petermc (Peter) - 75 in 2009 - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 in my challenge to read 75 books in 2009.
This thread will cover books read from May, 2009. As usual, non-fiction will dominate, with an emphasis on military histories.

Thank you to those who took the time and effort to participate in Part 1 - January to April, and I hope you will occasionally find something of interest in Part 2 :)

The 2009 Book List

January
01. Dining with Terrorists: Meetings with the World's Most Wanted Militants by Phil Rees
02. Whirlwind by Joseph R. Garber
03. The Night in Lisbon by Erich Maria Remarque
04. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
05. 11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944 by Stanley Weintraub
06. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
07. The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh
08. God Rest Ye Merry, Soldiers: A True Civil War Christmas Story by James McIvor

February
09. Generation Kill by Evan Wright
10. The Himmler Brothers by Katrin Himmler
11. One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer by Nathaniel Fick
12. The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle
13. Hitler's Private Library: The Books That Shaped His Life by Timothy W. Ryback
14. High Hopes: My Autobiography by Ronnie Corbett

March
15. Shooter by Jack Coughlin
16. Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaran
17. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun
18. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo
19. The Black Hole War by Leonard Susskind
20. Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective by Paul Rieckhoff
21. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
22. We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah by Patrick K. O'Donnell

April
23. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
24. The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq by Rory Stewart
25. Intern: A Doctor's Initiation by Sandeep Jauhar
26. The Prince by Nicolò Machiavelli
27. Genesis by Bernard Beckett
28. Wolf of the Deep: Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama by Stephen Fox
29. The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes (Abandoned)
30. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
31. Gallipoli: The Turkish Story by Kevin Fewster, Vecihi Basarin, and Hatice Basarin
32. How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton

May
33. The Old Huntsman, and other poems by Siegried Sassoon
34. Counter-Attack and Other Poems by Siegfried Sassoon
35. Picture Show by Siegfried Sassoon
36. The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon by Siegfried Sassoon
37. Five Days In London by John Lukacs
38. Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister by John Lukacs
39. In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton
40. The Spectator: A World War II Bomber Pilots Journal of the Artist as Warrior by David Zellmer
41. Fifty Grand by Adrian McKinty
42. Alice In Sunderland by Bryan Talbot
43. Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun: The Story of USO Hostesses during World War II by Meghan K. Winchell

June
44. The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education by Craig M. Mullaney
45. The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
46. The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
47. The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri
48. The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri
49. Gallipoli by Les Carlyon
50. The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri
51. The Traveler by Daren Simkin and Daniel Simkin

July
52. The State of Jones by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer
53. Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War by Gary Gallagher
54. After Chancellorsville: Letters from the Heart edited by Judith A. Bailey
55. The Night Battles by M.F. Bloxam
56. The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous: Fighting to Save a Way of Life in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina by Ken Wells

August
57. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
58. Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland
59. Adolf Hitler: A Short Sketch of His Life by Philipp Bouhler

I enjoyed your previous thread, petermc, so I've got you starred again!

Well, for those who don't know, it is Golden Week here in Japan; a period which encompasses several public holidays. Namely, April 29 (Shōwa Day), May 3 (Constitution Memorial Day), May 4 (Nature Day), and May 5 (Children's Day, also customarily known as Boys' Day). So, with a week off work, there will, ironically, be little time to read!

In May, I will continue to read the superlative Gallipoli by Australian author Les Carlyon. Last year I read his brilliant The Great War, which was the impetuous to get this book. I have not been disappointed.

I also hope to finish Veniss Underground by Jeff VanderMeer this month. This is a unique work of science fiction, told in three parts. Each part focuses on a different character, and each character's story is told in a different grammatical voice. In other words, we have Nicholas' story told in the First Person, Nicola's story told in the Second Person, and Shadrach's story told in the more conventional Third Person. This works very well in defining the psychology of the characters (i.e. here the first person = self absorbed).

I am also reading Five Days in London by John Lukacs, after Nick Hornby's recommendation in The Polysyllabic Spree. This book looks at 5 days in May, 1940, during which Hitler came closest to winning the Second World War. This book focuses on the political machinations in London at the time. How close did England come to appeasement?

I might tackle my copy of Nineteen Weeks: America, Britain and the Fateful Summer of 1940 by Norman Moss, after I complete Lukacs' book, for another (and slightly wider) perspective. On a similar vein, I also have "Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions That Changed the World, 1940-1941" by Ian Kershaw.

#2 loriephillips - I thank you!

Peleliu; September 15, 1944: The invasion beach was divided into five sectors. On the two northern most sectors, White 1 and White 2, would land the First Marine Division. Below them, on Orange 1 and Orange 2, and Orange 3, the Fifth and Seventh Marine Divisions respectively. For Captain George P. Hunt, commanding Company K, of the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Regiment (3/1/K), it was a small point of land jutting about twenty-five yards into the water on the left flank of Beach White 1 that held his immediate attention.

"...if it was at all active we would be caught in a deathtrap, swept by flanking fire at point-blank range."

Giving priority to the point, Hunt gave "third rifle platoon the job of assaulting it," placing first platoon "in support directly behind the third with the primary mission to be ready to reinforce at a moment's notice." Second platoon was given the role of assaulting the sector to their right.

"We hoped that, as it happened at Kwajalein, the naval shelling and bombing would be so devastating that it would drive the Japs deep in their holes, paralyzed and half crazy from concussion, and fix them there until we swarmed over their shattered positions."

The "Japs" were far from "paralyzed and half crazy from concussion," and the Marines had underestimated both their commitment, and the extent of their defenses on the point they called "Ishimatsu."

Got to ask - in your opinion, did the old Mel Gibson movie, Gallipolli, do justice to this episode in history, or is it, historically speaking, a total pile of crap?

Happy Holidays!

#3: Some great reading going on Peter! I anxiously await your reviews.

Just dropping in to say hello, and my brain is too fried to add a whole lot of your Gallipoli books to my TBR list, but they look excellent for in about 6 weeks from now when I've dug myself out from a landslide of corporate finance textbooks and papers.

I've seen 5 Days in London around and nearly bought it, so am looking forward to your comments.

Hope Boys' Day is fun with your boys.

I don't know what happened to my previous message, but when I pressed "Submit" only two lines appeared and the "Edit" tool refused to work. I could only use "Delete"! It was a long and considered reply to the messages above, that took a good deal of thought and time to type out. I don't want to do all that again - so here's an abridged version...

#5: Fourpawz2

Q: Is Peter Weir's 1981 film "Gallipoli" historically accurate?
A: No. For that you'll need to read the copious numbers of books and documentaries that have been written and made on the subject. For details on where the historical inaccuracies lie, I'll refer you to THIS WIKIPEDIA ENTRY.

However, the fact that this film is consistently voted in Australia's top five films ever made, is less to do with accuracy than it is to do with identity. It is ultimately about mateship, and the futility and waste of war. It is one of my favourite films, and I'm going to watch it again as soon as I've hit the "Submit" button (again).

#6 Linda - Thank you

#7 Stasia - I appreciate your support and interest

#8 Cushla - Good luck with your studies. I remember during my three years of Ph.D studies, I didn't pick up a single book I wanted to read - only books I had to read! As for Five Days in London, it has many good and bad points and I can tell you now that I'll only be recommending it to people with a DEEP interest in the topic.

Thanks all for dropping by. Now, deep breath, let's see if this works second time around. I'm saving a copy now just in case....

Unsung heroes from my bookshelf

As these are not books you usually "read" from cover to cover, rather refer to, I thought I'd give them a mention here otherwise how else could I give voice to my passion for these unsung heroes from my bookshelf - just some of my favourite cookbooks...

The Big Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal
- My big fat coffee-table book. By God it's beautiful!

Thai Food by David Thompson
- THE reference guide to Thai food and cooking - one of my favourite cuisines. I can't express how much I love cooking from this book! Warning: This book does not compromise. You will need fresh and authentic ingredients.

660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer
- I was raised on Indian curries, and I make one at least once (often twice) a week. It will take years for me to exhaust the recipes in this book. And so far, every one has been a hit! Warning: You will need a mortar and pestle!

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
- If I'm ever stuck for an idea, or want to try something a little different, I will invariably find inspiration in this big red book. I have the 10th Anniversary Edition.

Paris Bistro Cooking by Linda Dannenburg
- The price on this beautiful book is a ridiculously cheap. Almost criminally so! With recipes from Bistros Classiques, Bistros de Luxe, Bistros Regionals, Neo-Bistros and Bistros de Nuit; it is as just as much fun to read the stories on the various featured bistros within these categories as to actually cook the recipes themselves.

Peter, we have Thai Food too. It's a gorgeous book (and so is the food!).

I think Mark Bittman used to write a column in the NY Times that was really good - called something like the essential ingredient. I haven't seen his book but will lookfor it.

The finance textbooks are to prepare lecture notes, so I don't have to sit the exam - just write one! Eek. Actually sitting it might be easier.

#12 Cushla - Yes, Bittman has been writing "The Minimalist" column in The New York Times for 11 years (according to the website!), and has a blog called "Bitten". Here's the WEBSITE LINK.

Whoops. I got the whole studies thing the wrong way wound. My bad. Sorry!

Thanks so much for the reviews! As much as it pains me to say it, I've found that every Martha Stewart cookbook or web recipe I've tried has been a winner. (and her hors d'oeuvres book is a jewel)

Another interesting fav is Sundays at the Moosewood. I hope I can find a few of the ones you mentioned. Thanks again.

#14 Suslyn - Thanks for your interest. I must admit, I have never cooked from a Martha Stewart cookbook. In fact, to be truthful, I can't even bring myself to pick one up; so I understand your pain :) An alternative to Stewart, and an author I really enjoy, is Delia Smith.

I will definitely look into Sundays at the Moosewood. Thanks for the recommendation. Cooking is one of my favourite hobbies; I'll have to post a few more of my cookbook must-haves when I have some more time.

I like Delia. But, and I'm really sorry about this, I find Martha better. Ack!

>14 suslyn:: I have the original Moosewood cookbook and I've found a lot of really good things in it.

>17 TadAD: Is that the one with handwriting rather than regular typeface? I couldn't get past the presentation, but don't doubt for a sec that there are good recipes there.

>18 suslyn:: Yes, it was a handwriting font. The best Ratatouille I've ever had.

But you haven't had the husband's :)

ETA I'm glad you mentioned it -- he often doesn't have time to cook, but that's one of his fav dishes. My best friend in France has the book, so I'll ask her for the recipe!

Suslyn - I've been checking out your recommendation, and really liked this description given by an Amazon reviewer - "An eclectic book, it has a little something for everyone; it specializes in nothing, celebrates everything and encourages the cook to gently step beyond the boundaries of one's own culinary traditions, into exotic cuisines from around the globe"

Sounds like an adventure - I love having fun in my kitchen and doing something a little different!

Well, the holidays are over, and with barely a minute to myself the whole time, I thought it would be a good opportunity to delve into my books on the poetry of Siegfried Sassoon, famous for his vivid poetry of World War I; reading a poem here and a poem there when time allowed. I'm still working on The Old Huntsman, and other poems (1917) but have so far completed...

- Counter-Attack and Other Poems (1918)
- Picture Show (1919)
- The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon (1919)

Brilliant stuff, and I'll be writing a more comprehensive review as soon as I've finished the current volume (and have some more time!).

What holidays would those be, Peter?

The War Poems were, indeed, brilliant stuff. No wonder they locked him up!

#24 Prop2gether - Thanks for dropping by. It's nice to find someone who appreciates the profundity and impact of Sassoon's poetry. But, I don't think Siegfried Sassoon was ever actually 'locked up'. This is how I understand things, and please correct me if I'm wrong...

On returning to England as a decorated officer on convalescent leave in 1917 he became involved in the anti-war movement, and as a protest threw the ribbon of his Military Cross in a river and sent a letter to his commanding officer declining to return to duty; copies of which were sent to members of parliament and the press. The LETTER was subsequently published (inc. the London Times) and read in the British House of Commons.

Rather than facing a court-martial and imprisonment, Sassoon's friend, the English poet and novelist Robert Graves, was able to convince authorities that the letter was a product of shell-shock, and thus Sassoon was sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital in Scotland for treatment. To some, this might be considered an internment. However, it was also fortuitous in that it was here Sassoon met and befriended the poet Wilfred Owen; a friendship that was to have a huge impact on Owen's poetry.

On leaving hospital Sassoon served in Palestine, before returning to France, where he sustained a bullet wound to the head (friendly fire) in 1918 and returned once more to England to convalesce. He did not return to active duty.

Just catching up on threads, Peter. I hope you enjoy the Moosewood cookbooks - I know I do!

Book 33

The Old Huntsman, and other poems by Siegfried Sassoon (1917)

Let me take you on a journey with Siegfried Sassoon, the aclaimed English poet and author, as he joins the Royal Welch Fusiliers as a commissioned officer in May, 1915, and goes to war in November of that same year.

From from my margin notes in The Old Huntsman, and other poems, utilising the superlative works of Taking It Like A Man by Adrian Caesar, and Siegfried Sassoon: A Study Of The War Poetry‎ by Patrick Campbell, I present this small selection of poems which I hope will entice you to undertake the balance of this journey yourself....

* * * *

In the second verse of the book we come across Sassoon's first war poem, Absolution, written between April and September 1915, whilst training with the Royal Welch Fusiliers. Here Sassoon, in a fervour of 'patriotic enthusiasm', as some have termed it, embodies the feelings of those joining up for the first time, viewing war and death as noble...

The anguish of the earth absolves our eyes
Till beauty shines in all that we can see.
War is our scourge; yet war has made us wise,
And, fighting for our freedom, we are free.

* * * *

In the poem, Brothers, later renamed, To My Brother, we have Sassoon's first poem composed in France and his only poetic homage to his brother Hamo Sassoon, who died of wounds received at Suvla, Gallipoli, on November 1, 1915, aboard the hospital ship SS Kildonan Castle. Here his brothers death is viewed as ennobling and Siegfried vows to keep fighting...

Your lot is with the ghosts of soldiers dead,
And I am in the field where men must fight.
But in the gloom I see your laurell’d head
And through your victory I shall win the light.

* * * *

The Redeemer, was Sassoon's second poem composed in France and his first from the trenches along the front line; developing the grittier realism that marks his latter poetry. The Redeemer, as the title suggests, abounds in Christian allegories of burden, suffering and redemption; and Sassoon's quote of the expletive 'O Christ Almighty...' in the last line is rendered all the more powerful by the juxtaposition. But here I quote the first stanza that captures something of the experience, and it begins with 'Darkness'...

Darkness: the rain sluiced down; the mire was deep;
It was past twelve on a mid-winter night,
When peaceful folk in beds lay snug asleep:
There, with much work to do before the light,
We lugged our clay-sucked boots as best we might
Along the trench; sometimes a bullet sang,
And droning shells burst with a hollow bang;
We were soaked, chilled and wretched, every one;
Darkness: the distant wink of a huge gun.

* * * *

The second stanza of the anecdotal Died of Wounds contains an intensity of emotion that is difficult to forget in its sincerity, and was written while Sassoon himself was recovering from ill health at a field hospital in Amiens. Sassoon acknowledged this poem as an important step in his development as a trench poet...

His wet white face and miserable eyes
Brought nurses to him more than groans and sighs:
But hoarse and low and rapid rose and fell
His troubled voice: he did the business well.

The ward grew dark; but he was still complaining
And calling out for "Dickie". "Curse the Wood!
"It’s time to go. O Christ, and what’s the good? -
"We’ll never take it; and it’s always raining."

I wondered where he'd been; then heard him shout,
"They snipe like hell! O Dickie, don’t go out" . . .
I fell asleep . . . Next morning he was dead;
And some Slight Wound lay smiling on the bed.

the verses seem very personal and emotionally-loaded - which is always a good thing in my book! I had never heard of Sassoon before either!

#28 Eliza - The books I've listed of Sassoon's poetry in Message 27 are all available online, both as text and in scanned copies of original editions in PDF format. Try and seek them out. These are the type of poems that will even speak to people who (like me) generally dislike poetry, as they are real, honest and evocative.

Book 34

Counter-Attack and Other Poems by Siegfried Sassoon (1918)

In the same vein as my review of Siegfried Sassoon's The Old Huntsman, and other poems (see Message 27), let me take you on a small journey through just four poems that help to make up the remarkable collection in Counter-Attack and Other Poems, published in December, 1918.

* * * *

There is biting discontent and anger in Suicide in the Trenches, against those on the home front. A common feeling amongst those who have experienced war, returning to 'smug-faced crowds' who have little comprehension of the horrors they have been through. The last stanza...

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.

* * * *

In Sick Leave, written while Sassoon was convalescing in England at Craiglockhart in Scotland having protested the war, we see Sassoon suffering from nightmares, wracked by guilt in finding himself in secluded safety; the desire to be away from it all, yet needing to stand side-by-side with his fellow soldiers. The poem is self-explanatory. In its entirety...

When I'm asleep, dreaming and lulled and warm,—
They come, the homeless ones, the noiseless dead.
While the dim charging breakers of the storm
Bellow and drone and rumble overhead,
Out of the gloom they gather about my bed.
They whisper to my heart; their thoughts are mine.
"Why are you here with all your watches ended?
From Ypres to Frise we sought you in the Line."
In bitter safety I awake, unfriended;
And while the dawn begins with slashing rain
I think of the Battalion in the mud.
"When are you going out to them again?
Are they not still your brothers through our blood?"

* * * *

Guilt comes to the fore again in Autumn, written during the same period as Sick Leave and Banishment, and shows the anguish Sassoon felt over leading men to their death as an officer...

October's bellowing anger breaks and cleaves
The bronzed battalions of the stricken wood
In whose lament I hear a voice that grieves
For battle's fruitless harvest, and the feud
Of outraged men. Their lives are like the leaves
Scattered in flocks of ruin, tossed and blown
Along the westering furnace flaring red.
O martyred youth and manhood overthrown,
The burden of your wrongs is on my head.

* * * *

Boardering on hysteria in the final stanza, Repression of War Experience details the inner, psychological struggle of the returned service man, and is named in honour of the renowned British wartime psychiatrist W. H. Rivers, who delivered a paper of the same name and cared for Sassoon at Craiglockhart War Hospital...

