tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315581642024-03-07T12:55:54.283-05:00The Old CootI have many interests, so this is going to be a blog on lots of subjects. Submarines, my family, history, books I read, the space programme, archaeology, astronomy, current events, the occasional joke.... Just don't expect any politics, sports or deep philosophy, and we should get along fine.RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.comBlogger1859125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-20765950011780639922021-05-15T15:40:00.001-04:002021-05-15T16:26:00.523-04:00The John Newbery Medal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE4F-aUrNkaGqIHnlMWeDk8P80y6RVLl7r6nzK8jpFOooh95c762zcZmNgh0Zc1HyrfBAMtAvrTYwym-A_VG1ieWIIcWYDp2XURQQ7hU2cD88zoKiGdPh28peqN8n53U9rBww/s1600-h/Newbery.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133233908287286770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE4F-aUrNkaGqIHnlMWeDk8P80y6RVLl7r6nzK8jpFOooh95c762zcZmNgh0Zc1HyrfBAMtAvrTYwym-A_VG1ieWIIcWYDp2XURQQ7hU2cD88zoKiGdPh28peqN8n53U9rBww/s200/Newbery.gif" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a>This is an update to the list in <a href="https://theoldcoot.blogspot.com/2009/08/newbery-medal-books_11.html">Newbery Medal books</a>, which I posted on 11 August 2009. I've read all of these up through the 2012 recipient, plus the one for 2014.<br />
<br />
As could be expected, there were some I liked and others I disliked. My favourites (in order of publication) were:
<blockquote>
<em>Rabbit Hill</em> (1945, Robert Lawson)<br />
<em>Miracles on Maple Hill</em> (1957, Virginia Sorensen)<br />
<em>Onion John</em> (1960, Joseph Krumgold)<br />
<em>From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler</em> (1968, E L Konigsburg)<br />
<em>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry</em> (1977, Mildred D Taylor)<br />
<em>The Westing Game</em> (1979, Ellen Raskin)<br />
<em>Dicey's Song</em> (1983, Cynthia Voigt)<br />
<em>Number the Stars</em> (1990, Lois Lowry)<br />
<em>Maniac Magee</em> (1991, Jerry Spinelli)<br />
<em>Walk Two Moons</em> (1995, Sharon Creech)<br />
<em>The Graveyard Book</em> (2009, Neil Gaiman)<br />
<i>When You Reach Me</i> (2010, Rebecca Stead)<br /></blockquote>
<i>When You Reach Me</i> is my single, number-one favourite, closely followed by <em>Dicey's Song</em> — I enjoyed <i>Dicey</i> and its prequel, <em>Homecoming</em>, so much that I went on to read three other books in the series — and <em>Frankweiler</em>, which I've read several times through the years....<br />
<br />
The complete list:
<blockquote>1922: <em>The Story of Mankind</em>, by Hendrik Willem van Loon<br />
1923: <em>The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle</em>, by Hugh Lofting<br />
1924: <em>The Dark Frigate</em>, by Charles Hawes<br />
1925: <em>Tales from Silver Lands</em>, by Charles J Finger<br />
1926: <em>Shen of the Sea</em>, by Arthur Bowie Chrisman<br />
1927: <em>Smoky, the Cowhorse</em>, by Will James<br />
1928: <em>Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon</em>, by Dhan Gopal Mukerji<br />
1929: <em>The Trumpeter of Krakow</em>, by Eric P. Kelly<br />
1930: <em>Hitty, Her First Hundred Years</em>, by Rachel Field<br />
1931: <em>The Cat Who Went to Heaven</em>, by Elizabeth Coatsworth<br />
1932: <em>Waterless Mountain</em>, by Laura Adams Armer<br />
1933: <em>Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze</em>, by Elizabeth Lewis<br />
1934: <em>Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women</em>, by Cornelia Meigs<br />
1935: <em>Dobry</em>, by Monica Shannon<br />
1936: <em>Caddie Woodlawn</em>, by Carol Ryrie Brink<br />
1937: <em>Roller Skates</em>, by Ruth Sawyer<br />
1938: <em>The White Stag</em>, by Kate Seredy<br />
1939: <em>Thimble Summer</em>, by Elizabeth Enright<br />
1940: <em>Daniel Boone</em>, by James Daugherty<br />
1941: <em>Call It Courage</em>, by Armstrong Sperry<br />
1942: <em>The Matchlock Gun</em>, by Walter Edmonds<br />
1943: <em>Adam of the Road</em>, by Elizabeth Janet Gray<br />
1944: <em>Johnny Tremain</em>, by Esther Forbes<br />
1945: <em>Rabbit Hill</em>, by Robert Lawson<br />
1946: <em>Strawberry Girl</em>, by Lois Lenski<br />
1947: <em>Miss Hickory</em>, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey<br />
1948: <em>The Twenty-One Balloons</em>, by William Pène du Bois<br />
1949: <em>King of the Wind</em>, by Marguerite Henry<br />
1950: <em>The Door in the Wall</em>, by Marguerite de Angeli<br />
1951: <em>Amos Fortune, Free Man</em>, by Elizabeth Yates<br />
1952: <em>Ginger Pye</em>, by Eleanor Estes<br />
1953: <em>Secret of the Andes</em>, by Ann Nolan Clark<br />
1954: <em>...And Now Miguel</em>, by Joseph Krumgold<br />
1955: <em>The Wheel on the School</em>, by Meindert DeJong<br />
1956: <em>Carry On, Mr Bowditch</em>, by Jean Lee Latham<br />
1957: <em>Miracles on Maple Hill</em>, by Virginia Sorensen<br />
1958: <em>Rifles for Watie</em>, by Harold Keith<br />
1959: <em>The Witch of Blackbird Pond</em>, by Elizabeth George Speare<br />
1960: <em>Onion John</em>, by Joseph Krumgold<br />
1961: <em>Island of the Blue Dolphins</em>, by Scott O'Dell<br />
1962: <em>The Bronze Bow</em>, by Elizabeth George Speare<br />
1963: <em>A Wrinkle in Time</em>, by Madeleine L'Engle<br />
1964: <em>It's Like This, Cat</em>, by Emily Neville<br />
1965: <em>Shadow of a Bull</em>, by Maia Wojciechowska<br />
1966: <em>I, Juan de Pareja</em>, by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino<br />
1967: <em>Up a Road Slowly</em>, by Irene Hunt<br />
1968: <em>From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler</em>, by E L Konigsburg<br />
1969: <em>The High King</em>, by Lloyd Alexander<br />
1970: <em>Sounder</em>, by William H Armstrong<br />
1971: <em>The Summer of the Swans</em>, by Betsy Byars<br />
1972: <em>Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH</em>, by Robert C O'Brien<br />
1973: <em>Julie of the Wolves</em>, by Jean Craighead George<br />
1974: <em>The Slave Dancer</em>, by Paula Fox<br />
1975: <em>M C Higgins, the Great</em>, by Virginia Hamilton<br />
1976: <em>The Grey King</em>, by Susan Cooper<br />
1977: <em>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry</em>, by Mildred D Taylor<br />
1978: <em>Bridge to Terabithia</em>, by Katherine Paterson<br />
1979: <em>The Westing Game</em>, by Ellen Raskin<br />
1980: <em>A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832</em>, by Joan W Blos<br />
1981: <em>Jacob Have I Loved</em>, by Katherine Paterson<br />
1982: <em>A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers</em>, by Nancy Willard<br />
1983: <em>Dicey's Song</em>, by Cynthia Voigt<br />
1984: <em>Dear Mr Henshaw</em>, by Beverly Cleary<br />
1985: <em>The Hero and the Crown</em>, by Robin McKinley<br />
1986: <em>Sarah, Plain and Tall</em>, by Patricia MacLachlan<br />
1987: <em>The Whipping Boy</em>, by Sid Fleischman<br />
1988: <em>Lincoln: A Photobiography</em>, by Russell Freedman<br />
1989: <em>Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices</em>, by Paul Fleischman<br />
1990: <em>Number the Stars</em>, by Lois Lowry<br />
1991: <em>Maniac Magee</em>, by Jerry Spinelli<br />
1992: <em>Shiloh</em>, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor<br />
1993: <em>Missing May</em>, by Cynthia Rylant<br />
1994: <em>The Giver</em>, by Lois Lowry<br />
1995: <em>Walk Two Moons</em>, by Sharon Creech<br />
1996: <em>The Midwife's Apprentice</em>, by Karen Cushman<br />
1997: <em>The View from Saturday</em>, by E L Konigsburg<br />
1998: <em>Out of the Dust</em>, by Karen Hesse<br />
1999: <em>Holes</em>, by Louis Sachar<br />
2000: <em>Bud, Not Buddy</em>, by Christopher Paul Curtis<br />
2001: <em>A Year Down Yonder</em>, by Richard Peck<br />
2002: <em>A Single Shard</em>, by Linda Sue Park<br />
2003: <em>Crispin: The Cross of Lead</em>, by Avi<br />
2004: <em>The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread</em>, by Kate DiCamillo<br />
2005: <em>Kira-Kira</em>, by Cynthia Kadohata<br />
2006: <em>Criss Cross</em>, by Lynne Rae Perkins<br />
2007: <em>The Higher Power of Lucky</em>, by Susan Patron, illustrated by Matt Phelan<br />
2008: <em>Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village</em>, by Laura Amy Schlitz<br />
2009: <em>The Graveyard Book</em>, by Neil Gaiman<br />
2010: <i>When You Reach Me</i>, by Rebecca Stead<br />
2011: <i>Moon Over Manifest</i>, by Clare Vanderpool<br />
2012: <i>Dead End in Norvelt</i>, by Jack Gantos<br />
2013: <i>The One and Only Ivan</i>, by Katherine Applegate<br />
2014: <i>Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures</i>, by Kate DiCamillo<br />
2015: <i>The Crossover</i>, by Kwame Alexander<br />
2016: <i>Last Stop on Market Street</i>, by Matt de la Peña<br />
2017: <i>The Girl Who Drank the Moon</i>, by Kelly Barnhill<br />
2018: <i>Hello, Universe</i>, by Erin Entrada Kelly<br />
2019: <i>Merci Suárez Changes Gears</i>, by Meg Medina<br />
2020: <i>New Kid</i>, by Jerry Craft<br />
2021: <i>When You Trap a Tiger</i>, by Tae Keller<br />
</blockquote>
As you can see, a few fortunate writers have won the medal twice: Joseph Krumgold (1954 and 1960), Elizabeth George Speare (1959, 1962), E L Konigsburg (1968, 1997), Katherine Paterson (1978, 1981) and Lois Lowry (1990, 1994), Kate DiCamillo (2004, 2014). Sharon Creech was the first author to receive both the Newbery Medal (1995) and its British equivalent, the Carnegie Medal (2002, for <em>Ruby Holler</em>); Neil Gaiman did her one better by receiving both awards for the same book, <i>The Graveyard Book</i> (Newbery 2009, Carnegie 2010).<br />
<br />
As far as I know, all of these are still in print and available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble (although I recommend buying them through an independent bookseller instead) except <i>Daniel Boone</i>, which is much too racist for modern sensitivities.RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-74313378073657149112021-04-03T16:50:00.003-04:002021-05-17T15:26:38.781-04:00Book List - Jan-Mar 2021<i>Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America</i> -- history, by John M Barry<div><i>The Apocalypse Troll</i> -- SF, by David Weber</div><div><i>Dead Doubles: The Extraordinary Worldwide Hunt for One of the Cold War's Most Notorious Spy Rings</i> -- history, by Trevor Barnes</div><div><i>Dead Aim</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry</div><div><i>Stone Spring</i> -- AH, by Stephen Baxter</div><div><i>Bronze Summer</i> -- AH, by Stephen Baxter</div><div><i>Iron Winter</i> -- AH, by Stephen Baxter</div><div><i>How the Girl Guides Won the War</i> -- history, by Janie Hampton</div><div><i>Pulling Through</i> -- postapocalyptic fiction, by Dean Ing</div><div><i>Siva!</i> (aka <i>The Lost Millenium</i>) -- SF, by Walt and Leigh Richmond *<div><div>"Where I Wasn't Going" -- SF, by Walt and Leigh Richmond</div></div><div><i>Tarzan: The Lost Adventure</i> -- adventure, by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Joe R Lansdale *</div><div><div><i>Castle Hangnail</i> -- children's fantasy, by Ursula Vernon</div></div><div><i>A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II</i> -- WW II, by Simon Parkin</div><div><i>Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy</i> -- WW II, by Larry Loftis</div><div><i>1634: The Galileo Affair</i> -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis</div><div><i>1634: The Bavarian Crisis</i> -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce *</div><div><i>Ring of Fire II</i> -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint</div><div><i>1635: The Cannon Law</i> -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis</div><div><i>Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen</i> -- SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold</div><div><i>1632</i> -- 1632, by Eric Flint *</div><div><i>1633</i> -- 1632, by David Weber and Eric Flint *</div><div><i>1634: The Baltic War</i> -- 1632, by Eric Flint and David Weber *</div><div><i>Grantville Gazette II</i> -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint *</div><div><i>Ring of Fire</i> -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint</div><div><i>Grantville Gazette</i> -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint</div><div><i>Grantville Gazette III</i> -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint *</div><div><i>1634: The Ram Rebellion</i> -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce *</div><div><div><i>The Danish Scheme</i> -- 1632, by Herbert Sakalaucks *</div><div><i>1635: The Dreeson Incident</i> -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce</div><div><i>Grantville Gazette IV</i> -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint *</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>31 books this time round, 11 of them rereads (marked by asterisks). Technically speaking, <i>Siva!