Books

Band of Brothers 

The book that inspired the series that follows a special military unit from D Day to VE Day.

If you’ve seen the series (you should!), you know almost exactly what to expect here. The show does a remarkably faithful job of translating the book to the screen. 

A lot of the key dialogue lines are quotes from the soldiers, and a lot of the most memorable narration is pulled verbatim from Ambrose. 

If you haven’t experienced either, the series is so good that you can take your pick between reading the book or watching the show. If you already love the show, the book will be enjoyable but it won’t blow your mind. Better to go with the D Day book instead, which has the same feel but covers different ground. 

“‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ Grandpa said, ‘No. But I served in a company of heroes.’”

It brings me to the verge of tears every time. 

Highest recommendation. The definitive war story of the quintessential modern war. Magical from first to last.

The Unreasonable Virtue of Fly Fishing

Mark Kurlansky does his signature exposition on fly fishing. 

It’s mediocre compared to his other work. He’s not a serious fisherman, which grates on me. And his heart clearly wasn’t in this one. 

There’s probably a Goldilocks zone where you could care enough about fly fishing to be interested but not so much that this seems shallow and inartful. 

But to be safe, I’m not recommending this to anyone. 

I love Kurlansky and I love fly fishing. Such a bummer that this was not good. 

My parents got me it for Christmas and have followed up about it multiple times or I would not have even finished it. In case they ever find this:

Hi mom! 👋

Oof, sounds like a classic case of 'gift that's perfect... for someone else.' Maybe regift to your parents with a note: 'Thought you'd appreciate this more!' 😉 Hi mom! 👋