What Are You Reading?

[krwhiting]

I have it also and have watched twice. I think I will try to watch this yearly, it's awe-inspiring and heart-breaking and so... human.
My Grandee was in the RNZAF during WWII, he was based in Canada mostly.

Also, I've always felt a close kinship with UK and Dominion soldiers. We did some training with a Canadian infantry unit. And one of my professors at West Point was an Officer from the British Regiment known as the Royal Green Jackets (he taught us small unit tactics: a good choice, the Brits have usually been pretty good at that). So I appreciate what your Grandfather did for all of us.

I always liked the story Churchill told of being woken after Pearl Harbor and being told of the attack and him saying, "Thank God. We've just won the war." Churchill always thought of the US as a large-grown daughter of England. I wouldn't go that far, but there is some truth to it.

Kelly

 

[FlakeNoir]

Also, I've always felt a close kinship with UK and Dominion soldiers. We did some training with a Canadian infantry unit. And one of my professors at West Point was an Officer from the British Regiment known as the Royal Green Jackets (he taught us small unit tactics: a good choice, the Brits have usually been pretty good at that). So I appreciate what your Grandfather did for all of us.

I always liked the story Churchill told of being woken after Pearl Harbor and being told of the attack and him saying, "Thank God. We've just won the war." Churchill always thought of the US as a large-grown daughter of England. I wouldn't go that far, but there is some truth to it.

Kelly

We are New Zealander's, but definitely came under the British umbrella, especially back then.

Edit: My Grandee got into some (big) trouble in Canada after a night of drink... it involved a plane, some mates and a bridge.

 

[danie]

Also, I've always felt a close kinship with UK and Dominion soldiers. We did some training with a Canadian infantry unit. And one of my professors at West Point was an Officer from the British Regiment known as the Royal Green Jackets (he taught us small unit tactics: a good choice, the Brits have usually been pretty good at that). So I appreciate what your Grandfather did for all of us.

I always liked the story Churchill told of being woken after Pearl Harbor and being told of the attack and him saying, "Thank God. We've just won the war." Churchill always thought of the US as a large-grown daughter of England. I wouldn't go that far, but there is some truth to it.

Kelly

I think it's cute how you sign all your posts.

 

[skimom2]

Still reading Blaze... oh boy. I'm 110 pages in. (and he is...

Spoiler

kidnapping the baby as we speak.

Stephen, sometimes I just want to kick you in the butt for making me care so damned much.
(of course I wouldn't actually kick you in the butt: 1) you are too tall and 2) you might write me to death)

That is my favorite of the Bachman stories

 

[skimom2]

War movies are tough to qualify as great or good or poor, etc. My Army friends and I argue about this all the time. I view Band of Brothers as the best film presentation of soldiers that I've seen (your description is on the money). However, there are many others I think are, if not as good, very close. Gettysburg, Gardens of Stone (The best Vietnam movie in my opinion), Hamburger Hill, A Midnight Clear, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Lost Battalion, and, I think the new movie, Fury, is exceptional (I was in tanks for over a year before shifting over to Cavalry scouts and the interior workings of a tank crew were very faithful). And then there's M*A*S*H (the movie I mean), which is great fun (to be fair, Army doctors are different than the rest of the Army and a couple of my friends from West Point went on to become doctors: one of them did my bachelor party), and which has great moments of human poignancy.

Kelly

My dad was a Vietnam vet, one tour Army, one Air Force (and stayed in until retirement), and he said the beginning of Full Metal Jacket was the closest parallel to real boot camp (his experience, anyway). He also really liked Ken Burns' The War, and said that the one thing Platoon captured better than most other Vietnam movies (though it got a lot wrong) was the long stretches of boredom punctuated by absolute terror. He rarely ever talked about that time in his life, but was a huge military history buff (all eras) and passed that along to me. It's difficult watching most of the movies because they get everything from the weapons to the interactions so wrong.

 

[Kurben]

I also think the first half of full metal jacket is great but the rest i'm not so fond of. For me Platoon will always be a great vietnam movie even if it does slip up in details. And war movies isn't documentaries.

 

[MadBoJangles]

Still thoroughly enjoying The Great & Secret Show. I don't seem to be getting as much time to read as I'd like though. Curse the need to work!!

