DaveO, I've seen Black Robe, the movie, several times and looked forward to reading the book. After I picked it up at the library, I was surprised at how thin a book it was. And a real let-down when it came to reading it. A reverse instance "if you thought the movie was good, wait until you read the book"... oh well.
Just to re-rec Pitt's mention of The Naked and the Dead, written by Norman Mailer to rave reviews during the fifties IIRC (I did not read it at that time, Dr; Seuss was interesting then).... thinking of reading it again, maybe this will be the fourth or fifth time. Have not seen the film which I suspect will not match the raw engagement that the book brings on, taken from and elaborated upon by someone actually being there in the South Pacific islands during WW2.
After a long wait in line, I'm now third in the lineup at the library waiting for The Long Ships by Bengtsson... started at about 50th earlier this year so any day now. This got great reviews for an account of Viking life and travels, maybe something like the TV series The Vikings... don't know yet. It's been so long since I read the reviews, I've forgotten what they described exactly. Anybody reading the Arabian historian's account of a Viking chief's funeral ending with the long ship funeral pyre along with all the tremendously interesting horrors accompanying that may be in some state of anticipation.