Sgt Big G reads 75 books and makes no promises to write about any of them

Discussions75 Books Challenge for 2016

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Sgt Big G reads 75 books and makes no promises to write about any of them

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1sgtbigg
Déc 29, 2015, 10:39 pm

Well here I am again, with the best of intentions. Hopefully a year from now I'm not frantically trying to post all of the year's books since I haven't posted one since January. Hopefully, but I make no promises. I'm sure you wouldn't believe me if I did promise since I have a rather poor track record. This is my ninth year doing the challenge, I can't really believe it has been that long. My reading is usually about evenly split between fiction and non-fiction, with the fiction usually being SF and the non-fiction being history. If you're interested my thread from last year is here.

2muddy21
Déc 29, 2015, 10:53 pm

My eighth year here and I also continue to struggle with maintaining communications. Ah, well, it's a new year with new occasions for all the best intentions. Glad to see you're back again!

3dragonaria
Déc 30, 2015, 7:14 am

>1 sgtbigg: Howdy! Dropping a star here and on your 2015 thread since you read a lot of books that I'd like to look into at some point. On the introductions page you mentioned your graduate certificate in Civil War studies (congratulations!), understanding that that is America's Civil War, do you every look at the civil wars in other countries and see similarities?

4drneutron
Déc 30, 2015, 5:46 pm

Welcome back!

5ronincats
Modifié : Jan 2, 2016, 12:34 am

Dropping a star as well.

Happy New Year!

6tymfos
Jan 1, 2016, 7:57 am

Me, too. Happy new year! I look forward to seeing what you read.

7qebo
Jan 1, 2016, 10:44 am

>1 sgtbigg: Hopefully a year from now I'm not frantically trying to post all of the year's books since I haven't posted one since January.
I'm hopeful too. :-)

Happy 2016!

8takenby05
Jan 2, 2016, 12:15 am

Lol I love this, I have the same problem every year I say I am going to do better writing it all down and the it doesn't happen. Good luck to you!

9xymon81
Jan 2, 2016, 1:03 am


10sgtbigg
Jan 2, 2016, 10:31 pm

Happy New Year all!

1. Martial Law (The Boston Brahmin Book 3) by Bobby Akart
The nation’s richest and most powerful men have decided the U.S. has lost its way and needs a “reset.” To do this they engineer a collapse of the power grid, plunging most of the country into darkness for years to come. This is the third book in the series. In the first two books the end was nigh, now the end is here. As I found while reading The Apocalypse Triptych last year, I seem to prefer the coming of end to the end itself. The same holds true here, I liked this book the least of the series, although that may have something to do with the lack of believability of the story line. I find it difficult to believe that anyone, but particularly someone who has risen to the top of the nation’s power structure, would think that the best thing for the country would be a reset that sends the country into chaos for years to come, destroys the economy, and results in the deaths of approximately 90% of the population. Fortunately, these books are short, so I’ll probably stick with the series a little longer to see where it goes.

11takenby05
Jan 3, 2016, 2:36 am

Sounds like the kind of books I like to read, I might have to give these a try!

12sgtbigg
Jan 7, 2016, 7:58 pm

2. The Nonbeliever's Guide to Bible Stories by C.B. Brooks

Bible stories, whether you believe them or not, are a part of western culture. Brooks goes through each book of the bible, gives a brief, sometimes humorous, synopsis, and highlights the parts that have made their way into common parlance (render unto Caesar, Doubting Thomas, etc.). If you haven’t read the bible and want to get the gist of it, here it is.

13sgtbigg
Modifié : Jan 7, 2016, 8:08 pm

>3 dragonaria: - I haven't really looked into the more modern civil wars. Regarding the older ones, there are some similarities between ours and others, I think there are mainly differences.

>2 muddy21:, >4 drneutron:, >5 ronincats:, >6 tymfos:, >7 qebo:, >8 takenby05:, and >9 xymon81: - Thanks

>11 takenby05: - There have been a run of EMP attack/electric grid down books in the last few years, going back to Stirling's Dies the Fire. Unfortunately, most of them have only been mediocre.

14sgtbigg
Jan 7, 2016, 8:12 pm

I'm not counting it towards my total, but I also read Darth Vader and the Lost Command, a collection of five Dark Horse comic books. The story takes place shortly after Episode III, before Darth Vader has achieved his full stature. While I don't usually read comics, this one was okay.

15sgtbigg
Jan 11, 2016, 10:20 pm

3. War Stories from the Future ed. by August Cole

A collection of military science fiction set in the near future. The book was put together by the Atlantic Council Art of Future Warfare project, as they explore the future of armed and social conflict. It’s an attempt to look at the future of warfare through fiction. It’s also a good collection of stories; there is not a bad one in the bunch. Moreover, you can get the book for free. You can find it here.

