What are you currently reading??

**Charlotte** · June 9th, 2008, 05:20 AM

Reading currently 'Voices from Chernobyl', put together by Svetlana Alexievich.

It's difficult to read. Really difficult, especially because people are suffering from it now.

**yanna** · June 9th, 2008, 05:37 AM

^ Cernobyl was so scary! I saw a documentary a while back about orphan kids from the Cernobyl area who go to families in the UK every summer. It was heartbreaking.

I'm reading a book about the Battle of Stalingrad. It's fascinating but I forgot the author's name again. I'm a bit of a history ignoramus so wasn't sure who won for a while and was telling people not to spoil me. I've also been giggling like an idiot every time "Operation Uranus" comes up (the Soviet counter offensive which pretty much decided the battle from what I've gathered so far). kept thinking it would make a great title for a pr0n movie.

**Charlotte** · June 9th, 2008, 07:18 AM

Originally Posted by yanna

^ Cernobyl was so scary! I saw a documentary a while back about orphan kids from the Cernobyl area who go to families in the UK every summer. It was heartbreaking.

I'm reading a book about the Battle of Stalingrad. It's fascinating but I forgot the author's name again. I'm a bit of a history ignoramus so wasn't sure who won for a while and was telling people not to spoil me. I've also been giggling like an idiot every time "Operation Uranus" comes up (the Soviet counter offensive which pretty much decided the battle from what I've gathered so far). kept thinking it would make a great title for a pr0n movie.

Are you in the UK? Because i remember a documentary about that. What breaks my heart about Chernobyl is that 70% of the radiation was blown over Belarus, and the country is still so highly comtaminated now. People died, and are dying, horribly, but the liquidators were so very brave. The immediate disaster would have been catastrophic had it not been for them.

The radiation has a cumulative effect, and we'll see the true face of the disaster in generations and generations to come. The authorities now say it was a bad reactor design, and the terrifying thing is that there is a reactor built to the same design still active in Lithuania

I won't tell you the end to Stalingrad :p, is it the book by William Craig? It's very good! The Russian people, we remember Stalingrad on May 9, my grandfather fought was part of the army group in Operation Uranus. It's such vital histoy

**yanna** · June 9th, 2008, 07:31 AM

^Oh, wow! You must be very proud of your grandfather! I hope he survived the war. The author's name is not William Craig. Sucks that I can't remember it because it's extremely well-written and a fairly new book containing a lot of info from the Russian side.
I googled it and I'm 99% it's Antony Beevor
Amazon.co.uk: Stalingrad: Antony Beevor: Books

Truly a fascinating read.

I was saying to the boyfriend that it's fascinating to me also because I'm not sure how it ends and he yelled at me "For fuck's sake, woman, do you speak German now?"

About Cernobyl, I remember it even though down here in Greece we ddin't have serious problems, or anything. I saw that documentary on Greek tv but I think it was a BBC documentary. I agree about the liquidators, I can't imagine the kind of courage it takes to fly a plane over the burning building knowing that this will kill you.

**Charlotte** · June 9th, 2008, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by yanna

^Oh, wow! You must be very proud of your grandfather! I hope he survived the war. The author's name is not William Craig. Sucks that I can't remember it because it's extremely well-written and a fairly new book containing a lot of info from the Russian side.
I googled it and I'm 99% it's Antony Beevor
Amazon.co.uk: Stalingrad: Antony Beevor: Books

Truly a fascinating read.

I was saying to the boyfriend that it's fascinating to me also because I'm not sure how it ends and he yelled at me "For fuck's sake, woman, do you speak German now?"

About Cernobyl, I remember it even though down here in Greece we ddin't have serious problems, or anything. I saw that documentary on Greek tv but I think it was a BBC documentary. I agree about the liquidators, I can't imagine the kind of courage it takes to fly a plane over the burning building knowing that this will kill you.

Your boyfriend sounds funny

My grandad surivived the war, he would talk about it often, i have some of his possessions, his medals, and Red Army ushanka. He would talk about it occasionally, Russia and Ukraina suffered so much under Nazi occupation at the Eastern Front, 20 millions Soviets died. That fired the troops so much, the fight for the people and the Motherland. May 9 was a very important day for him, for all of us, there's a big national celebration and parades in the street of Volgograd. In the UK now we celebrate and drink in his honour, and the honour of those who fought. It's a very patriotic day. The families take food to the graves to 'share' with them.

In the Chernobyl book their are interviews with members of the families of the liquidators and people who even now live in Pripyat, and the spirit in the face of catastrophe is just indomitable, but it's so hard to read without getting teary. I keep having to put it down and go back to it. The BBC documentary was the one i saw, i got teary during that as well, and i don't usually cry! I just wanted to hug those people.

**Meg1884** · June 9th, 2008, 01:16 PM

Right now I'm reading A Gentle Awakening by Betty Neels.

**viggofan** · June 10th, 2008, 05:16 PM

J.R.Ward's Lover Enshrined.

**witchcurlgirl** · June 10th, 2008, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by yanna

^Oh, wow! You must be very proud of your grandfather! I hope he survived the war. The author's name is not William Craig. Sucks that I can't remember it because it's extremely well-written and a fairly new book containing a lot of info from the Russian side.
I googled it and I'm 99% it's Antony Beevor
Amazon.co.uk: Stalingrad: Antony Beevor: Books

Truly a fascinating read.

I was saying to the boyfriend that it's fascinating to me also because I'm not sure how it ends and he yelled at me "For fuck's sake, woman, do you speak German now?"

About Cernobyl, I remember it even though down here in Greece we ddin't have serious problems, or anything. I saw that documentary on Greek tv but I think it was a BBC documentary. I agree about the liquidators, I can't imagine the kind of courage it takes to fly a plane over the burning building knowing that this will kill you.

I've read the Beevor book on Stalingrad, also his The Fall of Berlin and Crete:The Battle and The Resistance. I like his writing.

The Fall of Berlin was denounced by the Russian ambassador to the UK as lies and slander. Some other historians defended him, saying that the Russians refused to admit Soviet war crimes. Interesting articles in the New York Review of Books when it was all happening.

**Kirsten89** · June 10th, 2008, 10:56 PM

I am now reading Alan Aldas self written autobiography 'Never Have Your Dog Stuffed'- I'm enjoying it. Entertaining read and I am looking for some good book suggestions. I'm on summer break and don't want to veg out in front of here all day.