novel. Don't really know how he does it,

A number of my other favorite authors are getting old... like me. I wonder if they will last long enough to wrap up series fiction; or if I will last long enough to read the wrap up. I like David Weber's stuff, but will he get humanity off Safehold to deal with the G'baba and will Honor Harrington ever track down the Galactic Evil of Eddore? Uh, pardon me, Mesa.

I rode the last race with Dick Francis; his son took over the franchise for a while but has been inactive of late.

[Jim Watson]

I just finished 'The Investigator' by John Sandford. This is the first in what I assume will be a continuing series/storyline involving Lucas Davenport's daughter Letty. I was wondering how Sandford would handle grown up Letty, and this is apparently the answer.

Aside from Letty's entry into the DHS, which seemed contrived, the book runs along in pretty much formulaic Sandford fashion, including not-so-veiled commentary on firearms rights, which is the one peeve I have with Sandford.

Sandford is 78 now, he has three currently running series, and a viable fourth if he ever writes another standalone Kidd novel. Don't really know how he does it, but I appreciate the one or two new books each year. I've already pre-ordered 'Righteous Prey' which teams up Lucas and Virgil.

Working on 'The Investigator' now.
While individual passages are entertaining, overall it requires somewhat more suspension of disbelief than 'Saturn Run', same author.
Single shots for American Commoners is a turnoff comparable to pronouncements in later Travis McGee.
Gun tech is awful. Checkered cherrywood grip on a Staccato? Detachable magazine Remington 870? 7.65x39 AK?

[DDTSGM]

Working on 'The Investigator' now.
.
Gun tech is awful. Checkered cherrywood grip on a Staccato? Detachable magazine Remington 870? 7.65x39 AK?

Yes, even though I have absolutely no interest in a Staccato, I understand the concept of the grip module, his gun guy (he usually mentions/thanks them) should have caught that.

https://remingtonarmsusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/70.jpg

https://remingtonarmsusa.com/remington-870-dm-12-gauge-pump-shotgun-with-hardwood-stock-and-detachable-magazine/

And a typo?

Just saying, don't be a hater. ;)

[Jim Watson]

Learned of a new product. Cheap, too.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Safe House - Stuart Woods.

Absolutely idiotic. He or a ghost writer is dialing it in for money from a base. Stone is an idiot, Dino - a clown (how does the NYPD get off to go traveling all the time?). Cliched Texans, stupid plot, gun idiocy, stupid actions. Got it from the library - if I had paid - I would be annoyed.

Used to like Woods - I'll not pay for a book from him.

[oregon45]

I enjoyed the latest from Jack Carr: "In the Blood." I bought a signed edition with a title page personally shot-through by the author using a .338 Lapua Magnum. Did it make the book better? Yes, yes it did. :D

https://i.imgur.com/K8LdUkc.jpg?1

[Shotgun]

I wish these 202 pages of posts had a curator.

I am reading Goodbye to a River by John Graves. Excellent, contemplative read.

[Dave Williams]

Yes, even though I have absolutely no interest in a Staccato, I understand the concept of the grip module, his gun guy (he usually mentions/thanks them) should have caught that.

https://remingtonarmsusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/70.jpg

https://remingtonarmsusa.com/remington-870-dm-12-gauge-pump-shotgun-with-hardwood-stock-and-detachable-magazine/

And a typo?

Just saying, don't be a hater. ;)

I wish writers would just say “pistol” or “rifle” or “shotgun” instead of screwing up details and ruining it. Then my imagination would have the characters wielding a GSP, Scout Rifle, or Benelli M4.

[revchuck38]

I wish writers would just say “pistol” or “rifle” or “shotgun” instead of screwing up details and ruining it. Then my imagination would have the characters wielding a GSP, Scout Rifle, or Benelli M4.

Not very tactical...

90490

[RJ]

The Dark Side of Man: Tracing the Origins of Male Violence by Michael Giglieri, 2000, published by Basic Books.

I have had this book suggested to me numerous times, but never had the chance to read it. It is both profoundly enlightening, and profoundly disturbing, at the same time. Highly recommended.

[DDTSGM]

Learned of a new product. Cheap, too.

If your talking 870DM, reviews are mixed.

[Jim Watson]

But it was, to my surprise, there for a novelist to use.

I liked the scene(s) in David Drake's Lacey stories. Seems he could barely qualify with his needle stunner; so when he put a fatal needle in a crook's eye, it was just dismissed as more of Lacey's wild shooting. Riiight.

[Mark D]

Here are 4 excellent books for your summer reading list:

City on Fire
Don Winslow

I'm a fan of Winslow, especially his narco stuff. I'll check out City on Fire.


Currently reading:

All Secure: A Special Operations Soldier's Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront.


I listened to this on audio book recently and recently enjoyed it. I think Slaterly, and others with similar backgrounds, are starting to remove the stigma about PTS in special operations communities.


I enjoyed the latest from Jack Carr: "In the Blood." I bought a signed edition with a title page personally shot-through by the author using a .338 Lapua Magnum. Did it make the book better? Yes, yes it did. :D

https://i.imgur.com/K8LdUkc.jpg?1

I'm reading Savage Son right now and enjoying it. I've avoided Jack Carr's books for a while under the (mistaken) impression he was just another HSLD guy leveraging his military pedigree to get into writing, but he's actually an entertaining author. Based on a few interviews that I've seen, he seems pretty down to earth and authentic too.

[randyho]

I enjoyed the latest from Jack Carr: "In the Blood." I bought a signed edition with a title page personally shot-through by the author using a .338 Lapua Magnum. Did it make the book better? Yes, yes it did. :D

https://i.imgur.com/K8LdUkc.jpg?1
It certainly did with mine as well :cool:

[BehindBlueI's]

The Dark Side of Man: Tracing the Origins of Male Violence by Michael Giglieri, 2000, published by Basic Books.

I have had this book suggested to me numerous times, but never had the chance to read it. It is both profoundly enlightening, and profoundly disturbing, at the same time. Highly recommended.

Yup, that's a solid one. Also puts to bed the "men have to be taught how to kill" BS. We have to be taught how to not kill.

[holmes168]

I’m a little over halfway through War and Peace. I joined a book club online and read a chapter a day.

The book is daunting due to its size but breaking it down into small little bits is really easy. It’s an excellent book.

[oregon45]

I'm reading Savage Son right now and enjoying it. I've avoided Jack Carr's books for a while under the (mistaken) impression he was just another HSLD guy leveraging his military pedigree to get into writing, but he's actually an entertaining author. Based on a few interviews that I've seen, he seems pretty down to earth and authentic too.

I've been enjoying his monthly reading lists, which he was publishing regularly until early this year. Lots of quality books, many of them quite old, that have been fun reads.

[Casey]

I'm currently hooked on Saul Herzog's Lance Spector series (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/20226007.Saul_Herzog). Starts off a little shakey with an over-the-top super-special-agent protagonist, but I'm on book five now and can't put it down. Much of the series focuses on US-Russia relations and while fiction, the parallels with what's actually going on in the world right now are eerie.

[BehindBlueI's]

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Summer-Boys-Bill-Rivers-ebook/dp/B09KXD3SXY/


Last Summer Boys, free with Kindle Unlimited. I've not generally been terribly impressed with the free books but this one was really good. It's a more complex story than you originally assume and it steadily picks up steam. Set in Vietnam War era Appalachia and told from the perspective of a boy trying to keep his older brother from being drafted, it's an interesting setting and the characters come to life. I really enjoyed this one.

[Bigguy]

Beneath A Scarlet Sky (https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Scarlet-Sky-Mark-Sullivan-ebook/dp/B01L1CEZ6K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LM1FB6BGHF3C&keywords=beneath+the+scarlet+sky+by+mark+sullivan&qid=1657392542&sprefix=Been%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-1)
91317 (https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Scarlet-Sky-Mark-Sullivan-ebook/dp/B01L1CEZ6K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LM1FB6BGHF3C&keywords=beneath+the+scarlet+sky+by+mark+sullivan&qid=1657392542&sprefix=Been%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-1)
5 of 5 stars.

This is written as a novel, though it is based on real people and real events. It follows a young Italian boy fighting the NAZIs as a spy, assigned to a powerful German general.
The story focuses on the personal impact the war had on the protagonist, his friends and family. I found the book powerful and hard to put down. It left an emotional impact on me that lasted for several days.
This is definitely a worthy read. Even if you’re not a fan of historical fiction or World War II, the human story alone will keep you enthralled with this book.

[BehindBlueI's]

https://www.amazon.com/North-Paradise-Memoir-Ousman-Umar-ebook/dp/B094JM3PDB/

North to Paradise.


A memoir of the author's immigration from Ghana to Spain. After getting burned on "As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me" I'm skeptical as to some of the details, but maybe it's true. I just never found myself rooting for the author despite his story and it has to be the most colorless and bland telling of an 'adventure' I've seen. Throw in a little Africa sucks because White Supremecy and I nearly gave up on it then.

It's blessed brief. I read the book in a couple hours. It's free for Kindle Unlimited, which makes it a bit better knowing at least I didn't pay for it. It's not a *terrible* book, but not one I can recommend either.

[Coyotesfan97]

After watching Dark Winds I’m starting to reread Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee series. I’m enjoying it a lot.

[Jay585]

King of Dogs by Andrew Edwards

Excellent read, finished the book yesterday only to start re-reading it later that night.

Summary of the book on the author's webpage: https://www.goldengoatguild.net/summary

Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082FS6KHF/

Buy from the author's website: https://www.goldengoatguild.net/all-provisions?category=Books

[blues]

After watching Dark Winds I’m starting to reread Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee series. I’m enjoying it a lot.

I read a handful of the books years ago. I've been trying to remember how accurate this series depiction is to what I read back then. Looking forward to seeing episode 6 and how things wrap up.

[Coyotesfan97]

I read a handful of the books years ago. I've been trying to remember how accurate this series depiction is to what I read back then. Looking forward to seeing episode 6 and how things wrap up.

That’s a lot of why I started reading them again. I just started book 3 Listening Woman which is the story line Dark Winds is using.

[Bigguy]

Just a thought.
I do paid reviews for Webleads. Understand. Amazon is aware of, and amenable to, these reviews. Webleads has an agreement with them. Reviews are to be honest, not necessarily good. I’ve left 1 and 2 star reviews. But, at 2 books per week, I’ve about exhausted their offerings. So I started looking for something to read.
I’m not paying $15.00 for an eBook, even from a known author. I used to work at a library I still have a library card and can get most of their works free. But, I noticed a lot of books on Amazon available from .99¢ to $2.99. These are usually new authors. Some are blech, but many are darn good. I’ve really enjoyed these reads. Plus, I’m contributing to a new (or Indie) author and have the chance to leave a good review for somebody who needs it.
Going a step further, I discovered that as an Amazon Prime member, there a lot of book available to me at no cost.
I’ve read great works by well know authors, and … I’ve read manure by well known authors. I’ve read great works by unknown authors, and … I’ve read manure by unknown authors. And, at about the same percentage.
I’ve decided to keep trying new and Indie authors. Good for them, good for me, and good for literary archive.
If you look for my Goodreads page, you can find my reviews for these books.

[Coyotesfan97]

I just finished The Last Paladin by PT Deutermann. I really liked it. It’s based on a true story from the Pacific theatre in WWII involving a Destroyer Escort transferred from the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific that was very successful hunting Japanese subs.


“The Last Paladin by P.T. Deutermann is based on the true story of the USS Holland (DE-24), a World War II Atlantic Fleet destroyer escort which has spent the past two years in the unforgiving battle for survival against the German U-boats of the North Atlantic.

Summoned to relieve destroyers that are bogged down by escort duty in the escalating Pacific Theater, the Holland is met with a rather cold reception. In the eyes of Pacific Fleet sailors, North Atlantic convoy duty pales in comparison to the bloody, carrier-sinking battles of Savo Island and Guadalcanal. However, Atlantic Fleet ships have had to specialize in one thing: anti-submarine warfare.

The Holland is sent off into remote South Pacific operating areas with orders to find and destroy Japanese submarines—but with little expectation of success. Her commanders take the mission literally; using radio intercepts that are being ignored at higher levels, they determine that the Japanese have set up a 1000-mile-long picket line of six submarines, an entire squadron's worth, to act as a moveable barrier against the expected American advance into the next set of islands. These submarines are poised to sink every American aircraft carrier and destroyer and to change the course of the war.”

If you liked Greyhound I think you’ll like The Last Paladin.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Stuart Woods died. Perhaps he was ill (84 years old) and that's why his last book was so terrible. A loss as some of his works were quite entertaining. Perhaps some hack will take over the series.

[idahojess]

Clarence Thomas's memoir, "My Grandfather's Son" about his youth and his years leading up to his appointment on the Supreme Court was a worthwhile read.

The story of his upbringing and his rise from pure poverty in the segregated south through hard work is quite inspiring. He is no stranger to racism. Although the book was published in 2007, his perspective is quite valuable in today's world. And, of course, he has nothing good to say about a certain then-Senator from Delaware.

As he said after being nominated, "In my view, only in America could this have been possible."

[Ed L]

Practical Handgun Training: A Practical Guide in the Important Aspects of Handgun Use and Handling Paperback https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988882817?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

This book was written by someone who was with the NYPD from the late 60s until I believe 1990 when he retired as a Lieutenant in the NYPD Firearms & Tactics Unit. He then went on to serve 20 years as the Police Chief of Wellfleet MA. While with the NYPD he worked as a detective and more importantly in the firearms and tactics section. In the book he details some police and civilian shootings that he saw while on the NYPD, and the lessons that they held. Just the NYPD info on firearms and training is well worth the rice of the book.

By the title of this book, one would expect the book to be a basic book on handguns and training. But it's much more and delves into areas not found in other books. It is not a basic book; it is a comprehensive book. The Author details NYPD training and selection of firearms, ammo equipment, and training in a way that I have not seen in other books. He covers things like legalities, avoidance, awareness and tactics. Everything, even things that I already knew, were presented in a way that was enjoyable to read and interesting.

I first stumbled upon the author on the S&W forum, where I read his many interesting posts, then somehow discovered that he had written a book about them. It was not something that he frequently mentioned.

[blues]

Sounds like an interesting book Ed L

Thanks for mentioning it.

[Ed L]

The same author wrote a book about his time working undercover as a member of the Jewish Defense League. Rookie Cop: Deep Undercover in the Jewish Defense League by Richard Rosenthal.. I am reading this book at the moment.
Before he went to the academy, he was interviewed and selected to take part in the BOSSI, later known as Special Intelligence Services and also as the Special Services Division) was a unit .that operated as a part of NYPD intelligence and served to try to infiltrate dangerous movements. The author was assigned to infiltrate the Jewish Defense League (JDL). The Jewish Defense League was a group ostensibly created to protect Jews, but had became an activist group that was active at protests and was likely to take place in violent activities and acts of terrorism.

Sidenote--I did get to see their late founder and leader, Meir Kahane speak at my college, Hofstra University in Hempstead Long Island NY in the early 1980s. He came on campus to talk, and myself and a friend from ROTC attended in hopes of seeing something interesting. Kahane was backed up by a bunch of large young men in Army Jackets with the emblem on them of a Jewish Star with a fist in the middle. At one point we heard a "clank" sound, which to me sounded like a baseball bat falling ion the hard floor. I noticed one the JDL guys reach down for something that fell in hold it under his jacket.

I also saw something very suspicious from an attendee who sat in a row in front of us. He was dressed casually and wearing a Hebrew Skullcap known as a Yamulke. However he was carrying a black zip up case in his lap. I whispered to my friend that the guy was packing an Uzi. My friend made demonstrable hand gestures and said, "Don't be silly, Ed, it's a musical instrument." I replied that I am not familiar with any musical instruments that have a folding stock --because there was the clear outline of a folding stock. In I believe 1990 the JDL founder and leader, Meyer Kahane was assassinated while making a speech.

[blues]

Ed L

Back in the latish 70's when I was applying to NYPD, they were recruiting many new folks to do undercover ops against various political organizations. I know one of my buddies, a Puerto Rican from the Bronx, was selected to do a UC op on Puerto Rican separatist / terrorist groups at the time.

I ended up going federal, but I was recruited in a similar fashion by my first agency. They had me going in on traditional organized crime targets as well as a 1% motorcycle club operating in NYC and Long Island. When that assignment was completed I was sent to the academy a few months afterward.

It seems that NYPD and the feds were doing similar ops to target what they considered "organized" threats.

[Ed L]

blues,

One thing that I didn't explain is in the case of the author, Richard Rosenthal, the NYPD had him infiltrate the Jewish Defense League before he attended the police academy. They did this because of his unique background, being Jewish and former Army intelligence, because of the immediacy, and because they felt if he went to the academy it might make him more traceable and recognizable. They also did not want him to pick up any cop-like behaviors.

