All About Pocket Knives

I'm currently reading Sue Grafton's 25th in her Kinsey Millhone series.

Paladin wrote:

MITCH RAPP wrote: Got this one on pre-order from Amazon

Mitch,
Please give us a review on this on when you are thru with it. I became a ardent fan when Vince Flynn was at the helm and need to know if I want to get back into them.

Ray

Ray, this is the 3rd post Vince Flynn book and I got to say this Guy does a Real decent job carrying on the Mitch Rapp legacy.

MITCH RAPP wrote:

Paladin wrote:

MITCH RAPP wrote: Got this one on pre-order from Amazon

Mitch,
Please give us a review on this on when you are thru with it. I became a ardent fan when Vince Flynn was at the helm and need to know if I want to get back into them.

Ray

Ray, this is the 3rd post Vince Flynn book and I got to say this Guy does a Real decent job carrying on the Mitch Rapp legacy.

I wasn't even aware he had done 3 of them and glad to get the good report.

Thanks,
Ray

Hey Ray, you know they made Vince Flynn's book "AMERICAN ASSASSIN" into a movie, being released this month. I don't know if it will be any good or not but at least they didn't Cast Tom Cruise as Mitch Rapp

MITCH RAPP wrote: Hey Ray, you know they made Vince Flynn's book "AMERICAN ASSASSIN" into a movie, being released this month. I don't know if it will be any good or not but at least they didn't Cast Tom Cruise as Mitch Rapp

Yep,
I have been watching the previews they run on TV. I may have to break my rule and catch it at the local Cinemark.

Ray

Just saw this thread for the first time. Went through it and have a list of books and authors to track down.

I’m working my way through E.T. Seton’s 6 volume set “Pioneering and Woodcraft”. Seton was a friend of Sir Baden Powell, who formed the Boy Scouts. Seton had already started a group called Woodcraft Inidians in 1902 - 7 years before the Boy Scouts were first formed, that Powell used as a basis for the Scouts.

Most everyone here seems, at least recently, seems to be more into the “heavier” stuff. While that kind of books are great (I read them also), I like to read SciFi/Fantasy/Westerns/ stuff as well.

Some of my favorite authors and their series that I have re-read a couple of times…

David Weber – the Honorverse series of space opera. 20+ books. Often called “the Horatio Hornblower of space”.

David Weber – Safehold series. SciFi. 7 books. Earth and it’s interstellar colonies are destroyed by an alien armada. Survivors sneak away to colonize a planet way off the beaten track.

Eric Flint’s “1632” series. Premise – a 5 mile chunk of 1999 West Virginia is dumped back into 1631 Germany during the 30 Years War. Now what happens?

Harry Turtledove – THE master of Alternate History. Turtledove takes historical events and “changes” something and then goes from there with how that changed event might have affected history. He also takes people/objects and places them into odd situations. A Roman Legion transported to another world where they kick butt. The big volcano under Yellowstone Park blows up – what happen then. He has one series where he refights WW2 in a magic dominated world.

Westerns – Elmer Kelton and Louis L’Amour have been mentioned. There’s also Zane Grey – 50+ tales of the west.

On the WW2 scene, there’s a huge series about the Pacific War – Admiral Samuel Elliot Morrison’s 15 volumes on the History of the Pacific War during WW2. There was a group of anonymous researchers who poured over all Naval reports of the war to produce the base information from which he wrote the books. The information in the set is somewhat dated/incorrect, as a lot of information was still classified at the time the books were published, and some statements are based on incorrect information, but it still is the best compilation of the war ever written. I first read it while in high school. Reading the set significantly influenced me to Go Navy.

Interesting facts about Admiral Morrison – he served as an Army private in WW1, was commissioned a LCDR in the Navy by President Roosevelt in 1942 at the age of 55. Made Captain (O6) December 15, 1945 and was transferred to the Honorary Retired List as a Rear Admiral LH (O7) in 1951. He wrote 58 other books on various aspects of history. One can spend several years reading his works.

