I just finished a series by Jeff Shaara on the western theater campaign of the Civil War, focused on Sherman from Shiloh to North Carolina. Lots of details about not only the battles of the war, but also the battles among the generals, especially the CSA generals who were often difficult, such as Braxton Bragg.
I had not read much at all about what is called the western theater, although it includes Georgia and the Carolinas because the same armies fought through all those states.

I like Shaara's writing. If you read his follow-ups to his father's The Killer Angels, you will like this series.

Switched to A Drop of the Hard Stuff, the final Matt Scudder novel.

I just finished The Collapse by our very own SIGforum member David Jones. It's book one of a three part series called The Guardians of Rockport.

I found it very enjoyable and look forward to the rest in the series. I'm sure like-minded membership will enjoy the story as well as gain knowledge should/when a collapse occurs.

Just finished watching The Expanse
Think I'll take a TV break & re-read the 9 book (10 if you count the novella compilation) series, since I hadn't read/didn't have the last 3, the last time I read it.

Just started reading the Witcher series. My wife already read the first book and liked it.

Cereal boxes. Food labels, etc.

Reading The Naked Bible by Mauro Biglino. Interesting history, but quite disturbing at the same time. Definitely not for everyone.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Just finished watching The Expanse
Think I'll take a TV break & re-read the 9 book (10 if you count the novella compilation) series, since I hadn't read/didn't have the last 3, the last time I read it.

Started book 1, realized I was missing book 7
Should arrive tomorrow. Still need replace 4 & 5 with hardback as I'm not a big fan of paperback.

Currently on Baldacci's last? (7th) in the memory man series featuring Amos Decker. #6 was a bit of a disappointment being pretty far-fetched in places. But so far, I'm really enjoying this.

The Vision of the Anointed - Thomas Sowell.

If he was Canadian, they'd send him off for re-education. Highly recommend.
Mike

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:
The Vision of the Anointed - Thomas Sowell.

If he was Canadian, they'd send him off for re-education. Highly recommend.
Mike

100% agree. My favorite of Sowell's; just an outstanding book.

Just started Viveca Sten's second in her Sandhamn Murders series. Take place on the vacation island off the coast of Stockholm, Sweden.

My wife and I just got back from a road trip, and listened to the audiobook of the novel Trust by Hernan Diaz. The book won the 2022 Pulitzer prize for fiction. The story mostly centers around Wall Street financiers in the 1920's and 1930's. Great story, great characters, a major twist you just do not see coming and beautifully written but very accessible, not obtuse prose. HIGHLY recommended.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kho,

Almost done with The Bear and the Dragon by Tom Clancy. It is a long one!

quote:

Originally posted by kho:
My wife and I just got back from a road trip, and listened to the audiobook of the novel Trust by Hernan Diaz. The book won the 2023 Pulitzer prize for fiction. The story mostly centers around Wall Street financiers in the 1920's and 1930's. Great story, great characters, a major twist you just do not see coming and beautifully written but very accessible, not obtuse prose. HIGHLY recommended.

Sounds interesting. I'll look that up.

I picked up a book explaining Qunatum Mechanics written by a well known science writer. I've gotten thru about 60 pages and have come to the realization that Quantum Mechanics is a cruel joke played by God on mathematicians and physicists. It turns out Quantum Mechanics is more philosophy that physics.

I got it because I was interested after reading of some of the earliest physics experiements leading up to the Manhattan Project.

RMD

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rduckwor,

Finished A Drop Of The Hard Stuff. Ended really abruptly, and unsatisfyingly.

Now on the final Scudder story, the novella A Time To Scatter Stones.

If you don't know, the 10th (or so) book in the series, A Walk Among The Tombstones, was made into a movie starring Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder. I love this movie, so I started reading the novels several years ago. The movie really gets the atmosphere right.

The first books were written in the '70s. Around the sixth or seventh book in the series, I could see a noticable jump in the quality of the writing. Scudder is an alcoholic, and supposedly somewhat mirrors the author, Lawrence Block, along with his sobriety.

The last 2 novels showed a slight dip in quality, but really, for me, only in some of the decisions he made with the endings. Not that the characters are perfect. Sone of them are repulsive or cliched.

But overall, it's been an interesting series.

quote:

Originally posted by AUTiger89:
Switched to A Drop of the Hard Stuff, the final Matt Scudder novel.

Rereading Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged." The last time I read it was in college 40 years ago. I couldn't imagine a world like that actually happening in the United States I grew up in.

Today's society is chillingly similar in so many respects to the dystopian one in this novel that I just want to move to Galt's Gulch right away.

I'm sure most of the members of this website have read this classic novel, but I find myself compelled to mention how prescient it is anyway.

Re-studying Peter Lynch's "One Up on Wall Street".

Also picking at Stewart Cowley's "Spacewreck". Which is one of four books in a set from the late 70s and early 80s that I recently binge bought to recapture some of my childhood.

 
After waiting out the library's waiting list, I am finally starting Jack Carr's latest, Only The Dead, James Reece book #6. There is a really nice mention of Bruce Gray, as Reece starts to gear up.