According to the book, he took the NYPD test and did the standard interviews, then got invited to take additional interviews. At first the interviews were kinda generalized, then they got specific about him infiltrating the JDL. They had him set up with BOSSI, later known as Special Intelligence Services. He kept in contact with them by phone and also met with them at no name offices that they used as a front. This happened in 1969. I am 1/3 through the book. It's quite interesting how he joined the JDL in an outer borough group and worked his way to the main NY JDL group run by the founder, Rabbi Meir Kahane, and advanced into various positions of trust. There were some members who were openly suspicious of the author, but he managed to deflect it. If I had to come up with a motto for the JDL of that time to describe their level of competency it would be, "JDL: Baader-Meinhof we're not."

From: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780965457880

"In 1969, just before he was to be sworn in as a New York City police officer, Rosenthal was recruited as an undercover agent for the force's ""intelligence gathering"" department. His job: infiltrate the Jewish Defense League, the militant group led by Rabbi Meir Kahane that had disrupted public hearings and assaulted some members of other extremist groups, and was seen to have the potential for more trouble. So Rosenthal told people he decided not to join the force, drove a cab as cover and--sans gun, badge or training--quickly became a regular at demonstrations protesting the Soviet Union's unwillingness to let Jews emigrate. His presence was opportune: the JDL was expanding its violent aims, gathering weapons and bomb-making materials."

[Stephanie B]

Hell and Back (https://www.amazon.com/Hell-Back-Longmire-Craig-Johnson/dp/0593297288) is the latest Longmire book. I'm a couple chapters into it; I don't call it a "mystery", for it isn't. In the acknowledgements at the beginning, the author says it is "a Western gothic-romance with tinges of horror."

I don't know if this book is going to pass the 100-page test (if a book doesn't grab me within that many pages (sometimes less if it's obviously sucky), I close it). But even two chapters in, I'll venture to say that this is not a standard Longmire book and if you like those, you may want to think hard about skipping this one.

I understand that authors may feel the urge to take their characters in different directions. But when it comes to best-selling series, that's risky. People who order up a steak dinner don't expect (and probably don't want) the taste of fish or tofu. I'll see how it goes, but this book may have the potential for blowing up the Longmire series like a German torpedo hitting a gasoline tanker.

So far, I'm thankful that I got it from the library.

[Pepper]

I really enjoyed it. It was a cover to cover in one sitting book for me. I have the time. :D

[blues]

I read the first handful of Longmire novels until my eyebrows started hurting from being raised for too many hours on end.

I made it through the TV series with much the same reaction...but my wife enjoyed it a lot so I went along for the ride.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Been getting into The Parker Series, written by John Connolly - strange series. It's well written and some of them are pretty good lone wolf detective investigates crimes along with a pair of assassin - antihero buddies who also look for bad guys.

But then there is a strange supernatural thread where entities intervene in the thriller story. Like when a Neo-nazi is being pursued and going to take out Parker and his daughter goes all Carrie on the bad guy. Also, Parker has a daughter murdered horribly but she pops up and intervenes from the behind.

Like them, he uses the language well. Deep South is a good Southern based mystery without the supernatural.

[feudist]

The story of the first "War on Crime"
Author Bryan Burroughs accesses millions of declassified FBI documents about the 1933-1934 "Dillinger Days" .
He follows all the episodes in a nearly minute by minute account of Dillinger, Nelson, Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, Karpis and the Barkers. As well as the flounderings of publicity addicted Melvin Purvis and the downright sinister machinations by jealous and vindictive Hoover. Current FBI leadership hasn't fallen far from the tree.
Well told and detailed.
Also recommended by Burroughs is Days of Rage, about the (actual) Domestic Terrorist movements in America during the 1960 and 1970s. This one will leave you shaking your head in disbelief at the MSMs complicity in memory holing the unbelievably vicious activities of many "Civil Rights icons" who remain highly influential as today's liberal darlings.

[Stephanie B]

So far, I'm thankful that I got it from the library.

A solid *meh*. Craig and James Lee Burke ought to do a Longmire-Robicheaux mashup, since they've both drifted into the Terrain of the Weird.

Unless you're a serious fan, then this one deserves a pass. Maybe he'll get back on tack for the next book. I don't know. but I'm done unless I hear otherwise.

[0ddl0t]

I just finished listening to Jack Carr's terminal list book series. Book 1 (The Terminal List) was okay, books 2-3 were better, book 4 started getting a little preachy/unnecessarily political, and book 5 (In The Blood) was a bit of a disappointment. The series is perfectly adequate revenge porn to have playing in the background as you do something else.

[LHS]

I just finished S. Craig Zahler's "Wraiths of the Broken Land"

I really enjoyed his first movie, "Bone Tomahawk", and when I discovered he was a novelist before he became a filmmaker, I knew I had to give his books a whirl. This book is supposedly the one he wanted to make into a film, but couldn't get enough funding to do it, so he used the basic plot as an inspiration for Bone Tomahawk. The basic plot is pretty simple: a family and their friends ride south into Mexico to rescue their womenfolk from sex slavery in a brothel. The violence is, as you might expect if you've seen Bone Tomahawk, intense (to put it mildly). I almost put it down after the first chapter, and again after the second. But I powered through and was rewarded with a very well-written book with complex characters, period dialogue, and a few interesting plot twists. It felt like a Cormac McCarthy book with the nihilism dialed back to a more tolerable level. It's certainly not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

Also, he's not a gun guy, and kept talking about swapping tubular magazines in the characters' repeater rifles, which from the descriptions were either lever guns or Spencers (he kept talking about characters cycling the trigger guards to load new rounds). Maybe he was thinking about the tubular speed loaders that existed for Spencers, I don't know.

[Coyotesfan97]

I just finished S. Craig Zahler's "Wraiths of the Broken Land"

I really enjoyed his first movie, "Bone Tomahawk", and when I discovered he was a novelist before he became a filmmaker, I knew I had to give his books a whirl. This book is supposedly the one he wanted to make into a film, but couldn't get enough funding to do it, so he used the basic plot as an inspiration for Bone Tomahawk. The basic plot is pretty simple: a family and their friends ride south into Mexico to rescue their womenfolk from sex slavery in a brothel. The violence is, as you might expect if you've seen Bone Tomahawk, intense (to put it mildly). I almost put it down after the first chapter, and again after the second. But I powered through and was rewarded with a very well-written book with complex characters, period dialogue, and a few interesting plot twists. It felt like a Cormac McCarthy book with the nihilism dialed back to a more tolerable level. It's certainly not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

Also, he's not a gun guy, and kept talking about swapping tubular magazines in the characters' repeater rifles, which from the descriptions were either lever guns or Spencers (he kept talking about characters cycling the trigger guards to load new rounds). Maybe he was thinking about the tubular speed loaders that existed for Spencers, I don't know.

You’d like his book A Congregation of Jackals and this book blues turned me onto, Mean Business on North Ganson Street

[0ddl0t]

But dammit, is Craig Johnson the only person in Wyoming who has never seen or shot a 19111? It sure reads like it. After the umptteenth mention of Walt's "large-framed Colt", I wanted to throw the book across the room. Except it's from the library and all library books get treated with respect.

I'm partway into Longmire book 3 (Kindness Goes Unpunished), but I have to vent about Craig Johnson's blatant unfamiliarity with pistols. In it he writes about a bunch of lawyers at a Philadelphia gun range across the room being impressed by the massive boom from his 1911 and how one of these lawyers flicked the safety on his Glock.

I do find myself enjoying the quasi curmudgeon character of Walt and his banter with various characters though.

[DDTSGM]

I pre-ordered John Sandford's latest release Righteous Prey and received it a couple days ago.

To me the plot was somewhat plausible, a group of bitcoin billionaires get together and decide to start killing assholes. I pretty much agreed with their choices, asshole number three was a ghost gun manufacturer, and unfortunately Sandford's anti-gun bias showed through.

Aside from that, it was a good read. I'm a fan of his writing, so I'm not going to say I'm going to swear off him as a writer at this point.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Yeah, he mocks lots of civilian SD gun owners. On the other hand, he trained Letty up to speed in that awesome gun fight she had with two Cartel members, fighting wounded, one handed, manipulating a 1911 well. Then a rather cold blood set of killing shots that probably weren't political correct. Virgil is not a gun fan.

Letty is a touch of sociopath like Lucas when it comes to using deadly force. Love her. I'm on the library wait list for the book. My shelves are too full now. Same for the ongoing Mitch Rapp book (so so, since someone else took over).

Currently reading a technical book on British sail warships.

[DDTSGM]

Yeah, he mocks lots of civilian SD gun owners. On the other hand, he trained Letty up to speed in that awesome gun fight she had with two Cartel members, fighting wounded, one handed, manipulating a 1911 well. Then a rather cold blood set of killing shots that probably weren't political correct. Virgil is not a gun fan.

Letty is a touch of sociopath like Lucas when it comes to using deadly force. Love her. I'm on the library wait list for the book. My shelves are too full now. Same for the ongoing Mitch Rapp book (so so, since someone else took over).

The Investigator was a good read, but not sure I'd be in for the long haul on a spin-off along the same premise. that is 'I'll do it if you let me carry a gun.' Kind of strains the credibility.

I like the Flowers character. In Righteous Prey Sandford refers to Virgil and Lucas as each other's best friend. I felt sorry that Johnson Johnson didn't make the cut as Virgil's BFF.

I've read the Mitch Rapp series, agree with your assessment.

[Stephanie B]

The Car: The Rise and Fall of the Machine that Made the Modern World by Bryan Appleyard. It's a history of the car from the very beginning and its expected demise.

I could have gotten through it, if it wasn't for the author's hatred of American cars, something he expresses at every opportunity. He turned a history into a screed.

[MickAK]

https://www.amazon.com/Limited-Nuclear-War-21st-Century/dp/0804790892

On Limited Nuclear War In The 21st Century

Read this when it first came out, just reread it to refresh myself on how this school of thought goes. Pretty trippy to see how things have changed ('Russia is now a strategic partner of NATO' in the first chapter) so it's a little dated threat wise but still the best and most recent book on the topic, which is unfortunately topical.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva.

A Gabriel Alon book, but not a political/spy thriller, more of a high tech crime book as Alon is retired. Deep delve into the art world (Alon is SME) which is interesting if you are into that. Neat that middle aged Alon is still a H2H beast. Old school with a Beretta 92 though.

[rob_s]

Reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017930) and finding the insights very interesting.

If you are Gen X, you basically want to have been born (depending on your state where you went to elementary school, particularly kindergarten) between ‘73 and ‘76, in roughly December to February for the best “advantage”. In ‘75 and ‘76 the scale in Florida slides back to November and October, respectively and any time ‘77 or later would be September to this day. By now, December birthday pushes you down to tier 2.

[rob_s]

Reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017930) and finding the insights very interesting.

If you are Gen X, you basically want to have been born (depending on your state where you went to elementary school, particularly kindergarten) between ‘73 and ‘76, in roughly December to February for the best “advantage”. In ‘75 and ‘76 the scale in Florida slides back to November and October, respectively and any time ‘77 or later would be September to this day. By now, December birthday pushes you down to tier 2.

Still chipping away at this. Really, really good.

I haven’t been motivated to read much of anything of substance for ages. This book I find myself making time for.

[feudist]

At once an ode to and a condemnation of the manned space program.
Details the panic caused by the launch of Sputnik and the early successes(carefully curated by the USSR) of the Soviet space program. The Cold War was in full frigidity and there was a real fear of Nuclear war started by a Warsaw Pact juggernaut. The thought of Russian nukes overhead was frightful. It completely warped the planned, rational scientific advancement into space.
Then the Kennedy assassination and the cultish desire to honor his promise to land on the moon before 1970 imposed an arbitrary deadline causing enormous brute force efforts to achieve what was essentially a PR stunt, whose costs appalled congress after the initial panic subsided and sidelined further civilian manned space travel into obscurity.
Very funny, in the way that you laugh and cover your eyes at the same time.
Recommended as iconic pop culture literature.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Righteous Prey - a Lucas Davenport/Virgil Flowers book

It's a good light read. If you are a gun rights absolutist you might get hair on fire by a few of the comments of some but they make sense in the context of the story. Not going to give it away but the protagonist of the last, rousing gun fight had to give me pause.

Discussion question - you have a shotgun with 00, your opponent has an AR - 70 to 80 yards fight.

I see a Letty book is coming out in April. She's a Fed now for Homeland Security given her rather ruthless and accurate firearms skills.

There is a hint of Virgil and Letty unrequited lust but that's probably never going to happen, given Lucas and Franky will kill Virgil.

[feudist]

Book 1 of the Southern Reach trilogy.
After watching the excellent movie a few weeks ago I borrowed this.
The basic premise is the same: a few years ago an event occurred that resulted in an "exclusion zone" where people are apparently unable to exist. This zone is slowly expanding and inside it the natural world appears to be...changing. Technology like satellites, drones and RADAR are completely ineffective. Radio doesn't work.
The government creates a command named Southern Reach and starts sending expeditions in to investigate, but almost no one comes out and those that do are insane.
The protagonist joins the 12th expedition as a biologist in a group of 5 women, each with a separate skillset: Biologist, anthropologist, linguist, surveyor and the mission commander, a psychologist.
The team enters the "X-zone"(called the Shimmer in the movie) and immediately runs into trouble. The linguist disappears upon entry and no one has any recollection of entering the X-zone.

The book is profoundly different from the movie. Almost immediately, the first person narrator realizes that they have been deceived and manipulated by Southern Reach to the extent that none of their extensive training about the mission was based on fact. Worse, they are under extreme hypnotic compulsion by the psychologist to perform in certain ways that don't make sense, and the commander is clearly on a different mission from the others.
What slowly unveils is a deeply sinister blind chess game between Southern Reach and whatever the Entity is that is occupying the X-zone. As the narrator navigates the surreal landscape trying to decipher the real intent of the mission and what the Entity is she begins to realize the extent of the deception and ignorance of Southern Reach, which has become ever more desperate to try to comprehend the X-zone.

It's an effective riff on the Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror genre and left me eager to read the next volume.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Oath of Loyalty - a Mitch Rapp book. As with most book series taken over when the first author passes away, the continuing books aren't that good.

This is a bit of a political book as compared to a find the terrorist book. The villain is a Trumpoid President married to a Hillary type first lady. Together they plan an autocracy. They cross paths with Mitch and Irene, supported by a Bill Gates save the earth type. Plot is silly and there is being a little too much of Mitch as super duper John Wick and the super assassins who can get to anyone with some clever plan.

Worth getting out of the library, wouldn't buy.

The Hunt by Faye Kellerman - terrible book. She has completely fallen apart. Read the one stars for a legit take. There is a rumor it's ghost written I wouldn't be surprised. The attraction of the early books were the police procedurals and the interaction with Rina as an Orthodox Jew and her community. That's all gone for some crap. The previous book stunk also.

Her husband's books with Milo and the psychologist have veered into the ridiculous also. Some series go on too long. Like 90 year old Spenser still being a H2H superhuman.

[LockedBreech]

Just read a relatively new (2021 release) Stephen King book, "Later", Over 2-3 days last week. Back between 2016-2019 or so I read everything King ever wrote on a lark. I have a few authors I've done that for, he was challenging because he's pretty prolific.

King books, whether scary or non-scary, fall into 2 camps: amazing or forgettable. In my experience there's not much nuance to it. His books either stay with you for life or were clearly written quickly to fund a vacation.

"Later" was a "written-to-fund-a-vacation" book. It was not aggressively bad, but spend your time elsewhere.

This is normally a thread I'd contribute to a lot, but between early 2020 to present, I (a huge nerd, if that is not evident from my post history) decided to tackle the Warhammer 40K "The Horus Heresy" series based on a random 40K novel which I quite enjoyed. The Horus Heresy is 54 full-length novels and 10 finale novels (9 released, 1 incoming). The last major challenge I did like that was when I was a teenager and tackled all of the 60+ Animorphs young adult novels. Not content with that, I also wanted context as "Horus Heresy" is sorta the core historical context of 40K, so I read all 10 of the Eisenhorn novels, all 12 of the Ciaphas Cain novels, all 16 of the Gaunt's Ghosts novels, and a handful of other standalone books.

I'm currently on Horus Heresy Book #43 - "Garro" and I am closing in on the finale. By my current count I've read about 77 books in this series averaging about 450 pages since March 2020.

