What are you reading now...? [Archive] - Page 4

wet dog

05-23-2011, 18:14

on page 202 of a 642 page novel.

"The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova

Cliff note version,

The Historian has been described as a combination of genres, including Gothic novel, adventure novel, detective fiction, travelogue, postmodern historical novel, epistolary epic, and historical thriller. Kostova was intent on writing a serious work of literature and saw herself as an inheritor of the Victorian style. Although based in part on Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Historian is not a horror novel, but rather an eerie tale. It is concerned with history's role in society and representation in books, as well as the nature of good and evil. As Kostova explains, "Dracula is a metaphor for the evil that is so hard to undo in history."[3] The evils brought about by religious conflict are a particular theme, and the novel explores the relationship between the Christian West and the Islamic East.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Historian

for page turning pleasure, grab a copy.

Enjoy

ZonieDiver

05-23-2011, 18:26

I just finished The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick. It's about "Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn" and is excellent. Well-researched. If you are interested in "Custer-ology" don't miss it.

I found the stories from Private Peter Thompson fascinating - oft left out of recountings due to the unbelievable nature of his tale. No one comes out "clean" as Denzel Washington's character says in Glory.

Sigaba

05-23-2011, 20:20

Re The Historian. I enjoyed it. I recommend it. That being said, the description of it in the Wikipedia entry is bizarre. (When people today want to describe something that takes concentration to grasp, they throw in "postmodern" e.g., the banter about Pulp Fiction.:rolleyes:)

My $0.02.

Sigaba

05-24-2011, 15:50

Daniel W. Drezner, Theories of International Politics and Zombies (Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2011) ISBN-13 9780691147833.

FWIW, Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Zombie Research Society. Notwithstanding Drezner's expertise on zombies, I very strongly disagree with his definition of zombies as ghouls rather than as animated corpses. Defining zombies as ghouls raises a number of ontological issues that should have pushed the work in an entirely different direction. YMMV.

In any case, this is an interesting, intellectually complex, and funny work that, at times, offers devastating critiques of the practice of international relations and the study thereof. Verily, Drezner is almost smart enough to be a historian.

Dusty

05-24-2011, 15:52

Born to Run by Chris McDougall

nmap

05-24-2011, 19:09

Endgame, by Mauldin.

It's going to be a long time before we see strong economic growth. Lots of pain remains...

wet dog

05-24-2011, 19:25

Endgame, by Mauldin.

It's going to be a long time before we see strong economic growth. Lots of pain remains...

I was thinking of adding it to the list, do you suggest picking it it?

I'm not opposed to reading a dinger once in awhile, makes me appreciate the winners when they arrive.

Saoirse

05-24-2011, 19:31

After having had the book: The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom, by Slavomir Rawicz, recommended by a very good friend, I finally started reading it. It's hard to put that book down, the only time I manage that is when my nook slams me in the forhead.
I am at the point right before the escape. We take a lot of granted but when you read about his experince with the telefunkt and the Col's wife....its a small happiness for him.

nmap

05-24-2011, 19:35

I was thinking of adding it to the list, do you suggest picking it it?

I'm not opposed to reading a dinger once in awhile, makes me appreciate the winners when they arrive.

I do suggest picking it. It combines extensive information from Rogoff's (This time it's different), as well as a study by the Bank for International Settlements - along with facts, figures and charts.

It isn't dry reading, despite that. It explains everything in clear, simple examples. And it points out the reasoning behind the conclusions. In addition, it looks at other developed countries, not just the U.S.

For anyone who is affected by changes in the federal budget (and that's most of us, IMO) this will cast some light on where we're headed.

craigepo

05-24-2011, 20:17

I'm halfway through a 2000 novel by James Carlos Blake called "Wildwood Boys." It's a sympathetic portrayal of the life and times of a Missouri partisan who we have come to know as "Bloody Bill Anderson."

I'm reluctant to praise the writing talents of fiction writers, but Blake writes well. Besides telling well a story, he is pretty accurate about the making of paper cartridge loads for cap and ball revolvers, and the carrying of spare loaded cylinders for the pistols.

The book does trouble me some, because it makes me think about how thick (or thin) the veneer of what we think of as our USA civilization might be. Knowing of riots and of post-Katrina behavior does not in any way compare to the way participants from both sides of this relatively recent conflict, treated their enemies. I had known from reading, about what a bad place Missouri was during the war between the states. This book gets down in the dirt, regarding what we now call "atrocities", done right here.

Missouri was a really bad place during the civil war. There were few "big" battles, but lots of house burning, looting and murder.

However, if you want to see a different side of the Civil War, take a look at "Better Angels of Our Nature", written by a guy named Halleran. Talks about Freemasons during the Civil War. Interesting to read about such civility amongst all the bloodshed.

MtnGoat

05-24-2011, 21:34

No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks by Ed Viesturs

I have followed the adventures of Ed Viesturs for many years. I loved reading his stories of his pursuit of the 14 summits with great interest over the years. The book is great reading as enthralled by the challenges and the seeming overwhelming and inherent risks Ed took on many different slopes. If you’re not a climber this book at times gets very technical in descriptions of gear and climbing TTPs. I wouldn't have minded so much, except for the fact that he didn't really go into a lot of detail about some of his climbs. I could overlook this penchant for the overly technical and excessive information, but the casual reader would probably get bored with it or become uninterested. So far good overall reading for anyone.

akv

05-29-2011, 09:15

Chasing Shadows- Fred Burton

Fred Burton is the VP of Stratfor, and a former DSS agent, this is the story of a cold case dating back to the Cold War he was troubled by for years, and finally recently helped solve. The case involved the murder of the Israeli Air Force attache to the US in 1973, the murder took place in Burton's Maryland hometown while he was in high school, and all sorts of domestic agencies and international players were involved in the story.

Dusty

05-29-2011, 09:17

I'm done with "American Caesar" if anybody wants it...

mojaveman

05-29-2011, 10:29

I'm done with "American Caesar" if anybody wants it...

Long but a very good read. I finished it a few years ago. Douglas MacArthur was a very complex and interesting individual.

I'm reading FM 23-10 Sniper Training right now. What the heck, I begged our Bn schools NCO to get me a slot but was unsuccessful. There's a lot of good information in it and it's helped with my pastime of long distance shooting.

MtnGoat

05-29-2011, 20:35

Just picked this up yesterday..

Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero by: Rohan Gunaratna and Khuram Iqbal (http://www.amazon.com/Pakistan-Terrorism-Ground-Rohan-Gunaratna/dp/1861897685)

Review to follow........

Requiem

05-29-2011, 22:52

Fallen Warriors: The West Point Class of 1964 by John F. Murray. It's an anthology of the 24 WP grads from the class of '64 who lost their lives in battle.

ZonieDiver

05-30-2011, 19:27

Manual of Physical Training, 1917 edition. It has added to it: "Lectures on the Organization of Bayonet Fighting". Verrrrry interesting.

mojaveman

05-30-2011, 20:28

Manual of Physical Training, 1917 edition. It has added to it: "Lectures on the Organization of Bayonet Fighting". Verrrrry interesting.

The old Army manuals are fun to read. I think that some of them were even better prepared, written, and edited than some of the newer ones I've seen. After my father passed away I cleaned out his garage and in addition to some other treasures I found TM 5-460 Carpentry and Building Construction dated April 1960. After reading it I became convinced that I could probably frame a house after never having done so. The old military training films on You Tube are fun to watch too.

Sigaba

06-07-2011, 15:31

C.P. Snow, The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution, The Rede Lecture, 1959 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1961). The lecture, in PDF format, is available here (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCIQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsciencepolicy.colorado.edu%2Fstud ents%2Fenvs_5110%2Fsnow_1959.pdf&ei=sZfuTYL5LoqosAOS1vn_Bg&usg=AFQjCNFUDeGIrZrsI8tpp7HJC-70CpxvKw).

Robert William Fogel, a prominent economist and historian, argues that this lecture was anticipated the "culture wars" of the twentieth century's last four decades.*

__________________________________________________ ________________
* Robert William Fogel, "Lecture 1: Breaking Away from the Phillips Tradition," in his The Slavery Debates, 1952-1990: A Retrospective, The Walter Lynwood Fleming Lectures in Southern History (Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 2003), pp. 20-21.

akv

06-07-2011, 16:00

Across the Fence By John Stryker Meyer

Memoirs of SOG missions in 1968 from CCN. A well written account of brave men, incredibly risky missions. The courage and loyalty of the Kingbees and "little people" is also gut wrenching. Read in one sitting.

Almualla

06-10-2011, 12:22

ABOUT FACE , By COL Hack.

mpb1335

06-12-2011, 09:36

No Angel by Jay Dobyns.

The firsthand account from the ATF agent who went undercover with the Hell's Angels.

uplink5

06-12-2011, 09:48

The new Ranger Handbook

Yes, I need a life....

BKKMAN

06-12-2011, 11:11

Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem; The Music of the Primes: Searching to Solve the Greatest Mystery in Mathematics; Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life; and the Stieg Larsson series.

On deck: Shibumi; Satori; Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life; and Notes of a Russian Sniper

Richard

06-13-2011, 07:31

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds - Charles Mackay, 1851. The 100+ pages on the History vs myth of the Crusades makes this a worthwhile read.

Richard

GratefulCitizen

06-13-2011, 18:30

pjody187

06-15-2011, 13:33

The Profession by Steven Pressfield

greenlight

06-16-2011, 03:05

Dead Ground - infiltrating the IRA, by Raymond Gilmour

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
This is the story of a man who spent eight years as an undercover police agent inside the IRA. The account he provides of life with the Provisionals is of a dark and claustrophobic world, of an iron grip which they hold over their own communities - a grip as tight and vicious as any Mafia stranglehold - and of a ruthless and cynical disregard for human life. Gilmour tells of corruption and double-standards that see young volunteers knee-capped for petty theft, while the high-ups steal with impunity; and of the life of a man trapped in no-man's-land, in a dirty war in which both the IRA and the security forces exploit children trapped in dead-end estates.
................................................
An interesting read, one good part was when they tried to hijack a car with an SAS man inside, you can guess how that went...

Bad Tolz

06-16-2011, 14:04

"The West Point Way of Leadership" by Col. (ret) Larry Donnithorne.

