Jump to content

Recommended Posts

While cleaning out some old books, I came across another good one:

11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month

By Joseph Persico

Awesome book about the conclusion of WW1. A great view into the trenches, it was heartbreaking because, for reasons of personal vanity or perceived political gain, a few US and British generals scheduled last minute attacks. Some only an hour before the armistice. Can't even imagine what it would have been like to be a grunt that made it all the way through the war and with only an hour left, suddenly being told to get ready to go over the top and attack the German trenches. The Germans were equally amazed but that didn't stop them from mowing down the charging troops.

Well worth reading.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...

Wanted to add two more books to this list.

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour by James Hornfischer. This is the same guy who wrote Neptune's Inferno, another really well done book about the USN at Guadalcanal.

It's the story of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, specifically the near destruction of escort carrier group Taffy 3 by one of the most heavily armed Japanese battle groups that every went into combat. The only thing between these slow escort carriers and the Japanese fleet were a few destroyers and destroyer escorts. Great book, highly recommended.

Also recommend The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It's the story of the building of the Panama Canal. Fascinating stuff. To be honest, anything by David McCullough is a must read, he is an outstanding author.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Recently read that I'd recommend to those who haven't read them?

The Invasion of Canada 1812-1813 by Pierre Berton (War of 1812)

Bush Telegraph by Stephen Hume (Essays on BC history and other BC-related subjects)

The Rebel League by Ed Willes (history of the World Hockey Association)

Vlamgat by Dick Lord (Mirage F1 in South African service)

The Cleanest Race by B. R. Myers (Subtitle: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why it Matters)

I devour books on a wide array of subject, so... yeah. :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm reading The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick. Not a whole lot of new information about Custer's 7th but a good read nonetheless. I read Stephen Ambrose's Custer and Crazy Horse before that and really loved it.

And I will add the 10th recommendation for Fighter Pilot!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just finished an interesting book titled "Flying Into Midnight." Can recommend it! Before that I came into a mint condition copy of "White Feather". It's autographed by the two authors and Carlos Hathcock! Highly recommended! Right now I'm rereading "Thud Ridge", and I'm finishing up the chapter titled "Kingpin Six".

gary

Link to post
Share on other sites

if you want to read one that'll make you hair stand up, then look for "Hundred Miles Of Bad Road", by Dwight Birdwell. No Greater Love is another to look for. John Plaster's book "SOG" is a must read if your into special ops stuff. He will answer a ton of questions, and I know more than one of the guys he interviews, so I trust it.

gary

Edited by ChesshireCat
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 11 months later...

Tom Clancy's (RIP) passing made me think about this old thread. Figured I'd add a few more books that I've really enjoyed in the last year or so.

"The Guns At Last Light" by Rick Atkinson. Part 3 of the Liberation Trilogy (Pulitzer Prize winning series), I'm halfway through it. It's an outstanding history of the US Army during the last year of the European campaign.

"The Great Bridge" by David McCullough. The building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Never thought a book about something as mundane as a bridge would be interesting. I was wrong, this is a very good read (as is pretty much anything by McCullough).

"Into the Fire" by Dakota Myer. The story of USMC SSG Dakota Meyer's battle in which he was awarded the Medal Of Honor. I'm not usually into books like this but this one is pretty good. As a side note, I read somewhere that this guy is running for Congress. Good Luck SSG Meyers!

"My War - Killing Time in Iraq" by Colby Buzzell. Think of a modern Catch-22.

"Sagittarius Rising" by Cecil Lewis. An autobiography of a WW1 RAF fighter pilot.

By the way, anyone want to make a bet on how long it will take before every large bookstore in the US has gone under? First all of the large private stores around here closed down, next Borders went bankrupt, leaving only Barnes and Noble in my area. Based on how dead these stores appear to be when I visit them, I'm guessing they won't be around much longer. Who has time to read when you can mindlessly screw around with your "smart" phone to pass the hours away.

Truly sad...