My conclusion/recommendation: delightful if you like sci-fi, horror, steampunk, and a mash-up of those that constantly touches on classics, especially Dune. However, it's a titanic commitment and slogging through a few of the less-great novels has been a chore. If you want to explore the universe without such a huge commitment, I'd recommend anything by Dan Abnett. Honestly, I think most of PF would really enjoy his Gaunt's Ghosts series. It's basically a very dark Band of Brothers in space. He's one of the only authors I've ever read who writes soldiers somewhat believably. Honorable mention would be the Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell, which is a lighter, more humor-focused series focusing on a heroic commissar who is secretly very afraid and gets lucky a lot. Very enjoyable popcorn reading.

[feudist]

Just read a relatively new (2021 release) Stephen King book, "Later", Over 2-3 days last week. Back between 2016-2019 or so I read everything King ever wrote on a lark. I have a few authors I've done that for, he was challenging because he's pretty prolific.

King books, whether scary or non-scary, fall into 2 camps: amazing or forgettable. In my experience there's not much nuance to it. His books either stay with you for life or were clearly written quickly to fund a vacation.

"Later" was a "written-to-fund-a-vacation" book. It was not aggressively bad, but spend your time elsewhere.

This is normally a thread I'd contribute to a lot, but between early 2020 to present, I (a huge nerd, if that is not evident from my post history) decided to tackle the Warhammer 40K "The Horus Heresy" series based on a random 40K novel which I quite enjoyed. The Horus Heresy is 54 full-length novels and 10 finale novels (9 released, 1 incoming). The last major challenge I did like that was when I was a teenager and tackled all of the 60+ Animorphs young adult novels. Not content with that, I also wanted context as "Horus Heresy" is sorta the core historical context of 40K, so I read all 10 of the Eisenhorn novels, all 12 of the Ciaphas Cain novels, all 16 of the Gaunt's Ghosts novels, and a handful of other standalone books.

I'm currently on Horus Heresy Book #43 - "Garro" and I am closing in on the finale. By my current count I've read about 77 books in this series averaging about 450 pages since March 2020.

My conclusion/recommendation: delightful if you like sci-fi, horror, steampunk, and a mash-up of those that constantly touches on classics, especially Dune. However, it's a titanic commitment and slogging through a few of the less-great novels has been a chore. If you want to explore the universe without such a huge commitment, I'd recommend anything by Dan Abnett. Honestly, I think most of PF would really enjoy his Gaunt's Ghosts series. It's basically a very dark Band of Brothers in space. He's one of the only authors I've ever read who writes soldiers somewhat believably. Honorable mention would be the Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell, which is a lighter, more humor-focused series focusing on a heroic commissar who is secretly very afraid and gets lucky a lot. Very enjoyable popcorn reading.

I love how the Warhammer 40K universe is so unrelentingly hostile and bleak.
It's like turning the Eastern Front to 11 and spreading it to the entire galaxy...for thousands of years.
Grimdark, indeed.
Abnett is my favorite of the stable of writers. I particularly enjoy the Eisenhorn series as it encompasses so many aspects of the Warhammer melange through his service as an Inquisitor.
Sci-Fi, horror, mystery, intrigue, action...it's a great intro and overview to the mythos. And Abnett isn't afraid to turn Warhammer up to 12.

[LockedBreech]

I love how the Warhammer 40K universe is so unrelentingly hostile and bleak.
It's like turning the Eastern Front to 11 and spreading it to the entire galaxy...for thousands of years.
Grimdark, indeed.
Abnett is my favorite of the stable of writers. I particularly enjoy the Eisenhorn series as it encompasses so many aspects of the Warhammer melange through his service as an Inquisitor.
Sci-Fi, horror, mystery, intrigue, action...it's a great intro and overview to the mythos. And Abnett isn't afraid to turn Warhammer up to 12.

Everything in your post is 110% accurate. Eisenhorn is what whetted my appetite and is still probably that universe written at its best. I read the most recent entries, Pariah and Penitent, somewhat recently and they were very solid.

[feudist]

Everything in your post is 110% accurate. Eisenhorn is what whetted my appetite and is still probably that universe written at its best. I read the most recent entries, Pariah and Penitent, somewhat recently and they were very solid.

The trilogy of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus was my gateway to Warhammer. Then the Ravenor followups, and the excellent Magos.
Pariah and Penitent are very good.
I think it's one of the best ways to be introduced to the universe because of its sweep and Abnett's writing.
His Brotherhood of the Snake is a great standalone intro to the Space Marines, and Gaunt's Ghosts for the Guard.

[LockedBreech]

The trilogy of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus was my gateway to Warhammer. Then the Ravenor followups, and the excellent Magos.
Pariah and Penitent are very good.
I think it's one of the best ways to be introduced to the universe because of its sweep and Abnett's writing.
His Brotherhood of the Snake is a great standalone intro to the Space Marines, and Gaunt's Ghosts for the Guard.

Fiancée got me Brothers of the Snake last Christmas, loved it. You may be interested to know that there is a new series, Urdesh, by Matthew Farrer, that links Brothers of the Snake and later Gaunt's Ghosts books. The first book is called Urdesh: The Serpent and the Saint, which I'm about 40% through currently (reading along with Horus #43) and the second is called Urdesh: The Magister and the Martyr. Unknown how many there will be but I'm enjoying the first so far.

I also just bought The Vincula Insurgency, which is the first part of Gaunt's Ghost stories called "Ghost Dossiers" that sorta goes back and fills in some gaps.

You may know about all these already, but if not enjoy! ​Ithaka!

[feudist]

Fiancée got me Brothers of the Snake last Christmas, loved it. You may be interested to know that there is a new series, Urdesh, by Matthew Farrer, that links Brothers of the Snake and later Gaunt's Ghosts books. The first book is called Urdesh: The Serpent and the Saint, which I'm about 40% through currently (reading along with Horus #43) and the second is called Urdesh: The Magister and the Martyr. Unknown how many there will be but I'm enjoying the first so far.

I also just bought The Vincula Insurgency, which is the first part of Gaunt's Ghost stories called "Ghost Dossiers" that sorta goes back and fills in some gaps.

You may know about all these already, but if not enjoy! ​Ithaka!

I'll check out Urdesh!

[P30]

The gospels as audio books (from YouTube for free). Since I work often at a computer screen, I like the option of listening instead of reading in my free time (recreation for the eyes).

[Coyotesfan97]

After watching All Quiet on the Western Front I got on a WWI kick. I reread The Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger who survived four years in the trenches as a German Officer. I read A Rifleman Went to War by Herbert McBride who was an American who served as a machine gunner in the Canadian army. He also was a sniper. This book was recommended here but I forget who it was. Junger and McBride are some hardcore men and it shows in their books.

I just finished Mud, Blood, and Bullets by Edward Rowbotham who was an English machine gunner from 1915-1918. He survived the Somme, Ypres, and Passchendaele. It’s a good read and I suspect he toned down a lot of things in his memoirs.

I currently reading Copse 125 which is a shorter book by Ernst Junger. The title refers to a section of woods. It’s mentioned in the prior book. I like it so far.

I’ll probably reread All Quiet. It’s been a long time since I read it.

Storm of Steel (https://smile.amazon.com/Storm-Steel-Original-1929-Translation-ebook/dp/B07Z29C1Z9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NZ167W3DK4U4&keywords=storm+of+steel&qid=1668568613&s=digital-text&sprefix=Storm+%2Cdigital-text%2C527&sr=1-1)

A Rifleman Went to War (https://smile.amazon.com/Rifleman-Went-War-incredible-first-hand-ebook/dp/B08WCCDD4P/ref=sr_1_2?crid=4L33SE2CL71X&keywords=a+rifleman+went+to+war&qid=1668568759&s=digital-text&sprefix=A+rifle%2Cdigital-text%2C177&sr=1-2)

Mud, Blood, and Bullets (https://smile.amazon.com/Mud-Blood-Bullets-Memoirs-Machine-ebook/dp/B01IIT80UG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39RYXIFD22XJP&keywords=mud+blood+and+bullets&qid=1668568853&s=digital-text&sprefix=Mud%2C+bloo%2Cdigital-text%2C181&sr=1-1)

Copse 125 (https://smile.amazon.com/Copse-125-Chronicle-Trench-Warfare-ebook/dp/B08GXZ4433/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31UZAQE1PRA08&keywords=copse+125+junger&qid=1668569010&s=digital-text&sprefix=copse+125%2Cdigital-text%2C193&sr=1-1)

[Half Moon]

After watching All Quiet on the Western Front I got on a WWI kick. I reread The Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger who survived four years in the trenches as a German Officer. I read A Rifleman Went to War by Herbert McBride who was an American who served as a machine gunner in the Canadian army. He also was a sniper. This book was recommended here but I forget who it was. Junger and McBride are some hardcore men and it shows in their books.

I just finished Mud, Blood, and Bullets by Edward Rowbotham who was an English machine gunner from 1915-1918. He survived the Somme, Ypres, and Passchendaele. It’s a good read and I suspect he toned down a lot of things in his memoirs.

I currently reading Copse 125 which is a shorter book by Ernst Junger. The title refers to a section of woods. It’s mentioned in the prior book. I like it so far.

I’ll probably reread All Quiet. It’s been a long time since I read it.

Storm of Steel (https://smile.amazon.com/Storm-Steel-Original-1929-Translation-ebook/dp/B07Z29C1Z9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NZ167W3DK4U4&keywords=storm+of+steel&qid=1668568613&s=digital-text&sprefix=Storm+%2Cdigital-text%2C527&sr=1-1)

A Rifleman Went to War (https://smile.amazon.com/Rifleman-Went-War-incredible-first-hand-ebook/dp/B08WCCDD4P/ref=sr_1_2?crid=4L33SE2CL71X&keywords=a+rifleman+went+to+war&qid=1668568759&s=digital-text&sprefix=A+rifle%2Cdigital-text%2C177&sr=1-2)

Mud, Blood, and Bullets (https://smile.amazon.com/Mud-Blood-Bullets-Memoirs-Machine-ebook/dp/B01IIT80UG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39RYXIFD22XJP&keywords=mud+blood+and+bullets&qid=1668568853&s=digital-text&sprefix=Mud%2C+bloo%2Cdigital-text%2C181&sr=1-1)

Copse 125 (https://smile.amazon.com/Copse-125-Chronicle-Trench-Warfare-ebook/dp/B08GXZ4433/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31UZAQE1PRA08&keywords=copse+125+junger&qid=1668569010&s=digital-text&sprefix=copse+125%2Cdigital-text%2C193&sr=1-1)

A couple WW1 recs:

Not a book but, If you haven't seen it, They Shall Not Grow Old (https://www.amazon.com/They-Shall-Not-Grow-Blu-ray/dp/B07S28Y8R3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3596TP4KKV5EU&keywords=they+shall+not+grow+old&qid=1668573184&sprefix=They+shall+%2Caps%2C1648&sr=8-2) is one of the greatest movies and documentaries of the last few decades. Caught it during it's theater run. Hopefully as good on the small screen.

And throwing in Falcons of France (https://www.amazon.com/Falcons-France-Charles-Nordhoff/dp/1447417062/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1668573664&sr=8-1). Fictional story of a pair of American volunteer fighter pilots written by a real life pair of American volunteer fighter pilots. Nordhoff and Hall are probably better known for Mutiny on the Bounty but this is my favorite by them. Checked Falcons out so many times in elementary school, the school librarian gave it to me when it made its way into discards 😀

[Coyotesfan97]

A couple WW1 recs:

Not a book but, If you haven't seen it, They Shall Not Grow Old (https://www.amazon.com/They-Shall-Not-Grow-Blu-ray/dp/B07S28Y8R3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3596TP4KKV5EU&keywords=they+shall+not+grow+old&qid=1668573184&sprefix=They+shall+%2Caps%2C1648&sr=8-2) is one of the greatest movies and documentaries of the last few decades. Caught it during it's theater run. Hopefully as good on the small screen.

And throwing in Falcons of France (https://www.amazon.com/Falcons-France-Charles-Nordhoff/dp/1447417062/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1668573664&sr=8-1). Fictional story of a pair of American volunteer fighter pilots written by a real life pair of American volunteer fighter pilots. Nordhoff and Hall are probably better known for Mutiny on the Bounty but this is my favorite by them. Checked Falcons out so many times in elementary school, the school librarian gave it to me when it made its way into discards 😀

I agree I saw it in the theatre twice. It’s a great movie. I love the end credits.


https://youtu.be/EtiynnETOlM

[revchuck38]

Another WWI recommendation, a historical novel: To the Last Man, by Jeff Shaara.

[Coyotesfan97]

Another WWI recommendation, a historical novel: To the Last Man, by Jeff Shaara.

I looked it up and it’s actually in my Kindle library. I don’t remember reading it (I probably did) so it’s next on the list after Copse 125.

[Pepper]

And another excellent WWI book: Men Of 18 In 1918: https://www.amazon.com/Men-18-1918-Memories-Western-ebook/dp/B09ZB7NLRG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=men+of+18+in+1918&qid=1668636919&sr=8-1

[Coyotesfan97]

And another excellent WWI book: Men Of 18 In 1918: https://www.amazon.com/Men-18-1918-Memories-Western-ebook/dp/B09ZB7NLRG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=men+of+18+in+1918&qid=1668636919&sr=8-1

It looks good plus it’s on Kindle Unlimited.

[feudist]

For a brutal fictional look at WW1 aerial combat, Derek Robinson's RAF trilogy of War Story, Hornet's Sting and Goshawk Squadron are excellent.
Goshawk Squadron in particular is evocative of the emptiness of the "Knight of the Air" romance around fighter pilots. Far from honorable man to man chivalrous jousting, it was sneaking up behind your opponent and shooting him in the back or strafing helpless infantry caught in the open.

[blues]

I know this current discussion is of earlier conflicts, but if you haven't read "Matterhorn" (https://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel-Vietnam-Karl-Marlantes/dp/0802145310) by Karl Marlantes, you absolutely should. This one is about Vietnam.

I rarely give "highest marks" recommendations. This is one of them.

[Coyotesfan97]

I know this current discussion is of earlier conflicts, but if you haven't read "Matterhorn" (https://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel-Vietnam-Karl-Marlantes/dp/0802145310) by Karl Marlantes, you absolutely should. This one is about Vietnam.

I rarely give "highest marks" recommendations. This is one of them.

I’ve read it but it’s been awhile. I might have a paper edition of it.

[DDTSGM]

I'm about a third of the way through 19 Minutes to Live: Helicopter Combat in VietNam a memoir by Lew Jennings. I underlined the word memoir because as I am reading the book the writing style of Jennings seems to reinforce the memoir concept: a narrative, written from the perspective of the author, about an important part of their life.

Jennings writes in what I would call a sparse, easy to read manner. He gets through basic, WOC flight school and advanced flight school in pages, rather than chapters, hitting the general concept of the training and a few highpoints, rather than day-by-day. Some folks may want a more microscopic view, but it suits me fine. Jennings does provide a brief history VietNam and the events leading up to the VN war, but I skimmed this portion because I was interested in reading his story.

Currently I'm reading about his first month in-country. I've gone slowly because, and this is the only fault I find with the book, the book (which is published by an apparently 'vanity' publishing company) is falling apart as I read. Random pages come unstuck from the binding of this large paperback. If you can put up with that, I think it is a good read.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/35917995-19-minutes-to-live

[Bigguy]

97292 (https://www.amazon.com/Chickenhawk-Robert-Mason/dp/0552124192/ref=asc_df_0552124192/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475746469136&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8055471785579340622&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9025685&hvtargid=pla-458241701214&psc=1)

It been a few yers sine I read this, but it was good.

[DDTSGM]

97292 (https://www.amazon.com/Chickenhawk-Robert-Mason/dp/0552124192/ref=asc_df_0552124192/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475746469136&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8055471785579340622&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9025685&hvtargid=pla-458241701214&psc=1)

It been a few yers sine I read this, but it was good.

That is an absolute understatement. Mason did a bang-up job of telling the reader what his war was like. His follow-up books don't hold a candle to chickenHawk.

About a decade ago I gifted all my VN air war books - primarily by Mark Berent and Gerry Carroll and Layne Heath - to a friend on M4C, but I couldn't part with ChickenHawk.

[Coyotesfan97]

Chickenhawk is an outstanding book.

[oregon45]

Finally got around to reading Thomas Harris' "Silence of the Lambs." If you've seen the movie, the book is still worth reading if only to see how well the movie translated the themes and mood of the book.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

English Gold Coinage 1649 - 1816, Maurice Bull. This is a specialist volume and beautiful. One of my hobbies. Since I can never afford the rariites, I collect technical texts on the subject and 'collect' so to speak, images of the rarities from the on line auction catalogs. I try to find gold pattern (experimental and trial pieces) of the world and have my own PPT catalog of such.

About the Silence of the Lambs - I read it on a long airplane flight and it gave me the creeps even though safe in the air on a bright sunny day above the clouds. Anthony's Lector along with Keith Ledger's Joke are the best movie villiany portrayal of all time, IMHO.

