Now reading...

[Brad]

The book club I belong to picked this book this month. It’s a sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (which I did not realize when we voted on it) and that book received a lot of criticism for its simplistic portrayal of the Holocaust. I did not read the first one, thankfully, and this one seems similar and is poorly written. Should make for an interesting meeting. 

I now plan on reading Elizabeth Strout’s Olivia Kittridge or the latest from Magda Szabo, The Fawn. 

[sgcim]

"The World is What it is" by Patrick French

Edited April 10, 2023 by sgcim

[Brad]

Just finished this.

[jlhoots]

Don Winslow: City Of Dreams

[Matthew]

The Glass Menagerie. First time reading it, and it's almost too painful to read...

[Matthew]

Reporting World War II. I've always wanted to read these two volumes, but kept holding back. Recently, I read a review by Alan Jacobs and it made me finally order it. Just started but the articles are very well written, makes me long for that quality of writing about events today. It'll take probably the rest of the year to finish.

To add: One of the things I've come to realize is how much WWII was in the background and social atmosphere when I grew up (lived in San Diego), and it was the reference for everything. A lot of the, to me, old people I knew were WWII veterans, it was just a part of the culture. Now, it's not. I don't have a nostalgia for the war, but now that the vets are dying out fast, I feel a need to learn about it more than ever. One of the persons I respected the most in my life made the D-Day landing and was wounded about a week after. It all seems so far away now.

Edited April 27, 2023 by Matthew

[Brad]

18 hours ago, Matthew said:

Reporting World War II. I've always wanted to read these two volumes, but kept holding back. Recently, I read a review by Alan Jacobs and it made me finally order it. Just started but the articles are very well written, makes me long for that quality of writing about events today. It'll take probably the rest of the year to finish.

To add: One of the things I've come to realize is how much WWII was in the background and social atmosphere when I grew up (lived in San Diego), and it was the reference for everything. A lot of the, to me, old people I knew were WWII veterans, it was just a part of the culture. Now, it's not. I don't have a nostalgia for the war, but now that the vets are dying out fast, I feel a need to learn about it more than ever. One of the persons I respected the most in my life made the D-Day landing and was wounded about a week after. It all seems so far away now.

I was born five years after WW II ended so in a weird sort of way it has always felt like recent history. Have you considered Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy.  They’re quite good.  If you’re interested in D Day I can make some recommendations. There are a lot of general histories about the war. I like Max Hasting’s books.  Antony Beevor’s books are also terrific. From a visual point of view have you seen HBO’s Band of Brothers. That gives you a great feel. I usually watch it once a year. 

[jlhoots]

Salman Rushdie: Victory City

[Matthew]

On 4/28/2023 at 7:57 AM, Brad said:

I was born five years after WW II ended so in a weird sort of way it has always felt like recent history. Have you considered Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy.  They’re quite good.  If you’re interested in D Day I can make some recommendations. There are a lot of general histories about the war. I like Max Hasting’s books.  Antony Beevor’s books are also terrific. From a visual point of view have you seen HBO’s Band of Brothers. That gives you a great feel. I usually watch it once a year. 

Thank you for the comments! I've read two of the three Atkinson's, but plan to read all three in the coming months, along with Ambrose's history of WWII. The one area I'm really looking for a recommendation on is the war Pre-Pearl Harbor, I still don't have a really good fix on that era for Europe. If you know of a good book on that topic, I'm all ears and eyes.

[Brad]

3 hours ago, Matthew said:

Thank you for the comments! I've read two of the three Atkinson's, but plan to read all three in the coming months, along with Ambrose's history of WWII. The one area I'm really looking for a recommendation on is the war Pre-Pearl Harbor, I still don't have a really good fix on that era for Europe. If you know of a good book on that topic, I'm all ears and eyes.

I’m not a huge fan of Ambrose. I would go with Hastings’ Inferno. As far as the run up to WWII there is nothing specifically for that comes to mind. From a British perspective I like Lynne Olson’s Troublesome Young Men, about how Churchill came to be selected as PM. There is also Tim Bouverie’s Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War. From a German perspective Richard Evans’ The Coming of the Third Reich is fascinating. Have you read William Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Read it years ago. Worth a read. 

Edited April 29, 2023 by Brad

[Brad]

@Matthew One other thought. I don’t know how you feel about reading about the Holocaust. As I had a few distant relatives on my Mother’s side who died in the camps, I find it difficult to read about;  I had Martin Gilbert’s book The Holocaust but found it a tough read and sold it.

However, Daniel Mendelsohn wrote a book called The Lost: A Search for Six out of the Six Million that is absolutely fantastic.  Mendelson has a resemblance to his Uncle who died in the Holocaust and he decided he wanted to find out what happened to his Uncle, Aunt and their four daughters. It reads like a detective novel as he figures out what happens. It gives you a look into the Holocaust without being a litany of deaths. 

Edited April 30, 2023 by Brad

[sidewinder]

With regard to the Holocaust/war crimes, I recommend this book, an outstanding read.

Particularly chilling as it is highly probable that the individual concerned will have checked my rail ticket at London Bridge station, based on the timeframe concerned. He effectively hid from sight.