Now light the candles; one; two; there's a moth;
What silly beggars they are to blunder in
And scorch their wings with glory, liquid flame—
No, no, not that,—it’s bad to think of war,
When thoughts you’ve gagged all day come back to scare you;
And it's been proved that soldiers don’t go mad
Unless they lose control of ugly thoughts
That drive them out to jabber among the trees.

Now light your pipe; look, what a steady hand.
Draw a deep breath; stop thinking; count fifteen,
And you're as right as rain...
Why won't it rain?...
I wish there'd be a thunder-storm to-night,
With bucketsful of water to sluice the dark,
And make the roses hang their dripping heads.
Books; what a jolly company they are,
Standing so quiet and patient on their shelves,
Dressed in dim brown, and black, and white, and green,
And every kind of colour. Which will you read?
Come on; O do read something; they're so wise.
I tell you all the wisdom of the world
Is waiting for you on those shelves; and yet
You sit and gnaw your nails, and let your pipe out,
And listen to the silence: on the ceiling
There's one big, dizzy moth that bumps and flutters;
And in the breathless air outside the house
The garden waits for something that delays.
There must be crowds of ghosts among the trees,—
Not people killed in battle,—they're in France,—
But horrible shapes in shrouds—old men who died
Slow, natural deaths,—old men with ugly souls,
Who wore their bodies out with nasty sins.

. . . .

You're quiet and peaceful, summering safe at home;
You'd never think there was a bloody war on!...
O yes, you would ... why, you can hear the guns.
Hark! Thud, thud, thud,—quite soft ... they never cease—
Those whispering guns—O Christ, I want to go out
And screech at them to stop—I'm going crazy;
I'm going stark, staring mad because of the guns.

I do not believe I have read any of Sassoon's poetry, although I have read a couple of other 'war poets' (Wilfred Owen & Rupert Brooke). I will have to check into Sassoon as well. Thanks for the recommendations, Peter.

Book 35

Picture Show by Siegfried Sassoon (priv ptd 1919 / New York 1920)

Published privately in 1919, and then by E.P. Dutton & Company, New York, in 1920 with seven additional poems, this collection of poems continues our journey with Sassoon during the First World War. Once again, let me share a few notes on two poems contained within this volume.

* * * *

Back in France, and promoted to Captain, after a period of convalescense at Craiglockhart War Hospital and a few months in Palestine, Sassoon was wounded with a bullet wound to the head (friendly fire) at St. Venant in July 1918. This poem, The Dugout, composed at the time, was to be his last war poem drawn from personal experience. From Sassoon's diaries we learn that the poem was inspired by watching fellow soldiers sleep on the train taking them to the front...

Why do you lie with your legs ungainly huddled,
And one arm bent across your sullen, cold,
Exhausted face? It hurts my heart to watch you,
Deep-shadowed from the candle's guttering gold;
And you wonder why I shake you by the shoulder;
Drowsy, you mumble and sigh and turn your head . . . .
You are too young to fall asleep for ever;
And when you sleep you remind me of the dead.

* * * *

And here in Sassoon's third poem since the Armistice, Aftermath, we have what was to be, technically, one of Sassoon's last war poems, composed in March, 1919, following his demobilization. Full use of rhetorical effect; Sassoon implores people not to forget...

Have you forgotten yet? . . .
For the world's events have rumbled on since those gagged days,
Like traffic checked while at the crossing of city-ways:
And the haunted gap in your mind has filled with thoughts that flow
Like clouds in the lit heaven of life; and you're a man reprieved to go,
Taking your peaceful share of Time, with joy to spare.
But the past is just the same - and War's a bloody game . . .
Have you forgotten yet? . . .
Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you'll never forget.

Do you remember the dark months you held the sector at Mametz--
The nights you watched and wired and dug and piled sandbags on parapets?
Do you remember the rats; and the stench
Of corpses rotting in front of the front-line trench -
And dawn coming, dirty-white, and chill with a hopeless rain?
Do you ever stop and ask, 'Is it all going to happen again?'

Do you remember that hour of din before the attack -
And the anger, the blind compassion that seized and shook you then
As you peered at the doomed and haggard faces of your men?
Do you remember the stretcher-cases lurching back
With dying eyes and lolling heads--those ashen-grey
Masks of the lads who once were keen and kind and gay?

Have you forgotten yet? . . .
Look up, and swear by the green of the spring that you'll never forget.

Book 36

The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon by Siegfried Sassoon (1919)

A selection of 64 poems from previous volumes, this is the book to get for those interested in reading and savouring the breadth of Sassoon's work from his enlistment to demobilization. Highly recommended.

To really appreciate these poems I also suggest (in the strongest possible terms) reading this volume with reference to Siegfried Sassoon: A Study Of The War Poetry‎ by Patrick Campbell.

And here endeth the poetry of Siegfried Sassoon . . . for now -

#33: OK, I have added the Campbell book to the Continent as well!

Message #27. I enjoyed the journey...many thanks!

#31 Stasia - A popular saying during the Great War was, "I went to war with Rupert Brooke and came home with Siegfried Sassoon."

#35 Linda - I'm glad; yet what I've touched upon here barely scratches the surface, almost neglecting the protest poetry and the influence of Sassoon on the nation, during a period in which poets were reverred in a way we have trouble comprehending today. As I said in my first review of these works, I hope they entice people to pick up and discover Sassoon for themselves. Many years has passed since the First World War, but the sentiment of Aftermath (see Message 32), remains the same.

Hi Peter, Thanks for all the wonderful excerpts from Siegfried Sassoon. I kind of fit, on some parallel, the category you describe in post 29 - usually I can't figure out how to get into the poetry, and then sometimes I find it immensely powerful. This was very accessible to me.

Daniel - Thanks for your interest, and thanks for the message vis-a-vis Jeffrey Alfier. I've perused his library and have noted a couple of poetry books related to the Vietnam War. Back in my first thread (Message 73), I mentioned the poetry of former marine Brian Turner, whose book Here, Bullet, set in Iraq, I also encourage you to seek out.

On a personal note, I'm not very happy with my reviews above on Sassoon's books. They seem superficial in many ways. Therefore I will be doing a lot more reading on him, and on other poets of the period, over the coming year and hopefully reach a point in which I can discuss his poetry as it deserves to be.

Peter
Your statement regarding not being very happy with your reviews of Sassoon's books raises an interesting point. I find that when I really enjoy a book and/or specific author, I have difficulty expressing the thoughts, feelings and essence of the book.

Words are powerful, AND illusive.

#39 Whisper1- "Words are powerful, AND illusive." - how true.

Petermc, I took a lot out of your various comments on Sassoon. If you read more on Sassoon or the time period, I certainly look forward to your posts.

Regarding Jeffrey Alfier (user southwestpoet), he doesn't spend all that much time on LT, and doesn't keep his library up-to-date. If you contact him, he will probably have a lot more to offer you. You can blame me and tell him I sent you.

You might be interested in this ancient thread: Poetry Fool : War Poetry

#39 Linda - Amen!

#40/41 Daniel - Kind words - thank you. And I've been looking at that ancient thread on War Poetry. I might resurrect it! And, please, call me Peter (we don't need that "mc" bit on the end) :)

Back to my reference to "locking him up"--yes, it was a hospital instead of prison, but really--in the military frame of mind, Sassoon was put away to find his way back to the front and fighting. My phrasing was facetious, but the fact was he was removed from harm's way by friends who essentially "locked him up." The fictional recounting of Sassoon's story in Pat Barker's Regeneration is absorbing and highly recommended. I, too, found myself looking up his work as a result of reading that novel.

I'm sure you recognize these from his War Poems:

A Mystic as Soldier

I lived my days apart,
Dreaming fair songs for God;
By the glory in my hear
Covered and crowned and shod.

Now God is in the strife,
And I must seek Him there,
Where death outnumbers life,
And fury smites the air.

I walk the secret way
With anger in my brain.
O music through my clay,
When will you sound again?

November 1916

Does it Matter?

Does it matter?—losing your legs?. . .
For people will always be kind,
And you need not show that you mind
When others come in after hunting
To gobble their muffins and eggs.

Does it matter?—losing your sight? . . .
There’s such splendid work for the blind;
And people will always be kind,
As you sit on the terrace remembering
And turning your face to the light.

Do they matter?—those dreams from the pit? . . .
You can drink an dforget and be glad,
And people won’t say that you’re mad;
For they’ll know that you’ve fought for your country
And no one will worry a bit.

Craiglockhart, 1917

To the Warmongers

I’m back again from hell
With loathsome thoughts to sell;
Secrets of death to tell;
And horrors from the abyss.
Young faces bleared with blood,
Sucked down into the mud,
You shall hear things like this,
Till the tormented slain
Crawl round and once again,
With limbs that twist awry
Moan out their brutish pain,
As the fighters pass them by.
For you our battles shine
With triumph half-divine;
And the glory of the dead
Kindles in each proud eye.
But a curse is on my head,
That shall not be unsaid,
And the wounds in my heart are red,
For I have watched them die.

Denmark Hill Hospital, 23 April 1917

Suicide in the Trenches

I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.

In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With cumps an dlice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.

. . .

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you’ll never know
The hell where youth and laughter do.

Published in the Cambridge Magazine, 23 February 1918

Powerful stuff indeed.

Thanks for posting these incredible poems....

Thanks for creating a Sassoon revival for me - I delved into Owen and Sassoon some years ago, and you've inspired me to rediscover them.

#43 / #44 / #45 - Thanks for stopping by! I really appreciate your comments.

Except for 5 minutes here and there, I really haven't had time to do anything but make the occasional comment here on LT. I'm still reading hard on my daily commute, but work and family commitments... Need I say more!?

I have reviews to write on the following books which I've finished since the Sassoon volumes, and they are...

37. Five Days In London: May 1940 by John Lukacs
38. Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister by John Lukacs
39. In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton

And I should finish the next book very shortly...

40. "The Spectator: A World War II Bomber Pilots Journal of the Artist as Warrior" by David Zellmer

Meanwhile I make very slow progress on books I read at home - about one page per night on average before I fall asleep from exhaustion.

Since Sassoon has figured so strongly in recent messages let me just leave you with another of my favourites. This poem, The Kiss, was written on April 25, 1916, (coincidentally - ANZAC Day) and was inspired by the enthusiasm of his instructor, Major Campbell at the Fourth Army School. Here Brother Lead is the bullet, and Sister Steel the bayonet. Is the poem a glorification of war, or heavy with irony? You decide...

(These background notes courtesy of, and for more information please see, "Siegfried Sassoon" By Patrick Campbell)

THE KISS

To these I turn, in these I trust;
Brother Lead and Sister Steel.
To his blind power I make appeal;
I guard her beauty clean from rust.

He spins and burns and loves the air,
And splits a skull to win my praise;
But up the nobly marching days
She glitters naked, cold and fair.

Sweet Sister, grant your soldier this;
That in good fury he may feel
The body where he sets his heel
Quail from your downward darting kiss.

Book 37

Five Days In London: May 1940 by John Lukacs

FAQ

Q: Who is John Lukacs?

A: John Adalbert Lukacs (born January 31, 1924) is an eminent Hungarian-born American historian and Anglophile. Lukacs lists Winston Churchill as his favourite historical figure, saviour of Western civilization and the greatest statesman of the 20th century. He is also an authority on Adolf Hitler, leading to series of books focussing on the struggle between Churchill and Hitler, in The Last European War (1976), The Duel (1991), Five Days In London: May 1940 (1999) and Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat (2008). He has also written The Hitler of History (1997) and June 1941: Hitler and Stalin (2006).

Q: What is the book about?

A: Lukacs maintains that the five days Friday through Tuesday, May 24 to 28, 1940, were the closest Adolf Hitler came to winning the Second World War. Five days in summary, in which the entire British Expeditionary Force (BEF) were being routed, stranded at Dunkirk, threatened with annihilation; the fate of France hung in the balance; and the British War Cabinet were debating whether to negotiate with Hitler, as they would be unable to win this war alone.

Voices for appeasement, such as that of Lord Halifax, were strong and Churchill's grip on power in these first early weeks of his prime ministership was tenuous at best, but "Churchill understood something that not many people understand even now. The greatest threat to Western civilization was not Communism. It was National Socialism. The greatest and most dynamic power in the world was not Soviet Russia. It was the Third Reich of Germany. The greatest revolutionary of the twentieth century was not Lenin or Stalin. It was Hitler." By choosing not to give in when all seemed lost, to have the courage to fight on, Churchill assured that "Western civilization, not to mention the Allied cause in WWII, was saved from Hitler's tyranny."

Q: Are there any criticisms of the book?

A: The book is an excellent and detailed study of five fateful days in the history of the Second World War and in the history of Western civilization. But, the narrative loses its intensity as copious footnotes (occasionally taking up more than half the page) break the readers flow, and Lukacs is sidetracked on various points of note, often ending in phrases such as "This is not the place to..." in his lectorial style prose.

Further distractions exist in Lukacs fascination with "Mass Observation" reports for each of the five days in question. Designed to reflect public opinion, and featuring such figures as the "pessimism to optimism ratio", these contemporary reports do little to advance the main thesis of the book as they are not a direct gauge of the decisions being made in the cabinet, and Lukacs makes no suggestion that they featured in Churchill's or the cabinet's decision making process. Together with copious use of current newspaper reporting of the period, some may regard these as anything but detractions however, rather pertinent information from which those in power, citizens first, were hardly immune.

Q: How many pages are there?

A: This book is 237 pages long, with 219 pages of main text.

Q: Who should read this book?

A: Anyone with a deep-seated interest in Churchill or World War II. This book, despite its flaws is currently the best fly-on-the-wall book on those five crucial days in London, and is one of the main references for most books dealing with period.

Q: What other books deal with this period?

A: Two good choices are Nineteen Weeks: America, Britain, and the Fateful Summer of 1940 by Norman Moss, and Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World, 1940-1941 by Ian Kershaw.

#47: I am adding all of the books mentioned in your message to the Continent. I have Kershaw's first book on Hitler at home from the library right now and will be reading it in the next week or so. Thanks for all the info, Peter!

Hi Peter. I hope all is well with your sons and that you and your wife are enjoying parenting.

Book 38

Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister by John Lukacs

"...it must be remembered that we are in the preliminary stage of one of the greatest battles in history, that we are in action at many other points in Norway and in Holland, that we have to be prepared in the Mediterranean, that the air battle is continuous and that many preparations, such as have been indicated by my hon. Friend below the Gangway, have to be made here at home. In this crisis I hope I may be pardoned if I do not address the House at any length today. I hope that any of my friends and colleagues, or former colleagues, who are affected by the political reconstruction, will make allowance, all allowance, for any lack of ceremony with which it has been necessary to act. I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. Let that be realised; no survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward towards its goal. But I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, "come then, let us go forward together with our united strength." - Winston Churchill (May 13, 1940)

I hope the reader will indulge me in quoting so extensive a part of Winston Churchill's first speech as Prime Minister to the House of Commons, on May 13, 1940. I do so, because here, as John Lukacs, notes in his book Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister (2008), that they "cast a sudden stab of light beneath - beneath, not beyond - the sonorous timbre of Churchill's rhetoric. They reflect something that was and remains beneath their bravery." That is, "...his understanding of a looming catastrophe, still unimaginable to most: that is was late, probably too late, that Adolf Hitler was winning, that he was about to win, that he was close to winning the Second World War, his war."

Inspired by Garibaldi's 1849 speech, "I offer not pay, not lodging, not provisions. I offer hunger, forced marches, battles and death.", on the capitulation of the Roman Republic as the French army was about to enter Rome, Churchill's shortest speech as Prime Minister was made just three days after Adolf Hitler invaded Holland, Belgium and France. Receiving no overwhelming applause from his own Conservative Party, who still largely supported Chamberlain, the speech was given little appreciation at the time. It was neither broadcast or recorded that day, except in Hansard. Lukacs book helps place it back on the mantle it belongs, as a testament to the vision of Churchill and his resolve against seemingly overwhelming odds.

Part of the Basic Ideas series, in which "a leading authority offers a concise biography of a text that transformed its world, and ours", John Lukacs may be forgiven in this book for covering little new ground; revisiting ideas that formed the thesis of his earlier works on Churchill and Hitler, most notably in Five Days in London: May 1940. But if he can be accused of rambling and going off point in the 219 pages of that book, then he will only win praise for the succinct and elegant prose making up the 147 pages in this text. Highly recommended.

For a full transcript of the speech, and an mp3 file of a reading by Churchill, visit HERE

#50: Another one for me to look for! Thanks again for another great recommendation, Peter.

Hey Peter! I'm taking an English Poetry in the 20th Century course this semester and I just got the complete syllabus of the poets we are going to cover today - and who should I see mentioned but your beloved Siegfried Sassoon? :) We're focusing on two of his poems, The Rear Guard and Glory of Women, and after all seeing so much of his stuff on your thread I cannot wait until we get to him!

Have a nice day!
Eliza

Eliza, oh, please do keep us posted on what you are learning. The course sounds fascinating!

#52 Eliza - Wow! Those are two of Sassoon's biggies! Here is an ever so brief overview for those who are unfamiliar with these two poems. If you ever want to discuss these in more detail, I'd be only too happy...

The Rear Guard was Sassoon's only 'trench poem' coming out of his harrowing experience on the Hindenburg Line, where he lived in the underground tunnels he describes, and (according to his diaries) fully expected to die! The carnage here outweighed anything he had yet experienced, and while he didn't die, he was shot in the shoulder and evacuated. The poem was actually penned from his hospital bed at Denmark Hill ten days after he was wounded, and Sassoon believed it was his "best 'horrible poem'" he had done since arriving there.

The Rear Guard

Groping along the tunnel, step by step,
He winked his prying torch with patching glare
From side to side, and sniffed the unwholesome air.

Tins, boxes, bottles, shapes too vague to know,
A mirror smashed, the mattress from a bed;
And he, exploring fifty feet below
The rosy gloom of battle overhead.

Tripping, he grabbed the wall; saw someone lie
Humped at his feet, half-hidden by a rug,
And stooped to give the sleeper's arm a tug.
"I'm looking for headquarters." No reply.
"God blast your neck!" (For days he'd had no sleep.)
"Get up and guide me through this stinking place."
Savage, he kicked a soft, unanswering heap,
And flashed his beam across the livid face
Terribly glaring up, whose eyes yet wore
Agony dying hard ten days before;
And fists of fingers clutched a blackening wound.

Alone he staggered on until he found
Dawn's ghost that filtered down a shafted stair
To the dazed, muttering creatures underground
Who hear the boom of shells in muffled sound.
At last, with sweat of horror in his hair,
He climbed through darkness to the twilight air,
Unloading hell behind him step by step.

