Finished Light Horse Harry Lee. 5*, great soldier terrible business man, never should have left the Army

The Body, a Guide for Occupants by Bryson 5* Bryson is a very funny guy. While not exactly history, he does place the progress of medical science in its proper historical order. You will conclude that what we don't know exceeds what we do know.

Hitler's Secret Army by Tate, about half way through. Several of the WWll books that I have read recently have destroyed the notion that the British accent is a sign of intelligence. Their refusal to indict many of their aristocrats for espionage and their naive approach to trying to ferret them out staggers the imagination. I hope we carefully examine our so called special relationship to Britain.

Listening to Gulag by Applebaum. I was hesitant to buy a 28 hour audiobook on a relatively narrow subject but I've been glues to it.

Recently finished "The Generals" by Winston Groom. Currently about halfway complete with another of his books, "1942".






Both are excellent

Anyone read Grant by Chernow. Half way through and not really my favorite read. I feel the author has a PC slant towards things.

In reply to Russ Dalrymple 1942 is a great read.
Groom also wrote "Forrest Gump"

In reply to LeisureSuitLarry I've throughly enjoyed it so far. I'd like to find some of his other books too.

In reply to LeisureSuitLarry

LeisureSuitLarry said:

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1942 is a great read.
Groom also wrote "Forrest Gump"

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I am almost finished with 1942 but there was one part in there that made me LOL when the author was talking about how the Japanese would hurl insults at the Americans on Guadalcanal.

"Babe Ruth eat sh*t"
"F*** Erenor Rosevet"
"F*** Roy Acuff"

The randomness of Roy Acuff is what really made me laugh.

The Jolly Rogers by Tom Blackburn
The Midnight Assassin by Skip Hollandsworth

Directorate S by Stephen Coll
Freehold: Resistance by Michael Z. Williamson

In reply to LeisureSuitLarry

LeisureSuitLarry said:

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1942 is a great read.
Groom also wrote "Forrest Gump"

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His WW1 book, A Storm in Flanders is excellent

My mother in law actually got me several books for Christmas. Just finished 1942 and about to move on to this one.

I just finished Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, which is his experience of the Spanish Civil War

It was pretty good.

The couple of chapters that dove deep into the political side of the war were eh for me - too many parties and acronyms for me to try and keep straight.

The rest I really enjoyed.

AMERICAN LION: Andrew Jackson in the White House

Great read so far.

Ghost on the Throne by James Romm. It follows the Diadochi for the first 20 years or so following Alexander's death. I knew next to nothing about these events before reading, and this fixed that, though in some ways it feels like an incomplete telling. I suspect the reality is that there are limited surviving sources to illuminate this era. I would recommend.

For my birthday my dear wife gave me the autobiography of Admiral King. Pretty good reading.

Just finished up The Last Stand of Fox Company which covered the Chosin Reservoir and, more specifically, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines and their battle for survival on Fox Hill.

It was my first study of the Korean War and any battle during it.

I was flabbergasted. I cannot believe they were not fully wiped out. The Chinese had a 10-1 advantage and the temperature was 30 below.

I fully recommend this book.

For reference: fox company is the one with Chinese all around it

"History of the World", J.M. Roberts

Yep, one volume. Excellent.

In reply to who?mikejones

who?mikejones said:

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Just finished up The Last Stand of Fox Company which covered the Chosin Reservoir and, more specifically, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines and their battle for survival on Fox Hill.
That's a darned good read

It was my first study of the Korean War and any battle during it.

I was flabbergasted. I cannot believe they were not fully wiped out. The Chinese had a 10-1 advantage and the temperature was 30 below.

I fully recommend this book.

For reference: fox company is the one with Chinese all around it

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In reply to who?mikejones

who?mikejones said:

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Just finished up The Last Stand of Fox Company which covered the Chosin Reservoir and, more specifically, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines and their battle for survival on Fox Hill.

It was my first study of the Korean War and any battle during it.

I was flabbergasted. I cannot believe they were not fully wiped out. The Chinese had a 10-1 advantage and the temperature was 30 below.

I fully recommend this book.

For reference: fox company is the one with Chinese all around it

---

That's a great read!

Just finished The Verdun Regiment by Johnathan Bracken.
About the 151st French infantry throughout the war with focus on Verdun.
It's right at the top of WW1 volumes I've read

The Longest Day- Ryan, *****

The Bonanza King- Crouch *****

Heirs of an Honored Name, the Decline of the Adams Family- Egerton ****

American Eden (David Hosack)- Johnson*****

Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life- McDowell *****

Rush, Revolution, Madness, the Visionary Doctor- Fried *****

Hymns of the Republic- Gwynne*****

Ardennes 1944 by Beevor

Currently reading, "The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War" by Ben Macintyre.

I'm enjoying it.

Just finished "Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition" by Paul Watson

It meandered a little in the middle, and ended with a slight tome on global warming and politics, but overall, it was an interesting book regarding the loss and discovery of HMS Terror and HMS Erebus in the Arctic. The sheer number of expeditions to recover Franklin's men was pretty astounding, given the fact that most were sent over a half decade after last contact.

"Behind Friendly Lines; Memoirs of a U.S. Marine in Chile" Lt. Colonel Mark McGraw (S-2 '85)

An upperclassman from the Corps of Cadet days. Mark was a PT beast as a 23 year old and still is as a 56 year old. Highly recommend this read about a Marine Officer and his family who are sent to Chile to be embedded with an elite unit of the Chilean Marine Corps for two years. He is currently a Professor of Spanish at Baylor here in Waco.

The 12th Man - A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance. Story of Jan Baalsrud a Norwegian who survived a failed sabotage mission and his journey to escape the Germans and make it to Sweden. I had not heard this story in any other WWII documentaries and found it very interesting. Worth a read for anyone who has interest in WWII.

Baalsrud story to amazing. There is a great movie and he is a hero to the Norwegian people.

In reply to Aggie1205 Good movie on Amazon too

The Pioneers
by David McCullough

In reply to Frok

Frok said:

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Currently reading, "The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War" by Ben Macintyre.

I'm enjoying it.

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What's it about ?

A Marine Tells It to You by Frederic May Wise. First person account of Marine actions from late 1800's thru WW1. I thought the accounts of the Boxer Rebellion and WW1 battles particularly interesting.

In reply to TresPuertas

TresPuertas said:

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Not a big reader but just finished Killers of the Flower Moon. It chronicles the Murders of the Osage Indians in northern Oklahoma in the 20s. It's a fascinating story about something I knew absolutely nothing about and my family has roots in that part of the country.

300+ page book that I finished in 3 days. Great read.

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I'll second this book. Very interesting and had never heard of anything related to that part of history before. Looks like they will be making a movie as well. I wonder if there are still descendants of the evil people in this book whose families fortunes came from their dealings.

The Worst Hard Time

Aggie from the High Plains will get it.

Just finished The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester. Gripping read, and a heck of a ride. Basis for the upcoming Tom Hanks move Greyhound.

Currently reading Eagles and Empire by David Clary, about the Mexican-American War. Next on the docket will be War of a Thousand Deserts, about the Indian (Navajo, Kiowa, Apache, Comanche) wars in what became the U.S.-Mexico borderlands after the war, although the book starts well before the war - the Indians in the region had been a major problem ever since they adopted horses introduced to the region by the Spaniards.

Currently reading 'Big Wonderful Thing' by Stephen Harrigan. It's a glorious read on the history of Texas. At 834 pages, it's the perfect read during this time. If you're a James Michner 'Texas' fan, or a fan of Texas history in general, this book is for you.