16sgtbigg
Modifié : Jan 18, 2016, 11:28 pm

4. Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War by Max Hastings

Unsurprisingly, the centennial of the First World War has produced a number of books. What might be surprising is that many of these books stop at the end of 1914, all but ignoring almost four years of war. Perhaps this is not truly surprising after all. By the end of 1914, the war, at least on the Western Front had bogged down in the trenches with little movement over the next few years. Concentrating on 1914 allows an author to discuss the causes of the war as well as the period of maneuver. This is what Max Hastings does in his book Catastrophe 1914 and he does it well, covering both the diplomatic and the military. While Hastings concentrates on the actions of 1914, hence the title of the book, he does not completely ignore the consequences that follow.

Contrary to some historians, Hastings argues that the allied war effort was necessary and that a German victory would have had dire costs for the continent. While Hastings hits on both the diplomatic and military aspects of the war, he is a military historian and the bulk of the book is taken up with the clash of armies (and navies) as well as their preparation.

One particular subject fascinated me, the use of animals. The number of horses, mules, oxen, etc. utilized by all of the armies, to haul supplies and artillery was astounding in this, the first modern war. The automobile still had a way to go. Even more astounding was the use of cavalry. I had long assumed that trench warfare eliminated the ability to utilize cavalry and in fact, it did, but in 1914, there were few trenches, thus cavalry roamed the battlefield. Lancers and hussars, more properly from the Napoleonic wars, scouted and occasionally charged on both sides of the line. Who knew?

17sgtbigg
Jan 18, 2016, 11:28 pm

5. Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide by Daniel Wallace

Purported to be a handbook for Imperial officers written by high-ranking officials prior to the events of Star Wars (Episode IV) that was captured by the Rebel Alliance after the events of Return of the Jedi (Episode VI). The book includes tactical guidelines and procedures and a breakdown of types of equipment and troops. Well-known members of the Rebel Alliance have included hand written notes throughout the book. This sounded like an interesting idea; unfortunately, it doesn’t work out that way. Lists of different types of Stormtroopers with a brief description of each just doesn’t make for enjoyable reading, although 12 year old me might have disagreed. The “Rebel” comments are supposed to be humorous but aren’t. Unless you have to read everything Star Wars that is published or you’re 12 years old I would recommend you give this one a pass.

18sgtbigg
Jan 18, 2016, 11:34 pm

Lucky Thirteen by Marko Kloos

A fun short story in Kloos's Terms of Enlistment universe. You should read it if you're reading the rest of the series and if you like military SF you should be reading this series. I'm not counting it as a book read since it's only 14 pages.

19sibylline
Jan 21, 2016, 8:44 am

I just finished reading Into the Silence about the three British attempts on Everest in the 1920's. Most men in the expeditions were deeply involved in the trench warfare of the war and it is some of the best, most vivid, writing about it that I've encountered. I had a a great uncle, gassed in ww1, whom I remember very well, which seems an amazing thing now in the 2000's! Anyway I'm thinking you might like it.

20sgtbigg
Jan 27, 2016, 2:31 am

6. The Myth of the Lost Cause: Why the South Fought the Civil War and Why the North Won by Ed Bonekemper

I'm writing a longer than normal review of this book which I'll either add here or link to depending on how long it is and if I post it anywhere else.

7. Battle Tactics of the Civil War by Paddy Griffith

Didn't like it. Reasons to follow.

21sgtbigg
Jan 28, 2016, 11:00 pm

8. Flashman's Lady by George MacDonald Fraser

Book six in the Flashman Papers. It's been a long time since I've read one of these and I have to say I've missed Flashy. This go around we follow Flashy adventures during 1842-45, there are cricket matches, pirates in Borneo, and a crazed queen on Madagascar. I have to admit that I was a little lost during the early stages of the book, which prominently featured cricket, which I know nothing about. There was enough going on to distract from the cricket until the story picked up. It's probably been ten years since I read book five in the series, I don't think I'll wait quite so long for book seven.

22muddy21
Jan 28, 2016, 11:10 pm

I read the Flashman series more years ago than I care to remember. I was just thinking about it recently - it took a while for me to come up with the names of the character & the author. If only I'd known you'd be posting about it, I could have just relaxed and waited!

23sgtbigg
Jan 29, 2016, 10:47 pm

>22 muddy21: Glad to be of service.

24sgtbigg
Modifié : Fév 13, 2016, 9:46 pm

9. Shopping Survival Guide for Men by Dan Van Oss

A somewhat humorous guide book for men who don't like shopping but who get dragged to the mall. It was a free Kindle book, so it wasn't bad for the price. Mildly entertaining.