Angry Mike

06-17-2011, 07:28

by Fitzroy Maclean

stfesta

06-17-2011, 19:24

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Great book, unreal about how it applies in todays world. It was written in the 50's.

sf

Jgood

06-22-2011, 10:55

Isaac Camacho: An American Hero
By Billy Waugh SF SGM(R)

Found a copy signed by SGM Waugh and Isaac Camacho at Ed McKay's :lifter

mdpatterson

06-27-2011, 06:08

"The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War"

A good friend of mine is the Author so I'm a bit biased, but anyone interested in Military history (I assume most if not all on this board are) will enjoy this book. It is being considered right now for an episode of "Missions that changed the War".

Mike

akv

06-29-2011, 20:31

The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian, brought to my attention by Sigaba after reading and enjoying Shibumi by the same author.

dualforces

06-30-2011, 09:15

Although I had never heard of Mr. Rao, a well read friend, whom I exchange books on the regular, recommended "TEMPO: Timing, Tactics & Strategy in Narrative-Driven Decision-Making". I was skeptical, but ordered it. I rec'd it 2 days ago and have been into it since.

Rao did a post doctoral stint at Cornell while doing research funded by the Air Force on complex decision-making. He manages to neatly weave together ideas/concepts from Clausewitz to Mahan and Boyd in the book and make it accessible.

Great book, I must say...enjoy.

A review on LE&SC>
http://www.lesc.net/blog/book-review-tempo-timing-tactics-and-strategy-narrative-driven-decision-making-venkatesh-rao

Book link>
http://www.tempobook.com/

kimberly

06-30-2011, 11:36

The Company They Keep by Anna Simons

Not a coincidence that I just finished The Company We Keep by Robert and Dayna Baer

PaladinJim

07-08-2011, 10:47

Just finished reading "The Heart and the Fist" by Eric Greitens.

Eric Greitens, a young college student at the time, wanted to help in the humanitarian effort in impoverished countries. He traveled to many third world countries to help in the humanitarian effort, and it made him realize that you can't cure the worlds problem by just having humanitarians that have 'hearts'. You need Strong Men to stand up and fight the causes of these problems. So he became a Seal Officer to 'fight' back.

Great book that shows, as Greitens mentions on the dust jacket, "sometimes you have to be strong to do good, but you also have to do good to be strong".:cool:

Just finished this one. It was fantastic. I read it because his reason for joining the military was identical to my own. It is similar in a lot of ways to Craig Mullaney's "The Unforgiving Minute". Both authors were Rhodes scholars to Oxford, committed to "fighting the world's fight." Greitens details his experience in BUD/S and Mullaney does the same for Ranger school. Both are insightful and engaging reads - I may even read them again.

I highly recommend both of these books.

Dusty

07-08-2011, 11:00

The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian, brought to my attention by Sigaba after reading and enjoying Shibumi by the same author.

I think the guy went a little too far with the mysticism in Shibumi, but I liked that book, as well.

Sigaba

07-08-2011, 11:14

I think the guy went a little too far with the mysticism in Shibumi, but I liked that book, as well.Agreed.

If it hasn't been done all ready, some cliometrician could make a name for him/herself in the Ivory Tower by coding novels/films/comics published after World War II and then analyzing the data within the contexts of foreign affairs, U.S. domestic politics, trends within the entertainment industry, as well as the changing configuration of social relations in America.

Of course, funding institutions might get a bit upset when they find they're facilitating research that requires a Blu-Ray home theater system, a subscription to Netflix, an ocean of Diet Mountain Dew, a mountain of Doritos, and a new computer. And an iPad2. This project would definitely need one of those.

Dusty

07-08-2011, 11:51

Agreed.

If it hasn't been done all ready, some cliometrician could make a name for him/herself in the Ivory Tower by coding novels/films/comics published after World War II and then analyzing the data within the contexts of foreign affairs, U.S. domestic politics, trends within the entertainment industry, as well as the changing configuration of social relations in America.

Of course, funding institutions might get a bit upset when they find they're facilitating research that requires a Blu-Ray home theater system, a subscription to Netflix, an ocean of Diet Mountain Dew, a mountain of Doritos, and a new computer. And an iPad2. This project would definitely need one of those.

iPad4 or -5 by the time it's published...

Jack Dale

07-15-2011, 12:21

Maybe I'm not getting this, but didn't the thread begin “What are you reading now...?" Not what are you reading to impress the others on this site.

Now, as a “certificated” teacher I read lots of stuff because I am always on the lookout for books that will help me teach what our students need to know. In the art (not science) of writing a big component is called voice.
“Voice shows the writer's personality.
The writing has a sound that is different from everyone else's.
It contains feelings and emotions so that it does not sound like an encyclopedia article.
The reader should be able to sense the sincerity and honesty of the writer. The writer should be writing from the heart.
The language should bring the topic to life for the reader.
The voice should be appropriate for the topic, purpose, and audience of the paper.” (Cited from kimskorner4teachertalk.com).

Dozier, I agree with you and want to make two points:

One, maybe the thread should be, "what are you reading now that you don't have to read and that's blowing your hair back?"

Two, if people are impressed by what I tell 'em I'm reading, maybe I should meet them in person to sell them waterfront property in Nevada.

That being said, a book called (sorry about the title) "Ethical Wisdom," by Mark Matousek is blowing my hair back right now because it's giving me some clues to some pretty troublesome human behavior. I started reading it because I leafed through it in a bookstore and got intrigued. It's much better than I had any right to expect and analyzes why people behave the way they do and believe the things they do. It ain't what you think. If any one wants to be impressed, OK, but I was a little embarrassed to be reading it until I wasn't.

Of course, I'm also reading "Cycle Sluts of Yosemite," but then I've always loved the classics.

Sigaba

07-20-2011, 19:58

Gordon S. Wood, The Purpose of the Past: Reflections on the Uses of History (New York: The Penguin Press, 2008), ISBN-13 9781594201547.

This work, by a historian of impeccable credentials, is a collection of twenty one extended review essays that were previously published between 1981 and 2007.

As Wood initially wrote the essays for a general audience (most were published either in The New York Review of Books or The New Republic), this collection may be especially useful to non-academics who may want to know why historians currently write the way they do a good overview of how the study of history has changed over the past eighty years and why.

Richard

07-21-2011, 15:13

Gordon S. Wood, The Idea of America: Reflections on the birth of the United States.

Essays by an eminent Historian exploring the ideological origins of the American Revolution - from ancient Rome to the Enlightenment - and the 'Founders' attempts to forge an American democracy.

Holyfire23

07-28-2011, 13:41

Surviving Hell: A POW's Journey by Leo Thorsness

A very inspiring account of an Air Force Major who was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967. His book is short---only 127 pages---but I found it very inspiring. This book made me chuckle more than once which is ironic given the subject matter. He focuses a lot on the banter between him and his cell mates, as well as the little things which kept them sane while in captivity. It's amazing how they kept their sense of humor intact over all those years of torture. It really solidifies the importance of humor in the face of apparent hopelessness/danger.

For those who have read this book or will read this book, my favorite chapter is chapter fifteen. I won't saying anything more. ;)

EDIT: I should also mention that he received the Medal of Honor for a mission he flew just days before he was shot down.

ZonieDiver

07-28-2011, 17:38

A Purple Place for Dying- #3 in the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald. I've got them all, and am reading them in order. They take me back!

mojaveman

08-03-2011, 21:22

"Flying Tigers" by Daniel Ford.

The truth isn't quite up there with the legend but what they were really was a group of hard drinking, hard fighting, good 'ol Americans.

Smokey01

08-03-2011, 21:54

Greetings everyone,
truthfully, I am reading articles, threads, and posts on this site during certain times in the day to gain knowledge that I know will help me in everyday life. What better way to gain insight and advice than to visit the threads posted by the great individuals who run this site. I've also been reading "Six Ways In And Twelve Ways Out." For those of you interested in bush-raft and survival training, I recommend this booklet to you. If you have any questions regarding this booklet or any others like it, feel free to message me.

SPC_Warren

08-30-2011, 10:11

Finished in the last six months or so

-The Three Meter Zone

-Horse Soldiers

-The Only Thing Worth Dying For

-Chosen Soldier

-Lone Survivor

Richard

08-30-2011, 10:18

Against All Enemies (Clancy), Mouse Guard (Petersen), Cat's Cradle (Vonnegut).

Hand

08-30-2011, 11:58

Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green - Johnny Rico

ZonieDiver

08-30-2011, 15:49

Reading "Go to the Widow-Maker" by James Jones.

Go Devil

08-30-2011, 15:57

Popol Vuh
Translated by Dennis Tedlock

Dozer523

08-30-2011, 16:07

Jack Dale, Dozier, I agree with you and want to make two points:

One, maybe the thread should be, "what are you reading now that you don't have to read and that's blowing your hair back?"

Two, if people are impressed by what I tell 'em I'm reading, maybe I should meet them in person to sell them waterfront property in Nevada.

That being said, a book called (sorry about the title) "Ethical Wisdom," by Mark Matousek is blowing my hair back right now because it's giving me some clues to some pretty troublesome human behavior. I started reading it because I leafed through it in a bookstore and got intrigued. It's much better than I had any right to expect and analyzes why people behave the way they do and believe the things they do. It ain't what you think. If any one wants to be impressed, OK, but I was a little embarrassed to be reading it until I wasn't.

Of course, I'm also reading "Cycle Sluts of Yosemite," but then I've always loved the classics.
That was about 97,000 posts ago on this thread.:eek:
That's funny. (I think that was the first time TS called me an a$$hole).

good times:D

Holyfire23

09-01-2011, 14:45

Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes

Jefe

09-02-2011, 09:20

My favorite authors new book: Cobra

wet dog

09-02-2011, 09:34

The Story of Man: An Introduction to 150,000 years of Human History, by Cyril Aydon

BOfH

09-08-2011, 16:01

Silence on the Wire: A Field Guide to Passive Reconnaissance and Indirect Attacks by Michal Zalewski

Marauder06

09-08-2011, 18:10

The Treaty of Westphalia.

Foggy Bottom

09-13-2011, 12:32

~Ghost: Confessions of a Counter-Terrorist Agent

I realize I'm commenting on an old post, but I can't let this one go without saying something.

This book is inaccurate, grossly embellished, and a disgrace to DSS.

