daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
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I just finished 'The Taliban Don't Wave' by Rob Semrau.
Holy cr*p, over....
Holy cr*p, over....
What book are you reading now?
- Thread starter Ex-Dragoon
- Start date
- Reaction score
- 3
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daftandbarmy said:
I sense a new thread...
- Reaction score
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1356 by Bernard Cornwell, battle of Poitiers and all that. Well, truthfully Jack Hawkins is reading it to me and doing a much better job than I would have.
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Game of Thrones series, book 2. And no, I do not watch the show.
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"There is no Goat," an ebook written by a former American military counterintelligence rep about her insights into Afghans based on some inside-the-wire contract work in Afghanistan.
FAR from politically correct ....
FAR from politically correct ....
Oldgateboatdriver
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 2,437
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Recently finished Heretic, Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
A very interesting inside look at why Islam is so rigid and apparently immune to reformation, a solid plea in favour of such reformation and a candid look at recent encouraging signs that it may actually be starting from the inside of Islam itself, where it ought to come from. I don't agree with everything, but it is a mind opening essay.
A very interesting inside look at why Islam is so rigid and apparently immune to reformation, a solid plea in favour of such reformation and a candid look at recent encouraging signs that it may actually be starting from the inside of Islam itself, where it ought to come from. I don't agree with everything, but it is a mind opening essay.
- Reaction score
- 1,768
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Just finished the book "Go Set a Watchman" by Harper Lee. This was a hard book to review as it looks like a sequel to one of my favourite books "To Kill a Mockingbird" however it is not actually a sequel, this book was in fact written first but just not published. This is where my trouble lies I can't help but treat it like a followup to the classic novel when it is in fact not.
The story is about a grown up Scout (properly known as Jean Louise Finch) returning to visit her home town of Maycomb, Alabama. Unlike "To Kill a Mockingbird" there is no trial or big even as a backdrop to the story, there is still racial tension but it is just her and her interactions with her family and community. As this book was written first there are some changes to the characters that we have come to love from Harper Lee's first published novel that have slightly changed and in the case of one, not for the better (I am keeping it vague to avoid spoilers). Now if you never have read "To Kill a Mockingbird" this will not bother you but for the rest of the normal people that have you will find it jarring, like when they said Han shoot second.
There is lots of theories on why this book was published after so many years. My opinion is that the publishing company was right to tell her to do a different story as I don't think this book was fit to be published. However it is interesting to see how the author's writing has improved with her second novel, so it is worth reading just for that.
The story is about a grown up Scout (properly known as Jean Louise Finch) returning to visit her home town of Maycomb, Alabama. Unlike "To Kill a Mockingbird" there is no trial or big even as a backdrop to the story, there is still racial tension but it is just her and her interactions with her family and community. As this book was written first there are some changes to the characters that we have come to love from Harper Lee's first published novel that have slightly changed and in the case of one, not for the better (I am keeping it vague to avoid spoilers). Now if you never have read "To Kill a Mockingbird" this will not bother you but for the rest of the normal people that have you will find it jarring, like when they said Han shoot second.
There is lots of theories on why this book was published after so many years. My opinion is that the publishing company was right to tell her to do a different story as I don't think this book was fit to be published. However it is interesting to see how the author's writing has improved with her second novel, so it is worth reading just for that.
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dangerboy said:
I'm interested to read it even though I haven't read her "first" book since Grade 8. As for the highlighted bit, if anyone has been watching CBC Newsworld or pretty much any other channel, I'd think they'd have a pretty good idea what the major change is (not that I agree with it either).
George Wallace
Army.ca Dinosaur
- Reaction score
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Some speculation was put forward that this was her first draft and reworked it to publish "To Kill a Mockingbird".
I heard one account that she did not want this to be published, but it was her Lawyer who was having it published.
I heard one account that she did not want this to be published, but it was her Lawyer who was having it published.
J
jollyjacktar
Guest
I did hear one reviewer commenting on the radio yesterday that there are many passes in the book which are brilliant. Irrespective of Atticus being a douche (there, I've said it) and a major turn off for fans of the original TKAM, he felt this book was worth reading.
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jollyjacktar said:
Gee, spoiler alert! ;D
There's also an article somewhere essentially saying that it wasn't so much the character of Atticus that made such an impression, it was Gregory Peck's acting and fame from On the Beach, Guns of Navarone, and Roman Holiday.
J
jollyjacktar
Guest
Both the written and Peck Atticus portrayals were impressive to me each in their own unique ways. Peck was brilliant tho, wasn't he?
- Reaction score
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Just finished reading "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy" http://www.amazon.ca/D-Day-Battle-Normandy-Antony-Beevor/dp/0143118188/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437427704&sr=8-1&keywords=D-Day+the+battle+for+normandy by Antony Beevor.
Here is a review of the book that I wrote on Goodreads:You would think that with the tons of books out there on D-Day they would start to get repetitious and boring. Well this book is a great example saying no if they are well written then they can be informative and entertaining.
Antony Beevor's book starts with the initial decision made by General Eisenhower on when to launch the actual liberation and goes through the events of the landing and then some of the subsequent operations such as, EPSOM, GOODWOOD, and TOTALIZE to name a few ending with the liberation of Paris.
One of the things that liked is this author tried to tell as complete a story as possible and not base his story on just one country. So you have accounts from the American, British, Canadian, and Free French troops. A lot of authors just lump the Canadian Army in with the British, but Antony Beevor keeps them separate so you will hear about the Queen's Own Rifles and the Royal Winnipeg Rifles to name just a few.
I would recommend this book to anyone that is interest in D-Day, the second World War, or just military history in general. This author has several other books on WWII which I am going to have to look for.
Here is a review of the book that I wrote on Goodreads:You would think that with the tons of books out there on D-Day they would start to get repetitious and boring. Well this book is a great example saying no if they are well written then they can be informative and entertaining.
Antony Beevor's book starts with the initial decision made by General Eisenhower on when to launch the actual liberation and goes through the events of the landing and then some of the subsequent operations such as, EPSOM, GOODWOOD, and TOTALIZE to name a few ending with the liberation of Paris.
One of the things that liked is this author tried to tell as complete a story as possible and not base his story on just one country. So you have accounts from the American, British, Canadian, and Free French troops. A lot of authors just lump the Canadian Army in with the British, but Antony Beevor keeps them separate so you will hear about the Queen's Own Rifles and the Royal Winnipeg Rifles to name just a few.
I would recommend this book to anyone that is interest in D-Day, the second World War, or just military history in general. This author has several other books on WWII which I am going to have to look for.
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http://www.amazon.com/How-Catch-Russian-Spy-American/dp/1476788820/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437753367&sr=8-1&keywords=HOW+TO+CATCH+A+RUSSIAN+SPY
A naturalized Pakistani civilian who applied in the US Navy, fulfilled his mission in busting a Russian spy and ended up as a civilian officer whose current job is lecturing applicants and those appointed on the SCIENCE of spying. Good read.
A naturalized Pakistani civilian who applied in the US Navy, fulfilled his mission in busting a Russian spy and ended up as a civilian officer whose current job is lecturing applicants and those appointed on the SCIENCE of spying. Good read.
