hitman

I saw this story on google news and thought a few here might like it.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/may/21/spawar-dolphins-find-rare-torpedo-san-diego-coast/

knife

bang

stilts

Just finished up Patrick McManus's Deer on a Bike. Great look into how he writes and the way he sees writing.

I finally finished Guns Germs and Steel and am heartily glad that I read it. For a book that covers several millennia it's remarkably straight forward and though I can and would pick at some of professor Diamond's detail work (and despite knowing that I don't know anywhere near enough to fully follow this text) I still find this book to be remarkable in that despite covering a huge swath of time, virtually all of human civilization, and very nearly the entirety of the planet I have almost nothing negative to say about it.

Swiss

It may be a bit of tell on how life is going right now to note that my at work ebook got done well ahead of my at home real book but that's what's happened as I just finished up African Camp Fires by Stewart Edward White. Some of you might remember last year that I was kinda shocked by the racism in Teddy Roosevelt's African Game Trails due in no small part due to ole T.R.'s reputation as a racially progressive person. Having now read this safari memoir I can see why Teddy would still be considered racially progressive...sheesh!!! This is some of the most unabashed racism I've ever seen outside of plantation literature. Galling to say the least which is doubly awful as the stories of African hunts, travels, and characters are wonderous but I still kinda feel like I need a shower.

epoxy

In an attempt to avoid over saturation I saved up a few titles for y'all.

Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing

How I Got This Way

The Bear in the Attic

Kerplunk

all of course by Patrick McManus and henceforth all hilarious. He has one other humor book that the library at this point can't get so I'll be moving on to Guns Germs and Steel next before going back and reading McManus's book on humor writing.

Two more McManus books read Never Sniff a Gift Fish and Rubber Legs and White Tail-Hairs. I enjoyed both immensely and am now reading....ANOTHER McMANUS book. Still debating what book I'll be going with once I've finished his humour books, most likely I'll go with White Over Black but I may read Guns Germs and Steel first.

The Grasshopper Trap by...you guessed it Patrick McManus .....It was great y'all.

A Fine and Pleasant Misery, Patrick McManus.

Great fu though not as fu as his later stuff (IMHO)

patch

They Shoot Canoes, Don't They by Patrick McManus. Still haven't gotten to his Boat Tilley series yet but I'm intending to at least read all of his compilation books this year.

sunk

Poisiden's Arrow by Clive Cussler.

(Like y'all didn't know this was coming!) It's me and it's Cussler....it's crack and I smoked it. :-)

powder

Hey Jas,

Glad you found something good among my long list of books. Here's hopen' 2013 is good to ya mate.

My first book of 2013

Western Skies by John Barsness

Good little read that reminds me of why among all outdoor books I love Bird Hunting books the best. This collection of stories are the warm hearted comfortable kind of outdoor adventures that seem to fit another era. (Given that the book is a collection of previously published articles that was itself printed in 1994 I guess it is from another era.)

and to top it off I picked it up for a buck at Dollar Tree

Just finished up Dear George by George Burns a good quick bit "o" funny at a time when it was needed. Also this book makes 52 for the year a goal I wasn't sure I'd be able to obtain given the realities of work and family. Kinda proud of myself in all honesty. If I don't see y'all before hand merry Christmas and happy everything else!

As I recall the Liberty ships original design had a major flaw that wasn't corrected for over a year and caused them to split in half under the right stress. Also don't forget the U.S.S. Scorpion and the U.S.S. Thresher with victims of preventable flaws.

Just finished up Sailing Alone Around the World. I really enjoyed Joshua Slocum's memoir of his circumnavigation though I wonder if historians don't rue his breezy style that leaves out a lot of detail in his descriptions of people and places all around the world.

Finished an excellent book entitled The Remains of Company D; A Story of the Great War by James Carl Nelson. One of the best books I've read this year very moving and unlike many books that look at a big subject through the eyes of a small group it doesn't often fall into the trap of proclaiming it's focus the soul subject of all the world attention and even when it does seem to do this it is easily forgiven it.

Finished Lewis Black's I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas which IMHO was ok but not spectacular and the much better A Sailor of King George by Captain Frederick Hoffman. A lovely memoir I thought it was a good read.

Finished up The Time Machine by H.G. Wells today as an audiobook from the library.