What book(s) are you currently reading?

[Tom McAndrew]

I finished the below book about a week ago. It was published in 2006, and it's been on my shelves for nearly that long. I had picked it up 100s of times, but I always seemed to opt for another book, in part because I already knew so much about the battles in and around Philadelphia. I'm scheduled to go to a presentation by the author later this year, so I decided to finally open this book and read it. For me, it was an excellent book; one I had trouble putting down. Its main focus is on the Battle of Brandywine, though it spends time on the events leading up to that battle (starting from Gen. Howe trying to tempt Gen. Washington into coming out from the hills/mountains of Northern NJ to fight the British in the Spring of 1777, to Gen. Howe and many of his troops setting sail from New York City to a destination unknown to the patriots, from the landing of the British at Head of Elk, MD, through skirmishes in MD and DE, and the two armies evading traps set for the other). While the Battle of Brandywine has been covered more fully in a couple of other books that I've read, this book does a great job of weaving together strict battle facts with thoughts, opinions, etc. written by many of the battle participants, local townspeople, etc. It continues examining the campaign through the Battle of the Clouds, the Paoli Massacre (which the author had previously written about, in Battle of Paoli -- the best book available on the subject), and the feinting that the two forces did as Washington sought to protect Philadelphia, and Howe sought to cross the Schuylkill River so that he could take Philadelphia. (Hard to imagine that in 1777, Philadelphia was the largest city in the United States, and the only way to cross from what is now Center City to what is now West Philadelphia was over one of 3 ferries, or to cross upriver over fords in what is now Montgomery County or Chester County.) The book ends a day before the British enter Philadelphia -- that part of the Philadelphia Campaign through Valley Forge are part of the author's accompanying book, which I'm currently reading: The Philadelphia Campaign: Volume II: Germantown and the Roads to Valley Forge. If you have interest in the battles in and around Philadelphia, I highly recommend this book.

 

[sluggo72]

Just finished this one...

unfortunately I know many of the players.

 

[nittanyfan333]

the struggle is real.....

 

[olelion]

The Second World Wars -Victor Davis Hanson
A slighly different look at the war disecting air war, water, land, people. A pretty deep read but perfect for WWII history buffs

Striking Gridiron - Greg Nichols
The Braddock high school football streak 6 years unbeaten, one tie, 6 straight WPIAL championships. Told against the backdrop of the 1959 steel strike. A really great read for me being from the area

 

[Hugh Laurie]

Secret Empires by Peter Schweitzer.

 

[delcoLion]

Now, now, don't leap to conclusions. I read all three of Ludlum's Bourne books by 1992 or 93 (can't recall exactly when I read the last one). I've never read any of Van Lustbader's books which continued the Bourne character. (I believe he's written 11 books that continued the series, and has a 12th one coming out this year.)

I was always a history nut, and used to read a variety of books. About 10-12 years ago, I realized that I wasn't getting any younger, and wasn't getting to anywhere near the number of books that I wanted to read. So I decided to pretty much limit my reading to history books/biographies, with most having to do with the Rev War era, or the initial years of the USA. About once or twice a year, I'll step out of my norm and read a fiction book, and usually really enjoy them, and wish I had the time to read them plus all the history books I read.

I’m in the same boat, Tom, I certainly don’t have your command of the Rev War but that occupies most of my reading. I’m currently reading a bio of James Madison. I find the founders to be very interesting. A book that I read last year about the Constitutional convention asks the reader to not put the Founders on a pedestal but at least a dozen of them could be considered among the greatest political scientists in history.

 

[LafayetteBear]

2. Whispers Across The Atlantick: General William Howe and the American Revolution
by David Smith

This book was excellent. Gen. Howe was the leader of the British forces in America in 1776 and 1777*. Howe's superiors in Britain (Lord Germain, Lord North, and King George III) grew increasingly exacerbated by Howe's limited activity, and failure to put down the rebellion. Howe offered his resignation in Oct. 1777, and was notified in April 1778 that his offer was accepted.

