Old books and new

Years ago I read that one should read books by dead authors. The person suggested that every other book read should have been written by an author who has passed away. I don't do that, but I do occasionally read some older books that have become classics. One such book I'm reading now is Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. I read this book several years ago, and had it in my library. Some time back I gave the book to someone and recently decided to purchase another copy to re-read. I'm so glad I did.

For many years Lewis was an atheist who was eventually converted while a professor at Oxford University. This book was originally given as talks on the radio to England during WWII. Reading this book while recognizing that it was being given to people in the midst of a terrible war just adds to the impact of his words. It's no wonder it has sold millions of copies since first published. If you haven't read it, you should.

The other book I'm currently reading is quite different. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, written by Daniel H. Pink, draws on a great deal of research in the area of timing. Rather than guessing at when is the right time to make important decisions, there is scientific evidence that demonstrates we can improve the success of those decisions by making them at the ideal time. I've found it to be a fascinating read with much that applies to many aspects of our lives.

I must mention another book I recently finished. I was stationed on board the USS Enterprise during the Vietnam war. On January 14, 1969, while qualifying to return to the Tolkin Gulf we experienced a major fire that resulted in the loss of 28 men with over 300 additional sailors wounded. Trial: Ordeal of the USS Enterprise 14 January, 1969 by Michael Joe Carlin describes what happened that day. Carlin was on the first hose team that attacked the fire and was a first-hand witness to much of what he has written. Besides his own personal experience he has done excellent research into other events of that day related to the disaster.

Because my General Quarters station was some distance from the actual explosions and fire there was much that I did not know about that day. This book filled in a lot of those gaps. I simply could not put the book down. If you were ever assigned to a flattop or served in the Navy in any capacity I think you would find this book a fascinating read.