I have current first-hand knowledge of the agency Fred Burton has used to advance his private agenda.

viking09

09-13-2011, 20:10

Ever since I found out about Amazon Prime free for college students I've been going broke buying books. Currently reading "None Braver: USAF Pararescuemen in the War on Terror." Recently finished: "Roughneck Nine-One" and "Not A Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda."

kawaishi

09-13-2011, 20:30

Just finished The Lions of Kandahar and thoroughly enjoyed it. The risks taken and sacrifices made by that ODA made a deep impression and gave me alot to think about. Thank you to all of the QP's for your service.

Currently reading Born a Soldier; the Life and Times of Larry Thorne. Loving it so far.

Just got The Quiet Professional: Major Richard J. Meadows of the U.S. Army Special Forces in today!

The current book about Major Thorne has sparked my curiousity in Finland's Winter War against the Soviets. I've seen a few titles but does anyone have a particular suggestion?

Badger52

09-14-2011, 14:18

I'm not reading anything so eclectic at the moment, actually taking a brief pause to study for the Extra exam. I have ferrets at town library working the search for the book about Colonel Volckmann, whose name comes to the fore again after reading a proposal in SW magazine (Volckmann program SF Soldiers, country-specific, etc.).

Already own Shadows in the Jungle, but I see a book in publication with a SUB-title "American Guerrilla in the Phillipines", however it's 1986 and sadly not the original on which the 1950 movie was based. That book I read when I was a little kid.

I saw the following intro to the work on Colonel Volckmann; if that doesn't stir you, you might be at the wrong forum:

QUOTE:
With his parting words "I shall return," General Douglas MacArthur sealed the fate of the last American forces on Bataan. Yet one young Army Captain named Russell Volckmann refused to surrender. He disappeared into the jungles of north Luzon where he raised a Filipino army of over 22,000 men. For the next three years he led a guerrilla war against the Japanese, killing over 50,000 enemy soldiers. At the same time he established radio contact with MacArthur's HQ in Australia and directed Allied forces to known enemy positions. When General Yamashita finally surrendered, he made his initial overture not to MacArthur, but to Volckmann.
ENDQUOTE

Local ferrets are pretty good; this would give the break from the ham exam.

ZonieDiver

09-14-2011, 14:23

I'm re-reading Herman Wouk's Don't Stop the Carnival. Lots of truth about life in the islands therein.

Claemore

09-15-2011, 19:45

A Purple Place for Dying- #3 in the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald. I've got them all, and am reading them in order. They take me back!

The Travis McGee series are some of my favorite books. The first one I read when I was a teenager was The Green Ripper. I'd really like to read the supposed final manuscript, the last in the series written before John D. died that was not published. Called "A Black Border for McGee".

I think my favorites are The Lonely Silver Rain and The Green Ripper.

Richard

09-15-2011, 20:11

'Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and A Dream' - it's high school football season here in Texas and the story of the Permian Panthers' 1988 season is the personification of what it all means. ;)

Richard :munchin

Scimitar

09-16-2011, 04:06

On a 6 hour round flight for a 1 hour meeting.

Gotta say technology still hasn't got any where close to giving me what sitting in a room and eye balling a guy does...but I digress.

Dreaded only having the damn BS news paper to read on the way, so walked into the airport bookstore and saw "War" by Sabastian Junger.

This book covers his experiance while imbedded with 2nd Platoon B 2/503rd in Korengal Valley in 2009 and 2010.

It has to be the most honest, yet unpolitical account of combat I've read. Completed it on the return flight, couldn't put it down, and went straight to the video store and rented the better known documentary version "RESTREPO"

Scimitar

Jefe

09-16-2011, 07:50

By Mark Bowden.

Richard

09-17-2011, 10:48

Hearts Touched By Fire: The Best Of Battles And Leaders Of The Civil War - Harold Holzer, ed.

greenberetTFS

09-19-2011, 16:30

Richard

09-19-2011, 16:58

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry - one of my favorite movies so thought I should read the book. I am a fan of McMurtry's Hemingway-like dialogue.

Richard :munchin

ZonieDiver

09-19-2011, 17:29

Dress Her in Indigo - next in the series of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series.

The only other book I brought with me is "The Nine" about the Supreme Court... and I've been struggling to read it for over a year. Great topic, lots of information - not a very good writer.

Badger52

09-20-2011, 05:26

I had that book when I had a book selling operation on Ebay as "Greenberet Military Books" and several times over the years I had given away several hundred books to guys on this forum.......I'm struggling now to remember that title,however some one on this forum has it because I did give it away to one of the guys here,request to see if he'll send it to you....... Try www.abe.com to get the info you need,I always used them as a guide when I set my pricing...........;)

Big Teddy :munchinThanks kindly for that intel; I will go after it. The orig story w/main title of "American Guerilla in the Phillipines" was of the USN fellow who stayed. Along with a 1930's era 1st ed. of Boys' Outdoor Life Encyclopedia, some slaved-over model airplanes, some matchbox cars and my Don Drysdale baseball it seemed to have left the house between AIT and... well, sometime when I actually took a leave in CONUS eons ago. ("Mom... you did what?!")

Edit: That is some website. Auth Ira Wolfert, thanks!

alright4u

09-20-2011, 09:42

I like to read these books as the rules themselves are not a substitute for how to use them and when. Things like spotting the Bully in organizations. This one is the one for Idiots. " The Complete Idiot's Guide to Robert's Rules" by Nancy Sylvester is another well written book by her. I asked our parliamentarian a question last year. Our paid parlamentarian was wrong.

Dusty

09-20-2011, 09:49

"Empowering Your Gay Teammates to Get Fit to Fight" by Richard Simmons

Requiem

09-20-2011, 12:15

U.S. MACV-SOG Reconnaissance Team in Vietnam, by Gordon Rottman.

Scimitar

09-20-2011, 19:29

"Empowering Your Gay Teammates to Get Fit to Fight" by Richard Simmons

LMAO.

nice one Dusty!

S

wet dog

09-23-2011, 02:02

Reading online notes of the Republican debates. Is it me, or has the GOP gone high-tech?

I felt Obama won 4 years ago because of many punch drinking grass-root, iphone, media usage tools.

The manner in which questions have been asked and vetted with posted results has made me feel that for the first time in a long while, candidates are listening.

Dusty

09-23-2011, 04:30

The Reaper

09-23-2011, 16:13

gator5

09-25-2011, 00:14

"A Murder in Wartime: The Untold Spy Story That Changed the Course of the Vietnam War" - Jeff Stein

Also heard Doug Stanton ("Horse Soldiers") speak last week. I felt it is was kind of a let down. I enjoyed the book, but I guess it must be hard to present a piece you wrote and try to host a "Q&A" with members of audience when some of those members lived the story. My $0.02.

tac.viking

09-28-2011, 15:39

I'm currently reading The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill. On deck is With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge.

Tweeder11

10-07-2011, 17:16

Hello All,

It's been a while since my last post, I've mostly just been reading threads for the past 7 months (apologies if not logging in is bad cricket).

Recently I've read:
Lions of Kandahar
The Only Thing Worth Dying For
The Mission, The Men, and Me

Currently reading:
Leadership and Training For The Fight

On Deck (purchased):
The Quiet Professional: Major Richard J. Meadows of the U.S. Army Special Forces

Take care,
Tweeder

deepheart

10-09-2011, 14:21

deepheart

10-09-2011, 14:22

Currently reading Decision Points by George W. Bush

craigepo

10-09-2011, 18:18

Currently reading Decision Points by George W. Bush

Good book.

I am presently reading the Old Testament. In the book of Isaiah.

Zorro

10-09-2011, 19:20

Recently re-read First In and Hunting the Jackal. (9/11 anniversary prompted me revisiting these works).

About to finish up The Quite Professional. MAJ Dick Meadows biography.

All are truly humbling.

tylerbethea

10-10-2011, 15:13

Finished Horse Soldiers a few weeks ago. Excellent Read.

Going thru SFAS at Camp Mackall with Dick Couch in Chosen Soldier right now

Got Masters of Chaos sitting on the shelf waiting on me.

TB

Tweeder11

10-10-2011, 20:20

I have read The Mission, The Men and Me. Leadership and Training for the Fight and half of The Only Thing Worth Dying For. What did you think of Lions of Kandahar?

I found it to be a very enjoyable read; I knocked the book out in a week's worth of one hour lunches. I find it interesting that Majory Rusty Bradley was still on active duty when he wrote it.

Requiem

10-19-2011, 22:36

"A Lonely Kind of War: Forward Air Controller, Vietnam," by Marshall Harrison.

S.

DevilSide

10-20-2011, 02:13

I'm reading Go rin no sho *Book of five rings* by Miyamoto Musashi, I'm not 100% what its about, but the gist and the author is enough to get me started.

Jefe

10-20-2011, 11:02

A great read again after a few years.

Also started the "Last Narco" about the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Very interesting insights and true story.

Guntry Kong

10-20-2011, 13:26

Finished "Lions of Kandahar", hopefully starting "127 Hours" aka "Between a rock and a hard place" tomorrow.

Badger52

11-01-2011, 13:16

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/world/middleeast/12dog.html

The Dogs of War: Beloved Comrades in Afghanistan

A quick thumbing "had me" at the pic shown at above link.
Boof!
:D

ZonieDiver

11-01-2011, 19:06

Star Island by Carl Hiaasen.

I enjoy his work since it is in a John D. MacDonald vein... with the bizarreness of today's society in S. Fla thrown in to the mix. This one centers around a LiLo/Britney clone... with appearances by Skink and Chemo!

BigJimCalhoun

11-01-2011, 20:57

I am reading 8 books right now, none of them quickly.

The one that is getting most of my attention is:
Following Atticus

http://www.amazon.com/Following-Atticus-Forty-Eight-Extraordinary-Friendship/dp/0061997102/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320201634&sr=8-1.

This book is about a man who hiked all the 4,000 foot peaks in New Hampshire in the summer and winter with his small dog. I come from New England so this story is of interest to me. I have hiked some of those mountains but not in the winter and not with the same drive and determination of the writer. The author succeeded in summitting where other seemingly better-shaped hikers did not.

This may not sound all that interesting from my description but it is enjoyable - sort of a modern day Walt Whitman or Henry David Thoreau. I also have a dog of similar size and appearance to the authors.

People always tell me to not hunt alone because it is dangerous, even though all I see while hunting in Colorado is orange vests. This man hiked 48 peaks, twice each, in the 90 days of winter, often at night.