10. The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming

I'm continuing my effort to read all of the James Bond books in order, but only when I'm on vacation. At this rate it will take quite a while, although I am drawing near the end of the Ian Fleming books. This one was a little different in that it was written from the point of view of a Canadian women, Vivienne Michel, and Bond does not appear until about two-thirds through this relatively short novel. Apparently Fleming wasn't very happy with the book and I can see why. The story is not really bad, but it's also not really a James Bond story, he just appears as a secondary character.

Touchstone don't seem to be working at the moment, so I'll come back and edit the titles later.

Edited - Fixed touchstones

25tymfos
Fév 10, 2016, 3:13 pm

>24 sgtbigg: It was a free Kindle book, so it wasn't bad for the price. Mildly entertaining.
LOL! I've had a few like that.

Touchstones have been not working since last night. I'm not sure what's going on with that.

26sgtbigg
Fév 13, 2016, 10:10 pm

11. Dictator (Cicero #3) by Robert Harris

The third and final book in the Cicero trilogy, a fictionalized recreation of Tiro's biography of Cicero, the original having long been lost. This volume covers the time from Cicero's exile until his death in 43 BCE and features such noteworthy events as the assassination of Julius Caesar, the civil war, the First and Second Triumvirates, and the rise of Octavian. I don't know much about the period so I can't speak to it's accuracy, but I can say that like it's predecessors, it was an enjoyable book and I highly recommend all three of them.

12. Attack and Die: Civil War Military Tactics and the Southern Heritage by Grady McWhiney & Perry D. Jamieson

I'm somewhat torn about this book. Most of it deals with the development and execution of tactics during the Civil War. There is a good bit covering what was taught at West Point in the years prior to the war and the various tactics manuals that were written, or at least translated, as much were just copies of French manuals. Much of the remainder of the book discusses how the pre-war tactics did not take into account the changes in technology, primarily the rifle musket and rifled artillery. Much of what the authors argue contrasts with the argument that Paddy Griffith put forward in Battle Tactics of the Civil War, which is book #7 above. So far, so good, but then there is a small section which tries to connect Confederate tactics to the supposed Celtic ancestry of the Southern people. The authors try to show that the Battles of Telamon (225 BCE), Culloden (1746 CE) , and Gettysburg (1863), were essentially fought the same way and lost for the same reasons because the losers in each battle were Celts and they could only fight one way. I found the argument to be extremely unpersuasive and marred what otherwise would have been a useful and informative book.

27sgtbigg
Avr 2, 2016, 11:19 pm

OK, I've slacked off a bit and haven't posted in about six weeks. I'm going to post the books I've read since my last post and hopefully get back on track.

13. City of Blades (The Divine Cities #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett

The sequel the City of Stairs, although not really a sequel. The story takes place in the same universe, about twenty years after the events of the first book and features one of that books minor characters. The story is similar in that it involves the return of gods/spirits that were previously defeated. Just as good as the first book.

14. The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson

I’m not even sure what to write about this book. It was all over the place, confusing, and had only a limited plot. I wouldn’t recommend, although it was good in parts.

15. Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

Novelization of the movie and clears up a couple of points that were unexplained in the film. If you liked the movie, you’ll like the book.

16. Warriors of the Storm (The Saxon Stories #9) by Bernard Cornwell

Book 9 of the Saxon Stories series, renamed The Last Kingdom series to take advantage of the television series. I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor. Vikings, shield walls, etc., what’s not to like. As an aside, the TV series isn’t bad, although unsurprisingly, not as good as the books.

17. Liquid Cool (The Cyberpunk Detective Series) by Austin Dragon

A new series, following up on These Mean Streets, Darkly, which Dragon released last year as a prequel, although it was more like a prologue. This was a fun story set in a more or less believable world. Just the right amount of humor to let you know the author is not taking it too seriously. Sort of a Bladerunner vibe – dark and rainy. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys cyberpunk or light SF. I look forward to reading the next book. I received a review copy of this book from the author.

18. Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History by David Aaronovitch

Explores why people believe conspiracy theories by looking at a collection of different theories, why they are wrong, and the impact they had on actual events. There are lots of interesting facts and the book was quite enjoyable. If there was a fault it was that a couple of the theories featured were from the UK and I had never heard of them. This isn’t surprising as the author is from the UK and the book was originally published there. This doesn’t take anything away from the book.

19. Kill City Blues (Sandman Slim #5) by Richard Kadrey

Slim and friends visit a collapsed shopping mall and encounter all sorts of bad guys. God (or at least a couple of parts of him), the devil (current and two former), and assorted angels, demons, and assorted magic users appear throughout. If you liked the preceding books, you’ll enjoy this one.