Glory of Women was written in 1917 and is strongly contemptuous of women who are perceived, according to the soldier's beliefs of the period, to help perpetrate the war through their words and deeds; refusing (or unable) to acknowledge the horrific realities of war, be they either British or German. In a letter to his friend Robbie Ross, Sassoon wrote that he had sent a "a very good sonnet" to Harold Massingham (editor of 'The Nation'), and that, "It is called 'Glory of Women' - and gives them beans".

"...gives them beans" - I think that sums it up!

Glory of Women

You love us when we're heroes, home on leave,
Or wounded in a mentionable place.
You worship decorations; you believe
That chivalry redeems the war's disgrace.
You make us shells. You listen with delight,
By tales of dirt and danger fondly thrilled.
You crown our distant ardours while we fight,
And mourn our laurelled memories when we're killed.

You can't believe that British troops 'retire'
When hell's last horror breaks them, and they run,
Trampling the terrible corpses - blind with blood.
O German mother dreaming by the fire,
While you are knitting socks to send your son
His face is trodden deeper in the mud.

(Note: I've formatted these poems as they were published in the January 1920 New Impression of The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon)

Book 39

In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton

Litchfield, Connecticut, November 6, 1968. The faint tendrils of an approaching winter. Rear Admiral Charles Butler McVay III steps out into his yard. He lays down on the steps leading to the back porch. In one hand, a small toy soldier on a key chain - memories. In the other, a revolver - resolution. In the draw beside his bed, tied in a bundle, the mail he receives every year - hate mail. Lives destroyed. The voices that speak for the ghosts of the USS Indianapolis. He pulls the trigger.

San Francisco, July 15, 1945. With just 3 days notice the Portland-class cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35) with orders to undertake a secret mission, receives its cargo. A large crate, accompanied by an armed Marine attachment, is secured in the port hanger. A heavy metal cannister, padlocked, is welded to the deck of the flag lieutenant's cabin. Overhead, planes circle. Keeping watch. On board, in the crate - parts for a bomb. In the flag lieutenant's cabin - uranium. The mission – deliver the secret cargo to Tinian island. The cargo - Little Boy. The atomic weapon that would fall on Hiroshima.

Philippine Sea, July 30, 1945. 0014 hours. Indianapolis en route to Leyte. Mission accomplished. Beneath the waves, unseen, I-58 - a Japanese B3 type submarine. Commander, Lieutenant Cmdr. Mochitsura Hashimoto fires six torpedoes. Two hit. The USS Indianapolis sinks in just 12 minutes. Approximately 300 of the 1,196 men on board die. About 880 men are in the water.

Philippine Sea, August 2, 1945. Bureaucratic bungling. No hope of rescue. Groups drift apart. Days of constant shark attacks. Water logged life jackets. Desquamation. Hunger. Thirst. Madness and heroism. Relief in death. Suddenly – a plane. A patrol flight. Lieutenant Wilber (Chuck) Gwinn spots survivors. Pure chance. More heroics. Daring landings at sea. Yet only 321 would survive to be rescued. Of those, only 317 would survive their rescue.

November, 1945. Captain Charles Butler McVay III, survivor - court-martialed! Convicted of "hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag." A precaution with negligible benefit. With 700 ships lost in combat in World War II, McVay was the only Captain to be ever court-martialed. The fall-guy. A travesty of justice. Exonerated in October 2000, his formal conviction still remains on his service record. Survivors still continue to fight for its removal.

In Harms Way is a powerful testament to human endurance. A damning indictment on the Navy. And a moving legacy for Charles Butler McVay III. Non-fiction for fans of fiction. Highest recommendation.

#55: I agree wholeheartedly with your recommendation of In Harm's Way. I thought it was a terrific book with a compelling story. Great review, Peter.

I find the Sassoon poems hard to read. My grandfather didn't come home from that war, so I find that I read them intensely personally. But I really appreciate you putting them here, Peter.

And way up the thread: hearty endorsement for the Moosewood cookbooks. I have several and love them. A word in Martha Stewart's defense: she was a professional chef and caterer long before she became a tv personality. Her recipes are usually excellent, as are her cooking techniques, regardless of her public persona.

tiffin - I think Sassoon has enjoyed his popularity and longevity precisely because his poetry does touch a nerve, and not only for those who lost loved ones in the conflict. I (like so many) also had family in that war, including two VC winners, and while I never knew them personally, I feel I am with them, intimately, through reading these poems.

Thank you for your comments!

I've loved all the Sassoon poems that's up on your thread, peter. My father used to read these aloud in his study, and I would sometimes sit in on the couch and revel in the glory and despair in his voice. He read them in memory of his brothers who had died in WWII and reading them makes me feel that he's with me again.

wow - his verses seem to touch a lot of people. Now I REALLY cannot wait to study those two poems! Thanks for posting them too, I'll know what to expect now!

#59 / #60 - Thanks for your comments! Greatly appreciated.

--------------------

Oh.... I'm really falling behind in my reviews.

I have reviews pending on the following books...

40. The Spectator: A World War II Bomber Pilots Journal of the Artist as Warrior by David Zellmer - WWII Memoir
41. Fifty Grand by Adrian McKinty - Suspense
42. Alice In Sunderland by Bryan Talbot - Graphic History Book
43. Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun: The Story of USO Hostesses during World War II by Meghan K. Winchell - Gender and American Culture Studies

I just posted a basic review on "Good Girls.." over in the "non-fiction thread", but to keep my reviews together in a single place, here it is again...

"Today I will finish Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun: The Story of USO Hostesses During World War II by Meghan K. Winchell. Couched in the language of academia, it reads like the doctoral dissertation it originally was. Containing a lot of valuable and interesting information on the USO and American wartime home front culture, its value is diminished in its organization and repetitiveness. Merciless editing would have produced a book half the length with no loss of relevant content. It would also have been nice if the author had tended more towards oral histories and let the voices of the hostesses and service men be heard more in the text.

I will write a more in depth review in time, but for now let me recommend this to people only with a deep seated interest in gender, culture, or racial studies. It will also appeal to people interested in all aspects of the Second World War."

Is it correct to assume you read #43 because of your interest in WWII? If you're interested in peeking at something fairly radical re: gender studies, you might see if you can scrounge up a copy of George Gilder's Men and Marriage. It's been 25 years or so and I still reel from the impact of his opening. Couldn't say I agree with all he writes, but he sure does make you think!

#62 Susan - Is it correct to assume you read #43 because of your interest in WWII?

Yes. This is not an area in which I would otherwise normally tread. However, I am intrigued by your recommendation Men and Marriage, so I popped over to amazon and previewed the first couple of pages. I loved this sentence on page one - "The prime fact of life is the sexual superiority of women". In the context of Guilder's thesis - so true!!!

LOL -- Gilder's style was definitely 'in your face'! I had the privilege of hearing him speak once -- completely riveting presentation :)

It's been a busy few weeks in the petermc library. Here are the most recent acquisitions. Thanks to those on LT who influenced some of these choices.

In no particular order...

Fiction
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The House At Riverton by Kate Morton
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Mind Games by Alan Brudner
The Red Badge Of Courage by Stephen Crane
Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
The Spies Of Warshaw by Alan Furst
The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
The Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin
Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin
The Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin
Theft by Peter Carey
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff by Christopher Moore
War Trash by Ha Jin

Non-Fiction
Narrow Dog to Carcassonne by Terry Darlington
A Leaf in the Bitter Wind by Ting-xing Ye
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star by Paul Theroux
The Unforgiving Minute by Craig Mullaney
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
Descent Into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost
Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
Desert Warrior by HRH General Khaled bin Sultan
No Mean Soldier: The Story of the Ultimate Professional Soldier in the SAS and Other Forces by Peter McAleese
Looking for Trouble: SAS to Gulf Command by General Sir Peter de la Billiere
Wilfred Thesiger: The Life of the Great Explorer by Alexander Maitland
"Forty-Two Months in Durance Vile: Prisoner of the Japanese" by R. Keith Mitchell
To the Gates of Stalingrad: Soviet-German Combat Operations, April-August 1942 by David M. Glantz
Big Boy Rules: America's Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq by Steve Fainaru
1864: Lincoln at The Gates of History by Charles Bracelen Flood
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas

Wow! That's quite the list! Looks like you've got some very good reading coming up. They all look so interesting, how do you choose which to read first? That's the problem I have with my TBR pile, I want to read them all NOW!

#66: That's the problem I have with my TBR pile, I want to read them all NOW!

My problem is that I wanted to have read them all yesterday, lol.

#65: Terrific list, Peter. I cannot wait to see your reviews!

#61 Hi Peter - I'm especially interested in reading your comments on Alice in Sunderland as I have got it from the library and it looks quite formidable.
#65 I've also just acquired The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell - looks like an interesting read.

edit: touchstone

#68 Kerry - Alice in Sunderland is awe-inspiring in it's scope and execution. It is in one instance, a history of Sunderland; in another, the history of comic art. But it all relates to one central theme, the history of Lewis Carroll and Alice Pleasance Liddell and their links with Sunderland, and how Sunderland and Alice influenced Carroll's work - separating reality from myth. Some may see a weakness in Talbot's scattered focus. But to me, Talbot's story telling is so entertaining and inventive, that I enjoyed every amazing tangent. Talbot's homages to comic artists and styles (e.g. Herge's Tintin) is equally as fun and exciting! And there is so much more! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. By-the-by, having spent some time in the Sunderland area myself certainly added much to the story!

Littell's The Kindly Ones is a hefty tome, and that it was written by an American in French, which was then translated by someone else into English, is bizarre! It's had rave reviews in France, and less complimentary ones in English. It will be fascinating to tackle this one.

Thanks for dropping by :)

#66 Lorie - "...how do you choose which to read first?"

Goodness knows! I suppose I just go where the mood takes me! I've given up any pretence of having some sort of ordered list!

On Abraham Lincoln...

Readers may note in Message 65 above, that a recent addition to my reading list is 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History. This joins another book on Lincoln I have, Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief.

This year, 2009, marks the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth (as it also does with Charles Darwin), and you would have to be sight impaired (well, to be brutally honest - BLIND!) not to notice the flood of Lincoln books hitting the bookshelves. It's certainly noticeable here in Japan, so I can only imagine what it would be like in the good ol' US of A.

As an Aussie, my American history class at school was all of an afternoon long. And so I know very little of Lincoln, of his times, and his legacy. I'm working on amending that. And of course, his assassination is a large part of his story. So, it was in doing a little internet research on this aspect of his history, that I came across the following website that I thought so interesting as to be worthy of mention...

THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS EXECUTION PHOTOS, A STUDY IN DETAIL

Told in 15 chapters, this is an intimate look at the execution of the conspirators to assassinate Lincoln, on Friday, July 7, 1865; through the photographs of Alexander Gardner. It may be old hat to some, but for neophytes like me - morbidly fascinating!

#71 - I've seen the photos before, but never like that. Fascinating is right. Thanks for pointing it out.

Peter

WOW! Your list is very impressive.

#71: I agree with what Mike said in message 72. Thanks for sharing the link!

Book 40

"The Spectator: A World War II Bomber Pilots Journal of the Artist as Warrior" by David Zellmer

On October 17th, 1942, David Zellmer is performing in a private performance of Letter to the World for French film director Jean Benoit-Levy, as a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. On October 20th, he is burying his civilian cloths in a hole behind the barracks as he begins his new life as an air cadet in the United States Air Force.

And so, from Greenwich Village to Guadalcanal, we follow the "deaths and entrances" of a young B-24 Bomber pilot in the 13th Air Force in the South Pacific, between November 1943 and November 1944. These memoirs, reconstructed from contemporary letters, were inspired by his correspondence with Martha Graham who encouraged him to document his "deaths and entrances", as those "many little deaths, those moments of doubt, loneliness, fear. Anything. Just any moment when one ceases to be for a short time", explaining that then "there is an entrance again into the real world of energy that is the source of life."

The diary entries in this thin memoir (128 pages including a log of combat missions), are not a day by day recounting of Zellmer's experiences, rather each entry is carefully constructed to stay true to the concept of "deaths and entrances", while also highlighting the author's increasing disillusionment: life as a "spectator" rather than a performer; whether from the cockpit, or from the dress circle, as he realizes he will never be quite good enough as a dancer to continue that life.

This is a different take on the established war memoir - more literary, lacking the traditional warrior's bravado. Slices of life on the less than idyllic tropical islands contrast with life in the village, and leave in Auckland or Sydney. Zellmer's astute observations on the small things, and on the interpersonal relationships between the crews, brim with insight and pathos. And the boredom and fear of long bombing runs across miles of seemingly endless ocean are brought vividly to life. A life where only the threat of death can bring the same intensity of feeling as dancing.

#65- I'm a fan of Alan Furst. I'm always happy to see others pick up his work. I'll watch for the reviews when you get to them.

#75: Adding that one to the Continent! Sounds very good. Thanks for another great review and recommendation, Peter.

Book 41

Fifty Grand: A Novel of Suspense by Adrian McKinty

On the pretense of traveling to Mexico to interview for a criminology program at a Mexican university, Havana Police Detective Mercado sneaks across the border into the United States, masquerading as an illegal immigrant originally from the Yucatan, in search of, and to exact revenge against, her father's killer. Killed in a hit-and-run accident in Fairview, Colorado, questions arise over why the driver has not been brought to justice, and why her father, a Cuban defector (and traitor), was posing as a Mexican. Mecardo soon learns that some questions are better left unanswered.

This novel has been met with almost universal praise, yet left me bitterly disappointed, and my main bone of contention is an area that has received little comment in all the reviews I've read - and that is the bane of any good detective / suspense novel: Excessive Deus ex Machina!

** Spoilers Ahead **

I find it hard to dispel belief that Detective Mercado is able to find an agent that is able to smuggle her across the border and sell her into slavery in the very town of her father's death, and to the very police chief responsible for covering up that death (for the $50,000 that forms the title of this novel). I find it mind bendingly improbable that her first job, on her first night, is in the very house of the person responsible for her father's death. And, later in the story, the coincidence of an emergency police radio call interrupting a police search of Mercado just seconds before her weapon is found, and thus ending her mission, is just one more case of Deus ex Machina gone mad. There are other instances, as well as holes in logic wider than the Gulf of Mexico, but these examples make the point.

It's not all bad. The writing is sparse and gains power from that sparsity, and the depiction of the plight of 'invisible' illegal immigrants is well done. The depictions of American excess and waste as seen through foreign (and less privileged) eyes is also vividly portrayed. In achieving some of these aims, McKinty's writing style is only let down in the sometimes rambling conversations he lets his American characters indulge in.

Set in Fairview the action takes place in the world of movie actors and their agents. Brad Pitt makes a cameo, and Tom Cruise is always an unseen presence; allowing McKinty the opportunity to take a dig at Scientology. And, in Cuba, we meet Raul Castro (pre-presidency), who plays an important role in wrapping up the unsolved questions about Mercado's father, unsatisfactorily resolving some of the 'coincidences' outlined above, and delivering the rather obvious but emotional twist in the tail.

This story lost me at "sneaks across the border into the United States masquerading as an illegal immigrant from the Yucatan" for Yucatan does not share a border w/the U.S. so either the masquerading illegal immigrant would have to travel miles and miles through Mexico to reach a border or jump into some kind of watercraft to cross the Gulf of Mexico.

Thanks to you Peter I think I'll skip this book.

#79 - Let me try to explain. In the book, Mercado wants to hide her Cuban nationality (as Cubans are granted automatic green cards thus classifying her as a defector - she plans to return within the period allowed in her visa to Mexico), so she states on page 59 that she is originally from Yucatán. She discounts her original plan of saying she came from Mexico City (page 20) as another illegal immigrant traveling in the same vehicle is from the city, and thus could potentially unveil her deception. Of course she does not cross the border directly from the Yucatán state; merely masquerading as someone originally from the Yucatan. I hope that clears up any confusion.

O.K peter, that makes a little more sense to me, thanks for the clarification.

I loved the rant!

ETA for your sake I hope you have less cause on the next book. For myself, well I kinda enjoy the rants but will content myself in sharing your joy if the next one turns out to be praiseworthy ;->

#82 Susan - Thanks :)

I've actually been very lucky. I've only had two bad eggs in the 43 books I've read to date. As for Fifty Grand, well..., it wasn't for me. I think reading so much nonfiction makes me more analytical and a little less forgiving for books like these that try to pass themselves off so seriously. In January I read Whirlwind by Joseph R. Garber, which was so ridiculous (almost a parody) that I actually loved it and couldn't care less about holes in logic, or Deus ex Machina.

Now, it's lunch time and I have 40 minutes to enjoy Boris Akunin's The Winter Queen. See ya later!

#83: OK, skipping that one!

I hope you continue to enjoy Akunin. He is one of the many authors I discovered here on LT and I have enjoyed the 3 books of his that I have read thus far.

Book 42

Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment by Bryan Talbot

Of Bryan Talbot's graphic novel, Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment, Michel Faber wrote in his review in The Guardian, on Saturday 9 June 2007, "Four years in the making, Alice in Sunderland is... a gloriously ambitious fusion of myth, history and autobiography in every imaginable visual style. Victorian engraving, watercolours, Prince Valiant pastiche, superhero dynamism, Photoshop psychedelia, indie cartooning, fumetti, homages to Hergé ... it's all here, and more." Faber goes on to state, "Alice in Sunderland is neither fiction nor a coherent narrative. It is a guided tour of Sunderland (Talbot's adopted home) interwoven with scholarship borrowed from Michael Bute's A Town Like Alice's, whose thesis is that the immortal Alice books were inspired by Lewis Carroll's regular visits to the northeast." I could plagiarise Faber all day, his REVIEW is insightful and well worth reading.

In his closing paragraph Faber ponders on whether "there would be an emotional payoff, a convergence of insight that would satisfactorily unite all the disparate strands." Unfortunately, he remains "unconvinced", noting that "Alice in Sunderland is no more than the sum of its parts. But its parts include some of the most luscious and audacious artwork yet attempted in comics." To this last point we are in complete accordance.

For anyone interested in Lewis Carroll, his life, his Alice books, the truths and the myths; English history; comics; the graphic arts; or for those who are just looking for pure entertainment or a wealth of questions for their next trivial pursuit evening; then you must have this book. At even twice the price, this awe-inspiring work of love is incredible value, and a copy is already winging its way across the world to my father, who used to recite Carroll's narrative poem The Walrus And The Carpenter to me as a child, by heart!

