What are the Forum members reading (3 Viewers)

[Uthred]

I went the other way and finished the Warlord triology (three times so far) some time back before turning to Sharpe. I am currently enjoying the 10th Sharpe at this point. I simply loved the Warlord trilogy.

Mike I think it is more likely I would try the book. I simply do not think the movie deserved all its nominations and awards. Like anything, sometimes we agree with the "critics", sometimes we don't. I appreciate your recommendation however.

You might try Cornwell's 'The Saxon Chronicles'. The 5th book is expected in 2009 and I can't praise this series enough! Makes one wonder if Bernard Cornwell has a time travelling machine stashed somewhere...

 

[Mardasson]

You might try Cornwell's 'The Saxon Chronicles'. The 5th book is expected in 2009 and I can't praise this series enough! Makes one wonder if Bernard Cornwell has a time travelling machine stashed somewhere...

I also read the Warlord Trilogy and Sharpes series several times.
So if you recommend The Saxon Chronicles I think I will try it also. Thanks.
Any other proposal ?

For the moment I'm enjoying the Flashman books : Great Fun !

Michel

 

[Uthred]

I also read the Warlord Trilogy and Sharpes series several times.
So if you recommend The Saxon Chronicles I think I will try it also. Thanks.
Any other proposal ?

For the moment I'm enjoying the Flashman books : Great Fun !

Michel

Hi, Michel! If you like the Middle Ages and police novels, I'd recommend P.C. Doherty's 'Hugh Corbett' series. It's a terrific series and Mr Doherty is a very enjoyable read.

On a more serious kind of book one can't miss Steven Pressfield's 'Gates of Fire', about the 300 Spartans, or Albert Salvado's 'L'anell d'Àtila', about the Hunnic invasions of the late Roman Empire. Mr Salvado is Andorran, and writes in Catalan, but his books are available in Portuguese, so they must be available in English as well.

Enjoy your read!


Uthred

 

[lancer]

Because of the discussion on this site, I took advantage of a 40% off coupon and purchased "The Gettysburg Companion" by Mark Adkin. What a terrific book. To have all this info gathered in one place is great. I would have been pleased with the book because of the maps but the very clear Order of Battle thrilled me. I would rate this book as a MUST HAVE if you have any interest in Gettysburg at all. Now to track down Waterloo & Trafalgar. -- lancer

 

[theBaron]

Shirer and Caidin long since finished; I just picked up a copy of Michael Crichton's "The Lost World", the "Jurassic Park" sequel. I always wanted to see how it stacked up to the original. As a sequel to the original, it is not as much of a disappointment as the second movie was to the first, but it still suffers from sequelitis. Apparently Crichton had not intended to write a second novel, but Spielberg and the studio pressured him, based on the success of the "Jurassic Park" film. So the whole story seems forced; some elements of the plot and the connections to the first novel are on shaky ground. For example, the mathematician/chaotician Malcom clearly dies in the first novel, but that's explained away in the second, so he can stand in as the protagonist (it was a "faulty report"). But I still found the story readable and gripping enough to read it more or less straight through, as with any Crichton pieces I've read. And as far as the book's relation to the movie is concerned, Spielberg should have just written his own screenplay, because the story and characters are so changed that they bear only a high-level relation to the book.

I also picked up a copy of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged", and started it yesterday, but I don't know if I'll make it through that quagmire of a novel. I started "The Fountainhead" a couple of years ago, and got about seven-eighths of the way through it, before I put it down and never picked it up again. Though I agree with much of the philosophy and theme of the novel, I found myself asking when it would finally stop making the point and wrap up.

Prost!
Brad

 

[theBaron]

Oh, and I forgot to list David McCullough's "John Adams", I picked that up at Cold Wars in March, and read that a couple of weeks ago. As with his other histories, I found it very enjoyable reading, and a pretty thorough look at Adams' life. I had never thought much about him, but after reading McCullough's book, I would include him in a list of our 5 greatest Presidents.

Prost!
Brad

 

[OzDigger]

I am currently reading "Alamo in the Ardennes" - The untold story of the American soldiers who made the defense of Bastogne possible; by John C. McManus.

The book focuses on the delaying action fought by units from the 28th Infantry Division and 9th & 10th Armoured Division and smaller units against the full brunt of a much larger German force in the early stages of the Battle of the Bulge.

Despite 10 to 1 odds these troops with little or no battle experience held out for several days until the arrival of reinforcements from the 101st Airborne etc, then later by Patton's Army.

Despite a very different battle ground, I noted interesting parallels between those GI's and the small inexperienced Australian force that delayed the Japanese attack on the Kokoda Track (New Guinea) depicted in the movie Kokoda.

