Do you like to read? What are you reading or what have you read lately that you recommend?

In the past months I have read all the Vince Flynn novels except for the last one.I have been saving it but I am starting it tomorrow. I highly recommend them, his character is awesome, Jack Bauer on steroids.. (Jack would never see him coming). I'm going to start the one i've been sitting on tomorrow. It is Pursuit of Honor. I think a new one is coming out soon too andthere is one that they are trying to make into a movie. I hope they do it right.

Today I finished "Panzer Leader" by General Heinz Guderian. I thought it was a really interesting book. It is always interesting to read an account of a war from the lther side's viewpoint. He was in a position to be close to Hitler often and to others. Guderian was the man who developed the Panzer divisions and whole concept of motorized main assult forces, the blitzkrieg. The same stratefy we used in Iraq when we invaded. An amazing and honorable man. The last part of the book addresses the main personalities of the Reich and he is quite candid. I recommend it if you like interesting war books. I think I want to get and read "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" now. I got to visit Germany a couple of years ago for a few weeks, it was pretty amazing. My younger daughter lives in Cologne.

Last year I read "Bedford Forrest and His Critter Company". It was REALLY good. He was really something else. I liked it so much that I bought the larger volume, "The Life of General Nathan Bedford Forrest" by John Wyeth and to read along with it I got "The Artillary of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry: The Wizard of the Saddle" (1909) by John Watson Morton. They can be read together alongthe timeline and it's really interesting reading them that way.

The best CW book i've read in the last year though was "Fighting for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander".. this is an incredibly good book. He also wrote "Military Memoirs of a Confederate: A Critical Narrative" but I haven't read it. The personal memoirs were written at the insistance of his daughters... and I am glad they insisted.

I also like to read some of the Puritan authors, especially Thomas Watson and I love to read the Bible, especially Genesis and Exodus... but it's all good and in the near future we are all going to need the foundation it affords us...


So what are you reading, what have you read that you recommend?

I hope it is OK to post something slightly off-topic... if not I apologize.

Julien

Wow, thats amazing having a great grandfather who was a veteran in the war between the states. My grandma is 93 and still alive and doing well. Its has to be a bummer to be that old with all the effects of old age, but then all those memories must be amazing, seeing all the changes in history, but then again grandma is suffering from demensha so she doent remember to much anymore.
I'm presently reading: The Killer Angels- Michael Sharra, Gods and Generals- Jeff Sharra, Chancellorsville- Stephen W. Sears, (all C.W. books).
Also, Sparrows Point Making Steel- Mark Ruetter, Tesla Man Out Of Time- Margaret Cheney.

I do not have cable tv, and rarely watch it except for the news.

One book I'd highly recomend and was extremely interesting is Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon- Michael P. Ghiglieri, Thomas M. Meyers
I was at the Grd Canyon some years ago and bought it there. It accounts of all the known fatal mishaps in the most famous of the Worlds Seven National Wonders. Its a must read if you ever plan on going there. Its really amazing the foolish things people have done and continue to do there that end up costing them their lives. One example I read of in the book was a couple back in the late 60's who arrived at the canyon with their 3 children sleeping the back of their station wagon. The couple decided to park the car really quick and take a look at the scenery while the kids were sleeping. The husband parked the car up on a slight grade and left it in gear. The car ended up rolling backward over the gaurd rail and plumetting 300 ft to the bottom. Tragic to say the least.
I too am a avid Bible reader and especially enjoy the Gospel accounts.
Aaron

Wow, that is horrible about the wagon... stuff like that happens everyday somewhere though. I've read Killer Angels and Gods and Generals... both good. I see you love to read too. I'll watch for over the edge. Have you ever read "Co. Aytch" ? by Sam Watkins. It is a confederate diary from the army of Tennessee and is very well written and very entertaining.

My mom has a little but of that but my dad is OK, though a little feeble. They still live at home, the home they built.... they are like ever-ready bunnies.

Julien

I have also stopped watching TV about a year and a half ago. It's difficult at first, but after 6 months, no problem. I started reading, with the encouragement of a friend, and got hooked on books...then so did my wife. Twice a week we watch a Netflix movie ....good fill in. I'd also like to mention I had a Great Great Grandfather who was wounded in the second days battel of Gettysburg, we have the mangeled Minie Ball they extracted from him along with his discharge papers. He was one of the Zouaves under Collis with the 114th infantry out of Phila. Before the war he was a wood carver. After the war he had an accident climbing over a fence while hunting. Some how his double barrel shotgun got caught on the fence and discharged blowing off his arm....I guess his wood carving days were over after that. He did survive, but I don't know the rest. Yikes! got to get to work!! see ya's

Wow, what a special relic that is!! I hope you keep it safe and well documented. Do you have a display with the story and a picture of him? That is really cool.

I still watch TV. We got rid of it when the kids were young, they didn't seem to miss it. I would, Ilike the "weatherscan radar", FOXNEWS, and the military channel. Every now and then I watch something on the History channel but it seems like everytime the program is about some history that I know about and have studied, the program is full of half truths and is slanted to one viewpoint... so I no longer trust what the History channel puts on the air. I wanted to watch "America: the story of us" but when I saw some of the people they had commenting on some things I erased it all and forgot about it... why would you have Melissa Etheridge and Al Sharpton doing commentary on a show about American history... call me cynical... because I am.

My biggest time waster in what I am doing right now... I better get going!

J