Highest recommendation.

Peter..
What a wonderful description of your book #42...

I hope your father enjoys the very special gift you are "winging" his way.

#85: Sounds like I need to find that one! Thanks for such a great recommendation, Peter.

#85 Spurred on by your review I have made a start on Alice in Sunderland and have enjoyed the little I've read so far which includes the Henry V speech: 'Games afoot', 'follow your spirit', 'show us here the mettle of your pasture'! Already thinking about buying my own copy.

#88 - The drawings that accompany the Henry V speech are hilarious! I can almost recite that speech by heart now - just by visualizing Talbot's art. I only wish we could clone Talbot, and have him create books like this for every little town and hamlet :)

Sounds like a 'must have' :)

Peter, I would have loved your father...the time has come, the walrus said, to speak of many things....

Great review!

#88 - I couldn't resist...



#90 / #91 - *Big smile*

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland (wonderland/sunderland, whatever) did you know there's going to be a film version of the book released next year? And wait for the great part: it's going to be directed by Tim Burton :D

#93 - This story really has Tim Burton stamped all over it, doesn't it? And, the casting is almost self evident... Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter; Helena Bonham Carter, The Red Queen; the great Alan Rickman will don his Caterpillar suit; and Stephen Fry will, with a little help from CGI I suspect, be The Cheshire Cat!

ooooh Alan Rickman in a Caterpillar suit - you put dirty pictures in my head Peter :))))

ROFL Eliza! Alan Rickman is 63!!!

haha I know but I cannot help but picturing Snape every time I hear his name :)

LOL true, true. I am so looking forward to his role in the next movie - it's much larger than the last few. Will it be released in Greece in July, or do you have to wait longer?

Alan Rickman in a Caterpillar suit doesn't titillate this imagination, it gobsmacks it. That cast sounds brilliant. Depp will be the maddest Hatter ever to grace the planet. And Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, screeching "off with his head"? Glorious.

GET OUT!~! No *hit???? Ohhhh too right tiffin. Wonderful!~!

Well, hold on to your top hats people! Because, you'll be able to see Rickman, and the rest of this star-studded cast, in eye-popping multi-dimensional splendor on the "BIG" screen, come March 5, 2010, when it is released in glorious IMAX 3D format!!!!

yesssss!

Book 43

Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun: The Story of USO Hostesses during World War II by Meghan K. Winchell

Established in February 1941, the USO (United Service Organizations) was established on the behest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who felt that private organizations would best handle the on-leave recreational needs of American service men. With millions of man hours lost in the first world war due to the effect of liquor and venereal diseases, the government hoped this new initiative would provide an alternative to the bars and brothels.

From her Ph.D dissertation (University of Arizona, 2003), the author, Meghan Winchell, Assistant Professor of History at Nebraska Weslyan University, examines issues of class, gender and discrimination in USO clubs during World War II through interviews with former hostesses and GIs.

On class and gender. Whereas Rosie the Riveter represented a form of national service for the working-class girl, the USO give the middle-classes an opportunity to contribute to the war effort. An organization in which women could transfer their normal homely duties into a form of public service. Senior hostesses gave advice, baked and sewed, while chaperoning younger junior hostesses at USO dances. Dating was discouraged, and it was a policy that was largely adhered to by the girls in order to preserve the USO's positive reputation and their "Good Girl" image. However, junior hostesses, while enjoying the safety and sexual respectability that came with being a USO hostess, also wanted to meet young men their own age and have some fun during a difficult period; finding in their patriotic participation a form of sexual freedom and an opportunity to take on leadership roles.

On discrimination. Winchell reveals that while the USO opposed segregation on the grounds of race, there was in fact poor racial integration at USO clubs; often refusing to integrate at all should the local community be opposed. Separate USO clubs catered for hostesses and service men of colour. Discrimination also existed against women serving in the Women Army Corps (WACs), against whom access to USO dances were often restricted.

Couched in the language of academia, this book unfortunately reads like the doctoral dissertation it originally was. Containing a lot of valuable and interesting information its value is diminished in its organization and repetitiveness. Merciless editing would have produced a book half the length with no loss of relevant content. The author should also have trusted more in her subjects and let their stories, in their own words, take centre stage. Small and selected excerpts from the oral histories that Winchell has conducted repeatedly fail to convey the concept of "Good Fun", or a good read!

Recommended for those with a serious interest in gender and American culture studies, or in World War II studies as it is relevant to the American home front.

Hello Peter
I'm simply stopping by to say even though I don't post each time I visit your thread, I visit often.

I hope the little guys are doing well!

>103 petermc:: As your review started, I thought about putting that one on the TBR pile...I thought it would be interesting to read a bit about the USO, my family having been so military-oriented. However, your closing paragraphs made me realize it would be more of a slog than journey, so I'll pass it by. Thanks.

#105 Tad - While on the one hand I'm glad that you place such store in my review, I also hate to think that I am discouraging you from a book that you may potentially enjoy.

In other news...

Just completed two superb books...
- The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education by Craig M. Mullaney
- The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin

Just started...
- The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
This book was recommended by avatiakh, and it is surpassing all my expectations. Brilliant!

Peter
I know you and Stasia read WWII books. In the last few months I've read some incredible books. I'm wondering if you have suggestions regarding books concerning the Holocaust.

Thanks in advance for your response.

Stasia recommended Martin Gilbert and I was able to obtain two of his books at my local library today.

#107 Linda - There are no shortage of books in this field to choose from, from haunting memoirs to dry academic tomes. I can list dozens of books here, but I'll restrict myself to those that I own, have some informed knowledge of, or have read (whether completely or in part).

Martin Gilbert (as recommended by Stasia) has written a number of highly regarded popular history books that focus on Jews and the Holocaust. He is also an authority on Winston Churchill. You can't go wrong with: The Holocaust: A History of the Jews of Europe During the Second World War, Churchill and the Jews: A Lifelong Friendship, The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust and Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction.

Saul Friedlander has also written a very important book(s), in two volumes: Nazi Germany and the Jews: Volume 1: The Years of Persecution 1933-1939, and The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945

On those who perpetrated these atrocities, we have Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, and "Masters of Death: The SS-Einsatzgruppen and the Invention of the Holocaust"

Others books you might like to look at are, Who Will Write Our History?, and "The Unknown Black Book: The Holocaust in the German-Occupied Soviet Territories"

I'm sure others could add to this list with their own recommendations, and I encourage them to do so.

I hope this is enough to be going on with :)

Thank you Peter!

Hi Peter - glad that you're already enjoying Inspector Montalbano. I've just finished Alice in Sunderland this morning and want to say thanks for recommending it, I loved every inch of every page, such an impressive work of art.
I'll now have to check out your recommendations to Linda in post #108.

#110 - I'm so glad you enjoyed Alice in Sunderland. It is a magnificent work. As is The Shape of Water! I love Camilleri's dry humour, the location, and characters. Its been a very long time since I've been so taken with a mystery novel. As good as my last read was, Akunin's The Winter Queen, this is so much more satisfying - more mature, if I can put it like that!

I have about 80 posts to catch up on, including all the Sassoon poems. Thanks for posting them. I read Memoirs of an Infantry Officer a few years ago and wanted to read more, but of course didn't.

I have The shape of water waiting for me, and a later one in the series in Italian (which'll take me weeks, if not months, with dictionary nearby), so will move them up based message #106.

Whisper1 - I'll add the following books on the Holocaust - although I'm not sure if they are quite what you were look for.

Art Speigelman's graphic novels: Maus I (http://www.librarything.com/work/6046473/4034464 ) and Maus II (http://www.librarything.com/work/2601087/4094946 )
Night by Elie Wiesel
Shindler's List by Thomas Keneally

On novels, may I also contribute Anne Michaels' Fugitive Pieces - less on the camps, more on the culture and society, and the impact on the generations that follow. The UK Guardian had it as their book of the month recently and there was a great piece from Michaels on what she was trying to achieve which is worth seeking out.

Edit: so worth it that I thought I'd save you searching:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jun/06/fugitive-pieces-anne-michaels

(Hello Peter! You are a fount of knowledge).

Hello Peter;
Your book 43--
Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun: The Story of USO Hostesses during World War II by Meghan K. Winchell, I have been searching for that book for months. I don't really want to purchase but my library doesn't have it and they have been working for weeks to get an inter-library loan on it. No luck thus far.
Yours is the first review I've seen on it and I'm glad that it looks to be as good as I have assumed it would be.
Thank you for the review and in the meantime, I will continue on in my search. If I don't find it soon, I am heading to ebay.
belva

For those looking for novels of WWII, Leon Uris' Mila 18 about the Warsaw Ghetto and the stand there is an awesome work of fiction.
He researched his work so well and while it was written in the early 60s is still a very timely work.

#112 Cushla - A friend, hearing I was starting on the Camilleri books, sent me the complete series in Italian as text files. However, I have no inclination to go out and buy an Italian dictionary. I'll stick with the English translations.

#114 Flossie - I'm certainly a fount of something ;) Thanks for the link.

#115 nannybebette - I had my issues (as I detailed in the last paragraph of my review) with the "Good Girls" book, but I hope you enjoy it. My knowledge has been greatly expanded on the USO having read this book, but I can't help feeling that I would have learnt just as much from a series of much shorter journal articles.

Finished The Shape of Water - Great read. No time to post reviews today. Flat-out at work!

Have now started the second book in the Inspector Montalbano series, with The Terracotta Dog.

About six chapters in, and we already have the bizarre and comical 'staged' arrest of mafioso Tana the Greek; a mysterious supermarket robbery; and the equally mysterious death of an 80-year old slow-driving eye-witness to the robbery in a high-speed crash! Already your mind is doing somersaults looking for links, and having read a few reviews, I know that there is a lot stranger to come. Loving it!

Peter - I just finished The Shape of Water too. I look forward to your review. I liked it and based on your comments, I can't wait to move on the The Terracotta Dog!

Book 44

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education by Craig M. Mullaney

Ever wondered what it would be like to attend West Point? Ranger School? Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar?

Ever wondered what it would be like to lead men into combat? How you would gain their trust and respect? How you would react when the training ends and the fighting begins?

Ever wondered what it would be like to have mens lives rest on your instant decisions? How you would feel should men die under your leadership? How you would carry the guilt?

Ever wondered what constitutes the modern "warrior"?

If you have answered "YES" to any of those questions, then reading Craig Mullaney's memoir The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education should be mandatory. From West Point to Afghanistan, and back again, in the period immediately before and after 9/11, there are few soldier's memoirs so eloquently, honestly or thoughtfuly written.

This is not however, just a war memoir, it is also the personal journey of a young man looking for and finding love. Of an interfaith and interracial relationship. Of maintaining and nurturing a relationship in spite of distance and in spite of the experiences that, while forging bonds between men on the battlefield, place invisible and seemingly impenetrable barriers between soldiers and their loved ones at home.

Highest recommendation.

#120: Sounds like a powerful book, Peter. Thanks for the review and recommendation!

Great review! I am adding this to my TBR list.

#121 / 122 - Thanks for dropping by and the kind words :)

In other book news...

Finished the second book in the Inspector Montalbano series, The Terracotta Dog, this morning on my daily 6am commute from home to work. On my way home this afternoon, I shall commence the next in Andrea Camilleri's excellent mysteries, The Snack Thief.

Meanwhile, I just picked up two more war memoirs. Namely,
- Black Virgin Mountain: A Return to Vietnam by Larry Heinemann (author of the award-winning novel Paco's Story - which I've yet to read); and
- Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War by William Manchester

Plus, one other memoir, via Amazon Marketplace...
- White Cargo by Felicity Kendal (who grew up in India during the same period as my father, and played Barbara Good on the '70s BBC comedy, "The Good Life")

As I've decided to reserve June for mystery fiction, I might make July a 'memoir month'. So these will be at the top of my reading list!

#123: Peter, it is funny that you mention Larry Heinemann, because one of his books, Close Quarters, was recommended in the book Writer's Choice that I am currently reading. If you like his writing style, you might want to check that one out as well.

Book 46

The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

Silvio Luparello has been biding his time, manoeuvring, waiting to make his move into the political big time; and just days after he finds success, two garbage men find his body in the 'Pasture', a dump come open air brothel. Seated in his BMW, his pants around his ankles, the verdict is death by natural causes. It looks to be an open and shut case - a sexual encounter resulting in massive heart failure. But for Inspector Salvo Montalbano things just don't add up. Facing pressure to close the case, Montalbano finds the window he needs to solve the crime.

For me the success of a mystery series lies in the characterization and a sense of place. In my eyes Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse has always epitomized this harmonious marriage of elements. Now, the crown goes to Andrea Camilleri. Set in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigata, Montalbano moves through a world dominated by politics and the mafia, amongst rich and engaging characters that capture the spectrum and essence of Sicilian society, rejoicing in the Sicilian passion for good food and good wine. And Camilleri writes with such wit and humour it's hard not to be swept along in the story almost in spite of the mystery!

This book has my highest recommendation. Action junkies look elsewhere. Thinkers and Italianophiles please apply.

I like your comments on The Shape of Water, I've now read 3 of these and will take a break as each one is such a gem, I don't want to spoil it by overindulgence! I've enjoyed what I've read so far of The Winter Queen though I'm only a couple of chapters in.

#126 - AH! *slaps hand against forehead* I missed a post - my review of The Winter Queen! No time today, unless my schedule changes radically...

I too shall take a break after The Snack Thief, just so I can make the series last longer. I'm planning on devoting next month to war memoirs.

Just dropping by to say "hello"!

#128 Cait - Thank you for taking the time to drop by and say "Hello"! You've brightened up my day no end :)

Just finished The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri. This is the 3rd book in the Inspector Montalbano series, and they just keep on getting better. This instalment is a master class in mystery writing and character development. In the first two novels we've come to know Salvo Montalbano as a coworker might see him. Now, we are getting to know him as only a friend or family member would. I've honestly never enjoyed reading a series (mystery or otherwise) quite so much. Full review... eventually...

For my memoir themed month, just picked up Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram by Dang Thuy Tram, which strictly speaking is not a memoir, but close enough!

Also picked up, on a whim, The State of Jones: The Small Southern County that Seceded from the Confederacy by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer

#129: I will be curious to see your thoughts on Last Night I Dreamed of Peace. I read it last year.

#130 Stasia - Just visited your 2008 thread. Wow! An impressive collection of reads, many of which I have already read, and many more that are on my TBR list. As for Tram's book, I first looked through this book many months ago and thought it rather immature and didn't pursue it. However, I've decided that may have been an unfair judgment, and have decided to give it a real go!

#127 - I said I was going to take a break from the Montalbano series after The Snack Thief, but I just couldn't resist starting book 4, and am now 5 chapters into The Voice of the Violin. I love this character that much!

#131: Peter, you must have entirely too much time on your hands if you went back to my 2008 thread!

Hi Peter - just popping on to share a Sassoon link - Cambridge University Library are launching a fundraising appeal to buy the archive:

http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newspublishing/index.php?c=#news106

Rachael, Thanks for the link. Very interesting and much appreciated!

Well, not 15 minutes ago I finished The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri. Anyone who reads this thread will know by now that I've fallen madly and deeply in love with Camilleri's Inspector Salvo Montalbano series. And it will be very hard to put it aside, for I fear I must, lest I rip through the remaining novels (nay, I should say 'nuggets of pure delight!') in such a short space of time that I be left in some sort of post-Montalbano funk for days (or even years) to come :(

Ahh, this is how deeply I have fallen! To say that I have not contemplated renaming my children to Salvo and Andrea, would be a lie. Oh, yes! But, let us press on...

Last night I completed Gallipoli by the incomparable Les Carlyon. Is there another author that so completely infuses his character onto the pages of military non-fiction? I think not. Brilliant with a very capital "B" - which also stands for "Best". For this is the Best book on Gallipoli I have ever read, and I've read two!

As for reviews. I'm getting so far behind (that's another "B" word!).

I'm so "B" for Busy at work and at home, that when I have a spare moment I can't seem to do anything more contemplative than read or write bull (Oh lookee - a "B" word), like this. ;)

My sincerest apologies if you've read this far in hope of finding something intelligent, perceptive or even worthwhile.

Book 45

The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin

Who is Boris Akunin?

Boris Akunin is the pseudonym of Russian editor, translator and author Григорий Шалвович Чхартишвили. As editor-in-chief of the 20-volume Anthology of Japanese Literature, and as a translator of works in Japanese, it is of little surprise that his chosen name, Akunin, is actually a Japanese word that means "villain". B. Akinin also alludes to the anarchist Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin, and to Akuna, the home name of poet Anna Akhmatova (Source: Wikipedia).

Who is Erast Petrovich Fandorin?

Erast Petrovich Fandorin is the hero of a series of Russian historical detective novels by the aforementioned Boris Akunin. Orphaned at the age of nineteen, Erast Fandorin never knew his mother, and when his father died they were bankrupt and in debt. A student at Moscow University, Fandorin was forced to abandon his studies, finding work as a lowly clerk in the police force.

What is The Winter Queen?

The Winter Queen is the first novel in the Erast Fandorin "new mystery" series. Originally published in Russia in 1998 under the title Azazel, the excellent English translation by British editor and Russian translator, Andrew Bromfield, was published in 2003. The Winter Queen is a 'conspiracy mystery', which is one of 16 genres identified by the Boris Akunin, each of which will make up the 16 books that will be written in this series.

The book opens with the following sentence...

"On Monday the thirteenth of May in the year 1876, between the hours of two and three in the afternoon on a day that combined the freshness of spring with the warmth of summer, numerous individuals in Moscow's Alexander Gardens unexpectedly found themselves eyewitnesses to the perpetration of an outrage that flagrantly transgressed the bounds of common decency."

What was that outrage? The apparent suicide of Pyotr Kokorin in front of the beautiful young noblewoman, Elizaveta von Evert-Kolokoltseva, and her German matron, in a game of "American Roulette". Rewarded for his earnestness, 20-year old Erast Fandorin is given the opportunity to investigate and soon suspects that this is not the open and shut case that everyone thinks it is. Fandorin, by design and by chance, through cunning and luck, soon uncovers what will turn out to be a conspiracy of international proportions.

Erast Fandorin has been called a Russian James Bond. Is this warranted?