</i> wasn't a reread -- what I read back in the '60s was <i>The Lost Millenium</i>, the original version; no idea what differences there might be between the two.<br /><br />I set out to read all of the "1632" books I hadn't read yet (or at least as many as I could get my hands on -- the public library here has most of the books published by Baen, but none of the Ring of Fire Press books. However, it had been eight and a half years since I read the first few books in the series, so I decided to just (re)read all of them. (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_in_the_1632_series">Wiki</a> lists a total of 68 published thus far, assuming I counted correctly, with two more to be published in April and May.) This, of course, has made Flint the most-read author and AH the most-read subject of the quarter, not to mention the remainder of the year.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Edited 17 May 21 to change the category of the 1632 books from "AH" to "1632".</span></div>RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-1997927221081300782021-01-04T15:24:00.001-05:002021-01-04T15:24:00.808-05:00Book List - 2020<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwz6jXiz8GpRmqclT_1_97zzHIjLSESHLFt8dC1xaxJqaiCpwrNP-kOGNiwupIxWAFAAo6QKiWGY__QKVliWFw9Ez9tZn2vlNVpTQgDzkuq1WaOljhbwF6TwYWW02qVRz4zHBSA/s320/SiS.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="219" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwz6jXiz8GpRmqclT_1_97zzHIjLSESHLFt8dC1xaxJqaiCpwrNP-kOGNiwupIxWAFAAo6QKiWGY__QKVliWFw9Ez9tZn2vlNVpTQgDzkuq1WaOljhbwF6TwYWW02qVRz4zHBSA/w137-h200/SiS.jpg" width="137" /></a>And here they are - the 166 books I read in 2020, numbered in the order I completed them:<div><br /></div><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-cfseQEIHUVNz8aXp1jmnq_KBAV3-Oz7SKnzNA730_JFO-I6pYde9iwxE_kY7ZmMVwcMJg30nyGvebqpsOqALdx29b9-KFIQrkdWyA8TcC84cj8VIkRK6hyphenhyphenXBTJvjYXYRGttHQ/s200/Harry+August.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="131" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-cfseQEIHUVNz8aXp1jmnq_KBAV3-Oz7SKnzNA730_JFO-I6pYde9iwxE_kY7ZmMVwcMJg30nyGvebqpsOqALdx29b9-KFIQrkdWyA8TcC84cj8VIkRK6hyphenhyphenXBTJvjYXYRGttHQ/w131-h200/Harry+August.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCailz4X43pkO-Qlmr1TSn7RsxKqeJIRcyWI5XulFufTS6k8mTtoTn2fdRvLyICevrX3CbHj1SrSM-CPzOlq7WtGgjj-pMVVBSnifOfTIwBKKYSIH8YisLEn14PHRN8eo85056mQ/s500/Ashley.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCailz4X43pkO-Qlmr1TSn7RsxKqeJIRcyWI5XulFufTS6k8mTtoTn2fdRvLyICevrX3CbHj1SrSM-CPzOlq7WtGgjj-pMVVBSnifOfTIwBKKYSIH8YisLEn14PHRN8eo85056mQ/w133-h200/Ashley.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>Adult Fiction (116)</b><br />
3. <i>The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall</i> -- SF (short stories), by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
4. <i>Turn Coat</i> -- urban fantasy (Dresden #11), by Jim Butcher<br />
6. <i>Going Postal</i> -- fantasy, by Terry Pratchett<br />
8. <i>Making Money</i> -- fantasy, by Terry Pratchett<br />
9. <i>Directive 51</i> -- SF, by John Barnes<br />
11. <i>Dragonsdawn</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
14. <i>Dragonseye</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
16. <i>The Dolphins of Pern</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
18. <i>The Skies of Pern</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
19. <i>Dragon's Code</i> -- SF, by Gigi McCaffrey<br />
21. <i>The Renegades of Pern</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
22. <i>A Gift of Dragons</i> -- SF (short stories), by Anne McCaffrey<br />
23. <i>Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
24. <i>Dragonheart</i> -- SF, by Todd McCaffrey<br />
25. <i>Dragongirl</i> -- SF, by Todd McCaffrey<br />
26. <i>Dragon's Time</i> -- SF, by Anne and Todd McCaffrey<br />
28. <i>Sky Dragons</i> -- SF, by Anne and Todd McCaffrey<br />
29. <i>Dragonsblood</i> -- SF, by Todd McCaffrey *<br />
30. <i>Strip</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
31. <i>Track of the Cat</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #1), by Nevada Barr *<br />
32. <i>A Superior Death</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #2), by Nevada Barr<br />
33. <i>Ill Wind</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #3), by Nevada Barr<br />
34. <i>The Burglar</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
35. <i>Firestorm</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #4), by Nevada Barr<br />
37. <i>Endangered Species</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #5), by Nevada Barr<br />
38. <i>Blind Descent</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #6), by Nevada Barr<br />
39. <i>Fidelity</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
40. <i>Liberty Falling</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #7), by Nevada Barr *<br />
41. <i>Deep South</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #8), by Nevada Barr *<br />
42. <i>Forty Thieves</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
43. <i>Hit List</i> -- thriller, by Lawrence Block<br />
44. <i>Blood Lure</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #9), by Nevada Barr *<br />
45. <i>Hunting Season</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #10), by Nevada Barr<br />
46. <i>The Old Man</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
47. <i>Flashback</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #11), by Nevada Barr<br />
48. <i>High Country</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #12), by Nevada Barr<br />
49. <i>Hit Parade</i> -- thriller (short stories), by Lawrence Block<br />
50. <i>Hard Truth</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #13), by Nevada Barr<br />
51. <i>Pursuit</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
52. <i>Winter Study</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #14), by Nevada Barr<br />
53. <i>Borderline</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #15), by Nevada Barr<br />
55. <i>Hit and Run</i> -- thriller, by Lawrence Block<br />
56. <i>Silence</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
57. <i>Burn</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #16), by Nevada Barr<br />
59. <i>The Rope</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #0), by Nevada Barr<br />
60. <i>Nightlife</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
61. <i>Destroyer Angel</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #17), by Nevada Barr<br />
62. <i>Boar Island</i> -- mystery (Pigeon #18), by Nevada Barr<br />
63. <i>The Boyfriend</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
64. <i>A Flock of Ships</i> -- WWII fiction, by Brian Callison *<br />
65. <i>Metzger's Dog</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry *<br />
67. <i>Grave Importance</i> -- urban fantasy, by Vivian Shaw<br />
71. <i>Jan of the Jungle</i> -- adventure, by Otis Adelbert Kline<br />
73. <i>A Skeleton in the House</i> -- mystery, by Leigh Perry<br />
74. <i>The Skeleton Takes a Bow</i> -- mystery, by Leigh Perry<br />
75. <i>The Skeleton Haunts a House</i> -- mystery, by Leigh Perry<br />
76. <i>Conquistador</i> -- AH, by S M Stirling *<br />
77. <i>The Coming of the Quantum Cats</i> -- AH, by Frederick Pohl<br />
78. <i>The Dancer from Atlantis</i> -- time travel, by Poul Anderson *<br />
79. <i>Swords and Deviltry</i> -- fantasy, by Fritz Leiber<br />
81. <i>Captain Vorpatril's Alliance</i> -- SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
83. <i>The Big Black Mark</i> -- SF, by A Bertram Chandler *<br />
85. <i>The Long Skeleton</i> -- mystery (North #22), by Frances and Richard Lockridge<br />
88. <i>Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 2 (1940)</i> -- SF (short stories), edited by Isaac Asimov and Martin H Greenberg<br />
89. <i>Out of Order</i> -- mystery (Mayo #9), by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
90. <i>Knight Fall</i> (aka <i>Murder at the War</i>) -- mystery, by Mary Monica Pulver *<br />
91. <i>Janissaries</i> -- SF, by Jerry Pournelle *<br />
92. <i>Birds of Prey</i> -- SF, by David Drake *<br />
93. <i>The Time Trap Gambit</i> -- time travel, by Larry Maddock *<br />
94. <i>Voyage Into Violence</i> -- mystery (North #21), by Richard and Frances Lockridge<br />
95. <i>The Fantastic World War II: The War That Wasn't</i> -- WWII fantasy, edited by Frank McSherry Jr<br />
96. <i>Thunderball</i> -- thriller, by Ian Fleming<br />
97. <i>Masters of the Fist</i> -- apocalyptic fiction (short stories), by Edward P Hughes<br />
98. <i>High Justice</i> -- SF (short stories), by Jerry Pournelle<br />
99. <i>Zarsthor's Bane</i> -- fantasy, by Andre Norton<br />
100. <i>Rocheworld</i> -- SF, by Robert L Forward<br />
101. <i>The Colour of Magic</i> -- fantasy, by Terry Pratchett<br />
102. <i>A Malady of Magicks</i> -- fantasy, by Craig Shaw Gardner<br />
103. <i>Prince of Sparta</i> -- SF, by Jerry Pournelle and S M Stirling *<br />
105. <i>No Enemy But Time</i> -- time travel, by Michael Bishop<br />
107. <i>The Maker of Universes</i> -- SF, by Philip Jose Farmer *<br />
108. <i>The Outlaw of Torn</i> -- historical fiction, by Edgar Rice Burroughs *<br />
109. <i>Taylor's Ark</i> -- SF, by Jody Lynn Nye<br />
110. <i>Random Death</i> -- mystery (Varallo #11), by Lesley Egan *<br />
111. <i>Crime for Christmas</i> -- mystery (Varallo #12), by Lesley Egan *<br />
113. <i>The Planet of Peril</i> -- planetary adventure, by Otis Adelbert Kline<br />
118. <i>Mysterium</i> -- SF, by Robert Charles Wilson<br />
120. <i>Marie</i> -- historical fiction, by H Rider Haggard<br />
122. <i>A Study in Sable</i> -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
127. <i>A Scandal in Battersea</i> -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
129. <i>The Bartered Brides</i> -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
131. <i>The Wizard of London</i> -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
132. <i>The Case of the Spellbound Child</i> -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
134. <i>Stars Uncharted</i> -- SF, by S K Dunstall<br />
137. <i>Stars Beyond</i> -- SF, by S K Dunstall<br />
138. <i>1636: The Atlantic Encounter</i> -- AH, by Eric Flint and Walter H Hunt<br />
140. <i>The Legacy of Heorot</i> -- SF, by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes *<br />
141. <i>Beowulf's Children</i> -- SF, by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes<br />
143. <i>Starborn and Godsons</i> -- SF, by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes<br />
144. <i>The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August</i> -- SF, by Claire North<br />
145. <i>Peace Talks</i> -- urban fantasy (Dresden #16), by Jim Butcher<br />
146. <i>The Pursuit of the Pankera</i> -- SF, by Robert A Heinlein<br />
