What are you reading now?

[PNWest]

I'm reading THE DARKEST YEAR - The American Homefront, 1941-1942 by William K. Klingaman

It's an interesting concept. Klingaman provides a daya by day account of life in America in the days leading up to WWII and the first year of the war. The man has done his research and the book gives you a good feel for overall life in the USA during that time. It's not the easiset read but I find it worth the time if you are in to American history and what day to day life was like back then.

 

[Zam-Zam]

Sowing and Reaping, by Booker T. Washington.

 

[PNWest]

I'm reading THE DARKEST YEAR - The American Homefront, 1941-1942 by William K. Klingaman

It's an interesting concept. Klingaman provides a daya by day account of life in America in the days leading up to WWII and the first year of the war. The man has done his research and the book gives you a good feel for overall life in the USA during that time. It's not the easiset read but I find it worth the time if you are in to American history and what day to day life was like back then.

Finished this book yesterday. It was very well researched and presented a ton of facts but the book is certainly NOT one that you just can't put down.

We tend to look back at America circa WWII as a country that all came together in in the war effort. In reality they people back then acted pretty much like they do today, they put themselves and their politics ahead of the country. Just like toilet paper was hoarded when the pandemic hit last year back when WWI started people were hoarding rubber, sugar, coffee and gas. Politicians then acted like politicians now in using the war and the hardships for their own benefit rather than the countries. Bureaucracies were just as inefficient then as they are now.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

PNWest recommendation: Yeah - you probably will get something out of the book and you'll learn quite a bit from it but you'll be very, very happy when you get to the end and you don't have to read any more. If you are into history it is worth the read. If you are into lighter weight writing pass on this one.

 

[PNWest]

Fair Warning - Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly is the author responsible for BOSCH, a great Amazon Prime TV series that is well worth watching. He's a prolific author responsible for both Bosch, The Lincoln Lawyer and a few other characters. I've read almost all of his books and find him to be a pretty good author.

Fair Warning is the 3rd novel featuring his character Jack McEnvoy an investigative reporter. It was published last May and for some reason I'm just getting around to it. After finishing "The Darkest Year" I felt I deserved a bit of lighter reading.

I am finding the book to be well written and very interesting. Connelly has always been an author that keeps up with the technical aspects of the day. He's dealing with the slow death of traditional journalism, DNA testing and the lack of regulation therein and the rise of the INCEL movement.

After taking over a week to get through the last book I found myself surprised to see that I'm nearly 1/3 through this book since starting it last night.

If you like well written realistic crime fiction you should give Connelly a try.

 

[Zam-Zam]

Fair Warning - Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly is the author responsible for BOSCH, a great Amazon Prime TV series that is well worth watching. He's a prolific author responsible for both Bosch, The Lincoln Lawyer and a few other characters. I've read almost all of his books and find him to be a pretty good author.

Fair Warning is the 3rd novel featuring his character Jack McEnvoy an investigative reporter. It was published last May and for some reason I'm just getting around to it. After finishing "The Darkest Year" I felt I deserved a bit of lighter reading.

I am finding the book to be well written and very interesting. Connelly has always been an author that keeps up with the technical aspects of the day. He's dealing with the slow death of traditional journalism, DNA testing and the lack of regulation therein and the rise of the INCEL movement.

After taking over a week to get through the last book I found myself surprised to see that I'm nearly 1/3 through this book since starting it last night.

If you like well written realistic crime fiction you should give Connelly a try.

It's great to hear someone express affection for a book they've just completed - I can certainly relate. A good book change your perspective forever.

I currently have 8 unopened, unread books sitting on my increasingly cluttered desk waiting patiently for me to finish the one I'm reading now. After reading your post I feel compelled to add a ninth, and will endeavor to lay my hands on a copy of "The Darkest Year"....I have a handful of used book stores that I patronize in my area, and if I can't find it there, I'll be off to the library.

 

[PNWest]

It's great to hear someone express affection for a book they've just completed - I can certainly relate. A good book change your perspective forever.

I currently have 8 unopened, unread books sitting on my increasingly cluttered desk waiting patiently for me to finish the one I'm reading now. After reading your post I feel compelled to add a ninth, and will endeavor to lay my hands on a copy of "The Darkest Year"....I have a handful of used book stores that I patronize in my area, and if I can't find it there, I'll be off to the library.