Since then, there has been endless debate about why Howe did not prosecute the war more vigorously. Reasons offered have included:

1. Yada, yada, yada.
2. Yada, yada, yada.
3. Yada, yada, yada.
4. His enjoying the charms of Mrs. Loring, in NYC and in Philadelphia
5. Yada, yada, yada.
6. Etc.

"The charms of Mrs. Loring?" FLAG. (They had painters back then, didn't they?)

"Etc?" More Mrs. Loring stuff, perhaps?

 

[Tom McAndrew]

"The charms of Mrs. Loring?" FLAG. (They had painters back then, didn't they?)

The refs do not take kindly when fans tell them they should throw a flag on themselves.

I'm pretty sure that no paintings of Mrs. Elizabeth Loring exist.

There is a lot of debate amongst Rev War scholars as to whether or not Gen. Howe and Mrs. Loring had a sexual relationship. As best as I can tell (and I have researched it a good bit), there is nothing definitive that proves that they did. It is somewhat suspicious that while Joshua Loring, Jr. (her husband) stayed in NYC in 1777 and 1778, Mrs. Loring accompanied Gen. Howe on the ships that sailed from NYC, and landed at Head of Elk, MD, in 1777, and stayed in Philadelphia from Sep. 1777 through June 1778, while Gen. Howe was there.

There is a lot of speculation, assumptions, an infamous line in a poem, mention of it in a few letters sent back home from British soldiers stationed in Philadelphia, and a few other mentions, but nothing conclusive.

The Lorings went with the British when they evacuated Boston in 1776, and sailed to Halifax. They returned to the US when the Halifax forces landed in NYC in 1776. Joshua Loring, Jr. was appointed Commissary General of Prisoners (patriots held prisoner in NYC), where he was hated by the prisoners. (It's difficult to prove, but it appears that he did everything he could to rip off supplies for the prisoners, and enriched his pockets.) Mrs. Loring and her children sailed to England a year or two after the British abandoned Philadelphia in 1778. (I could look up the exact date, but it's not all that important in the narrative.) Mr. Loring stayed in NYC until after the Treaty of Paris was signed, and the British troops and loyalists that elected to leave the US sailed to England in 1783. At that time, he was reunited with Mrs. Loring, and they had three additional children. Mr. Loring died in 1789, at the age of 45. Mrs. Loring was granted a pension by the English government. She lived until 1835. She did not remarry, and there is no evidence that she met up with Gen. Howe while the two of them were in England after he was relieved of his post in 1778. The only link between the two of them in England is a letter from Gen. Howe submitted to support her pension application.

 

[SUPERTODD]

The Second World Wars -Victor Davis Hanson
A slighly different look at the war disecting air war, water, land, people. A pretty deep read but perfect for WWII history buffs

Striking Gridiron - Greg Nichols
The Braddock high school football streak 6 years unbeaten, one tie, 6 straight WPIAL championships. Told against the backdrop of the 1959 steel strike. A really great read for me being from the area

Read Carnage and Culture by Hanson if you have not already. Very well done.

If you like World War II, John Keegan’s books are great. He also wrote histories of the Civil War and WW I. He does the conflicts justice, but also analyzes industrial and economic might as it relates to war.

 

[kijanacat]

That’s a new one, interesting.
I seem to recall, but could be wrong, that a lot of records that the British have were supposed to be released 75 years after Churchill’s death. There has been a lot of speculation that he knew that Pearl Harbor was imminent but did not alert FDR.

I attended a lecture in Wasington, DC. Several speakers addressed certain issues regarding the cooperation of US and UK. Consensus was they did not share all of their secret findings. Pearl Harbor was among intel the Brits kept to themselves. TIFWIW.