While Fandorin may, with time and experience, rise to the level of British intelligence's famous 007. He is far from emulating Ian Fleming's international super sleuth in this novel. In fact, comparisons with Maxwell Smart and Enid Blyton's Famous Five, may be more appropriate. However, there is more than a hint of 007 in the closing pages if readers are familiar with Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Recommended?

On the whole, a great series to fill in between other books. I'll be back for more :)

>135 petermc:: Obviously I disagree with you about the James Bond conclusion, since I made exactly that comparison—I think the similarity lies, not in his competence...for clearly that is not the case...but in the recklessness, bravado and willingness to fight against the impossible odds by himself. Just my opinion, though.

Otherwise, I agree that it was a very enjoyable novel and it will be interesting to see what Akunin does with the various genres.

I have never read any of the James Bond novels, so I have no opinion one way or the other, but I do like the Akunin books.

Thanks guys for your comments!

#136 Tad - I sincerely hope you don't think my comments were aimed at you. We will have to agree to disagree, but I have seen this comparison made by a few reviewers which is why I addressed the point in this review :)

#137 Stasia - Seeing the number of books you read per year, I am absolutely floored that you have never read Ian Fleming. As for the comparison with On Her Majesty's Secret Service, I won't expand as this would be a huge spoiler. In fact for people familiar with that book, I should probably have posted a *spoilers* alert.

#138: My biggest problem, Peter, is that there are just too many books and only 1 of me!

Funny to see how heavily you've been hit by the Inspector Montalbano series because a) I have the first couple waiting and b) it's just happened to me with the Inspector Wallander series. I woke up at 2 am and read for 2 hours to finish it, and I've been to 5 bookshops in 2 days to find everything they had, but am still missing the first one!

Thanks for the Gallipoli comments. Sounds excellent. I'm adding it to my wishlist but it's behind at least 10 thrillers and the rest of W&P...

#135 In fact, comparisons with Maxwell Smart and Enid Blyton's Famous Five, may be more appropriate
Nail on the head with this comment, and that's also why I'll continue with this series.

Laughing also at your Montalbano addiction, I've gone over a week now without a hit though I have been seen lingering near the Camilleri section at the local library!

You folks are so brave with your book series. I am afraid of them. When I start a series I don't want to get my nose out of them to read anything else until I have completed the entire series.
The only exceptions I seem to have any luck with are the Anne of Green Gables series and the Gabaldon Outlander series and I think that is just because I have read them so many times.

#139 Stasia - But this is Ian Fleming, James Bond, 007! Please tell me that these books are on one of your TBR lists at least ;)

#140 Cushla - I too have all but one from Mankell's Inspector Wallander series. I am missing "The Pyramid: And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries". When you say you are missing the first one I assume you mean Faceless Killers, as opposed to "The Pyramid", which is chronologically speaking now number one. By the way, it's good to see you over in the "Crime, Thriller & Mystery" group :)

As for Carlyon's Gallipoli, I will eventually post a full review. But what I can say right now is that this is a superb history of the campaign. Carlyon has a unique voice, which makes his daunting looking thick books actually very, very easy and enjoyable to read. I have already reviewed his book The Great War on LT.

#141 Kerry - Here's another measure of my Montalbano addiction. Inspired by a scene in The Voice of the Violin, on the way home on Friday night from work, I stopped in at an international food importer and picked up a jar of those large Italian 'Bella di Cerignola' green olives. Once all the kids were in bed, I washed off the brine, tossed them in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and let the cares of the week give way to their delicate and subtle charms.

#142 Belva - I can promise you, it is going to take an immense dose of will-power to stop myself opening the next book in the Montalbano series. But, as I've noted in a previous message, I want to make the pleasure last as long as I can, before I go back and devour them all a second time!

Edit: Damn Touchstones... :(

In other book news...

Just added to the library:
1. Hellfire by Cameron Forbes, which has been called "The acclaimed, definitive, best-selling account of Australia's Prisoners of War held captive by the Japanese." This joins several other books I have on POWs and Japan, must stop collecting and start reading.

2. Grand Finales: The Art of the Plated Dessert by Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty. A stunning book, published in high quality glossy paper that consequently weighs 1.5 kgs. A lot of reading material - a cookbook that can be read cover-to-cover. Watch for a review in due course.

Other recent cookbook additions:
- Club Cuisine: Cooking with a Master Chef by Edward G. Leonard. Fantastic book for those looking to cook something special for breakfast or lunch. But be warned, breakfast recipes are as involved as main courses.

- Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor by Hervé This. A book of short essays on food and cooking science, translated (sometimes poorly) from the original French, and aimed at those who cook French cuisine. Which I do :)

In non-book, but slightly food orientated, related news:
Can't stop listening to Kate Perry's Hot N Cold, of which the chorus is the opening theme music to my current favourite TV show MasterChef Australia. Love those reality TV cooking shows, and the film clip to "Hot N Cold" is really well done.

Hi Peter: Barry Cauchon here. Back on Message 71, you were kind enough to comment on a series I wrote for my blog called The Lincoln Conspirators Execution Photos: A Study in Detail. I wanted to thank you for the nice comments and to your other readers who commented as well.
I was fascinated by this series of ten photos taken by Alexander Gardner and his assistant Timothy O'Sullivan on that day in July of 1865. Recently I've just caught wind that there may be an 11th photo that is known to exist so I'm searching to find that one.
As your link has sent a number of wonderful people over to my blog to see the series, I wanted to let you know that many friends in the Lincoln research community have persuaded me to take this content and publish it, which I am currently working on doing. To protect the work, they suggested I remove the study from public view. I have password protected chapters 7 to 15 but have left the first 6 available for those to still read. I apologize in advane to anyone who started the series and was frustrated in not being able to finish it. If you are really intent on reading the rest of the document, please write me and I might be talked into giving you the password.
The final book will actually grow from the 15 chapters to as many as 24 chapters once it's completed as I've had a number of great submissions from some other Lincoln researchers and have dedicated chapters to their related work as well.
I never had any intentions of writing a book but you just never know where life will take you.
Thanks again for mentioning it to your readers. It was nice to have you visit me.
Best
Barry
outreach@awesometalks.com

Barry - Thanks for the note. Much appreciated and I wish you the very best of luck in your publishing venture. Having read all 15 chapters prior to the content becoming password protected, I can tell people that the final book will be well worth looking for. That it has grown to about 24 chapters is even more exciting. I will definitely keep an eye on your blog and watch for progress updates and details on the final book.

For those who want to take a look, Barry's blog website address is...
http://awesometalks.wordpress.com/

Disclaimer: I don't know Barry from a bar of soap, and I have received absolutely nothing in exchange for my glowing appraisal of his blog posts, blah, blah, blah :)

Another new book is added to my library today...

Probing the Depths of German Antisemitism: German Society and the Persecution of the Jews, 1933-1941 edited by David Bankier

From the inside dustjacket: This volume brings together some of the best know scholars in the field to analyze, on the basis of new evidence from East European archives, not only Nazi anti-Jewish policies but also the attitudes of Germany's elites, the churches, workers, and "ordinary Germans."

Imagine my absolute delight when I found this mint condition hardback in a local used book store for only $16, when amazon marketplace copies start at $50!

Book 47

The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri
Original Title: Il cane di terracotta (1996)

The second book in the superb Inspector Montalbano series opens with a meeting between Montalbano and mafioso Tano the Greek. Feeling like a dinosaur, out of touch with modern ways, this leading and feared member of the Mafia establishment wants Montalbano to stage a fitting arrest so that he can retire in safety, with his honour intact. Together with a mysterious supermarket robbery, and the puzzling death of an 80-year old fascist, there seems little to link these disparate threads. But with Tano's eventual deathbed confession, a cave filled with weapons is uncovered and the links all lead to the cracking of a major weapons running racket.

However, these events, while seemingly at the center of this mystery, all soon become incidental to another more compelling mystery in Montalbano's eyes; with the discovery of two bodies entwined like lovers in a second cave, behind a sealed entrance in the first. Dating from the Second World War, they lay on a rug with a water pot and a bowl of coins anchoring the two upper corners, while a terracotta dog lies at their feet. A bizarre burial, for which finding the answer becomes an all consuming obsession for Montalbano, leading to the commissioner's admonishment, "...what you're engaged in is not an investigation, but an act of mental ma*turbation" (p. 198).

Salvo Montalbano's colleagues are all back, as is his largely absent girlfriend Livia, as well as Ingrid from The Shape of Water. Corporal Anna Ferrara reappears and is still habouring illusions about her relationship with Salvo - a situation that comes to a head in a cruel but necessary move by Montalbano in a bedroom scene on pages 184-185. Combining Camilleri's sharp wit, the Sicilian setting, and the myriad of minor characters that populate the fictional seaside town of Vigata; this is a fascinating and engaging mystery that does not disappoint in the wake of the superlative first novel.

I am going to have to start reading the Mantalbano series. I do have the first book. Sadly, it is the only book in the series I have, but it's a start. Now, if I can only find the time to read it, lol.

ETA #147: Congrats on the book! I love when stuff like that happens!

#149 Stasia - Thank you for dropping by and turning my monologue into a conversation ;)

As for the Montalbano series, living in Japan I have to buy books like this as they aren't available at the local library. I have found the first 7 novels and then the 9th; but will have to order the rest online.

I'll write a review for the 3rd novel soon, which I've called a "master class in character development", but not today. I have a wife with a fever, and will be taking a half day off work so I can rush home to look after the kids while she recovers.

I am expecting book #1 in the series from paperbackswap.com - so I should be commenting on it soon, too! :D
Angela

> 147 re: your new book. I'm burning with jealousy. Sounds great. Congrats on the find.

Book 46 looks good. Perfect summer reading. Is it the first of the series? Aha, and there's the next one in the Montalbano. *taking notes*

So Peter, are you that little box I see popping up on the BookDepository real time map of where people are buying books...oh look, Japan, it's Peter! For some reason they stick my little box out in Saskatchewan, right smack dab in the middle of the country, I guess.

#151 Angela - Looking forward to your review. Hope you're not disappointed!

#152 profiler - There are two main secondhand English book dealers near me. I know, had this book been in the other, it would have been priced very differently.

#153 tiffin - I can honestly say that those little boxes in Japan are not me. That order for the Kamasutra was not mine ;)

I have yet to order a book from BookDepository. Yes, it can be slightly cheaper on single purchases, but let me run through an example. Here are the last four books I put on my wishlist, with prices (US$) at BookDepository (BD) and Amazon...

- The Third Reich at War by Richard J Evans
BD $34.68 Amazon $26.40
- Fighting for the Cross: Crusading to the Holy Land by Norman Housley
BD $37.55 Amazon $28.88
- Germany, 1945: From War to Peace by Richard Bessel
BD $37.55 Amazon $19.13
- Hide and Seek: The Search for Truth in Iraq by Charles Duelfer
BD $27.02 Amazon $23.48

Total Price:
BD $136.80
Amazon $97.89 + Postage $20.95 = $118.84

Even with shipping Amazon still came out cheaper. Of course, different books - different math :)

Book 48

The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri

A Tunisian patrol boat kills a worker on an Italian fishing trawler, and a retired business man, Mr. Lapecora, is found dead in the elevator of his apartment building with a knife in his back. What possible connection could there be? In the style we've now come to expect of Andrea Camilleri, in this, the third novel in the Inspector Montalbano series, seemingly disparate events are part of the course for our cantankerous protagonist. Events that will eventually lead Montalbano into the world of international terrorism, government corruption, the shadowy underworld of the Italian secret service, and the adoption of "The Snack Thief".

In this book Camilleri delivers a master class in character development. If we have come to know the curmudgeon Montalbano in the first two books, it has been only skin deep. In this outing we are given a window into his soul. With news that his father has only a short time to live, and his relationship with Livia brought to head through their relationship with a young orphaned child; Montalbano's professional and private worlds collide explosively with yet unknown consequences for the future.

The best in the series to date, The Snack Thief promises rich rewards for the reader committed to following Montalbano's journey through, projecting him headlong and breathless into the next book, The Voice of the Violin.

Hi Peter - I'm really enjoying your reviews of the Montalbano books and might just read a couple more myself even though I said I'd save them for later!
Came by your thread mainly to mention an interesting graphic novel that I'm waiting for my library to get in that I thought might interest you. The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert. Guibert has collaborated on several titles with Joann Sfar.

edit: touchstones

Hey Kerry - Thanks for the info on "The Photographer". That's definitely my kind of book! I look forward to your review, and will keep an eye out for it locally. On Guibert - I see he's authored another very interesting looking graphic novel called Alan's War: The Memories of G.I. Alan Cope. So, now that's two I'm on the lookout for :)

Edit: Bloody touchstones!

Peter, I hope your wife is feeling better! I imagine you have your hands full with a sick wife and 2 little boys underfoot :)

Stasia - Thanks for your kind thoughts. My wife is feeling a lot better, but I ended up taking the next two full days off work with the kids falling victim to stomach flu as well. They are also feeling much better today! Of course I had to get it as well, but fortunately only very mildly :)

I haven't picked up a book in three days. Might have to change that right now...

Well, I guess the good news is you all got it out of the way at the same time! Of course, that is also probably the bad news . . .

I hope everyone is back on their feet soon.

July Reading Programme...

Back in Message 123 I wrote, "I might make July a 'memoir month'.

Scratch that!

Since I started July with two 'American History' themed books already on the go (i.e American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham, and The State of Jones by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer), and with it also being the month of American Independence, I've decided to stick with that.

Will be keeping to the Civil War and pre-Civil War era, but as you can see between messages 123 & 161 anything can (and usually does) happen. Five days into July already and so far I've read a grand total of 5 pages! What a start...

First impressions:
* American Lion - Feels like a good gossip over the back fence - engaging but not a lot of analysis. Follows Jackson's presidency chronologically but Meacham puts human faces on his subjects without getting bogged down on dreary dates and events.

* The State of Jones - The life of Newton Knight, who 'seceded' Jones County from the Confederacy during the American Civil War, as well as living openly with a coloured common-law wife, Rachel. When Knight is not the star, the authors bridge the gaps and add plenty of background and colour with their fantastic depth of research.

Hi Peter
I hope those beautiful little boys are doing well.

I'm very far behind in the threads and thus I'm sorry to have missed many of the recent comments and great descriptions regarding books you read.

I enjoy visiting here!

#113, 114 and 116, thanks for your recommendations regarding Holocaust/WWII books. I've added all to my tbr pile.

Happy Sunday!

Hi Peter,
Hope you are all getting better and you can read more than 5 pages in the next 5 days!
Both those latest ones sound really good.

#162 Linda - Thanks for dropping by. The boys are great now - at that age they are so resilient! Much to my everlasting shame I don't comment much on your thread, but believe me that I am a frequent reader. I really should just say "Hello" more often :)

#163 Cushla - Hi! We see so little of you. I didn't see an entry on your thread for the whole of June! How's it going? You'll be happy to know, that now I'm back to the daily routine, I actually powered through 20+ pages on the way to work this morning. It would have been more, but I kept falling asleep - and that is no reflection on the book, which is excellent!

Very observant - I was AWOL for June and have six books to write up!! I've been reduced to lurking. I've switched to working school hours instead of full days, and am enjoying the change but have less time on here. Plus we've had lots of kid and adult bugs. But I'm back to teaching courses that I've done before instead of new stuff, so life should settle down in a couple of weeks.

20 pages at once is great! My W&P reading is averaging 1 page a day (hair drying kid-free time). Look for a review from me in 3 years ;)

Have you read Stasiland or The File? Have just finished Stasiland and starting TF. That'll be enough East Germany for a while.

Cushla - You've just added two more books to my want list. Especially Stasiland! Your thread is starred, so I'm sure I'll see the review as soon as you've posted it. Can't wait.

You may have noticed, I've started having a little fun with my reading - trying to theme my reads a little each month. In July it was Andrea Camilleri month (no particular reason except I was keen to read these). This month, being Independence Day in the U.S., I'm going with an American theme. So, now we come to the Berlin Wall.... The construction of the Berlin Wall started in August '61, and it came tumbling down in November '89; so I'm thinking of theming November to the Wall. I'll see if I can get a hold of those books for that!

Great idea! I have another 2 books about Berlin to read. Oops, 1 about Berlin and one about Dresden. I ship worldwide!

Book 49

Gallipoli by Les Carlyon

"Gallipoli, the war that got away from its handlers, is a tale of all that is fine and all that is foolish in the human condition. If it made more sense, it would be a lesser story. The tale is mostly about frailty. This, along with the beauty of its setting, helps explain why it lingers in the imagination after larger and more important wars are forgotten. Tragedies have more layers than epics and Gallipoli has somehow become bigger than the sum of its facts." (p.529)

This, the opening paragraph of Chapter 33, "A Terrible Beauty", captures the essence of Gallipoli; a time and place that has not only lingered in the imagination, but grown to almost mythical proportions. In the modern Australian and New Zealand national consciousness, the words "Gallipoli" and "Anzac" stand for much more than the 'sum of their facts', they represent the very nature of what it means to be born under the flags of the Southern Cross.

Award winning journalist, editor and historian Les Carlyon has a unique voice that is instantly recognisable, in both this text and his subsequent and superlative tome, THE GREAT WAR. Poetic one moment, scathing the next; few capture the spirit of their subject so eloquently. Gallipoli is a campaign that continues to be studied, analysed and written about, but if you only read one book on the subject, that is balanced to all who fought and died in this tragic venture, make it this one.

Peter - It's selfish and, well, pretty snotty of me, but I'm glad to see you take a break from the mysteries. Your review of Gallipoli is wonderful.

...looking forward to your impressions of American Lion...

Daniel - Thank you, and I think we're all allowed to be a little selfish from time to time :)

I take it I didn't convert you to the Church of Inspector Montalbano (* sing Hallelujah *). Ah well, I'm afraid you'll just have to indulge me a little longer on that one - I have one more review to write up, on The Voice of the Violin. Then, it'll all be non-fiction histories.... for a while.

Currently 105 pages into American Lion, and I like it! And what's more, I'm learning a lot. But take that from a total neophyte on American pre-civil war history. Actually, I'm ashamed to say that, as there is a family link to the war of 1812 and the American National Anthem.

Children's Book Review (2-3 years)...



Korochan wa dangomushi by Hiroshige Takaie and Michiko Nakagawa
Japanese Language

A delightful little tale of a young slater (also known as a wood louse, doodlebug, roly-poly, or pill bug) and his siblings, who venture out into the big wide world, and after various adventures shed their shells to becomes adults. Bugs, and books on bugs, are a national obsession with Japanese children, and this book is a great way to get them started! Cute illustrations, with the hero of this story the slater with the biggest eyes.

