Tag: alphabet project

On Yankee Station                                                   by John B. Nichols and Barrett Tillman

This was purchased as a reference book. I was writing a story set during the Vietnam War. The story is one of those hidden in the closet and destined to remain so.

The reference book, however, clarified a great many questions and pre-conceived notions I had developed about life on a US Aircraft Carrier during those tumultuous years.

Clear explanations of military jargon assist the civilian reader. If you are looking for an interesting read dedicated to the navy role in the Vietnam conflict — I highly recommend this slim volume.  It also has photos.

N – it begins so many negative words. No (in several languages). Not. Never.

Today’s volume from the shelf ends on a positive note. But not after some struggle.

No Less Than Victory by Jeff Shaara

This book tells the story of WWII’s European theater after D-Day. The emphasis is on The Battle of the Bulge. The veterans of that battle, that war, are old men and dwindling in number.

But instead of telling you about this particular book — well researched historical fiction — I’d like to draw a larger picture of this author’s work.

He writes of the United States at war. Perhaps the Civil War is some of his best work. It is certainly his most extensive — with volumes centered around the battles of Fredricksburg, The Wilderness, Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Georgia. But he writes well on the subject of the Revolution, the Mexican War, WWI, WWII, and Korea.

With a style which takes you into the viewpoint of the generals, battlefield leaders, and often a common soldier or two — they are the sort of books which could wear that caution label. Careful – you might learn something.

For this and other fine historical fiction: check your local bookstore or library.

History that will keep you reading.

Men to Match My Mountains by Irving Stone

Four western states: California, Nevada, Colorado, and Utah are the core of this book.

These states are followed from the years of exploration, settlement, and early statehood.  There were the traders. The “gold-fever” victims. Mormons. And the adventure seekers.

Maybe I’m a creature of the West. (Yes, I’m aware I was born and raised east of the Mississippi River.) There’s something about the wide vistas and wild beauty of the land — often with the sight of mountains on the horizon. Perhaps fed by the television shows of my youth, daydreams included horses, and cattle, and wagon trains. (And a handsome cowboy or two.)

Check your local bookstore or library for armchair adventure.

An heirloom book. One of four in the family library which came from another family member’s library when I was a tiny child.

In the very front, in faint pencil, is what may have been the price. Or it could have been a notation for something else made by this great-uncle I remember stories about. Does 36 mean the book cost $3.60? Or did it cost the number below? $1.10.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

As hinted above, this book was always in the house. Casual reference would be made by one parent or the other over the years. So when I was a teen, I decided to read it for myself.

It is not a light story. Our volume runs to 1200 pages of close print. Much of it I read at night — when I should have been sleeping. Instead I was buried in the world of pursuit withing the Paris sewers. (Other places too. But it’s the sewers that immediately come to mind.)

It is also a classic story. Movies have been made. The musical version has won acclaim. But my mind keeps going back to little scenes – stealing from the priest who saves him. The entry into the convent. The Paris sewers — it always comes back to that.

To the barricades!

Quick. Hide in the sewer.