Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Update and Book Review


Every once in a while I look back and marvel at how this blog has changed over the course of the last seven years or so. I used to do a lot more book reviews, article reviews, history essays, how to and gun reports etc. A lot more of them than the "What I did today" posts. Of course the problem is as I finished projects, added more sheep and other livestock, started up the haying operation etc. I found I had much less time to just sit around and read books and post reviews or brag about what ever new magazine I picked up this week or show I watched from my easy chair.

I think the readership has changed a lot too with readers now more interested in getting their hands dirty and doing things as opposed to just reading about what others do or think about doing I should say. There is a lot of knowledge, experience and can do attitudes in the comments and emails I get these days.

Even back in the beginning Winter was more of a time to write fiction, post stories, put up book reviews, talk about reloading etc. But with each passing year I notice my Winter writing get's pushed further and further back. Here it is already December this year and I am still not totally done with getting everything bedded down yet.  I spent the entire morning wrapping the Garden bee hives and still am only about half finished with the overall job. Eventually I may get to the point that I have so much going on I may have to retire this blog but I am not there yet.

I noticed this morning I had a number of book reviews piling up that needed to be posted so before I lose my notes I better get on them.

The "Insert word here" Home series by A. American

I started reading these books back in May just before Mrs. PP's hospital stay. I finished up the entire series while staying with her since television was out of the question as I did not want to disturb her sleep.  The series follows one man, his family, friends and others who pop into the story as the US faces a collapse and then begins to rebuild. The DHS and other government cronies attempt to take over and make what remains a police state and the military eventually get's involved fighting back.

The first book "Going Home" was by far my favorite. All the books were easily readable and told a vivid story perhaps a little too readable as at times they did kinda ring like a young adult book but I never lost interest in where the books were going.

Believe-ability - Again the first book was the best in this category. Although I certainly cannot complain about using DHS forces as antagonist since I did so in my own little flights in doomer porn fiction, I started getting that feeling I have with so many post collapse novels and stories. They start out stone age and end up with helicopters and nuclear bombs. I really could never get into the retired First Sergeant character and his four man team of infantry who were suddenly turned into a Special forces section and allowed to do what they please gallivanting across the Florida countryside. I never could figure out if these guys were Special forces types, Rangers, 101st airborne dudes or what. I will say the grumpy old sergeant persona was kinda fun to read at times though.

Political correctness - As some of you may remember my biggest peeve and perhaps what I consider the greatest injustice a post apocalyptic writer can do is push the current Multi-Cult PC religious ideology. For the series I will give this collection a pass on political correctness. the writer did introduce a Black character in the first book but he did not over do it and even was brave enough to show a little racial tension in the aftermath as the main character made his way home. There were no Lora Croft types at first and he didn't limit his string of bad guys to only White Males either.

After the first book however the writer did start sneaking in some PC characters but not enough to make me put the book down and stop reading. Still unlike some popular doomer porn authors he never did try and preach PC-ness to the reader so as I said this series gets a pass.

If you are an avid post collapse book reader like I am I would recommend this series. It's pretty basic overall and has an upfront almost predictable story line but readable and  kept my attention. Of course keeping my attention isn't all that hard. No preaching nor any real PCness but the detachment from society reads more temporary than anything.

Price - I have to say the series was priced well. You won't break your bank account buying these books in electronic form anyway.

Overall I give this series of books a seven stars rating on a scale of 1 to 10.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!!


8 comments:

  1. I don't know if I can get into reading fiction as I feel like the real thing is starting to unfold now. I just read ZH and there is just one event after another, it is amazing to watch things happen and at a time when we have the poorest leadership in history. It is like a perfect storm for disaster. It doesn't matter day to day so much but I had to get a new chinese drill yesterday and turned down the 5 year guarantee, I guess the clerk wondered why I thought it was funny.

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    1. Sf - I know how you feel there. Most of my reading is relegated to the bathroom anymore. As I said I did get a lot done while the Mrs. was in the hospital though. I am mostly interested in the larger scale predictions these days. How an author thinks it is going to shape up overall more than the day to day stuff.

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  2. I have found as things have developed here over the last 18 months my time is so precious, I have a couple of magazines on subscription and havent even got them out of there wrapper over the last few months, I am not renewing, I dont have much time fr reading either always planning to read when I go to bed but most nights I find I am too tired :-)

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    1. Dawn - Yep. I always find it suspect these days when someone declares themselves a prepper or whatever and has time for all this reading and shopping. Kinda makes one wonder if they truly understand what it means.

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  3. pp,
    please don't discontinue. just post less frequently, if time becomes shorter. thanks. love your website.

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    1. Deb - Oh it won't be happening this year. I still have time to get all the chores done and make a post right now and I shouldn't be growing anymore fora while now. I may have to take some breaks though. Hay season this year almost took every minute I had and then some.

      Thank you for your kind words!!!

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  4. I liked the line about starting out stone age and next thing you know they have attack helicopters. I have some reviews stacked up, but so much of what comes out now is derivate of what has come before. I have been avoid the militia-porn now for some time as it just always sounds so much the same.

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    1. Russ - I don't mind the militia porn of course but lately it seems shortages in books are only for the little guys while the government goons seem to have unlimited supplies. I know Americans like the underdog and all but damn.

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