Peter - it wasn't that you didn't win me over, it's that somewhere I saw the word "inspector" and all the other words just kind of blurred out. ;)

I'm fascinated and very disturbed by Andrew Jackson. I'm curious how Meacham will handle the Trail of Tears. Some historians have played it down, even recently (well, at least roughly 15-20 years ago when I was in college) which I find troubling.

...So, what's your family link?

chiming in on the Andrew Jackson comments. I believe he was known as "cutting knife Jackson" because of his treatment of American/Native Indians.

I found this reference years ago when reading Howard Zinn's book A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present. This is an excellent book, by the way.

Zinn begins the first chapter by stating Christopher Columbus was a murderer and not a hero as portrayed in US history books.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_People's_History_of_the_United_States

>#165:
cmt;
It sounds as though the reading time for both of us is suffering this summer. I watch my daughter's boys while she works from 7:00 to 5:30. During the school year it was not bad. I still had time to read off and on throughout the day. But now my reading time is delegated to just bedtime. But it is fun doing things with the boys and it helps her out so it's all good. Those pesky books will continue to wait for me until September. Then happy days will be here again.

>#168:
petermc;
Very nice Gallipoli review. A big fat thumbs up from me on that one. Well done!

belva

#172 Daniel - How about I use "commissario Montalbano" instead? ;)

As for the "Trail of Tears", Meacham only uses the expression once in his book, on page 318. I'll comment further when I reach it, although Indian affairs are an important part of Jackson's life before and during the presidency and are referred to regularly. As of page 105 (my current point), the Eaton affair is taking up much of the discussion. Overall, Meacham is very sympathetic to Jackson.

#173 Linda - Thanks for the rec. on the Zinn book. Will look into it.

#174 (and #175) Belva - Thank you (and thanks to everyone) that gave the Gallipoli review a thumbs up. If my review makes just one more person aware of the sacrifices made by all sides on that far-flung peninsular, and encourages them to learn more, then I will be very happy :)

I'm also reading American Lion and I'm at about the same point in the book. I've enjoyed it so far and am also learning alot. I have a knowledge gap between the American Revolution and the U.S. Civil War that I really need to fill.

I know this sounds stupid Peter, but is this book part of a series on the U.S. Presidents?

#178 Belva - Not a stupid question at all! I may be wrong, but I think you are referring to the The American Presidents Series, published by Times Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company.

The book on Andrew Jackson published in that series was Andrew Jackson by Sean Wilentz, who, as of 2007, became the series editor.

I hope this answers your question :)

Thank you and yes, it does.
American Lion sounds to be the better of the two. I hear a lot more about it.

>168 petermc:: Conversation at work a week ago:

Me: Have you ever seen Gallipoli?

Co-worker: No, it doesn't sound that interesting.

Me: Why not?

Co-worker: Choosing what jobs people can have by their genetic makeup sounds stupid.

Me: Umm, you might be thinking of Gattaca...

#177 Mike - Looking forward to reading your impressions on American Lion.

#180 Belva - I look forward to reading your impressions on American Lion too!

#181 Tad - I love it! And by the way - Have you ever seen Gallipoli?

>182 petermc:: Is that the one with Ethan Hawke where you have to be genetically tailored to get ahead in society? ;-)

Yes.

I actually became interested in that event decades ago when I first heard Eric Bogle perform his song "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda". I ended up preferring the version done by Liam Clancy, but that first hearing was powerful. The song has a minor inaccuracy, but that doesn't detract.

#183 Tad - I have the John Williamson version of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" on my iPod, as well as his Diggers of the ANZAC (This is Gallipoli) - this is one of my favourites. It's about Gallipoli and the ANZACs set against the making of the movie. Extras working on the film, and the people of Port Lincoln, where the movie was shot, come to realize the horrors of war by participating in the filming of the movie.

I love the lyrics...

Things'll never be the same in Port Lincoln
Since they rolled the cameras there
Roll up and be a movie extra
Take it lightly if you dare

Give the man a uniform
Give the man a gun
He's your younger brother
He's your only son

This is Gallipoli
They coulda been ya mates
They coulda been me

Ya can't blame a bloke who likes adventure
He saw the posters on the wall
See the world through the sights of a rifle
Grab ya mates and go to war

And give the man a bayonet
Give the man a hat
Land him on the beaches
Eight thousand never came back
A rat-a-tat-tat

This is Gallipoli
And don't you forget
You are the Diggers of the ANZAC

Slap bang in the middle of an ambush
The jolly turk was all around
Sitting ducks they fell like nine-pins
But the Diggers held their ground

And men like Simpson upheld the spirit
Of the Digger who gives a mate a hand
And in the end they showed the world
The spirit of Australia

So things'll never be the same in Port Lincoln
Since they made a movie there
Knock off the shearing
And knock off the fishing
Bring up the clippers and knock off the hair

Give the man a uniform
Give the man a gun
He's your younger brother
He's your only son

This is Gallipoli
And don't you forget
You are the Diggers of the ANZAC

(Repeat)

I shall just de-lurk to say the only reason I know about Gallipoli was due to the Pogues versions of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda". The whole thing seems to of been shamefully ignored in the UK, anyway adding to my wish list. Thanks for the review.

>184 petermc:: I went and listened to the John Williamson song (it's here if anyone else cares). I liked it and will check iTunes next time I'm on it.

>185 clfisha:: I think most countries sort of sweep their disasters under the rug. Unfortunate, but to be expected, I guess.

#185 Claire - Gallipoli has never had the same resonance in the UK that it's had in Australia and New Zealand, and I understand that, but consider the casualty figures (deaths) below, not including French or Ottoman troops...

British (including Irish) 29,134
Australian 8,520
New Zealand 2,806
Indian 1,891
Newfoundland 45
Ceylon 4
Others 29
Source: Patrick Gariepy, 'The Gallipolian' Autumn 2001, No.96

The figures do differ from source to source, but the relative percentages are pretty similar. The British (and Irish) forces were decimated and Les Carlyon clearly lays out the reasons. I hope you enjoy the book, and thank you for de-lurking :)

#186 Tad - "I think most countries sort of sweep their disasters under the rug."

Perhaps Australia and NZ are the exceptions that prove the rule! Some in Australia still think of Gallipoli as a victory. Perhaps the most famous example of that was Alan Bond, who on winning the 1983 America's Cup, proclaimed it as "the greatest victory since Gallipoli''.

Also, the number of young Australians visiting Turkey, and Gallipoli especially, has increasing markedly since the mid-1990s. Now, between 15,000 and 20,000 make the pilgrimage each year to attend the ANZAC Day ceremony in Gallipoli on April 25th!

P.S. Tad, I'm glad you liked the John Williamson song :)

>188 petermc:: I think it is possible to be both.

Events...particularly events in wartime...can be viewed as a triumph of courage and spirit, even a local victory. At the same time, they can be viewed as a strategic failure or an example of stupid leadership.

I think Gallipoli might qualify as an example of this.

I've read that Turkey, Australia and New Zealand all consider it a defining moment of their nation and, in that sense, are proud of it. For the UK, it had no such symbolic importance and so, as an expensive military failure, the lights are quietly withdrawn.

Having just finished Battle Cry of Freedom, it's interesting to see some of the parallels...moments for one side or the other in our defining war.

#189 Tad - I believe you are right! And yes, the "symbolic importance" is what I was alluding to in response to Claire's message at #187, but you've managed to articulate the idea far better than I. Thank you :)

As for Battle Cry of Freedom... I have the book and look forward to reading it soon. Having just finished The State of Jones I'm becoming more and more enthralled by America's Civil War.

Book 50

The Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri

Commissario Montalbano is back in this, the 4th book, in the Camilleri's wonderfully evocative detective series set in the fictional town of Vigata, Sicily. After discovering the body of a naked woman in her partially completed new home, Montalbano soon finds himself embroiled in personal rivalries, departmental politics and police corruption.

Suspects include the husband, a lover, and a local half-wit that stalks the beautiful young woman from Bologna around town. With new developments following the events in The Terracotta dog, Montalbano is forced to juggle the demands of the case with his strained relationship with his girlfriend Livia and a growing infatuation with Anna Tropeano, the dead woman's best friend.

Hats off to Andrea Camilleri. Another superb installment in the series, further cementing his place at the top of my favourite authors shortlist.

Book 51

The Traveler by Daren Simkin and Daniel Simkin

Unsatisfied at home, and only wanting to spend his life on perfection, "the traveler" packs his suitcase with his most precious commodity - time. All the "squishy years and square, mushy months, down to every itsy-bitsy second". Never finding what he seeks, he finally comes home again as an old man to find just months remaining in his bag. While home may not be perfect, it's here that he at last finds ultimate fulfillment.

This thin 46 page charmingly illustrated fable for adults can be read in just 5 minutes. But the message resonates for much longer. The sort of book you might want to give as a present to someone special.

#192: Sounds terrific, Peter. I will see if I can find a copy. Thanks for the recommendation.

hmm ditto for me, sounds intriguing

Amazon bargain books just arrived...

- The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas
- Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink edited by David Remnick

Completed in July...

- The State of Jones by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer

Still reading...

- Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War by Gary Gallagher
- American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham

Lined up for my Americana themed July...

- After Chancellorsville: Letters from the Heart: The Civil War Letters of Private Walter G. Dunn & Emma Randolph by Judith A. Bailey
- The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous: Fighting to Save a Way of Life in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina by Ken Wells

Looks like you are having a good reading month. Congratulations on the Amazon books!

Causes won, Lost, and Forgotten is on my tbr pile so I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.

#197 - Should finish the book today. Will write up reviews of The State of Jones and this one soon. Stay tuned.

What I will quickly say is... while it is a very interesting and important topic, I wish the author had spent more time on the WHY? rather than the WHAT. Thus, it seems a touch superficial as it stands, although the author clearly defines and makes cases for four forms of Civil War representation in art and film: 1) Lost Cause, 2) Unionist, 3) Reconciliation, 4) Emancipationist. I'll elaborate in my review :)

Here's a little review that I put together in response to the "Books you haven't finished" thread. I thought I'd put the full text here since it is related to what I'm reading, and I like to keep my reviews together :)

I'm not counting this in the 75-book count, yet, as I haven't given up on the book entirely. Therefore, I would also ask that you don't treat this as my final word on the subject...

Victory Was Beyond Their Grasp: With the 272nd Volks-Grenadier Division from the Huertgen Forest to the Heart of the Reich by Douglas E. Nash

What can I say about this book? Nothing highly complimentary unfortunately! Yet I haven't cast it aside completely. I bought the book sight unseen, purely on the strength of the author's reputation following his book HELL'S GATE: The Battle of the Cherkassy Pocket January to February 1944 - a book that I initially hesitated on, only to watch it sell out and became something of a collector's item (with prices to match)!

Back to "Victory was Beyond Their Grasp"... The binding is poor and the pages are quick to fall out! But the writing is the major negative. It reads like a thousand post-it notes have been arranged together without editing the final whole, resulting in needless repetition - even within paragraphs.

The author has also elected to use detailed lengthy descriptions, where a single easily and quickly referenced table would suffice (and putting a loosely corresponding table in the appendix is pointless if it can be better utilized in the main body of the text, IMHO). The constant use of full divisional (etc...) names are also an annoyance as they are repeated so often in parts that a page seems to have but little else. One might have also wished for better communication between the map maker and the author - as some features mentioned in the text are not marked.

Working from "company orderly room files and documents" of Fusilier Company 272 of the 272nd Volks Grenadier Division, the author is restricted in how much he can bring of a personal nature to the story, and so we have a lot of dry matter-of-fact information about equipment, training, and troop movements, with some battles given only cursory mention. While the author is said to have interviewed many of the surviving participants, their contributions are so disseminated through the text as to have lost much of their impact. The publisher shows some sample pages from the book on their website that highlight the use of soldiers' personal recollections - read and enjoy because that's about it! It certainly suggests a different type of book.

That said however, this is an important book in increasing our knowledge of the Volks Grenadier Divisions, and may be worth reading for the dedicated student of the battles that constituted the "Battle of the Bulge".

Quick Impressions...

I had the pleasure of spending a little time with a few food related books recently, and I thought I'd note down some of my impressions.

- A Day at El Bulli by Ferran Adria
The three Michelin starred restaurant, elBulli, on the Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain; and its chef, Ferran Adrià, need no introduction. The British fine dining magazine The Restaurant Magazine has judged elBulli the best restaurant in the world a record five times - in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. In this huge tome we have what is essentially a photo essay of a day in the life of the restaurant, with text and captions scattered throughout the book to help bring the concept together. There are recipes, but this is not a cookbook. It will primarily appeal to the dedicated foodie, those looking for a souvenir of their own pilgrimage to elBulli, or collectors of photo books with a culinary edge.

Those interested in the elBulli/Adria phenomenon, might also want to look out for Food for Thought. Thought for Food by Vicente Todolí and Richard Hamilton.

- Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook by Mark Robinson
For anyone who's visited Japan, a trip to an Izakaya is an unforgettable experience. Rubbing shoulders with boisterous Japanese salary men late on a Friday night, while the beer flows like the Nile in flood, hitting your buzzer to order another small plate of something uniquely Japanese and oh-so-delicious. And it's those small plates that are the subject of this book, subordinately linked to the stories of the Izakaya's themselves, Izakaya / Japanese culture, and history. A delightful book and one that is going in my collection.

- Vefa's Kitchen by Vefa Alexiadou
Phaidon bills this as "the first truly comprehensive bible of Greek food in English." And with 650+ recipes in 700+ pages they might just be right. Another thick offering from the people that brought you the Italian cookbook, Silver Spoon. Beautifully presented in the easy to read national colours of blue on white, with plenty of good to excellent photographs. The layout is functional, with comprehensive details on servings and cooking times. Details on ingredients and other cultural tidbits, only convinced me to throw this one to into my shopping cart! Loved it.

Hi Peter - still enjoying your thread, but I can't get excited by these mammoth war tomes you love to read.
I just finished Defence of Madrid which was written in a more 'on the run' style and I was impressed by how quickly Cox managed to get it published as he could see the manuscript could quickly be outdated by events still unfolding. The introduction on the new edition puts it all into perspective. I'm looking to read more on the war over the next few months. I have Greville Texidor's fiction based on her time as a militia woman, Andre Malraux's Days of Hope and Beevor's The Battle for Spain all lined up.

Don't know if this is of interest but check out the link to a fascinating publication that came out around Anzac Day here in New Zealand. I've seen the book but am waiting to get it again from my library in order to read it properly. http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/dear-alison-new-zealand-soldiers-st...

#201 Kerry - Thank you for your note. I have been lurking over in your thread and have been taking notes.

Thanks for the link to the book DEAR ALISON: A New Zealand Soldier’s Story from Stalag 383 edited by Simon Pollard. It looks fascinating and I'll be very interested in hearing your impressions. I am particularly interested in "The Battle for Greece" in which the diary's author, Dudley Muff, was captured. NZ and Australia fighting side-by-side once more! A book on that campaign, which is on my wishlist, is Forgotten Anzacs: The Campaign in Greece, 1941 by Peter Ewer.

#201 Kerry, I was about to do a post saying ta to Peter for putting me OFF a war book, but then I read your post and have been eyeing Days of Hope and the Anzac Day book! I started Beevor's Spain book a few years ago, quite soon - and too soon - after I'd finished Stalingrad, which I loved. I gave up on it after several hundred pages but don't really know why - might hunt it out...

Peter that Izakaya book looks like a good one for my husband. I haven't been to Japan yet, but he has and loved them. So have you been to El Bulli?

#200 Peter - I took so long to post that I didn't notice your fab cookbook post. I'm going to have to check out Vefa's Kitchen, I love Greek food and cookbooks in general. Already read A Day at El Bulliand did find it interesting. My daughter just spent 6 months in Japan which included a short stint working in a bar in Tokyo before heading to the ski slopes up north so I'll send her a link to the Izakaya book. She's now in London looking for work. I'll read through a couple of my recent cookbook purchases and post some comments.

#203 Cushla - I've found trademe a wonderful place for sourcing these out of print books at reasonable prices. A lot of my library is preloved books. Andre Malraux seems to have led an interesting life so I'm looking forward to his book. The Battle for Spain looks fairly formidable to me, but I'll give it a go after I clear a bit off my tbr list.
BTW Simon Pollard, who edited the Dear Alison book, is a world expert on spiders and wrote & photographed the fabulous I am a spider.

#203 Cushla - So have you been to El Bulli?

I wish but I had! I have yet to make, what I term, the 'pilgrimage'. And given my expenses (too many new books!), I doubt the opportunity will arise any time soon. So no, but it is my most ardent desire. EHHH!!! STOP! I can't believe what I just wrote... I could edit it out, but it just shows what reading does to your mind - I have just, moments before, put down the civil war letters of Walter Dunn and Emma Randolph in After Chancellorsville, and now I'm beginning to write like them!

#204 Kerry - I'll read through a couple of my recent cookbook purchases and post some comments.

Thanks, I look forward to them. If there is a subject more near and dear to my heart than military histories - and the mysteries of Andrea Camilleri ;) - then it is food and wine.

I hope your daughter enjoyed her time in Japan, and now London! My sister just moved permanently to the UK from Australia. I lived there a while, but given the choice I would (in fact, I will) choose the warmth and sunshine of the Gold Coast :)

-----
Now, I'm going to settle down in front of the TV, with a bowl of ramen and a cold beer, to watch a recording of the 2009 PDC World Darts Championship! Ah, bliss!

Thanks for the review on Izakaya. I am a sushi fan but any Japanese cuisine intruigues me. Ah one day I will actually make it to Japan.

On another note: Not sure if you would be interested but UK medieval army service records, which also has some solider biogs, are up at
http://www.icmacentre.ac.uk/soldier/database/index.php

#206 Claire - I sincerely hope you do make it to Japan. It is an amazing place!

And thank you for the link. Couldn't find any family unfortunately :(

But a fascinating resource none-the-less, and one I'll consult on occasion. Having researched my family tree to a direct line of descendancy from 1100, I am always looking for resources like this. Thanks again :)

I'm simply stopping by to say hello.

#208 Linda - It's always nice to see you. I'm only sorry I was out when you called! I was just visiting one of Tokyo's few second-hand dealers of English language books. I picked up In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002 by Bill Murphy.

