The Books of 2005

I love books. Just wanna get naked and roll in them. I think I will start something new this year's end. A short opinion on the books I finished this year.

One Bullet Away: Nathanie Fick's recounting of his experience as a Marine Officer from OCS in the late 90s to finishing up with the fall of Baghdad. I cannot tell or explain better than to just say, buy this book. I dog-eared all sorts of pages to quote here, but it would itself be a novel. It is a great companion book to Generation Kill by Rolling Stone embed Evan Wright. I wrote about Nate the first month I started blogging. If you are interesting in the Gulf War, Marines, Lieutenant General Mattis, the Ivy League's disconnect, and what war is like from the perspective of the young men who do the fighting....this is on you must read list.

The Slaves of Liberty: A short and expensive book, but an absolute gem. If you decend from the slave owning plantation class of the South (as I do), or decend from American slaves, this is a book you should consider reading. Written by a decendant of slaves from Amite County, Mississippi, this is a fair, balanced, fact based account based on the records in the Amite County Courthouse in Liberty, Miss; one of the few public buildings not burned to the ground by Federal troops.

The Dream and the Nightmare: I first read about this book when deployed on the ENTERPRISE in 98/99 and National Review had an article about what the then governor of Texas was reading. If you have an interest about where, why, and how the nightmare of the welfare state that we created came from - this is a good book. It is also a good reminder what things were like prior to the reforms of '94. We are much better. It is also an insight into what kind of Presidency George W. Bush would have tried to have if 19 followers of a moon-god death-cult didn't attack us in SEP 01. Recommended.

Armageddon: The telling of WWII from a different perspective. New and interesting facts here, with some stories you don't hear from the "victor gets to write the history books" perspective. Good for the WWII buff, or someone that thinks we are waging a brutal war against terrorism. Nice cluebat.

Ripples of Battle: It's Victor Davis Hanson. Do I need to say more? Read the reviews and see for yourselves. Great for the history nut.

Longitude: Nice short book about what seems like a dull subject: why did it take so long to figure out what longitude you were at while at sea and why was it so important. Professional sailors, history types, and those who love mildly insane inventors who thrive in Anglo-Saxon cultures. Quick read with lots of, "Wow, I never thought of that.

Cod: Like Longitude, this is a short, quick read - and an exceptionally interesting read about the rise and fall of a critical building block of Western Civilization - the humble Cod. I seriously enjoyed this book, and the writer has a style I wish I had. The author has a new book out, Salt, and it is on my 2006 list.

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UPDATE: As usual, Anne has me soaking with inadequacy. Her book list is out, with links to a few others. I've got to read faster.
.....oh, and Ninme too!

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