What are you reading?

[TaylorM456]

"Pirate Hunters" - Robert Kurson

It chronicles John Chatterton and John Mattera's quest to find Bannister's ship, The Golden Fleece, in the Dominican Republic.

I've read both "Deep Descent" and "Shadow Divers" (also by Robert Kurson). Very good books.

Had the pleasure of diving next to Chatterton when I first got into diving in 2005.

Obsessed with these books. In the middle of Pirates right now.

 

[DieJager]

Finished my reading of Journey to the end of the night by L.F. Céline. What a book, one of the great literary works of the 20th century. So dark, vile, fatalistic. You going to hate or love it. I loved it.

Afterwards read Book 4 of Ron Thomson his memoirs. The Ron Thomson that is auctioning his rifle as you probably have read in the thread regarding that subject. Book 4 is called Black Rhino. His escapes during the capturing operation(s) are really thrilling to read. This has to be the ultimate hunt. As always a marvelous read.

Currently reading My Confessions: Recollections of a Rogue by Samuel Chamberlain. Just started but it has some great potential.

 

[CJNJ]

Hemingway's "Islands in the Stream" again, and Tony Hillerman, "The Joe Leaphorn Mysteries."

 

[baxterb]

Hemingway's "Islands in the Stream" again, and Tony Hillerman, "The Joe Leaphorn Mysteries."

I love the scene in Stream when they are at the bar and they are goofing around with the lady, etc. I think that kind of stuff was written from life and there were very memorable moments the boys had with Hemingway.

 

[CJNJ]

Agreed. Many of his books were more famous, and this one was published after his death, but its one of my favorites for the reasons you point out. He was working on the three part saga for a long time.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Just finished reading "West with the Night" by Beryl Markham. She was a remarkable lady. Born in Kenya in 1902, by the age of 12 she was hunting Warthogs and Lions with spears only with the local native men. At 16 she began a career as a trainer of
Thoroughbred race horses and at 18 her horse a filly won the African Championship. Soon after Beryl learned to fly and became the first ever pilot to scout for Elephant by aircraft while scouting for Baron von Blixen the husband of Karen von Blixen author of "Out of Africa". Beryl was a friend of Karen and a likely lover of Blix. She was a consort and lover of Denis Finch Hatton who was also a PH and often guided the Prince of Wales on Safari. Markham was the first pilot to ever fly across the Atlantic while traveling East to West against the winds. Interesting read.

 

[Hunt anything]

Re-reading “The Pacific” by Hugh Ambrose, ran into one of Eugene Sledges sons not long ago and thought this would be a good time to refresh my memory by reading it and “With the Old Breed”
Don’t know why but I never can get up the nerve to talk to him.

 

[schmijar]

 

[mrpoindexter]

Just working through the collection of Capstick books I picked up recently. Finished Death in the Dark Continent and working on Death in the Silent Places now.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I often re-read good books. The one I have read more time than any other is a novel by the title, "Grey Eagles" It is set in 1976 in the desert southwestern USA near Phoenix, AZ. A group of former Luftwaffe fighter aces who survived the war led by one by the name of Theo who has become a European captain of industry and quite wealthy become obsessed with recreating the former glory of their experience as fighter aces in the German Luftwaffe. They secretly restore eight Bf109G Messerscmitt fighters and then proceed to gather in the desert to fly a series of planned missions, first strafing an air show and then a US Airforce base and finally, challenging the Confederate Airforce P51's to a final duel in the skies. It is a fantasy novel but a hell of a good read.

 

[PARA45]

Just working through the collection of Capstick books I picked up recently. Finished Death in the Dark Continent and working on Death in the Silent Places now.
View attachment 715990

Beautiful collection!

 

[OldCombatEngr]

Lately back and forth between guns/hunting, on one hand, and Henry Kissinger's Diplomacy and On China.

 

[pilar]

Hunter killer squadron, about the 1st/9th scouts in Vietnam
Top killing unit in Vietnam war

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

The few chapters I've read seem to got some rudimentary philosophical ideas in them. Basic stuff. Nothing that amazes me and want to read more. But I will finish the book before I can judge it properly.

I love philosophy, used to read it a lot when I was younger. Now and then I read some philosophy but not as much as I used to. I really liked reading works of Nietzsche when I was younger. He has quite the sense of humor in his works.

You mean the author had to give up his kids? That is some tough stuff. What did you like in the philosophy department?

Did you ever finish Zen? What did you think?

 

[DieJager]

Did you ever finish Zen? What did you think?

I stopped a few chapters in. I really have to be in the mood to finish it. I found it very mediocre but cannot judge until I've read the whole book. But too many good books that are enjoyable so maybe I'll never get to it.

 

[Altitude sickness]

DieJager, I have 3 books and some magazines on my nightstand or next to my reading chair for that same reason. Sometimes I just want a light easy reading book for the entertainment. Sometimes a book that I want to learn that particular story or event. Some books are a forced March others a skip through the tulips.

 

[DieJager]

DieJager, I have 3 books and some magazines on my nightstand or next to my reading chair for that same reason. Sometimes I just want a light easy reading book for the entertainment. Sometimes a book that I want to learn that particular story or event. Some books are a forced March others a skip through the tulips.

Yes, definitely relatable. Sometimes I didn't touch a book for months and thinking never gonna finish that one. Then one day I'm in the mood and read the rest of the book that day. Well, variety is the spice of life.

Some books I've really struggled with, for example, Oswald Spengler his Magnum Opus, The Decline of The West. Probably one of the few books you should read the abridged version. Still a very interesting read but the unabridged version is way too detailed and example after example.

One thing I never never done is reading a book twice. Strange because magazines and movies I can read and watch time after time. Same with the hunting reports on this website. I think some I've read multiple times already. I don't know why it is with books that way.

Have you read some books multiple times and which and why?

 

[Rimbaud]

I’m currently reading The Bridge on the Drina. I’ve been studying the Austro-Hungarian empire for a few years as I am fascinated with how the empire lasted for centuries and then fell apart. The book is a novel, and the story takes place near Visegrad, and details the birth of this bridge, and of Ottomans trying to invade Europe. Aside from learning about the animals and geography of where I hunt, I like to learn about the history, literature, music, culture and economics of the places. For me, it makes for more interesting hunts and travels.

As for a book that I’ve read many times, I’ve read War & Peace four times since college. I read it every decade. The first time I read the book, I felt like I was scaling a mountain. I’ve understood the book more and more as time has passed. This year, my daughter has a Tolstoy class at her university, and my wife and I are going to read the book with her.