28sgtbigg
Avr 2, 2016, 11:20 pm

20. The Mourner (Parker #4) by Richard Stark

Book four of the Parker series from Richard Stark AKA Donald Westlake. 1960s heist story at its best. This one was primarily set in Washington, DC and has some Soviet agents in addition to a return of the Outfit. As with most of the Parker books this one ages pretty well. I enjoy the pre-9/11, pre-computer age crime stories.

21. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The Tales of Dunk and Egg #1-3) by George R.R. Martin

Three short stories set in the world of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books (AKA Game of Thrones). All three stories feature the hedge knight Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg and occur about 100 years before Game of Thrones. All three stories were enjoyable, I look forward to reading some more, but only after Martin has finished, The Winds of Winter.

22. A Long Time Until Now by Michael Z. Williamson

An American military unit in Afghanistan is transported back to Paleolithic times and has to survive with only the gear on their backs and the knowledge in their heads. They begin to meet others, similarly lost in time, including a Roman century. Not a lot of action and like most similar stories a lot of technical explanation for their survival methods. It’s supposed to be the first book in a series, although it was not particularly open-ended. I would read the next book.

23. World War Z by Max Brooks
The history of the Zombie War made up of interviews given by survivors. For a zombie book, there are not a lot of zombies, it’s really the story of the survivors. I read an abridged version of this years ago (by accident) and wanted to read the full version. The missing parts do add to the overall story.

And now I'm caught up. I'm going to try and stay that way.

29ronincats
Avr 2, 2016, 11:22 pm

I thought City of Blades was quite good as well, at least as good as the first book and without the need for quite as much world-building.

30tymfos
Avr 7, 2016, 10:23 pm

Hi! Glad to see you reading and posting! The one about the conspiracy theories sounds especially interesting. I used to bowl with a woman who subscribed to a lot of those far-out theories -- weird.

31sgtbigg
Avr 12, 2016, 9:01 pm

24. Heroes Die (The Acts of Caine #1) by Matthew Woodring Stover

I enjoyed this book. It's set in a stratified, future society where actors travel to an alternate earth to perform their roles in a real-life fantasy setting, with real-life dangers. Interesting idea that is well done.

32sgtbigg
Avr 12, 2016, 9:12 pm

25. The First Battle of Manassas: An End to Innocence, July 18-21, 1861 by John J. Hennessy

This is the revised edition and it remains the best tactical study of the battle. Includes updated and better maps, although not enough of them, there can never be enough maps. I used The Maps of First Bull Run to supplement what Hennessy provided. If you only read one book of First Manassas (but why would you) it should be this one. The only thing I would have liked was an author's note explaining what was changed from the first edition and why.

33drneutron
Avr 14, 2016, 8:32 am

there can never be enough maps

I'm with you on that!

34tymfos
Avr 21, 2016, 2:29 pm

>33 drneutron: Ditto! I can never even begin to visualize what happened in a battle just via descriptions and one or two maps.

35sgtbigg
Avr 21, 2016, 9:29 pm

>33 drneutron: >34 tymfos: Bradley Gottfried has done a great service with his map books. I used his The Maps of Gettysburg while reading Coddington's The Gettysburg Campaign. He has also done The Maps of Bristoe Station and Mine Run and just recently The Maps of the Wilderness. I hoping he starts on the Western theater soon.

36sgtbigg
Jan 10, 2017, 1:16 pm

And I started off so well. Obviously I haven't posted anything since April, so I guess it's time to acknowledge the reality. I'm not going to even attempt the 2017 group. I'll still post my 2016 books and if anyone is really interested, my 2017 books will be listed at: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/7430042.

It was fun while it lasted.

Mike

40sgtbigg
Jan 10, 2017, 1:24 pm

71. Humbug: The Unwinding of Ebenezer Scrooge by Tony Bertauski
72. Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston
73. Armor by John Steakley
74. Cybersecurity and Cyberwar by P.W. Singer & Allan Friedman
75. Catalyst - A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno
76. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
77. Under the Carib Sun (Adel Destin #2) by Ro Cuzon
78. Stealing Freedom Along the Mason-Dixon Line: Thomas McCreary, the Notorious Slave Catcher from Maryland by Milt Diggins
79. Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable, and What We Can Do About It by Marc Goodman
80. The Return of History and the End of Dreams by Robert Kagan
81. Dreadnaught (The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier #1) by Jack Campbell
82. Re-enter Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer
83. The Fourth Industrial Revolution by Klaus Schwab

That's it, I'll see y'all around.