Book Recommendations

[Odin Bravo One]

I believe our own @Giving Back, knew Kyle personally.

I was the acting platoon chief during the Sadr City missions in 2008.

[Joshmill]

I think Orwell's Animal Farm and especially 1984 should be required reading in every high school. 1984 is the best. The movie was great but the book was 100 times better.

[Wondering Beard]

it is a great library system. A lot of times it has both audio and ebook. In some cases I buy the audiobook to go with the ebook, as I did with Fall’s Street without Joy. I see The Centurions is an audiobook available on audible, and I spend more than a case worth of ammo annually with them on a frequent reader plan, so I added it to my for later and will get to it soon. Thanks for the suggestion.

ETA Amazon has the translation of The Praetorians for 4.99 as well.


i am on the fence about gates of fire so far. The narrator on the audible version is good but has at times a plaintive quality to his delivery that doesn’t go as well with the text, but it’s relatively early days yet.

I've never gotten into audio books because if my eyes leave the letters, I'll start focusing on something else and miss the story. Shame about the narrator though since Pressfield's prose is interesting.

I hope you get good translations for Larteguy's books; French translated into English can lose some of the intent of the author. I suppose it's the same for most translations but somehow it struck me more for the French to English than, for example, Italian/Spanish to English. In any case, with a good translation, I hope you will enjoy yourself and get an opening on a very different view for events you know.

[BehindBlueI's]

I've never gotten into audio books because if my eyes leave the letters, I'll start focusing on something else and miss the story.

Mind wandering and people talk slower then I want to listen. I tried audiobooks at faster speeds but anything approaching my reading speed sounds like a mouse who's parachute won't open.

[Medusa]

I have learned to listen at 1.5 speed and retain everything while still being able to do other tasks. Audio is fine at 1.5 speed. I do read faster, but the ability to read while traveling or doing housewife things or have one earphone in while walking our adorable knucklehead dog a few miles every day radically increases my overall ability to read a lot of books instead of only relying on eyeball reading time, which has more limits. That’s how I read 77 books last year, and a similar number year before.

pressfield’s prose is ok. Regarding French translations, I don’t speak it so will have to take what I’m offered. I know little about the Algerian war and look forward to learning more.

I've never gotten into audio books because if my eyes leave the letters, I'll start focusing on something else and miss the story. Shame about the narrator though since Pressfield's prose is interesting.

I hope you get good translations for Larteguy's books; French translated into English can lose some of the intent of the author. I suppose it's the same for most translations but somehow it struck me more for the French to English than, for example, Italian/Spanish to English. In any case, with a good translation, I hope you will enjoy yourself and get an opening on a very different view for events you know.

[Coyotesfan97]

Recommended with some reservations, because I have nothing but contempt for the cause he ultimately served (my own family was fighting it--the wreckage of an uncle's B-17 is spread over the Carpathians), but:

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Combat...s%2C123&sr=8-1

is a good one. There's a lot of "Ostfront" lit, but this is the best I have read. It is well translated, and the introduction (by an American historian) addresses the revisionist elements. Read the reviews and the "look inside" for yourself.

To tee it up: he started the war as a gunner on a 37mm Pak, was promoted to officer and went on to get a Tank Destruction badge using a Panzerfaust--and survived to surrender to the Russians in the Courland pocket at the end of the war.

His book is on a shelf somewhere in my house. I recommend it. Its probably next to my paper copy of The Forgotten Soldier.

[Gater]

His book is on a shelf somewhere in my house. I recommend it. Its probably next to my paper copy of The Forgotten Soldier.

Realizing I forgot to spell it out: In Deadly Combat, Gottlob Herbert Bidermann

My copy is in the same spot, next to Forgotten Soldier. IMHO, more substance from Biderman, more style in Sajer. Both worth the read.

Again, not to distract from the literary, but:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypn7UJvHNtM

One of the actions he describes is taking on three tanks, in succession, with the 37mm—and watching his first hit ricochet off. Next shot was at 40 meters.

[Wondering Beard]

I have learned to listen at 1.5 speed and retain everything while still being able to do other tasks. Audio is fine at 1.5 speed. I do read faster, but the ability to read while traveling or doing housewife things or have one earphone in while walking our adorable knucklehead dog a few miles every day radically increases my overall ability to read a lot of books instead of only relying on eyeball reading time, which has more limits. That’s how I read 77 books last year, and a similar number year before.

pressfield’s prose is ok. Regarding French translations, I don’t speak it so will have to take what I’m offered. I know little about the Algerian war and look forward to learning more.

The Algerian War is fascinating, to me at least. It is argued, mostly correctly I think, that the airmobile tactics used by the US in Viet Nam were first really developed by the French in Algeria; The French military systematically (and nearly officially), extensively and mostly successfully used torture for intelligence purposes (it was sort of a "lessons learned" from dealing with the Germans and the Viet Minh - not a good reason but that's what was argued); It led to the straight up mutiny (and attempted coup) of a couple of regular (not conscript) army units and of a few generals, who took up terrorism against the French government for a few years after (the basis for Frederic Forsyth's 'Day of the jackal'); it led to the Fall of the Fourth French Republic and its effects are still being felt nowadays. For France, losing its empire was a shock to the system that still isn't fully digested.

[TAZ]

Currently reading:


If you're a MacArthur fan dont read it

[Gater]

I'm a little slow on the draw with an Easter recommendation, but if you are unfamiliar with the story of:

https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Dong-H.../dp/155750587X

AKA, Ripley at the Bridge...you should check it out.