The Last Hill - The Epic Story of a Ranger Battalion and the Battle that Defined WWII (Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, 2022)

(364 pages)

I liked this.  Kind of a pop history style (as can be told from the overwrought title), but no question that the authors did plenty of research to support the story line.  I also like that it focuses on a small group.

Brits had some success with "commando" (special forces) units early in WWII, and the US decided to do a similar concept though with a different name ("Rangers").  Though the Army didn't have a clear concept of how to use the units, and there were plenty of folks within the Army that didn't like the idea.

The book focuses on the 2nd Ranger Battalion - through intense training (lots of washouts); then onto Omaha beach and up the cliffs to Pont d'Huc; attacking Brest (Brittany - achieving a rather incredible surrender with two Rangers and a grenade in the commandant's crotch); then (after some less intense assignments) into the Hurtgen Forest and Hill 400.

All of these deployments were highly interesting to read about; impressive.  I hadn't known about the Brest surrender before (I assume the description is accurate if unbelievable).  Also hadn't read about Hurtgen Forest - the authors suggest this was not much discussed because (at least in their opinion) so many US lives were wasted repeating attack methods that were proven failures.

A Line in the World - A year on the North Sea Coast (Dorthe Nors, 2021)

Saw a favorable review and gave the book a try - I liked it.

Very much out of my experience geographically - author explores the rugged west coast of Denmark - where she has, or at least had, family ties.  Kind of connected, but kind of not.

EXCEPT - I read this shortly after our visit up to Nome - this made it much, much easier to imagine the coastal ruggedness that the author describes.

And - there is some overlap with the feel of return visits to Iowa over the years.

The Beautiful and Damned (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1922)

Anthony Patch stands to inherit lots and lots and lots of money from his stern grandfather.  

Marries the lovely Gloria Gilbert.

They decide to live as if they don't give a damn; can't stop partying.  Grandfather not pleased.

Litigation trying to claim the inheritance.

Patch goes overseas, has an affair.

Not very cheery.

Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare, early 1590s)

Read this on Kindle without notes; then read Harold Bloom's helpful musings in Shakespeare - The Invention of the Human.  

I much enjoyed reading this (after all these years) but would not say it's my Shakespeare favorite.  The characters tend to get way too fired up; too ready to fight.  

There are some beautiful lines, of course.

Friar Laurence gets way involved.

Nice.  

The Lawrence Durrell Travel Reader (Lawrence Durrell, based on travels in 1930s - 1950s)

I enjoyed The Alexandria Quartet and kept seeing that Durrell was an excellent travel writer - with much of this is centered in Greece.

This compilation was quite good but I didn't really connect with it.  I was looking for "Prospero's Cell" - focused on his time in Corfu - this includes some of that experience, plus other Greek items.

Othello (William Shakespeare, ~1603)

Read this on Kindle without notes; then read Harold Bloom's helpful musings in Shakespeare - The Invention of the Human.  

Othello - warrior type, perhaps not flexible to handle other challenges.

Iago as driving the action.  More soliloquies, for example.  See Bloom.

Iago is one of Shakespeare's most compelling characters?  I think I'd agree based on limited knowledge.

Undone by his wife - she had a virtue he didn't anticipate.

Desdemona as ideal lover in all of Shakespeare (see Bloom).

Almost no humor in this one.

Much enjoyed.

Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold (Tom Shachtman, 1999)

(240 pages)

Quick read; much of the technical stuff was out of my zone and I hurried through it; the overall ideas (what is cold? how is it "attacked" and then utilized?) were rather amazing.

Is it absence of heat? Something else?  How to study this?  For millennia it's been easy to create heat and "see what happens" - not so with cold. Philosophers and in turn what became known as "scientists" take various paths.

Even inventing accurate thermometers, figuring out measurements. Seeking to liquify pretty much every gas; some present incredible challenges.  Pushing toward absolute zero.  As with so many breakthroughs, there's more than one person chasing the idea, disputes over discoveries, etc.

Our friend Faraday is influential ("Age of Wonder").  Talented guy!

The parts about harvesting ice, learning to pack it and ship it to tropical locations, figuring out how to convince customers that they needed or wanted the product - this part is interesting and easily relatable.  We have photographs from St. Joe in early 20th century of folks harvesting ice from the Des Moines River northeast of town.  Grandparents had a literal icebox (prior to electricity).