<div>149. <i>Except the Dying</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #1), by Maureen Jennings</div>150. <i>Raven Black</i> -- mystery (Perez #1), by Ann Cleeves<br />151. <i>Blue Lightning</i> -- mystery (Perez #4), by Ann Cleeves<br />152. <i>Under the Dragon's Tail</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #2), by Maureen Jennings<br />153. <i>Poor Tom Is Cold</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #3), by Maureen Jennings<br />154. <i>Season of Darkness</i> -- mystery (Tyler #1), by Maureen Jennings<br />155. <i>Night's Child</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #5), by Maureen Jennings<br />156. <i>Battle Ground</i> -- urban fantasy (Dresden #17), by Jim Butcher<div><div>157. <i>A Journeyman to Grief</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #7), by Maureen Jennings</div><span>159. <i>No Known Grave</i> -- mystery (Tyler #3), by Maureen Jennings<br />160. <i>Let Darkness Bury the Dead</i> -- mystery</span> (Murdoch #8), by Maureen Jennings<br />161. <i>1637: No Peace Beyond the Line</i> -- AH, by Eric Flint and Charles E Gannon<br />162. <i>The Falcon Always Wings Twice</i> -- mystery (Langslow #27), by Donna Andrews<div>165. <i>The Gift of the Magpie</i> -- mystery (Langslow #28), by Donna Andrews</div><div><br /></div><div></div>
<b>Juvenile/YA Fiction (12)</b><br />
69. <i>The Penderwicks in Spring</i> -- children's, by Jeanne Birdsall<br />
72. <i>The Boy Scouts on a Submarine</i> -- YA, by Captain John Blaine<br />
114. <i>The Penderwicks at Last</i> -- children's, by Jeanne Birdsall<br />
115. <i>Smugglers' Reef</i> -- YA thriller (Brant #7), by John Blaine<br />
116. <i>The Caves of Fear</i> -- YA thriller (Brant #8), by John Blaine<br />
117. <i>The Mystery of the Iron Box</i> -- YA thriller, by Bruce Campbell<br />
123. <i>The Golden Skull</i> -- YA thriller (Brant #10), by John Blaine<br />
124. <i>The Wailing Octopus</i> -- YA thriller (Brant #11), by John Blaine<br />
125. <i>The Electronic Mind Reader</i> -- YA thriller (Brant #12), by John Blaine<br />
126. <i>The Scarlet Lake Mystery</i> -- YA thriller (Brant #13), by John Blaine<br />
<div>163. <i>Nation</i> -- YA fiction, by Terry Pratchett</div><div>164. <i>Dodger</i> -- YA fiction, by Terry Pratchett<br /></div><div><br /></div>
<b>Non-Fiction (38)</b><br />
1. <i>1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus</i> -- history, by Charles C Mann<br />
2. <i>1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created</i> -- history, by Charles C Mann<br />
5. <i>Death from the Skies!: The Science Behind the End of the World</i> -- astronomy, by Philip Plait PhD<br />
7. <i>Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII</i> -- WW II, by Deborah Cadbury<br />
10. <i>Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary</i> -- WWII memoir, by Traudl Junge, Melissa Müller (editor)<br />
12. <i>The Queen's Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth's Court</i> -- history, by Anna Whitelock <br />
13. <i>A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History</i> -- anthropology, by Nicholas Wade<br />
15. <i>In the Footsteps of Eve: The Mystery of Human Origins</i> -- palaeoanthropology, by Lee R Berger PhD with Brett Hilton-Barber<br />
17. <i>Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors</i> -- anthropology, by Nicholas Wade<br />
20. <i>When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt</i> -- history, by Kara Cooney<br />
27. <i>Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain</i> -- travel/archaeology, by Charlotte Higgins<br />
36. <i>The </i>Whydah<i>: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked & Found</i> -- children's history/archaeology, by Martin W Sandler <br />
54. <i>Five Days That Shocked the World: Eyewitness Accounts from Europe at the End of World War II</i> -- WW II, by Nicholas Best<br />
58. <i>Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich</i> -- WW II, by Joachim Fest<br />
66. <i>Ravensbrück: Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women</i> -- WW II, by Sarah Helm<br />
68. <i>Empire of Secrets: British Intelligence, the Cold War, and the Twilight of Empire</i> -- history, by Calder Walton<br />
70. <i>A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII</i> -- biography, by Sarah Helm<br />
80. <i>In Search of the Neanderthals: Solving the Puzzle of Human Origins</i> -- palaeoanthropology, by Christopher Stringer and Clive Gamble<br />
82. <i>Hitler's Teutonic Knights: SS Panzers in Action</i> -- WW II, by Bruce Quarrie<br />
84. <i>The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall</i> -- history, by Christopher Hibbert<br />
86. <i>Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History</i> -- palaeontology, by Xiaoming Wang and Richard H Tedford<br />
87. <i>The Velvet Claw: A Natural History of the Carnivores</i> -- zoology, by David Macdonald<br />
104. <i>The Scottish Highlanders: A Personal View</i> -- history, by Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin<br />
106. <i>The Devil's Birthday: The Bridges to Arnhem, 1944</i> -- WW II, by Geoffrey Powell<br />
112. <i>Tin Cans and Greyhounds: The Destroyers That Won Two World Wars</i> -- naval history, by Clint Johnson<br />
119. <i>The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines</i> -- WW II, by Cate Lineberry<br />
121. <i>The Man Called Brown Condor: The Forgotten History of an African American Fighter Pilot</i> -- biography, by Thomas E Simmons<br />
128. <i>Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times</i> -- memoir, by Jennifer Worth<br />
130. <i>Women of Valor: The Rochambelles on the WWII Front</i> -- WW II, by Ellen Hampton<br />
133. <i>Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence</i> -- US history, by Joseph J Ellis<br />
135. <i>The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789</i> -- US history, by Joseph J Ellis<br />
136. <i>Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence</i> -- US history, by Carol Berkin<br />
139. <i>Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields</i> -- WW II, by Wendy Lower<br />
142. <i>Victorian London: The Tale of a City 1840-1870</i> -- history, by Liza Picard<br />
<div>147. <i>Mayday 1971: A White House at War, a Revolt in the Streets, and the Untold History of Ameri</i><i>ca's Biggest Mass Arrest</i> -- history, by Lawrence Roberts</div>148. <i>We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey back to the Battlefields of Vietnam</i> -- memoir, by LTG Harold G Moore and Joseph L Galloway <br />158. <i>By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English</i> -- language, by David Crystal<br />
<div>166. <i>Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield</i> -- military history, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
Retirement has done good things for my reading. Books? 40 mysteries, 39 SF/AH/time travel, 38 non-fiction, 21 thrillers, 16 fantasy of various kinds. And only 27 rereads (marked by asterisks). Authors? 19 by Nevada Barr, 10 each by Anne McCaffrey (with or without her son Todd) and Thomas Perry, 8 by Maureen Jennings, 7 by John Blaine, 6 by Terry Pratchett.</div><div><br /></div><div>Top three books of the year were <i>A Study in Sable</i>, <i>The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August</i>, and <i>Ashley's War</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>
So many books, so little time....</div></div>RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-36191078065524876402021-01-02T13:13:00.001-05:002021-01-02T13:13:00.205-05:00Book list -- Oct-Dec 2020<i>Mayday 1971: A White House at War, a Revolt in the Streets, and the Untold History of America's Biggest Mass Arrest</i> -- history, by Lawrence Roberts<br />
<i>We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey back to the Battlefields of Vietnam</i> -- memoir, by LTG Harold G Moore and Joseph L Galloway <br />
<i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtf2xZihU6wffMXLRRs9IAHG807RYLS57dZCh-t5F_dYdoBDa1QQEr6RdyMEGoGTgqWo1U40hm_dpKQYGGXmSqDDEvBeFUnUI63nzIDyZdtPjKMZY4CDx63CTZ0eC7nCiO4jneg/s500/Ashley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtf2xZihU6wffMXLRRs9IAHG807RYLS57dZCh-t5F_dYdoBDa1QQEr6RdyMEGoGTgqWo1U40hm_dpKQYGGXmSqDDEvBeFUnUI63nzIDyZdtPjKMZY4CDx63CTZ0eC7nCiO4jneg/w133-h200/Ashley.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Except the Dying</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #1), by Maureen Jennings<br />
<i>Raven Black</i> -- mystery (Perez #1), by Ann Cleeves<br />
<i>Blue Lightning</i> -- mystery (Perez #4), by Ann Cleeves<br />
<i>Under the Dragon's Tail</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #2), by Maureen Jennings<br />
<i>Poor Tom Is Cold</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #3), by Maureen Jennings<br />
<i>Season of Darkness</i> -- mystery (Tyler #1), by Maureen Jennings<br />
<i>Night's Child</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #5), by Maureen Jennings<br />
<i>Battle Ground</i> -- urban fantasy (Dresden #17), by Jim Butcher<br />
<i>A Journeyman to Grief</i> -- mystery (Murdoch #7), by Maureen Jennings<br /><i>By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English</i> -- language, by David Crystal<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>No Known Grave</i> -- mystery (Tyler #3), by Maureen Jennings<br /><i>Let Darkness Bury the Dead</i> -- mystery</span> (Murdoch #8), by Maureen Jennings<br /><i>1637: No Peace Beyond the Line</i> -- AH, by Eric Flint and Charles E Gannon<br /><i>The Falcon Always Wings Twice</i> -- mystery (Langslow #27), by Donna Andrews<div><i>Nation</i> -- fiction, by Terry Pratchett</div><div><i>Dodger</i> -- fiction, by Terry Pratchett<br /><div><div><i>The Gift of the Magpie</i> -- mystery (Langslow #28), by Donna Andrews</div></div><div><div><i>Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield</i> -- military history, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSr2KZYOsL9KPT3EoBVAdLNE_hMP2C6EQGdfurdQAGgJJ2RZN9krY8TQMiSEkwtH44W8J6x0CUs8VXCZBSMO-GS90oXg2BuYHxzKJ5ZM4J6NYFO9-wcI9_UozvnnUEHfZCLYc7ag/s499/Nation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="330" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSr2KZYOsL9KPT3EoBVAdLNE_hMP2C6EQGdfurdQAGgJJ2RZN9krY8TQMiSEkwtH44W8J6x0CUs8VXCZBSMO-GS90oXg2BuYHxzKJ5ZM4J6NYFO9-wcI9_UozvnnUEHfZCLYc7ag/w133-h200/Nation.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />20 books this time round, none of them rereads. Rather heavy on mysteries this year....</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd say <i>Nation</i> and <i>Ashley's War</i> were the best books of the quarter. <br /><br /></div></div>RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-90578230748684077992020-10-03T21:20:00.210-04:002020-10-05T15:09:19.046-04:00Book list - Jul-Sep 2020<i>Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times</i> -- memoir, by Jennifer Worth<br />
<i>The Bartered Brides</i> -- historical fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
<i>Women of Valor: The Rochambelles on the WWII Front</i> -- WW II, by Ellen Hampton<br />
<div>
<i>The Wizard of London</i> -- historical fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey</div>
<i>The Case of the Spellbound Child</i> -- historical fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
<i>Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence</i> -- US history, by Joseph J Ellis<br />