[Joe S]

After watching All Quiet on the Western Front I got on a WWI kick. I reread The Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger who survived four years in the trenches as a German Officer.

I've actually not read Junger's more famous works, but read The Forest Passage, which is an interesting read if you're into philosophy/socio-political philosophy.

[feudist]

Finally got around to reading Thomas Harris' "Silence of the Lambs." If you've seen the movie, the book is still worth reading if only to see how well the movie translated the themes and mood of the book.

Have you read "Red Dragon", the first in the series? I love that one, too. The rest of them are kinda meh.
Also Manhunter is far superior to Red Dragon imho, since Red Dragon was only made to let Hopkins reprise Lector

[Elwin]

Going off the WWI theme, my favorite single work of history I’ve read so far is The Vanquished by Robert Gerwarth. It’s about the aftermath of the war and basically attacks or at least contextualizes the perception that there was a period of peace between the wars. His thesis is that this was true for the victors, especially Britain, France, and the US, but not for those on the losing side (especially the smaller nations that threw their lot in with the Axis). For them, WWI “failed to end.”

It’s an engaging read and covers history most aren’t familiar with, especially in the States, as our history education in school (even if it was decent) basically covers WWI, then the Depression, then skips ahead to 1939.

[Coyotesfan97]

Going off the WWI theme, my favorite single work of history I’ve read so far is The Vanquished by Robert Gerwarth. It’s about the aftermath of the war and basically attacks or at least contextualizes the perception that there was a period of peace between the wars. His thesis is that this was true for the victors, especially Britain, France, and the US, but not for those on the losing side (especially the smaller nations that threw their lot in with the Axis). For them, WWI “failed to end.”

It’s an engaging read and covers history most aren’t familiar with, especially in the States, as our history education in school (even if it was decent) basically covers WWI, then the Depression, then skips ahead to 1939.

It sounds like a good read. The professor who taught my US military history class said the same thing. Basically the conditions put on Germany by France and Britain sowed the seeds of WWII

[Coyotesfan97]

For a brutal fictional look at WW1 aerial combat, Derek Robinson's RAF trilogy of War Story, Hornet's Sting and Goshawk Squadron are excellent.
Goshawk Squadron in particular is evocative of the emptiness of the "Knight of the Air" romance around fighter pilots. Far from honorable man to man chivalrous jousting, it was sneaking up behind your opponent and shooting him in the back or strafing helpless infantry caught in the open.

I’m starting Goshawk Squadron now. I quickly finished the first two of the series. It’s an outstanding series. The losses in the RFC are crazy. The lack of training the new pilots have is depressing.

[Elwin]

It sounds like a good read. The professor who taught my US military history class said the same thing. Basically the conditions put on Germany by France and Britain sowed the seeds of WWII

Gerwaith definitely doesn’t go out of his way to praise the victors’ handling of the aftermath. The book is basically a story about how a bunch of small countries and peoples that France and (especially) Britain didn’t understand or care about had to deal with their borders being rearranged by people who… didn’t understand or care about them.

I should revisit it. I recall there being a section on Germany as well but can’t call specifics to mind. Its coverage of the Armenian Genocide and the events that led up to it has stuck with me more than anything.

[Guerrero]

Invisible Wars: The Collected Dead Six (omnibus edition of Dead Six, Swords of Exodus, and Alliance of Shadows), by Larry Correia and Mike Kupari

I tried out Correia's Monster Hunter series, but only got through the first three. To me they were infuriatingly close to being "good" for me that I though maybe I should check out something else by Correia and maybe it would resonate better, so I tried the Dead Six series. Unfortunately, it was frustratingly close to being good. There were a lot of elements that I liked, I found the main characters engaging, I liked the metaplot, I liked that the guns and gun handling were mostly realistic, but...

but...

It just didn't quite "click" with me. I really liked Dead Six (the first novel), but the second one was kind of a slog for me, and by the time I got to the third book, I found that I was just skimming until I got to the climax (which I slowed down and actually read, because it was quite good). I wish I could better describe why the series didn't click, and it's a bit frustrating, because the Dead Six series (like the Monster Hunter series) should be something that I should really geek-out over, because there are so many individual elements that I really, really like, but in their respective combinations, it was just off the mark for me.

I'm wondering if I should be more of a masochist and try the "Hard Magic" series.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Kaikeyi: A Novel Hardcover – April 26, 2022
by Vaishnavi Patel (Author)

A little outside the norm for a p-f book but a good read. It is about Kalkeyi, the step mother of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. The story is about how she progresses as queen in a Royal court in an Indian state and her interactions with the gods and plots of a court. Not some religious text but a good story.

[Coyotesfan97]

Invisible Wars: The Collected Dead Six (omnibus edition of Dead Six, Swords of Exodus, and Alliance of Shadows), by Larry Correia and Mike Kupari

I tried out Correia's Monster Hunter series, but only got through the first three. To me they were infuriatingly close to being "good" for me that I though maybe I should check out something else by Correia and maybe it would resonate better, so I tried the Dead Six series. Unfortunately, it was frustratingly close to being good. There were a lot of elements that I liked, I found the main characters engaging, I liked the metaplot, I liked that the guns and gun handling were mostly realistic, but...

but...

It just didn't quite "click" with me. I really liked Dead Six (the first novel), but the second one was kind of a slog for me, and by the time I got to the third book, I found that I was just skimming until I got to the climax (which I slowed down and actually read, because it was quite good). I wish I could better describe why the series didn't click, and it's a bit frustrating, because the Dead Six series (like the Monster Hunter series) should be something that I should really geek-out over, because there are so many individual elements that I really, really like, but in their respective combinations, it was just off the mark for me.

I'm wondering if I should be more of a masochist and try the "Hard Magic" series.

Hard Magic is a great series. Saga of a Forgotten Warrior series is considered to be Larry’s best work. It starts with Son of a Black Sword. I’d also look at Servants of War which is co-written with Steve Diamond.

I’ve read all of MHI and I’ve read the Dead 6 series several times. I really like all of Larry’s books. I have an autographed copy of the first self published MHI. Maybe I’m not the one to give you impartial advice. LOL

[Stephanie B]

The only thing that I can say about Slow Horses by Mick Herron is, migawd, the authors of British spy novels must have been paid by the word.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Black Dog - supposedly by Stuart Woods. The last of the Stone Barrington books. It is basically contentless by the standards of the past books. A ridiculous plot and actions by all. I couldn't finish it. Just read the last 5 page. Woods is dead and I'd bet this is finished by some hack writer.

Stone was an interesting character but I hope they just finish off the series. Some series just need to die. The Kellermans have sunk as have the Parker character books.

[Bigguy]

Shooting for Aug. 1 release on Amazon.

99685

[Jamie]

I know this current discussion is of earlier conflicts, but if you haven't read "Matterhorn" (https://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel-Vietnam-Karl-Marlantes/dp/0802145310) by Karl Marlantes, you absolutely should. This one is about Vietnam.

I rarely give "highest marks" recommendations. This is one of them.

Thanks for the recommendation.
I just "borrowed" this through my County's library system (Overdrive) and it's already downloaded into my Kindle.

I was looking for Del Vecchio's "The 13th Valley", to no avail, just this morning. But I do have the hard copy...just gotta dig it out.

Just checked the Library website and they have "Chickenhawk" by Mason as well. It's in my queue. Thanks.

[blues]

Thanks for the recommendation.
I just "borrowed" this through my County's library system (Overdrive) and it's already downloaded into my Kindle.

I was looking for Del Vecchio's "The 13th Valley", to no avail, just this morning. But I do have the hard copy...just gotta dig it out.

Just checked the Library website and they have "Chickenhawk" by Mason as well. It's in my queue. Thanks.

I'll be interested to hear your impressions. I think it's a classic.

I know I've read Chickenhawk sometime back...and I think The 13th Valley as well, but it's all a jumble in my memory at the moment.

[feudist]

Hard Magic is a great series. Saga of a Forgotten Warrior series is considered to be Larry’s best work. It starts with Son of a Black Sword. I’d also look at Servants of War which is co-written with Steve Diamond.

I’ve read all of MHI and I’ve read the Dead 6 series several times. I really like all of Larry’s books. I have an autographed copy of the first self published MHI. Maybe I’m not the one to give you impartial advice. LOL

+1 for Hard Magic. It is an Alternate History genre and you are dropped mise-en-scene into the world, so you have to go with it as the exposition unfolds.

Guerrero if you are interested in another go at the MHI universe, try John Ringo's prequel trilogy Grunge, Sinners and Saints. It is the memoirs of a Monster Hunter from the 1980s known as Bad Hand, late of the USMC, a cunning linguist(he compiled the only Sasquatch vocabulary), Oxfordian scholar and incorrigible womanizer who is on a(literal) Mission From God.
Bad Hand knows 3 things: Though he walks through the valley of the shadow of death...he's a bad motherfucker guaranteed a slot in Heaven(he's actually TDA), he's doomed soon to die and needs to run up his score with beautiful women, and sushi is proof that God loves us.

[Bigguy]

I'm shooting for an Aug. 1st release on my next book, "Beneath the Delta Mud." It isn't a true prequel, but it takes place three years before the events in "From the Delta Mud." Beta readers give me positive feedback on it.

[Coyotesfan97]

+1 for Hard Magic. It is an Alternate History genre and you are dropped mise-en-scene into the world, so you have to go with it as the exposition unfolds.

Guerrero if you are interested in another go at the MHI universe, try John Ringo's prequel trilogy Grunge, Sinners and Saints. It is the memoirs of a Monster Hunter from the 1980s known as Bad Hand, late of the USMC, a cunning linguist(he compiled the only Sasquatch vocabulary), Oxfordian scholar and incorrigible womanizer who is on a(literal) Mission From God.
Bad Hand knows 3 things: Though he walks through the valley of the shadow of death...he's a bad motherfucker guaranteed a slot in Heaven(he's actually TDA), he's doomed soon to die and needs to run up his score with beautiful women, and sushi is proof that God loves us.

Chad’s nickname is Iron Hand and it was acquired from a sensei based on the way he wields a samurai sword. His sword Soul of Mourning IIRC is a constant companion. He wrote the memoirs the three books are based upon but they were recently found in the MHI library. His best friend Milo, the MHI armorer, says he is an unreliable narrator.

I really like this series. It was written by Ringo but Larry edited it to make sure it stayed within the MHI milieu.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Snowstorm in August by Marshall Karp

I read a few of Karp's books about two LA detectives. They were good, amusing reads. So I picked up this one in the library. Seems he ditched his detectives for standard super agent, terror crap.

Basically, a narco terrorists has reasons to attack NY by spraying Central Park with cocaine. For some reason the Feds are non-existant in the response. NYPD fires or demotes all the good antiterrorist, hard charging cops for PR reasons.

But wait, a small group of billionaires sets up a Bat Cave for them with their own super duper hackers that can crack into anyone and send the group after the bad guys. What an original plot!

All the neat characterization, humor and personal interplay of the earlier books is gone and it's just a Batman, Punisher fantasy.

Of course, Amazon has zillions of 5 star reviews. I usually read the .LE. 3 star reviews.

I understand selling out for the bucks. But Karp can do better than this hackneed plot.

[Jamie]

I know this current discussion is of earlier conflicts, but if you haven't read "Matterhorn" (https://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel-Vietnam-Karl-Marlantes/dp/0802145310) by Karl Marlantes, you absolutely should. This one is about Vietnam.

I rarely give "highest marks" recommendations. This is one of them.

I just finished this last night. Damn! It was excellent.

Really well written and well developed characters. Marlantes was able to paint a detailed picture.

I served '73-'82 (Corpsman), never in country but many of my friends, my Chief, and my Gunny were. It was rare they shared any of their experiences. Understood.

I still carry a "John Wayne" on my keyring.

Thank you for posting the info Blues.

[Jamie]

Just loaded "Chickenhawk" to my Kindle.

Will start tonight. Thanks for this recommendation all.

[blues]

I just finished this last night. Damn! It was excellent.

Really well written and well developed characters. Marlantes was able to paint a detailed picture.

I served '73-'82 (Corpsman), never in country but many of my friends, my Chief, and my Gunny were. It was rare they shared any of their experiences. Understood.

I still carry a "John Wayne" on my keyring.

Thank you for posting the info Blues.

You're very welcome, brother.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think it's a real classic, and a moving story.

I'm sure you'll enjoy "Chickenhawk", but I don't remember the particulars of that one offhand.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Bridge to the sun : the secret role of the Japanese Americans who fought in the Pacific in World War II
Henderson, Bruce,

Story of Japanese-American soldiers in WWII. Interesting personal stories and their role. Sad history of discrimination in the USA with the internment camps. Demonstrates how a moral panic can through the Constitution into the trash. Lesson for the future.

[feudist]

Fictional World War 2 series about the development and operations of the S.O.E. unit known as the Pinprick Raiding Forces. Immediately following Dunkirk Churchill issues his "Set Europe Ablaze" directive and various irregular units are stood up and thrown across the channel, often with minimal training or mission planning.
The narrative follows a U.S. Army lieutenant, fresh from spending years in the Philippines conducting counter guerrilla operations. He is seconded to the British and fights a successful rear guard mission at Dunkirk with a hodgepodge unit of soldiers.
This gets him noticed by S.O.E. and he is led into the wilderness of mirrors that is British Secret Intelligence in WW2.
The author is a retired Army Ranger officer with Special Operations combat experience and it shows. The story goes into great detail on the selection, training and equipping of commandos, with much emphasis on planning and troop leading procedures.
The tale ropes in many colorful characters of the era from utterly Machiavellian Dudley Clarke, the feckless David Stirling's bizarre escapades founding the SAS, to Fairbairn, Jellicoe's SBS and the LRDG.
Very entertaining and free on KIndle Unlimited.

[Duces Tecum]

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.
feudist You posted this a couple of years ago, but I've only recently found time to read it. It is a sterling read!
Thank you.


Duces

[Stephanie B]

Swann's War (https://www.amazon.com/Swanns-War-Michael-Oren/dp/1950539601/) is a murder mystery set on an island off the MA coast in 1944.

I haven't gotten too far into it, but there are some problems with the setting. The island has streetlights and people are driving around at light. My dim recollection was that there was a coastal blackout during the war and that car headlights were mostly covered. (An old guy on the Cape once told me what a PITA that was.) There is a coastal battery; the soldiers have M-1 rifles. M-1s during the war were reserved for front-line use. Basic training was done with Springfields and maybe Enfields throughout the war and homefront troops had those rifles. The NCO has a 1911, which might be possible if the battery existed before the war. The CO had a M-1 carbine; no REMF was going to get their hands on one.

I'll see if if I can get past the anachronisms and enjoy the story.

[Stephanie B]

Swann's War (https://www.amazon.com/Swanns-War-Michael-Oren/dp/1950539601/) is a murder mystery set on an island off the MA coast in 1944.

I haven't gotten too far into it, but there are some problems with the setting. The island has streetlights and people are driving around at light. My dim recollection was that there was a coastal blackout during the war and that car headlights were mostly covered. (An old guy on the Cape once told me what a PITA that was.) There is a coastal battery; the soldiers have M-1 rifles. M-1s during the war were reserved for front-line use. Basic training was done with Springfields and maybe Enfields throughout the war and homefront troops had those rifles. The NCO has a 1911, which might be possible if the battery existed before the war. The CO had a M-1 carbine; no REMF was going to get their hands on one.

I'll see if if I can get past the anachronisms and enjoy the story.

And, of course, her .45 Colt revolver has a safety.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Desert Walk - Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard book. Pretty good story. Sad times in the future for major characters. Harry is back in LAPD, not as an officer but as a consultant. It works. I also like that the book acknowledges his age and health. Some authors never aged their folks, like how Spenser became idiotic as a geezer.

Reading the Poppy War by Kuang - Asian fantasy but not realistic. Female student goes to military/magic academy and moves up the ranks.

Last:

The Swiss & the Nazis: How the Alpine Republic Survived in the Shadow of the Third Reich
Stephen P. Halbrook

Analysis of the Swiss surrounded by the Nazi. Much more complicated than just the militia and every guy with a rifle story.

[blues]

^^^^^

I think you mean "Desert Star". Maybe you better sit down and have a cool drink...;)

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Oops. Thanks for the catch. Since I used to live where it was hot and now it is cold, I'm confused.

[Stephanie B]

Swann's War (https://www.amazon.com/Swanns-War-Michael-Oren/dp/1950539601/) is a murder mystery set on an island off the MA coast in 1944.