This is second on my list
Triple Agent - the Al-Qaeda Mole that Infiltrated the CIA.
http://www.amazon.com/Triple-Agent-al-Qaeda-Mole-Infiltrated/dp/0385534183/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320201892&sr=1-1
This one is not as mind-calming as the one above.

Gunfight : the battle over the right to bear arms in America
by Winkler, Adam.
This is about gun control in history and the Heller case. As a gun rights advocate, I feel this book is mostly un-biased.

The will to climb : obsession and commitment and the quest to climb Annapurna--the world's most deadly peak
by Viesturs, Ed.
I lost interest in this. There was a lot of history of other expeditions.

Making supper safe : one man's quest to learn the truth about food safety
by Hewitt, Ben.
I started this but need to continue. I am an advocate of raw-unpasteurized milk, beef tallow, lard, duck fat, natural foods, raw eggs, coconut oil, sea salt, avoidance of canola\corn\ soy oils, all other soy-anything except for soy sauce; so this book is up my alley.

Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss - done with it, returning to library.

CDG

11-02-2011, 06:33

Recently finished "Once An Eagle", "Ghost Soldiers", "Five Years To Freedom", and "Lions Of Kandahar". Currently on "The Occupation of Iraq: Winning The War, Losing The Peace" by Ali A. Allawi. "Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising" by Israel Gutman is on deck.

grigori

11-03-2011, 09:13

Ghost Wars: The Secret History Of The CIA, Afghanistan, And Bin Laden, From The Soviet Invasion To September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll

SoCal

11-03-2011, 22:59

The Vietnam Primer, Brigadier S.L.A. Marshall and Colonel David Hackworth
Black Edelweiss, Johann Voss
Slow Burn, Stu Mittleman

skylinedrive

11-05-2011, 13:10

"To save Bastogne" by Robert F. Phillips. A gripping account of the fight the 110 Inf. Regt. of the 28th ID put up on the german-luxembourgish border against the 2 Panzer Division and the 26 VGD. A thrilling read about extraordinary men who showed extraordinary valor!

Mr Weiss

11-05-2011, 17:29

Just finished reading The Human Factor by Ishmael Jones. It gives a great account of the levels of bureaucracy within the CIA and life as a Deep Cover Officer.

Currently making my way through Chosen Soldier; I just reached Robin Sage. Dick Couch seems to focus more on the 18x's, so anyone that is considering the x-ray program should pick this book up.

All time favorite SF book would be Horse Soldiers. The things that were accomplished are mind-blowing.

joesnuffy

11-05-2011, 19:01

Just started reading Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces by Linda Robinson

joesnuffy

11-05-2011, 19:18

Currently reading: Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces by Linda Robinson

Next: Lions of Kandahar

Richard

11-10-2011, 09:55

Greenlee, Sam - the spook who sat by the door - 1969 - the first black nationalist novel written as a chiller in the tradition of 1984.

Richard

MAB32

11-11-2011, 12:47

Reading now "Whisky Tango Foxtrot" By Lynne Black (SOG). On deck will be a book by John "Styker" Meyers, also a SOG book. It seems more and more each month their is something out about MACVSOG. :D

Mark

greenberetTFS

11-11-2011, 13:05

Gypsy sent me "The Making of Slap Shot" by Jonathon Jackson.......... ;) Behind the scenes of the greatest hockey movie ever made........... :D Just started it,I'll give my feedback after I've read it......... :cool:

Big Teddy :munchin

akv

11-14-2011, 12:47

No Higher Honor by Condoleeza Rice

oniiniiwat

11-14-2011, 13:53

I've been working through the suggested reading list in Major Joe Martin's book "Get Selected". (My understanding is that he is now LTC. Martin and commander of the Golden Knights.) I've read Letters to Garcia and am currently on Man's Search for Meaning and Ultimate Power. I encourage anyone to read Letters to Garcia. It's a small but powerful little book. I'll read it several more times I'm sure!

Gypsy

11-14-2011, 18:32

I've read Letters to Garcia

There's a thread here on the site. http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21033&highlight=letter+garcia

Xamine

11-14-2011, 20:17

Just started reading Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces by Linda Robinson

That was a very good book.

I'm currently reading, "Saddam: King of terror" ...Very interesting biography.

oniiniiwat

11-15-2011, 07:13

Gypsy, thanks for the link. I figured that book had been discussed here at some point.

Xamine, maybe I'll check out your current read next.

ZonieDiver

11-15-2011, 07:51

I'm re-reading (doing a lot of that lately) Infiltrators by Mark D. Harrell, at the time a real live USAR ODA commander (or so the book jacket says... he was, I think... C/3/12 in LA). It is a fairly good read, as are some of his other books.

11-17-2011, 18:37

I just finished " Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of U.S. soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan" by D. Stanton.
I'll just say that by the end of the book I felt like I personally knew all of those service members who managed to accomplish the mission they'd received from their CoC. I felt like I wanted to kick the pilot's butt for letting errand ordnance loose on the prison. Very compelling and intriguing reading. Absolutely A+

I'd gladly pass it on for free if only I didn't live on the other side of god's green earth. Shipping cost alone would double or even triple the price of the book.

Looking forward to reading the following:
An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan
Gary Schroen

Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander
Gary Berntsen, Ralph Pezzullo

Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism
Billy Waugh, Tim Keown

The Night Stalkers
Michael J. Durant, Steven Hartov

Hand

11-18-2011, 07:50

Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism
Billy Waugh, Tim Keown

I read this book a while back. From the opening of the book, the dedication and single minded purpose of SGM Waugh were overwhelmingly demonstrated. Ill not offer any spoilers but you are in for an inspiring read.

Gypsy

11-25-2011, 13:06

Been reading some of his entries, some great pictures as well.

http://sofine-normandyvet.blogspot.com/

weberk

11-26-2011, 11:16

From Secularism to Jihad: Sayyid Qutb and the Foundations of Radical Islam
by Adnan Musallam

The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs
by David Pryce-Jones

greenlight

11-27-2011, 05:30

I've just gotten all the Andy McNabb books and a Kindle for an early Christmas present.

I've read mixed reviews about 'Bravo two zero' , anyone read it?

BigJimCalhoun

11-27-2011, 08:55

Reading Outlaws Inc.

It is about the rise of private cargo aviation using large airplanes "acquired" during the fall of the Soviet Union.

ZonieDiver

11-27-2011, 12:43

Re-reading The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. I read this when it came out in the mid-70's, and almost became an ultra-environmentalist due to the "Californication" of my beloved Arizona that I noticed had occurred in the short time I had been away.

George Washington Hayduke became a hero of mine, even if he was a 91B! :p

MtnGoat

12-03-2011, 02:49

CounterInsurgency Warfare (Theory and Practice) by David Galula

So far I like it, it breakdown COIN over the last MANY years. Good simple reading.

Good toilet book!!! I will say that I wonder is some of the ideas Galula had would work today. Populaltion control and impact are key points he brings out. A must for SF, even if your not doing Village Stability OPS (VSO).

Richard

12-03-2011, 06:04

Yosel by Joe Kubert and From Krakow To Krypton: Jews And Comic Books by Arie Kaplan.

dre

12-03-2011, 10:56

Just finished: To Dare & To Conquer, by Derek Leebaert.

"Special Operations and the Destiny of Nations, from Achilles to Al Qaeda"

Interesting book to read and I particularly enjoyed reading about teams using various infil methods such as canoes and gliders to reach their objectives.

greenlight

12-05-2011, 14:01

I've just gotten all the Andy McNabb books and a Kindle for an early Christmas present.

I've read mixed reviews about 'Bravo two zero' , anyone read it?

I'm now at chapter 6, Mr McNabb if you're reading in (and as this a SF site I guess you are) I've got to say its a riveting read, can't wait to read the rest...

Thank you

The Reaper

12-05-2011, 18:50

I'm now at chapter 6, Mr McNabb if you're reading in (and as this a SF site I guess you are) I've got to say its a riveting read, can't wait to read the rest...

Thank you

You should read the other members' accounts of the mission, they disagree on some of McNab's key points.

TR

Rye

12-10-2011, 05:59

Currently re-reading Shadow Warrior by David Everett. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdi34vRpdbg.

Guymullins

12-10-2011, 07:41

Reading two very good books at present. Sky Men written by Robert Kershaw is a history of airborne forces and their operations. I had lunch in London with Bob last week and he is an ex Brit Para officer with extensive operational experience around the world. He writes very well and the book is a pleasure to read.
The other book is also really good, written by ex Marine C Chivers and it is called The Gun, the history of the AK47. The title sells the book a bit short because it is in fact a history of automatic weapons from the Gatling Gun through to the Maxim, Schmiesser, Sturmgewer , PPSh etc. and examines the lives of the inventors as well as their weapons and homes in on how and why the AK became the worlds favourite weapon. The book is very well written, as would be expected by a Pullitzer Prize winning journalist. Chivers could make the history of the food-mixer a good read, but with an engrossing subject like full-auto weapons, this is an absolute must read.

ZonieDiver

12-10-2011, 13:47

Warrior by Jim Hunt and Bob Risch. It is the story of Frank Sturgis, Watergate "burglar" and CIA operative, as well as former marine and soldier. Interesting...

Sarski

12-11-2011, 22:28

The Principles of Effortless Power by Peter Ralston. Internal martial arts stuff that describes energy concepts and things like ki yin yang without using those terms. Fascinating stuff for anyone interested in or practices internal arts.

Also that book I mentioned I was reading on SAS? Fighting Tactics of the SAS, I think it was called. The title was a bit misleading. The book hardly mentioned the SAS at all, but did draw on a large number of historical special ops missions, both friendly and those of enemies to illustrate its sub chapters. Its chapters and sub chapters were quite interesting and featured such concepts as orginization, planning, hydro recon, recon, espionage, tracking, insertion and extraction, RPs, LUPs, land nav, and quite a slew of other topics were briefly explored. And like I said, with very little mention of the SAS, but instead mention of a large number of other elite units and past operations. I was pleasently surprised. Would have liked it just as much if it was solely SAS, however the inclusion of other forces added to its depth.

EDIT: SAS Fighting Techniques Handbook, by Terry White. Loaned it to a friend, so had to look back at my previous post.

dre

12-22-2011, 08:29

Title: The Reel Truth
Author: Reed Martin
Category: Film / TV / Production
Description: "Everything you didn't know you need to know about making an independent film."
Year Published: 2009

I started reading this book after 2 different individuals recommended it as a "primer" for those who are entering into, or have an interest in, the finance of film-making.

