What are you reading now?

[NSquirrel]

German Boy: A Child in War
by Wolfgang W.E. Samuel
From goodreads.com

As the Third Reich crumbled in 1945, scores of Germans scrambled to flee the advancing Russian troops. Among them was a little boy named Wolfgang Samuel, who left his home with his mother and sister and ended up in war-torn Strasbourg before being forced farther west into a disease-ridden refugee camp. German Boy is the vivid, true story of their fight for survival as the tables of power turned and, for reasons Wolfgang was too young to understand, his broken family suffered arbitrary arrest, rape, hunger, and constant fear.

Because his father was off fighting the war as a Luftwaffe officer, young Wolfgang was forced to become the head of his household, scavenging for provisions and scraps with which to feed his family. Despite his best efforts, his mother still found herself forced to do the unthinkable to survive, and her sacrifices became Wolfgang's worst nightmares. Somehow, with the resilience only children can muster, he maintained his youth and innocence in little ways–making friends with other young refugees, playing games with shrapnel, delighting in the planes flown by the Americans and the candies the GIs brought. In the end, the Samuels begin life anew in America, and Wolfgang eventually goes on to a thirty-year career in the U.S. Air Force.

Bringing fresh insight to the dark history of Nazi Germany and the horror left in its wake, German Boy records the valuable recollections of an innocent's incredible journey.

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A really interesting biographical account of a very difficult time in history, but then history has a habit if repeating itself with all the refugees we see today.

 

[J. A.]

Avengers of the Moon, by Allen Steele

 

[NSquirrel]

Adults in the Room by Yanis Varoufakis


A very good read for both EU and non-EU readers.


Both being ‘Remainers’ in the UK (in the referendum we voted for and wanted to remain in the EU) we were interested in extracts of this book we found in one of our newspapers. I have little first hand knowledge of Greece (as I last travelled around it, as a youngster, in 1967 and we left along a road lined with army vehicles, not knowing that that day or the next would be the coup by the generals) but I thought that it would provide an interesting insight into the forthcoming Brexit negotiations. Hence I bought an electronic copy for my wife’s birthday and we have since both read it with increasing incredulity; not of the author but of the EU, banks, politicians, phone tapping, mis-information, etc. and the way Greece was ‘handled’, and I suppose still is being ‘handling’, let alone other EU countries.


From ‘about the book’

———-

What happens when you take on the establishment? In this blistering, personal account, world-famous economist Yanis Varoufakis blows the lid on Europe’s hidden agenda and exposes what actually goes on in its corridors of power.


Varoufakis sparked one of the most spectacular and controversial battles in recent political history when, as finance minister of Greece, he attempted to re-negotiate his country’s relationship with the EU. Despite the mass support of the Greek people and the simple logic of his arguments, he succeeded only in provoking the fury of Europe’s political, financial and media elite. But the true story of what happened is almost entirely unknown – not least because so much of the EU’s real business takes place behind closed doors.

In this fearless account, Varoufakis reveals all: an extraordinary tale of brinkmanship, hypocrisy, collusion and betrayal that will shake the deep establishment to its foundations.

As is now clear, the same policies that required the tragic and brutal suppression of Greece’s democratic uprising have led directly to authoritarianism, populist revolt and instability throughout the Western world.

Adults In The Room is an urgent wake-up call to renew European democracy before it is too late.’​

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One other passage I would like to reproduce from the book concerns quoted speech:-

———

A Note on Quoted Speech

In a book of this nature, in which so much depends on who said what to whom, I have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of quoted speech. To this end, I have been able to draw on audio recordings that I made on my phone, as well as on notes I made at the time, of many of the official meetings and conversations that appear in this book. Where my own recordings or notes are unavailable, I have relied on memory and, where possible, the corroboration of other witnesses.​

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Finally: after reading this, would we vote the same way in another referendum? Good question and one we have discussed at great length.

 

[J. A.]

I've started reading this book during the flight back to Austria

 

[J. A.]

Orbital Cloud, by Taiyo Fujii

Hoping it's as good as his other book that I've read before (Gene Mapper).

 

[twerppoet]

Just finished The Spark by David Drake (it's an eARC)

Starting a nostalgia read of Wolfling by Gordon R. Dickson

 

[J. A.]

Outriders, by Jay Posey

 

[J. A.]

As the movie "Das Boot" is based on this novel, I've started reading:
Das Boot, by Lothar-Günther Buchheim

 

[scifan57]

As the movie "Das Boot" is based on this novel, I've started reading:
Das Boot, by Lothar-Günther Buchheim

Many of the characters in the book and movie are based on the actual officers and men of the real U-96, including the war correspondent who is based on Lothar-Günther Bucheim.

 

[NSquirrel]

Autumn approaching in the UK, so I am planning on returning to my reading. I have just finished Beartown by Fredrik Backman. A very thoughtful book and definitely recommended. I am not sure how to describe the effect of the book: "a serious, heavy read that lacked his whimsical trademark" as one person wrote.

From goodreads.com:

‘The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true.

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.’

 

[NSquirrel]

Shrinking Viokets - The Secret Life of Shyness by Joe Moran.

A good and interesting read for those whose body ‘makeup’ includes shyness. Not a self help or how to cure it but how to understand and live with it.

 

[J. A.]

This

 

[Jupiter7]

Sapiens - A Brief History of Human Kind - by Yuval Noah Harari

 

[Unkei]

Sevenses By Neal Stephenson

Unkei

 

[J. A.]

Fortunately, the Milk - by Neil Gaiman