book review #8: vietnam book 2 | sharpshooter

Hello! Today is book-reviewing day here on Chickadee Lover Maggie, so you’re in for a treat. This is the first of two reviews I’ll be writing, so be on the lookout for the next one popping up in your Reader shortly.

Since it’s the first week of a new month, I’ve been updating and changing the way I do different things. For example, I worked on my blog design (I love how it turned out – read this post for the list of what’s changed!), and today I’ll be updating the style in which I review books. In August I wrote them in list format, and in September they will be more of a sit-down and chat type of post.

Quick Announcement: Two blogging friends of mine (Kaelyn and Evin) are hosting an awesome summer blog competition! They’re encouraging all bloggers to join in and have fun writing short stories and creating artsy projects. Go to Kaelyn’s blog if you’re a writer, and Evin’s blog if you like arts and crafts! They post new contest prompts every Sunday, and the top three participants get beautiful badges to display.

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why I read this book:

It’s the second book of four I’m reading in the Vietnam series by Chris Lynch! They’re all connected and the storyline plays out in sequence so it’s not a series you can skip around in. Well, if you did, you wouldn’t get the full picture. Check out my review of the first book here.

what I liked about this book:

The side characters, especially this one sergeant nicknamed Smiling Sarge. You can imagine why he was likeable, lol! He wasn’t your typical, run-o’-the-mill military commander, and I enjoyed his interactions with the other characters a lot.

I also liked Ivan’s training and proficiency in sniping – hence the title Sharpshooter.

The other great thing about this series is the author’s sense of humor! He weaves it into the dialogue, the perspective of different characters, and the book’s narrative.

did I enjoy this book:

A bit yes, a bit no. In the first book, the way the main character (Morris) talked about and described Ivan sounded really cool, so reading a book from his perspective was sure to be a treat… but it wasn’t. Turns out, he was different in his head than what his buddy could see on the outside.

what I learned from this book:

I got to see how the US army operated in the Vietnam War, and I’m already really enjoying the beginning of the third book (Free-Fire Zone)! So for those two reasons, I’m glad I finished Sharpshooter. 🙂 I definitely liked I Pledge Allegiance more, but I’m looking at enjoying the experience of reading the series as a whole.

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Thanks so much for reading! Ever since I watched Good Morning, Vietnam back in 2018, I’ve been really interested in learning more about the US’ involvement in the Vietnam War. This series (which is actually geared toward teenage guys lol) has been cool to read, even though some of the graphic descriptions have been unsettling, many aspects of war typically are.

Do you like reading historical fiction? What was the last book you read? Let’s chat in the comments!