I haven't gotten too far into it, but there are some problems with the setting. The island has streetlights and people are driving around at light. My dim recollection was that there was a coastal blackout during the war and that car headlights were mostly covered. (An old guy on the Cape once told me what a PITA that was.) There is a coastal battery; the soldiers have M-1 rifles. M-1s during the war were reserved for front-line use. Basic training was done with Springfields and maybe Enfields throughout the war and homefront troops had those rifles. The NCO has a 1911, which might be possible if the battery existed before the war. The CO had a M-1 carbine; no REMF was going to get their hands on one.

I'll see if if I can get past the anachronisms and enjoy the story.


And, of course, the female police chief's .45 Colt revolver has a safety.

I guess what bothered me the most is that, in the afterword, the author talked about all the research that he did and a;l of the old timers that he talked to. But nobody told him that Colt .45 revolvers (whether it was a New Service, a M1917 or a M1873) didn't have safeties.

[Dave Williams]

I guess what bothered me the most is that, in the afterword, the author talked about all the research that he did and a;l of the old timers that he talked to. But nobody told him that Colt .45 revolvers (whether it was a New Service, a M1917 or a M1873) didn't have safeties.

Agreed, this type of stuff is maddening to me.

[Dave Williams]

I'm doing the LeCarre Smiley series on tape, the theatrical version, on my commutes, my wife is enjoying them also.

[P30]

"Jesus of Nazareth" by former Pope Benedict XVI.

I've read the German version (because it's easier for me) and learned a lot from it. It's on Youtube as free audiobook (but I found it only in German). I still like to listen to it from time to time. The English audiobook is available on Audible. Don't know about Pope Benedict's reputation in Anglosaxony. But as far as I know, he is worldwide undisputed as a great theologian. You don't need to be a theologian to understand the book, it's written so that everybody can understand it.

[revchuck38]

P30 - He's revered among Catholics in the US for his clear understanding and advocacy of the Church's teachings. Some of the "modern" Catholics didn't like what they heard from him.

[feudist]

Daniel Bolger, 1991.
The story of one of the earliest deployments to the NTC, the National Training Center, a gigantic desert warfare training center in the California Mojave.
The NTC was a revolutionary training concept, using advanced computer tracking of units, MILES laser engagement for direct fire, computers for indirect fire and specially trained, equipped and employed OPFOR(Opposing Force) troops who fought the way that Soviet doctrine dictated that they fight. Armored units from around the country would deploy there and fight battalion and brigade style battle scenarios that were granular down to the individual tank and soldier. The units had to come prepared to go into battle with all support and logistics personnel, and supply themselves(or not) using the resources provided.
For the first couple of years the deployed units were slaughtered by the OPFOR. Units were simply inept at maneuver, logistics, coordination, security, command and control...on and on. Commanders were unable to even find the enemy, units would run out of critical supplies, or simply fall off the radio net never to show up at all. The ones that did encounter the enemy were caught in withering fire sacks, overrun by armored thrusts or simply picked off in rolling ambushes.
Bolger tells the story of his deployment as a company commander and the grim lessons learned. And they were learned, as the Gulf War proved.
The OPFOR were far better trained, led and supplied than any Warsaw Pact force could ever hope to be, and put a sharp edge on the Army.
The lessons were particularly useful because they illustrated-forcibly- that the "Fog of War"wasn't limited to actual warfare. Thus, the training principles could be extracted and taught without the attendant psychological dislocation that warped losses in combat. Denial, excuses and sanctifying mistakes by the blood spilt simply didn't work.
Everything was recorded, proctors and referees accompanied units down to the company and platoon level and after each battle there was a murderous AAR(After Action Review) that spared no one.


In June, 1984 my infantry battalion deployed to augment the OPFOR for 3 weeks. After a week of acclimation and desert training, it was a gruelling experience of essentially 24 hour combat operations for 15 days.
The experience was remarkable, and our officers, even as OPFOR, were suitably humbled by the difficulties we faced and the brutal casualty rates among the Blue Force revealed in the merciless AARs.
Our training took a quantum leap in difficulty after that.

[Darth_Uno]

Love, Death & Robots is free with Kindle Unlimited right now. Maybe it always has been, I just found out today looking for Neal Asher.

[Tapatio]

For you dog people, How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog. By Christina Hunger.

This is non-fiction. A child speech therapist gets a puppy, realizes it expresses itself very much like pre-verbal children, and trains it to "talk" by using buttons it can press with words like "outside" " help" "love you" "play" "eat" "beach."

One thing leads to another, and she trains her dog to communicate with her and her husband. Pretty interesting and inspiring story, and has practical tips on how to teach your own dog to communicate with you as hers does. You can watch videos of Stella and Christina on Youtube if you search their names.

I wonder if older dogs can be taught this way, or if you need to start when they're puppies.

Any of you dog lovin' p'fers care to have a go?

[Flamingo]

I am listening to "About Face" by COL Hackworth. I read it in the early 90s when I was a hard charging young NCO with zero combat time. I am enjoying it so far. It is a 40 hour listen.

[DDTSGM]

I agree, About Face [I] is a good read.

Currently I'm reading [I]The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 by Rick Atkinson. This is volume one in what is intended to be a trilogy, much like the Liberation Trilogy.

I'm not far into the book, just ending the second chapter, which covers the events of April 18 and 19. So far it is just as informative and easy to read as were the books of the Liberation Trilogy.

[Joe S]

I am listening to "About Face" by COL Hackworth. I read it in the early 90s when I was a hard charging young NCO with zero combat time. I am enjoying it so far. It is a 40 hour listen.

Steel my Soldiers' Hearts by him is also good.

[oregon45]

I agree, About Face [I] is a good read.

Currently I'm reading [I]The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 by Rick Atkinson. This is volume one in what is intended to be a trilogy, much like the Liberation Trilogy.

I'm not far into the book, just ending the second chapter, which covers the events of April 18 and 19. So far it is just as informative and easy to read as were the books of the Liberation Trilogy.

I read this when it first came out and have been (im)patiently waiting for the follow-up volume. It's a great, modern, telling of a familiar story with a great deal of contextual information about Eighteenth century warfare as waged by the British Empire.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

The Poppy War and Dragon Republic by Kuang. Asian fantasy war with analogs of modern countries, black powder level weaponry (but no small arms) and magic powers in special folks. Pretty good characterization.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Dead Man's Hand (The Unorthodox Chronicles Book 1) by James Butcher.

This is an urban fantasy by Jim Butcher's kids. I like the Dresden books until the last two stunk mightly. So I gave it a try. Sorry to say that it is Dresden light and a bore. The plot is like some many urban fantasy, loser makes good books. Writing is stilted with idiot swearing by the main character. Instead, of something like: OMG, Holy Shit - that a normal would say - it's Eyes of Flame, Hoping Black Evil Toads - or some 12 year old crap.

It also shows how most Amazon reviews are corrupt 4 stars - read the threes and downward. I can't even finish this one.

[UNM1136]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U1UJWOO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have known for a long time that TV chefs were either wealthy to begin with, or Italian trained. Italy and France share a border, but French chefs get all the cred.

I am only a couple of chapters in, but so far this book is fascinating...

pat

[perlslacker]

I'm reading this book (https://www.amazon.com/Space-Rogue-Hackers-Known-Changed/dp/B0BRR17PTC/) about the 80s-90s hacker scene (specifically the L0pht) by Cris Thomas, a.k.a. Space Rogue.

Very, very cool to learn about that time period and what computers were like back then. The author would take his computer to work (as a security guard) because his guard station had a phone line he could use instead of running up his phone bill at home :D

[PNWTO]

Finally finished Citizen Justice (https://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Justice-Environmental-Douglas_Public-Conservation/dp/1640123008/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=VN54MD16E400&keywords=citizen+justice&qid=1680891519&sprefix=citizen+just%2Caps%2C225&sr=8-1); fascinating man and a good read.

If you want a deep dive into some parts of post-WW2 SCOTUS or want to see how certain pieces of A Sand County Almanac came into fruition, pick it up.

Definitely will be gifting this one.

[Coyotesfan97]

Tower of Silence (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WZW8LSF?binding=kindle_edition&searchxofy=true&ref_=dbs_s_aps_series_rwt_tkin&qid=1680900760&sr=8-1) by Larry Corriea. Tower of Silence continues the Forgotten Warrior saga. It’s the fourth of the series which will conclude with the fifth book. This series is considered Larry’s best by a lot of people. If you’ve read the series before it’s a great continuation of the story. I highly recommend the series.

This isn’t the book to start with. Look for book one Son of the Black Sword (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016QP1PJW?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks&qid=1680900760&sr=8-1) to begin the adventure..

After the War of the Gods, the demons were cast out and fell to the world. Mankind was nearly eradicated by the seemingly unstoppable beasts, until the gods sent the great hero, Ramrowan, to save them. He united the tribes, gave them magic, and drove the demons into the sea. Ever since the land has belonged to man and the oceans have remained an uncrossable hell, leaving the continent of Lok isolated. It was prophesized that someday the demons would return, and only the descendants of Ramrowan would be able to defeat them. They became the first kings, and all men served those who were their only hope for survival.

As centuries passed the descendants of the great hero grew in number and power. They became tyrannical and cruel, and their religion nothing but an excuse for greed. Gods and demons became myth and legend, and the people no longer believed. The castes created to serve the Sons of Ramrowan rose up and destroyed their rulers. All religion was banned and replaced by a code of unflinching law. The surviving royalty and their priests were made casteless, condemned to live as untouchables, and the Age of Law began.

Ashok Vadal has been chosen by a powerful ancient weapon to be its bearer. He is a Protector, the elite militant order of roving law enforcers. No one is more merciless in rooting out those who secretly practice the old ways. Everything is black or white, good or evil, until he discovers his entire life is a fraud. Ashok isn’t who he thinks he is, and when he finds himself on the wrong side of the law, the consequences lead to rebellion, war—and destruction

[Casey]

Currently working my way through John Ringo's Black Tide Rising (https://www.goodreads.com/series/110176-black-tide-rising) series. It's a slightly different take on the traditional zombie apocalypse theme. Starts off a little dry, with a lot of clipped dialog, but at the end of the third book there's a pretty epic fight that had me on the edge of my seat, and which I've gone back to re-read a couple times already despite moving on to later books in the series. The books devote a significant amount of discussion to the logistics of rebuilding civilization, which I found fascinating.

[Jim Watson]

The anthologies and other author follow-ons aren't bad, either.

[Casey]

The anthologies and other author follow-ons aren't bad, either.
Agreed. I'm currently on The Valley of Shadows which Ringo co-wrote with Mike Massa. It's solid so far, although the plot leans a little more toward The Walking Dead than I'd prefer.

[Half Moon]

Empires of the Sea (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0571298192/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1681480759&ref_=tmm_pap_swatch_0&sr=8-1)

A history of the Mediterranean battles between the Ottoman Empire and Christian Europe from the Hospitallars being ejected from Rhodes to the Battle of Lepanto. Overall a good read. The narrative is sometimes uneven especially towards the end with Lepanto almost seeming an afterthought. The middle section covering the great siege of Malta is especially intense though. This part would make a heck of a movie. I'd recommend this one with a 3 out of 4.

[Tokarev]

I just finished Stephen Hunter's latest titled The Bullet Garden. Essentially a prequel to The Master Sniper. I enjoyed the book and think it is probably one of Hunter's best. At least one of his best in recent times.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[Moped]

If you like Sci/Fi, then one of my favorite authors is Marko Cloos. I highly recommend both his Frontline series of books and The Palladium series. If you like fantasy. then a great author is Sara Maas and her Glass Throne series.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Fallout - a Jesse Stone book by Lupica. A mild book for an afternoon. Not worth buying but the library is your friend. The plot is nothing original with pretty standard motivations. Jesse deals with his alcoholism. Negatives: Jesse deals with major underworld figures who for some reason are frightened of him. Right. A Native American stereotype character which if I were one, would find mildly offensive. For some reason, Parker went down that road. Some whining about Sunny and unable to move on. Yawn. But it was worth sitting in a chair for a quick read.

History: Hitler's Fatal Miscalculation: Why Germany Declared War on the United States (Cambridge Military Histories)
Part of: Cambridge Military Histories (47 books) | by Klaus H. Schmider | Jan 31, 2021

Pretty interesting detail of before his declaration us and the internal politics across the world. A side note is a discussion of how we mobilized a gigantic armed force in a short time. Points out that today we are relatively helpless if such needed to be done. Taiwan is screwed.

[blues]

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging Hardcover – by Sebastian Junger

Reading this one at the moment. Pretty good stuff so far.


We have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding--"tribes." This tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society, but regaining it may be the key to our psychological survival.

Decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians-but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species. The most recent example of that attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredibly intimate bonds of platoon life. The loss of closeness that comes at the end of deployment may explain the high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by military veterans today.

Combining history, psychology, and anthropology, Tribe explores what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging, and the eternal human quest for meaning. It explains the irony that-for many veterans as well as civilians-war feels better than peace, adversity can turn out to be a blessing, and disasters are sometimes remembered more fondly than weddings or tropical vacations. Tribe explains why we are stronger when we come together, and how that can be achieved even in today's divided world.

[Stephanie B]

Pistol & Revolver Shooting by A.L.A. Himmelwright (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41535), circa 1906

[Stephanie B]

Automatic Pistol Shooting, by Walter Winans (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41335). The book has a chapter on dueling.

[Cheap Shot]

Automatic Pistol Shooting, by Walter Winans (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41335). The book has a chapter on dueling.

Dueling really is an under served skill set among the tactical - competition training community.......

[Jim Watson]

Automatic Pistol Shooting, by Walter Winans (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41335). The book has a chapter on dueling.

LePage Galleries wax bullet dueling or the real thing?

One of the last gasps of English pistol shooting was The British Dueling Federation.
A humanoid target armed with a camera flash, blank gun, or paintball gun. Rules on how long you get to break your shot before the opponent does.

[Bigguy]

My next book will be available May 8th. It takes place in 2017, three years before the events in "From The Delta Mud." It's in the same area and has some of the same characters, but it's really a prequel. It's a different story with no plot link to the other book. "From" was a political thriller where "Beneath" is a murder mystery.

You can find me on Amazon if you're interested.

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[TNK]

The Spider's House (1955) by Paul Bowles.

[dogcaller]

I am listening to "About Face" by COL Hackworth. I read it in the early 90s when I was a hard charging young NCO with zero combat time. I am enjoying it so far. It is a 40 hour listen.


An excellent book on so many levels. Memoir, small unit leadership, big picture leadership, grit, determination, setting the example, not taking excuses but taking care of your people. We need more Hacks—a lot more. Highly recommended. I read it a couple of times years ago, and couldn’t buy it fast enough hen it popped up on Audible.

[dogcaller]

I read it years ago. It's a good book.

Agreed. I read that in the 80s, probably in 8th or 9th grade. I wore out my library card in the Vietnam war section:

Tunnels of Cu Chi, Chickenhawk, Nam by Mark Baker, Platoon Leader, If I Die in a Combat Zone by Tim O’Brien, many others... All good in their own ways. A few years ago I read The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. That’s a damn fine book, different and deeper and darker than the others—moving. Also great on Audible.

[dogcaller]

Try Not a Good Day to Die (https://www.amazon.com/Not-Good-Day-Die-Operation-ebook/dp/B000Q360E6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=not+a+good+day+to+die&qid=1573697445&sr=8-1)by Sean Naylor if you want to read more about Operation Anaconda.

That’s a good one.

[blues]

"Matterhorn" by Karl Marlantes still gets my highest marks...in addition to the ones mentioned above.

[Coyotesfan97]

With Vietnam novels I’ll always throw out Close Quarters by Larry Heineman and Sympathy For the Devil by Kent Anderson. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve read Close Quarters. I still have my bedraggled copy I bought in the mid 80s from the ASU bookstore.

ETA The 13th Valley by John Del Vecchio is a great one too.

[Coyotesfan97]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230430/5911954b54bf330b075fb84ef49faf2d.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[feudist]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230430/5911954b54bf330b075fb84ef49faf2d.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In reading the reviews on Amazon a couple stand out.
One complains that it has too much bad language. Apparently, they've never met a soldier, sailor or marine. Maybe they were in the Airforce.
Another says that, from a female perspective, too much bad language, sexualizing and denigration of women using disrespectful language.

Clearly you need to recant your recommendation.

[Coyotesfan97]

In reading the reviews on Amazon a couple stand out.
One complains that it has too much bad language. Apparently, they've never met a soldier, sailor or marine. Maybe they were in the Airforce.
Another says that, from a female perspective, too much bad language, sexualizing and denigration of women using disrespectful language.

Clearly you need to recant your recommendation.

LOL I guess I need to look at the reviews.

Oh yeah lots of bad language and two of the three female characters are prostitutes. Surprisingly soldiers visit prostitutes.

I guess the one reviewer forgot the MCs girlfriend/wife is treated respectfully.

