Now It Can Be Told - Philip Gibbs

Philip Gibbs was one of five official British war correspondents during WWI who spent his time observing various battlefields and the effects the fighting had on the men. 

I think the best way to describe this book is to use the author's own words, found at about 92% of the way through: "I have here and in other books shown the light as well as the shade in which our men lived, the gaiety as well as the fear they had, the exultation as well as the agony of battle, the spiritual ardor of boys as well as the brutality of the task that was theirs." It says it all.

At 644 pages, it's a bit long, and I felt it. Being a journalist, I understood where the long-windedness came from, but there was some repetition in there and a bit of rambling. I had some trouble getting through some of it. On the other hand, it gave me a real insight into how the war affected a lot of different kinds of people: from civilians to officers to infantry. At the end, Gibbs also spends a little time talking about the aftermath of the war and how coming home wasn't a homecoming for everyone.

With the amount of disgust I felt coming from Gibbs regarding the first World War, I kept wondering how he would have felt about the second one. This book was written in 1919, when the wounds were still fresh, and minds hadn't recovered. As I neared the end of the book, I found a quote that gave me a glimpse of what he might've thought: "They will have been betrayed if the agony they suffered is forgotten and "the war to end war" leads to preparations for new, more monstrous conflict." Gibbs died in 1962, and he must've been so disappointed with the way the world turned out. If you want a thorough overview of what it was like for different people during WWI, this is a great place to start. Good Book!

This Crowded Earth - Robert Bloch

Harry is tired of his life. The overcrowding and the repetition of his job take its toll on his mind to the point where he attempts to take his own life. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a small compound that he didn't think existed in the world anymore. I'm not going to say much more, I found that the little reveals were pretty rewarding in this book.

I think the first thing to keep in mind is this was written in 1958. Even though years are mentioned in here that have passed, I'm definitely not complaining that he got it wrong. I think the author did a good job describing the mentality and consequences of what would happen in the world he built.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It's on the short side, but I think it ended when it needed to. I was impressed with the creativity and thoroughness of the world the author built with zero knowledge of the future. The end caught me by surprise, and I don't have a problem giving this a Good Book! review.

Fight for the Sky - Douglas Bader

I bought this because I wanted to know more about the author himself. I soon learned that this book is more focused on the history of the Spitfire and Hurricane planes. I'm taking responsibility for the mistake, I should've paid more attention to the description of the book. 

This book goes into great detail of the role the Spitfire and Hurricane played in WWII for the RAF. It is broken down by theater, and many pictures are included. Also, the author has included many names and anecdotes from various pilots and people involved in the history of the planes.

I personally didn't need the level of detail that was included in this particular book, but I enjoyed the stories. I would've liked to hear a bit more of the author's personal story, but I respect that he wanted the focus to be broader and include more people and stories. Overall, if you're interested in the role of these two planes in WWII, this is a great book for you.