 

[No1FanUK]

Finished Tommyknockers. First time i read it i didnt realise how many refernces there were to some of his other books but this time i noticed among them, Misery, The Shining, The Talisman, Dead Zone, Firestarter, It & Stephen King himself. Next up for me...

 

[krwhiting]

I think it's cute how you sign all your posts.

It's a habit.

Kelly

 

[krwhiting]

We are New Zealander's, but definitely came under the British umbrella, especially back then.

Edit: My Grandee got into some (big) trouble in Canada after a night of drink... it involved a plane, some mates and a bridge.

I had a soldier steal a fork-loader and drive it drunk to Taco Bell at 2:00 am at Fort Polk. He got into some trouble too. Fun call to get from the MPs at 3:00 am.

Kelly

 

[not_nadine]

After seeing the movie "Gone Girl", I am reading the book. Gillian Flynn. Never read her before, but I really liked the movie! See it if you can.

 

[Kurben]

After seeing the movie "Gone Girl", I am reading the book. Gillian Flynn. Never read her before, but I really liked the movie! See it if you can.

Yes i have heard good things about the movie but the book.... Was great until two thirds were gone and then made a dive in the third. A disappointment considering how it begins.

 

[not_nadine]

Well, I know the ending! From what I have read, the movie was faithful to the book.

Something to do on a cold rainy day.

 

[booklover72]

Fi.rst of All, I am impressed with all the people who served and to those who died for our freedomThank you.
If you know anything about history of WWII Churchill asked our so called president for help during that time and we refused. I apologise. I know quite a bit about the SOE and i quote Churchill "to set Europe ablaze" the LRDG, Arnhem, June 6th 1944. imho we should have aided our nearest and dearest neighbour. My grandfather was in the RAF and was so proud of him. 70 years old, the irish government are only honouring the Irish men and women who aided the Anzacs, gurkas, americans etc. thank you.

Now on to what i am reading, just got a book out of the Library - ringolevo by Emmet Grogan and i am fascinated. By the time he was 12 he was having sex by 13 he was addicted to heroin, spent 5 months in an adult prison (as a 14 year old -obviously lied about his age) when he came out he won a scholarship.


Please forgive me for my er jokes on another page.

The K

 

[booklover72]

I did airborne school here in the US at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1987; in August, it was hot. Our basic course is only three weeks and you jump 5 times (five jump chump, as the more serious para guys call it). But I got to wear silver wings on my chest. Blood wings in my case as Colonel Tex Turner drove them into my collar-bone at the ceremony. That hurt a bit.

Anyway, my point in replying is check out a book called "When The Odds Were Even" by Keith Bonn. He was one of my best history professors at West Point and he was writing that book when I was a Cadet in his classes (I had him for several: Imperial and Nazi Germany, Diplomatic History of Europe, etc.). It covers an event during WWII in the Vosges Mountain Campaign where the touted man-for-man quality of the Wermacht was pitted against a simple American Infantry Division. Great book.

Kelly

Must get it, a bit of a military buff myself. I think i should have been a soldier not a computer nerd. ):

 

[Blake]

War Smoke: The braves cry out for more blood, by Sundown McCabe. A Classic Western published by Cleveland Publishing Co. December 2014 edition. First published 1987.

 

[ghost19]

Finished Tommyknockers. First time i read it i didnt realise how many refernces there were to some of his other books but this time i noticed among them, Misery, The Shining, The Talisman, Dead Zone, Firestarter, It & Stephen King himself. Next up for me...

Wow, I love that cover. Never seen that one before.

 

[krwhiting]

Wow, I love that cover. Never seen that one before.

Agreed.

Kelly

 

[krwhiting]

Must get it, a bit of a military buff myself. I think i should have been a soldier not a computer nerd. ):

Soldier. Computer nerd. Some day they may be the same thing. We certainly need both today. Though I know nothing about computers except how to make them do a few things if they're already programmed for it. I'm a history, literature, law, and philosophy guy. Which surprises some of my older friends since I almost majored in mechanical engineering. But a high school teacher I had convinced me to go toward the liberal arts.

Kelly

 

[krwhiting]

I'm 160 pages into Dr. Sleep. A fascinating scenario. I'm enjoying it in a leisurely way. I bought a couple sets of DVDs of the Ray Bradbury Theater yesterday and watched a few with the kids. I'd never seen that show before. Sort of fun. I've been a Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, X-Files fan for years. These are a nice little addition.

Kelly