Link to post
Share on other sites

By the way, anyone want to make a bet on how long it will take before every large bookstore in the US has gone under? First all of the large private stores around here closed down, next Borders went bankrupt, leaving only Barnes and Noble in my area. Based on how dead these stores appear to be when I visit them, I'm guessing they won't be around much longer. Who has time to read when you can mindlessly screw around with your "smart" phone to pass the hours away.

Truly sad...

It's not the phones or anything there's still just as many people reading now as there ever was. What's killing the brick and mortars is the internet sales. That and the e-readers. Why would you go into a Barnes n Noble and spend 28$ for a book that you can go on amazon or eBay or other sites and get for 15$ shipped? The economics of walk in book stores don't make sense anymore. I haven't shopped in one in longer than I can remember.

What makes me sad though is the secondhand bookstores don't exist anymore. I used to love going to a couple local ones and always walked out with a bag of books. Usually for less than 20-30$.

The internet is killing pretty much everything in the way of doing business. Plus more people are becoming aware of that fact as well and using the internet even more. Ill wager BestBuy is out of business in ten years.

Link to post
Share on other sites

What makes me sad though is the secondhand bookstores don't exist anymore. I used to love going to a couple local ones and always walked out with a bag of books. Usually for less than 20-30$.

They aren't going out of business - they're selling through Amazon marketplace and half.com (and probably other sites as well), and thereby reaching a much larger market than they would otherwise. Granted, as a consumer, you can't physically peruse the books, but the number of titles available has increased dramatically.

Link to post
Share on other sites

"Fate is the Hunter"

The best book I have ever read relating life as a pilot. I've read it 3 times and it is great every time.

"Riding Rockets" is an immensely enjoyable book as well.

For something a little different I recommend the "Meg" series by Steve Alten. They are about a Megaladon shark that survived through the years and was let loose. Really enjoyable stuff.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It's not the phones or anything there's still just as many people reading now as there ever was. What's killing the brick and mortars is the internet sales. That and the e-readers. Why would you go into a Barnes n Noble and spend 28$ for a book that you can go on amazon or eBay or other sites and get for 15$ shipped? The economics of walk in book stores don't make sense anymore. I haven't shopped in one in longer than I can remember.

What makes me sad though is the secondhand bookstores don't exist anymore. I used to love going to a couple local ones and always walked out with a bag of books. Usually for less than 20-30$.

The internet is killing pretty much everything in the way of doing business. Plus more people are becoming aware of that fact as well and using the internet even more. Ill wager BestBuy is out of business in ten years.

Good point on Amazon and definitely true. I guess I'm just a 40-something year old dinosaur. I still enjoy the experience of browsing through books on a shelf and occasionally slurping down a cappuccino while reading one of the magazines I "borrowed" off the rack. I like Amazon because of it's incredible selection but I still would rather purchase from a brick and mortar establishment. I'm definitely in the minority though.

I still also believe that significantly less people are reading books (in any form) these days.

BestBuy will be gone in much less than the 10 years you gave them, followed by Radio Shack, Sears, JC Penny and a long, long list of other established businesses.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sears and stores like that I can't really see disappearing. I know I'm not the only one who won't buy stuff like clothing online, sight unseen and without knowing it'll fit properly.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I can't believe radio shack is still in business. They've been around forever and I don't know anyone who shops there. I remember when I was young going there with my dad when he needed an obscure electronic part to fix something but those days are over.

I still think there's people reading. I don't think the younger generation does any though. And it's showing in their intelligence and personalities. Sad really. I always have a book on the mantle to read.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm still a good few years under 40 and I mostly associate with the 25-35ish age group...

Intelligence? Most of those I know are pretty intelligent - no offence to anyone, but I'd say a higher percentage than in older age groups. As for personalities, well, there's all sorts in every age group, not really something you can generalise. And you know what? Most of us read. Not all, but most. I know more 25-35s who are avid readers than I know people of my dad's generation (so let's say 50-60ish) who are avid readers.

Sad? Nah, contrarily: I think there's hope for the future... though I'll admit there's a bit of an apathy hurdle to get over.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...