 

[ram511]

Untold History of the United States

 

[Burb]

I’m reading When the Lions Roared by Bill Contz. The story of the ’82 Nittany Lions which happened to be my junior year and first year at main campus. I’ve read some stories that I haven’t heard before. I’m up to Sugar Bowl week and can’t wait to find out how we do against Herschel Walker and #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl! Who doesn't love a happy ending?

Crosseres

 

[Mr. Potter]

I’m reading When the Lions Roared by Bill Contz. The story of the ’82 Nittany Lions which happened to be my junior year and first year at main campus. I’ve read some stories that I haven’t heard before. I’m up to Sugar Bowl week and can’t wait to find out how we do against Herschel Walker and #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl! Who doesn't love a happy ending?

Thank you America. Can't think of the author's name but he was the first physician in Cherry Hill, NJ. Great read of your into the Presidents of the United States.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Beginners Guide to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I completed this book about 3 weeks ago. It was excellent on its own, but is best read in conjunction with Vol. 1, which I posted about earlier in this thread. McGuire fills in a lot of details about the period between when the British marched into Philadelphia in Sep. 1777, and Washington and his troops set up winter camp at Valley Forge in Dec. 1777. I highly recommend the book to those that have an interest in the subject, or those that would like to learn a lot more about the Philadelphia campaign in the Revolutionary War.

 

[wentzel25]

The Most Beautiful Woman in Town and other stories - Charles Bukowski

 

[martypsu]

Just finished the latest Pendergast book, City of Endless Night. It was ok.
I'm a big Preston and Child fan but nothing they've done recently comes close to Relic, Thunderhead (my favorite), Cabinet of Curosities and Mt. Dragon.

I agree--they may have written themselves out

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I'm scheduled to go to a presentation on Daniel Morgan later this month. While I know a great deal about him, I wanted to take a closer look at him before the presentation. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of recent books written about Daniel Morgan. Don Higginbotham wrote an excellent book about him, but the hardback version is out of print. There was another book about him that was independently published in 2015, but that didn't have the best of reviews. So I turned to North Callahan's biography from 1961. Callahan's book was pretty good, in that it gave most of the major details of his life. However, the writing style was somewhat dated (imagine that), and at times Callahan seems more like a cheerleader than a biographer. This isn't a bad book if you want some insight into the life of one of the more interesting generals in the Rev War.

 

[BBrown]

I agree--they may have written themselves out

Or at the very least slow down and come up with better stories. They are becoming James Patterson and that is not a good thing.

 

[mdking001]

The City of Ember by J Duprau

Only because my daughter is reading it for 7th grade school and based upon what they are asking her to do, I told her I would read it as well.

Amazon product ASIN 0375822747
Prior to that I had just finished Earth Unaware by Orson Scott Card. It has an interesting concept and it kept me involved throughout but it was no Enders Game, Abyss or others. I hated how it ended because now I must read the next one. Yes it hooked me enough for that

 

[Mr. Potter]

"Thank you America" A history of the United States told thru the biographies of our Past Presidents of the United States. Written by Harold Kirsch who was of the first Doctors in the Cherry hill, NJ area and recently passed (within the last two months)

 

[Hugh Laurie]

Evil Empires by Peter Schweitzer

Book will blow your mind on how elected politicians help their families and friends build billion dollar empires.

 

[BBrown]

Evil Empires by Peter Schweitzer

Book will blow your mind on how elected politicians help their families and friends build billion dollar empires.

Wow thats timely. LOL.

 

[LionJim]

In honor of Feynman's upcoming centenary (May 11), I've decided to read this for, I believe, the fourth time.

