So far, I find Flyboys to be an interesting book. Not one that has a happy atmosphere, but then again, such a tale would hardly warrant it. I picked it up because of the title, as well as the fact that it was a story from WWII I haven't heard previously and is roughly the first I'd have read in text (Mostly, the History Channel/Military Channel's documentaries of the War have a lot of information and it's actually from these documentaries where I hear of these books). This book was apparently adapted into a film, or there was a film that depicted the story, and when I can, I have a feeling that I'll be watching this film (More likely, after I finish the book).
When it comes to the book itself, I feel compelled to just say that I do not recommend it for younger readers, given the actual text is presented in a way that I doubt someone in elementary school would be able to understand easily. The content is the other factor, as some (Even in the first 22 pages) scenes depicted are quite gruesome, too grotesque for BZPower's general audience to even be iterated in an online blog.
Though, when (in my Sophomore year) we touch upon WWII in U.S History, I think I'll feel fairly confident in the material (Given, I must've watched about eight documentaries on the subject this year... plus, have a plan reading of at least four other books on the subject. Extra-studies on WWII from outside-of-school classes also would assist [Classes more bent on the advancements in Aviation and Aerospace]). However, when it comes to that singular subject (The War itself and BZP) don't make comments on that in the comments -- it's a subject that doesn't quite belong on BZP in form of discussion (Myself, more discussing reading/watching things relating to it and it assisting in school next year versus actual discussion on the matter).
However, from what I read in the first bit of the book, it does give a bit of a history (I recall, the farthest back date in my mind from the text, being 1840, but events from the 1700's are brought up).
That's for that book, however.
I bought the Forest Mage because I had finished the first book in the trilogy back... I believe two, three years ago. It was a great story, one of which I got the name "Spink" from and I've had this nagging voice in the back of my head that has been saying "Finish it" for the longest time, the main issue had been that the second book isn't the most common thing in my life, only this one time at Borders had I noticed it on the shelf. I'll be reading this one right after Flyboys, as when it comes to reading two books at once... I'd rather not. My mind would end up being split between two different, vastly different, story lines. One pertains to real-world history, and because of that, I view it as a place my mind should be -- undivided. The first book in the trilogy took me under half a week to finish, as I spent most of my time just reading through the text, looking up interesting words while also guessing what would happen next.
Of course, I never really did predict the end correctly, actually, I was rather far from it. The ending, to some, may seem a little... off, but it's a fantasy tale and "off" parts are fairly common in the literary works I've read through. However, I'm still rather interested to see how the entire storyline ends -- from the first to the third -- and will probably also pick up the final book to the storyline when I get the chance. ($43 bucks on books today... wasn't gonna make that fifty bucks.)
The third book I picked up, The Children of Hurin (Too tired to get the accent over the "u"), was a story I've heard many on this site and others bring up (Was looking for Starship Troopers as well, as it was on the Navy's recommended reading list and stood out to me) and I was interested. I've heard that it's not a happy story, the opposite, but tragedies and the like never have put me off before. In fact, the earlier stories I've done have mainly been tragedies, even a somewhat recent one was a tragedy (But only the ending brought that to light, as the rest was rather light-hearted). I'll be reading this after Forest Mage for reasons stated previously in this entry.
I do need to pick up some more books. Probably some more in relation to aviation, the field, while some others regarding tales of things that have happened in military aviation (Creation of the USAF, for instance). Others will more involve some conflicts, though I do want to find a not-so-dry tale of the battle of 300 at Thermopylae, as our school text-books are just horrid at the description of it all and lack a proper sense of explaining the tactics used both at the pass, as well as with the naval forces led by Themistocles (Basically, the book more stated "this happened" but I'd like a more in-depth look into the strategy used, as well as maybe a deeper look into the Greek leadership at the time, as to get a sense of what they were all thinking at the time -- individually and collectively). There are also some fictional books I wouldn't mind getting a hold of, but I do need to read what I have first.
In other news, I saw Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy sounded like Rorschach to no end (Same actor, probably the cause) and even though the movie was bloody, darker than the later (prior) ones and had far better visuals... I just found it a bit shallow. The plot was the same-old same-old in regards to that story and the actors playing the protagonists were rather dull, in my opinion. It could've been better, but for what it was, it was definitely not the worst it could've been.
Soooo... yeah, that's about it. I think I was gonna add more, but I can't remember.
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