Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Really excited about VEB on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, you guys! Who else should we talk into joining?

I think we got all the literate folks already! The rest of 'em couldn't read Azru's nice fanshot, so I doubt they can get through a novel.

Seems like a nice place.
The silence is deafening..

Can't read. Watching baseball.

Just a few days until Le Mans, the book I'm reading is about the clash between Ford and Ferrari in the mid to late 60's in which Ford won the prestigious race 3 years straight. This years race in the LM P1 H (H is Hybird) features 3 manufactures in Audi, Porsche and Toyota.

Almost finished with "They Were Counted" a most excellent novel about Hungary and Transylvania in the first 6 orso years of the 20th century, with politics of Budapest to the remote mountain villages, counts and countesses, Balls, hunting parties, Casino action worthy of Fleming. The author describes the outdoors and landscapes, flora and fauna, the wildlife that reminds me of Thoreau.. can feel some tension and there is a darkness about and looming on the horizon. Cant wait to start book 2 of this trilogy..

They Were Counted

Finished book 2 of "They Were Found Wanting".
Not to bad still some good politics, more hunts, and writter can really describe the great outdoors.
They Were Found Wanting

I enjoyed reading "An Army at Dawn", the Generalship, the units, and of course the fighters, in the North African Campaign. The division of the command structure of the various forces US, British, French was something else to read, and Atkinson also goes in to great detail on the Axis side. Great bio's and introductions on the commanders as well. The numerous maps worked very well with the Kindle which is a major plus..

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943

Finished "They Were Divided". Good read on the the years leadingup to WWI.
They Were Divided

Heywood's book "The Snowfly" is a fast paced mystery about a sportsman reporter's search for a legend in fly fishing circles, he traveles from UP Michigan, Vietnam, London, Russia and fishes each location, story takes place in the 60's. Heywoods prose on fly fishing, the intricacies that it entails was very good.
The Snowfly

Boy one of my favorite reads for 2014, loves Manning's style, descriptions and her sharp eye for the human element.
IT's a very good book and easy read on the networking of the characters in her story, the meaning and value of friendships, sticking together, and helping each other out in trying times. By god if she didn't leave me misty eyed in a few passages of her story.
Fortunes of War: The Levant Trilogy

For the 100th anniversary I choose this book to read. It's a Very brutal book filled with vivid descriptions of life in the trenches, combat, what one has do and go through to survive and then what one become's. It just boggles my mind what those great soldiers had to endure on a day to day basis. The author's description of his first sight of the front is something out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting, total hell unleashed. A worthy read for anyone interested in WWI.
Fear: A Novel of World War I
Gabriel Chevallier

Red Jacket is a pretty quick read, events takes place early 1900's in the UP Michigan region. Early days of Game Wardens, copper miner strikes, and alot of outdoor activities such as guns, special rifles, hunting, tracking, camping, with some detective work thrown in the mix. Heywood is very descripitive on the outdoors and has a good mix of characters some historical ones as well.
Red Jacket: A Lute Bapcat Mystery

Joseph Heywood

"TOPAZ" a 1960's cold war thriller about the Cuban missile crisis, and the role a French spy played into getting hard intel out from Cuba, in the mix is a soviet mole in the high echelons of the French govt. Overall A quick read and not to bad.
Topaz

Leon Uris

Been reading a pretty good book on Trotsky's exile, the Soviet hit team to dispatch him, and all the factions, power plays and turmoil of the different parties in the 1920's to 1940. A ponderous, dense slow read, alot of stuff to soak up..
The Man Who Loved Dogs: A Novel

Leonardo Padura Fuentes

Finished "Forgotten Ally."
A good informative read on the China's eight year war with Japan starting in July 1937. Not enough is written about this theatre of operations.
Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945

Rana Mitter

The best nonfiction book I've read in a good while.
A very absorbing and sobering read on those trying and turbulent times.
Parting the Waters: Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement 1954-63

Taylor Branch

Heck of a good and detailed read on the years 1963-65 onthe civil rights movement.
Even in this day and age it seems as if the wheel is still turning.

Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-65

Taylor Branch

Pretty fast and a good read. Good Cast of characters and some historical characters as well
Glorious: A Novel of the American West

Ellroy is back to his LA noir roots, LA, December 1941, war fever, the backlash on the Japanese, corrupt officials, the movie star, the clubs, murders, and the violence. Listen to Glen Millers version of Perfidia before reading, it will set the atomsphere.
Perfidia

James Ellroy

Heck of a good SciFi novel, and written in 1967 or so.
Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights

Ryu Mitsuse

Pretty interesting book on the ancient complex at Gobekli Tepe, Turkey. Built in 9,80O BCE.


Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods: The Temple of the Watchers and the Discovery of Eden

Andrew Collins

Not a bad read, and glad I read it, been a TV series Doctor Who fan since the reboot a few years back.
Reading this novel I picked up alot of good info and back stories on the Daleks and the Time Lords.
Would like to see this one made into a movie.
Doctor Who: Engines of War

George Mann

Very sobering read that the effects of WWI had on the non-combatants on the eastern front areas, and eventually the leadership/army of the Central Powers.

Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I

Alexander Watson

Started on Robert Graves novel about Jason and the Argonauts. The opening chapter is a fascinating read on the change from the matriarchal society to the patriarchal, and the introduction of the early Greek gods. Finished reading the book and it is a pretty good read, and kinda reads as a travel log of the route the Argonaunts took of that ancient world.
Hercules My Shipmate

Boy what a story, one had to tread very softly if you were rich and part of the political elite..
Now I'm ready to watch the BBC series once again.
I, Claudius

Robert Graves

An early spy novel written in 1916, about a British led team of spies going into Germany and Turkey to find out info and then to stop a Jihad that is being instigated by Germany. The two British officers are both veterans of battle of Loos, on the Western Front.
Greenmantle

The German instigated Jihad is based on true events, to read more about that event Sean McMeekin's book goes into great detail, The Berlin-Baghdad Express.
The Berlin-Baghdad Express: The Ottoman Empire and Germany's Bid for World Power

A delightfully fast paced story about a fictional baseball team playing in Ohio at the turn of the 20th century. The novel was written in 1906, by Zane Grey.
What I took away from the book, was baseball back then was played on an intense level, that locker room chemistry is important, and the manager has to wear alot of caps.
When the Kid first joins the team, one of the players takes him under their wing and explains the facts of baseball life on the field and off the field to the Kid.
Cautions the Kid about the hazards of 'the head-first slide'.
The Chapter "Sunday Ball" was one of my favotites.
The Shortstop

Zane Grey

A prettygood read.


A Coffin for Dimitrios

Eric Ambler

This is the second book of Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy and he does not disappoint. It's An absorbing telling of the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy after the Allied successes in North Africa. Great insights in the planning stages, the commanders and the units involved with the operation, of the battles, what went right and what went wrong.

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944

Rick Atkinson

One of the best books on the orgins of the Indo China and later the Viet Nam war I have read. Covers in great detail the French involvement to their final battle at Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva Conference, the French pullout and the ever increasing presence of the US. Great insights on the main players, diplomats, military, and civilians on both sides of the war.
Embers Of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam

Fredrik Logevall

Some reason this is one my all time science fiction reads..
2001: A Space Odyssey

Arthur C. Clarke

Finished up with this quick read, not to bad of a book and has some good info on the Pyramids.

The Orion Mystery: Unlocking the Secrets of the Pyramids

Robert Bauval

A very good account of high adventure and exploration of Orellana's epic journey of survival down the Amazon from Feb 1541 to Sept 1542. Has a few good maps as well.

River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana's Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon

Finished this great book on the final years of Martin Luther King. Its an eye opener, and a very absorbing and sobering read. A great take on the different factions and key players in the civil rights movement, and Viet Nam always in the fore front. In light of whats going on today its a very revelant book. Highly recommended reading..
At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years 1965-68

Taylor Branch

A very good read on America's involvement in WWI, from the inception of the AEF, training, Units, and leaders who shaped the young army for battle.
Yanks: The Epic Story of the American Army in World War I

John S.D. Eisenhower

The last book read for 2014..
Rendezvous with Rama Arthur C. Clarke

Not a bad read, but didnt really grab me like Tree of Smoke.The Laughing Monsters
Denis Johnson

Good lord what a read. This is the 4th book by Mr. Stahel on the final few months of Operation Barbarossa, this book covers the push to Moscow, and what a brutal push it was. Goes into great detail on Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front, it's key leaders and the culture of the force, it's practices and policies in the rear areas, its logistics, and above all the soldiers on the line.

Recommend reading this book by a warm fireplace...

The Battle for Moscow

David Stahel

If your a fan of Westerns and John Wayne, this is a very gooood and informative book of his life and the movies he made. Lots of great stories of the actors/actresses he worked with, and the directors as well, especially John Ford, the book goes in pretty good detail of some of Waynes and Fords most classic movies, such as Stagecoach, and the Searchers, and Hawkes movie Red River. The book covers the movie making process on most Waynes movies pretty well. The pictures are just remarkable.

John Wayne: The Life and Legend

Scott Eyman

Covers a slice of the history on the Indian Wars just after the Civil War, out in the wilds of the northern Wyoming territory.

The Fetterman Massacre

Dee Brown

A pretty good scifi whodunit read.
The Naked Sun

Isaac Asimov

A historic novel of the Nez Perce War, takes place one year after Custers Last Stand..

Lay the Mountains Low
Terry C. Johnston

If one is into walking/hiking or treking you may like this book, Boy this was a very good and fun book to read, has a great dose of humor, great locations, the trials and tribulations of the trail, proper fitting foot wear included. Can't wait for this weekend to go on a good walk.
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

Eric Newby

A misfit who invariably ends up in extreme circumstances and always comes out smelling like a rose, this first book finds Flashman posted to India and Afghanistan in the 1830's. A pretty good and entertaining read.
Flashman

George MacDonald Fraser

A very interesting read, an escape from a Dilemma Prison, time is something of a currency, your memories are stored, a heist in the works, and a core group of characters with some unique capabilities.
The Quantum Thief

Hannu Rajaniemi

Started on Five Seasons by Roger Angell, a very good read, with some great stories, and lines...
I'm at the part where he talks about The Baseball Encyclopedia, how it came to be published, the brains behind it and the huge difference between the 1st book and the 2nd book..
Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion

An excellent read on the 1st British Afghan War 1839-1842. Cover the causes, blunders, feuds and the combatants of both sides that led to a most tragic end, in great detail.
Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42

William Dalrymple

Loved this book, great writing, great stories, about our great game of Baseball..
Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion

Roger Angell

One very good historical novel and a very enjoyable read, though a bit chilling towards the end, with mob rule and tribunals set in place, where one loses all rights...
Once again great writting by the master..
A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens