History? It's 150 years for the Civil War. How about Shelby Foote's series on the American Civil War. I read Freeman's "Lee's Lieutenants" when in high school and it's time to read it again. Daniel Ford's "Flying Tigers" is a wonderful history of the American Volunteer Group in Burma and China. This one is particularly close as Gen Chennault is from around here (Louisiana) and retired here. I even know his grandchildren very well. McCullough's "Path Between the Seas" about the building of the Panama Canal is excellent. I like Toland's WWII writings, especially "The Rising Son" and his biography of Hitler. Guy Sajer's book, "The Forgotten Soldier" is a chilling read about the Eastern Front in WW II. There is some controversy about it but, having read it, I think he was really there. Fantasy and Science Fiction haven't been mentioned. Asimov and Heinlein wrote several books worth a read. Who hasn't heard the quote, "an armed society is a polite society" from "Beyond this Horizon." "The Lord of the Rings" is still very much worth reading and rereading. Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series has been going for 20 years with the 14th and final book due out in November. I'll be sorry to see it end. For just escape from the ordinary I've been enjoying SF by David Weber, S. M. Stirling, Eric Flint, Tom Kratman, and others. No particularly deep insights into our souls from them but a lot of fun. How about biography?
Jerry Liles
