time to go and play

Really, really good books on war, that count as 'literature', are
surprisingly few. I'll add All Quiet on the Western Front, which blew me
away when I first read it, The Last Enemy and Alamein to Zem Zem. Oh,
and Sagittarius Rising.

An honourable mention for The Cruel Sea.

 

In communiqué <1jw7iw9.1b34takyu4dz0N%>,

"Birdsong", gets my vote.

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Guests of the Nation, Frank O'Connor; A Private Affair, The Partisan
Johnny, Beppe Fenoglio; not really a `war' book, but Turbulence, Giles
Foden, is very good. I'd also add Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein.

 

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. "a young soldier serving in World
War I, awakens in a hospital bed... He gradually realizes that he has
lost his arms, legs, and all of his face (including his eyes, ears,
teeth, and tongue), but that his mind functions perfectly, leaving him
a prisoner in his own body. He has been reduced to an armless, legless
man who is blind, deaf, and mute. " Trumbo was one of the Hollywood
Ten - scriptwriters who were blacklisted because they wouldn't kowtow
during the McCarthy witch hunts.

War and Peace by Tolstoy. Yeah, it's a great book, but it has its
faults. One problem is the translation. The new one by Pevear &
Volokhonsky has been wildly praised, but I think it's unreadable
compared to the old Maude translation. P&V may be more accurate, but
it's lost the soul of Tolstoy.

 

I saw 'em on a flight from Finland once, bloody nice they are, too

--


Nige,

'That's shot the fox'

Eunos Roadster (for summer)
Grand Cherokee (for winter)

 

Saw them once or twice as a kid when we were living north of Aberdeen.

 

Fond of reading fiction written by fascist kiddie fiddlers are you?

 

It's a good book. If we start saying books are no good because we
don't like the author, we'll have very short bookshelves.

 

And a renewed recommendation for Green Beach.

 

Ah yes. Forgot that one.

 

Yes, some of those early colour sets were dreadful.

 

Must find 'Chickenhawk' again.

 

My Furthest Point North tour with viewing was here;

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&h...89186,20.409164&spn=0.13937,0.441513&t=h&z=11

It was complete with self-catering Recce vehicle, ca -25 IIRC and full
displays of the lights. Useful they were for the II sights.

The real beauty was the totally still waters of the fjord acting as a
mirror. A huge pity that digital cameras were still some way off.

 

for the granddaughter? only if you can get past the daughter...or is
it til the wife is passed it?
--
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I read that 'til about half way through, then I accidentally left it
on a train a couple of years back. Now i'm gonna have to start all
over :-(

Paul.

 

(The Older Gentleman) wrote in

Seven Pillars of Wisdom!

 

Oh, blimey, yes.

 

He wrote two of my favourite books, "Time enough for love" and "Stranger
in a Strange land". Probably his treatment of "sexual issues" which made
them compelling reading as a teenager.

You've prompted me to start reading "Time enough for love" again. Wonder
if it'll still have the same resonance with the passing of 28 years ?

 

You can always take the costal steamer
(http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/norway/) in winter and watch from the
comfort of the bar. Alternatively I can recommend a visit to Churchill
(Manitoba) in winter. It's fun standing outside in -35C watching the lights.

 

I started with "Friday" and proceeded to obtain pretty much everything he
has written. I quite enjoyed his books, with them being the old friends
I return to on the book shelf when new materiel is scarce or I can't raise
the required effort for a new one.

One complaint though. They made cheap paperbacks much better in the 50's
to 80's. The Heinleins have been through many owners and lasted nigh on
thirty years yet I am halfway through Dan Browns latest brand new
whatever and pages are dropping like flies already.