Reading!

[TeeEye7]

I don't know what's on the menu next........

I ordered A-20 Havoc in Action by Jim Mesko and Douglas Boston and Havoc by Scott Thompson from Amazon over the weekend. I'm going into reading withdrawal.

These are two "nuts and bolts" books on the aircraft that I've been wanting. We'll see how long it takes for them to get here.

[DarthQuack]

Almost done with Just After Sunset by Stephen King. I like it a lot, the stories are pretty interesting.

[TeeEye7]

Received (and finished) A-20 Havoc in Action yesterday. Nice, concise guide to the genesis and development of the Havoc and Boston (the British variant). Interesting (and sad) how quickly it was scrapped after WWII. Almost none survive. Also amazing that it was such an integral part of tactical air support in every theater yet the plane is not well known at all.

[DarthQuack]

Finally finished the King book....started and am almost finished with Artie Lange's book Too Fat to Fish. Pretty crazy stuff for anyone who's a fan of him would expect.

[OC47150]

I started Monte Cassino, about the WWII Italy battle.

Since CW: Wild Space, I got halfway through A Time for Trumpets, about the Battle of the Bulge (had to return it to the library) and The Force Unleashed.

[pbarnard]

Started Republic Commando True Colors. Also read my copy of C&E News for the week, Science, Nature, BioTechniques and Neuroscience.

[JimJamBonds]

The other day I finished reading Command Of Honor: General Lucian Truscott's Path to Victory in World War II. Gen. Truscott founded the Rangers, commanded in Africa, Sicily, Italy, planned and led the invasion of Southern France (Opperation Dragoon). He took over for Patton in occupied Germany after Ike had to give him the boot. After the war Truscott worked for the CIA.

[DarthQuack]

Re-read Tuesdays with Morrie yesterday. Felt like I needed to read something sad...not sure why. Gonna hopefully read all of The Five People you Meet in Heaven today.

[TeeEye7]

I finished Douglas Havoc and Boston, the DB-7/A-20 series by Scott Thompson.

If this isn't the definitive study on the aircraft, I don't know what is. Thompson's work looks at the plane from drawing board to its demise. It also explains why most of us have never heard of the Havoc: the majority were scrapped in theater and never made it home. Only a few survived as surplus and then sold as such (Howard Hughes bought two from the government and converted them into executive aircraft). Less than two dozen survive worldwide in various states from mere parts to the one and only air-worthy ship.

The A-20 was a then-state of the art aircraft loved and appreciated by those who flew it. It's sad that such a veteran WWII work horse is virtually unknown given its role in the war effort (pre-European invasion, Battle of the Bulge, Pacific Theatre, etc.)

Written more for aviation historians (and pilots), the book wasn't too far over my head in places to follow. Great info, photos, and diagrams on the aircraft. It answered all of the questions I had regarding the Havoc and more!

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I'd set a deadline to read the book I'd started BEFORE Feb. 13 (a personal anniversary date), which then became finishing it before that day ENDED. Well, by 10:30pm or so, I did it. William Least-Heat Moon's most recent book Roads to Quoz: An American Mosey, all 567 pages of it, are now in my memory. I like his style (see favorite authors list to come), his wordiness (it's a good thing here), his humor (often subtle, sometimes LOL-worthy), his passion (not afraid to insert an opinion, but usually lets the other people tell the story). I love to read about places, travel, and history; he gives you that and more.

BEL-CAM JOS' TOP TEN* ALL-TIME FAVORITE AUTHORS (*it was a top ten, but then I thought some more and expanded the universe ):
10+. Douglass Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide series)
10+. Jude Watson (SW Jedi Quest/Apprentice/Last of... young adult series)
10+. Dante Aligheri (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso)
10+. Donald J. Sobol (Encyclopedia Brown series)
10+. Beverly Cleary (Mouse and Motorcycle, Ramona the Brave, etc.)
10+. J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter series)
10+. Langston Hughes (Simple books, various poetry collections, etc.)
10+. Ray Bradbury (Something Wicked..., Martial Chronicles series, etc.)
10+. H.G. Wells (... Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, Island of Dr. M., War of Worlds, etc.)
10+. Arthur C. Clarke (2001, 2010, 2061, 3001, etc.)
10. Elie Wiesel (Night, Dawn, Day/The Incident, etc.)
9. Timothy Zahn (SW Thrawn trilogy, Death Star, Icarus Hunt, etc.)
8. Jules Verne (To Moon and Back, 20,000 Leagues..., ... Weeks in a Balloon, etc.)
7. Paulo Coelho ([I]Alchemist, ... Down By the River Pieda..., /I] etc.)
6. J.R.R. Tolkien (LOTR books, Roverandom, etc.)
5. Mark Twain (Adv. of Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn, Conn. Yankee..., Puddin'head Wilson, etc.)
4. Joseph Campbell (Masks of God series, Hero of 1000 Faces, etc. ... duh )
3. Dave Barry (... Turns 40/50, Only Travel Guide..., Peter [Pan] and the..., etc.)
2. William Least-Heat Moon (Blue Highways, River Horse, etc.)
1. John Steinbeck (Grapes of Wrath, Wayward Bus, Travels with Charley, Cannery Row, etc.)

I'm sure I've forgotten someone; memory's not too fresh yet this morning.