Oh God, yet more books!

I'm getting to the age where I am wondering if I'll live long enough to read them all!  I am still progressing gradually through 'The Story of Britain' by Sir Roy Strong, superb book but there's awful lot of it!  Waiting for me in my super-duper Kindle, the greatest invention since sliced bread, is the 'LA Quartet' by James Ellroy who is, I suspect 'a very naughty boy'!  But this week the bloody Spectator - which I urge you to subscribe to - has a couple of book reviews which I am quite unable to resist.  All I wonder is whether or not my titchy, skinny, little Kindle will be able to squeeze them in?

The first is a 'must have' - and if SoD is reading this he should buy a copy quick!  It is called "Our Boys: The Story of a Paratrooper" by a lady, Ms. Helen Parr, who is the niece of the late Dave Parr, a 19-year old private in 2 Para who was killed in the Falklands in 1982 by incoming artillery fire.  I gather that the book is part biography of Pte. Parr but also part history of the Parachute Regiment and it's development, including the 'naughty bits'! There is one particularly galling fact that Pte. Parr's eventual funeral in England, attended by many of his comrades who knew the secret that he had been killed by 'friendly fire' but the family did not!

Then, I'm afraid, it's 'more war' in the form of the latest book by one of the very best modern historians, Max Hastings.  It is on the subject of arguably the most devastating war since the end of WWII - "Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy".  Well, any war is a tragedy but it is amazing how the Vietnam war, which absolutely dominated the world when it was raging, has sort of sunk into oblivion.  Possibly, or probably, because no-one came out of it with much credit!  Anyway, I don't know that much about it so I will have to buy it.  You can read Saul David's review at The Spectator.

 

 

Comments

[JK]

Oh dear. David ol' hoss.

David. David!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250185912/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_thcv_p1_i0

That there David is a Must Read! Comes highly recommended.

Get off war for awhile. Chop chop.

[David Duff]

Thanks, JK, that sounds like a more nuanced appraisal of 'Trump-rule' but it might have been better timed at the end of his presidency!

[JK]

Here's the teaser that did it fer me David.

https://audioboom.com/posts/7017149-does-grover-norquist-say-that-donald-trump-is-a-fully-formed-reagan-republican-1-of-4-mr-trump-s-wild-ride-the-thrills-chills-screams-and-occasional-blackouts-of-an-extraordinary-presidency-by-major-garrett

In four parts. If you can get 'er to load over there in England.

An' Oz too AussieD - you probably need to get off the beaches and leave them binoculars to lose the steam offin' em.

[Whitewall]

JK, AussieD can't drop those binos on the beach. How else to see the ladies?

[JK]

But but but Whitewall?!!!

Well ... I suppose by now technolergy's reached the level of bi-focal binoculers so'n ter make possible readin' an' oglin' simultwixtedly?

[Whitewall]

JK, there'll be a run on 'em at Spec Savers!

[JK]

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/cbs-radio-news/the-takeout/e/56359885?autoplay=true

I place this "look at the book" too David as there, may be, some Voice that'll raise whatevers in objection.

As a general generally, "These Conservatives need me (Bob) to be explicative. For their own good."

[AussieD]

Binoculars! What a bloody magnificent idea. Here's me been straining my eyes all these years.

All well with you Whitewall after that little breeze went through?

[Whitewall]

AussieD, we are okay here though east of us took it badly with still high flood waters and many hundred of homes lost. Humidity is unnaturally high due to the lingering flood water.

[JK]

Relief's near Whitewall. Far as the humidity goes anyway.

24 hours ago in Arkansas our's (humidity) was running above 60% for the whole day long. Oh an' yesterday's high was 92° (34° C) but this morn dawned in the very comfortables for the first time since the third weekend of May.

Here tis' Whitewall:

https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov//#page=ovw

"We" sent y'all forty-six utility linemen for staging pre-storm Whitewall an' they returned home early this morning (Saturday). Couldn't do a damn thing about the flooding rivers though ...