Whatcha reading now?

Always nice to see what others are reading since it might grab your interest.

Just got Khe Sanh: Siege in the Clouds by Eric Hammel and started reading it tonight.

I've been hoarding new books like....a....uh.... squirrel.

I now own Low Level Hell, Headhunters, and The 13th Valley, so I'll be good until fall. My reading habits have been poor over the last couple of years.

BravoSix wrote:I've been hoarding new books like....a....uh.... squirrel.

BravoSix wrote:The 13th Valley

Oh yeah, I have that one going on Audiobook at the moment too.

How about some book reviews then team?

Maybe even a specific sub forum just for book reviews? B6 hates me as that is my answer to everything!

Subject = Book name and author
Detail = quick synopsis especially era (years) and battles if appropriate and then some likes and dislikes and where you think the book applies to our "studies" of this ancient land and its more modern conflicts.

Just a thought!

Force Recon Diary, 1969 Bruce H. Norton.  The author was a Navy corpsman part of 3d Force Recon Coy who later became a field-grade Marine Officer.  The title places the book precisely in the 1969-1970 time frame for Doc Norton's tour.

This is a great source for small skirmish actions, 5 man teams mostly well behind enemy lines, that would play out well in 28 mm.  FNG2 comes to mind immediately.

The first page in is a 100% reflection of the rest of the book.

"I caught the movement off to my left side.  It was a dark green color moving slowly toward me.  I recognized it as the outline of a pith helmet, not more than ten feet away.  I tried to make myself small without moving.  I just wanted him to go away, but the helmet continued to come forward slowly until it was directly in front of me.  Then the outline of his face began to show.  His left hand reached forward and began to part the branches of the bush.  He leaned forward.  The orange muzzle flash was the last thing he ever saw...."

Good read.



P.S.  There is a Force Recon Diary, 1970 as well by the same author, this time advertised as Major Bruce H. Norton but I have not read it.

I got these during my first trip to the Big Smoke since before lockdown:







The latter is a "bookazine" with lots of interesting photos and source material I have not seen before. It's a general history but there are images of key documents that determined the course of the war, ID papers, posters etc. I found the paper version in a magazine shop.

Most of my reading is actually American Civil War. I used to own a ton of Vietnam books back in the 80s and 90s when they were being published in great numbers. Time to pick up a few more books again. I've always enjoyed the low level personal experience memoirs.

TEC wrote:Maybe even a specific sub forum just for book reviews? B6 hates me as that is my answer to everything!

Nah Ken, it's a good idea. Leave it with me. Probably place it in the Intel Center.

My all time fave book about the combat infantryman's experiences in Nam will always be Mark Baker's Nam. I think I mentioned that in the book thread in Hell's Half Acre.

TailEndCharles wrote:How about some book reviews then team?

Maybe even a specific sub forum just for book reviews? B6 hates me as that is my answer to everything!

Subject = Book name and author
Detail = quick synopsis especially era (years) and battles if appropriate and then some likes and dislikes and where you think the book applies to our "studies" of this ancient land and its more modern conflicts.

Just a thought!

Sounds like a good idea to me.

I have intended to do some book reviews. Time is the problem. I spend a lot of my free time just keeping up with the posts on this site. I try to read all of them.

Right now I am reading Tim Page, Derailed in Uncle Ho's Victory Garden. I bought it for the Sean Flynn material which I have not gotten to yet.

Tom

BravoSix wrote:

TEC wrote:Maybe even a specific sub forum just for book reviews? B6 hates me as that is my answer to everything!

Nah Ken, it's a good idea. Leave it with me. Probably place it in the Intel Center.

My all time fave book about the combat infantryman's experiences in Nam will always be Mark Baker's Nam. I think I mentioned that in the book thread in Hell's Half Acre.

Ahem ....... ???

If only there was a "Dislike" button....

BravoSix wrote:If only there was a "Dislike" button....

Nah, I really dislike those dislike buttons, anti-social you know!

I just started reading Rice Paddy Grunt by John M. G. Brown.

am reading " the Secret War in Laos and General Vang Pao 1958-1975 " by Billy G Webb .

This is a great story and history from Vang Pao's perspective. The background machinations between the CIA , ambassadors to Lao , Lao politics, opium trade, Thai participation and Westmoreland's Vietnam war , are well told in a timeline context without distracting from the subject of the story. The fight for Laos against all odds by 'General Vang Pao and the Hmong people .

awesome read ! some crazy stuff here quite matter-of-factly too .

Just Wrapped up :
"The Youngest Green Beret" by Terry McIntosh and "Whispers in the Tall Grass" by Nick Brokhausen.
Currently reading "Outside the Wire: Ridding with the Cav in 1970" by Jim Ross, then "This is Minuetman 2-3... go!" by Wayne Chasson (though I think I have already read some of his other books and this might be a compilation)

Stopped by Half Price Books today and found a couple of books for $17.  None of the ones that GarryOwen has added to my list with his history notes, but these caught my eye:

"Hue 1968" by Mark Bowden

"Grab Their Belts to Fight Them" by Warren Wilkens.

We'll see how they are soon enough.

am currently reading "Street without Joy" . first time . Although I find the French Indochinese campaigns a bit 'tragic'. I am really enjoying this .