This morning I finished book 54 in my 75 challenge, After Chancellorsville: Letters from the Heart edited by Judith A. Bailey. In this collected book of letters, written during the civil war, between Private Walter G. Dunn and his girlfriend Emma Randolph, I was expecting to learn something of the period. And while I learnt more of Emma's seemingly constant headaches, than the war, I was none-the-less swept away in this long-distance relationship by the pen, and was stunned senseless by the epilogue. Excuse me.... there's something in my eye.... :(

This afternoon I started listening to the audiobook version of The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous: Fighting to Save a Way of Life in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina by Ken Wells, which I downloaded from my library. And DAMN IT, but if chapter one isn't followed immediately by chapter ten! I don't know if I can be bothered mucking around with it. Might move straight on to the my next book... The Night Battles by M.F. Bloxam.

If you do decide to stick it out with the Ken Wells book, I'm interested in hearing your comments. After visiting New Orleans last year I read many books regarding the culture of the area and hurricane Katrina.

And, by the way, how are your beautiful boys?

#210 Linda - The boys are very well, thanks for asking, but not enjoying the summer heat and humidity. The new guy just had his 4-month checkup and weighed in at 8.2kg. Looks like he'll be bigger than his brother. I think that's fair, don't you? Bigger balances younger :)

makes sense to me! Glad all is well!

#207. Wow tracing back to the 1100s is amazing! So far one side of my family has been traced back to the 1800s but then it gets murky. It is truly fascinating to look at what your ancestors got up to even if, like mine, they were everyday folk.

#210 Linda - OK! I now know what happened to the Ken Wells book. When the final library audiobook was compiled, it was obviously done from individual chapter files. No problem! But, what the responsible party failed to note was that the chapters were numbered 1, 2, 3, ..., 10, 11, etc...; rather than 01, 02, 03, ..., 10, 11, etc... So, on compilation, the computer ordered the chapters thus: Chapter 1, 10, 11, ..., 19, 2, 20, 21, 22, 3, 4, 5, 6, ...

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I will have to flip back and forth between the audio files, but I will continue with the book :)

#213 Claire - The number of family histories, parish records, military service records, etc..., now appearing online is growing almost exponentially. I remember when I first started my research 20+ years ago; I quickly reached a dead end, knowing that to advance I would have to travel to the UK and spend months in dusty archives across the country. Now, I can do it all from the comfort of my own home! Don't you love the internet?

#214: I am glad to hear that you are continuing with the Ken Wells book, too. I want to see your review!

#211 Regarding "bigger balances younger": My 3 sons' heights are in reverse proportion to their ages. So my oldest is 5'11", next is 6'4", and youngest is 6'7"! It's always fun to line them up, especially with puny little 5'7" me in the middle!

I can't believe your wee boy is 4 months old! Wow, the year is flying. And I think 8.2 kg is a lot bigger than my 2 at that age... will look in their Plunket books tomorrow to see.

Terri...
WOW! Your sons are tall....

I'm only 5'4" so I would look like a chubby little munckin amid them.

When I grew up, I was the shortest in my immediate family. Now that I have my own family . . . I am still the shortest at 5' 2" (Beth was taller than me when she was 12). Something is terribly wrong :)

#215 Stasia - I will return to the Ken Wells book as soon as I've finished The Night Battles by M.F. Bloxam, which I had already started before figuring out what had gone wrong with the Wells book.

First impressions on The Night Battles: I liken this book to Modern Art - an intimate expression of the artist to present ideas in a new or contemporary way, that can confront or alienate on the one hand, while being challenging and exciting on the other. There are times that I want to walk away. That would be easier. But, I'm strangely compelled to keep reading despite myself, and I applaud the author for that.

#216 Terri - Let me quote Linda - "WOW! Your sons are tall....". Although I had to find an online conversion site, because feet and inches are completely alien to me :)

#217 Cushla - Doesn't time fly! For comparison, at the same age, my older son was 7.6kg - lighter, but also taller by a few centimeters.

http://www.librarything.com/profile/LoefflerKids

My baby boys...

love the photo Terri.

Peter, Do you have any recent photos of your guys?

They're so cute!!! Did Daddy build that tower?

Thanks! How very adorable!

Wow! I cannot believe how big Rafe has grown. Michael looks like a proud brother.

They are both beautiful. Give them a big hug.

#224 Cushla - Daddy helped ;)

To all, thank you for your kind comments * proud Dad smiley *

Idle book related jottings...

Just took a stroll around Shinjuku, here in the metropolis of Tokyo, and spent some time in front of a popular Japanese book store. Currently, it's the new Haruki Murakami novel 1Q84 which is being prominently displayed and promoted, although promotion is not really necessary - you'd have to deaf and blind not to know about it! Such was the anticipation for this two volume work that the publisher had to print a record number of copies to satisfy demand for the first run.

1Q84 (ichi-kew-hachi-yon) currently sits in the top five books in Japan at positions 1 and 2. Coming in at numbers 4 and 5 is Murakami's Norwegian Wood, on the back of the movie version currently being filmed for a 2010 release. Why 4 and 5? Well, many novels in Japan are published in two parts, denoted by the Japanese characters "Ue" and "Shita" - i.e. UP and DOWN for parts one and two respectively.

#229: I guess I must be deaf and blind then, because I did not know that Murakami had another book out. I wonder if it has been translated into English yet . . .

#230 Stasia - Maybe I should have qualified my sweeping generalisation, with "you'd have to be a deaf and blind resident of Japan" :)

It's been a long time between drinks - 5 years since his last book - and that has helped increase anticipation of his latest book. At the present I haven't been able to find out when an English translation will be hitting the streets, other than unsubstantiated rumours. Given his world-wide fan base, I guess it won't be very long.

OK, since I do not live in Japan, I guess I may be excused. I have not been able to find out when it will be available in English yet either, but I am keeping my eyes open for it when it is.

Delurking for a note here on seeing Gallipoli and "Waltzing Matilda" second, and a thanks for your notes on The Night in Lisbon by Remarque. I just finished the book this weekend, and it was a wonderful reading experience. I haven't read any other Remarque except All Quiet on the Western Front, but this is a remarkable book covering the "next" world war that occurred.

I've seen "Gallipoli" several times, and it always, always is a heartache because of the moment of history it captures. You mention "Waltzing Matilda," and various versions, but I first learned the song as a piano recital piece, then later saw "On the Beach" where it is used as background. I have not been able to disassociate the song with the movie, and later, the book, because it runs in my mind as I'm reading.

Back to lurking...

Your babes are beautiful!~! You must be so proud! I remember (vaguely) the days of the smell of warm milk (mine) (I hear someone going Ewwwwwwwwwwww!) and talc and the smooth, smooth skin of my babies; now 42, 40 and 34. "Ain't it funny how time slips away."
Enjoy every precious moment. They do fly by.
belva

>#233:
"Gallipoli" is an absolutely heartrending movie. I could not stop sobbing the first time I saw it. Does this one follow the tried and true to form "book better than movie" formula?
belva

#233 Laurie - Thanks for taking the time to delurk. I appreciate your comments. I'm glad you enjoyed The Night in Lisbon. Next month I plan to read another of Remarque's novels, Arch of Triumph, about a refugee German doctor practicing illegally in Paris in 1939 and facing many of those problems we read about in The Night in Lisbon. I'd say "stay tuned for a review", but I'm already 4 reviews behind!

You refer to "Waltzing Matilda", I think we might be talking about a different song here. The discussion was on the song "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" written by Scottish-born singer-songwriter Eric Bogle in 1971. From Wikipedia...

"And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" "describes the futility, gruesome reality and the destruction of war, while criticising those who seek to glorify it. This is exemplified in the song by the account of a young Australian soldier on his maiming at the Battle of Gallipoli in the First World War.

"The song incorporates the melody and a few lines of lyrics of "Waltzing Matilda" at its conclusion. Many cover versions of the song have been performed and recorded."

The song just entitled "Waltzing Matilda" is virtually Australia's unofficial National Anthem, and was written by Banjo Patterson in 1887, and was used in the film "On the Beach".

#234 Belva - Thank you for your lovely comments :) While I try and make the most of 'every precious moment', it is inevitable that one day, years from now, I'll be lamenting the loss of this very special period of their lives. I feel saddened now even thinking about it.

------------
Current Book News:

Just finished The Night Battles. What a book! I don't know what to write about that one.

Currently listening to The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous: Fighting to Save a Way of Life in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina by Ken Wells, which is a fascinating look at the lives of those who weathered the worst of Katrina in the largely forgotten parishes of St Bernard and Plaquemines.

Also reading a terrific book called How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now by James L. Kugel, which I've had in my collection for a while. Publishers Weekly wrote that, "Kugel's tour de force of biblical scholarship juxtaposes two different ways of reading the Bible: the ancient biblical interpretations..., and the modern historical approach that challenges the historical veracity of scripture and seeks instead to find its writers' original sources and purposes."

Hi Peter,

I do hope that you'll write something of your thoughts re. The Night Battles, now that you've finished it. I'd love to hear them . . .

MF Bloxam

Hi Peter, Cute kids! Just popping in to say Hi and that I'm looking forward to your comments on your very interesting sounding current/recent reads.

Hi Peter, thanks for the notes about "Waltzing Matilda," essentially anything that incorporates part of the song tears me up. My daughter has a similar reaction to "Lemon Tree" after reading The Things They Carried. Sometimes, it's just the association....

And thanks for the heads up on the Remarque book. I will look for it.

#238 M.F. Bloxam - I'm a little tardy with my reviews, but rest assured. I was blown away with your ability to render images and feelings so vividly. Overall, I was impressed by the book, and would readily read your next :)

#239 Daniel - Thanks for stopping by. I have been so busy of late that this one reply has taken me over 5 hours to write, with time snatched between work obligations. So, reviews have been put on the back burner. But they are coming. I promise. What I can say is they have been a bunch of great books and I recommend them all :)

#240 Laurie - I remember reading The Pillow Book while hooked on a compilation of songs made up from Nick Hornby's 31 Songs. I now forever link the two. I also remember once talking to David Moore (WHO?) at the 1990 Image Hong Kong international convention, and he told me that music had a huge influence on his photography. Now, I look for music in his work, while others look at the image alone. Sorry for name dropping.

Peter - No worries. I wasn't trying to rush you. Good luck with whatever craziness you have going on.

Beautiful kids, Peter and lots of interesting reads to add to the pile. Thanks.

I wonder if the Murakami book is going to have the same title in its English translation?

#243 Karen - Thank you for your kind comments :)

Interesting question regarding the title of the 1Q84. The title has caused a lot of debate, primarily I think amongst those who have not read the novel, but I have yet to see a definitive answer on the subject. This entry in wikipedia is the best I've come across...

"...1Q84 is an intentional authorial reference to Orwell's novel, as well as being the name given by Aomame, one of the two protagonists, to the year 1984 which she is experiencing--a year out of time, separated mysteriously (a la Murakami) from the "actual" 1984."

I wish the author of that piece would elucidate on why Aomame uses "Q", but I suppose we'll have to wait and see if the text is any more telling. The book is subtitled "ichi-kew-hachi-yon". In Japanese, ichi = 1, hachi = 8, and yon = 4. As for "Q" - in English this letter has the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for 9 (i.e. kyu). Thus it can be read as 1984. However, note the deliberately unusual spelling, "kew".

Whatever subtext Murakami may intend, I'll also be interested in seeing the translated title. I'm thinking (and hoping) that it will remain unchanged as it epitomizes the surreal nature of his work.

A little behind, but beautiful boys, Peter. And a little tidbit from the voice of experience: you may miss these times in the future, but there are other wonderful times waiting. It's an adventure from start to...well, I won't talk about finish. But I still find delightful, memorable things about my boys! Enjoy them always!

Hi Peter,

I'm very glad that The Night Battles worked so well for you. I'll look forward to your thoughts on it -- at your leisure, of course.

I'm guessing that I have about a year to go yet on my next novel -- not too long. It's very different from TNB, but I'm still worrying familiar themes: loss and love and history. I've anchored the novel in a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

The Children of New England
between 1820 and 1840
were born with knives in their brains.

Best,

M.F. Bloxam

Oh my. That's an interesting quote. What does he mean by that? Or will that give it away?

#245 Terri - Thank you for your lovely message, and your advice. While watching my older boy walk for the first time brought tears to my eyes, and hearing his first word ("car") did likewise, I know that there will be many a kleenex moment to come - from his first day of school to perhaps my first grandchild :0

#246 M.F. Bloxam - Thank you for that insight into your next novel. I look forward to reading it :)

#247 Terri - The quote given by M.F. Bloxam in one of it's forms (there were more than one) can be found in Emerson's "Historic Notes of Life and Letters in New England", which you can read in it's entirety here, but allow me finish it (in this form) for you so that you may gain some of its context: "The young men were born with knives in their brain, a tendency to introversion, self-dissection, anatomizing of motives."

Ah, that's better! Thanks for the clarification!

Julius is over and Augustus is upon us. And what does the month formally known as Sextilis have in store for us? Well, in keeping with the Roman theme I've so cleverly set up here, Tom Holland will be entertaining me with the antics of Julius, Augustus, and the rest of that crazy toga-toting gang, in his highly regarded book, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic.

As for the month past. Sorry no full reviews as of yet. With barely a half hour per day to my name, at Chez Petermc or at work, reviews are a mere glint in this father's eye! However, I can sum up July as follows...

52. The State of Jones by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer
Great read on the life of Mississippian Newt Knight, who lived openly with an ex-slave woman, and through his Jones County Scouts, worked to undermine the Rebel cause. And where the records regarding Newt are fleeting or non-existent, great research on the times, people and places involved do more than fill the gaps. (Full review posted - Aug 4th)

53. Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War by Gary Gallagher
For enthusiasts of Civil War movies and art, this volume is a great overview of how these fit into the categories of Lost Cause, Unionist, Reconciliation, and Emancipationist. The section on Civil War art was particularly interesting but overall I would have preferred less of the "what" and more of the "why". (Full review pending)

54. After Chancellorsville: Letters from the Heart edited by Judith A. Bailey
Don't expect to learn much of the Civil War despite what the blurb tells you! Instead, shrug off that nagging voyeuristic feeling and get to know these two kids through this collection of their preserved love letters (occasionally single sided), and be shocked to the very core by the Epilogue. (Full review pending)

55. The Night Battles by M.F. Bloxam
If you like happy endings and authors hand feeding you all the way, then find something else to read. If you are looking for a challenge and a read that will stay with you long after you put the book down, then this might be a book worth trying. The author's ability to render images and feelings so vividly are worth the price alone! (Full review pending)

56. The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous: Fighting to Save a Way of Life in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina by Ken Wells
One of my favourite reads of the year. Ken Wells takes a human look at a select group of men and women who weathered the worst of Katrina in and around the largely forgotten parish of St Bernard, during and after the hurricane. Moving and heart-warming, this should be read by anyone with an interest in the catastrophe that was Katrina. (Full review pending)

Hi Peter, I must admit you have intrigued me with Night Battles I am really going to have to check it out.

Hey Peter;
The State of Jones and Night Battles both look really good and made my list. Will be checking them out. This is a busy time of year for finding reading time, isn't it? Especially if you have a garden with harvest season coming on. It's berry season here and our blueberries are really bursting out. I have to get out there early every day or the dog picks all the berries she can reach and eats them. We didn't get a single one of our strawberries this year/ or raspberries, (but didn't have too many of those this year for some reason), she got them all.
After canning season comes hunting season. So this is a busy time and reading definitely must take a back seat to life.
Well, you have a good week.
Catch ya later,
belva

#237
Thanks for your comments regarding
The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous: Fighting to Save a Way of Life in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina by Ken Wells.

After visiting New Orleans last year, I read many books regarding New Orleans and Katrina.

I was saddened by the tragedy witnessed when I took a bus tour through St. Bernard's parish and saw the devastation.

On another note, I was also sickened by the dangerous, unsafe culture of New Orleans, the crime and the long-term corrupt politics.

Personally, and I know I'm going out on a limb here, I'm not so sure it can, or should be rebuilt.

Book 52

The State of Jones by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer

Read many books on the American civil war and you'll read about the battles, the generals, the slaves, the politics, and the causes (justified or not) for succession. But careful scrutiny will show that many white southerners not only opposed secession, but traveled across state borders to fight for the Union. Many others would desert the army to become guerrilla fighters within the Confederacy. In Jones County, Mississippi, one Union sympathizer would take up such a calling, leading a group of men known as the Jones County Scouts in armed insurrection. That man was Newton (Newt) Knight, and this is his story.

Born in 1837 near the Leaf River in Jones County, Mississippi, Newt Knight was the grandson of a slave owner, but like his father had chosen not to follow in his footsteps. Enlisting in Company F of the 7th Battalion, Mississippi Infantry, Newt Knight avoided the inevitability of the draft and was thereby able to choose with whom he would serve and a role that would not involve killing fellow Unionists. With problems on the home front however, and the passing of the "Twenty-Negro Law", he would eventually, after a crises of conscience, desert like many of his friends, crossing 200 miles of backwoods country. Hiding from confederate patrols, receiving help from former slaves, he would eventually find his way home and into the history books.

Captured, impressed back into service, and sent to Vicksburg; he would desert once more, to form the Jones County Scouts; and as their leader be suspected of the murder of Confederate Major Amos McLemore who was leading a search for deserters in Knight's county. Knight and his Scouts would go on to so effectively hamper the confederates in the lower third of Mississippi that news of his efforts would reach the president. With little to no opposition Jones County would (legitimately or not) 'secede' from the confederacy as the "Free State of Jones".

Knight flouted conventions in other and more significant ways too - by openly living with a former slave, Rachel, with whom he would bare several children and eventually marry after separating from his first wife, Serena. Newt Knight survived the war, and after a brief stint working for the Republicans, and with threats against his life, would retire to his small farm; a recluse amidst the dramatic political and social swings of the post-civil war era. Newt Knight died at the age of 85, in 1922, of natural causes.

In The State of Jones, Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer bring Newt Knight's incredible story to life using interviews, contemporary records, and court transcripts. And where records or educated conjecture fall short, the authors effectively use a range of relevant sources to paint a picture of the times and events through which Knight lived. Superbly researched, Jenkins and Stauffer extend Knight's story beyond his civil war exploits to show how, even in victory, increasing racial tensions caused his white and black family to split apart, while his great grandson would be charged in 1948 for marrying a white woman.