I am early on, but good book thus far.

hooah12

12-22-2011, 08:50

I'm currently reading "Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team" (Or at least it was prior to the book) and I've been translating a bunch of Russian news articles about stuff going on in the US, its a pretty good laugh.

Rye

12-26-2011, 22:23

I've just gotten all the Andy McNabb books and a Kindle for an early Christmas present.

I've read mixed reviews about 'Bravo two zero' , anyone read it?

It's ok though full of lies and misconceptions. You should try 'The Real Bravo Two Zero'--and the documentary with the same name--OR 'Soldier Five'.

ZonieDiver

12-30-2011, 18:26

Green Berets in the Vanguard; Inside Special Forces, 1953-1963 by Chalmers Archer, Jr. Interesting read, but with several errors so far - which I attribute to old age-failing memory. (Unless someone from that day tells me otherwise!)

For example; calling them "mass technical jumps" instead of "mass tactical jumps" and stating that in the late 50's EM jump pay went to $110 per month. (If true, I missed out...)

bailaviborita

01-05-2012, 21:44

One in the bathroom, one on the nighstand, one in the office:

1) Little Known Wars of Great and Lasting Impact, Alan Axelrod
2) Divinity of Doubt: The God Question, Vincent Bugliosi
3) Unconventional Warfare: Rebuilding U.S. Special Operations Forces, Susan Marquis

1: very interesting, and Axelrod writes well
2: I like to have an open mind
3: fascinating look into politics behind the establishment of SOCOM, re-reading for 2nd time

dollarbill

01-06-2012, 09:05

Just started Lone Survivor, by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson. So far it hard to put down.

mark46th

01-06-2012, 17:05

The King Never Smiles
by Paul M Handley
It is about King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. Lot's of historical information about the king. Also, there is a lot of the political intrigue of the last 60 years in Thailand. Probably a little dry unless you have been in Thailand...

The Reaper

01-06-2012, 19:40

The Civil War, by Shelby Foote.

TR

MTN Medic

01-06-2012, 20:05

Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer. This thing is 5 inches thick and has a huge swastika on it so I pretty much have to only read it at home or I get looks. I suppose I could tape over the cover, but it seems like too much work.

Brilliant read though on the inner workings of the Regime and the events leading to its sucess and destruction.

Rye

01-07-2012, 03:01

I just read 'The Kremlin Device' by Chris Ryan. It's the first military-based fictional book that I have read and it was great! It will keep you hooked, line by line. Recommended!

Richard

01-09-2012, 15:49

"Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse" by Professor Jay Rubenstein - up next is "And so it goes - Kurt Vonnegut: A Life" by Charles Shields.

Richard :munchin

Arma Viri

01-09-2012, 18:30

For a paper I'm writing;

1) The founding of Russia's Navy, Peter the Great and the Azov Fleet 1688-1714. Philips

2) Peter the Great and the West. Hughes

3) Soldiers of the Tsar. Keep

Leisure;

Conqeuror - warrior, scholar, brother. Iggulden

tom kelly

01-10-2012, 04:29

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" My suggestion, unless you are from Sweden, go see the movie. Character development is very slow, The central theme is ambiguous, and it goes into too much detail about the country of Sweden, so unless you are very familar with that part of the world and it's cultural"ultra liberal" IMO, see the movie...TK

MtnGoat

01-10-2012, 11:46

SAS Secret War (Operation STORM in the Middle East)

By MG Tony Jeapers

Requiem

01-10-2012, 14:09

War Story, The Classic True Story of the First Generation of GB's in VN. By Jim Morris.

American Torture. By Jim Otterman. Not sure what to think about this information. I'm reading it for research purposes.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - concur with QP Kelly's assessment, although there was enough plot to keep me reading Stieg Larsson's rather artlessly written (or translated) book. I will see the movie.

Stingray

01-15-2012, 12:08

The Civil War, by Shelby Foote.

TR

TR,
What are your thoughts on the book? I have been looking for a good book about the Civil War. Read The Killer Angels and really liked it. Now looking for something next. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

The Reaper

01-15-2012, 12:51

TR,
What are your thoughts on the book? I have been looking for a good book about the Civil War. Read The Killer Angels and really liked it. Now looking for something next. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Not book. Books.

Not hard reading, but not fluff either.

I am a big Shelby Foote fan. He was a Civil War expert. You probably saw him on Ken Burns Civil War special on PBS.

TR

bandycpa

01-15-2012, 13:16

"Steel My Soldiers' Hearts" by COL David Hackworth

"5 Years To Freedom" by COL Nick Rowe

Stingray

01-17-2012, 06:25

Not book. Books.

Not hard reading, but not fluff either.

I am a big Shelby Foote fan. He was a Civil War expert. You probably saw him on Ken Burns Civil War special on PBS.

TR

I googled him, I do recognize him. The name sounded familiar too but I could not place from where.
Thank you for your response Sir. Barnes and Noble has a 3 book set I am going to check today.

V/R,

greenberetTFS

01-17-2012, 07:38

Irish_Army01

01-17-2012, 07:44

Killer Elite by Ranulph Fiennes..formely known as The Feathermen.. Pretty good read so far..

chester

01-22-2012, 13:24

The Green Berets by Robin Moore. I'm about 70% done. It is much better than the movie and a motivational read.

ZonieDiver

01-22-2012, 13:28

Reflections of a Warrior by Franklin D. Miller, MOH. Episodic account of his Army, SF, and SOG experiences. I love the way he writes.

Won this at the SFA Ch 75 After-Holiday Party's raffle.

grog18b

01-25-2012, 12:06

The Order of the Death's Head by Heinz Hohne. Quite informative, and a few inches thick. Includes photos. Much info I have not read in other Reich related books.

Crito

01-31-2012, 17:16

Gentlemen,

I have just finished Masters of Chaos by Linda Robinson and Secret Commandos by John Plaster. I am trying to keep my library from expanding. Both were great aids for me in getting a better picture of what Special Forces does.

If anyone would like either of these books for yourself or for a friend PM me your mailing address and I will send them out to you. No charge.

-Crito

Streck-Fu

01-31-2012, 18:32

I just started Secret Commandos and The Men, the Mission, and Me last weekend. Almost through Commandos and about half way into M, M, &M.

Tweeder11

01-31-2012, 18:59

Imperial Grunts

I am to the point where he is embed with the USMC right after introducing the new CA team that's rotating in country. I really enjoy this book and as a person who as is fresh to the military as I am, this book certainly seems like something I will read and re-read many times.

Be well,
Tweeder

Red Flag 1

01-31-2012, 19:40

Killing Lincoln, by Bill O'Riley. Not a great fan of the author, but the book is pretty good so far.

Richard

02-04-2012, 06:13

The Driver (1922) and The People's Pottage (1953) by Garet Garrett.

Who's John Galt? ;)

And so it goes...

Richard :munchin

greenberetTFS

02-04-2012, 06:23

The Reaper

02-04-2012, 10:16

Teddy, you might want to take that address off the open net and take it to PM.

TR

MR2

02-04-2012, 17:54

Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor - Russell Bonds (2011)

This audio book was read by the author and tended to be a bit slower than I read - causing my mind to wander. The book covers the who, what, where, when, why and how pretty well. Covers the creation of the Navy's an Army's Medal of Honor. Finishes up with where all the players end up including The General.

Going to start the aBook No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington - Condoleezza Rice (2011) next

MR2

02-04-2012, 18:04

Finished SEAL of honor: Operation Red Wings and the life of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, USN - Gary Williams.

It was a very quick read and as more of a memorial of Murphy and those that died that fateful day. In covering this fine young mans life, it details his early years, schooling, and SEAL training - drawing from interviews of friends, family, mentors and comrades. Very little coverage of Operation Redwing where Murphy's actions distinguish himself resulting in his posthumous award of the Medal of Honor.

Started on Lone survivor: the eyewitness account of Operation Redwing and the lost heroes of SEAL Team 10 - Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson.

Dozer523

02-05-2012, 08:05

Not book. Books.

Not hard reading, but not fluff either.

I am a big Shelby Foote fan. He was a Civil War expert. You probably saw him on Ken Burns Civil War special on PBS.

TRThe three volume set is awesome. I'm Proud that I can say I read it. Foote joked that it took him longer to write it then for Lee to fight it. "But General Lee had help . . "
Enjoy TR. Wait to you get to the part about Bedford Forest and anticipating the enemy's action.

tom kelly

02-05-2012, 13:55

This book is a non-fiction account written by Ranulph Fiennes and is essentiality about vigilante justice that is known by a sovereign government that even supports and sanctions it to a degree; However, The Crown and the Parliament reserve the right and take the position to disavow any knowledge or involvent in the unpleasantness that usually occurs when organizations disregard the LAW...A good read that should dispel liberal beliefs the fictional characters like James Bond and Jason Bourne do not exist?.....TK
P.S. The book has been made into a movie "Killers Elite"

TrapperFrank

02-05-2012, 15:03

Women by Charles Bukowski and Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey. I enjoy Charles Bukowski's work greatly and Riders of the Purple Sage is an American classic.

Sigaba

02-08-2012, 20:33

Wilson D. Miscamble, C.S.C, The Most Controversial Decision: Truman, the Atomic Bombs, and the Defeat of Japan Cambridge Essential Histories (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011) ISBN-13: 978-0521735360.

In this well-written work, Miscamble draws upon his previous work on Truman (http://www.amazon.com/Roosevelt-Truman-Potsdam-Hiroshima-Cold/dp/0521728584/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328752110&sr=1-1), as well as more recent scholarship, and forcefully argues that Truman's decision must be understood within the context of the Second World War. Truman sought to spare the lives of American servicemen--not to intimidate the Soviet Union. Miscamble repeatedly rakes 'revisionist' historians (in particular, Gar Alperovitz and Tsuyoshi Hasegawa) who argue that Truman practiced "atomic diplomacy" at the Potsdam Conference, that the use of the bombs was unnecessary, and that the Japanese were on the verge of surrender in the summer of 1945.

Miscamble also subtly excoriates those who justify the morality of Truman's decision in contemporaneous debates. Miscamble is especially skillful at skewering those who belong to the "Japs had it coming" school of thought.