Very nice picks, zzyzz! You're dead right about Turtledove; I read the first few books of the Southern Victory series and I was blown away. I also like David Weber, though I've only dipped my toe into the Honor Harrington series by reading On Basilisk Station. I should probably go get more, assuming I ever find enough free time to sit down with a book and relax for once.

zzyzzogeton wrote:I’m working my way through E.T. Seton’s 6 volume set “Pioneering and Woodcraft”. Seton was a friend of Sir Baden Powell, who formed the Boy Scouts. Seton had already started a group called Woodcraft Inidians in 1902 - 7 years before the Boy Scouts were first formed, that Powell used as a basis for the Scouts.

Ernest Thompson Seton, he should be in the library of anyone who loves the outdoors.

Had a good day at the little local thrift store and the dollar tree. 50 cents a piece the paper backs. should keep me busy for a little while.

bighomer wrote:Had a good day at the little local thrift store and the dollar tree. 50 cents a piece the paper backs. should keep me busy for a little while.

Recently read "The Hit". Am currently reading Baldacci's "The Target"

Have you read any of Janet Evonovich's "Stephanie Plum" series?

I've read all the Plum books up to 19. Waiting on the rest to show up at Half-Price Books.

Jerry I have but its been a while ago, I'm at the stage that I can reread books and they are brand new to me..

Grandma Mazur cracks me up.

About halfway through Heinlein's The Puppet Masters first copyright 1951.

steve99f wrote:About halfway through Heinlein's The Puppet Masters first copyright 1951.

A fine selection, Steve. I recently finished a re-read of The Cat Who Walk Through Walls. I always seem to pick up "new" little bits here and there with new looks at Heinlein novels.

The EPA Guide to Cleaner Technologies.

I am on a fast track toward building my own 5 gallon (10 gallon tank) Ultra Sonic cleaner.

This particular book goes into a little more detail on chemical interactions, and their by-products as well as the efficiency of most popular cleaning solvents in their given applications.
There are a few things (so far) that I was totally unaware of.
example:
Vacuum ultra sonic cleaning. No water or solvent is used at all.
A vacuum chamber is drawn down, and the chamber is activated with ultra sonic waves. The waves alone dislodge debris including oils from the surface being cleaned.

Or... Vacuum dryers. The boiling point of a liquid goes down under vacuum. I knew that part but never thought about it as a shop tool.

Cool stuff for me because I'm not a story book fan. I prefer technical reads. It's short. about 30 pages. More of an overview.
Here's the link... https://books.google.com/books?id=hVeit ... er&f=false

Tsar Bomba wrote:

steve99f wrote:About halfway through Heinlein's The Puppet Masters first copyright 1951.

A fine selection, Steve. I recently finished a re-read of The Cat Who Walk Through Walls. I always seem to pick up "new" little bits here and there with new looks at Heinlein novels.

I've read most of his work before but it has been decades, probably the 80's anyway. I missed this one though. The social commentary is the attraction for me aside from well written stories and great characters. I believe "the Cat who..." is next and then Stranger in a Strange Land. I know I've read both before but they were soooo goood! The "Stranger..." edition is the original text, the one I read way back when was heavily edited so as not to offend the marketplace. I don't have that copy to do a side by side though.

I picked all three up at a second hand store called 2nd and Charles. Used books, CD'c, video's, games. A '70's kind of vibe. Good deals though and they do buy stuff back or give store credit. It is a chain, check them out.

MITCH RAPP wrote: Hey Ray, you know they made Vince Flynn's book "AMERICAN ASSASSIN" into a movie, being released this month. I don't know if it will be any good or not but at least they didn't Cast Tom Cruise as Mitch Rapp

Recently read "AMERICAN ASSASSIN". Saw the movie last weekend. It sucked (the movie, not the book).

jerryd6818 wrote:

MITCH RAPP wrote: Hey Ray, you know they made Vince Flynn's book "AMERICAN ASSASSIN" into a movie, being released this month. I don't know if it will be any good or not but at least they didn't Cast Tom Cruise as Mitch Rapp

Recently read "AMERICAN ASSASSIN". Saw the movie last weekend. It sucked (the movie, not the book).