<i>Stars Uncharted</i> -- SF, by S K Dunstall<br /><i>The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789</i> -- US history, by Joseph J Ellis<br /><i>Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence</i> -- US history, by Carol Berkin<div><div><i>Stars Beyond</i> -- SF, by S K Dunstall</div><div><i>1636: The Atlantic Encounter</i> -- AH, by Eric Flint and Walter H Hunt</div><div><i>Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields</i> -- WW II, by Wendy Lower</div></div><div><div><i>The Legacy of Heorot</i> -- SF, by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes *</div></div><div><div><i>Beowulf's Children</i> -- SF, by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes</div><div></div><div><i>Victorian London: The Tale of a City 1840-1870</i> -- history, by Liza Picard</div><div><i>Starborn and Godsons</i> -- SF, by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes</div></div><div><i>The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August</i> -- SF, by Claire North</div><div><i>Peace Talks</i> -- urban fantasy (Dresden #16), by Jim Butcher</div><div><i>The Pursuit of the Pankera</i> -- SF, by Robert A Heinlein</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Got sidetracked a few times, so there were just 19 books this time round, only one of them a reread (marked by an asterisk). Seven SF and AH books, six history (seven, I guess, counting North's memoir as history), and three fantasy (Misty Lackey's Holmes-meets-magic tales, to go with the two I read last quarter).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71f-vAmogzIPUb4m430ruQ53626pOvpwv2e4XqhibzkkmY4JKPJi6jNELEI10Zr5o2REEZTk7Zg2yhy38bca3T6adc9z2xWoMPrh_gd1M0C0Y1jRqsHAjdFNfiPqqoIQcYXws2A/s277/Harry+August.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71f-vAmogzIPUb4m430ruQ53626pOvpwv2e4XqhibzkkmY4JKPJi6jNELEI10Zr5o2REEZTk7Zg2yhy38bca3T6adc9z2xWoMPrh_gd1M0C0Y1jRqsHAjdFNfiPqqoIQcYXws2A/w131-h200/Harry+August.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>I'm calling <i>Harry August</i> the best book I read this quarter, followed by <i>Stars Uncharted</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Starborn and Godsons</i> suffers from a problem common to sequels written well after (over twenty years, in this case) the preceding book: Discrepancies caused by the author's not remembering what he/she/they had written before. The first thing I noticed was that two characters' names had been changed, but the really annoying thing was problems with directions -- locations that were south of the colony in the first two books are now described as being to the north, even though the original map from the first book was included in this one.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Pankera</i> is a "new" book by Heinlein; after all these years someone finally noticed that if the story fragments included in Heinlein's papers were assembled in the correct order, they made a complete book. It was written in parallel with <i>The Number of the Beast</i> (1980), and in fact the first 150-odd pages of the two books are nearly identical. Then the stories diverge -- and I personally think the wrong one was published, and the wrong one set aside. <i>Pankera</i> includes more Barsoom, a lot more Galactic Patrol, and almost zero Lazarus Long.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBrJM11Cf5jcEtGs1pVDgqXVUXUjD_-Ko8TLM0oxZ2JObSHqQ7_2bs6kWF8yCbvFlatc22xA3UFqRveYNSduR4Xak8XIT2o9aSF3XJEpOl2qx4k2avSfvej2pRxvt8WyF8UBg7Q/s277/Pankera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBrJM11Cf5jcEtGs1pVDgqXVUXUjD_-Ko8TLM0oxZ2JObSHqQ7_2bs6kWF8yCbvFlatc22xA3UFqRveYNSduR4Xak8XIT2o9aSF3XJEpOl2qx4k2avSfvej2pRxvt8WyF8UBg7Q/w131-h200/Pankera.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-17472281850243224332020-07-03T11:05:00.001-04:002021-01-05T17:07:37.763-05:00Book List - Apr-Jun 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS71tKAPkHvA4NvvTQs5y0PjYL6cr67M6tJZKfQF9zHnsfbVxDsZK8lYz21hSVYMpm33n9zmX62PuuVNrkjNrkcdJm0aOPsrA9ynh-X45FMBYwhfWg66hg-nu2iKX8_kFXQw3XKw/s1600/CVA.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS71tKAPkHvA4NvvTQs5y0PjYL6cr67M6tJZKfQF9zHnsfbVxDsZK8lYz21hSVYMpm33n9zmX62PuuVNrkjNrkcdJm0aOPsrA9ynh-X45FMBYwhfWg66hg-nu2iKX8_kFXQw3XKw/s320/CVA.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<i>In Search of the Neanderthals: Solving the Puzzle of Human Origins</i> -- palaeoanthropology, by Christopher Stringer and Clive Gamble<br />
<i>Captain Vorpatril's Alliance</i> -- SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
<i>Hitler's Teutonic Knights: SS Panzers in Action</i> -- WW II, by Bruce Quarrie<br />
<i>The Big Black Mark</i> -- SF, by A Bertram Chandler *<br />
<i>The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall</i> -- history, by Christopher Hibbert<br />
<i>The Long Skeleton</i> -- mystery, by Frances and Richard Lockridge<br />
<i>Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History</i> -- palaeontology, by Xiaoming Wang and Richard H Tedford<br />
<i>The Velvet Claw: A Natural History of the Carnivores</i> -- zoology, by David Macdonald<br />
<i>Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 2 (1940)</i> -- SF (short stories), edited by Isaac Asimov and Martin H Greenberg<br />
<i>Out of Order</i> -- mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
<i>Knight Fall</i> (aka <i>Murder at the War</i>) -- mystery, by Mary Monica Pulver *<br />
<i>Janissaries</i> -- SF, by Jerry Pournelle *<br />
<i>Birds of Prey</i> -- SF, by David Drake *<br />
<i>The Time Trap Gambit</i> -- time travel, by Larry Maddock *<br />
<i>Voyage Into Violence</i> -- mystery, by Richard and Frances Lockridge<br />
<i>The Fantastic World War II: The War That Wasn't</i> -- WWII fantasy, edited by Frank McSherry Jr<br />
<i>Thunderball</i> -- thriller, by Ian Fleming<br />
<i>Masters of the Fist</i> -- apocalyptic fiction (short stories), by Edward P Hughes<br />
<i>High Justice</i> -- SF (short stories), by Jerry Pournelle<br />
<i>Zarsthor's Bane</i> -- fantasy, by Andre Norton<br />
<i>Rocheworld</i> -- SF, by Robert L Forward<br />
<i>The Colour of Magic</i> -- fantasy, by Terry Pratchett<br />
<i>A Malady of Magicks</i> -- fantasy, by Craig Shaw Gardner<br />
<i>Prince of Sparta</i> -- SF, by Jerry Pournelle and S M Stirling *<br />
<i>The Scottish Highlanders: A Personal View</i> -- history, by Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin<br />
<i>No Enemy But Time</i> -- time travel, by Michael Bishop<br />
<i>The Devil's Birthday: The Bridges to Arnhem, 1944</i> -- WW II, by Geoffrey Powell<br />
<i>The Maker of Universes</i> -- SF, by Philip Jose Farmer *<br />
<i>The Outlaw of Torn</i> -- historical fiction, by Edgar Rice Burroughs *<br />
<i>Taylor's Ark</i> -- SF, by Jody Lynn Nye<br />
<i>Random Death</i> -- mystery, by Lesley Egan *<br />
<i>Crime for Christmas</i> -- mystery, by Lesley Egan *<br />
<i>Tin Cans and Greyhounds: The Destroyers That Won Two World Wars</i> -- naval history, by Clint Johnson<br />
<i>The Planet of Peril</i> -- planetary adventure, by Otis Adelbert Kline<br />
<i>The Penderwicks at Last</i> -- children's, by Jeanne Birdsall<br />
<i>Smugglers' Reef</i> -- YA thriller (RB #7), by John Blaine<br />
<i>The Caves of Fear</i> -- YA thriller (RB #8), by John Blaine<br />
<i>The Mystery of the Iron Box</i> -- YA thriller, by Bruce Campbell<br />
<i>Mysterium</i> -- SF, by Robert Charles Wilson<br />
<i>The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines</i> -- WW II, by Cate Lineberry<br />
<i>Marie</i> -- historical fiction, by H Rider Haggard<br />
<i>The Man Called Brown Condor: The Forgotten History of an African American Fighter Pilot</i> -- biography, by Thomas E Simmons<br />
<i>A Study in Sable</i> -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
<i>The Golden Skull</i> -- YA thriller (RB #10), by John Blaine<br />
<i>The Wailing Octopus</i> -- YA thriller (RB #11), by John Blaine<br />
<i>The Electronic Mind Reader</i> -- YA thriller (RB #12), by John Blaine<br />
<i>The Scarlet Lake Mystery</i> -- YA thriller (RB #13), by John Blaine<br />
<i>A Scandal in Battersea</i> -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfH8muVyc5GTRYaav7yiAKHRbYpjCNNsAPp8XVXNS5jN3ictzq6Vcuop7aEnQX-NJoT3kvzvHX42nK_vllSbJFX84lUetRCvQf5Ovwc08Id85bY3qooAUAWXBQglpHJ8U7XF0sA/s1600/SiS.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfH8muVyc5GTRYaav7yiAKHRbYpjCNNsAPp8XVXNS5jN3ictzq6Vcuop7aEnQX-NJoT3kvzvHX42nK_vllSbJFX84lUetRCvQf5Ovwc08Id85bY3qooAUAWXBQglpHJ8U7XF0sA/s320/SiS.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
48 books this time round, ten of them rereads (marked by asterisks). <i>Captain Vorpatril's Alliance</i>, part of the Vorkosigan series, was the best book, with the two Lackeys, which mix Sherlock Holmes into her Elemental Masters series, close behind. Books included 15 SF and time travel, seven YA, six WW II and other history, six mysteries, six fantasy. Top author this quarter was John Blaine (a pseudonym for science writer Hal Goodwin), with six books.<br />
<br />
"RB" is Rick Brant -- a series of boys' books from the '50s and '60s. They're quite similar to the Hardy Boys books (a series that began in 1927), though Rick and Scotty aren't brothers, and while Fenton Hardy was a detective, Hartson Brant was a scientist. Goodwin called them "science adventures".<br />
<br />
<i>Tin Cans and Greyhounds</i> was an interesting book, mostly enjoyable. More space could have been devoted to British, German and other non-US ships, and I caught a few mistakes here and there, but the biggest problem was the index -- by far the worst I've ever seen. People are indexed not by the standard lastname-firstname-rank, but by rank-firstname-lastname, which in addition to making it difficult to find a person leads to one man's being listed twice, as he was promoted between his two mentions in the book.RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-35748310247071316732020-05-16T11:03:00.000-04:002020-05-16T11:03:20.247-04:00Living Medal of Honor Recipients<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cj8XwSKFtG0JXE9bnfSCO_qHSM4x4PCT80l5g0EflUGeTv_4zQ31GyiWin4GQJ-DQyIinv2CZOfnuTjwF8A56qmNCGCaJ5hVKnK4KFoGVCvbNJJhnvrKaTNDp9QrMwugSmx_eQ/s1600/moh.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504206340688371890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cj8XwSKFtG0JXE9bnfSCO_qHSM4x4PCT80l5g0EflUGeTv_4zQ31GyiWin4GQJ-DQyIinv2CZOfnuTjwF8A56qmNCGCaJ5hVKnK4KFoGVCvbNJJhnvrKaTNDp9QrMwugSmx_eQ/s400/moh.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 201px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 85%;">Left to right: Army, Navy/Marine Corps and Air Force Medals of Honor</span></div>
<br />
<br />
There are now 70 surviving MoH recipients. The complete list, with links to individual pages, can be found at the CMOHS site <a href="http://www.cmohs.org/living-recipients.php">here</a>; below is a simplified list, like that which I posted a few years ago.<br />
<br />
<strong>World War II</strong><br />
Charles H Coolidge, Technical Sergeant, US Army<br />
Hershel W Williams, Corporal, US Marine Corps<br />
<br />
<strong>Korean War</strong><br />
Duane E Dewey, Corporal, US Marine Corps<br />
Hiroshi H Miyamura, Corporal, US Army<br />
Ronald E Rosser, Corporal, US Army<br />
Robert E Simanek, Private First Class, US Marine Corps<br />
Ernest E West, Private First Class, US Army<br />
<br />
<strong>Vietnam War</strong><br />
John P Baca, Specialist Fourth Class, US Army<br />
Donald E Ballard, Hospital Corpsman Second Class, US Navy<br />
Harvey C Barnum Jr, Captain, US Marine Corps<br />
Gary B Beikirch, Sergeant, US Army<br />
Patrick H Brady, Major, US Army<br />
Paul W Bucha, Captain, US Army<br />
John L Canley, Gunnery Sergeant, US Marine Corps<br />
Bruce P Crandall, Major, US Army<br />
Sammy L Davis, Sergeant, US Army<br />
Drew D Dix, Staff Sergeant, US Army<br />
Roger H C Donlon, Captain, US Army<br />
Frederick E Ferguson, Chief Warrant Officer, US Army<br />
Michael J Fitzmaurice, Specialist Fourth Class, US Army<br />
James P Fleming, Captain, US Air Force<br />
Robert F Foley, Captain, US Army<br />
Harold A Fritz, Captain, US Army<br />
Charles C Hagemeister, Specialist Fifth Class, US Army<br />
Frank A Herda, Specialist Fourth Class, US Army<br />
Robert R Ingram, Hospital Corpsman Third Class, US Navy<br />
Jack H Jacobs, Captain, US Army<br />
Don J Jenkins, Staff Sergeant, US Army<br />
Thomas G Kelley, Lieutenant Commander, US Navy<br />
Allan J Kellogg Jr, Gunnery Sergeant, US Marine Corps<br />
Joseph R Kerrey, Lieutenant (Junior Grade), US Navy<br />
Peter C Lemon, Sergeant, US Army<br />
Gary L Littrell, Sergeant First Class, US Army<br />
James E Livingston, Captain, US Marine Corps<br />
Allen J Lynch, Sergeant, US Army<br />
Walter J Marm Jr, First Lieutenant, US Army<br />
James C McCloughan, Private First Class, US Army<br />
Robert J Modrzejewski, Major, US Marine Corps<br />
Melvin Morris, Staff Sergeant, US Army<br />
Thomas R Norris, Lieutenant, US Navy<br />
Robert E O'Malley, Sergeant, US Marine Corps<br />
Robert M Patterson, Sergeant, US Army<br />