While I agree with many of Miscamble's central arguments and appreciate his focus on operations in the Pacific War, I think he falls into the same trap as those revisionists he seeks to refute. Much of his argument that the use of the bombs saved millions of lives is (fortunately) counter-factual. Just as we can never know for certain what would have happened had the United States pursued the preferred policies of the revisionists, we can never know for certain what would have happened had the United States invaded Japan. History is the study of what happened, not what might have happened--but didn't.

Also, Miscamble leaves open the door for numerous revisionist counter-arguments. What does it say for Roosevelt and Truman that they did not do more to integrate the developing scientific and military knowledge about nuclear weapons into America's grand strategy? Or that FDR took no steps to establish a set of firm policies that he could hand off to his successor? Or that Truman deferred the conduct of American foreign policy to Secretary of State James F. Byrnes, who viewed statesmanship from a politician's point of view? Or that Truman and Byrnes failed to appreciate the extent of Stalin's ambitions in Eastern Europe?

Moreover, while Miscamble is not as strident as Robert Maddox or D. M. Giangreco, his tone is significantly sharper than he intimates in his introductory remarks. In this respect, Miscamble repeats a significant misstep of the earlier debates over the Cold War as well as a common mistake in military historiography (upon which the crux of his argument relies). That is, he often crosses the line between "Here's the evidence that supports the efficacy of a controversial decision" into the netherworld of "[So and so] was right all along." The latter realm is not, IMO, the historians' domain.

Despite these and other concerns, I strongly recommend this work to those who want a brief overview of the ongoing historiographical debates over the decisions to use the atomic bombs, the end of the Pacific War, and the start of the Cold War, as well as to those who question the vitality of professional academic history.

Tweeder11

02-08-2012, 21:21

Re-reading Awaken the Giant Within

I first went out and read this book after reading after seeing this in recommended reading in Major Joe Martin's book (please forgive me if he's been promoted since).

It's quickly become a favorite & IMHO not a bad book to digest every 6 months to a year.... depending on how many books you're putting away a month.

Tweeder

Streck-Fu

02-09-2012, 07:19

Not book. Books.

Not hard reading, but not fluff either.

I am a big Shelby Foote fan. He was a Civil War expert. You probably saw him on Ken Burns Civil War special on PBS.

TR

I have all 3 books but have only finished the first. I should revisit them. Much more enjoyable than "The Battle Cry of Freedom".

I own and have watch Ken Burn's "The Civil War" a couple of times and every time I read Shelby Foote, I hear his great Mississippi drawl in my head. :p

Streck-Fu

02-09-2012, 07:31

I just finished "The Mission, The Men, and Me".

Sigaba

02-10-2012, 05:59

Carte Blanche, Jeffery Deaver (New York and London: Simon and Schuster, 2011), ISBN-13: 978-1451620696.

One of the many benefits of "the new" military and diplomatic history is that its practitioners get to study mass popular culture. Consequently, every television show, movie, book, graphic novel, comic book, sound recording, and performance remotely related to warfare and/or to diplomacy counts as research.*

In Carte Blanche, commissioned by the estate of Ian Fleming, Jeffrey Deaver re-imagines James Bond in post 9/11 and 7/7 England as an operative of the Overseas Development Group (ODG), a reboot of the SOE, tasked to "...protect the Realm...by any means necessary" (32).

While Deaver's Bond has most of the traits in Fleming's and Gardner's Bond novels (I've avoided Benson's contributions), missing (at least so far) are his misogyny, his emotional cruelty, and his borderline sadism. (At times, there is little difference between Gardner's Bond and Cormac McCarthy's Anton Chigurh.) From a geopolitical standpoint, Deaver treats Islamic terrorism as but one challenge among many facing Great Britain's intelligence community. While I understand many of the reasons for such choices, I would have preferred a riskier approach--and better writing.
__________________________________________________ ________
* It isn't all fun and games. I have to watch movies directed by Michael Bay.:(

jw74

02-15-2012, 20:29

The Profession, by Steven Pressfield.
I started with Gates of Fire and wanted to see what else the author had done. So far its very entertaining and doesnt have the same feel as any other novel of this genre.

Guymullins

02-16-2012, 10:34

I am reading a book I have been searching for for many years. It is the biography of the German Special Forces inaugurator Otto Skorzeny. What a story and what a man. He was responsible for the re-capture of Mussolini as well as the capture of Hungary regents son. He was responsible for the great confusion at the Battle of the Bulge and the rumour that he was tasked to capture Ike paralized the General for weeks. The Americans tried to hang him during the war crimes trials but he was vouched for both by British officers as well as Americans who admired him greatly. Written in 1953, the English is a bit old fashioned, but a very good read. What is interesting is that Skorzeny copied much of his modus operandi from the British Commandos, who in turn, copied their name and techniques from our own Boer Commandos who so impressed Churchill during the Boer War.

tom kelly

02-18-2012, 22:39

A fiction novel by Brad Thor; Fantasy at its best, The USC grad has a vivid imagination, an ultra liberal view of what is possible in a war zone especialy by civillan contractors....TK

greenberetTFS

02-29-2012, 11:04

Due to the kindness of Paslode(Drew) I've just received the book and I'm going to start reading it today....... When I'm finished I'll pass it on to whoever else may want it,just drop me a PM with you address details............;) :cool: :D

Big Teddy :munchin

Andruuc

03-02-2012, 13:23

Just read Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell. Finished it one sitting. Great writing about an Infantry platoon in A-Stan.

Richard

03-04-2012, 07:24

Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic and Civil Wars: with the Supplementary Books attributed to Hirtius.

Susa

03-04-2012, 16:38

Tales of a Pathfinder By A.L. Westgard 1920

From the forward:
"The story of the highways is the story of mankind, whether in a state of barbarism or of civilization. The movement of primitive peoples has been by waterways and land-routes which, following lines of least resistance, often appropriated the trails made by wild animals. The movements of civilized men likewise followed the least resistive lines with the result that the great railways and the National highways coincide with the game-trails and the Indian paths of long ago.
The ascent of man has been in direct ratio to the progress that has been made in the speed, safety, comfort and convenience of the movement of men and goods from one place to another. "

Rye

03-07-2012, 23:44

Behind Enemy Lines by Terry O'Farrell.

Over 40 missions as an Australian Special Air Service soldier behind enemy lines in Vietnam. Signaller, Scout and eventually Patrol Commander. Excellent read, amazing and yet touching life story. :o

akv

03-25-2012, 21:38

What it is like to go to war - by Karl Marlantes

Mr. Marlantes is a Yale grad and Rhodes Scholar who won the Navy Cross as an USMC Infantry Officer in Vietnam, he writes of his experiences during and since with great eloquence and candor. While I don't agree with Mr. Marlantes politics, my $.02 there is a great deal to take away from this book, especially for the friends or family of combat veterans.

Dusty

03-28-2012, 18:39

SOG, by John Plaster. Never knew about what happened to Larry Thorne til I read this book. He's got another good one out called Secret Commandos, also about SOG.

Just ordered The Five Fingers for 2 bucks. Outstanding book.

tom kelly

03-28-2012, 19:12

1: AFTERSHOCK: by,David Wiedemer,PhD. Robert A. Wiedemer and Cindy Spitzer. The authors who predicted the first Financial Meltdown of the conjoined real estate, stock and private debt bubbles that led to the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009.

2. Finished reading "FIASCO" by Thomas E. Ricks a definitive account of of America's military tragic experience in Iraq.

Regard's, TK

Sigaba

03-30-2012, 16:30

Peter Longerich, Heinrich Himmler, trans. Jeremy Noakes and Lesley Sharpe (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012).

Meticulously researched and exhaustively documented (approximately 740 pages of text, and 200 pages of end notes), this biography takes one through Germany during Himmler's lifetime largely from the subject's viewpoint. Consequently, readers without a working knowledge of modern German history may need to do some backtracking from time to time.

Readers who have no qualms with Americans using the symbols of the Nazi dictatorship as well as those who insist upon facile comparisons between modern American politics and Nazi Germany will be disappointed--if not outright embarrassed.

Having read a few works translated from German into English, I appreciate Noakes's and Sharpe's appreciation for English-speaking readers. There are relatively few WTF is he saying sentences that one often finds in works of German history.

The Reaper

03-30-2012, 19:54

blue02hd

03-31-2012, 06:10

"Getting More" by Stuart Diamond. Nonfiction.

Possibly one of the most rewarding self improvement reads outside of history books I have laid my paws on.

In addition, USSOCOM hired this guy to teach at the latest Academics Week in Orlando to about 700 within our community. It was rated as the highest ranked class all week. Excellent seminar by any standard.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to improve their understanding of how to get your kid to brush his teeth up to High Risk Negotiations.

Angry Mike

03-31-2012, 06:11

jean edward smith

reminds me of how much i dislike macarthur and all the revisionist history.

Richard

03-31-2012, 06:28

Voices Of A People's History Of The United States - Zinn and Arnove, Seven Stories Press, 2004.

Richard :munchin

Dusty

03-31-2012, 06:29

Schadenfreude?

TR

lol No, that's outright envy. :D

Sigaba

03-31-2012, 13:11

Schadenfreude?

TRExasperation.

Scholarly interpretations of modern history are getting increasingly complex. Yet, the popular discussion of that past continues to go in the opposite direction.

For example, post #939, above, broadly condemns "all revisionist history." However, all history is revisionist. If it weren't for this dynamic, Eisenhower would still be held in low esteem as a person, a professional soldier, and a statesmen.

tcb09d

04-03-2012, 17:08

A revision of the Defence of Duffer's Drift for the Iraq War, The Defense of Jisr Al- Doreaa, by two young Captains.

The book goes on exactly how the original does but only this time the young Captain's battle plan revolves around counterinsurgency. A small book, no more than 70 pages but to me at least, vastly insightful. It gets my recommendation.

snowwolf

04-04-2012, 15:21

Get Selected for Special Forces by Major Joe Martin

I've almost finished with it, but it has become my bible for training.

The Quiet Professional by Alan Hoe

Just bought this at the bookstore yesterday and can't put it down.

ReefBlue

04-07-2012, 11:01

Just picked up Shake Hands with the Devil (600 pages) and A long way gone.

Shake hands with the Devil is about Rwanda and A long way gone is about a boy soldier in Sierra Leone.

Not sure how long it will take to tackle both of these, but we'll see.

chester

04-09-2012, 19:45

I really scored about 6 weeks ago at my local library and picked up a backpack full of military history and strategy books for free.