An ereader that can be used with Overdrive goes a long way.....

If you are interested in American WWII history a better book would be Washington Goes to War by David Brinkley. MrsPNwest read that one off when it came out. I put that in my pile of "to-read" books. She says hat the book was very enjoyable.

 

[Zam-Zam]

An ereader that can be used with Overdrive goes a long way.....

If you are interested in American WWII history a better book would be Washington Goes to War by David Brinkley. MrsPNwest read that one off when it came out. I put that in my pile of "to-read" books. She says hat the book was very enjoyable.

I'm old-fashioned I guess...I tried an ereader once and didn't like it. Luddite that I am in some respects, I like the feel of holding a book with some heft to it in my hands. Thanks for the suggestion anyway, you're not the first.

One of the books on my desk happens to be Joe Ellis's His Excellency George Washington. I've read a few of Ellis's other works and enjoy him as an author.

If I may be so bold as to suggest something you might enjoy, it would be candace Mallard's River of Doubt.....It's a fairly breezy read, and tells a story of Teddy Roosevelt that many are not aware of.

Always fun to talk books with someone who actually reads.

 

[PNWest]

I'm old-fashioned I guess...I tried an ereader once and didn't like it. Luddite that I am in some respects, I like the feel of holding a book with some heft to it in my hands. Thanks for the suggestion anyway, you're not the first.

One of the books on my desk happens to be Joe Ellis's His Excellency George Washington. I've read a few of Ellis's other works and enjoy him as an author.

If I may be so bold as to suggest something you might enjoy, it would be candace Mallard's River of Doubt.....It's a fairly breezy read, and tells a story of Teddy Roosevelt that many are not aware of.

Always fun to talk books with someone who actually reads.

I used to be like you about e-readers but somewhere around 2014 or so the technology improved. Same with MrsPNWest. We both have e-readers - hers is a Kindle Oasis (first generation) and mine is a Koko Forma. Bothe fron lighting so you can read in bed with the lights off. Now I wouldn't go back. I couldn't stand the 6" screens on the earlier e-readers, it's just too damn small. My Kobo Forma has an 8" screen which is just about right. The Oasis has a 7" screen size. Both have 300DPI screens which is really nice with the text. When we used to travel we'd always carry 3 or 4 books to read. Now we just bring the readers. These e-readers can hold literally hundreds of books.

If you can borrow an e-reader from a friend and use it for a week or so you may change your mind.

I'll check out the Mallard book.

 

[Zam-Zam]

I used to be like you about e-readers but somewhere around 2014 or so the technology improved. Same with MrsPNWest. We both have e-readers - hers is a Kindle Oasis (first generation) and mine is a Koko Forma. Bothe fron lighting so you can read in bed with the lights off. Now I wouldn't go back. I couldn't stand the 6" screens on the earlier e-readers, it's just too damn small. My Kobo Forma has an 8" screen which is just about right. The Oasis has a 7" screen size. Both have 300DPI screens which is really nice with the text. When we used to travel we'd always carry 3 or 4 books to read. Now we just bring the readers. These e-readers can hold literally hundreds of books.

If you can borrow an e-reader from a friend and use it for a week or so you may change your mind.

I'll check out the Mallard book.

Maybe I'll give them a second look....My wife jokes that the library will be coming to our home soon to borrow books.

She is nothing if not subtle...

 

[PNWest]

Maybe I'll give them a second look....My wife jokes that the library will be coming to our home soon to borrow books.

She is nothing if not subtle...

There is no such thing as too many books. The great thing about digital books is that they take up no physical space. I've got ALL of mine on one 128GB thumbdrive. And that's a lot of books. We've got about 20 boxes of books in our shop from when we moved up here in late 2011. Not enough wall space here. We had 7 bookcases in Houston. Down to 3 here. Fortunately since we have gone digital we can just keep the really good hardbacks on the shelves!

 

[Zam-Zam]

There is no such thing as too many books. The great thing about digital books is that they take up no physical space. I've got ALL of mine on one 128GB thumbdrive. And that's a lot of books. We've got about 20 boxes of books in our shop from when we moved up here in late 2011. Not enough wall space here. We had 7 bookcases in Houston. Down to 3 here. Fortunately since we have gone digital we can just keep the really good hardbacks on the shelves!

I see the point - I have an upstairs room that is literally nothing but bookshelves, and more books in my office.