Alfred V Rascon, Specialist Fourth Class, US Army<br />
Ronald Eric Ray, First Lieutenant, US Army<br />
Gordon R Roberts, Specialist Fourth Class, US Army<br />
Jose Rodela, Sergeant First Class, US Army<br />
Gary M Rose, Sergeant, US Army<br />
Clarence E Sasser, Specialist Fifth Class, US Army<br />
James M Sprayberry, Captain, US Army<br />
Kenneth E Stumpf, Specialist Fourth Class, US Army<br />
James A Taylor, Captain, US Army<br />
Brian M Thacker, First Lieutenant, US Army<br />
Michael E Thornton, Engineman Second Class, US Navy<br />
Jay R Vargas, Major, US Marine Corps<br />
Gary G Wetzel, Specialist Fourth Class, US Army<br />
<br />
<strong>Afghanistan</strong><br />
Edward C Byers Jr, Chief Special Warfare Operator, US Navy<br />
William Kyle Carpenter, Lance Corporal, US Marine Corps<br />
Ty M Carter, Specialist, US Army<br />
Salvatore A Giunta, Specialist, US Army<br />
Florent A Groberg, Captain, US Army<br />
Dakota Meyer, Corporal, US Marine Corps<br />
Leroy A Petry, Staff Sergeant, US Army<br />
Ryan M Pitts, Sergeant, US Army<br />
Clinton Romesha, Staff Sergeant, US Army<br />
Ronald J Shurer II, Staff Sergeant, US Army<br />
Britt K Slabinski, Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator, US Navy<br />
William D Swenson, Captain, US Army<br />
Kyle J White, Specialist, US Army<br />
Matthew O Williams, Sergeant, US Army<br />
<br />
<b>Iraq</b><br />
David G Bellavia, Staff Sergeant, US Army<br />
<br />
<br />
That breaks down to: <br />
<blockquote>
2 World War II (1 Army, 1 Marine Corps)<br />
5 Korean War (3 Army and 2 Marine Corps)<br />
48 Vietnam War (34 Army, 6 Navy, 7 Marine Corps and 1 Air Force)<br />
14 Afghanistan (10 Army, 2 Navy and 2 Marine Corps)<br />
1 Iraq (Army)<br />
<br />
49 Army<br />
8 Navy<br />
12 Marine Corps<br />
1 Air Force</blockquote>
(The only Coast Guardsman ever to be awarded the Medal, Signalman First Class Douglas A Munro, received it posthumously after his death at Guadalcanal in 1942.)RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-25970233914110648732020-04-03T13:13:00.001-04:002020-10-01T13:50:25.011-04:00Book List - Jan-Mar 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus</i> -- history, by Charles C Mann<br />
<i>1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created</i> -- history, by Charles C Mann<br />
<i>The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall</i> -- SF (short stories), by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
<i>Turn Coat</i> -- urban fantasy (HD #11), by Jim Butcher<br />
<i>Death from the Skies!: The Science Behind the End of the World</i> -- astronomy, by Philip Plait PhD<br />
<i>Going Postal</i> -- fantasy, by Terry Pratchett<br />
<i>Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII</i> -- WW II, by Deborah Cadbury<br />
<i>Making Money</i> -- fantasy, by Terry Pratchett<br />
<i>Directive 51</i> -- SF, by John Barnes<br />
<i>Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary</i> -- WWII memoir, by Traudl Junge, Melissa Müller (editor)<br />
<i>Dragonsdawn</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
<i>The Queen's Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth's Court</i> -- history, by Anna Whitelock <br />
<i>A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History</i> -- anthropology, by Nicholas Wade<br />
<i>Dragonseye</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
<i>In the Footsteps of Eve: The Mystery of Human Origins</i> -- palaeoanthropology, by Lee R Berger PhD with Brett Hilton-Barber<br />
<i>The Dolphins of Pern</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
<i>Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors</i> -- anthropology, by Nicholas Wade<br />
<i>The Skies of Pern</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
<i>Dragon's Code</i> -- SF, by Gigi McCaffrey<br />
<i>When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt</i> -- history, by Kara Cooney<br />
<i>The Renegades of Pern</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
<i>A Gift of Dragons</i> -- SF (short stories), by Anne McCaffrey<br />
<i>Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern</i> -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *<br />
<i>Dragonheart</i> -- SF, by Todd McCaffrey<br />
<i>Dragongirl</i> -- SF, by Todd McCaffrey<br />
<i>Dragon's Time</i> -- SF, by Anne and Todd McCaffrey<br />
<i>Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain</i> -- travel/archaeology, by Charlotte Higgins<br />
<i>Sky Dragons</i> -- SF, by Anne and Todd McCaffrey<br />
<i>Dragonsblood</i> -- SF, by Todd McCaffrey *<br />
<i>Strip</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
<i>Track of the Cat</i> -- mystery (AP #1), by Nevada Barr *<br />
<i>A Superior Death</i> -- mystery (AP #2), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Ill Wind</i> -- mystery (AP #3), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>The Burglar</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
<i>Firestorm</i> -- mystery (AP #4), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>The </i>Whydah<i>: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked & Found</i> -- children's history/archaeology, by Martin W Sandler <br />
<i>Endangered Species</i> -- mystery (AP #5), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Blind Descent</i> -- mystery (AP #6), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Fidelity</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
<i>Liberty Falling</i> -- mystery (AP #7), by Nevada Barr *<br />
<i>Deep South</i> -- mystery (AP #8), by Nevada Barr *<br />
<i>Forty Thieves</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
<i>Hit List</i> -- thriller (Keller #2), by Lawrence Block<br />
<i>Blood Lure</i> -- mystery (AP #9), by Nevada Barr *<br />
<i>Hunting Season</i> -- mystery (AP #10), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>The Old Man</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
<i>Flashback</i> -- mystery (AP #11), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>High Country</i> -- mystery (AP #12), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Hit Parade</i> -- thriller (Keller #3 - short stories), by Lawrence Block<br />
<i>Hard Truth</i> -- mystery (AP #13), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Pursuit</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
<i>Winter Study</i> -- mystery (AP #14), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Borderline</i> -- mystery (AP #15), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Five Days That Shocked the World: Eyewitness Accounts from Europe at the End of World War II</i> -- WW II, by Nicholas Best<br />
<i>Hit and Run</i> -- thriller (Keller #4), by Lawrence Block<br />
<i>Silence</i> -- thriller (Jack Till #1), by Thomas Perry<br />
<i>Burn</i> -- mystery (AP #16), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich</i> -- WW II, by Joachim Fest<br />
<i>The Rope</i> -- mystery (AP #0), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Nightlife</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry<br />
<i>Destroyer Angel</i> -- mystery (AP #17), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>Boar Island</i> -- mystery (AP #18), by Nevada Barr<br />
<i>The Boyfriend</i> -- thriller (Jack Till #2), by Thomas Perry<br />
<i>A Flock of Ships</i> -- WWII fiction, by Brian Callison *<br />
<i>Metzger's Dog</i> -- thriller, by Thomas Perry *<br />
<i>Ravensbrück: Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women</i> -- WW II, by Sarah Helm<br />
<i>Grave Importance</i> -- urban fantasy (Greta Helsing #3), by Vivian Shaw<br />
<i>Empire of Secrets: British Intelligence, the Cold War, and the Twilight of Empire</i> -- history, by Calder Walton<br />
<i>The Penderwicks in Spring</i> -- children's, by Jeanne Birdsall<br />
<i>A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII</i> -- biography, by Sarah Helm<br />
<i>Jan of the Jungle</i> -- adventure, by Otis Adelbert Kline<br />
<i>The Boy Scouts on a Submarine</i> -- YA, by Captain John Blaine<br />
<i>A Skeleton in the House</i> -- mystery, by Leigh Perry<br />
<i>The Skeleton Takes a Bow</i> -- mystery, by Leigh Perry<br />
<i>The Skeleton Haunts a House</i> -- mystery, by Leigh Perry<br />
<i>Conquistador</i> -- AH, by S M Stirling *<br />
<i>The Coming of the Quantum Cats</i> -- AH, by Frederick Pohl<br />
<i>The Dancer from Atlantis</i> -- time travel, by Poul Anderson *<br />
<i>Swords and Deviltry</i> -- fantasy, by Fritz Leiber<br />
<br />
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Retirement is nice -- it gives me much more time to read. 🙂 79 books this time round, 16 of them rereads (marked by asterisks). Could have sworn I'd read more of the earlier Nevada Barr mysteries, but only a few of them sounded even the least bit familiar.<br />
<br />
Top categories: 22 mysteries, 15 SF, 11 history. Top authors: Nevada Barr (19), Anne McCaffrey (11), Thomas Perry (10).<br />
<br />
I'd say the best new (to me, anyway) books were <i>The Burglar</i> and <i>The Old Man</i>. This is probably the fourth or fifth time I've read <i>Conquistador</i> and <i>Metzger's Dog</i>, and at least the third time for <i>A Flock of Ships</i>.<br />
<br />
One would think that the younger McCaffreys would be more familiar with their mother's work, but there were some amazing divergences from canon in Todd's books (I'm truly amazed that Anne let her name appear as co-author on <i>Dragon's Time</i> and <i>Sky Dragons</i>), and Gigi's was even worse. Nevada Barr was getting bad toward the end, too -- details in the last two books directly contradict statements made in <i>Hard Truth</i>, and there are other problems as well. I don't know if she's planning more books in the series, but if she writes more I probably won't bother with them.RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-29673025572088839152020-01-05T18:06:00.001-05:002020-11-05T22:23:47.545-05:00Book list - 2019<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xy4kFh6aL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="329" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xy4kFh6aL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="131" /></a>
<i>Dreadful Company</i> -- urban fantasy (Helsing #2), by Vivian Shaw<br />
<i>Neptune's Inferno: The US Navy at Guadalcanal</i> -- WW II, by James D Hornfischer<br />
<i>Figure Away</i> -- mystery (Mayo #10), by Phoebe Atwood Taylor *<br />
<i>The Mask of the Sun</i> -- AH/time travel, by Fred Saberhagen *<br />
<i>Baphomet's Meteor</i> -- SF, by Pierre Barbet *<br />
<i>Burning Water</i> -- urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey *<br />
<i>Children of the Night</i> -- urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey<br />
<i>Pelican at Blandings</i> -- humour, by P G Wodehouse<br />
<i>Runestone</i> -- historical fiction, by Don Coldsmith<br />
<i>Dead Man's Folly</i> -- mystery, by Agatha Christie<br />
<i>Hell's Gate</i> -- SF/fantasy (Hell's Gate #1), by David Weber and Linda Evans *<br />
<i>Hell Hath No Fury</i> -- SF/fantasy (Hell's Gate #2), by David Weber and Linda Evans<br />
<i>The Road to Hell</i> -- SF/fantasy (Hell's Gate #3), by David Weber and Joelle Presby<br />
<i>What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions</i> -- science, by Randall Munroe<br />
<i>Bombs Away</i> -- AH (The Hot War #1), by Harry Turtledove<br />
<i>Fallout</i> -- AH (The Hot War #2), by Harry Turtledove<br />
<i>Rome: A History in Seven Sackings</i> -- history, by Matthew Kneale<br />
<i>Encounter with Tiber</i> -- SF, by Buzz Aldrin and John Barnes<br />
"Down in the Bottomlands" -- AH, by Harry Turtledove<br />
<i>Armistice</i> -- AH (The Hot War #3), by Harry Turtledove<br />
<i>In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin</i> -- German history, by Erik Larson<br />
<i>Hominids</i> -- SF, by Robert J Sawyer<br />
<i>At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig: Travels through Paraguay</i> -- travel and history, by John Gimlette<br />
<i>The Bad Popes</i> -- history, by E R Chamberlin<br />