Read so far:

A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 by G. J. Meyer

I never knew anything about WW I. This book was suprisingly hard to put down for a history book and did a great job of explaining the war for a guy like me with almost no knowledge of the world before the great depression.

Volume 1 of Winston Churchills 6 volume set on WW II. It was so good I ordered the rest of the set but it will be a while before I get through it.

Working my way through On War by Clausewitz. It is thought provoking but I suspect I did not get the most readable translation.

Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice by William H. McRaven

This book was excellent. His 6 fundamentals of a successful "special op" (simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose), made a lot of sense and seem like a good mental checklist to review when planning a mission.

Also read The War of the Flea. It was a good read and one I will probably read again once I have some formal training in UW.

On deck: Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties by Paul Johnson.

I've got a whole stack I would like to get through but I suspect once I start the Q course I won't have a whole lot of time for extra-curricular reading. Making the best of my free time while I've got it.

ReefBlue

04-10-2012, 15:06

Just picked up The Red Circle by Brandon Webb.

It just came out today, so for the first time in decades, I have a backlog of books to read, so it'll be a while before I get to this one, but just thumbing through it, it looks incredibly interesting.

akv

04-10-2012, 16:47

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith.

Historical crime fiction set in 1953, in the Stalinist USSR. Based in part on a true story of the hunt for a serial killer who took over 50 lives across multiple decades. Frankly the descriptions of life in the Orwellian USSR are scarier than the killer. Since "crime doesn't officially exist" in the egalitarian Soviet state , pointing out societal imperfections like murder is itself a crime. LEO investigating a murder have to be very careful they don't get sent to the Gulag themselves for embarassing the State.

My $.02, those 99%ers would be well served to occupy a few hours with this book

Dusty

04-10-2012, 17:08

pjbluetogreen

04-14-2012, 00:20

By LTC (ret) Dave Grossmen
the book expands on his book On Killing also a great read.

Richard

04-14-2012, 04:06

Killing The Blues - a Jesse Stone novel by Rbt B. Parker.

I also enjoy the movie adaptations of the series starring Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone.

greenberetTFS

04-14-2012, 06:07

Killing The Blues - a Jesse Stone novel by Rbt B. Parker.

I also enjoy the movie adaptations of the series starring Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone.

Me too..........:rolleyes::eek::p

Big Teddy :munchin

CW1287

04-17-2012, 03:08

Just finished Platoon Leader by COL (R) James McDonough and Tom Clancy's Dead or Alive.

Starting to Re-read the Ranger Handbook today.

miclo18d

04-17-2012, 05:53

Escape from Camp 14 is the story of Shin Dong-hyuk. Born into the Gulag system of the "Workers Paradise" of North Korea, Shin knew nothing else in life other than he was being punished for the "crimes" of his parents. He even turned in a competitor for food, his mother, that was trying to escape. She was hung and his brother shot right in front of him.

Later, met a few people that had lived on the outside and told him that there were other things to eat other than cabbage soup. He later decided to escape himself only his desire was not freedom, because he didn't even know what that meant, but the desire to eat the foods he had heard about.

A tad under 200 pages, I read it in one day and was more astonished with the accounts of the totalitarian system than the escape. He seemed to run more on luck than skill but the system that he lived under seems to run on the same kind of luck. It was a good fast read that I didn't want to put down.

Camp 14 rule#9: Prisoners must genuinely repent of their errors. Anyone who does not acknowledge his sins and instead denies them or carries a deviant opinion of them will be shot immediately.

Reminds me of "Boots, boots, boots..."

BryanK

04-18-2012, 06:56

I just started Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair). The man was ahead of his time.

Streck-Fu

04-18-2012, 06:58

Abandon Ship. The story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis

Nothing Like it in the World. About the building of the transcontinental railroad.

njmiller26

04-19-2012, 10:37

I am trying to knock out as much of the SF suggested reading as possible before SFAS. I try to read two at a time. A Sample:

Currently:
The Quiet Professional - MAJ Richard J. Meadows of The U.S. Army Special Forces (Great Book so far)

Get Selected! For Special Forces (2nd Time) - Critical read and easy to apply techniques in training. I will read this over and over applying techniques, until I attend SFAS.

Recently:
Chosen Soldier by Dick Couch - Fantastic insight into the SF Pipeline

Man's search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - Unbelievable story of perseverance and how to survive through the most horrendous circumstances.

Obamas Wars by Bob Woodward - Not SF related but interesting insight to our Commander in-chief. Most interesting aspect to me was the decision making process appointing the military and civilian leadership in the National Security posts.

Next:
Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins (Select portions first)

Special Forces, A Guided Tour of U.S. Army Special Forces by Tom Clancy - Excited about this one since this will be my first Clancy book.

Requiem

04-19-2012, 20:57

When We Walked Above the Clouds is H. Lee Barnes' memoir of A-107, Tra Bong, and the Vietnam War. Good read so far.

S.

MR2

04-23-2012, 10:36

Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis by James Rickards (Portfolio, 2011) is so far, a tad bit over my head. Excellent history of economics and monetary policy on a global scale. Describes what happened and why. Looking forward to the conclusions.

MR2

04-24-2012, 06:25

War and Militarism in Modern Japan; Issues of History and Identity - Guy Podoler (2009)

Read it to get some more perspective of the attitudes during the Russo-Japanese War but found the post WW2 attitudes the most illuminating.

Rob_Frey

04-24-2012, 19:47

Ulysses S. Grant
Memoirs and Selected letters
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
Selected Letters 1839 - 1865

Dad

04-26-2012, 17:13

by Bruce Bartlett. Tax reform, why we need it and how we get it. The author, an economist, served on the staffs of and in the administrations of Jack Kemp, Ron Paul, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan. Discusses the various government entities involved in writing tax legislation and advising congress. The economic effects of various taxes, etc. A good read and an eye opener. The author seems to be what I have always called a traditional Republican. In other words, an honest realist.

Barbarian

04-27-2012, 09:23

"Memoirs, Correspondance, and Private Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Late POTUS"

Scanned PDF version. Just started it. EXCELLENT so far. Should be required reading for HS students, IMHO.

MR2

04-29-2012, 14:44

Just finished listening to A Short History of World War I - James L. Stokesbury (Nelson Runger) 96Kb (1981). It was a pretty easy listen and held my interest as my knowledge base held major gaps. Covered several causes and the diplomacy leading to the war as well as a chronological, by topic, history of the war. Good basis for further study.

Started listening to Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy - David Hoffman (Bob Walter) 64Kb (2009)

Wife handed me Alien Nation: Common Sense about America's Immigration Disaster - Peter Brimelow (RH, 1995). So far it is busting some long held myths.

And I still have one last SOF Porn by Tom Kratman - A State of Disobedience (Baen, 2003) to finish up.

Richard

04-29-2012, 15:04

Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore.

The history of the city which Muqaddasi described at the end of the 19th Century as "...a golden goblet full of scorpions."

Richard :munchin

DIYPatriot

05-02-2012, 13:05

I just wrapped up Kill Bin Laden by John Weisman. It's a fictional novel based on true events that seems to put the reader directly in the middle of the politics, intelligence gathering and mission planning/execution concerning the decision to go ahead with Operation Neptune Spear.

I read it in one sitting and I'm reading it again. One of the things I found to be of interest was the involvement of the character "Ty Weaver", who bears a direct resemblance to Raymond Davis (SF). The diversion, involving him and employed by the CIA, was crucial in not revealing our true motives with assets on the ground in A-bad after one of our fearless leaders claimed that he had it on good authority that UBL was living the good life in a villa deep in Pakistan.

For those that are in the know, I wonder how close this novel is to the real thing. Go ahead - PM me the details :D

Destrier

05-02-2012, 14:38

Training Workhorses/ Training Teamsters Lynn Miller

Enjoying his views and methods.

BigJimCalhoun

05-22-2012, 19:41

Finishing up

The Natashas : the horrific inside story of slavery, rape, and murder in the global sex trade
by Malarek, Victor, 1948-

Starting
Robert Ludlum's The Janson command
by Garrison, Paul, 1952-

In queue
An American spy
by Steinhauer, Olen.

akv

05-28-2012, 17:59

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

A look, warts and all, at the poster boy for determinate optimisim. My $.02 there is some great business insight here, but anyone trying to emulate this leadership style better have charisma in excess.

MR2

06-02-2012, 06:57

Clancy, Tom - Against All Enemies w Peter Telep (2011). Another bit of SOF Porn from a former master storyteller and one of his ghost writers. Complex story about taking down one of the Mexican drug cartels with a few Islamic terrorist thrown into the mix. Many parts of the book are well developed and yet so many integral aspects are give short shift. Disappointing. A good easy summer read.

joesnuffy

06-03-2012, 21:39

Now: Operation Darkheart by Lt Col Anthony Shaffer, later Kill Bin Laden by Dalton Fury

ZonieDiver

06-08-2012, 13:21

Recent reads:

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.
The recent "traffic jam" at the Hillary Steps on Mt. Everest caused me to dig out this book and re-read it. It is an accounting of the disastrous and deadly 1996 expeditions from which it seems few have learned any hard lessons and we await a sudden weather change which will now kill many more than died then.

Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson.
Since the underwater equivalent of climbing Everest is said to be diving the Andrea Doria, I re-read this book next. This used to be on my list of things to do, but has since fallen off due to reality! The main thrust of this book is about the discovery, exploration, and identificaton of the U-869 off the coast of NJ, and the deaths that occurred in doing so.

Deep Descent by Kevin F. McMurray.
As a follow-up to the previous book, I am re-reading this one, which covers much of the same material from a different perspective. It helps show how different personal observations and opinions of the same event can be, even from people present when said events occurred.

Next up:
The Last Dive by Bernie Chowdhury.
This book goes into great detail about one of the events discussed in Shadow Divers, the deaths of Chris Rouse and Chris Rouse, Jr on the U-869 in 1992. It goes into their entry into diving, becoming accomplished cave divers in Florida, and then switching to deep wrecks off MA-NY-NJ.

All are excellent reads.

echoes

06-09-2012, 15:29

"MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING"
by
JULIA CHILD
Louisette Bertolle
Simone Beck

As my work schedule has died down recently, I have been fortunate enough to revisit this incredible novel, and dive head first in to some wonderful classic recipes!

