I am reading Vietnam: A History by Stanley Karnow. The version I have was updated in 1997. The original was written in 1981, then the author was invited to Vietnam by General Giap to get the Vietnamese side of the story. So the updated version contains interviews and pictures from both sides of the conflict as well as more detailed background information on the history of Vietnam as a nation.

A while back my BIL had given me a box of books from his military college days all dealing with Military History. I have read a few of them so far and they really are some great books. However, this one so far is my favorite. I am only about 200 pages into the nearly 700 page book and by the end of today, should be another 200 pages into it. To this point, I have learned the history of Vietnam as a nation and how Ho Chi Minh and Giap fought for Vietnamese independence up to 1946. Karnow is very detailed and includes personal interviews with Giap and other Vietnamese officials. The biographies of Minh and Giap are among the most interesting parts of the book. I have not read a lot of books on Asian history and enjoyed learning the background of colonization by missionaries, explorers, and traders in that part of the world. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand what happened in Vietnam and why. Will let you know how I like the rest of the book.

I finally finished Vietnam: A History by Stanley Karnow (I havent had a lot of time for reading the past month) and would recommend it to anyone interested in Vietnam War history. There was a ton of information. It chronicles the history of the country of Vietnam as well as what led up to the war, and then blow by blow accounts of what was happening in Vietnam as well as internally in the U.S. The author was a reporter during the war and interviewed many of the key players.

I'm simultaneously reading two non-fictions--something I normally don't do.  Anyway, I'm reading The Battle of Scary Creek, which is an account of an early, local battle of the Civil War.  I've had this book on my bookshelf for a long time and have skimmed through it time to time for information relating to other topics of interest.  I'm not a reenactor, but my ghost group leads haunted history tours of a nearby town that was once a Union recruitment camp and scene of a minor attack.  We got our start with these tours during the town's annual Civil War Days, and still lead special Civil War based tours during the festival each year.  I'm not that far into it, but its pretty fascinating.  This was a minor battle by most accounts, but my county didn't see too much actual fighting and this is one of the main incidents.

I'm also reading an account of the Barney and Betty Hill alien abduction. 

Theresa, The ghost group tours sound interesting. My DD would love that.

Sorry, I havent been on here in a while. I havent read much non-fiction this month, trying to catch up on my fiction challenges.

There is a book store near my dads house that sells mainly historical books and I always find some great books that I had never heard of before.  So I just picked up two new books:

The Philippine War: 1899-1902 by Brian McAllister Linn - I know about the Philippine-American War, but had never seen a book about it. Usually the Philippine War is briefly mentioned in other history books, and most Americans have never heard of it. So I am excited to read this one.

The Balkans: Nationalism, War, and the Great Powers, 1804-1999 by Misha Glenny - Kinda self explanatory. I have always studied Ancient history, and have only the past few years gotten into more modern history, so I know very little about the modern conflicts in the Balkans region.