 

[Locolion]

I finished the below book about a week ago. It was published in 2006, and it's been on my shelves for nearly that long. I had picked it up 100s of times, but I always seemed to opt for another book, in part because I already knew so much about the battles in and around Philadelphia. I'm scheduled to go to a presentation by the author later this year, so I decided to finally open this book and read it. For me, it was an excellent book; one I had trouble putting down. Its main focus is on the Battle of Brandywine, though it spends time on the events leading up to that battle (starting from Gen. Howe trying to tempt Gen. Washington into coming out from the hills/mountains of Northern NJ to fight the British in the Spring of 1777, to Gen. Howe and many of his troops setting sail from New York City to a destination unknown to the patriots, from the landing of the British at Head of Elk, MD, through skirmishes in MD and DE, and the two armies evading traps set for the other). While the Battle of Brandywine has been covered more fully in a couple of other books that I've read, this book does a great job of weaving together strict battle facts with thoughts, opinions, etc. written by many of the battle participants, local townspeople, etc. It continues examining the campaign through the Battle of the Clouds, the Paoli Massacre (which the author had previously written about, in Battle of Paoli -- the best book available on the subject), and the feinting that the two forces did as Washington sought to protect Philadelphia, and Howe sought to cross the Schuylkill River so that he could take Philadelphia. (Hard to imagine that in 1777, Philadelphia was the largest city in the United States, and the only way to cross from what is now Center City to what is now West Philadelphia was over one of 3 ferries, or to cross upriver over fords in what is now Montgomery County or Chester County.) The book ends a day before the British enter Philadelphia -- that part of the Philadelphia Campaign through Valley Forge are part of the author's accompanying book, which I'm currently reading: The Philadelphia Campaign: Volume II: Germantown and the Roads to Valley Forge. If you have interest in the battles in and around Philadelphia, I highly recommend this book.

Settle down Beavis

 

[Lionguy32]

I am now reading this....

If anyone likes spy novels, I highly recommend Daniel Silva.

 

[Woodpecker]

"The charms of Mrs. Loring?" FLAG.

Probably not an accurate depiction:

 

[GreggK]

Award-winning Civil War historian Noah Andre Trudeau has written a gripping, definitive account that will stand as the last word on General William Tecumseh Sherman's epic march—a targeted strategy aimed to break not only the Confederate army but an entire society as well. Sherman's swath of destruction spanned more than sixty miles in width and virtually cut Georgia in two. He led more than 60,000 Union troops to blaze a path from Atlanta to Savannah, ordering his men to burn crops, kill livestock, and lay waste to everything that fed the Rebel war machine.

Told through the intimate and engrossing writings of Sherman's soldiers and the civilians who suffered in their wake, Southern Storm paints a vibrant picture of an event that would forever change America's course.
Amazon product ASIN 0060598689

I am reading that while waiting for the 6th book in the The Familiar series.
https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Z.-Danielewski/e/B000APTSK8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1518125522&sr=1-1

Good Man. I fear he didn't go far enough.

 

[LionJim]

Probably not an accurate depiction:

This looks like X-Men art, Cockrum and Byrne.

 

[EPC FAN]

I’m reading When the Lions Roared by Bill Contz. The story of the ’82 Nittany Lions which happened to be my junior year and first year at main campus. I’ve read some stories that I haven’t heard before. I’m up to Sugar Bowl week and can’t wait to find out how we do against Herschel Walker and #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl! Who doesn't love a happy ending?

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. I've read it already, but it is a refresher course.

 

[fairgambit]

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. I've read it already, but it is a refresher course.

Terrific book. I read it just a few years after it was 1st published in the early 60's. I had almost no personal contact with blacks in those days. There were less than a dozen in my high school and none in my neighborhood. Although I lived in white society, I cannot recall a single time when my parents, or any of their friends, uttered a racist word. The book opened my eyes to a world I knew nothing about.
I will add I am just starting Thomas More: A Biography by Richard Marius

 

[supermatt24]

So good.

 

[Thorndike2012]

"The Dying Fish", by Cedric Keith.

https://thedyingfish.com/tag/cedric-keith/

Fly fishermen are the poets of anglers, and Keith proves that point once again. Lovely prose on a topic dear to my heart. Highly recommended for hikers, fly fishermen and other adventurers.

