I know there is a lot to read here but you may find a title or short review to pique your interest and perhaps get a copy of the book for yourself. (The two books I’m reading now will have to wait for next year’s list since they won’t be finished this week!)
As with the past years, a few books were repeat reads for me for various reasons; some so I could give them away but mostly just too many years passed to remember what was in them—those will be noted in blue. For the most part the titles should tell you what the subject is. The list is in the order in which they were read.
Sergeant York and the Great War, by Alvin C. York and edited by Tom Skeyhill and Richard Wheeler. York’s war diary and further writing so as to make book. Originally edited in 1930 and then additional editing done in 1998. This is a bit of an abbreviated—sort of Alvin York and his life before WWI and then the war years. If you don’t know who he was, he won the Medal of Honor even though a conscientious objector. I previously read the original while I was in the Army in the early 1970s. Then I had a copy after I was married but gave that to my son before he left home. I purchased this copy in 2012 and read it then. My wife asked me to read it to her so we started it in the middle of December 2020 and finished it on January 4th.
How the Scots Invented the Modern World, by Arthur Herman. An extremely well-done and very interesting history of the people of Scotland and how they really did “invent the modern world” by their many ideas, inventions, etc. So much of what we have now originated with Scots and their descendants. A highly recommended book.
The Forgotten 500, by Gregory A. Freeman. This book is reporting on a mission about which I’ve never heard; an OSS mission to rescue 500+ airmen who were shot down over Yugoslavia during bomb runs to and from Romania. They were gathered and protected by the Chetnik leader Draza Mihailovich. The man was staunchly for the Allies and yet they treated him and his people badly due to Soviet propaganda. In the end, we helped Tito conquer Yugoslavia in the name of Communism.
One Bible Only? by Roy E. Beacham & Kevin T. Bauder, editors. I read this when I got it in 2016 and just now read it to see if I wanted to keep it or pass it along. I’m keeping it. The subtitle is, “Examining Exclusive Claims for the King James Bible.” That about sums up the topic, and it is very well done—and, no, it isn’t KJV only.
Grimm’s Fairy Tales. I read this one to my wife off and on since we got it 11 years ago. We’d read some then stop for a while and read another book. We’d forget about it for ages. But we decided to finish it before Spring and we missed the date by a week. Most of the tales were just stupid but there were plenty which were fun.
Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945—1975, by Max Hastings. The title say it all. Over 750 pages of text, plus bibliography and notes. Just as I’ve always said—we had no business being there. And also as I say, Iraq/Afghanistan is just Vietnam all over again.
We Will Not Be Silenced, by Erwin Lutzer. An excellent book discussing how Christians should address the “cancel culture” and “wokism” in society. Good information also on how to stand one’s ground for the Faith.
Semper Four. 4 Marines: An Oral History, by Aaron Elson. Interviews with four Marines who fought in the Pacific during World War II. Loaned to me by a retired Marine who is one of five veterans I meet with for “coffee” (I don’t drink the stuff) on Wednesday mornings and who knows I like reading history.
From Bondage to Freedom: A Survey of Jewish History From the Babylonian Captivity to the Coming of the Messiah, by Daniel Fuchs and Harold A. Sevener. The title pretty much sums it up. The authors cite the Bible, the Talmud, Maccabees, Josephus and modern historians.
Silent Wings at War: Combat Gliders in World War II, by John L. Lowden. I knew about the use of gliders on D-Day but never knew 90% of what this book is about. Fascinating history of some very brave men and the horrible numbers of casualties they suffered.
The Shetland Bus: A WWII Epic of Courage, Endurance, and Survival, by David Howarth. This was a part of WWII I was unfamiliar with. We watched a couple seasons of the BBC show, “Shetland” and on one episode the story revolved around a mission of the “Shetland Bus,” which was an organization of fishing boats going to and from Norway taking supplies or agents to the Norwegian underground while bringing back refugees, agents, and even downed allied airmen. Well, in April this year I was shopping for books at Barnes & Nobel and on the shelf was this book! AHA! Now I could get the story, and what a fascinating story it is. Many participants were captured and executed by the Nazis but most missions were very successful and kept 240,000 German troops tied up in Norway when they were desperately needed after the invasion of France by the Allies. Some great history.
Hope For the Children of the Sun: Curing the Sonnenkinder Syndrome Called Contemporary Christian Worship, by Craig S. Bulkeley. An interesting study of the philosophy behind CCW and immature worship practices.
The High and the Mighty, by Ernest K. Gann. A novel I read to Jill. We saw the movie and have two other Gann movies. The movie version of this book was the first airplane disaster movie. Lots of “soap opera” in the movie but even more so in the book; the movie had to cut some out for time! The good thing is that the movie followed the book accurately. Essentially it’s about a plane which has a major problem on the way from Hawaii to California and the stories of the passengers, as well as the actions and interactions of the crew to get the plane to safety. Because of the too much soap opera I would never recommend it.
Maps of War: Mapping Conflict Through the Centuries, by Jeremy Black. Most pages have maps, from the earliest wars using maps to modern day. Lots of text explaining the history of map-making for wars, describing each map shown, etc.
A Nation and Not a Rabble: The Irish Revolution 1913-1923, by Diarmaid Ferriter. Dates, reasons, places, murders, massacres, treason, etc; all the details of the revolution/fight for independence. The last chapter discussed historical revisionism, honoring those who fought the wars and establishing memorials.
Anne Frank, The Diary Endures: Her Life and Her Legacy, LIFE publications. Thick paper-back magazine format. A very good look at Anne Frank’s life.
Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock: What to say to Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses when they knock on your door, by Michael Licona. Very good and succinct apologetics for a door encounter.
A History of France, by John Julius Norwich. Well-written, engaging, condensed (370+ pages) history ending with the end of WWII because the author didn’t want to write about his own lifetime.
Citizen Soldiers of World War II: True story of the American soldiers who served with Merrill’s Marauders in Burma and the Chinese Sixth Army during WWII, by Paul B. Long. The title/subtitle sums up the topic. However, this is all from a Christian’s viewpoint, with lots of scripture. Very encouraging for those who have served, are serving, and will serve. I passed it to a young man who is the son of good friends and who is currently serving in the Navy.
Revelation: The Christian’s Ultimate Victory, by John MacArthur. Essentially this is the text and commentary from The MacArthur Bible Commentary. From a pre-trib, millennial view.
Destination: Tokyo: A Pictorial History of Doolittle’s Tokyo Raid, April 18, 1942, by Stan Cohen. The title sums it all up. Lots of never before published photos, some great stories, etc.
Thud Ridge: F-105 Thunderchief Missions Over Vietnam, by Colonel Jack Broughton. Excellent, sometimes riveting story of fighter-bomber combat missions. Also discussions of the poor way the war was handled which got too many killed. I read this in the early 1970s when I was in the Army; it gave me a whole new understanding of that war and made me “fall in love” with the F-105.
The Thirteen Apostles, by J. Ellsworth Kalas. Examination of what the Bible and tradition says about the 13 original apostles.
The Mormon Trail: Yesterday and Today, by William E. Hill. A good study of the Mormon Trail but also a lot of pro-LDS propaganda. Author appears to be Mormon; says Joseph Smith was a martyr (martyr’s don’t shoot back), said they always moved due to persecution without noting that the persecution was the result of how the Mormons behaved to their neighbors, etc.
The Wall, by John Hersey. This is historical fiction and I last read this book when I was in high school 50+ years ago. It has stuck so in my mind all these years that I decided to buy a copy and read it. Since I had told my wife about it we decided I could read it to her, but halfway through it was getting too emotional for her so I finished it on my own. The story is about the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during WWII and how they suffered until finally staging an uprising that kept German Army units away from the front line. Sad story using fictional characters, but a learning story anyway.
Hitler’s Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields, by Wendy Lower. Very interesting study of how involved many German women were in the murder of Jews and other “undesirables.” They were just as evil as their male counterparts.
Oprah, Miracles and the New Earth: A Critique, by Erwin Lutzer. Examination of the teachings that Oprah Winfrey promotes, which are found it the books, The Secret; A Course in Miracles; A New Earth; and others. Sounds a lot like Christian Science!
The Ravine: A Family, A Photograph, A Holocaust Massacre Revealed, by Wendy Lower. Fascinating story of the detective work the author used to identify the family and the killers in a photo she was given while researching various aspects of the Holocaust.
Sam Houston & the Alamo Avengers, by Brian Kilmeade. A history of the fight for Texas independence from Mexico, with brief biographies of the leaders, the politics and combats leading up to the battle of the Alamo, and the war as it continued to the surrender of Santa Anna. Finally, the story of Sam Houston after the war and up to his death in 1863.
Irish Aces of the RFC and RAF in the First World War, by Joe Gleeson. Short biographies of 29 Irish men who flew for the Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force during World War I. Includes several photos. Ten of them died in combat.
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman. I read this novel to my wife. While the book was pretty good, I think the movie version was a lot more fun. I’ve seen the movie many times (we own the DVD) and so finally wanted to read the novel to see how close the movie followed it; it did well, and cleaned out a lot of nonsense found in the book.
The Battle of Hastings, by Jim Bradbury. An excellent study of this battle in which the invading Normans defeated the English in southern England and changed England forever. Discussed the history leading up to the battle, the location, the arms and armament, the battle, and the results. If you like history, it’s a good one.
Indestructible: One Man’s Rescue Mission That Changed the Course of WWII, by John R. Bruning. A biography of a pilot’s pilot, Paul I. Gunn, and his exploits in the South Pacific, especially after he was separated from his family. Gunn developed tactics that became widely used in helping win the war. We also follow the story of his family as they were interred by the Japanese in the Philippines and suffered harsh treatment along with other internees.
Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America, by Jeff Pollard. Excellent examination of how even Christians have bought into “nakedness” in their fashions, including the worst example of immodesty — swimming attire and how the goal of that all along was to sexualize the public.
The Hard Sayings of Jesus, by F.F. Bruce. A very good examination of some of the various more difficult to understand things that Jesus said.
The York Patrol: The Real Story of Alvin York and the Unsung Heroes Who Made Him World War I’s Most Famous Soldier, by James Carl Nelson. An excellent story about the whole patrol, the various men who were with York, who of them were killed and wounded, their backgrounds and history after the war. Excellent reading.
The Blue and the Gray, by Thomas B. Allen. Year by year study of the American Civil War, concise but with lots of photos from the war. Used book, picked up at July 4th antique sale at the local fairgrounds.
A Bloody Business: America’s War Zone Contractors and the Occupation of Iraq, by Col. Gerald Schumacher (Ret.). This book was given to me by a retired Marine Vietnam War veteran, knowing I was a history buff. I sure learned a lot about the military contractors. To me it just demonstrated the weakness of our military if we need all those contractors in the war zones.
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, LDS publication. Read for researching and will us some of the information for a future blog post on “The Anti-Mormon Blog.”
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