Welcome to Litsy!

“I shrug, the way you do when your words come out and they float there stupid on the breeze and you‘re not sure they mean anything to anybody else.”

Vietnam was truly a helicopter war - this is an account of a highly decorated chopper pilot, Ron Alexander, and his experiences rescuing injured soldiers from the hostile battlefield in his Huey. I was not fond of the audiobook‘s narrator. It happens

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Nguyen‘s family left Vietnam for the US when she was an infant, but her mother stayed behind. Now, Beth and her mother are estranged. She works hard to get to know her (birth) mother in adulthood, but the effort is rather one sided. Recollections of standoffish conversations and memories but nothing really substantial here.
This didn‘t really work for me. The writing was nice but the book lacked a flow and cohesive thread.

"This is a public relations problem not a military one," pronounced McNamara.

Between a pick and a so-so. What I liked was the strong sense of place which really was described well. What I didn't was the narrator, Mai, who was a bit too whiny and self-absorbed for me. I nearly bailed a couple of times but hung on to hear the conclusion.
#Vietnam
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#ItTakesAllKinds
#war
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9th book of 2024!

A coming of age book for three men - William who served in the Viet Nam War, Vince who worked a construction job with William the summer before college, & Beau, Vince's HS/college-aged son. The structure of the novel was well done. My criticism is it felt a bit “preachy“ at times with some of the parallels forced. If you like historical fiction about Viet Nam you will likely enjoy it. I loved the title.

I really liked this one! A compelling story of American women in Saigon in 1963. This is beautifully written, powerful, and thought-provoking. The pretty cover is a bonus.

https://youtu.be/j-o--RRH46I?si=SwpOFeRNqA3zkAZy

Introduction

Mystery guest

Weekly Highlights

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

Home Stretch by Graham Norton