Technology changed so much about food production and distribution - made things possible - in the US, this overlapped with opening up the West.  Air conditioning's effect on settlement patterns.

I had vaguely heard about superconductivity (at extreme low temperatures); good discussion about how this enable computer/tech development.  This was written in 1999 so it would be interesting to know about further developments here.  Except I wouldn't understand it very well.  

Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins--and WWII Heroes (Tim Brady, 2021)

 The title pretty well summarizes the book!

A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare, 1596)

I've enjoyed reading Shakespeare, but not as much I expected.  But now I think I figured out a way!

Previously I was purchasing and reading the beautiful, comprehensive Arden Shakespeare editions - full of notes and explanatory material, which I of course checked out as I went along.  Julius Caesar and Richard III quite good but overall meh.  Kind of tedious, choppy.

Recently I broke down and bought a Kindle, and downloaded some Shakespeare items that are "free" to Prime members.  These are simple editions without any notes at all, and presumably are reasonably faithful to whatever Shakespeare originally wrote.  

I read "A Midsummer Night's Dream" this way and much enjoyed - no notes or other explanation - no doubt there's plenty I missed, but it was so much more pleasant to just forge through the story line.

I also have a lovely book by Harold Bloom - "Shakespeare - The Invention of the Human" - he provides commentaries on all the main plays.  So I read his summary but only after reading the play.  This is the approach that I'll take with Shakespeare going forward.  Yay.

Bottom is a great character (he has fun with the elves).  Puck - mischievous, to say the least.  There are two couples who go through some adventures in the woods; Oberon and his wife Titania.

Dominion - The Making of the Western Mind (Tom Holland, 2019)

(525 pages) (Gift from PJr/Nedda)

At outset:  useful survey of Christian thinkers, leaders, interaction with Jews, Muslims, what came to be called pagans, atheists.

Main thesis appears to be that Christianity deeply affects the worldview of 21st century folks in the West.  Not shocking; makes a lot of sense; not sure if widely appreciated anymore.  

As author recounts, Christianity's dominance of the West doesn't have a parallel in history.

I had always associated this development very heavily with Constantine in 312 - and no doubt this was important.  Brought Christianity into the mainstream, gave it an imperial model (centralized control, hierarchy; Council of Nicea).

But I was struck how distant that was from what happened quite a bit later in the West.  Rome a hollowed-out dump centuries after 312. The papacy a haven for, at best, well-meaning provincials.  

Then along comes Gregory the Great (pope from 590-604). Charlemagne's needs (he's crowned in 800). This kind of thing really solidified the build-out in the West.

And the scope was incredible.  Bishops, priests, monks, nuns, eventually across literally every country in Europe.  Create major feast days and also saint's days to cover every day of the calendar year.  Create prayers specific to the hours of each day; separate prayers for each day; the idea of confession, tithing.  Cradle to grave sacraments. The Curia. It grows and grows.

(I was struck by this going through my parent's house recently (part of the estate process) - all the Catholic church residuum lingering into their childhoods and beyond.)

As to the importance of Christianity's effect on Western world view - of course - but I thought some of Holland's argument rested on the contradictions that pop up in Christianity (or any religion, for that matter). St. Paul talking about only needing to follow the law as written on the heart; but then detailed regulations.  St. Paul talking about treating women equally, and then backing off.  Jesus saying the poor will always be with us, and also that the rich should give away their goods, and the parable of the savvy investor - which strand dominates?  The existence of the contradictions allows Holland to claim everything, including contradictory thrusts, flows from Christianity.  Hmm.

Unabashed praise for good things from Christianity, which were real - respect for individual, importance of monogamous marriage, concern for the poor - yes of course so many hypocrites and grand failures, but these were revolutionary concepts that took root for the first time.  Refreshing that someone is willing to say so.

A Dance to the Music of Time (Fourth Movement (Volumes 10-12) (Anthony Powell, 1951-55)

Fourth Movement includes the following:

--Books Do Furnish a Room (241 pages)

--Temporary Kings (280 pages)

--Hearing Secret Harmonies (272 pages)

Brief discussion is here.

A Dance to the Music of Time (Third Movement (Volumes 7-9) (Anthony Powell, 1951-55)

Third Movement includes the following:

--The Valley of Bones (243 pages)

--The Soldier's Art (228 pages)

--The Military Philosophers (244 pages)

Brief discussion is here.