Jerry,
Yours is the 1st bad review I read on the movie. Anything in particular you disliked? Were you a reader of the Mitch Rapp books?

Ray

Paladin wrote:

jerryd6818 wrote:

MITCH RAPP wrote: Hey Ray, you know they made Vince Flynn's book "AMERICAN ASSASSIN" into a movie, being released this month. I don't know if it will be any good or not but at least they didn't Cast Tom Cruise as Mitch Rapp

Recently read "AMERICAN ASSASSIN". Saw the movie last weekend. It sucked (the movie, not the book).

Yours is the 1st bad review I read on the movie. Anything in particular you disliked? Were you a reader of the Mitch Rapp books?

Haven't read the book (yet) but from what I've heard Tom Cruise was a stone cold awful miscasting as Mitch Rapp in that film.

The reviews I've seen online and heard in person seem to be split nearly 50/50.

I read all of the Mitch Rapp series including the first two written by the new author (not Vince Flynn quality but still pretty good). I thoroughly enjoyed them all.

I suspect if you've never read a Mitch Rapp novel, the movie would be okay. For me it was a disappointment. The movie doesn't even try to develop Rapp's personality or the character's cunning, intelligence and grit (which was the main point and objective of American Assassin the novel). As chronologically the first in the series it is about Rapp's history, how he was found, trained and developed. Only in the last part of the book was he deployed on a mission.

The movie pays lip service to the training and development and can't wait to get Rapp on a mission. It's an action flick with martial arts and computer-generated special effects. Aside from the main characters Mitch Rapp, Stan Hurley, and Irene Kennedy, all the other characters and the plot are completely new and different than the novel American Assassin. The movie's newly-invented main bad guy, played by actor Taylor Kitsch, was IMHO the most interesting and well acted character. Too bad they didnt cast him as Rapp.

BTW the character Mitch Rapp wasn't played by Tom Cruise. Cruise played Jack Reacher.

Ken

Mumbleypeg wrote:BTW the character Mitch Rapp wasn't played by Tom Cruise. Cruise played Jack Reacher.

Ah, thank you! I'm conflating all the summer action movies, apparently. Which is not a surprise, seeing as I haven't seen a new first-run film in longer than I can remember.

I Googled the actor playing Mitch Rapp and I still don't think I could pick the guy out of a lineup if he were holding a $10,000 check behind his back made out to me.

Paladin wrote:

jerryd6818 wrote:

MITCH RAPP wrote: Hey Ray, you know they made Vince Flynn's book "AMERICAN ASSASSIN" into a movie, being released this month. I don't know if it will be any good or not but at least they didn't Cast Tom Cruise as Mitch Rapp

Recently read "AMERICAN ASSASSIN". Saw the movie last weekend. It sucked (the movie, not the book).

Jerry,
Yours is the 1st bad review I read on the movie. Anything in particular you disliked? Were you a reader of the Mitch Rapp books?

Ray

All except the newest one. I misspoke and American Assassin was not a recent read for me. As said, they spent almost no time developing the character and I didn't think the character was true to the books. It was just violence for the sake of violence. Not well done at all and the actor who played Mitch Rapp didn't fit my image of him.

jerryd6818 wrote:

Paladin wrote:

jerryd6818 wrote: Recently read "AMERICAN ASSASSIN". Saw the movie last weekend. It sucked (the movie, not the book).

Jerry,
Yours is the 1st bad review I read on the movie. Anything in particular you disliked? Were you a reader of the Mitch Rapp books?

Ray

All except the newest one. I misspoke and American Assassin was not a recent read for me. As said, they spent almost no time developing the character and I didn't think the character was true to the books. It was just violence for the sake of violence. Not well done at all and the actor who played Mitch Rapp didn't fit my image of him.

I haven't seen the movie but from the trailers, I sure wondered about the image thing. The actor looked kinda wimpy to me and wimpy is a word that would, or should, never appear in the same sentence as Mitch Rapp.

Ray

I'm reading "The Testament" by John Grisham. It's the most recent in a string of his books I've read of late. I've become a fan of his writings. So far I'm about a third of the way through it and it's not bad.