The books and reading thread

[dundrillin]

Yes the book is a well researched piece of work according to the reviews. ( I have not read it yet)
I'm not normally drawn to conspiracy theories as I feel the cock up philosophy is much more common. However I can't see why a small time hoodlum like Jack Ruby would want to kill Oswold. Also the Dallas police short of pinning a target to Oswold's chest could not have done more to ensure his silence. I recall Oswold said "I'm a patsy " shortly before he was shot. Anyway we will probably never know.
Perhaps when you have finished the book you could review it here on the forum. cheers

[dundrillin]

Oh, did I mention The Red Gambit by Collin Gee?

Russia attacks in Germany in June 1945 to drive to the Atlantic.

I have no vested interests, truly, just want to spread the the good word, the West in the end wins by gathering former Waffer SS soldiers under French command (Gerard - take a bow, unless you are appalled associating with them)

This is fiction mirroring fact as the British re-armed Japanese soldiers after their surrender in '45 and deployed them against guerrillas in Malaysia . Strange but true.

[caller]

However I can't see why a small time hoodlum like Jack Ruby would want to kill Oswold.

Well I'm not so sure Ruby was a hoodlum! Lots of people wanted to kill Oswald after the assassination and many celebrated when he was. It was only the incompetence of the Dallas Police, after initially doing so well, that allowed Ruby to get anywhere near Oswald.

Likewise, with the 'Patsy' comment. It seems astonishing, especially in this day and age, that the media were allowed anywhere near him and it appears he played up to it at every opportunity as he was moved around the Police HQ. The transcripts of Oswald's interviews show he was uncooperative or consistently lied, especially with the evidence already gathered about the Kennedy and Tippit murders, so I don't think too much weight can be given to the comments he made whilst being given the opportunity to play up to the press, considering he also claimed he didn't shoot Tippit, which was witnessed and he was seen leaving the scene and even followed by some.

[dundrillin]

I'll do a bit of research on Ruby

[STEVE G]

I did a bit of reading on the subject of the JFK assasination following the interest in the 50th anniversary, I've read "Last Word" by Mark Lane, "Not in Your Lifetime" by Anthony Summers and "The Dark Side of Lyndon Baines Johnson" by Joachim Joesten.
One interesting point is how the Secret Service agents in Kennedy's car behaved. Whether because of fear, conspiracy, incompetence or apathy, they didn't do what they were supposed to do which was protect the President by using their bodies. In the Vice Presidents car, neither he nor his wife saw what happened after the first shot as they had an agent jump on top of them, if that had happened to JFK, he wouldn't have got his head blown off!

[caller]

Or because he turned down the protection they wanted to provide as outriders so that he could be better seen, much to their concern.

If you follow the film of the shooting, you will see an agent run to and jump on the back of the presidents car once they realised what was happening, which all took place in a few seconds.

[STEVE G]

If you follow the film of the shooting, you will see an agent run to and jump on the back of the presidents car once they realised what was happening, which all took place in a few seconds.

Yes, he was Mrs. Kennedy's bodyguard and tried to do his job. As I understand it, the Presidents principal bodyguard was sat in the front passenger seat of his car and never moved until they reached the hospital. The House Select Committee on Assassinations stated that "the Secret Service was deficient in the performance of its duties."

[kendo]

How about Thailand related books two bloody good reads are

Welcome To Hell "one mans fight for survival in the Bankok Hilton. Author Colin Martin

Damage Done also retitled 4000 Days. Author Warren Fellows

Kendo.

[STEVE G]

But interesting you should raise the subject as my current book is Vincent Bugliosi's, 'Reclaiming History - The assassination of President John F Kennedy', which is without doubt the biggest and heaviest book I have ever attempted to read! Its 1600 pages, plus end notes and extra information on DVD format attached to the back cover, which equate to another 1000 pages! And that's in the special format created for the book.

I've just downloaded "Four Days in November: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy" by Vincent Bugliosi which seems to be a shortened down version but still 600 pages. I have to do some traveling over the weekend and will try to get through some of it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Days-Novem ... RM5XZPG25R

[caller]

'Four Days in November' is the opening chapter of 'Reclaiming History', running to 317 pages, which I guess would be equivalent to 600 pages or so in a normal format! It's an incredibly detailed, virtually minute by minute account of who did what when, starting at 06.30 on 22.11.63.

After that, he goes into real detail!!

[dundrillin]

I think i'll wait for your(detailed) review once you've finished.

[lomuamart]

Just finished "Burial Rights" by Hannah Kent. Her debut novel.
An excellent account of an Icelandic woman sentenced to death for murder, arson and theft. Set on Iceland in the 1830s, it's based on a true story of the last woman to be executed there.
More than just a narrative of the events, the books delves into the woman's memories of events that led to the murder whilst she is exiled to a barren part of the island under the supervision of an Icelandic family whilst she waits for the sentence to be carried out.
The interplay between her and the priest who's sent to give her spiritual guidance and the family who own the farm she's exiled to is well told.
The book also revolves around the way we perceive ourselves and the way others see us.
Don't expect a "happy" read. The alternative death row in Iceland may be different to what we're used to hearing about these days but pretty harsh nevertheless.

[Frank La Rue]

....W Somerset Maugham's "Gentlemen in the parlour: A record of a journey from Rangoon to Haiphong

Thank you for the idea, that looks an interesting read and I'm going to download in from Amazon later. Incidentally, for anyone interested in earlier travel books about SE Asia, there are many available for free on sites such as Gutenberg.

I'm getting a message on Amazon that it isn't available for purchase. Maybe a short term thing. If I have success I'll post

I ordered my version on amazon.co.uk with no problems, I am reading it inbetween The Red Gambit.

I read all of Sommerseth Maugham's Short - stories colletcions 12 years ago and truly enjoyed them.

So, when the discussion turned to "A Gentleman in the Parlour" I took the input to buy it. I have to say, Maugham has a very rich quality in terms of descriptive language, colorful details

I am no literary critic - I respect him and find his writing demanding, he is maybe a bit on overdrive in terms of metaphors to describe settings and scenes, like eating too many mars mellows - there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

I find his books requires that I am sober, i.e. not to read with a leisurly glass of wine.

Will I continue to read Somerseth Maugham: yes, it's on my bucket list to read all of his novels before I go.

[dundrillin]

Max Hasting's book Catastrophe 1914 Europe Goes To War. A detailed look at the events leading up to WW1 and the conduct of the war in that year. A sad tale of the drift to war . The killing of Emperor Franz Joseph possibly the final excuse some of the belligerents needed to start the war. The suffering on all sides is graphically illustrated as is the near universal incompetence of the generals. Hastings no doubt will have further volumes coming along. Depressing reading but fascinating.

On a lighter note have just finished the latest Jo Nesbo novel Police. I say lighter but as usual Nesbo has some very dark passages. Cracking crime novel though. He makes his customary mention of Thailand in the plot. This time calling Pattaya the place where the worlds crooks and pedophiles go! Whatever can he mean?

[STEVE G]

Max Hasting's book Catastrophe 1914 Europe Goes To War.

I've been meaning to read that and will download it as I've got a few weeks off work coming up. At the moment I'm enjoying Andrew Marr's "The Making of Modern Britain" which covers the first half of the 20th century.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Modern-B ... ndrew+marr