What's Currently on Your Reading List?

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Mumbleypeg
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Steve Warden wrote:
Mumbleypeg wrote:Steve, that’s a pretty rough bunch listed there. Most of them met their demise or were captured by Texas Rangers (a pretty rough bunch themselves). Not many people know that Wild Bill Longley is a direct ancestor of former Dallas Cowboy QB Clint Longley, quite a wild character himself.

Ken
Coincidentally reading Wild Bill's chapter now.
After reading about the outlaws, I'd like to delve into the law men, specifically the Rangers. Any reading recommendations?

PS
Did a quick search on Clint. After a sucker punch on Staubach, it's no wonder the Cowboys let him go.
Being somewhat of a Texas history nut, I have numerous books about the Rangers. There are newer ones available but my favorite by far is one of the classics, The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense by Walter Prescott Webb. Reads like fiction but it’s history (you just can’t make this stuff up). :lol: Some of the best stories you’ll ever read. Covers the Rangers from their inception by Stephen F. Austin through the killing of Bonnie and Clyde. Includes some first-hand accounts as recounted by the participants themselves. First published in 1935 - never been out of print since.

Ken
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Steve Warden »

Thanks Ken.
I'll see if I can find a copy.
Take care and God bless,

Steve
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Mumbleypeg
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Steve Warden wrote:Thanks Ken.
I'll see if I can find a copy.
Here’s a pretty good deal. https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Search ... prevpage=2 Scroll through a ways and you can find a hardback version of the original edition for a few bucks more, if that is of interest.

Ken
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doglegg
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by doglegg »

Mumbleypeg wrote:
Steve Warden wrote:
Mumbleypeg wrote:Steve, that’s a pretty rough bunch listed there. Most of them met their demise or were captured by Texas Rangers (a pretty rough bunch themselves). Not many people know that Wild Bill Longley is a direct ancestor of former Dallas Cowboy QB Clint Longley, quite a wild character himself.

Ken
Coincidentally reading Wild Bill's chapter now.
After reading about the outlaws, I'd like to delve into the law men, specifically the Rangers. Any reading recommendations?

PS
Did a quick search on Clint. After a sucker punch on Staubach, it's no wonder the Cowboys let him go.
Being somewhat of a Texas history nut, I have numerous books about the Rangers. There are newer ones available but my favorite by far is one of the classics, The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense by Walter Prescott Webb. Reads like fiction but it’s history (you just can’t make this stuff up). :lol: Some of the best stories you’ll ever read. Covers the Rangers from their inception by Stephen F. Austin through the killing of Bonnie and Clyde. Includes some first-hand accounts as recounted by the participants themselves. First published in 1935 - never been out of print since.

Ken
I have it and have read it Ken. Great reading. ::nod::
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Quick Steel »

I realize this is about books, but I thought some of you would be interested in a recent Kevin Costner movie on Netflix, The Highwaymen. It tells the true story of Hammer and his partner who tracked down Bonnie and Clyde. In the Hollywood Bonnie and Clyde Hammer was presented as kind of a dunce. The reality is quite different. The success of Hammer led to the reactivation of the Texas Rangers who had been disbanded by the governor of Texas.
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by doglegg »

QS, Hamer was really an amazing lawman. I've read a couple of books on him and several on Bonnie and Clyde. When I was about 12 I got to meet Floyd Hamilton who ran with them for a while. Desperate era. ::nod::
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Mumbleypeg
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Quick Steel wrote:I realize this is about books, but I thought some of you would be interested in a recent Kevin Costner movie on Netflix, The Highwaymen. It tells the true story of Hammer and his partner who tracked down Bonnie and Clyde. In the Hollywood Bonnie and Clyde Hammer was presented as kind of a dunce. The reality is quite different. The success of Hammer led to the reactivation of the Texas Rangers who had been disbanded by the governor of Texas.
The Hollywood version starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway was typical Hollywood. Nothing much about it was true aside from the names of the characters. Since this is a thread about books, here’s a recent one about the aforementioned Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, including his hunt for Bonnie and Clyde. As I understand it this book was one of the resources used in writing the screenplay for the Costner movie.

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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by steve99f »

Reading a whodunit by Owen Parry, Rebels of Babylon, set in New Orleans during the civil war. The detective is a married Union major who is of Welsh descent and Christian, injured at Bull Run and is now doing special projects for the federal government.
There are five novels in the series. The author also writes under the name of Ralph Peters and under this name he writes historical fiction set in the American Civil War. Good stuff if the CW is of interest.
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Dave G »

I'm currently about half way through Ranch life and the hunting trail, by Theodore Roosevelt ( for the 3rd time) Highly recommended.
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Steve Warden »

So far it's been very interesting.
It goes way back to the late 1400s, early 1500s when Columbus and the Spanish brought cattle and horses to the new world.
Reading about the cattle drives of the 1800s now. Seems the drives out of Texas north and east to Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana overshadow the drives out to California. Those were larger and, of course, much longer.
A good read if you're into cowboy history.
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Take care and God bless,

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Mumbleypeg
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

I’ll have to get that one as I like trail drive and cowboy history. Another good one is The Trampling Herd by Paul Wellman. Or We Pointed Them North by Teddy “Blue” Abbott.