[Coyotesfan97]

I should thank those reviews for me finding that Heinemann wrote a memoir called Black Virgin Mountain A Return to Vietnam. I never saw it before but it’s purchased now.

[dogcaller]

Friends, if you haven’t read True Grit, you don’t know what you’re missing! I read it every couple of years. It’s actually even better on Audible. A great book for all audiences.

[dogcaller]

…read Untangled.

Then read it again.

[dogcaller]

The House of Broken Angels is great read. I’m from SoCal, moved to NoCo. This book brought it all home, but you don’t need experience with Mexican-American culture to appreciate.

[dogcaller]

East of Eden by John Steinbeck. A great read. Also, Travels with Charley, by Steinbeck

[pangloss]

East of Eden by John Steinbeck. A great read. Also, Travels with Charley, by SteinbeckEast of Eden is my all time favorite. I think it is the pinnacle of English prose.

I am reading For Whom The Bell Tolls now. I've read lots of Steinbeck, but comparatively little Hemingway. Need to fix that. However, I greatly enjoyed Green Hills of Africa. It was on par with Ruark, who is my favorite in the Africana genre.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

[dogcaller]

This book (https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Mighty-Orphans-audiobook/dp/B07QC8H1BK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=257H0525V6MJL&keywords=twelve+mighty+orphans+book&qid=1682948590&sprefix=twelve+mighty+orphans%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-1) is really entertaining on several levels. A truly inspiring story, about boys and a coach with real grit and determination--beating (most of) the odds. Also interesting as a snapshot into the early years of football. I listened on Audible, and the reader is good.

[dogcaller]

I don't often read political memoirs, as I typically prefer non-fiction, but I read this (https://www.amazon.com/Never-Give-Inch-Fighting-America/dp/B09V3H4R4B/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2SQVNOS7F5MK6&keywords=never+give+an+inch+pompeo&qid=1682948863&sprefix=never+give+an+%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-1) in anticipation of his presidential run.

I enjoyed the book, and learned a lot, but it seems about 25% too long. That's to take nothing away from Pompeo's experiences, and he is a very talented, able, and I believe a moral person. First in his class at West Point, successful small business owner, congressman, director of CIA and Secretary of State. He seems to have a clear-eyed view of Washington and the world. I was really disappointed when he decided not to run. He is likable, an excellent communicator, and a happy warrior that could have crossover appeal.

[Tabasco]

"Hitler's American Gamble" ISBN 978-1-5416-1910-4. Just started, it discusses the lead up to the global phase of WWII and postulates why Hitler declared war on the US on Dec. 11 1941. That decision seems foolish in hindsight, but at the time, maybe not. "History does not repeat, but it sure does rhyme".

[Pacioli]

I don't often read political memoirs, as I typically prefer non-fiction, but I read this (https://www.amazon.com/Never-Give-Inch-Fighting-America/dp/B09V3H4R4B/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2SQVNOS7F5MK6&keywords=never+give+an+inch+pompeo&qid=1682948863&sprefix=never+give+an+%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-1) in anticipation of his presidential run.

I enjoyed the book, and learned a lot, but it seems about 25% too long. That's to take nothing away from Pompeo's experiences, and he is a very talented, able, and I believe a moral person. First in his class at West Point, successful small business owner, congressman, director of CIA and Secretary of State. He seems to have a clear-eyed view of Washington and the world. I was really disappointed when he decided not to run. He is likable, an excellent communicator, and a happy warrior that could have crossover appeal.

I agree 100%.

I just finished it last Saturday. Not a light read but a very good one. It's not a tell-all or get-even book but he does speak frankly about Washington players. I admire his respect for the foundational principles of the nation and his willingness to be open about faith.

I was also disappointed that he decided not to run. My guess is he evaluated the poo flinging party that Trump and Desantis have going and decided there's no room for a calm, decent, moral man on the stage right now.

[Half Moon]

This Kind of War (https://www.amazon.com/This-Kind-War-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/1574883348/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26M8X6WRDEBWO&keywords=this+kind+of+war+by+tr+fehrenbach&qid=1682997252&sprefix=this+kind+of+war%2Caps%2C1328&sr=8-1)
T.R. Fehrenbach

A history of the Korean War oft quoted in non-fiction and fiction. I can see why. Throughout, but especially in the first half, there are enough aphoristic statements to fill a hundred sig lines. Most amount to axe grinding, not unreasonably, regarding the political and cultural dynamics leaving the US Army unprepared to fight a ground war just scant years past the victory of World War II.

It’s in that first half which the book shines. Shifting focus between the big picture and combat operations at the platoon and company level it’s rapt reading.

In the second half, much like the war it’s reporting on, it stalls out. This is fairly common though in books covering the entirety of the Korean War. The war of maneuver, at the start of the conflict, makes for fascinating reading. Once the war settles into line keeping and patrolling there is futile small-scale violence, hill to hill, but no sweeping totality to tell with grand gains or losses. The horrors and absurdities devolve into isolated fragments.

This second half also frequently tells just enough of a story, in any given part, to leave you wanting a whole book to see the full tale and not just the glancing look given any incident. This is most true of the UN POW Camp at Koje-Do, its mis-management, and ultimate reformation after coming under command of General Boatner.

The first half builds up an expectation the second doesn’t live up to but, overall, a good read both as a book and a reflection on frontier wars.

3 out 4

[Flamingo]

I saw an interesting book posted on Soldier System, MENTIONS IN DESPATCHES (https://sabbenmidbook.com/). I looked at the sample pages from the website and I think I am going to purchase it. The price looks a little expensive but the listed price is in Aussie funny money and from a basic conversion it looks like the total price will be about $100 shipping included.

[Darth_Uno]

Orconomics and the sequel Son of a Liche. In these books, D&D or Warcraft style raiding parties are legitimate businesses with investors, and parallels to the mortgage industry. These books poke fun at banking, Wall Street, politicians (there's an orange orc who claims "no one has made more deals with the elves than me"), fantasy tropes and pop culture - there's several video game and sci fi references, including a Weyland-Yutani Corp.

They're fairly light, but great fun.

[Coyotesfan97]

Orconomics and the sequel Son of a Liche. In these books, D&D or Warcraft style raiding parties are legitimate businesses with investors, and parallels to the mortgage industry. These books poke fun at banking, Wall Street, politicians (there's an orange orc who claims "no one has made more deals with the elves than me"), fantasy tropes and pop culture - there's several video game and sci fi references, including a Weyland-Yutani Corp.

They're fairly light, but great fun.

They’re free to read on Kindle Unlimited. Orconomics is on the TBR list.

[Guerrero]

Orconomics and the sequel Son of a Liche. In these books, D&D or Warcraft style raiding parties are legitimate businesses with investors, and parallels to the mortgage industry. These books poke fun at banking, Wall Street, politicians (there's an orange orc who claims "no one has made more deals with the elves than me"), fantasy tropes and pop culture - there's several video game and sci fi references, including a Weyland-Yutani Corp.

They're fairly light, but great fun.

I just glanced at the Amazon reviews; those books look like a hoot!

[feudist]

They’re free to read on Kindle Unlimited. Orconomics is on the TBR list.

Yep, just added.

[Clusterfrack]

Bari Weiss interviewed Tim Urban (https://open.substack.com/pub/bariweiss/p/america-needs-a-self-help-book-tim-2b3) about his new book, What's Our Problem (https://a.co/d/8i40UgH). The book is only available in e-book form. I'm reading it on an iPad, and it's excellent so far.

Between 2013 and 2016, Tim Urban became one of the world's most popular bloggers, writing dozens of viral, long-form articles about everything from AI to colonizing Mars to procrastination. Then, he turned his attention to a new topic: the society around him. Why was everything such a mess? Why was everyone acting like such a baby? When did things get so tribal? Why do humans do this stuff?

105036

[Wyoming Shooter]

I'm about halfway through the Audible version of "The Old Lion" by Jeff Shaara. Great stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Old-Lion-Novel-Theodore-Roosevelt-ebook/dp/B0B9KVJHJD/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2H6L8PM480HBS&keywords=the+old+lion+jeff+shaara&qid=1685123349&sprefix=theold+lion+jeff+shaara%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1

[revchuck38]

Another good one by Jeff Shaara is To The Last Man, a novel about Marines in WW I.

[Bigguy]

105141 (https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Delta-Mud-Mr-Wheatley/dp/B0C47RZDFJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1851ZOONWS8GA&keywords=beneath+the+delta+mud+guy+wheatley&qid=1685127633&sprefix=Beneath+the+delts%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-1#customerReviews)

[Flamingo]

I saw an interesting book posted on Soldier System, MENTIONS IN DESPATCHES (https://sabbenmidbook.com/). I looked at the sample pages from the website and I think I am going to purchase it. The price looks a little expensive but the listed price is in Aussie funny money and from a basic conversion it looks like the total price will be about $100 shipping included.

The book came in and I have enjoyed what I have read so far. The book is based on letters that LT Sabben wrote home and is a great snip of life from 50ish years ago in combat. A lot of the stuff will be similar to what folks who were in Iraq/Afghanistan.

Reading the Aussie experience brings back memories for me. In 2003 I was assigned to the strategic level targeting section for the initial invasion of Iraq. I worked with some Aussie IMINT folks who were doing the first real BDA assessments from AUS aircraft strikes since Vietnam. I became pretty good friends with one of the Aussie IMINT analysts and we spent a lot of off time together. I even took him to the NRA convention in Orlando. I ran into him again in Afghanistan when he was doing IMINT support for the ASAS. The world really can be small.

105373

The author even personalized the book for me, a really nice touch.

105374

[Stephanie B]

Tom Hank's book Soon to be a Major Motion Picture is pretty awful.

[0ddl0t]

As a fan I had high hopes, but Elliot Page's memoir Pageboy is awful. It has some value as a famous transgender person's story, but the writing & (lack of) organization were atrocious, it lacked anything more than superficial introspection, it glossed over an incredible Hollywood career to focus on every real & perceived slight, and it was bizarrely crude (I didn't need to know that much about Page's defecations). Worse, Page narrates the audiobook in a disassociated monotone.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Babel:
About an alternated Victorian Era Earth run on a strange tech, using silver bars and competing languages to power things. The UK at Oxford in the center of the tech. The hero is a Chinese young man brought to Oxford to be a language scholar - to program the tech - he discovers from his mentor, the UK plans to exploit China (Opium Wars) and goes underground. Excellent writer - R.F. Kuang. She is working for her PhD at Yale with a MSc from Oxford. Born in China, came here to Dallas at age 4. Impresive talent. With award winning books - wonder if she is working hard on the degree.

[PNWTO]

I do think I've read every Abbey book.

Tagging in more appropriate thread. While Abbey isn't the author, this is a great tale of two opposites and their respective contributions to conservation and literature. (https://www.amazon.com/All-Wild-That-Remains-American/dp/0393089991/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1686859647&sr=8-4)

Every work by David Gessner I have approached so far I have found enlightening and entertaining.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Got Stuart Woods' (not him, he's dead, someone else) Near Miss from the library on CD. Couldn't finish it. Starts with the usual Stone getting involved with a woman with a bad boy friend who tries to kill Stone. Idiotic plot as BF quickly learns that Stone is friends with the NYPD Commissioner, has a history of killing quite a few people, BF of Potus, etc. Sends some guy from the gym. Stone acts like a total incompetent - wait, didn't he go through CIA or SF training awhile ago. Can't shoot, won't carry. Let's a guy just walk up and hit him in the head. Switches to the Russians chasing him and of course, they hire the typical book super duper assassin. So I just listen to the last disc. Stone is going to a party and knows he will be targeted. There are tremendous layers of security from NYPD and Strategic Services. They are all red shirted by the super duper dude and Stone has to be saved by his own shooting, GF shooting and Teddy Fay infiltratring Super Duper Assassin's squad. Totally ridiculous. If I had paid for this, I would be annoyed.

[pyrotechnic]

I just finished the "Long War" series by Christian Cameron. I really enjoyed them as well as his "Chivalry" series.

[SteveB]

https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Vintage-Departures-ebook/dp/B003F3PKY0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=213X982LED72B&keywords=the+tiger+john+vaillant&qid=1689699360&s=digital-text&sprefix=The+tiger+John+vai%2Cdigital-text%2C107&sr=1-1

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant.

Nonfiction account of a gigantic Siberian (Amur) tiger as serial killer in the almost unbelievable setting of the post-Soviet Russian Far East. Not to be missed.

[feudist]

I just finished the "Long War" series by Christian Cameron. I really enjoyed them as well as his "Chivalry" series.

Check out the Tom Swan series of novellas next.
Swan is not a professional Knight, his real interest is in history, languages and scholarship of the ancient world. But as a bastard son he finds himself captured in France and kneeling in a line, watching the French working their way along cutting the throats of men too poor to be ransomed, and waiting his turn.
When a refugee Greek Cardinal walks the line blessing the soon to be executed Swan calls out to him in Greek, and with some fast talking and selective editing of the truth finds himself briefly spared.
The Cardinal finds him intriguing and soon he has the very dangerous job of going to war torn areas and locating, buying or stealing artifacts and books from ancient Rome and Greece.
This leads us on a tour of the Near East during the time of the rebirth of interest in the art, history and learning that resulted in the European Renaissance.
Cameron's signature technical recreation of arms and armor, the brutality of the mindset of the day and the reconstruction of feudal society's power structures in transition are fascinating as usual.

[Lon]

I know I’m late to the party on this, but the Killing series by Bill O’Reilly is new to me. As in I just started reading them. Been looking at them forever. Finished Killing the SS and Killing Kennedy in the last week. Good stuff. Reading Killing the Rising Sun right now with Killing Reagan and Killing Lincoln next in line.

[Stephanie B]

Close Quarters by Larry Heinemann. It’s fiction about a soldier named Phillip Dozier in a mechanized platoon with M113 ACAVs. It’s one of my favorite Vietnam novels. I still have the battered copy I bought at the ASU bookstore back in the late 80s and I have it on Kindle. I read it once a year.

I wonder if the shade of Mr. Heinemann is smiling about the fact that, over fifty years on, M113s are doing good service in Ukraine (https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20230719.aspx).

[Coyotesfan97]

I wonder if the shade of Mr. Heinemann is smiling about the fact that, over fifty years on, M113s are doing good service in Ukraine (https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20230719.aspx).

The Ghost of Cowcatcher carries on.

[jeep45238]

A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

For a while I've been trying to remember where I read the ending paragraph as a kid - this was the novel. I was a total book worm in elementary school when reading was still for fun, knocked out Moby Dick in a day, and did this one shortly after, just didn't retain much except the excerpt about the compass directions changing.

Glad I picked it from the library.

[Joe S]

https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Vintage-Departures-ebook/dp/B003F3PKY0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=213X982LED72B&keywords=the+tiger+john+vaillant&qid=1689699360&s=digital-text&sprefix=The+tiger+John+vai%2Cdigital-text%2C107&sr=1-1

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant.

Nonfiction account of a gigantic Siberian (Amur) tiger as serial killer in the almost unbelievable setting of the post-Soviet Russian Far East. Not to be missed.

I second this.

[Lon]

For all you Monster Hunter International fans out there, I just finished the eARC of Monster Hunter Memoirs: Fever. Damn good book.

[Stephanie B]

My sister has a corgi named Ffred (she's said it's the Welsh spelling, according to no sources she's found). Ffred has one eye that is surrounded by tan fur and one that is surrounded by white fur.

One of her neighbors is an artist who, among other things, does book covers. For the Port Sunset mystery series (https://www.amazon.com/Penthouse-Pools-Poison-Sunset-Mysteries/dp/B09KDSQDX3/), the covers all feature a dog that shot of looks like Ffred. The artist admitted that it's not exactly Ffred, so they don't have to buy the rights to his image. My sister read the books and said they're decent.

So I read one. It's actually a pretty decent light mystery. There's a tad of romance, but not a lot. Now I'm on book #4.

[Jamie]

https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Vintage-Departures-ebook/dp/B003F3PKY0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=213X982LED72B&keywords=the+tiger+john+vaillant&qid=1689699360&s=digital-text&sprefix=The+tiger+John+vai%2Cdigital-text%2C107&sr=1-1

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant.

Nonfiction account of a gigantic Siberian (Amur) tiger as serial killer in the almost unbelievable setting of the post-Soviet Russian Far East. Not to be missed.


Thank you.
I just downloaded this book to my Kindle through my library system's "Overdrive" portal. Looking forward to starting it this evening.

[Coyotesfan97]

My sister has a corgi named Ffred (she's said it's the Welsh spelling, according to no sources she's found). Ffred has one eye that is surrounded by tan fur and one that is surrounded by white fur.

