Thirteen books added to my library this week! That is the neat thing about having your own library, it is tailored to my interests, and every book I have is one that I could just pick up and read without having to wonder if it is remotely interesting. That has already been determined. Every book I buy is reviewed on the spot as to whether would be worth my time to read, so the library is 100% up my alley, so to speak. Not so much at the public libraries, that is another conversation/lecture! I’m not going to comment on each book here, most of them are self-explanatory.

Hillbilly Elegy • I’ve heard a lot about this book, it was written maybe ten years ago, obviously before becoming Vice President.

Makin’ Tracks • I watched the series Hell On Wheels, which was not a consistently good series, but the aspect of the story about building the railroad was always the interesting part of it, as well as the productions values in respect to recreating pieces of history.

The Survivor of the Holocaust • First-hand accounts are one of my favorite kind of book.

Klondike Fever • I read a book about the history of Alaska, so this is an continuation of that.

Men at Sea • Many good perspectives on something I am glad I’ve never had to do.

Total Recall • I do have issues with Arnold on politics, and like anybody, he’s made some big mistakes in life, but at the same time, there is a lot to admire about the guy, and his story has to be very interesting. Plus, Terminator and Predator are two of the best movies ever made.

Duel of Eagles • This was in the Fiction section, and is a reprint of his 1970 volume. The author actually commanded a fighter squadron in the Battle of Britain!

Modern Fighting Helicopters • I have several books in this series, and I remember seeing this one and for some reason, didn’t get it. It was probably not on half-off, and when I went to get it the next week it was probably gone. That is how that works. But, now it is part of the Grand Library! It has some really neat diagrams and illustrations, and even goes so far as to show through illustrations common helicopter flight and fight tactics.

Battles and Battlecruisers • I’ve been reading a different book on Battleships, after reading the Time/Life book on Dreadnoughts, so this was an easy choice. There are a few other books published in this style that this goes with.

The New York Times: Complete World War II 1939-1945 • It is fun to read these as they were so wrong about so much back in the day. Something that hasn’t chanced at all. It even has a DVD with almost 100,000 articles!

Smithsonian: History • I really like these Smithsonian books. I was passing this one up because it was full price, but if you see in the recent post about how I bought the same book again on accident, this is the one I used the return credit on. I decided to drive back and use the credit on the full price of this book as opposed to hoping it would be there next Saturday for half-off. And, I didn’t want to have a doubled book purchase on my mind all week long.

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz • These books are fascinating reads, the first-hand accounts of people who went through so much.

U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth • I went from having zero books on Grant not so long ago, to having several good ones now. All due to that History Channel miniseries about him. A nice break from reading about dictators, there are actually interesting leaders that aren’t evil to read about! Winston Churchill is one I need to read more about and already have numerous books on.