What are you reading right now?

[Sailor Steve]

I haven't posted since I read that great Benjamin Franklin biography. I kind of got stuck in historical/political mode and read David McCullough's bio of John Adams. Now I'm in the middle of part two of a six-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson, by Dumas Malone. It took him twenty-two years to write - Volume 1 was published in 1948, Volume six in 1970. I'm hoping it doesn't take me that long to read!

[flintlock]

A nice brown package arrived earlier this afternoon, care of Amazon. Now lying on the desk beside me is my next read; Monsarrat's "The Cruel Sea." I really enjoyed the movie, and never seem to tire watching it (much like Das Boot). As good as the movie is, apparently it doesn't do the book justice. Looking forward to starting the book this weekend!

[livewire68]

I just got my copy of Cruel Sea today. Now to read and play SH4!!

[Subnuts]

Sailors to the End, which is about the 1967 fire onboard the USS Forrestal that killed 134 men. It's pretty nasty and depressing but it stands as a testament as to why you shouldn't let an incompetent Secretary of Defense micromanage a war (nudge, nudge!)

[Heibges]

"The Middle Parts of Fortune" by Frederick Manning, based on Beeryman's recommendation where he compared it to "The 13th Valley" by John Delveccio.

[Heibges]

Originally Posted by Bort

At the moment I'm reading The Winds of War by Herman Wouk, the author of The Caine Mutiny. Its a good read, recounting WWII from the fictional perspective of a Navy family. BTW, anyone who hasn't read The Caine Mutiny (Winner of the 1951 Pulitzer Prize), it's a must read for anyone interested in the workings of the Navy and its role in WWII from a very human and realistic view. Wouk writes at a high level so you have to work at reading his books, but believe me, its worth it!

The Caine Mutiny is one of my favorite books and movies.

[Heibges]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk: not a review, but a book report.

If anyone is familiar with the movie they'll know the story: in the middle of the Second World War an old WWI 'four piper' destroyer now converted to a mine sweeper is shackled with a captain who is slowly losing his grip on reality. The crew suffers under his strange behaviour as best they can. Then comes a situation so desparate that the XO feels he must sieze control of the ship. The Caine is saved, and the XO finds himself facing a court-martial, and the charge is mutiny. If he is found guilty, he might hang. The trial is the highlight of the story, and it is all seen through the eyes of a young ensign, who is facing possible accessory charges himself.

The Caine Mutiny and The Cruel Sea:
Having recently read The Cruel Sea, I couldn't help but notice remarkable similarities between the two books. Both Authors served during the war, Nicholas Monsarrat in Corvettes and Herman Wouk in Destroyer-Minesweepers. Both books were published the same year, 1951. There are similarities in their experiences, and those show up in the books. Both stories start with young officers arriving on board; both feature wonderful descriptions of life at sea in small ships; both feature good men and detestable ones and both have scenes of the men coping with life ashore while their ships are in safe ports for refit. Both authors also put pieces of themselves into more than one character; Keefer, like Wouk, is a budding author; Keith is the new boy on the block and Greenwald, like Wouk, is Jewish, which has a bearing on the story.

Both books also partly hinge on the dislike of Regular and Volunteer officers for each other.

The Caine Mutiny-book and movie:
The book is a fantastic read; the old phrase "I couldn't put it down" is apt. It seems overlong at some points; reviewers of the movie complained that it would have been better without the long romance between the ensign and his girl, and the relationship with his mother. This is easier to take in the book, because it sets up his emotional state and frames the main story in seeming real life. In the movie it seems to get in the way, rather than help. There are many more scenes in the book of Commander Queeg's slow breakdown, and it flows more naturally. When it comes to the actual trial, there is a lot more in the book, making the movie seem a little choppy. That said, Queeg is certainly one of Humphrey Bogart's finest roles, and it's well worth seeing. The book also has a lot more on Ensign Keith's training days, leading up to his assignment to the Caine. The movie leaves a lot of this out, as movies must. The book also contains a bit of anti-semitism: The lawyer, Barney Greenwald, is Jewish, and reflects some of Wouk's feelings about his perception of his treatment while in the navy.

The end of the movie is far different from the book. In both, when Keith first comes aboard he is appalled by what he considers to be a slovenly ship run by a slovenly captain, and he is glad when the the very martial Queeg first comes aboard. By the end of the movie Keith is glad to be reunited with Commander de Vriess, realizing that he is a good example of a captain who understands his men and knows how to get the best out of them. In the book this never happens. Instead, Keefer, the unlikable man who started it all, ends up being the Caine's new skipper. He gets a commupance, finding out that he and Queeg are not so different after all. Probably the saddest figure is the XO, Lieutenant Maryk, who decides to make the navy his life, only to have that destroyed after the court-martial; even though he is aquitted he'll never have a real career as an officer.

In spite of some flaws, this is one of the best books I've ever read. I've been a fan of the movie for years; now I have to see it again just so I can make a better comparison.

Plus, in the book, Wouk points out that the brilliant lawyer, Barney Greenwald, who defends the officers of the Caine, is disliked because he is Jewish.

[Heibges]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien

Are you a "Lost" fan?

My Old Lady wanted it because it appears in the show.

[AirborneTD]

Recently finished "Wake of the Wahoo" and am just finishing up "Wolf Pack " (US Ops in the Pacific).

"Thunder Below" is on the way. Starting that next.

[wireman]

" No place to Linger" by the corvette captain who collided with Peter Cremer's U-333.

[blue3golf]

Just finished "The Moscow Option" as well as "SS, The Blood Soaked Soil." Both extremely interesting, the first being an alternate history about the Wehrmacht taking Moscow and rampaging across Egypt, while the Japanese took Midway and headed off to finish the American Pacific Fleet. Great until the end, then all of a sudden nothing could go wrong for the Allies and they ended up turning it around.

The second was a standard history of the SS major campaigns. Pretty interesting to see how some of the top commanders made their way up the ladder and to see the casualty rates they sustained while still holding the line until the end.

Currently reading Steven Pressfields "Gates of Fire." Lighter fictional reading but very entertaining and well worth the $14 I paid.

[Morts]

"Wheels Of Terror" by Sven Hazel

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Heibges

Plus, in the book, Wouk points out that the brilliant lawyer, Barney Greenwald, who defends the officers of the Caine, is disliked because he is Jewish.

You're absolutely right!

Originally Posted by flintlock

A nice brown package arrived earlier this afternoon, care of Amazon. Now lying on the desk beside me is my next read; Monsarrat's "The Cruel Sea." I really enjoyed the movie, and never seem to tire watching it (much like Das Boot). As good as the movie is, apparently it doesn't do the book justice. Looking forward to starting the book this weekend!

Originally Posted by livewire68

I just got my copy of Cruel Sea today. Now to read and play SH4!!

How're you guys doing with it?

[Letum]

Being and Nothingness By Satre

Heavy going and I suspect quite a lot is lost int ranslation, but fruitful all the same.

[Sulikate]

I'm reading... your mind

Just kidding , I'm reading The Antichrist, by Nietzsche.