Shelby Foote's "The Civil War: A Narrative"

I realize that the theme of World War II is "Central" to my blog; but several months back I got an itching to read a thorough account of the American Civil War.  I've always wanted to read Shelby Foote's 3 volume narrative of The Civil War; but being daunted by it's 3000 pages, I've always deferred.

Enter Audible.com...  Audible has been my commuting staple for the past year or so and suddenly 3000 pages didn't seem so daunting.  I just finished the last book (Volume 3) and all told, it was probably 150 hours of listening.  I paid $14.95 for each volume and it was well worth the price.  The narrator was excellent and the collection kept my keen interest from start to finish.

I have to admit that I never knew the American Civil War was so enthralling and diverse.  From the Ironclad naval battles to the long-odds cavalry raids of Nathan Bedford Forrest.  Shelby Foote does a great job at bringing out the personalities of the great Civil War leaders and figures of the time.  I've heard that being a Southerner himself, Foote tends to slant towards the Confederacy; but in my opinion this was not the case; I believe it was a fair and accurate account.  This was a nation defining struggle of immense proportions and I learned a great deal about it from these books.

The only drawback that I feel I've encountered over the past few months listening, is that I now have a nagging desire to paint some American Civil War miniatures and replicate The Army of the Potomac and The Army of Northern Virginia on an epic scale.  I might have to change the name of my blog to "ACW and WWII Central"  :)

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer

This past week I finally finished William L. Shirer's "The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich."  I must admit that I cheated a little bit by getting the audiobook from Audible.  Overall it was ~60 hours of listening.

I know a lot has been written and scrutinized about Shirer's work but I found it very interesting and engrossing to listen to.  The narrator (Grover Gardner) was excellent and I loved the inflection in his voice; so much so that I purchased his reading of Shelby Foote's "The Civil War" (all 150 hours worth!).  I don't think anyone would be disappointed in reading this work.

If you're looking for a military novel, this certainly is not the book as it focuses more on the political and foreign aspects of the Third Reich.  As mentioned, I really enjoyed it from start to finish but there was a considerable amount of time dedicated to those conspiring to kill Hitler from within Germany (Operation Valkyrie, etc.); almost a little too much...

If you realize that Shirer spent a great deal more time in Germany leading up to World War II than during the war, you will understand why more time in the book is spent on the "Rise" of the Reich rather than the "Fall".  The latter of which does seem a little lacking in details and focus.  However, with this understanding in mind I think this book was time well spent.