Gary > Recent Status Updates

Wonderful stuff. It may be a children's book but I'm loving it just as much as I would have done at 12.

Charming and funny, this history of girls growing up is a modern classic. I am enjoying it very much.

About to begin Chapter 3, and there's been drama already!

I am thoroughly enjoying this funny book. The main character is Ted, a retiree living in a run down house in rural France (the rent is very cheap). He loves the music of a local musical 'hero' and the locals are very impressed that he can sing the songs in an authentic way ... so much so that they decide to exploit this talent on their doorsteps to make them all some money, much to the chagrin of his wife, Daisy.

The adulterers have murdered Therese's husband so they can be together, but they are totally torturing themselves with continual thoughts of him and his rotting face. Oh dear, it seems that crime doesn't pay. Who knew?

Mrs Raquin is already being naughty with her husband's friend, and they have wished aloud how good it would be if he was no longer around ... da, da, daaaah!!

Ive read the back story and now the plot is beginning to thicken. It's a slow burn but all the better for that.

Gabriel Oak has fallen on hard times but saving Bathsheba's hayricks from being burned to the ground has secured him a job – onwards and upwards!

... Such brave people.

1 The Paras have been dropped in the shit
2 The Germans have reacted with lightning speed to pile reinforcements into the Arnhem area
3 XXX Corps, the tanks/infantry supposed to 'drive like hell' 60 miles in 3 days to relieve the Paras, are dawdling. This means the resistance they meet gets progressively worse as the Germans get stronger. The plan was badly thought out and now it's being badly executed.
Bugger.

Oh dear. The paras have only just landed and things are beginning to go awry.

Blimey, what a cock-up!

I have read the background to what is happening in Holland – the Germans were retreating in disarray but are now getting to grips with the remnants of their armies and resistance is stiffening. This does not bode well ...

Peter McAleese went from a very tough and poor upbringing in Glasgow to the British Army's Parachute Regiment and Special Air Service (SAS) in a short time. He was a brave and dedicated soldier who later became a mercenary, fighting in several countries. I'm glad he was on our side. Mr McAleese passed away in March 2024 – RIP.

This is quite an intriguing book – social commentary surrounding the story of Arnault and his quest for stability and a place in the world after his release from prison in Paris. I am enjoying it.

It's incredible that these guys fought all the way from Normandy and are now just into Germany. They keep taking casualties and having their tanks blown up from under them – sometimes as many as 8-12 in a day, yet they remain mostly cheerful and confident they are winning, which they are. Amazing.

This is a terrific book – the history of the Sherwood Rangers Yoemanry, an armoured regiment in WWII. It tells the story of their war from D-Day to the end of the war. They were in the front line much of the time, suffered terribly and ended up the most highly decorated unit in the British Army, so you know they endured a lot of death and stress.

Stanley is A Squadron Commander and has now been through the North African Campaign. His regiment have fought the Italians and Germans all the way to Tunisia, and the Allies are finally victorious after suffering many losses and casualties. The Axis forces have now surrendered and/or been evacuated – North Africa is free!

Stanley is back in Palestine and is now Acting Major, though still being paid as a Second Lieutenant. He is now in command of A Squadron, which is beginning to be trained as an armoured regiment. He has just endured six months in the siege of Tobruk, being shelled and bombed daily, with prescious little water, millions of flies and flea-infested accommodation, so he is mightily glad to be comfortable and out of it.

Stanley is still a Lieutenant and has just (January 1941) been posted to Tobruk, which the British recently captured from the Italians. His regiment has been split up for now. He is acting as an observer for HMS Terror, a Monitor stationed at Tobruk to provide heavy artillery cover for the port until the army can set up artillery on land. The ship has two 15" guns, which pack a heck of a punch.

The Allies have bombed critical infrastructure: bridges, marshaling yards, locomotives, airfields, aircraft production factories and oil refineries for five months, and now it's time to go. The British 6th Airborne Division and American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions are taking off to be flown to France, where they will have to jump out in the dark while being shelled by anti-aircraft guns – cripes!

Four chapters in and it's all been about some of the units and men who will have to face the monumental task before them – and the plans made by the generals, admirals and air marshals carrying the immense responsibility of sending those men to a highly dangerous place from where many thousands of them will not return.
Thankfully, it's a good plan – a very good plan, and they are confident they will prevail.

Some features of this book:
A) Lots of maps – yay!
B) Photos of many people mentioned, and not just generals but privates, sergeants and airmen as well;
C) One appendix shows the composition of Allied and German divisions, helping one understand how hard it was to move locations, and how they fought.
Today I have enjoyed studying these pages before getting into the main narrative. This is a great book.

Just on the Introduction. I am re-reading this book to compare it with Antony Beevor's excellent D-Day, the Battle for Normandy, which I have just finished. WWII is over, let the battle of the historians begin!

Oh dear – the Brits have failed to exploit the disorganised Germans around Caen, and now they're going to have a long, bloody slog with the SS divisions to take it. Many men will die who didn't need to. Not good enough.

Well written, full of interesting facts and the stories of individual soldiers on all sides – great stuff.

I love ghost stories and I tend to read this book every winter. This one has stories from several authors, including three stories from Japan, which is a novelty.