One of her neighbors is an artist who, among other things, does book covers. For the Port Sunset mystery series (https://www.amazon.com/Penthouse-Pools-Poison-Sunset-Mysteries/dp/B09KDSQDX3/), the covers all feature a dog that shot of looks like Ffred. The artist admitted that it's not exactly Ffred, so they don't have to buy the rights to his image. My sister read the books and said they're decent.

So I read one. It's actually a pretty decent light mystery. There's a tad of romance, but not a lot. Now I'm on book #4.

For a buck on Kindle I’ll try it. :D

[Casey]

For all you Monster Hunter International fans out there, I just finished the eARC of Monster Hunter Memoirs: Fever. Damn good book.
I just started on this today and I'm enjoying it so far. The MHI main storyline is great, but in many ways I found the Ringo-authored Memoirs books to be the best of the series. Hope this is similarly good.

[Lon]

I just started on this today and I'm enjoying it so far. The MHI main storyline is great, but in many ways I found the Ringo-authored Memoirs books to be the best of the series. Hope this is similarly good.

Agreed. I’m a huge fan of most of Ringo’s stuff. His Memoirs are some of his best.

I’d say (based on this sample of one), that Ringo’s Memoirs have a slight edge. But not much.

[pyrotechnic]

I just finished "A man at Arms" by Steven Pressfield. I didn't like it. I think mostly because I just couldn't give a shit about any of the characters. I think it's one of the few books of his that isn’t written from a 1st person perspective.

I have loved every other book of his that I have read "Killing Rommel" "The Afghan Campaign" "The Profession" "Last of the Amazons" and have read "Gates of Fire" a handful of times. I guess I didn't care much for "Virtues of War" as the ego of Alexander the Great was hard to connect with.

I'm a bit bummed as he's one of my favorite authors and just kept on reading hoping that it would get better.

[BehindBlueI's]

East of Eden by John Steinbeck. A great read.


East of Eden is my all time favorite. I think it is the pinnacle of English prose.


East of Eden was a great book but a horrible experience for me. It legitimately depressed me in the way only really good writing can. I had to read some fluffy bullshit afterward to break out of it.

[Coyotesfan97]

My sister has a corgi named Ffred (she's said it's the Welsh spelling, according to no sources she's found). Ffred has one eye that is surrounded by tan fur and one that is surrounded by white fur.

One of her neighbors is an artist who, among other things, does book covers. For the Port Sunset mystery series (https://www.amazon.com/Penthouse-Pools-Poison-Sunset-Mysteries/dp/B09KDSQDX3/), the covers all feature a dog that shot of looks like Ffred. The artist admitted that it's not exactly Ffred, so they don't have to buy the rights to his image. My sister read the books and said they're decent.

So I read one. It's actually a pretty decent light mystery. There's a tad of romance, but not a lot. Now I'm on book #4.


For a buck on Kindle I’ll try it. :D

I enjoyed the first one and got the second. Thanks Stephanie!

[Cheap Shot]

https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Vintage-Departures-ebook/dp/B003F3PKY0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=213X982LED72B&keywords=the+tiger+john+vaillant&qid=1689699360&s=digital-text&sprefix=The+tiger+John+vai%2Cdigital-text%2C107&sr=1-1

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant.

Nonfiction account of a gigantic Siberian (Amur) tiger as serial killer in the almost unbelievable setting of the post-Soviet Russian Far East. Not to be missed.

I was rooting for the tiger..........

[Cheap Shot]

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Angel-John-Sandford-ebook/dp/B0B6B5JZZ4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=K1SN36NFE1Q3&keywords=dark+angel+john+sandford&qid=1690296249&sprefix=dark+angel%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1

Dark Angel (A Letty Davenport Novel Book 2)

Letty Davenport, the tough-as-nails adopted daughter of Lucas Davenport, takes on an undercover assignment that brings her across the country and into the crosshairs of a dangerous group of hackers.

Very entertaining and well written. Highly recommend

[dogcaller]

I guess what bothered me the most is that, in the afterword, the author talked about all the research that he did and a;l of the old timers that he talked to. But nobody told him that Colt .45 revolvers (whether it was a New Service, a M1917 or a M1873) didn't have safeties.

Too bad. I was sort of considering this one. The author (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Oren) is a really sharp guy. Former Israeli diplomat to the US. 30 yrs in IDF. I’ve listened to a segment with him on the Hugh Hewitt show for years. Maybe non-fiction isn’t his thing, but he’s great for explaining Israeli politics.

[Half Moon]

The Grey Seas Under (https://www.amazon.com/Grey-Seas-Under-Perilous-N/dp/1585742406/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=the+grey+seas+under&qid=1690738970&sr=8-1) by Farley Mowat.

The story of the salvage tug Foundation Franklin. Born 1918 as the deep sea tug HMS Frisky, she was laid up and decaying in Hamburg when found in 1930 and restored by Foundation Maritime. Operating out of Halifax, Canada she would spend the next 18 years performing North Atlantic rescue and salvage.

Written in 1958, the book has a somewhat old-fashioned tone of conversational journalism. Early on it is a gripping read. These first rescues grab you with hair-raising detail and intensity. All while watching the crew evolve from questionable amateurs, disdained by insurers and shipping companies, to hard driving professionals. By mid-book it falls somewhat into a blurry run of wartime rescues that almost wear you out. With her successor tied up for repairs, the ending though brings it home, as Franklin, shabby, neglected, and planned for retirement, goes out to sea for one last rescue...

Overall a good book with an uneven middle. 4 out of 5.

[rainman]

The Grey Seas Under (https://www.amazon.com/Grey-Seas-Under-Perilous-N/dp/1585742406/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=the+grey+seas+under&qid=1690738970&sr=8-1) by Farley Mowat.

The story of the salvage tug Foundation Franklin. Born 1918 as the deep sea tug HMS Frisky, she was laid up and decaying in Hamburg when found in 1930 and restored by Foundation Maritime. Operating out of Halifax, Canada she would spend the next 18 years performing North Atlantic rescue and salvage.

Written in 1958, the book has a somewhat old-fashioned tone of conversational journalism. Early on it is a gripping read. These first rescues grab you with hair-raising detail and intensity. All while watching the crew evolve from questionable amateurs, disdained by insurers and shipping companies, to hard driving professionals. By mid-book it falls somewhat into a blurry run of wartime rescues that almost wear you out. With her successor tied up for repairs, the ending though brings it home, as Franklin, shabby, neglected, and planned for retirement, goes out to sea for one last rescue...

Overall a good book with an uneven middle. 4 out of 5.

Your post brought back memories of the book; I read it many years ago. Totally agree with your critique; it did fall flat in the middle during the wartime rescues. Thought the ending/last rescue was incredible. Might make a hell-of-a movie, along the lines of 'The Perfect Storm'.

If ever a ship had a soul, this one did...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_Franklin


Thanks for the review.


-Rainman

[Coyotesfan97]

The Grey Seas Under (https://www.amazon.com/Grey-Seas-Under-Perilous-N/dp/1585742406/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=the+grey+seas+under&qid=1690738970&sr=8-1) by Farley Mowat.

The story of the salvage tug Foundation Franklin. Born 1918 as the deep sea tug HMS Frisky, she was laid up and decaying in Hamburg when found in 1930 and restored by Foundation Maritime. Operating out of Halifax, Canada she would spend the next 18 years performing North Atlantic rescue and salvage.

Written in 1958, the book has a somewhat old-fashioned tone of conversational journalism. Early on it is a gripping read. These first rescues grab you with hair-raising detail and intensity. All while watching the crew evolve from questionable amateurs, disdained by insurers and shipping companies, to hard driving professionals. By mid-book it falls somewhat into a blurry run of wartime rescues that almost wear you out. With her successor tied up for repairs, the ending though brings it home, as Franklin, shabby, neglected, and planned for retirement, goes out to sea for one last rescue...

Overall a good book with an uneven middle. 4 out of 5.

I ordered a used copy through Abe’s. I’m looking forward to reading it.

[feudist]

Your post brought back memories of the book; I read it many years ago. Totally agree with your critique; it did fall flat in the middle during the wartime rescues. Thought the ending/last rescue was incredible. Might make a hell-of-a movie, along the lines of 'The Perfect Storm'.

If ever a ship had a soul, this one did...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_Franklin


Thanks for the review.


-Rainman

Ever see The Finest Hours?

[oregon45]

Just finished Dead Fall from Brad Thor. I'd give it a 4/10, mainly because it reads more like a precis of a novel than an actual novel. I wish Thor would have taken another 6 months, and another 200 pages, and actually fleshed out the characters and plot points. The protagonist, Scott Horvath, has never been as well developed as other long-running thriller protagonists, but this book adds nothing at all to the character.

[rainman]

Ever see The Finest Hours?

Have not but will put it on my list. Thanks for recommending!


-Rainman

[BN]

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Angel-John-Sandford-ebook/dp/B0B6B5JZZ4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=K1SN36NFE1Q3&keywords=dark+angel+john+sandford&qid=1690296249&sprefix=dark+angel%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1

Dark Angel (A Letty Davenport Novel Book 2)

Letty Davenport, the tough-as-nails adopted daughter of Lucas Davenport, takes on an undercover assignment that brings her across the country and into the crosshairs of a dangerous group of hackers.

Very entertaining and well written. Highly recommend

I just finished this. It's pretty good in the John Sanford, shoot them all and let somebody else sort it out, way. I can recommend it.

I started a Stone Barrington book the other day, but I quit after a few chapters. That character annoys me.

[DDTSGM]

The Lucky Bastard Club: A B-17 Pilot in Training and in Combat, 1943-45 by Eugene Fletcher

This is actually two books in one - the second half is entitled Fletch's Gang and it is actually the portion of the book that follows the crew through 35 missions.

All in all a pretty interesting book about the training of a B-17 pilot and the forming of a bomber crew during the last portion of training. It is an interesting look at how the crew builds cohesion told from the perspective of the pilot, Fletcher.

Fletch's Gang is written around letters the pilot wrote to his wife and flight diaries kept by the crew's bombadier and navigator.

I found it interesting, though, I pretty much sped read/skimmed the letters.

Would recommend. I checked it out from the library but it is available from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Bastard-Club-Training-Fletchers/dp/0295972327

[DMCutter]

I haven't read the entire thread but searched and only found one mention of Nelson DeMille. He's hands down my favorite author for leisure reading. For more weighty stuff I really liked Leon Uris, especially Mila 18, and James Michener, The Source being my favorite. It can be tough to wade through the first hundred pages detailing the regional geology of the subject area in Michener's books but it's educational.

[blues]

I haven't read the entire thread but searched and only found one mention of Nelson DeMille. He's hands down my favorite author for leisure reading. For more weighty stuff I really liked Leon Uris, especially Mila 18, and James Michener, The Source being my favorite. It can be tough to wade through the first hundred pages detailing the regional geology of the subject area in Michener's books but it's educational.

I've read at least some of the offerings by each of those authors...and have enjoyed them.

Mila 18 was a powerful book read during my teen years.

[Stephanie B]

I've read at least some of the offerings by each of those authors...and have enjoyed them.

Mila 18 was a powerful book read during my teen years.

Mila 18 was what got me into owning weapons.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Finish the Collector by Daniel Silva. A Gabriel Allon book about a convoluted Ukraine/Russia plot. A touch far fetched by a super competent Allon and friends but not totally unrealistic. Good read and moves well. Love Allon as a character. Makes me want to buy a Beretta 92. He does carry in small of the back - maybe it's an Israeli secret agent thing but it's chambered and good to go. He is a lightning draw and is a supernatural marksman. Also, great H2H guy for a middle aged gent with a back back.

[Stephanie B]

I picked up the first book in the Bobiverse series We are Legion (We Are Bob).
(https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680587) So far, I like it.

[Stephanie B]

The Longmire Defense. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593297318) No spirits or witchcraft or any of that stuff. Just good old crime and corruption. Much better than the last few books.

[Lester Polfus]

The Longmire Defense. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593297318) No spirits or witchcraft or any of that stuff. Just good old crime and corruption. Much better than the last few books.

I'm starting it later tonight. I've been saving it for the long weekend we're taking out in Eastern Oregon.

The feedback he received about the supernatural/spiritual elements of the last couple books has been really polarized. People either loved it or hated it.

[feudist]

I picked up the first book in the Bobiverse series We are Legion (We Are Bob).
(https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680587) So far, I like it.

That series has a clever premise and storyline.

[Stephanie B]

I'm starting it later tonight. I've been saving it for the long weekend we're taking out in Eastern Oregon.

The feedback he received about the supernatural/spiritual elements of the last couple books has been really polarized. People either loved it or hated it.

I thought those belonged in the SF/Fantasy section. Especially with time-travelling back a century or so.

I still think that Johnson should collaborate with James Burke on a Longmire/Robicheaux mashup. Both VN vets, both rocking 1911s.

[Stephanie B]

The Longmire Defense. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593297318) No spirits or witchcraft or any of that stuff. Just good old crime and corruption. Much better than the last few books.

109263

[Stephanie B]

When someone tries to write a book with the main character someone else originated, it almost always seems off. Like an instrument out of tune.

The Second Murderer: a Philip Marlowe Mystery is just such a book. I closed it at 80 pages in.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

On that note, just finish Code Red, the latest Mitch Rapp. I thought the previous one was ridiculous with Mitch bringing down the President because Mitch is so scary, the crooked President quits. This one isn't bad, readable and moves along. Not as good as the originals, sadly.

Reading a book on the Boer War, didn't no much about it. Interesting but you really can't root for either side of imperialists or racists.

[Stephanie B]

Reading a book on the Boer War, didn't no much about it. Interesting but you really can't root for either side of imperialists or racists.

Sometimes, you want both sides to lose. Or at least a pyrrhic victory for the winner.

[0ddl0t]

4 stars:

Going Infinite
Michael Lewis


A very sympathetic look at the rise and fall of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, written by the skilled story teller behind Blindside, Moneyball, and The Big Short. It dispels a lot of myths, but it is also hard to say how much of the book is just Michael Lewis subconsciously justifying his having recommended that friends invest in SBF.

As an example, you may have heard that the executives lived in one giant penthouse in the Bahamas and engaged in orgies. It turns out the penthouse had individual "pods" which were all equal in size reflecting sort of a communal goal/worth. Those living in that penthouse were all nerds who subscribed to "effective altruism" - the belief that they could do the most good in the world by accumulating as much money as possible and spending it on worthy causes. If they were a doctor, they believed they might save hundreds of lives in their lifetime... But if they weren't a doctor, someone else would be and save those lives anyway. If they were investment bankers, they could amass fortunes which could save tens or hundreds of thousands of lives. If they weren't investment bankers, someone else still would be and would just spend that money on sports cars and houses. Thus they had turned to finance and ultimately, cryptocurrencies.

Most of these EA adherents also embraced utilitarianism, which did not value monogamy. So while they embraced the philosophy of polyamory, there were no wolf of wall street orgies. Instead there was a lot of multiplayer online video gaming...

Nearly $9 billion was missing when FTX collapsed and ultimately Michael Lewis explains it as SBF being a mavericky eccentric who didn't follow normal procedures and just didn't track where money went because he assumed it'll turn up sooner or later (as missing funds had in the past). At the time of the writing, bankruptcy trustees found over $7 billion in various poorly documented accounts and identified another $1 billion that had been lost in various overseas hacks & exploits unconnected to SBF.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Reading the Last Politician about Biden. Like to read legit books that have a modicum of fair analyses of politics.

Waiting for a book about Commander. My story on why I bite everyone around me. I feel sorry for the dog.

[Coyotesfan97]

I’m currently reading Monster Hunter Memoirs: Fever by Jason Cordoba and Larry Corriea. It’s set in 1970 in LA as a new MHI team sets up shop in CA. I’d highly recommend it. It’s currently the #1 seller in urban fantasy.

Monster Hunter Memoirs: Fever (https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Hunter-Memoirs-Fever-Book/dp/B0CK413X16/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1L4MGXVZIJAAQ&keywords=monster+hunter+memoirs+fever&qid=1696531296&sprefix=Monster+hunter%2Caps%2C227&sr=8-1)

Chloe Mendoza and her team from Monster Hunter International must seek out and destroy an ancient evil threatening Los Angeles at the height of Disco Fever.

Los Angeles: the 1970s.

Disco is king, and the nightclubs are full of young, beautiful people with Saturday night fever. From the Sunset Strip to Hollywood Boulevard, a new era is dawning. But below the glitz and glamor, a darkness lurks.

Chloe Mendoza knows darkness. She is a nagualii, a half-demon created by the gods of Central and South America, a daughter of the Court of Feathers, a group of demigods who ruled Mesoamerica before the Spanish arrived.

Now, she is a member of Monster Hunter International’s latest team, based in the LA Basin. Business is good in the City of Angels, but soon Chloe gets a message from the Court of Feathers, warning her of a Dark Master who is building up its power in the region. Whatever it is, it brings death and carnage with it.

