Blades upon Books - Traditionals

5K Qs said:
One of my favorite novels is Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter about a former Vietnam-era Marine sniper named Bob Lee Swagger. Hunter wrote many later novels with Bob Swagger as protagonist, and I liked most of them. His third novel "in the Swagger universe" is called Black Light and in it Bob learns how and why his father Earl, a retired WWII Marine and Medal of Honor winner, was killed while working as an Arkansas state trooper. At some point, Hunter branched off and wrote a series of novels about Earl Swagger's post-Marine life. In one, Hot Springs, he was working with a special enforcement team put together by a local prosecutor trying to drive the gamblers out of Hot Springs, Arkansas. In another, Havana, he was sent to Cuba as a bodyguard for a senator from Arkansas, but the CIA really wanted him there to capture/kill a young Castro prior to his starting a revolution in Cuba. In all 3 of these novels, a "hotshot kid" named Frenchy Short plays an adversarial role to Earl. I reread all 3 novels in quick succession last summer. Fun times for this reader!
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- GT
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I, too, enjoy the Swagger series, but for some reason I'm really drawn to Earl's character in particular. I was given Pale Horse Coming by a friend who knew I would enjoy the inclusion of some barely-exaggerated old time gun characters in the plot of that one. Pale Horse was my introduction to the work of Stephen Hunter, and I've been hooked ever since. The Bullet Garden, the latest Earl Swagger novel, is pretty good too.

G-Man, about Bob Lee's grandfather, was a fun change of pace as well. I haven't warmed up to the Ray Cruz stories for some reason.
 
Woodtroll said:
I, too, enjoy the Swagger series, but for some reason I'm really drawn to Earl's character in particular. I was given Pale Horse Coming by a friend who knew I would enjoy the inclusion of some barely-exaggerated old time gun characters in the plot of that one. Pale Horse was my introduction to the work of Stephen Hunter, and I've been hooked ever since. The Bullet Garden, the latest Earl Swagger novel, is pretty good too.

G-Man, about Bob Lee's grandfather, was a fun change of pace as well. I haven't warmed up to the Ray Cruz stories for some reason.
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Pale Horse Coming is a good Earl novel, although I'm sure I didn't get as much out of it as those of you who know more about the "gun characters" that come to help Earl "make things right". I didn't care much for the Ray Cruz stories either.

I don't think I'd heard of The Bullet Garden before; I'll have to look for that one!

- GT
 
thepapercut said:
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Just wanted to comment on the book instead of the knife. I grew up a Ride or Die IU Hoosiers fan (still am) and attended Bob Knight basketball camps as a kid. My first season as a basketball fan was the 1976 IU basketball season (the last undefeated team!) I was 8 years old, and watched every game. At the time the Harlem Globetrotters were very popular, and I kind of thought that the IU team was the same - as in never losing. The next year I was so shocked when they lost to our rival Kentucky. I think I was inconsolable. Could not understand them losing.

Much later in life, after a tour in the Navy, I ended up in college during the end of his tenure. Was definitely time for him to go (the game had passed him by) but I still had so many good memories of him. Thanks for the memories and this is a very good book.
 
#71 Bull Nose and The Complete Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm.

I started reading these again because my father recently told me that when he read them to me as a child he felt he had to edit out, or at least modify, the more horrific parts. 🤣

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TheIncredibleHoke said:
Just wanted to comment on the book instead of the knife. I grew up a Ride or Die IU Hoosiers fan (still am) and attended Bob Knight basketball camps as a kid. My first season as a basketball fan was the 1976 IU basketball season (the last undefeated team!) I was 8 years old, and watched every game. At the time the Harlem Globetrotters were very popular, and I kind of thought that the IU team was the same - as in never losing. The next year I was so shocked when they lost to our rival Kentucky. I think I was inconsolable. Could not understand them losing.

Much later in life, after a tour in the Navy, I ended up in college during the end of his tenure. Was definitely time for him to go (the game had passed him by) but I still had so many good memories of him. Thanks for the memories and this is a very good book.
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Thanks for sharing your perspectives on Coach Knight. I started grad school at Purdue in 1973 (over 50 years ago o_O ) and have been a fan of the Boilermakers ever since. So as you no doubt can guess, I have some opinions about Bob Knight that you don't share.🤓 Never hated him, though, and often watched his show during the season on Sunday (?) mornings with a media guy whose name I can't remember.

Is that ironwood on your knife on the EB White dog book? Beauty! :thumbsup::cool::thumbsup:

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Thanks for sharing your perspectives on Coach Knight. I started grad school at Purdue in 1973 (over 50 years ago o_O ) and have been a fan of the Boilermakers ever since. So as you no doubt can guess, I have some opinions about Bob Knight that you don't share.🤓 Never hated him, though, and often watched his show during the season on Sunday (?) mornings with a media guy whose name I can't remember.

Is that ironwood on your knife on the EB White dog book? Beauty! :thumbsup::cool::thumbsup:

- GT
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Ha, I have similar thoughts about Gene Keady, but I think it was pretty cool to see those two old “enemies” grow closer in their later years.

I’m still a ride-or-die IU basketball fan, but always like seeing B1G teams do well - even Purdue! :p

Yep, it’s ironwood on the 54. Had thought I could do without one, but finally broke down. The ironwood covers were just too good.

Latest mail call on a book that I’ve really been looking forward to reading.

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just opened a new book last night, on bed, I haven't read hardcover book for a long time, don't really feel comfortable as the softcover one, and the "bookmark rope" bothered me as well (as I was lying down).
sorry Bill Porter (Red Pine), I will use a fine bookmark

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