[Matthew]

2 hours ago, Brad said:

@Matthew One other thought. I don’t know how you feel about reading about the Holocaust. As I had a few distant relatives on my Mother’s side who died in the camps, I find it difficult to read about;  I had Martin Gilbert’s book The Holocaust but found it a tough read and sold it.

However, Daniel Mendelsohn wrote a book called The Lost: A Search for Six out of the Six Million that is absolutely fantastic.  Mendelson has a resemblance to his Uncle who died in the Holocaust and he decided he wanted to find out what happened to his Uncle, Aunt and their four daughters. It reads like a detective novel as he figures out what happens. It gives you a look into the Holocaust without being a litany of deaths. 

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll look and see about the Mendelsohn book, sometimes, if I wait for awhile, the Kindle version will go on sale of a book.

[Brad]

52 minutes ago, Matthew said:

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll look and see about the Mendelsohn book, sometimes, if I wait for awhile, the Kindle version will go on sale of a book.

It’s outstanding. Mendelsohn relates at the beginning of the book how when he was a kid, he’d visit his relatives in Miami and they would wail about his resemblance to his Uncle. 

[ejp626]

I finished Farrell's The Singapore Grip, completing his Empire Trilogy.  I thought the ending was a bit of a strange cop-out, but overall it's a good read.  Of the three, I'd have to say Troubles, the first, is my favorite.

I'm midway through Vanderhaeghe's Homesick now, which is about a widow returning with her young son to her father's house. 

 

After this, I think I start in on rereading Bellow's The Adventures of Augie March.

[ghost of miles]

I’ve been interested in the writer and revolutionary Victor Serge for quite awhile now and have finally gotten (and begun reading) Susan Weissman’s biography of him. I have most if not all of the NYRB Classics reprints of his books, and reading the bio will hopefully spur me on to read the NYRBs as well:

 

On 4/30/2023 at 2:30 PM, Brad said:

It’s outstanding. Mendelsohn relates at the beginning of the book how when he was a kid, he’d visit his relatives in Miami and they would wail about his resemblance to his Uncle. 

I have that Mendelsohn book and plan to eventually read it as well. A big second for the Beevor and Atkinson recommendations. For those interested in the war in the Pacific, Ian W. Toll has written a fine trilogy that serves as a counterpart to Atkinson’s saga of the European Theater.

Edited May 2, 2023 by ghost of miles

[jlhoots]

I'm going to read David Grann's new book, The Wager.

[ghost of miles]

On 4/27/2023 at 4:21 PM, Matthew said:

Reporting World War II. I've always wanted to read these two volumes, but kept holding back. Recently, I read a review by Alan Jacobs and it made me finally order it. Just started but the articles are very well written, makes me long for that quality of writing about events today. It'll take probably the rest of the year to finish.

To add: One of the things I've come to realize is how much WWII was in the background and social atmosphere when I grew up (lived in San Diego), and it was the reference for everything. A lot of the, to me, old people I knew were WWII veterans, it was just a part of the culture. Now, it's not. I don't have a nostalgia for the war, but now that the vets are dying out fast, I feel a need to learn about it more than ever. One of the persons I respected the most in my life made the D-Day landing and was wounded about a week after. It all seems so far away now.

The LOA’s Reporting Vietnam and their two-volume collection of civil-rights-era journalism are also outstanding collections. Re the lingering consciousness of WWII when we were growing up, so true. Weird to think that Vietnam is much farther back in the rearview mirror now than WWII was when we were kids. 

[JSngry]

But all those desert wars are front and center, still. 

[Matthew]

3 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

The LOA’s Reporting Vietnam and their two-volume collection of civil-rights-era journalism are also outstanding collections. Re the lingering consciousness of WWII when we were growing up, so true. Weird to think that Vietnam is much farther back in the rearview mirror now than WWII was when we were kids. 

I don't mean this in a political way (know that is forbidden), but it is interesting, and incredibly sad, that since WWI, there has been this continuous background of people who have gone through war in the USA. Maybe it's more of an undercurrent, but there is a lot of people walking around with war time trauma as a part of their emotional / physical makeup since 1914.

Edited May 2, 2023 by Matthew

[gvopedz]

55 minutes ago, Matthew said:

I don't mean this in a political way (know that is forbidden), but it is interesting, and incredibly sad, that since WWI, there has been this continuous background of people who have gone through war in the USA. Maybe it's more of an undercurrent, but there is a lot of people walking around with war time trauma as a part of their emotional / physical makeup since 1914.

I would bet the US Civil War also left a significant number of people traumatized.

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, gvopedz said:

I would bet the US Civil War also left a significant number of people traumatized.

Still does... 

[Brad]

I haven’t done a whole lot of reading on the Pacific Theatre as I always found the European front more fascinating but Ronald Spector’s Eagle Against the Sun is very good. He has a new one out called A Continent Erupts about the post 1945 period in Asia that is supposed to be excellent. 

1 hour ago, gvopedz said:

I would bet the US Civil War also left a significant number of people traumatized.

There have been some studies done about the PTSD that CW veterans suffered but can’t remember the books. 

[JSngry]

Ronnie Spector? 

[Larry Kart]

I find Vanessa to be a more attractive figure than her sister Virginia (Woolf).

i