Two nice pickups this weekend. One was released 10 months ago and I balked on the price. Another was released 55 years ago and I was familiar with it though it had long escaped my mind.

Behold



Bioshock I got for forty bucks. Seventeen actually, after a gift card.

The Churchill history of WWII I got from my grandfather-in-law. Was down for the weekend and he saw me reading them and (always eager to get rid of stuff) he gave them to me.

Always loved reading about world war II when I was a kid but was a little too young (and too internetless) to have heard of the Churchill books at the time. Just as well -- I'm deep in the first book and it is almost entirely about politics. Would have bored the life out of me when I was twelve but I find it pretty fascinating these days.

Favorite Part of The Books So Far

It's all the personal notes on the people -- "This was the last time I saw Herr von Ribbentrop before he was hanged." A German Rhodes Scholar who defended his homeland against Churchill at Oxford in the 30's was later found by his homeland to have a Jewish ancestor. Other Germans who dealt favorably with Churchill were murdered before and during the war. Churchill was in Germany in 1931 and Hitler sought an audience, but withdrew his invitation, insulted, after Churchill wondered to Hitler's aide why Hitler was after the Jews.

This is the most chilling though :

The British and French submission to the violations of the Treaties of Versailles and Locarno, involved in Hitler's seizure of the Rhineland, was a mortal blow to Wigram. "After the French Delegation had left," wrote his wife to me, "Ralph came back, and sat down in a corner of the room where he had never sat before, and said to me, 'War is now inevitable, and it will be the most terrible was there has ever been. I don't think I shall see it, but you will. Wait now for bombs on this little house.'** I was frightened at his words, and he went on, 'All my work these many years has been no use. I am a failure. I have failed to make the people here realize what is at stake. I am not strong enough, I suppose. I have not been able to make them understand. Winston has always, always understood, and he is strong and will go on to the end.' "

My friend never seemed to recover from this shock. He took it too much to heart. After all, one can always go on doing what one believes to be his duty, and running ever greater risks till knocked out. Wigram's profound comprehension reacted on his sensitive nature unduly. His untimely death in December, 1936, was an irreparable loss to the Foreign Office, and played its part in the miserable decline of our fortunes.

** It was actually smitten

I teared up a little when I read that.

Least Favorite Part of the Books So Far

I started reading the book while I was away and without internet, and am remembering my history salad days, and how hard it was to figure stuff out with no internet. Churchill's book is as much his account as a history and sometimes you get a little lost if you don't already know what happened (which I often do not).

Favorite part of the game

A little hard to say at this point. I like the hacking mini-game, I guess.

Least favorite part of the game so far

Security cameras are killing me. I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out where they are looking and when they can see me.

Also the "Nothing -- Nothing -- Nothing -- Ok Now There Are Five Guys Behind Me Hitting Me" gets a little old as well. Presumably I could sneak up on five crazy shouting psychotics at least as often as vice versa.