And I keep adding to the collection - My greatest vice.

My wife puts up with a great deal.

 

[bdtex]

Landscape Turned Red, The Battle Of Antietam by Stephen W. Sears. I'm hoping to make a first-ever visit to Antietam NMP this year in either June or October.

 

[PNWest]

We need more BOOK posts!

 

[Zam-Zam]

Landscape Turned Red, The Battle Of Antietam by Stephen W. Sears. I'm hoping to make a first-ever visit to Antietam NMP this year in either June or October.

I know you're a civil war buff, I have read some about it but obviously am nowhere near your level of expertise....I did read "The Civil War - A Narrative (Fort Sumter To Perryville)" by Shelby Foote recently, and Jean Edward Smith's "Grant" shortly before that, and I have a Bruce Catton book buried somewhere that I read years ago. You're obviously fascinated with the subject....What was it that got you so interested?

 

[bdtex]

I know you're a civil war buff, I have read some about it but obviously am nowhere near your level of expertise....I did read "The Civil War - A Narrative (Fort Sumter To Perryville)" by Shelby Foote recently, and Jean Edward Smith's "Grant" shortly before that, and I have a Bruce Catton book buried somewhere that I read years ago. You're obviously fascinated with the subject....What was it that got you so interested?

The interest was always there but it took a back seat to starting a career and business and raising a family. What kicked into high gear was a visit to the Mariner's Museum in Newport News Virginia in June 2014. The turret and other machinery and artifacts from the USS Monitor are being restored/preserved there and are on display. Very impressive. Kids are grown and I am nearing retirement. Got more time and way more money now.

 

[Zam-Zam]

The interest was always there but it took a back seat to starting a career and business and raising a family. What kicked into high gear was a visit to the Mariner's Museum in Newport News Virginia in June 2014. The turret and other machinery and artifacts from the USS Monitor are being restored/preserved there and are on display. Very impressive. Kids are grown and I am nearing retirement. Got more time and way more money now.

Empty nester about to retire - Not a bad place to be. More time to travel, read, do the things you want to do.

And soon the virus stuff will be behind us - Life is good.

 

[PNWest]

Two books....

The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South by Chip Jones - About the race to do the first human heart transplant. Here's the story in a nutshell - white man needs a new heart or he'll die soon. Black man falls off of a wall and sustains head injury. I'll bet you can guess what happens.......

The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History by Kevin M. Sullivan - We've all heard about Ted Bundy and know the basic story. I'd read the Anne Rule book that pretty much made her famous. Kevin Sullivan takes a detailed look at Bundy's history and looks at his actions from a pschological point of view. I almost didn't read this one but I'm glad I did. Great insight into the mind of probably the most recognized serial killer of my lifetime.

and reading now....

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson - If you are interested in Gene editing you might want to take a look at this one. It's a very interesting topic and I'm slogging through it but for whatever the reason I find Isaacson's writing to be boring. I never made through his bio of Steve Jobs but am hoping that this one will be more engaging.

 

[PNWest]

And now one for the conservatives....

The Pet Goat by Siegfried "Zig" Engelmann - Designed to teach students about words ending in the letter E. The exercise tells a story about a girl's pet goat, which her parents want to get rid of because it eats everything; the parents relent after it foils a robbery by butting the intruder, who is now "sore" (that word ending in e).

Former President George W. Bush loved this book in fact he couldn't put it down..... even when the country was under attack by Islamic Fundamentalists.

 

[Dawg]

Two books....

The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South by Chip Jones - About the race to do the first human heart transplant. Here's the story in a nutshell - white man needs a new heart or he'll die soon. Black man falls off of a wall and sustains head injury. I'll bet you can guess what happens.......

Presently re-reading 'Where the Red Fern Grows' to remember what determination and drive accomplishes

I'm shocked really that bdtex doesn't label YOU a racist as he did Browny for posting "The Organ Thieves" opinion

 

[PNWest]

Presently re-reading 'Where the Red Fern Grows' to remember what determination and drive accomplishes

I'm shocked really that bdtex doesn't label YOU a racist as he did Browny for posting "The Organ Thieves" opinion

You're SHOCKED, SHOCKED I say that @bdtex doesn't label me a racist for posting a mini review of a highly rated author's book?

Maybe you should try my recommendation for conservative readers "The Pet Goat".....