This reminded me of two hilarious books I read that haven’t been mentioned yet (I don’t think) if you like to laugh.

”$hit my dad says” and “I suck at girls” by Justin Halpern.

Also “Not Taco Bell Material” by Adam Corolla. (I was reading this while on a flight commuting and I was laughing so hard, my seat mate asked me what I was reading, and that she was buying it as soon as we landed.)

 

Air pirates (paper only)

 

If you like Alternate Histories Harry Turtledove has quite a few. His first was "Guns of the South" where South Africans time travel back to the Civil War and provide AK-47's to Confederate Soldiers.

Then he has a book where the South also wins a 2nd Civil War fought in the 1880's, then a series of books follows where the CSA and the USA fight each other in WW1 and WW2.

One of my favorite series Harry wrote started with "In the Balance" where in 1942 at the height of WW2 Aliens invade Earth so the Axis and Allies have to join forces This series of books continues with a total of 7 I think going up to the 1980's.

 

Harry Turtledove (spoiler alert: light reading, suitable, for uh, deadheading) is great on an e-reader.

Current rec: "A Struggle for Power: The American Revolution"- Theodore Draper.

Excellent read about the American Revolution from the English "colonists" (re: opportunists with a charter/patent..nothing wrong with that.), the British, and the French concerns about the whole fracas.

Get the hardback from the usual vendors for a couple of bucks and change. A bit "scholastic" (narrative choices necessary to make history interesting); if you're into the US revolution, you can do a whole lot worse than this book. NOT a hagiography,. but not Howard Zinn either.



(https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Powe.../dp/0812925750)

 

Similar to above, I’ve been working on Rick Atkinson’s, ‘The British are Coming.’ It’s the first of a 3 volume; 1775-1777. Soft cover. Written really well and quickly showed me how little I knew about the American Revolutionary War.

 

The Spymaster of Baghdad by Margaret Coker.

Excellent story of how the Iraqi intelligence unit The Falcons infiltrated ISIS.

 

Just heard on the news that he passed away a couple days ago. "America's Historian"

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_McCullough

 

"Days of Rage: America's Radical Underground, the FBI, and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence." - Bryan Borough. https://smile.amazon.com/Days-Rage-U...0795943&sr=8-1

1968-1975: you wouldn't believe the amount of violence and terror bombing that was commonplace in the USA. Or the actions of the FBI. Completely memory holed. Seriously. Hundreds of bombs/bomb threats (and actual bombs) every year. (Looking at you, Puerto Rico)

NYC movie goers actually booing theatre management for evacuating the space due to a bomb threats. Can you imagine? NYC was TOUGH back in the day.

(ASIDE: David McCullough, along with Steven Ambrose, was one of my absolute favorite contemporary US history historian. His presence will be sorely missed. Loved that guy. Used a manual typewriter, as all true writers do. Narrated Ken Burns PBS "The Civil War" Series; "Napoleon" on PBS (fantastic!!! primer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrbiSUgZEbg), and many others. RIP. Your kind no longer walks among us. The world is a lesser place now that you are are gone.)

 

Unsung Eagles by Jay Stout

I can't remember if I already posted this, but it's a great book about the average joe fighter pilot in the war. Each chapter is another persons story that end with a short blurb about what they did after the war. Great book!




Banana Republic type stuff there...