Well, I've made it through my 4 day business trip to San Diego and am proud to say it was very productive. Actually the conference I attended was mostly a waste of time and money but it was productive in that I got a lot of reading done while I waited for airplanes, or rode aboard them. Since it was in San Diego, I managed to eat out at great restaurants each evening (put on about 2 pounds though!).
During the trip I completed Retreat, Hell by W.E.B. Griffin. This was the 10th book in his fiction series involving the US Marine Corps. I almost always enjoy Griffin's work, especially the historical tidbits that make it all interesting. He takes ordinary people and thrusts them into extraordinary historical circumstances, a technique which alows us to go along for the ride and see perspectives on historical events that you wouldn't normally experience in history textbooks.
This particular entry in the series was one of the best of the entire series. It follows the series regulars as they interact in Korea in 1950. We get to experience events surrounding the Inchon landing all the way up to the final confrontation between MacArthur and Truman. An interesting subplot involves the issue of medals for valor being awarded like candy, often to those who don't deserve them. I was happy to see the protagonists of the story fight against this practice and attempt to turn them down. I believe this is the last book in his "Corps" series as most of the loose ends were tied up and it ends on a happy note. It's been a good run.
More on the next novel I read during the trip (most of it anyway) in the next post.
During the trip I completed Retreat, Hell by W.E.B. Griffin. This was the 10th book in his fiction series involving the US Marine Corps. I almost always enjoy Griffin's work, especially the historical tidbits that make it all interesting. He takes ordinary people and thrusts them into extraordinary historical circumstances, a technique which alows us to go along for the ride and see perspectives on historical events that you wouldn't normally experience in history textbooks.
This particular entry in the series was one of the best of the entire series. It follows the series regulars as they interact in Korea in 1950. We get to experience events surrounding the Inchon landing all the way up to the final confrontation between MacArthur and Truman. An interesting subplot involves the issue of medals for valor being awarded like candy, often to those who don't deserve them. I was happy to see the protagonists of the story fight against this practice and attempt to turn them down. I believe this is the last book in his "Corps" series as most of the loose ends were tied up and it ends on a happy note. It's been a good run.
More on the next novel I read during the trip (most of it anyway) in the next post.
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