<i>Terns of Endearment</i> -- mystery (Langslow #25), by Donna Andrews<br />
<i>Finity</i> -- SF, by John Barnes<br />
<i>Satan's World</i> -- SF, by Poul Anderson *<br />
<i>The People of the Wind</i> -- SF, by Poul Anderson<br />
<i>The Man Who Counts</i> -- SF, by Poul Anderson *<br />
<i>Paleofantasy</i> -- evolution, by Marlene Zuk<br />
<i>Galactic Derelict</i> -- SF, by Andre Norton *<br />
<i>Forerunner</i> -- SF, by Andre Norton<br />
<i>Forerunner: The Second Venture</i> -- SF, by Andre Norton<br />
<i>Owl Be Home for Christmas</i> -- mystery (Langslow #26), by Donna Andrews<br />
<i>Brothers Down: Pearl Harbor and the Fate of the Many Brothers Aboard the USS </i>Arizona -- WW II, by Walter R Borneman<br />
<i>If I Were You</i> -- humour, by P G Wodehouse<br />
<i>"The Swoop!" and "The Military Invasion of America"</i> -- humour, by P G Wodehouse<br />
<i>Daybreak Zero</i> -- post-apocalyptic SF, by John Barnes<br />
<i>The Last President</i> -- post-apocalyptic SF, by John Barnes<br />
<i>The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack and Other Cautionary Tales from Human Evolution</i> -- palaeoanthropology, by Ian Tattersall<br />
<i>Hiding in Plain Sight: My Holocaust Story of Survival</i> -- memoir, by Beatrice Sonders<br />
<i>Seven in a Jeep: A Memoir of the Vietnam War</i> -- memoir, by Ed Gaydos<br />
<i>The Year of Fear: Machine Gun Kelly and the Manhunt That Changed the Nation</i> -- US history, by Joe Urschel<br />
<i>The Emperor's Men: Arrival</i> – timeslip, by Dirk van den Boom <br />
<i>A Stone in Heaven</i> -- SF, by Poul Anderson <br />
<i>The Game of Empire</i> -- SF, by Poul Anderson<i> </i><br />
<i>The War Below: The Story of Three Submarines That Battled Japan</i> -- WW II, by James Scott<br />
<i>Below</i> -- fantasy, by Lee Gaiteri<br />
<i>Look Both Ways</i> -- mystery, by Carol J Perry<br />
<i>Storm Front</i> -- urban fantasy (Dresden #1), by Jim Butcher *<br />
<i>Fool Moon</i> -- urban Fantasy (Dresden #2), by Jim Butcher * <br />
<i>Dead Beat</i> -- urban Fantasy (Dresden #7), by Jim Butcher <br />
<i>A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America</i> -- history, by Tony Horwitz<br />
<br />
<br />
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54 books this time round, 10 of them rereads (marked by asterisks) -- a vast improvement over the last few years. <br />
<br />
Best books of the year: <i>Hell's Gate</i>, <i>Hell Hath No Fury</i>, and <i>Encounter with Tiber</i>. <i>Arrival</i> was a good story, and an interesting concept-- a German light cruiser shifted from 1914 to 378 -- but it was extremely poorly edited (serious problems with verb tenses, for instance, especially the past and present perfect).Reviews on Amazon say that the poor editing continues at least through the sixth book, so I won't be buying any more.<br />
<br />
Could have sworn I'd read all of the Harry Dresden books, but I somehow missed <i>Dead Beat</i>. And only the first chapter of <i>Turn Coat</i> seemed familiar, so it will be on my 2020 list of books.<br />
<br />
Onward....<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-28970536863590341272019-10-06T10:10:00.000-04:002019-10-06T10:10:01.672-04:00George Cross: A B Fasson and C GrazierAnthony Blair Fasson, Lieutenant, Royal Navy; HMS <i>Petard</i><br />
Born: 17 July 1913, Lanton, Roxburghshire, Scotland<br />
Died: 30 October 1942, Mediterranean Sea<br />
<br />
Colin Grazier, Able Seaman Colin, Royal Navy; HMS <i>Petard </i><br />
Born: 2 December 1912, West Bromich, Birmingham, England<br />
Died: 30 October 1942, Mediterranean Sea<br />
<br />
<br />
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the posthumous award of the GEORGE CROSS to:—<br />
Lieutenant Anthony Blair Fasson, Royal Navy.<br />
Able Seaman Colin Grazier, P/SSX.25550.<br />
for outstanding bravery and steadfast devotion to duty in the face of danger.<br />
<br />
<br />
The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the George Medal to:—<br />
Junior Canteen Assistant Thomas William Brown, N.A.A.F.I.,<br />
for great bravery and devotion to duty in the face of danger.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgQ4pmyXlE6OrTNzfOJFR4jAh09n9Xvbodw4RxEjPZatXPDVrwRV64ctNmvu7UXV9wKRtkZZV0ak6hiINNFNazdtwRv3FztXsvejnRV7IK7nvQtu67dXhW8DEguJnFEjPnDSl/s1600-h/George+Cross.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057439898861616242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgQ4pmyXlE6OrTNzfOJFR4jAh09n9Xvbodw4RxEjPZatXPDVrwRV64ctNmvu7UXV9wKRtkZZV0ak6hiINNFNazdtwRv3FztXsvejnRV7IK7nvQtu67dXhW8DEguJnFEjPnDSl/s320/George+Cross.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a>On 30 Oct 1942 HMS <i>Petard</i> was one of five destroyers searching for a German U-boat -- <i>U-559</i> -- which was known to be in the area. <i>Petard</i> made contact and attacked with depth charges, eventually forcing the U-boat to the surface, where her crew opened the sea-cocks and abandoned ship. Fasson, the destroyer's first lieutenant, and Grazier volunteered to swim to the sinking submarine to search for documents and other classified material. When Fasson and Grazier boarded the submarine, 16-year-old Brown, one of the personnel aboard a whaleboat which had followed them, joined them. The two men located several documents and passed them to Brown, who handed them up to the men aboard the whaler. When <i>U-559</i> suddenly sank Brown managed to swim free, but the other two were trapped below decks and drowned. The documents recovered turned out to include a pair of codebooks, which turned out to be a tremendous help in breaking the German navy's Enigma codes.<br />
<br />
Brown died 13 Feb 1945 of injuries received whilst attempting to rescue his sister from a house fire.<br />
<br />
[London <i>Gazette</i> issue 36169 dated 14 Sep 1943, published 10 Sep 1943.]RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-13827179362037582712019-10-05T14:37:00.000-04:002019-10-05T14:37:16.450-04:00DetectivesMy ten favourite mystery series. Asey is definitely Number One; the others are listed in the order of their first appearance.<br />
<br />
*************** <br />
<br />
Asey Mayo (24 books, 1931-51, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor). Asey, "the Codfish Sherlock," is a jack-of-all-trades on Cape Cod.<br />
<br />
Judy Bolton (38 books, 1932-67, by Margaret Sutton). The series begins with Judy as a high-schooler in Pennsylvania, and continues after she finishes school and gets married.<br />
<br />
Nero Wolfe (47 books, 1934-85, by Rex Stout, and 7 authorised sequels, 1986-94, by Robert Goldsborough, plus pastiches by numerous other authors). Wolfe is a private detective in New York City.<br />
<br />
Luis Mendoza (37 books, 1960-86, by Elizabeth Linington writing as "Dell Shannon"). Luis is a lieutenant in the LAPD Homicide (later Robbery/Homicide) Division. Linington wrote two other series about LA-area cops: Vic Varallo (13 books, 1961-85, by "Lesley Egan") and Ivor Maddox (13 books, 1964-86, using her real name). Vic is a patrolman in the Glendale PD, and Maddox is a sergeant with the Hollywood PD.<br />
<br />
Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee (18 books, 1970-2006, by Tony Hillerman). Lt Leaphorn and Sgt Chee are members of the tribal police on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico and Arizona. After Hillerman's death his daughter Anne added four books to the series (2013-18).<br />
<br />
Colin Flagg (8 books, 1973-94, by M K Wren). Colin owns a bookstore on the Oregon coast.<br />
<br />
Brady Coyne (25 books, 1984-2010, by William G Tapply). Brady is a Boston Lawyer. Tapply also co-wrote three books (2001-07) with Philip R Craig, in which Brady teams up with J W Jackson, the star of 19 books by Craig.<br />
<br />
Meg Langslow (25 books so far, 1999-2019, by Donna Andrews). Meg is a blacksmith and mother somewhere in central Virginia.<br />
<br />
Walt Longmire (21 books so far, 2004-19, by Craig Johnston). Walt is a county sheriff in Wyoming.<br />
<br />
Alafair Tucker (10 books, 2005-18, by Donis Casey). Alafair is an Oklahoma farmer's wife; the stories are set before, during and immediately after WW I. Casey's plan was to write one book centred on each of Alafair's ten children; having completed that, she is starting a new series which she says is a spinoff from the original series.<br />
<br />
<br />RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-46384387169663806132019-01-06T19:42:00.001-05:002020-11-05T22:25:00.983-05:00Book List -- 2018<i>Clash of Eagles</i> -- AH, by Alan Smale<br />
<i>If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II</i> -- WWII memoir, by George Wilson<br />
<i>Just One Damned Thing After Another</i> -- IMHECT, by Jodi Taylor<br />
<i>A Symphony of Echoes</i> -- IMHECT, by Jodi Taylor<br />
<i>Much Depends on Dinner</i> -- food history, by Margaret Visser<br />
<i>Matt Helm: The War Years</i> -- spy fiction, by Keith Wease<br />
<i>To the Last Salute</i> -- WWI memoir, by Georg von Trapp *<br />
<i>Brief Cases</i> -- urban fantasy (Dresden - short stories), by Jim Butcher<br />
<i>The Ghosts of Evolution: Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, and Other Ecological Anachronisms</i> -- botany, by Connie C Barlow<br />
<i>A Long Time Until Now</i> -- timeslip, by Michael Z Williamson<br />
<i>Toucan Keep a Secret</i> -- mystery (Langslow #23), by Donna Andrews<br />
<i>The Alexander Inheritance</i> -- timeslip, by Eric Flint and Gorg Huff<br />
<i>Digging for Richard III: The Search for the Lost King</i> -- archaeology, by Mike Pitts<br />
<i>Strange Practice</i> -- urban fantasy (Helsing #1), by Vivian Shaw<br />
<i>Recce: Small Team Missions Behind Enemy Lines</i> -- memoir, by Koos Stadler<br />
<i>Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef</i> -- memoir, by Gabrielle Hamilton <br />
<i>Lark! The Herald Angels Sing</i> -- mystery (Langslow #24), by Donna Andrews<br />
<i>The Survivors</i> (aka <i>Space Prison</i>) -- SF, by Tom Godwin<br />
<br />
<br />
Eighteen books this time round, only one of them a reread (marked by an asterisk). <br />
<br />
IMHECT: "[T]he phrase 'time travel' is so sci-fi. We don't do that. Here at St. Mary's we <i>investigate major historical events in contemporary time</i>."<br />
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The best book of the year, I think, was <i>Strange Practice</i>, the first in a series about a London doctor who provides medical services for vampires, ghouls, mummies, and other undead. Honourable mention goes to the two St Mary's books by Jodi Taylor and to <i>A Long Time Until Now</i>, about a group of American soldiers in Afghanistan who suddenly find themselves shifted back in time to the Palaeolithic.<br />
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RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-10300259079263113672018-03-11T11:10:00.000-04:002018-03-11T11:10:05.695-04:00Medal of Honor: M. HannaMARCUS HANNA<br />
<br />
Sergeant, US Army; 50th Massachusetts Infantry<br />
<br />
Born: 3 November 1842, Bristol, Maine<br />
Died: 21 December 1921<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2I7zjTe23Ep65hWaqmmbWvsf2qv4LvHvAwt5226HezJMyD0E9-SJZa0MEFmhd-ZlCvPE-Tmmtr_BV7vrDEOYNsF3Qu5LIBH3qND87J51egSXGbEPFTyznfIGmfk2l-HvCs7l/s1600-h/MoH+USAF.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042859761789062722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2I7zjTe23Ep65hWaqmmbWvsf2qv4LvHvAwt5226HezJMyD0E9-SJZa0MEFmhd-ZlCvPE-Tmmtr_BV7vrDEOYNsF3Qu5LIBH3qND87J51egSXGbEPFTyznfIGmfk2l-HvCs7l/s200/MoH+USAF.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a>Citation: Voluntarily exposed himself to a heavy fire to get water for comrades in rifle pits.<br />
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<br />
<br />
Notes: On 28 Jan 1885 Hanna was chief lighthouse keeper at Cape Elizabeth, Maine, when the schooner <i>Australia</i> was wrecked on the rocks nearby. He was awarded the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifesaving_Medal">Gold Lifesaving Medal</a> for heroism in saving the lives of two of its crew.