[feudist]

Walter Jon Williams, 1987.
Cyberpunk murder mystery thriller.
Several hundred years from now people with moderately high disposable income can have themselves cloned and kept available in storage as "clone insurance" by having their memories downloaded and updated frequently.
A "beta" clone, Steward, wakes up and finds out his memories haven't been updated in 15 years and his "Alpha" original self had been murdered.
He tries to reconstruct both why he was murdered and (even more importantly) why the Alpha never updated his memories. In his former life he'd been an elite mercenary fighting for one of the multi-planetary corporations that acted like nations.
His investigation takes the reader on an exploration of this murky future world of interstellar travel, posthumans, savagely amoral corporations and the memory of a hideously brutal war to the knife on an alien planet.
The implications and consequences of cloning are interesting, Steward is now 15 years younger in body, mind and soul than his contemporaries that include a(now) ex-wife with whom he's still in love, a new wife and child he's never met, a fellow veteran who fought with him in the War, and grudge holding people and organizations that he literally hasn't met yet.
This, along with the Neuromancer trilogy and Michael Swanwick's Vacuum Flowers is one of my favorite Cyberpunk novels from the 1980s.

[Kanye Wyoming]

Reading a book on the Boer War, didn't no much about it. Interesting but you really can't root for either side of imperialists or racists
Although not a book, Breaker Morant is not only a great movie about the Boer War, but one of the best movies of all time. The acting is beyond superb.

[Half Moon]

Walter Jon Williams, 1987.
Cyberpunk murder mystery thriller.
Several hundred years from now people with moderately high disposable income can have themselves cloned and kept available in storage as "clone insurance" by having their memories downloaded and updated frequently.
A "beta" clone, Steward, wakes up and finds out his memories haven't been updated in 15 years and his "Alpha" original self had been murdered.
He tries to reconstruct both why he was murdered and (even more importantly) why the Alpha never updated his memories. In his former life he'd been an elite mercenary fighting for one of the multi-planetary corporations that acted like nations.
His investigation takes the reader on an exploration of this murky future world of interstellar travel, posthumans, savagely amoral corporations and the memory of a hideously brutal war to the knife on an alien planet.
The implications and consequences of cloning are interesting, Steward is now 15 years younger in body, mind and soul than his contemporaries that include a(now) ex-wife with whom he's still in love, a new wife and child he's never met, a fellow veteran who fought with him in the War, and grudge holding people and organizations that he literally hasn't met yet.
This, along with the Neuromancer trilogy and Michael Swanwick's Vacuum Flowers is one of my favorite Cyberpunk novels from the 1980s.

D'Accord...

[Casey]

I’m currently reading Monster Hunter Memoirs: Fever by Jason Cordoba and Larry Corriea. It’s set in 1970 in LA as a new MHI team sets up shop in CA. I’d highly recommend it. It’s currently the #1 seller in urban fantasy.
I enjoyed this one, but it wasn't nearly as good as the Grunge/Sinners/Saints trilogy.

I'm about a third of the way through Scott Sigler's The Crypt (https://www.amazon.com/Crypt-Shakedown-Military-Sci-Fi-Novel-ebook/dp/B0C2D9VHM5). This is the first book of his I've read, and I'm enjoying it so far.


"The only way out is to die...

Few know the warship’s actual name. Fewer still know what it really is. And almost no one knows of its unique ability, an ability that could tilt the balance of power if not outright win the war.

But everyone has heard the rumors. Rumors about the worst place the Planetary Union Fleet can send you. Rumors of a ship with an eighty percent crew mortality rate. In these hushed, fearful whispers, the ship does have a name.

People call it “the Crypt,” because those aboard are as good as dead.

The PUV James Keeling can do something no other vessel in existence can do — slip into another dimension, travel undetected, then re-emerge onto our plane and surprise enemy targets. But the thing that makes the Crypt unique also makes it a nightmare for those onboard; interdimensional travel causes hallucinations, violent behavior, and psychotic breakdowns.

Keeling could be the Union’s greatest weapon, a game-changing asset that can defeat the bloodthirsty zealots of the Purist Nation, the Union’s mortal enemy. If, that is, the brass can find the right crew.

But with those dark rumors traveling at lightspeed throughout Fleet, sailors with connections, with favors to call in, or those with careers on the rise pull any string they can to avoid being assigned to the Crypt. The brightest and best shield themselves from this top-secret craft, yet the brass mustsend it out on critical missions.

As the war drags on and casualties pile up, Fleet crews the ship by assigning the worst of the worst. If you are convicted of assault, fraud, cowardice, theft, rape, murder — or you cross the wrong Admiral — you may find yourself aboard the Crypt. Most are given a choice: serve a two-year stint on the Keeling and have your record expunged, or be executed for your crimes.

Welcome to the PUV James Keeling, where the only way out… is to die."

[Coyotesfan97]

That sounds like going to war on the Event Horizon…

[Coyotesfan97]

I started reading the Deed of Paksenarrion series by Elizabeth Moon after I saw Tamara recommend it. I just finished the first book Sheepfarmers Daughter and I’ve started the second Divided Allegiance. I really liked the first. It’s got a lot of action and I enjoyed the story.


Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter may be the daughter of a humble sheep farmer in the far north end of the kingdom, but she dreams of so much more. After refusing her father’s orders to do the sensible thing and marry the pig farmer down the road, Paks, runs away to join a band of mercenaries, dreaming of daring deeds and military glory. But life in the army is different than she imagined, and her daydreams at first seem to be turning to nightmares. But Paks refuses to let her dreams die—and does her duty with honor and integrity. Her path is an arduous one, but it will transform her into a hero remembered in songs, chosen by the gods to restore a lost ruler to his throne

[Jim Watson]

'The Battle of Waffle Haus 814' is a minor fun piece.
Seems the Waffle Haus chain is where the supernaturals can hang out under human glamour. Just to keep things straight, the night cook is a wizard. But Orcs can get combative. Good thing MHI conventioneers are having a late meal.

[Half Moon]

Guns of the American West (https://www.amazon.com/Guns-American-West-Dennis-Adler/dp/0785825509/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1INIPVCZFFSMS&keywords=guns+of+the+american+west+dennis+adler&qid=1699237052&sprefix=guns+of+the+american+west+dennis+adler%2Ca ps%2C164&sr=8-1) by Dennis Adler

111117

It's a coffee table book so pictures count for more than narrative and, man, does it have pictures. Gloriously engraved firearms from a hundred-year span sprinkled in with obscure oddities. It has me surfing GunBroker and such for engraved handguns and single actions in assorted flavors. It's a bad influence! :-)

Narratively, it's uneven. Adler's love for the cap and ball through conversion era shows through in loving detail. I picked up a fair amount of trivia along the way: like the Colt Navy being named for the naval battle scene engraved on the cylinder. Moving into the true cartridge period it becomes more a recitation mixed with some stories of better-known gunmen of the time. Towards the end it rapid brushes through long guns and ends with early 20th century firearms. The latter part feels almost tacked on both in writing and photographically.

Overall not bad for a bookstore bargain bin find. 3.5 out of 5

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Reading:

Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty
Baumeister Ph.D., Roy F.

Very relevant to today's world

Storm Landings: Epic Amphibious Battles in the Central Pacific

The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler

--- Have them scattered around the house, so I can pick up one wherever I sit. Hey, I thought, I was supposed to scatter guns around the house (LOL).

[feudist]

By Peter Attia.
Attia is a physician whose practice is oriented around what he terms "The Centenarian Decathlon", recognizing the reality of age related physical decline and preparing to be as healthy and active as possible in your "last decade". He is not particularly optimistic about extending the average lifespan much beyond 100 due to what he calls "The Four Horsemen": Atherosclerotic disease, Cancer, Neurodegeneration and Metabolic Disease.
What he advocates is extending your "Healthspan" into your eighties and nineties by attacking the Horsemen early-as early as your twenties. According to him, atherosclerosis begins as early as the teen years as found in homicide autopsies. The roots of many cancers and forms of neurodegenerative diseases are decades in the making and Metabolic disease is a huge force multiplier in all causes of mortality, and a growing primary factor in many.
His attack vectors are exercise, nutrition, correct pharmacology(he's adamant about aggressive control of blood pressure, plus lipid and blood glucose management) and earlier, more frequent cancer screening. There's a big emphasis on sleep, the amount and quality. Apparently a sleep deprivation regimen can turn highly conditioned athletes into metabolic copies of diabetics for the duration of the test. There's a strong correlation between chronic low quality sleep and some forms of neurodegeneration.
The most powerful lever you can pull(by a factor of five) is exercise, a mixture of strength training, Vo2 max capacity and building robust mitochondria via LISS aerobic exercise. After that comes a long term eating strategy(he's agnostic about various diets like Keto, Mediterranean, Vegan and Zone) that maintains an energy balance so that calories match calories out. Then prescription meds as indicated and assorted screenings.
Paradigm shifting? Hardly. But a very hard nosed, skeptical and well rounded exposition of the current state of health maintenance, All Cause Mortality and the realities of life expectancy for the foreseeable future.
He also has a podcast and YouTube channel that are deep dives into various health, diet and exercise topics. He is an excellent interviewer, carefully eliciting clear(sometimes deeply technical) explanations from his guests.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Judgement Prey - a Davenport and Flowers novel.

It is an enjoyable, procedural. Bad guys, interesting characters. Not particularly horrible psychopaths as from other books, so not memorable villains. Chased down by pretty regular police work with a nuance of interesting victims. A few things are off:

1. Total shooting incompetence by all involved. The bad guys, good civilians, Lucas, Virgil are totally crappy shots. Lucas is supposed to be a pro but NOPE. Virgil, in hick mode, takes a pump gun to a fight at distance. He can shoot an AR (did in the past) and it is only mildly effective. Certainly, not up to Letty's almost sociopathic, super killer gun fights.

2. A good person gets shot in the leg (everyone gets shot in the leg in this book). Lucas, yells for someone to get a towel and hold it against the wounds. Uh, certainly, I don't know detective equipment loads but not even a TQ in the car? Glenn, the FOG, throws a SWAT-T Tourniquet in his back pocket. A better TQ in the car kit. So Virgil and Lucas go to stake out an oncoming killer with just a handgun and pump gun? No vests, lights, etc.

I've read suggestions that some of the books are ghosted, maybe as this reads a little off. But I liked it.

Now reading a novel about a Hollywood scandal, and Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia - fascinating look at what happened in Japan after their defeat. Also, a good dive into what is a war crime (very relevant to today).

[Stephanie B]

The Little Liar, by Mitch Albom. Jewish Greek kids in the Holocaust. Got fifty pages in and closed it.

I’m not reading books about Germans murdering Jews and Jewish kids. I’ll instead read books about people fighting and killing Germans.

[feudist]

GTT was scratched onto doors by men on the run from the law or feuding neighbors to let their families know that they were "Gone To Texas", and likely wouldn't be coming back..
This is the book that Eastwood adapted for the classic movie. Much of the dialogue is lifted straight from the novel and the overall story is the same.
The book is a far more detailed study of character, time and place. There is no Amnesty massacre, Wales and Jamie are robbing a bank when Jamie is shot.There is a lot more concentration on Wales' evasive tactics as he wolfs his way through Missouri, the Indian Nations and into Texas. The characters are somewhat different, with Jamie being little more than a kid and Lone Watie a younger and more dangerous man. Fletcher, Captain "Red Legs" Terrill and the Carpetbagger are movie composite characters.
The care, rest and feeding(graining them especially) of the horses is a paramount concern for Wales (his giant roan is a full blown character), as is constant attention to his(many) cap and ball revolvers.
Vivid descriptions of the Missouri Guerrillas, several Indian tribes particularly the Cherokee and Comanche, and the general outlawry in Reconstruction Texas are are fascinating and give enormous texture to the story.
There is a wonderful scene of Lone Watie moseying into a Texas trail herd camp, riding the grubline and looking to buy grain for the horses. In a few paragraphs, the entire culture of the post-Civil War Texas cowboy is painted with an authentic depth seen only in a few stories.
Highly recommended.

[Stephanie B]

Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson.

Wreck divers find an unknown U-Boat 230 feet down. It toox six years to find an artifact that identified it.

[dtw]

Agreed- "Shadow Divers" is excellent. Very Cool story , and Kurson does a masterful job of telling it.

[rainman]

Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson.

Wreck divers find an unknown U-Boat 230 feet down. It toox six years to find an artifact that identified it.


Agreed- "Shadow Divers" is excellent. Very Cool story , and Kurson does a masterful job of telling it.

That was an excellent read. Despite the fact that it's been nearly 20 years since I read it, some things that I still vividly remember...


The number of deaths associated with the wreck
The 'mindset' of wreck divers and wreck diving in general
The great lengths they went to and risks taken to solve the mystery of the 'Uh-who?'


Side note, the final foray into the wreck when they found what was needed to identity the wreck (and I won't spoil it) could easily be an entry in our "Nope" thread.


-Rainman

[Cheap Shot]

Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson.

Wreck divers find an unknown U-Boat 230 feet down. It toox six years to find an artifact that identified it.

Another book written by Kurson regarding diving and John Chatterton

113226

Pirate hunter

https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Hunters-Treasure-Obsession-Legendary/dp/0812973690/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1703954702&sr=1-8

Chattertons wife during the Shadow Divers time period was a professional shooter

[Jamie]

GTT was scratched onto doors by men on the run from the law or feuding neighbors to let their families know that they were "Gone To Texas", and likely wouldn't be coming back..


I hadn't even thought of reading this but it sounds right up my alley.

Found on Amazon and ordered. Thank you!

[Stephanie B]

That was an excellent read. Despite the fact that it's been nearly 20 years since I read it, some things that I still vividly remember...


The number of deaths associated with the wreck
The 'mindset' of wreck divers and wreck diving in general
The great lengths they went to and risks taken to solve the mystery of the 'Uh-who?'


Side note, the final foray into the wreck when they found what was needed to identity the wreck (and I won't spoil it) could easily be an entry in our "Nope" thread.

John Chatterton is very lucky/skilled that he didn't end up as the fourth diver to die on that wreck. it probably would have remained the U-Who if he had.

[Dog Guy]

Shattered Sword: The untold Story of the Battle of Midway. By Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Highly recommended.
I cringe when I see "untold story" or "behind the scenes" but this title is accurate, and the book is not some nutty revision of history.
They look at Midway from the Japanese perspective with a deep dive into how their naval history and culture shaped the decisions that were made by the Japanese commanders.
They also go deeply into Japanese carrier layout and technology, and how this limited their options in responding to new intel as the battle developed.
I've read a lot of naval history, and this was still a worthwhile addition to my library.
Published in 2005 so apologies if it's already been covered here.
Parshall is a frequent guest on the "Unauthorized History of the Pacific War" podcast. Their pacing is rather slow, more like some buddies BSing about history instead of a focused presentation but it's still pretty good when you need to pass some time. https://www.youtube.com/@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar

[dtw]

I haven't read the "Pirate Hunter" book yet, but John Mattera, one of the subjects , wrote both a handgun and a shotgun
instructional book.

[BehindBlueI's]

https://www.amazon.com/Talent-War-Jack-McDevitt/dp/0441012175

Science fiction 'historical fiction mystery' sort of book. Story is good, but not great. What is great, IMO, is the world building and the writing style. Story really picks up in the last 1/3 of the book, but the writing itself is rock solid throughout.

[feudist]

https://www.amazon.com/Talent-War-Jack-McDevitt/dp/0441012175

Science fiction 'historical fiction mystery' sort of book. Story is good, but not great. What is great, IMO, is the world building and the writing style. Story really picks up in the last 1/3 of the book, but the writing itself is rock solid throughout.

McDevitt wrote the definitive realistic "First Contact" novel in the 80s:The Hercules Text.
An ancient beacon from a long extinct civilization is detected at the EM "water hole" by radio telescopes. Amid great controversy and furor the message is slowly decoded.
It's not an invitation to join the Federation or the secret to FTL, it's a remembrance from a dying race sent out like a message in a bottle, on a sea without a shore.
Hauntingly beautiful and melancholy.

[blues]

So...I'm not really a sci-fi reader but for rare exceptions, like the "Three Body Problem" trilogy and a few others...but the other day, not being able to decide what to read, I picked up "Terms of Enlistment" by Marko Kloos.

Kind of surprised that halfway through the book I'm still enjoying it. So, I know I've got another half to go, but is the rest of the series worth pursuing if I manage to get through the second half as happily as the first?

(And what about his other work?)


I've never read Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" which the Kloos book is compared to often, but I have a copy so might look at it down the road as well.


Thanks guys. You know a lot more about this genre than I do, so I appreciate the input.