Highly recommended.

Newton Knight's story has also been told in: The Free State of Jones: Mississippi's Longest Civil War by Victoria E. Bynum

Hey Peter, good review. Have you also read Bynum's book? She has not been very complementary regarding The State of Jones.

#255 - No, I haven't read the Bynum book, and I haven't read of any criticism from her. Do you have a link to a related interview or such? It would be interesting to read. I have read a negative review that suggests that the Jenkins / Stauffer book was conveniently edited to fit in with a television or movie project, but I don't know any more details than that. It would certainly be interesting to compare the two books and look for possible differences.

Despite these possibilities, the book still makes good reading. And it should be remembered that this is 'popular history' with all its inherent pros and cons.

#254 Looks interesting! Amazon (USA) has a few negative comments but the bits on accuracy were way over my head.

Was really behind here but have caught up with about 60 posts. Although you don't read the kind of thing I read, Peter, I am always fascinated by what you are reading. Gallipoli was grim. I don't know if I would have the stomach to actually read about it.

Your sons are beautiful. You needn't feel wistful for these baby days, even if they are fleeting. They grow into beings who, with a bit of luck and a lot of love, somehow become the most wonderful friends. As tloeffler says, the magic doesn't end.

Peter

Congratulations on your hot review listed on today's home page!

#256. Try this link: http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/107907.html

What a great link! Thanks for posting this!

#257 Claire - The link posted by Mike in Message 260, may help you make some sense of it, but despite whoever is right or wrong, it still makes for a good read ;)

#258 tiffin - Thanks for dropping by and your lovely comments :)

#259 Linda - I must admit I don't have the Hot Review option turned on, but it's nice to think it was there. It isn't now, so it only made a very brief appearance :)

#260 Mike - Thank you for that link. I've read the criticisms by Victoria Bynum and the response by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer. And, as you saw by the comments, it generated some spirited argument.

I know that this was not your point, but nothing I read changes what I wrote in my review, which is not meant to be an analysis of the historical credibility of the book. In any history of the popular narrative style (which is enjoying a resurgence) there is going to be debate on interpretation and the quality of historical scholarship, but the authors do clearly document their sources allowing independent historians to make their own evaluations. As I clearly note in my review, Jenkins and Stauffer do use "educated conjecture" and "paint a picture of the times and events through which Knight lived" where records "fall short".

The State of Jones still makes for entertaining reading and it still has my recommendation, but people should be aware of both sides of the argument.

Another congrats for your hot review. Your reading is tempting me to branch out into other genre (btw, what is your country of origin, as you are not Japanese by birth I suspect, and you read a lot of American nonfiction).

#263 - Thanks, and I do hope you give nonfiction a go. It has a reputation for being dry and dull, but there are books that can read as excitingly or as vividly as anything in the fiction genre. Personally, I love the genre because each book seems to enhance my own experiences... it's difficult to express. I'll have to think about that one!

You're right, I am not Japanese. My wife is, but I am in fact Australian, and have lived in Japan for 9 years.

Looking at my reading list it does look like I read American nonfiction almost exclusively, but I think that stems from my focus on military affairs in which American involvement is dominant (or in the case of the American Civil War - all encompassing!). Currently, using The Civil War in Books: An Analytical Bibliography by David J. Eicher as my guide, I am collecting books on the conflict, battle by battle, and plan to read my way systematically through the whole war.

Actually, Peter, I am quite a keen non-fiction reader, but not so much American stuff. I love European history, science books, travel/exploration. I try to read about the same number of fiction as non-fiction.

Have you read any Anthony Beevor?

Sorry to ferret out your nationality, but it is nice to hear you are from Australasia. Are you planning to move back, or is Japan the country you want to live in?

#265 Karen,

I love European history, science books, travel/exploration.

Nice - all right up my alley! Science and exploration have both taken a bit of a back seat recently, but stay tuned. I've got some nice reads coming up :)

Have you read any Anthony Beevor?

Honestly? No, I haven't. Although I have 3 of his books on Mount TBR. Namely: Stalingrad, Berlin: The Downfall 1945, and The Battle for Spain. And I want to read his latest: "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy".

Are you planning to move back, or is Japan the country you want to live in?

I'd be quite happy to continue living in Japan. It's an amazing country, and Tokyo is an incredible city! But, we do plan to head home to the sunny Gold Coast in about 2 years time, so my older boy can start his schooling there.

---------------------
Current Reading Notes:

- American Lion by Jon Meacham
Reaching the end of this book now, and I'm enjoying the last half more than the first half, as the Eaton affair is left far behind, and we get into some meaty political issues such as nullification, the Bank of the United States charter, censure by the senate, Jackson's reelection (second term), assassination attempts, and the crises over French suspension of repayments on the debt owed to the United States from the plunder of American ships during the Napoleonic Wars. And there's plenty more to come...

- How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now by James L. Kugel
What can I say about this book? Absorbing, fascinating, and enlightening are three adjectives that immediately spring to mind! For anyone interested in Bible Scholarship or history in general, this is a must read into ancient and modern interpretations of the world's best-selling book. And for the deeply religious, as the New York Times review notes, this book "aims to prove that you can read the Bible rationally without losing God."

- Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland
A narrative history of the Roman Republic, that while bringing the period so vividly to life, also risks getting lost in it's own vastness. But, Holland somehow manages to make it work despite his somewhat Victorian prose! And although I've never had a strong interest in the Romans or the republic, Holland treats his subject with such enthusiasm that I want to know more. More books to buy!

Congrats on your hot review Peter for The State of Jones. It was very well done. I find your approach to nonfiction and specifically The Civil Was very unique and interesting. Got 3 recx from you this A.M. Thank you very much.
How to Read the Bible looks to be a very good read to me.
Thank you for your insight and have a wonderful day with you little ones.
belva

#267 Belva - Thanks for your kind words Belva. Much appreciated.

-----------------------------
Mini Rant:

I was just reading a thread in another group and noticed a book review that was flagged. It seems the LT member had been consistently plugging one book over many groups, and small inconsistencies had started to make people suspicious that the this was actually the author or someone with an invested interest.

Looking at the members profile also revealed that they had no books entered into their library, which heightens ones suspicions. So, I had a look at the book on Amazon, and noticed that all five of the 5-star reviews, were one paragraph long dust-jacket style blurbs, by people who had never reviewed anything other than this one book.

This is the second book that has followed this same pattern that I have come across in as many weeks. I know that authors have to advertise their books, but seemingly blatant deceptiveness such as this surely does the author a disservice. I for one, will not read these books now.

I won't name the books, as it is unproven and I never like to slander, but it's good to see, in this latest case, that vigilant LT members are quick to flag entries such as these.

Rant over!

Thanks for the information about The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous. I'm very interested in Katrina and its aftermath (having lived in New Orleans for 18 years), and that was one book on the subject I hadn't heard of. I'm also looking forward to reading the new book by Dave Eggers on the subject (forget the name).

I've never been a big non-fiction reader, but this year, since joining LT, I've been reading lots of non-fiction, and really loving it. I get lots of good ideas here.

#269 Deborah - You're welcome. For me The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous was an unexpected favourite for 2009.

I'm also interested in Dave Eggers' Zeitoun. I was actually discussing this book on kiwidoc's thread yesterday; after which, I read some excerpts from the book that are easily found on the internet. I must admit that the writing style isn't exactly my cup of tea. Some Amazon reviewers have even commented on the quality of the writing. But what they all agree on is that despite that, the story is a compelling and important one; and for that reason alone I'll still try and locate a copy.

#262 - Really all it does is make me want to read both books.

Glad to hear you're enjoying Rubicon, it's on my tbr list even though, like you, I've never had a great interest in Rome.

Peter: perhaps I will wait for your input on Zeitoun before launching into it. Sometimes writers are not successful at crossing genres!

"The Gold Coast' has hot memories for me. I went to Brisbane with my field hockey team in form 6, and it was so hot (40 degrees), I could not breath. Needless to say, we were badly beaten by the acclimatized Aussies.

#268--You will find these self-promoters on LT, often offering free copies of their books. At least two of us in this group were "slammed" on threads for negative reviews last year--by the authors--and others got comments from voyeurs on several other books. Please report anything suspicious to Abby--she will investigate and LT will shut down the account if warranted.

Because this is such an open site, there will be those who try to take advantage. We can all help keep it a friendly, useful site by being aware.

Thanks Peter, I've just added 3 of your books to my wish list. I've been wanting to read American Lion but never added it till now, plus How to read the bible: a guide to scripture, then and now - sounds very interesting and I'm adding Rubicon just because I yearn to know more of the Roman Repubic.

Peter, I really enjoyed Rubicon. I know you like some mysteries - have you tried Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder series? They're set in ancient Rome and I've enjoyed all the ones I've read so far.

Lots of good reads on your thread as always, Peter. Thanks for the time you put into your reviews!

#271 Mike - Looking forward to both reviews ;)

#272 Karen - Brisbane can be a terribly hot and humid place in summer. My alma mater is in Brisbane, so I had 4 years of it! I much prefer home on the Gold Coast hinterland, which is generally cooler and nowhere near as humid.

#273 Laurie - What I can't get over is the blatant obviousness! Especially on Amazon, with all those manufactured reviews.

#274 Lynda - I can only hope they don't disappoint you. Good reading, and as I'm of that breed known as 'the lurker' on your thread, I'll be looking for your reviews.

#275 Cushla - There's another endorsement for Rubicon, thanks! And thank you for your rec's. I'm always interested in those. Leave them with me and I'll see what I can find :)

#276 Stasia - Not as many good reads as on your thread. How many now? 300, 400, 1000? *wink*

Peter, just saw a quick blurb as I passed a TV at work that there has been an earthquake in Japan near Tokyo. I hope everything is okay for you and your family. You will all be in my thoughts today!

#278 Terri - Thank you so much for your kind thoughts. At about 7.56pm this evening, a M6.9* earthquake struck deep off the coast of Japan. Here on the fringes of Tokyo, our little house rocked and swayed and rattled, but there was no damage. At first we thought it was a heavy truck passing close by, as they can sometimes cause a little vibration, but as the intensity increased to the point where the whole house started swaying we realized it was an earthquake. My older son was a little alarmed at first, but he was soon back to playing with his trains. This was his first earthquake. I've lost count of how many I've experienced here!

*The Japan Meteorological Agency measures seismic activity on a scale of 1 to 7. We measured a 4.

>279 petermc: halfway up the scale still sounds pretty serious to me! Glad that all is OK though.

Peter, do you have an earthquake-proof house? That sounds alarming. Glad you and yours are ok.

ETA: sharp ears, Terri. It's funny how once you know someone somewhere these things don't seem so 'over there' but much more immediate and of concern.

It is kind of funny, tiffin. I never watch TV, but I've been providing computer support in the physicians' lounge at a hospital this weekend, and CNN is a constant presence. I had just walked through the TV room for a glass of water when they mentioned it. I immediately thought of Peter. I do notice things a lot more globally since I've been active on this thread. Just one more reason to stay...

#281 tiffin - All houses in Japan are built to a strict building code (frequently abused by builders looking to save on costs) that allows for some flexibility in the event of earthquakes, which are all too common here. Of course, they can only go so far towards protecting property and life in the case of major seismic events (e.g. Kobe, 1995).

#282 Terri - Again, I sincerely appreciate that you did think of us, despite that we've only met (so to speak) via LT. The global community is certainly one of those things that make using an interactive forum such as this so enjoyable.

Peter
It is so good to know you and your family are doing well and safe!!.

#284 Linda - Thank you :)

------------------------------
Book Notes

An Archaeology of the Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms by C. J. Arnold
Much against my better judgment (I already have several books on the go), after enjoying watching the 2009 season of the British archaeology television show, Time Team, I just couldn't resist cracking open the covers of this academic treatise on my favourite period of English history. Fascinating first chapter on the history of the development in archaeology in this largely neglected field, and the second chapter has a lot of food for thought on migration issues.

#285: is Time Team carried on BBC? I must look for that on BBC Canada - love that kind of thing.

Am very happy that all is well with you and yours.
I went through a big one in the early 70's that took out the freeway
and did major damage in the L.A. area and they can really be frightening. I remember grabbing one child while my husband grabbed the other. I ran for the front door and he ran for the back. Then he came running back for me and the baby as the power lines were out front. I just panicked and reacted stupidly.
Good to know you are all well.
belva

Glad you're ok. I'd missed the news till I got on here - off to have a look now. We live on a fault line here too, but they still freak me out!

I am also glad to hear that you and yours came through the quake with nary a scratch.

The book by C.J. Arnold is going on Planet TBR. I am very interested in archaeology.

#286 tiffin - I honestly don't know, but since it is a Channel 4 production, I doubt it.

#287/8 Belva & Cushla - I shudder at the though of a major earthquake in Tokyo. Multiple millions of people left homeless or killed, the devastation... it doesn't bare thinking about. We just had another earthquake this morning of similar strength, and a few people are beginning to speculate about the imminent possibility of the long-overdue "big one".

#289 Stasia - This is one of many books on archaeology I own. Rather than presenting a general history of the period, they are more academic; presenting the raw data upon which inferences can be made on the lives and lifestyles of our ancestors. Personally, I think it is far more intriguing than learning about the past through contemporary written records.

----------------------------
Book Notes

Finished American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham. This joins the shortlist of favourites in 2009. Review pending.

I am going to flip through your library to see what books on archaeology that you have I do not, Peter. I am sure there are a ton!

#291 Stasia - I haven't entered any of my archaeology books online, as the library focuses on books of a military nature only. I might add them at some point. What I can do is a post a list here for you, but as I haven't made one that might take a little time. So, bare with me and I'll see what I can do for you :)

#293: I did a quick run through of your library (and added several military history titles to Planet TBR), but did not see any books on archaeology (for which the Planet thanks you, I suspect.) No hurry in getting the titles to me, Peter, just whenever you have the time. It is not like I am ever going to run out of things to read!

Quietly making additions to the library. Added this week...

- The Bronze Horseman: Falconet's Monument to Peter the Great by Alexander M. Schenker

- Passchendaele: The Sacrificial Ground by Nigel Steel and Peter Hart

- Tip and Run: The Untold Tragedy of the Great War in Africa by Edward Paice

- Siegfried Sassoon: A Life by Max Egremont

- Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari by Pat Shipman

- Nazi Games: The Olympics of 1936 by David Clay Large

- D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Antony Beevor

- The Tattered Remnants by Eric Burgoyne

- The Battle of Berlin 1945 by Tony Le Tissier

- The Fighting 69th: One Remarkable National Guard Unit's Journey from Ground Zero to Baghdad by Sean Michael Flynn

- Pork and Sons by Stephane Reynaud

- Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver

Quick Review...

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland
Holland brings the key characters and events of the Roman Republic's last years so vividly to life that they it all could have happened yesterday rather than 2000+ years ago! I enjoyed this book so much that I've made several false starts on new books - at the moment I just want to head straight back to Rome and spend some more time with Caesar and his mates! Will be adding some more Tom Holland titles to the library soon.

ETA: Finally found a book to replace Holland's Rubicon. Still in ancient history: The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind by Justin Pollard and Howard Reid.

oooh, eager to see what you think of Jamie's Italy. Is the Mata Hari a new book? It's almost ringing a bell. Some really interesting books there, Peter.

#296: Since I have already read Rubicon, I will be anxiously awaiting your review of the Pollard & Reid book.

I am spending time in ancient history as well with The Bog People.

#297 tiffin - "...eager to see what you think of Jamie's Italy"

While I am not a great fan of Jamie Oliver (although I do applaud him for his "Fifteen" initiative), I couldn't say no to this book at a here's-an-offer-you-can't-refuse price, and for the fact he includes a recipe for Peposo; a dish that made me salivate within the pages of Buford's Heat - which is, incidentally, one of my all-time favourite foodie books. Although there are far too many photographs of Jamie in Jamie's Italy, I'm glad to add this to a collection in which Italy is under represented.

I'm now looking to add to my collection: Made in Italy: Food and Stories by Giorgio Locatelli.

Much more exciting than Jamie's book however, is Pork and Sons. This is one of those "must-have" books for any self-respecting lover of pork. Hands up pork lovers - Ahh, there you are :)

Is the Mata Hari a new book?

I believe Shipman's Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari was originally published in 2007.

#298 Stasia - Another book for my wish list! I'm looking forward to your Sunday review on The Bog People.

-------------------

Forgot to add one book to my recently acquired list at #295...

- Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids by Julie Salamon

#299: Peter, I did actually post a formal review of The Bog People if you want to jump the gun on Sunday.

Thanks for the info, Peter. If you ever want to know about good Italian cookbooks, ask aluvalibra, who is both Italian AND a cook! I too am under-represented in the Italian section of my cookbooks.

We've hit 300 posts, so let's continue our discussions in a new thread...

petermc loves nonfiction - Part III

I start my new thread with a review of Book 59 on my reading list. So what happened to reviews of Books 53 to 58? Well, they have been the subject of numerous short progress reports and overviews, and will be given full reviews if time and enthusiasm allow :)

Thanks to all who have read and supported this thread, and I hope to see you all in Part III...

Hi, Peter

I'm stopped by because I was interested in your comment on sjmccreary's thread about the controversy over the accuracy of The State of Jones as that is a book I intend to read. I thought it would be just a quick hop because you said "Since my thread has a fairly limited readership, people may not be aware of it, or Bynum's book." (Bold is my emphasis) Ha! Over an hour and 302 messages later I have become much better informed about the Jenkins book, have a ton of stuff to add to my wishlist and I must admit, thoroughly entertained.

Glad the earthquake wasn't too bad. I live in California--we know about earthquakes!

I'm starring you so that now I can keep up. I am trying to increase my nonfiction reading and you read some great stuff in a lot of areas. Thanks for the lovely afternoon. :-)

Carolyn

#303 Carolyn - You're most welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed your time here :)

I hope it's the new thread you've starred, rather than this relic of literary history!

In the last few days, we celebrated (not the right word I fear) the anniversary of The Great Kanto Earthquake of September 1923, in which 100,000 to 140,000+ died.

The anniversary was marked by the passage of Typhoon 11 along the Kanto coast line. I spent the day at a hotel on the nearby Izu peninsular, eating seafood (Italian style) at a restaurant that hangs over a cliff, overlooking the giant waves hurling themselves against the face below. Fortunately, no earthquake!