USCGC <i>Marcus Hanna</i> (WLM 554) was named in his honour.RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-56659143073643564482018-01-02T11:05:00.001-05:002020-11-05T22:25:59.348-05:00Book list - 2017<i>Tales of a Cold War Submariner</i> -- memoir, by Dan Summitt<br />
<i>Secret of the Lost Race</i> -- SF, by Andre Norton * <br />
<i>A Study in Charlotte</i> -- YA mystery, by Brittany Cavallaro<br />
<i>The Many Lives of John Stone</i> -- YA, by Linda Buckley-Archer<br />
<i>A School for Unusual Girls</i> -- YA AH, by Kathleen Baldwin<br />
<i>Summer Lightning</i> -- humour, by P G Wodehouse * <br />
<i>Heavy Weather</i> -- humour, by P G Wodehouse<br />
<i>Uncle Fred in the Springtime</i> -- humour, by P G Wodehouse<br />
<i>Longbow Girl</i> -- YA time travel, by Linda Davies<br />
<i>Gone Gull</i> -- mystery (Langslow #21), by Donna Andrews<br />
<i>1635: A Parcel of Rogues</i> -- SF, by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis<br />
<i>The Finch That Stole Christmas</i> -- mystery (Langslow #22), by Donna Andrews<br />
<i>By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean: The Birth of Eurasia</i> -- history, by Barry Cunliffe<br />
<i>The Killing Trail</i> -- mystery, by Margaret Mizushima<br />
<br />
<br />
Only 14 books this time round, two of them rereads (marked by asterisks). The Cunliffe book (which covers the period from ca 7500 BC to AD 1300) was fascinating; <i>John Stone</i> and <i>Parcel of Rogues</i> were the best of the stories.RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-16432254231461313022017-01-07T22:09:00.001-05:002020-11-05T22:29:14.906-05:00Book list -- 2016<i>Adaptation</i> - SF, by Mack Reynolds *<br />
<i>Red November: Inside the Secret US-Soviet Submarine War</i> - military history, by W Craig Reed<br />
<i>On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft</i> - writing/biography, by Steven King<br />
<i>Death Without Company</i> - mystery (Longmire #2), by Craig Johnson<br />
<i>Ink and Bone</i> - YA AH/fantasy, by Rachel Caine<br />
<i>Hot Rod</i> - YA fiction, by Henry Gregor Felsen *<br />
<i>Death Lights a Candle</i> - mystery (Mayo #2), by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
<i>Lifeboats</i> - YA modern fantasy, by Diane Duane<br />
<i>Keeper of the Castle</i> - mystery, by Juliet Blackwell<br />
<i>Give up the Ghost</i> - mystery, by Juliet Blackwell<br />
<i>In the Drink</i> - mystery, by Allyson K Abbott<br />
<i>Steal the North</i> - YA fiction, by Heather Brittain Bergstrom<br />
<i>Europe Between the Oceans: 9000 BC-AD 1000</i> - history, by Barry Cunliffe<br />
<i>French Pressed</i> - mystery, by Cleo Coyle<br />
<i>Die Like an Eagle</i> - mystery (Langslow #20), by Donna Andrews<br />
<i>The Highwayman</i> - mystery (Longmire #17), by Craig Johnson<br />
<i>Morning Star</i> - SF, by Pierce Brown<br />
<i>The Great Human Diasporas: The History of Diversity and Evolution</i> - palaeoanthropology, by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza and Francesco Cavalli-Sforza<br />
<br />
<br />
Only 18 books this time round, two of them rereads (marked by asterisks), though I hadn't actually read <i>Adaptation</i> before; what I'd read was <i>The Rival Rigelians</i>, which I believe was slightly modified from the original version. I've no idea what the changes were - every scene I remembered from <i>TRR</i> was present in the original.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'd say the best reads of the year were <i>Ink and Bone</i>, <i>Steal the North</i>, and <i>Europe Between the Oceans</i>. (Honourable mention to <i>Morning Star</i> for the twist at the end.) I was given a copy of another of Cunliffe's books, <i>By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean</i>, this past Xmas, and am looking forward to reading it.<br />
<br />
<br />
I was in 6th or 7th grade when I first read <i>Hot Rod</i>. I've been wanting to reread it for a few years now, but had no idea what the author's name was. I'm sure you can imagine the results one gets when doing a Google search for "hot rod".... Last year I stumbled across it somehow on line, and was happy to see that it was back in print. Bought a copy with my share of the Xmas gift card from my sister-in-law. :)<br />
<br />
<br />
Once again, wasting way too much time on the computer and not reading enough!RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-15532030539839856782016-01-03T20:10:00.002-05:002020-11-06T15:27:40.520-05:00Book list - 2015Here's the complete list of books I read in 2015. I didn't set a goal for this year, so I can't report success in reaching it (nor must I admit to failure, either).<br />
<br />
Numbers refer to the order in which the books were read.<br />
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<strong>"Adult" Fiction (17 books)</strong><br />
2. <em>Punch with Care</em> - mystery (Mayo #22), by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
3. <em>Dead Ernest</em> - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
7. <em>The Aethers of Mars</em> - SF/steampunk, by Eric Flint and Charles E Gannon<br />
9. <em>My Real Children</em> - AH, by Jo Walton<br />
10. <em>Hell with the Lid Blown Off</em> - mystery (Tucker #7), by Donis Casey<br />
11. <em>Richard Bolitho - Midshipman</em> - historical fiction (Bolitho #1), by Alexander Kent<br />
12. <em>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</em> - SF, by Jules Verne<br />
13. <em>Midshipman Bolitho and the </em>Avenger - historical fiction (Bolitho #2), by Alexander Kent<br />
14. <em>Stand Into Danger</em> - historical fiction (Bolitho #4), by Alexander Kent<br />
15. <em>In Gallant Company</em> - historical fiction (Bolitho #5), by Alexander Kent<br />
16. <em>Lord of the Wings</em> - mystery (Langslow #19), by Donna Andrews<br />
18. <em>Command a King's Ship</em> - historical fiction (Bolitho #8), by Alexander Kent<br />
19. <em>Red Rising</em> - SF, by Pierce Brown<br />
20. <em>Golden Son</em> - SF, by Pierce Brown<br />
21. <em>The Cold Dish</em> - mystery (Longmire #1), by Craig Johnson<br />
22. <em>Kindness Goes Unpunished</em> - mystery (Longmire #3), by Craig Johnson<br />
23. <em>A Brother's Price</em> - AH, by Wen Spencer<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<strong>Children's/YA Fiction (0)</strong><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<strong>Non-Fiction (7)</strong><br />
1. <em>At the Water's Edge: Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea</em> - evolution, by Carl Zimmer<br />
4. <em>Undersea Warrior: The World War II Story of "Mush" Morton and the USS </em>Wahoo - biography/WW II, by Don Keith<br />
5. <em>The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force</em> - WW II, by David Hobbs<br />
6. <em>What If?</em> - AH (essays), edited by Robert Cowley<br />
8. <em>What If? 2</em> - AH (essays), edited by Robert Cowley<br />
17. <em>The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution</em> - genetics, by Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending<br />
24. <em>Nathaniel's Nutmeg: or, The True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History</em> - history, by Giles Milton<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
The main categories were mysteries (6) and historical fiction (5). Alexander Kent was the most-read author of the year (5 books). None of the 24 books were rereads.<br />
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My favourites? I'd say <em>The Cold Dish</em>, the first book in the Longmire series by Craig Johnson, and <em>A Brother's Price</em>, by Wen Spencer, tied for the number one spot this year. These five (listed in the order in which I read them) were also very good:<br />
<blockquote>
<em>Punch with Care</em>, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
<em>My Real Children</em>, by Jo Walton<br />
<em>Red Rising</em>, by Pierce Brown<br />
<em>Golden Son</em>, by Pierce Brown<br />
<em>Nathaniel's Nutmeg</em>, by Giles Milton</blockquote>
<br />
Having not set a goal for last year, I'm not setting one for this year either. But I do hope to do a lot more reading this year....RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-30668367275522612692016-01-01T19:06:00.000-05:002016-01-01T19:06:02.409-05:00Book list: Jul-Dec 15<em>Hell with the Lid Blown Off</em> - mystery, by Donis Casey<br />
<em>Richard Bolitho - Midshipman</em> - historical fiction, by Alexander Kent<br />
<em>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</em> - SF, by Jules Verne<br />
<em>Midshipman Bolitho and the </em>Avenger - historical fiction, by Alexander Kent<br />
<em>Stand Into Danger</em> - historical fiction, by Alexander Kent<br />
<em>In Gallant Company</em> - historical fiction, by Alexander Kent<br />
<em>Lord of the Wings</em> - mystery, by Donna Andrews<br />
<em>The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution</em> - genetics, by Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending<br />
<em>Command a King's Ship</em> - historical fiction, by Alexander Kent<br />
<em>Red Rising</em> - SF, by Pierce Brown<br />
<em>Golden Son</em> - SF, by Pierce Brown<br />
<em>The Cold Dish</em> - mystery, by Craig Johnson<br />
<em>Kindness Goes Unpunished</em> - mystery, by Craig Johnson<br />
<em>A Brother's Price</em> - AH, by Wen Spencer<br />
<em>Nathaniel's Nutmeg: or, The True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History</em> - history, by Giles Milton<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Fifteen books this time round, none of them rereads. And I'm still at 58 of 76 on the Carnegie Medal winners.<br />
<br />
I had the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classics_Illustrated">Classics Illustrated</a> <a href="http://www.tkinter.smig.net/ClassicsIllustrated/20000Leagues/index.htm">version</a> of <em>20,000 Leagues</em> when I was a kid, but this is the first time I've actually read the book.<br />
<br />
<br />
Note to self: Stop wasting so much time on the computer and read more!RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-57208510287962754242015-07-01T08:33:00.000-04:002015-07-03T19:11:16.082-04:00Book list - Jan-Jun 15<em>At the Water's Edge: Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea</em> - evolution, by Carl Zimmer<br />
<em>Punch with Care</em> - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
<em>Dead Ernest</em> - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
<em>Undersea Warrior: The World War II Story of "Mush" Morton and the USS </em>Wahoo - biography/WW II, by Don Keith<br />
<em>The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force</em> - WW II, by David Hobbs<br />
<em>What If?</em> - AH (essays), edited by Robert Cowley<br />
<em>The Aethers of Mars</em> - SF/steampunk, by Eric Flint and Charles E Gannon<br />
<em>What If? 2</em> - AH (essays), edited by Robert Cowley<br />
<em>My Real Children</em> - AH, by Jo Walton<br />
<br />
<br />
Only nine books this time round, though none of them were rereads.<br />
<br />
<br />
Note to self: Stop wasting so much time on the computer and read more!RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-88433470241055095562015-01-02T17:42:00.000-05:002015-01-02T17:42:00.198-05:00Book list - 2014Here's the complete list of books I read in 2014. I didn't set a goal for this year, so I can't report success in reaching it (nor must I admit to failure, either).<br />
<br />
An asterisk indicates a reread. Numbers refer to the order in which the books were read.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>"Adult" Fiction (27 books)</strong><br />
1. <em>Figure Away</em> - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
2. <em>Old Bones</em> - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *<br />
3. <em>Spring Harrowing</em> - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor *<br />
4. <em>The Danish Scheme</em> - AH, by Herb Sakalaucks<br />
5. <em>Make No Bones</em> - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *<br />
6. <em>The Crimson Patch</em> - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor<br />
7. <em>1636: Seas of Fortune</em> - AH (short stories), by Iver Cooper<br />
8. <em>Icy Clutches</em> - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *<br />
11. <em>Curses!</em> - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *<br />
12. <em>New Amsterdam</em> - AH/fantasy, by Elizabeth Bear<br />
13. <em>Twenty Blue Devils</em> - mystery, by Aaron Elkins<br />
15. <em>The White City</em> - AH/fantasy, by Elizabeth Bear<br />
16. <em>Night of the Living Deed</em> - mystery, by E J Copperman<br />
17. <em>The Martian</em> - SF, by Andy Weir (ARC)<br />
18. <em>The Mysterious Island</em> - adventure, by Jules Verne *<br />
19. <em>The Grand Tour</em> - historical fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer<br />
20. <em>Mammoth</em> - time travel, by John Varley<br />
22. <em>1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies</em> - AH, by Eric Flint and Charles E Gannon<br />
23. <em>Mairelon the Magician</em> - historical fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede *<br />
24. <em>Magician's Ward</em> - historical fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede *<br />
25. <em>Skin Game</em> - urban fantasy, by Jim Butcher<br />
26. <em>MASH</em> - Korean War fiction, by Richard Hooker<br />
27. <em>The Good, the Bad, and the Emus</em> - mystery, by Donna Andrews<br />
29. <em>The Ides of April</em> - mystery, by Lindsey Davis <br />
30. <em>The Nightingale Before Christmas</em> - mystery, by Donna Andrews<br />
31. <em>Enemies at Home</em> - mystery, by Lindsey Davis <br />
33. <em>Against the Tide of Years</em> - AH, by S M Stirling *<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<strong>Children's/YA Fiction (3)</strong><br />
9. <em>The Old Powder Line</em> - children's time travel, by Richard Parker<br />
14. <em>Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures</em> - children's, by Kate DiCamillo (Newbery Medal, 2014)<br />
32. <em>Mockingjay</em> - YA SF, by Suzanne Collins<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<strong>Non-Fiction (3)</strong><br />
10. <em>Locomotive</em> - children's railroading, by Brian Floca (Caldecott Medal, 2014)<br />
21. <em>Sober Men and True: Sailor Lives in the Royal Navy 1900-1945</em> - naval history, by Christopher McKee<br />
28. <em>Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)</em> - travelogue, by Jerome K Jerome<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
The main categories were mysteries (13), AH (6), and fantasy (6). Aaron Elkins was the most-read author of the year (5 books); Phoebe Atwood Taylor and Patricia C Wrede were second (3 each). And 9 of the 33 books were rereads.<br />
<br />
My favourites? I'd say <em>The Martian</em>, by Andy Weir, was the best book I read all year. These seven (listed in the order in which I read them) were also very good:<br />
<blockquote>
<em>New Amsterdam</em>, by Elizabeth Bear<br />
<em>The Grand Tour</em>, by Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer<br />
<em>Mammoth</em>, by John Varley<br />
<em>Mairelon the Magician</em>, by Patricia C Wrede<br />
<em>Skin Game</em>, by Jim Butcher<br />
<em>Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)</em>, by Jerome K Jerome<br />
<em>Against the Tide of Years</em>, by S M Stirling</blockquote>
The first book of 2015 will be <em>At the Water's Edge</em>, by Carl Zimmer.<br />
