What book(s) are you reading?

[Irish#1]

Got back into Jeff Sharra lately... really enjoy all of his Civil War stuff.

I do as well. The Trilogy is my all time favorite collection. When his father died, he finished one of the books (can't remember off the top of my head which one), but you couldn't tell it was a different writer. Both had/have great skill in writing.

Currently reading "Vicksburg is the Key" for a term paper.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Confessions

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[ACamp1900]

I do as well. The Trilogy is my all time favorite collection. When his father died, he finished one of the books (can't remember off the top of my head which one), but you couldn't tell it was a different writer. Both had/have great skill in writing.

Currently reading "Vicksburg is the Key" for a term paper.

I think I'm going to check out, "Rise to Rebellion" next... If he handles the AR like he does The Civil War I'll be all in.

 

[NorthDakota]

Got back into Jeff Sharra lately... really enjoy all of his Civil War stuff.

It's heartbreaking that they haven't made The Last Full Measure info a movie.

All 3 books are fantastic

 

[ACamp1900]

It's heartbreaking that they haven't made The Last Full Measure info a movie.

All 3 books are fantastic

Yep.

I think Gods and Generals was such a flop it scared them away from the idea... thing is, it's really hard to get that or Full Measure condensed into a feature film... they should have BOTH been HBO miniseries type things.

They can still do that with Measure and I expect they will at some point... but they really dropped the ball on Generals... I enjoyed it because I'm a history buff for one, and bc it was nice to see anything that shows both sides, but it was overly preachy and really disjointed story wise so I understood the hate.

A four/five piece mini series of Measure would be wonderful, think John Adams.

 

[NorthDakota]

Yep.

I think Gods and Generals was such a flop it scared them away from the idea... thing is, it's really hard to get that or Full Measure condensed into a feature film... they should have BOTH been HBO miniseries type things.

They can still do that with Measure and I expect they will at some point... but they really dropped the ball on Generals... I enjoyed it because I'm a history buff for one, and bc it was nice to see anything that shows both sides, but it was overly preachy and really disjointed story wise so I understood the hate.

A four/five piece mini series of Measure would be wonderful, think John Adams.

Yeah the books have too much to be a movie. Would be the best thing ever. I love anything civil war.

 

[ACamp1900]

Also,

I would love to see them touch on Stuart more( In an assumed mini series)... he's in both movies obviously but only as a minor figure. I've always been fascinated with JEB Stuart.

 

[NorthDakota]

Also,

I would love to see them touch on Stuart more( In an assumed mini series)... he's in both movies obviously but only as a minor figure. I've always been fascinated with JEB Stuart.

Yes, he's a baller. I had a sweet game when I was little called Robert E. Lee: Civil War General. JEB is a tough SOB. Highly recommend for any civil war nerds...if you can find a version to run on your PC.

 

[ACamp1900]

I have some civil war game, Gettysburg I thin it is.. pretty fun but the replay value is pretty low...

The whole idea of Stuart literally running circles around the main body of the Army of the Potomac and his failure during the Gettysburg campaign, and his ultimate defeat at Tavern,... just his larger than life character...

 

[Irish#1]

Yep.

I think Gods and Generals was such a flop it scared them away from the idea... thing is, it's really hard to get that or Full Measure condensed into a feature film... they should have BOTH been HBO miniseries type things.

They can still do that with Measure and I expect they will at some point... but they really dropped the ball on Generals... I enjoyed it because I'm a history buff for one, and bc it was nice to see anything that shows both sides, but it was overly preachy and really disjointed story wise so I understood the hate.

A four/five piece mini series of Measure would be wonderful, think John Adams.

I think it was a flop because Ted Turner did it and it was somewhat of a low budget film. In the hands of a good screenwriter and director, it would have been great. Mini series would probably be better.

If you ever have the chance, go to Andersonville. Been twice, very inspiring and sobering.

 

[pkt77242]

Yes, he's a baller. I had a sweet game when I was little called Robert E. Lee: Civil War General. JEB is a tough SOB. Highly recommend for any civil war nerds...if you can find a version to run on your PC.

I have some civil war game, Gettysburg I thin it is.. pretty fun but the replay value is pretty low...

The whole idea of Stuart literally running circles around the main body of the Army of the Potomac and his failure during the Gettysburg campaign, and his ultimate defeat at Tavern,... just his larger than life character...

Civil War Generals 2 was awesome. I loved that game when I was young and I must have played it a million times. I often consider picking it up online to play but I know that I will want to sink way too many hours into it.

 

[NorthDakota]

Civil War Generals 2 was awesome. I loved that game when I was young and I must have played it a million times. I often consider picking it up online to play but I know that I will want to sink way too many hours into it.

I tried downloading it, I'm not a computer wizard at all, could not get it to run on my computer.

 

[IrishLion]

Currently combing childhood nostalgia with nerd stuff, and reading these to my 4-month-old:

I had what seemed like hundreds of Little Golden Books when I was young, so I picked these up at Barnes and Noble with a gift card I had. Excited to share my love of reading with my son via Star Wars.

