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What book are you currently reading, or recommend?

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CentralMOBuck;2291689; said:
75% of the way through this.
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After I'm done with this I'm going to take a break from the series and read a few WW2 history books. Any suggestions?
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I haven't read it yet, but I highly recommend "Winter of the World" by Ken Follett. It's the second in his trilogy about the 20th century and highlights the World War II era from the perspective of families/couples from the different countries in the war.

I just read "Fall of Giants" which was the first book in the trilogy and was fantastic. It's pretty lengthy at 940 pages but it covered a rich historical period from 1912 through the early 1920s with great narrative and personal perspective. It puts you in the shoes of those in involved in the world events leading up to and during World War I and is fascinating. I would recommend starting with this before the second book since the characters and their future generations continue throughout the series.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7315573-fall-of-giants'

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12959233-winter-of-the-world
 
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PlanetFrnd;2283602; said:
Wanted to read some Pynchon, for whatever reason I don't feel like starting with Gravity's Rainbow... Gemmy would be mad at me.

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More of a doorstop than a book, IMO. Read about 800 pages, realized I was only about halfway through, and quit. The story wasn't making any sense to me and the silly names of the characters put me off. Let me know what you think.
I'm currently reading a book called "Temperament". It's a history of music, basically, starting in the 2nd century, and leading to the development of our modern scale. Excellent so far.
 
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For those of you who enjoy history/military books: Three great reads in my recent past, two, Korea and All Hell Let Loose, by British historian, Max Hastings, and The Generals by Thomas Ricks.

Hastings gives what I think to be one of the most balanced, insightful accounts of Korea and WWII. He mixes quotes from privates, generals, civilians, other historians to give you a broader perspective. Things that stand out in All Hell: his loathing for MacArthur and Montgomery, his appreciation for the skill with which the German infantry fought, the turnaround in fighting skills in the Russian army, that atrocities weren't limited to the SS but were an early part of the behavior of the entire Wehrmacht.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...s-6264766.html

The Korean book really pans MacArthur and the army, especially in comparison to the Marines and the small British contingent. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55407.The_Korean_War

Ricks' book focuses on the training and personnel decisions of the Army's generals from WWI to today, especially focusing on the issue of relieving officers who don't make the grade. A very intense look behind the decision makers, their training, their experiences, their strengths and weaknesses and how all these play in to what the army accomplished or failed to accomplish. http://www.npr.org/2012/10/29/163185...red-more-often
 
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