A Package and a Review

For tonight a change of tack.

I arrived home today to find a package in the mail from the US. Christy Pinheiro of The Publishing Maven promised me a review copy of her book The Step-by-Step Guide to Self-Publishing for Profit! It arrived today.

Thanks Christy!

Now I have been threatening to post my first review for some time. I’ve completed a review of Troop Leader by Bill Bellamy, so here it is

Troop Leader opens with Bellamy’s transition from school into the army. As a junior officer he was posted briefly to North Africa with his regiment (the King’s Royal Irish Hussars) before being withdrawn to England to prepare for D-Day. Although trained as a tank commander he was put in command of a squadron supply unit, eventually landing in Normandy on D+3.

With heavy casualties in the regiment Bellamy was soon reassigned to command a troop (equivalent to a platoon in the American army) of Cromwell tanks. He led the troop with distinction throughout most of the balance of the European campaign. Finally, he was placed in command of the reconnaissance troop of the Regiment’s Headquarters Squadron (Company).

Bellamy’s account closes with the end of the war in Europe, the Victory Parade in Berlin and the beginning of the occupation of Germany.

Overall I liked Bellamy’s account of his involvement in the war. It is a very fresh account partly because he drew heavily on notes and diaries he kept (against regulations) at the time. One of the real strengths of the narrative is how he conveys his youthful approach to the war and command. He was only 21 at the conclusion of hostilities and despite the life changing effect of the horrors he witnessed, he still had a young person’s sense of immortality.

Ironically this youthful approach is probably also one of the weaknesses of the book. His treatment of the emotional impact of the war is quite shallow. I feel Bellamy could have had a greater force had he included more on how he subsequently thought about the events in which he participated.

As a writer interested in the technical aspects of the war, I found Bellamy’s account a bit light. Also I think he made a couple of minor technical errors, for example “remembering” the use of an IR night sight that was not in use during the war. I suspect he has inadvertently combined memories from the war with his post-war military service.

On the up side, he did provide some useful insights into tactical approaches. In particular some information on “digging in” tanks and setting up positions for night defence were most interesting.

On balance I would recommend this book as a good read for those interested in military history, even at the vastly inflated Aussie sticker price (AUD$32.99).

Now finally, because I can't help myself, a piccie of a typical Aussie country town main street.
This is Braidwood in the Southern Highlands of NSW.

A Slow Weekend

Well I had a boring weekend in comparison to usual. As you have gathered we spend a fair bit of our free time shooting around the back blocks and having a squiz at the local scenery.

This past weekend we didn’t. Unfortunately two things kept us relatively close to home:

• First looking for a new house. We are currently renting and our landlord has given us notice to vacate. So we went looking at houses to rent on Saturday. (We have owned before but are still tied up in knots with some property interstate and will not buy until we finally sell there).

• Also Deb has a conference in Canberra this week. She decided to drive (about 8 hours) rather than fly and so she left on Sunday. She could have flown but: you have to allow an hour and a half to get to the airport from here (it is in actual fact nothing like that time but traffic can be unpredictable); then the airlines insist you are there absurdly early to clear the new security hurdles (at least an hour before the flight); the flight takes an a bit over an hour; then you have to muck around getting a hire car at the other end; to clinch it all Deb hates flying; so she drove.
  

I could have poked around doing something, looking for something to photograph. But the weather was terrible so I stayed in and read:


I posted about buying Beevor’s book back in August but haven’t picked it up till now. So far I am enjoying it. Methinks I should post my first ever book review when I ever get round to finishing it.


On the subject of reviews I did finish Troop Leader a while ago, maybe I should review that?

Anyone interested in reviews of military history and military biography?

I know I would be. My current novel Veiled in Shadows, is set in WWII. The sequel (companion?) which I am working on begins in the war and extends into the early years of the cold war. I am quite pedantic about my research. I have to know everything I can about a historical situation in which my characters may find themselves. That includes trivialities down to what kind of footwear they might have had. So reviews of useful books like this would suit me, but what about anyone else?

The strange thing is almost none of this detail directly appears in the books. Yet I find it helps with colour if I can have my characters speak with confidence about things they would have known about, as a matter of course. I want them to step into scenes I know are as accurate as I can make them.

Hmm, I really am rambling today, just a moment more and I’ll let you go.

The final edit of Veiled in Shadows is almost complete. I have all but completed the changes to the manuscript that Cheryl suggested. Perhaps two hours work will see it completed.

Yay!

So, lest I ramble you to death, goodnight.

A Formal Outing

A quick post again this afternoon.
I have just come home from work and I have to go out this evening. My other half has a formal opening of a new building at her workplace. As one of the executive team she has to be present at such events and it is expected she brings a partner.

That would be me.

It is a suit and tie affair which is ok, except I might wear a tie, let alone a suit a couple of times a year. My workplace has a neat casual dress-code, which usually means jeans and t-shirt level for most people. Even head office doesn’t usually go past a tie. Ah well, the things we do for those we love. I should look on it as practice for looking civilised.
Seriously though, I expect it will be a fun evening I have met many of Deb’s colleagues and they seem like a nice bunch.

It was my birthday on Friday and as partial consolation for edging closer to 50 I got a couple of gift vouchers for Borders and JB Hi-Fi.
With the Borders one I got a couple of books; no fiction, I was in a history mood apparently.
The first:

I have had my eye on Beevor’s D-Day since it came out. I loved his Stalingrad and Berlin. But D-Day has had mixed reviews so I have held off, at least until it wasn’t me paying for it. Maybe I’ll review it once I have a chance to get through it.

The second:
Troop leader by Bill Bellamy is of course looking at the same period. I haven’t read any reviews of it, but it grabbed my eye. Also as I said in a post a little while ago, I am researching bits and pieces for my second novel. This account isn’t directly related to that, but I find personal accounts like this can help me get into the mind space I need to write my characters.

I bought an odd mix of DVDs.



A graphic novel brought to the screen, a study of a famous interview and a twist on a classic romance.
Coupled with the books I bought, I guess it seems I must either be well rounded or suffer hopelessly eccentric tastes.

Until Next time (at least if I don't manage to accidentally hang myself with my tie.)