My copy, (1968,) was a gift from my Dad, someone who has given me many insights over the years, and opened my mind to a lot of different ideas and theories about the Universe, Mathmatics, and Music. And of course, the most basic of element, Food. :o

And though none of them will probobly ever effect such things as National Security, I am confident that the solid core values about right and wrong I learned from Him have helped me to be able to stand up for what I believe, even in the face of those who would seek to, by way of being popular, cut off-and diminish them.

Thanks Dad, for being a Real Father and a Real Man.

Check out the book, if you can... am currently reading about "Fromage," Cheese.

Holly

ZonieDiver

06-09-2012, 15:45

Check these guys out. They know about cheese! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un8DCV4pGVA

echoes

06-09-2012, 16:05

Check these guys out. They know about cheese! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un8DCV4pGVA

Oh My ZD! :D

(Glad I never served you any of that..........) :p

Ah, yes, there are several versions of, "Stinky," cheese. Roquefort, Parmesean, and anything ending in, "ord." (Don't Ask.)

The beauty of it is there are so many different varities and combinations.....BUT, that is for the GG AO, so......;)

Okay, so back to the thread....

Holly

Richard

06-10-2012, 05:39

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen.

The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach The New Survival Skills Our Children Need--And What We Can Do About It by Tony Wagner.

Richard :munchin

hooah12

06-13-2012, 17:33

The Anarchist's Cookbook (kidding)

Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed- and How to Stop It
-Rachel Ehrenfeld

Badger52

06-15-2012, 06:43

Slogging through some heavier stuff recently so browsed a little shop and found CPT Stanton's Green Berets at War (http://www.amazon.com/Green-Berets-War-Southeast-1956-1975/dp/0804118841), and realized I'd read it but didn't actually have a copy. Used, but respected and complete, snagged for $1, so it's on the nightstand for a re-read while the other stuff gets a break.

BTW, as he recalls that initial muster June 1952 on Smoke Bomb Hill, congrats again to 10th Group on your 60th!

ZonieDiver

06-17-2012, 13:19

Finished:

The Last Dive by Bernie Chowdhury.

Interestingly, this book goes into great detail about a double diving fatality that the other three books I just read also discuss, to varying degrees. In each instance, eyewitnesses were interviewed, or were the actual writers. Still, there were differences - some great - in their accounts. Ah, history! :D

Now reading:

Deadliest Sea by Kalee Thompson.

This is, so far, an excellent accounting of the sinking of the factory trawler Alaska Ranger in 2008, with the loss of 5 of the 42 man crew - resulting in the largestcold-water rescue in USCG history.

LoneDefender

06-17-2012, 18:24

The Men, The Mission, and Me by Pete Blaber

Radar Rider

06-17-2012, 19:28

Richard

06-18-2012, 03:55

Pete

06-18-2012, 04:40

Been since the early 70's since I read The Deerslayer.

Reading through it at a slower pace, taking it all in this time.

The Muskrat has been lowered to his watery grave next to his wife and the rest are on the Ark deciding on what to do next. Will Hurry-Scurry really take off for the fort, will he get the girl, any girl - or will Natty? Will them pesky redskins ever head back north?

We'rewolf

06-25-2012, 08:28

Currently reading "The Only Thing Worth Dying for" by Eric Blehm. I'm completely enthralled in this book. I can't believe the history behind Karzai getting into power due to the amazing efforts of ODA 574. It's been out for a while, so I'm sure many have read it but I didn't see it mentioned elsewhere in this thread. I am in awe of ODA 574.

V/R

greenberetTFS

07-06-2012, 07:59

Just started,Beneath Hill 60.........:eek: Vietnam "tunnel rats" story...........:cool:

Big Teddy :munchin

Dusty

07-06-2012, 08:15

The Closing Of The Western Mind: The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason by Charles Freeman.

An exploration of a key turning point in Western Civilization - the alliance of church and state in the aftermath of the Roman emperor Constatine's conversion to Christianity in the fourth century CE which set the stage for the triumph of faith over reason.

Sounds like an intimation that Christians are incapable of reason. :munchin

I'm writing one now tenatively entitled "Demonspawn: The Rise of Liberalism and the Fall of Common Sense", to be released in the middle of November. :rolleyes:

Stingray

07-06-2012, 09:48

Re-reading The Book of 5 Rings. Get something new out of it everytime.

Gypsy

07-06-2012, 17:43

Today I received my signed and numbered copy of Burnt Yellow and Red by our very own S.B. Newman. Will begin reading this shortly, cannot wait!

Gypsy

07-06-2012, 17:45

I'm writing one now tenatively entitled "Demonspawn: The Rise of Liberalism and the Fall of Common Sense", to be released in the middle of November. :rolleyes:

Are you accepting pre-orders?

cjwils3

07-07-2012, 05:54

I have just started reading Bayonet! Forward: My Civil War Reminiscences by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. It is a comprehensive collection of his addresses and accounts/reports of some of the battles he took part in (Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg, etc.) as well as outside accounts of those battles and the war in general.

Thus far, it is a very enjoyable read from one of our nation's finest soldiers and statesmen. :lifter

BrokenSwitch

07-14-2012, 13:55

The Revolt: Story of the Irgun by Menachem Begin

This book, in combination with other books I've been browsing over the last 14 days completely flipped my thoughts on the beginning of Israel.

Sarski

07-16-2012, 21:02

Just picked up my copy of "Special Forces Handbook ST31-180."

I was browsing Half Priced Books and I just about lit up when I saw it, I was so excited. I know, I know, but it is new to me :)

Richard

07-17-2012, 18:47

Village Defense: Initial Special Forces Operations In Vietnam by COL (Ret) Ron Shackleton.

COL Shackleton gave me his original copy of the published report and it's a great historical read.

Note: The original manuscript for this document was written by then CPT Shackleton using a USN RTT system while aboard a ship.

Richard :munchin

greenberetTFS

07-18-2012, 18:21

Ultimate guide to US Special Forces.......;)

Big Teddy :munchin

Badger52

07-23-2012, 07:01

Savoring a couple issues of Popular Mechanics and Mechanics Illustrated from June & July 1945 sent by a friend. Inside front-cover is a painting of the navigator's position on a B-29. Replete with hand-drawn artwork, War Bond drives ("to pay off the 7th lending") how-to's, fixit's (back when people repaired things), and ads for quality stuff (and some cheesy fad items) at less than a shot of Starbuck's.

Intermixed of course was the hand=sketched quiz "Name these 10 Jap planes, answers on page...."

I'm particularly interested in finding this "Radioman's Guide" replete with projects, fundamentals and tons of illustrations - 772 pages, four bucks. I need Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine.
:)

MAB32

07-25-2012, 23:53

Reading "Black Ops Vietnam". Subtitled: "The Operational History of MACVSOG" By Robert M. Gillesppie. I Have only read the first 1/4th of the book because it is a wealth of information. I sometimes go back and re-read the first 1/4th again.

Second one is: "Migs over North Vietnam" By Roger Boniface. This one is kinda hard to read about your enemy and how many USAF airplanes were shotdown and pilots, GIBs, and co-pilots that were killed. OOoops, forgot the Navy and the Marines. This book gives after action reports on their "Shootdowns"

Third one will be read later this year. It will be the "Command and Control history of sall annexes" By Mr. Sherman and along with John's "Stryker" Meyers (new book(?) or something new called "Across the Fence".

Any and all books concerning MACVSOG are what I collect to learn more and more about MACVSOG. It is my hobby. My knowledge has tripled about them too.

Richard

07-27-2012, 09:00

1491: New Revelations Of The America's Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann.

Very well written and documented book of a world we only thought we knew and understood.

Rob_Frey

07-27-2012, 23:40

"To Hell and Back" by Audie Murphy

cjwils3

07-30-2012, 19:05

FEARLESS

The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown

by Eric Blehm

This is not your typical American hero story. The background of Adam Brown's civilian life prior to military service is very interesting, to say the least. Even as I knew the ultimate conclusion, I shed tears reading the amazing story of Adam Brown's life and service to the USA.

I read the opening pages of that book this evening, which was more than enough for me to place an order for it on Amazon. Rest in peace Chief Petty Officer Adam Brown and all who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I think about you all everyday and you will always be my heroes.

SFOC0173

08-07-2012, 16:28

Just finished a fictional story; “THE DEGÜELLO” by Scott A. Zastrow. The subject is about an ODA at the start of the Afghanistan War. The author goes into technical descriptions of equipment, somewhat in the manner that Dale Brown does. All-in-all it was a good read.

Badger52

08-08-2012, 07:52

Staying with friends in Howell, MI while shooting a nearby match, walking around after a too-big meal at Diamond's. Browsed a local shop, finding all 4 of his books on the shelf, one autographed. He's still there, occasional book signings, or just wandering in to the shop to buy books that he gives away to friends.

Starting with a nightstand re-read of "Currahee" since it's been 45 years...
:)

Streck-Fu

08-10-2012, 11:57

The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties by Mark Neely, Jr.

Just picked this up at the library but am not enthused by the introduction....

The tedious historical debat over whether or not President Lincoln's policies were constitutional is a legacy of the brittle party platforms of a bygone era and the constitutional moralizing of sore losers .....

Rather than continue the fruitless debate over the constitutionality of Lincoln's acts, this book will examine instead the practical impact on civil liberties of the policies Lincoln developed to save the union.

I'll see how much of a 'ends justifies the means' approach this book has....

Destrier

08-10-2012, 12:26

SAGA OF THE RIDGE by J. Howard Pratt, pub. 1983, soft cover, 213 pages. About western NY history centering around the famous Ridge Road which runs from Lewiston through Orleans County.

Very interesting section on the Gaines Militia mounting up to head West to fight the British during the war of 1812, December, majority barefoot, three feet of snow, etc.

Sigaba

08-10-2012, 13:15

The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties by Mark Neely, Jr.

Just picked this up at the library but am not enthused by the introduction....

I'll see how much of a 'ends justifies the means' approach this book has....Streck-Fu

I think you are going to be disappointed continually if you keep evaluating works of professional academic history from the perspective of your political preferences. The operative phrase in the quotation you provide is "historical debat[e]." This phrase is a fifty foot tall neon sign to readers that a professional historian is trying to shift a historiographical debate away from questions centering around what should have happened to an examination of what actually happened.

Also, when reading works of academic history, you might be better served by looking first at the footnotes/endnotes and bibliography and then the introduction.