If you enjoy trail drive stories, try this one. It’s fiction but a great yarn, both hilarious and sad at the same time

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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by zzyzzogeton »

Dinadan wrote:
TwoFlowersLuggage wrote:
Dinadan wrote: ....
Over the past couple of decades David Weber. John Ringo, and David Drake have written some of my favorite scifi. Anyway, sometimes late at night, after midnight, I will have this fantasy that I will discover an author I have never heard of who has published over a dozen books that I like. But when the morning sun rises and burns off the mists and dew I realize just how unlikely that dream really is.
Not the best written series in the world, but a decent "let's waste some time reading" series

The Eternal Mercenary series about Casca Rufio Longinus by Barry Sadler, he of the BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERET fame, a decorated SpecFor soldier. Wrote 22 Casca books before he died under "mysterious circumstances" as some put it.

There were 4 unauthorized volumes written by Paul Dengelegi (who received a cease and dissist order from Sadler's family)'

Then Tony Roberts, a Brit, has written another 22 volumes, the latest of which came out in 2018.

The basic premise of the series is that Casca is the Roman soldier who speared Jesus on the cross. Jesus condemns Casca to remain a soldier until Jesus returns. The books are about Casca's life in wars over the next 2000 years, from the Early Christian era to the Viet Nam wars. They generally skip from 1 era to the next, although there are sequences where 2 or 3 books were publish in historical order - one such is 2 consecutive periods during the Civil War.
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by steve99f »

Speaking of the Civil War, reading Stephen W. Sears "Landscape Turned Red". "bout half way through. An account of the Antietam battle including the taking of Harper's Ferry and the South Mountain battles just prior to. Non-fiction, well written and readable. The battle was fought in September, 1862 George Meade was a Brigadier under Hooker in the First Corps of the Army of the Potomac and 10 months latter he led the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg, just a little north of the Battle of Antietam.
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Dinadan »

zzyzzogeton wrote:
Dinadan wrote:
TwoFlowersLuggage wrote:
Not the best written series in the world, but a decent "let's waste some time reading" series

The Eternal Mercenary series about Casca Rufio Longinus by Barry Sadler, he of the BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERET fame, a decorated SpecFor soldier. Wrote 22 Casca books before he died under "mysterious circumstances" as some put it.

There were 4 unauthorized volumes written by Paul Dengelegi (who received a cease and dissist order from Sadler's family)'

Then Tony Roberts, a Brit, has written another 22 volumes, the latest of which came out in 2018.

The basic premise of the series is that Casca is the Roman soldier who speared Jesus on the cross. Jesus condemns Casca to remain a soldier until Jesus returns. The books are about Casca's life in wars over the next 2000 years, from the Early Christian era to the Viet Nam wars. They generally skip from 1 era to the next, although there are sequences where 2 or 3 books were publish in historical order - one such is 2 consecutive periods during the Civil War.
Thanks for the suggestion, ZZ. I will take a look at one volume, anyway.
Mel
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Steve Warden »

Ken's fault.
He introduced me to abebooks.com
Used books in very readable condition. Got all these for $27 and change.
20190603_172215.jpg
Take care and God bless,

Steve
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Steve Warden »

Startin' this one.
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Take care and God bless,

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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by cudgee »

Kings in Grass Castles. A story about the Durack family who were one of the early pioneer families who helped open up the Australian outback and early pastoral land. Has some fantastic copies of early invoices from rural/general stores of supplies and costs. Hope everyone has a great weekend. :)
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Mumbleypeg
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Steve Warden wrote:Ken's fault.
He introduced me to abebooks.com
Used books in very readable condition. Got all these for $27 and change.20190603_172215.jpg
Glad that you tried it. Been one of my favorite book sources for years. And Louis Lamore’s Last of the Breed is one of my all-time favorites. Great read! ::tu:: Not your conventional western though.

I see you also picked up a copy of The Texas Rangers in your haul.

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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Steve Warden »

Mumbleypeg wrote:
Steve Warden wrote:Ken's fault.
He introduced me to abebooks.com
Used books in very readable condition. Got all these for $27 and change.20190603_172215.jpg
Glad that you tried it. Been one of my favorite book sources for years. And Louis Lamore’s Last of the Breed is one of my all-time favorites. Great read! ::tu:: Not your conventional western though.

I see you also picked up a copy of The Texas Rangers in your haul.

Ken
Yeah, The Texas Rangers because of your recommendation, Last of the Breed kept popping up on lists of L'amour's best books. Had to see for myself why. I picked up the detective short stories for a change of pace.
Take care and God bless,

Steve
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by bighomer »

I've got about everything Louis wrote in a plastic tote.need to get them out and read them for the fourth or fifth time. I've got several western genre books that I need to get started on but I seem to be stuck on more modern times.
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by jerryd6818 »

Biggie "H", I've read all of the Jack Reacher series and have enjoyed each and every one of them. Another favorite of mine is Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series. Reading those is like sitting down with an old friend while he tells you a story. Excellent.
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Eustace »

Bulgarian shepherd's knife
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Steve Warden »

Just finished "Flint" by Louis L'amour.
Starting this at Ken's recommendation.
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Anyone happen to know Mr. Mickey? Canyon, TX isn't too far south of Amarillo, the local of Barnes and Noble. 1998... just found it interesting...
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by cudgee »

The Texas Rangers, looks like a good read, Enjoy.
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Re: What's Currently on Your Reading List?

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

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I am usually reading more than one book at a time. One is usually history and the other is Christian book for my own edification.
This book on Lincoln is one of the best I have ever read. This was the basis for the movie “Lincoln” that stared Daniel Day Lewis. It’s a great movie and the book is even better.
The second one is by Dr. Mark Rutland on king David. David is one of my favorite people to read about in the Bible, he was an amazing king, warrior, tactician and most importantly a man after God’s own heart.
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SSk Mark “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Ronald Reagan
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