<br />
Having not set a goal for last year, I'm not setting one for this year either. But I do hope to do a lot more reading this year....RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-33406872047076127632015-01-01T08:29:00.000-05:002015-01-02T10:28:57.666-05:00Book list - Oct-Dec 14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)</em> - travelogue, by Jerome K Jerome<br />
<em>The Ides of April</em> - mystery, by Lindsey Davis <br />
<em>The Nightingale Before Christmas</em> - mystery, by Donna Andrews<br />
<em>Enemies at Home</em> - mystery, by Lindsey Davis <br />
<em>Mockingjay</em> - YA SF, by Suzanne Collins<br />
<em>Against the Tide of Years</em> - AH, by S M Stirling *<br />
<br />
<br />
Only six books this time round, one of them a reread (marked by an asterisk). And I'm still at 58 of 75 on the Carnegie Medal winners.RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-53416661416329784472014-10-01T10:13:00.000-04:002014-10-01T10:13:00.583-04:00Book list - Jul-Sep 14<em>1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies</em> - AH, by Eric Flint and Charles E Gannon<br />
<em>Mairelon the Magician</em> - historical fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede *<br />
<em>Magician's Ward</em> - historical fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede *<br />
<em>Skin Game</em> - urban fantasy, by Jim Butcher<br />
<em>MASH</em> - Korean War fiction, by Richard Hooker<br />
<em>The Good, the Bad, and the Emus</em> - mystery, by Donna Andrews<br />
<br />
<br />
Only six books this time round, two of them rereads (marked by asterisks). And I'm still at 58 of 75 on the Carnegie Medal winners.RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-56208986442905627092014-08-28T16:16:00.000-04:002014-08-28T16:16:19.236-04:00Medal of Honor to be awarded for Civil War and VietnamZUI this White House <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/26/president-obama-award-medal-honor">press release</a> dated 26 Aug 14:<br />
<blockquote>
On September 15, 2014, President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor to Army Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins and to Army Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat for conspicuous gallantry.<br />
<br />
Command Sergeant Major Adkins will receive the Medal of Honor for his actions while serving as an Intelligence Sergeant assigned to Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. Then-Sergeant First Class Adkins distinguished himself during combat operations at Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam, on March 9 through March 12, 1966. <br />
<br />
Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions while serving as a Machine gunner with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. Specialist Four Sloat distinguished himself during combat operations in the vicinity of Hawk Hill Fire Base, Republic of Vietnam, on January 17, 1970.<br />
<br />
President Obama also approved the awarding of the Medal of Honor to Army First Lieutenant Alonzo H. Cushing for gallantry in action at the battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. Additional details on the award to First Lieutenant Cushing will be announced separately.<br />
<br />
First Lieutenant Alonzo H. Cushing will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions while serving as commanding officer of Battery A, 4th United States Artillery, Artillery Brigade, 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac. Cushing distinguished himself during combat operations against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1863.</blockquote>
RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-15179469387253320912014-08-05T23:06:00.002-04:002014-08-05T23:08:00.296-04:00Seshet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g68q8kLM7GI6wfkjpgof_C1eUA_GPFrnCU2gnoJ5DRewMocAdlb5lI6EbSZIfkqX6ngIx4ZV7p67gnhstSecX3XQNy1sSEpETW17dyCFfhQb60ergJawwasHgWH8y9NLrtP9FQ/s1600/PC250352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g68q8kLM7GI6wfkjpgof_C1eUA_GPFrnCU2gnoJ5DRewMocAdlb5lI6EbSZIfkqX6ngIx4ZV7p67gnhstSecX3XQNy1sSEpETW17dyCFfhQb60ergJawwasHgWH8y9NLrtP9FQ/s320/PC250352.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">25 Dec 06.</span></div>
<br />
A month or so before my daughter's first birthday, we put her in her stroller and took her for a walk down by the river, not far from where we lived at the time. A few blocks into our walk we met a cat and stopped to say hello to it. It was a young cat, very friendly, and when we walked away it started following us. Every now and then it would head up the front walk of a house we were passing, but then it would turn around and hurry to catch up with us.<br />
<br />
There was a small embankment between us and the houses along that street, so every one of them had a few steps in its front walk. The embankment didn't run straight - it meandered a bit, so at some houses those steps were right out at the end of the walk, where it joined the sidewalk along the street, while at others they were set back, closer to the house. And it didn't take us long to notice that whenever the cat stopped to investigate a house, it was always one where those steps in the front walk were right out next to the sidewalk. So we figured the cat was lost, and while it didn't know where Home was, it knew what Home ought to look like.<br />
<br />
It had been following us for several blocks when a woman out working in her garden as we passed commented on what a pretty cat we had. We explained that it was a stray that had attached itself to us, and she offfered to loan us a cat carrier so the poor cat wouldn't have to walk all the way to our house, which was still a few blocks away. We accepted and carried it the rest of the way home.<br />
<br />
The next morning we printed up some "FOUND CAT" signs and set out to post them in the area where we'd found the cat. Just after we finished attaching the first sign to a telephone pole two teen-aged girls came up and stopped to see what we were doing. After reading our poster one of the girls said, "Oh, that's Megan's cat!" My wife recognised Megan's name - she was a young lady who had been murdered a week or so earlier by her estranged husband - and remembered her address, so we walked over to have a look at her house. It was a block or two from where we'd first met the cat, and sure enough, it had steps at the end of its front walk, right out at the sidewalk.<br />
<br />
So we went back home and discussed the cat. She was a grey tabby, similar to one we'd lost the year before, very friendly, and she seemed to get on well with our other two cats, so we decided to keep her. According to the vet we took her to she was around a year old, or perhaps a bit more - a month or few older than our daughter. We picked the name Seshet<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span></b> from a list of Egyptian goddesses, and she settled right in.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">26 Nov 09</span></div>
<br />
A year later we transferred from Norfolk to Groton. We were only allowed two cats in Navy housing, and we still had two of the three my wife had had before we were married, so Seshet went to live with my in-laws, in the next town over. The other two cats died over the course of the next few years, but by then Seshet had become used to being an indoor/outdoor cat, which wasn't permitted in housing, so she stayed on at my in-laws' place, even after I retired and we moved out of housing. She's still officially our cat, though, not theirs.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*******</div>
<br />
It's now a few weeks shy of eighteen years since that walk with our daughter and a poor, lost cat. Seshet has gone deaf, and arthritis has set in; she can still jump up onto the porch railing, but she can't sit properly - she squats, with her butt still an inch or so off the ground - and she's no longer flexible enough to clean herself properly. Recently she's begun losing bladder control, and forgets to use the litter box. So it's been decided that tomorrow she'll make her final visit to the vet....<br />
<br />
We'll miss her.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">5 Aug 14</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>*</b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seshat">Wikipedia</a> prefers the spelling "Seshat."RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-73869586531680301842014-08-05T01:00:00.000-04:002014-08-05T01:00:04.052-04:00150 years ago: Mobile BayOn <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mobile_Bay">5 August 1864</a> a US fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farragut">Farragut</a>, supported by 1500 soldiers under General Gordon <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Granger">Granger</a>, attacked the defences at Mobile, Alabama, the last major Gulf port east of the Mississippi still under Confederate control. Farragut's flagship was the screw sloop USS <i>Hartford</i>; other ships present were screw sloops USS <i>Brooklyn</i>, <i>Monongahela</i>, <i>Oneida</i>, <i>Ossipee</i>, <i>Richmond</i>, and <i>Seminole</i>; screw sloop-of-war USS <i>Lackawanna</i>; gunboats USS <i>Galena,</i> <i>Itasca</i>, <i>Kennebec</i>, <i>Metacomet</i>, <i>Octorara</i>, and <i>Port Royal</i>; ironclad monitors USS <i>Manhattan</i> and <i>Tecumseh</i>; and ironclad river monitors USS <i>Chickasaw</i> and <i>Winnebago</i>.
<br />
<br />
<i>Tecumseh</i> sank after hitting a mine - in those days called a torpedo - on the way into Mobile Bay. <i>Brooklyn</i>, leading Farragut's main column (because she had more forward-firing guns than the other sloops), slowed to ask for instructions, causing Farragut to order <i>Hartford</i> to take the lead with the famous if apocryphal "Damn the torpedoes!" <i>Hartford</i> and the other ships passed successfully through the minefield that had claimed <i>Tecumseh</i>.<br />
<br />
The defending forces included the ironclad ram CSS <i>Tennessee</i> and side-wheel gunboats CSS <i>Gaines</i>, <i>Morgan</i> and <i>Selma</i>, under Admiral Franklin <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Buchanan">Buchanan</a>. Farragut's gunboats made short work of the side-wheelers, capturing <i>Selma</i>, seriously damaging <i>Gaines</i> (which was beached and burned by her crew), and forcing <i>Morgan</i> to take cover under the guns of nearby Fort Morgan. <i>Tennessee</i> took more work, but was eventually battered into submission and surrendered. Farragut's ships then provided fire support for Granger's attacks on the three forts - Powell, Gaines, and Morgan - protecting the harbour. Fort Powell was abandoned that day; Fort Gaines surrendered on 8 August, and Fort Morgan on 23 August. (The captured CSS <i>Tennessee</i> was repaired, commissioned into the US Navy as USS <i>Tennessee</i>, and sent to join in the final attack on Fort Morgan.)<br />
<br />
96 men (88 sailors, seven Marines and one civilian pilot) were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions on 5 August.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgPIp6sBNrWHoGV8i6wCR0F1xoQBZEp2ICVV6rU1lcYj4AOaHoEZiWjVGRUv8q8MWh0KKm60mgPXot5egn14gcFk-U33nQwMFhslmWWo8h0VtGo_UkM5_-7J8xFjF_Uyw21v_/s1600-h/MoH+USN+1862.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgPIp6sBNrWHoGV8i6wCR0F1xoQBZEp2ICVV6rU1lcYj4AOaHoEZiWjVGRUv8q8MWh0KKm60mgPXot5egn14gcFk-U33nQwMFhslmWWo8h0VtGo_UkM5_-7J8xFjF_Uyw21v_/s320/MoH+USN+1862.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066486714371668610" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a>USS <em>Brooklyn</em> (23): Ship's Cook William Blagheen, Captain of the Forecastle John Brown, Landsman William H Brown, Coxswain John L M Cooper, Ordinary Seaman Samuel W Davis, Sergeant J Henry Denig, Boatswain's Mate Richard Dennis, Coxswain William Halstead, Sergeant Michael Hudson, Seaman Joseph Irlam, Coxswain John Irving, Seaman Nicholas Irwin, Quartermaster Barnett Kenna, Boy James Machon, Captain of the Top Alexander Mack, Coal Heaver William Madden, Engineer's Cook James Mifflin, Quartermaster William Nichols, Corporal Miles M Oviatt, Coxswain Edward Price, Corporal Willard M Smith, Coal Heaver James E Sterling, Quartermaster Samuel Todd<br />
<br />
USS <em>Chickasaw</em> (2): Chief Boatswain's Mate Andrew Jones, Master at Arms James Seanor<br />
<br />
USS <em>Galena</em> (4): Seaman William Gardner, Quartermaster Thomas Jordan, Quartermaster Edward S Martin, Coxswain Edward B Young<br />
<br />
USS <em>Hartford</em> (12): Landsman Wilson Brown, Ordinary Seaman Bartholomew Diggins, Coal Heaver Richard D Dunphy, Coxswain Thomas Fitzpatrick, civilian pilot Martin Freeman, Coal Heaver James R Garrison, Landsman John Lawson, Captain of the Forecastle John C McFarland, Ordinary Seaman Charles Melville, Coal Heaver Thomas O'Connell, Landsman William Pelham, Shell Man William A Stanley<br />
<br />
USS <em>Lackawanna</em> (11): Seaman John M Burns, Landsman Michael Cassidy, Landsman Patrick Dougherty, Captain of the Top John Edwards, Landsman Samuel W Kinnaird, Seaman Adam McCullock, Boatswain's Mate William Phinney, Captain of the Forecastle John Smith, Armorer George Taylor, Quarter Gunner James Ward, Quartermaster Daniel Whitfield<br />
<br />
USS <em>Metacomet</em> (8): Seaman James Avery, Quarter Gunner Charles Baker, Ordinary Seaman John Donnelly, Captain of the Forecastle John Harris, Seaman Henry Johnson, Boatswain's Mate Patrick Murphy, Landsman Daniel Noble, Coxswain Thomas Taylor, <br />
<br />
USS <em>Oneida</em> (8): Quartermaster John E Jones, Coxswain Thomas Kendrick, Landsman David Naylor, Ordinary Seaman William D Newland, Landsman John Preston, Sergeant James S Roantree, Quartermaster James Sheridan, Seaman Charles B Woram<br />
<br />
USS <em>Richmond</em> (28): Yeoman Thomas E Atkinson, Quartermaster John Brazell, Captain of the Top Robert Brown, Master-at-Arms William M Carr, Coxswain James B Chandler, Quartermaster Thomas Cripps, Chief Quartermaster Cornelius Cronin, Boatswain's Mate Charles Deakin, Chief Boatswain's Mate William Densmore, Coal Heaver William Doolen, Boatswain's Mate Adam Duncan, Coxswain Hugh Hamilton, Coxswain Thomas Hayes, Captain of the Top John H James, Captain of the Top William Jones, Captain of the Top James McIntosh, Sergeant Andrew Miller, Captain of the Top James H Morgan, Captain of the Forecastle George Parks, Seaman Hendrick Sharp, Coxswain Lebbeus Simkins, Captain of the Forecastle James Smith, Second Captain of the Top John Smith, Coxswain Oloff Smith, Ordinary Seaman Walter B Smith, Orderly Sergeant David Sprowle, Coxswain Alexander H Truett, Quartermaster William WellsRM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31558164.post-84780235007016082852014-07-01T10:17:00.000-04:002014-09-30T00:35:27.329-04:00Book list - Apr-Jun 14<em>The Mysterious Island</em> - adventure, by Jules Verne *<br />
<em>The Grand Tour</em> - historical fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer<br />
<em>Mammoth</em> - time travel, by John Varley<br />
<em>Sober Men and True: Sailor Lives in the Royal Navy 1900-1945</em> - naval history, by Christopher McKee<br />
<br />
<br />
Only four books this time round, one of them a reread. And I'm still at 58 of 75 on the Carnegie Medal winners.RM1(SS) (ret)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13101367196599109034noreply@blogger.com0