 

[Black Irish]

"Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow. It's starts off a bit all over the place but gets more involving later on one the focus drills down to a handful of primary characters. It's good, but I think it's far from the masterpiece it's heralded to be. And I have no idea how it was made into a coherent movie while staying true to the book. It's got to be one of the most uncinematic novels I've read recently.

 

[pkt77242]

Ian Esslemont's Dancer's Lament.

 

[ACamp1900]

Started, "This Republic of Suffering" over the weekend...

 

[zelezo vlk]

Picked up Mere Christianity

 

[Emcee77]

"Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow. It's starts off a bit all over the place but gets more involving later on one the focus drills down to a handful of primary characters. It's good, but I think it's far from the masterpiece it's heralded to be. And I have no idea how it was made into a coherent movie while staying true to the book. It's got to be one of the most uncinematic novels I've read recently.

You thought so?? It's been a while since I've read it, but my impression was that it was not only a masterpiece but it belonged in the absolute top rank of postwar American novels for me. I always thought of it as a sort of postmodern Gatsby, the sort of book Fitzgerald might have written if he were writing Gatsby in the late 20th century.

But it might be a matter of taste. You say it gets "more involving later once the focus drills down to a handful of primary characters." I thought the plot was the most unremarkable thing about it, and relatively uninteresting compared to the magnificent digressions about J.P. Morgan and Harry Houdini and some of the others.

 

[ShawneeIrish]

Listening to audiobook of Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance. Really enjoying it so far. Both entertaining and informative, should be required reading for those that live on the coasts. Also reading A World Without Bees, could possibly get repetitive but also really informative while still being interesting

 

[zelezo vlk]

George Smiley is back: John Le Carre's Cold War character returns in new novel A Legacy of Spies

Looking forward to this. Who doesn't love Smiley?

 

[ACamp1900]

Ken Follett officially announced his final book of the Kingsbrigde saga, A Column of Fire,... this one apparently takes place during the Elizabethan Era... I really enjoyed Pillars and Without End so I'm looking forward to it.

 

[NorthDakota]

East of Eden

 

[zelezo vlk]

East of Eden

My favorite book.

 

[ACamp1900]

I believe Eden is the only major JS work I have never read... just one of those things I haven't got around to...

 

[NorthDakota]

My favorite book.

So far, it's delightful. Going to make an effort to read more American classics. Gatsby or Grapes of wrath next.

 

[zelezo vlk]

So far, it's delightful. Going to make an effort to read more American classics. Gatsby or Grapes of wrath next.

The Grapes of Wrath is what got me into Steinbeck sophomore year of high school. Steinbeck had a way with imagery.

I'm actually getting back into reading for Lent, because I think just vegging out on Netflix is too poisonous to the mind. I'm gonna go to Half Price Books as soon as I finish Augustine's Confessions to pick up some Evelyn Waugh.

 

[Black Irish]

I started "The Book of Daniel" by E.L. Doctorow. I may not even finish this one. Doctorow has a way with characters and imagery, but the main character is such a selfish, unlikable prick. Books about bad people can be great as long as the bad person is interesting or unique. Daniel is just a rebellious punk who's a pervert and a jerk. He seems like such a small and lousy person for Doctorow to put his grand focus on.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Just finished July 1914: Countdown to War by Sean McMeekin

Fantastic breakdown of the month or so between the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and the first roll out of troops for war. It details the numerous "WTF are you kidding me?" moments of diplomatic incompetence, geopolitical posturing by skilled diplomats, and basically destroys the notion that Kaiser Wilhlem II was a warmonger who marched Europe into war.

Churchill called the month leading up to World War I the greatest drama story ever told, this book breaks it down with access to resources we simply didn't have until recently (mainly with Russian interests).

This story needs to be a miniseries on Netflix or HBO.

https://www.amazon.com/July-1914-Countdown-Sean-McMeekin/dp/0465060749

It put me on such a World War I-era binge that I'm onto The Campaign of the Marne by Sewell Tyng, though I'm worried it's dated since it came out in 1935.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Just finished July 1914: Countdown to War by Sean McMeekin

Fantastic breakdown of the month or so between the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and the first roll out of troops for war. It details the numerous "WTF are you kidding me?" moments of diplomatic incompetence, geopolitical posturing by skilled diplomats, and basically destroys the notion that Kaiser Wilhlem II was a warmonger who marched Europe into war.

Churchill called the month leading up to World War I the greatest drama story ever told, this book breaks it down with access to resources we simply didn't have until recently (mainly with Russian interests).

This story needs to be a miniseries on Netflix or HBO.

https://www.amazon.com/July-1914-Countdown-Sean-McMeekin/dp/0465060749

It put me on such a World War I-era binge that I'm onto The Campaign of the Marne by Sewell Tyng, though I'm worried it's dated since it came out in 1935.

Have you listened to Dan Carlin's podcasts on WWI, Blueprint for Armageddon? I loved it.

 

[Valpodoc85]

Jerusalem. Alan Moore. Long, long book. A real commitment to complete. Currently at 67%