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

Good Man. I fear he didn't go far enough.

I really enjoyed the book.

Each chapter had a map (or maps) showing the progress of the campaign.

I have moved on to:
Amazon product ASIN 0679763880

 

[john4psu]

 

[ApexLion]

I’m reading When the Lions Roared by Bill Contz. The story of the ’82 Nittany Lions which happened to be my junior year and first year at main campus. I’ve read some stories that I haven’t heard before. I’m up to Sugar Bowl week and can’t wait to find out how we do against Herschel Walker and #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl! Who doesn't love a happy ending?

Adrian McKinty series. It’s 3 trilogies. Detective Sean Duffy solves crimes, sometimes violently in N. Ireland. His commentary on societal issues is hilarious at times. Clever stuff.

 

[We Are . . .]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I completed the book pictured below, Dunmore's War: The Last Conflict of America's Colonial Era, last week, and would highly recommend it. There are a lot of claims, misinformation, etc. that surround Dunmore's War, which took place in 1774. Its roots were somewhat complicated. The Iroquois, at the Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1768) had ceded the land south of the Ohio River to the British. This was, at the time, the hunting ground of the Shawnee, the Western Delaware (Lenni Lenape), and the Mingo (who were Senecas that the Iroquois had sent to the area to influence/maintain control over the other tribes). There was also the conflicting claims to the region between the Monongahela and the Ohio Rivers, from both Pennsylvania and Virginia. Virginia felt this was part of their Augusta County, while Pennsylvania considered this part of their Westmoreland County. The boundaries of the royal colony charter for VA, and the proprietary charter given William Penn for PA, were not clearly defined, so this was not something that could be easily resolved. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 (at the end of the Seven Years' War) reserved the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Ohio River as the hunting grounds of the Shawnee and other nations that had sided with the British in the Seven Years' War. The Proclamation put a halt to all purchases of Indian land by private interests. At the same time, many militia men from the Seven Years' War had been promised/granted tracts of land in this region by Virginia, so these individuals wanted to survey their lands/move there. And lastly, there was John Murray, fourth Earl of Dunmore, who was appointed royal governor of New York in 1770, and royal governor of Virginia, who saw his appointment as a means to improve his wealth.

The author, Glenn F. Williams, does a great job of detailing what took place during this conflict. Some may feel that he provides too much detail, but that's his style in history books, and it does enable the reader to fully understand the dynamics of the situation, and what took place.

It's fascinating to read about how VA and PA were trying to prove how the disputed land was theirs. VA sent forces into the area, rebuilt/reinforced Fort Pitt (which was renamed Fort Dunmore during this period).

The Battle of Point Pleasant effectively ended the war. The Shawnee leader, Cornstalk, had planned a sneak attack on the left wing of the VA forces. The morning of the Shawnee's planned attack, the VA forces sent out two small hunting parties to supplement their food supplies. These parties encountered the Shawnee that were advancing upon the VA militia's camp, unbeknown to the VA forces. The Shawnee were deprived of the element of surprise, and while they initially were winning the battle, they suffered great losses during the battle. A few days later, Cornstalk and Shawnee leaders met with Lord Dunmore at Camp Charlotte, and agreed to a treaty which established that the Indians would stay north of the Ohio, and that they would not contest the lands south of the Ohio.

Yinzers, and those in West Virginia, as well as those interested in this era of history, should find this book interesting.

 

[Lion Lineage]

Currently finishing up an old pulp/noir novel: Cassidy’s Girl by David Goodis.

 

[lgpsu]

I’m reading When the Lions Roared by Bill Contz. The story of the ’82 Nittany Lions which happened to be my junior year and first year at main campus. I’ve read some stories that I haven’t heard before. I’m up to Sugar Bowl week and can’t wait to find out how we do against Herschel Walker and #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl! Who doesn't love a happy ending?

Book of Revelation.......