A Dance to the Music of Time (Second Movement (Volumes 4-6)) (Anthony Powell, 1951-55)

"First Movement" is discussed here. 

This "Second Movement" encompasses the next three volumes:

-- At Lady Molly's (239 pages)

-- Casanova's Chinese Restaurant (229 pages)

-- The Kindly Ones (254 pages)

I'm not going to try to cover all this in detail; this summary (cursorily) covers Movements Two, Three, and Four.

Initially the scene shifts back to childhood - Albert, WWI, Nick Jenkins's father (Nick J is the narrator).

After schooling is complete - narrator often hangs with artists - Barnby, Moreland, Maclintick, etc.

He marries Isobel - discussion of Tolland family members.

WWII is impending. 

Then a lengthy treatment of WWII, various jobs held by Nick, his take on various service branches.  I think this was well done, interesting, a different take on Brits in WWII.

Continues to be in touch with friends who are writers.

Characters regularly recur; Widmerpool perhaps most regularly.

Easy to read; enjoyable; lots of funny moments; worth my time (of course, I have plenty of that).

Numerous references to believers ("fellow travelers" a common phrase in those days) in Marxism, Communism - one forgets that there were lots of serious believers in those days, all the way up to my time in college (and probably beyond, if only in that environment).  And not just in England. Availability of better information - and a longer track record - has seemingly cut into this other than for true believers. Interesting:  the final volume is dedicated to Robert Conquest.

This work just didn't seem to connect as deeply as Proust; not sure that the comparison is all that useful anyway (it just comes naturally with a work of this length following a first-person narrator across time and relationships, emphasis on the arts).  Proust's observations, characters, story line had much more of a tug.

Yet:  a book blogger I really respect - Anecdotal Evidence - has multiple commenters who say that Powell's work is a good re-read!  I'm thinking about this.

The Allies Strike Back 1941-1943 (James Holland, 2017)

(613 pages.)

Second of a trilogy; first is mentioned here; third not yet available and I'm looking forward to it.

Again focusing often on supplies - this distinguishes his work from others I've read.

Emphasizes importance of the Battle of the Atlantic - something I've not really focused on much.  

Also in Mediterranean - ships and aircraft - so often the focus is on the ground battles - but support from other services were key.

German industry advanced and features wonderful workmanship.  But industries are fragmented - many automakers as compared to just a few in the U.S. This meant many types of vehicles with differing parts and maintenance requirements - a nightmare - compounded by complex (beautiful!) designs that could work well enough even if simplified for cheaper/faster manufacture.

Germany in general less mechanized than it advertised (and has been widely believed, certainly by me).  To offset vehicle shortage - stripped conquered territories of vehicles (especially France) - meaning another long list of individual models with their own parts and maintenance challenges.

Britain better-positioned for domestic food supply, manufacturing capacity - certainly in comparison to Germany - Battle of Atlantic was key to keeping things moving.

In midsection of book - I much liked how the author moved from topic to topic explaining how key elements were developing across the same compressed timeline in 1942 - gave me a better sense of this.  The scale of activity is almost incomprehensible - you can see how it took an entire-country effort.  Items in play (and this excludes extensive "War in the Pacific" activities) - working with French resistance; setting up special units for sabotage such as the Norway heavy water plant; accelerating atomic bomb efforts; home front production in US - near-miraculous advances in ship-building, largest factory (Willow Run) for B-24s; Monty takes over in north Africa and defeats Rommel; Operation Torch - three separate armadas heading to north Africa, including first US ground troops; building up bomber capabilities and hitting German cities; German forces in massive combat with Russians and bogging down as approaching Stalingrad, etc.  Incredible.

The Golden Bowl (Henry James, 1904)

525 pages.

Only made it through 357 pages.  Not planning to finish.

Four central characters (Adam Verver, his daughter Maggie, Prince Amerigo, Charlotte Stant).

Two additional characters (Mrs. Assingham and her husband) who orbit the four central characters and provide perspective on them.

Minimal roles for anyone else, at least as far as I made it.

Minimal plot line - just exploring the central relationships and how the participants perceived, felt about those.

Of course - deep development of the four characters and the relationships among them.  But they just weren't interesting enough to keep me engaged.  Part of the problem:  they are fabulously wealthy - function in a world without any financial considerations - to that extent, untethered from "normal" life.  Not recalling examples from other novels at the moment, but I've run into this before - people with limited day to day responsibilities focusing all of their energies on themselves.