Battle: The Story of the Bulge

BIG thanks to the Alexanders for their Christmas gift of John Toland's Battle: The Story of the Bulge. The book covers the Battle of the Bulge from its origins in Hitler's conference room, through the initial German sucesses, through the eventual Allied repelling counter, and ends w/ a quick recap of what some of the principals had done in the 15 years between the battle and the book's publication (1959).

I'm glad that I read the book in the winter, but even still I cannot imagine how awful it would have been to have people shooting at you while being stuck out in snowy fields and forests.

The book made me want to go back and read through the WWII history from Grandpa Fitz which can be found at the Fitzgerald family web page. The book makes the point that Hitler's decision to go on the offensive in Belguim probably saved the lives of thousands of Allied troops who would have eventually had to break through even more fortified German defenses sans the Battle on the Bulge.

Anyway, fascinating history. Thanks Nancy and Dave.

Reconsidering the Catcher in the Rye

Dolberry likes to reread old books from time to time & in the last few weeks before Christmas, I was re-reading The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. (Not to be confused w/ the equally excellent Bob Uecker autobiography, The Catcher in the Wry.) At one time of my life (i.e., high school) this was probably my favorite novel of all time. I recall feeling totally linked into Holden Caulfield's experience: feeling lost in a larger world, not knowing how to fight back, and wanting to save the innocents from being lost to it. Now I read it, and while I think I still feel all those things from the previous sentence, now all I come away with is that Holden Caulfield is a jerk.

So what happened? Obviously, the book hasn't changed; so I guess I have. Did I just not read it critically enough the first time around or has 25 additional years of life left me unsympathetic to the protagonist's obvious psychological troubles? I'm interested in what others think.

Anyway, while you guys do that ... I'll leave you w/ Dolberry's favorite 15 "important" novels of all time. (Important is defined as one that you might be required to read in high school or college.) Some of these I haven't read in a while so there's a chance I may no longer like them. So, buyer beware.

15. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
14. The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
13. The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene
12. Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
11. The Jungle - Upton Sinclair
10. Sister Carrie - Theodore Dreiser
9. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
8. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
7. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
6. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
5. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
3. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy - J.R.R. Tolkien (nasty hobbitses!)
1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

The DCV Interview: Josh Hamilton

Last Friday, the Dolberry Cheery Vanilla blog sat down w/ Josh Hamilton, star of this year's Home Run Derby for a very special in-depth interview.

OK, technically, he was the only one sitting. Dolberry had been standing in line at the Barnes & Noble to have him autograph a copy of his book: Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back. Nevertheless, I think you will find that when it comes to interviews of major stars that Dolberry has no peer.

Q. I wish you were still the Reds. Um, on the Reds.
A. I didn't have any choice.

Q. We were at your first Spring Training with the Reds. That was awesome. Your story is cool.
A. Thanks man.

Anyway, security hustled me out at that point, but I think Dolberry had captured the gist of it.

Dolberry's people are trying to get a sit-down (or stand-up) w/ the former chairman and chief executive of AIG, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg. They're stonewalling at present. I hope to ask him about the 1934 Detroit Tigers.

Book review and a movie review

First, APD made Principal's List again in the 2nd quarter. Yay for him.

Movie Review: Charlie Wilson's War. I liked it.

Book Review: Water for Elephants. I liked it also. Thanks Mom!

Was this just an excuse to post to get my ugly mug a little lower down on the page. Yes.

Have a great Thursday everyone!