A movie depicting those inexperienced GI's would make a pleasant change from the more elite Divisions that seem to get most of the glory as well as movie and media exposure.

 

[jac28]

I'm reading "Life in a Medieval Castle"

Jim

 

[theBaron]

I'm reading "Life in a Medieval Castle"

Jim

That sounds interesting. How is it?

Prost!
Brad

 

[jac28]

That sounds interesting. How is it?

Prost!
Brad

So far, so good. I haven't gotten too far into it yet.. But it's well written and very readable. The "main" castle used as an example is Chepstow Castle. As I get further into it - I'll let you know.

Jim

 

[sammy719]

Major Dick Winters memoirs, from a man who had to kill and kill again for his own life and his buddy's, he seems to have found his piece, living on his farm being at ease with everyday activities, I was glad to read he has a wonderful life and the scars of war didn't destroy his life, if it were only the case for many others...Sammy

 

[Combat]

Just finishing the new book on the Columbine school shootings. Interesting in that it debunks a lot of the original theories that the shootings were the result of bullying and that the shooters targeted certain groups like athletes. In fact, the killers had a wide circle of friends and were often the bullies themselves. They were attempting to pull off a mass Oklahoma City-style bombing. The frightening part is how calculating and calm they were about the events including their own suicides. Planning it for at least a year. One of their ideas was to hijack a plane and crash it into a building in NY City. This was in 1999 two years before the 9/11 attacks.

 

[Lewey Gun Vick]

Major Dick Winters memoirs, from a man who had to kill and kill again for his own life and his buddy's, he seems to have found his piece, living on his farm being at ease with everyday activities, I was glad to read he has a wonderful life and the scars of war didn't destroy his life, if it were only the case for many others...Sammy

I read his memoirs about this time last year! It is a great piece of literature! Highly recomend to anyone who hasn't read!

Vick

 

[trooper]

Just finished Casey Tefertiller's Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind The Legend and,boy, has he done his research. this is possibly the most detailed biography of the controversial marshal to be written. Well worth a read.

 

[Sans Culotte]

For the young readers ( and the young-at-heart), I highly recommend "The Return of the Twelves," by Pauline Clark. First published in Britain under the original title of "The Twelve and the Genii," it's about some children who discover wooden soldiers that once belonged to the Brontes. As the Brontes really did have wooden soldiers which they wrote about when they were young, the story is that much more entertaining. Of course, as in all fantasy stories, the soldiers magically come to life. If you want to "create" a new collector or further whet the appetite of an existing one, then give him/her a copy of this book!

 

[Currahee Chris]

I'm reading "Life in a Medieval Castle"

Jim

I read that- it was pretty cool.

 

[aujj65]

I'm reading "Life in a Medieval Castle"

Jim

Hi Jim, does it remind you of Bodiam?

Hope you are well.

Jeff

 

[Currahee Chris]

A movie depicting those inexperienced GI's would make a pleasant change from the more elite Divisions that seem to get most of the glory as well as movie and media exposure.

Ah- the Bloody Bucket

There is but it's about the Huertgen- HBO did a magnificent film called "When Trumpet's fade" back in like 2000. The thing I really liked was it stripped away a lot of the theater and drama with SPR. Still though, it had the cliche "Uber evil Nazi" roaming around. I actually think this movie did a better job of portraying the chaos and fear of combat under those conditions than Band of Brothers did with their episodes in the Bulge.

Cheers
CC

 

[Njja]

I have an odd mix at the ready.

First Million-Dollar Muscle Cars which follows the sale of classic muscle cars

from the 1960-1970's from owner to owner.

Second Desert Raiders: Axis and Allied Special Forces 1940-1943.

Finally I have to finish The Cobra in the Barn, stories of the discovery of

classic cars in unusual places.

 

[OzDigger]

Ah- the Bloody Bucket

There is but it's about the Huertgen- HBO did a magnificent film called "When Trumpet's fade" back in like 2000. The thing I really liked was it stripped away a lot of the theater and drama with SPR. Still though, it had the cliche "Uber evil Nazi" roaming around. I actually think this movie did a better job of portraying the chaos and fear of combat under those conditions than Band of Brothers did with their episodes in the Bulge.

Cheers
CC

Hi CC, I have heard you guys talk about "When Trumpets Fade" a few times but haven't been able to track down a copy in Oz.

My eldest boy recently gave me a set of an old US TV series called Battleline that shows the experiences of the main WWII battles thru the eyes of a veteran from either side. I wouldn't say the episodes are very accurate historically as they combine stock film from different time periods of WWII for each episode and of course the narration etc is very dated. But it is worth getting for the contemporary scenes and what I find interesting is that there doesn't appear to be much animosity displayed by the veterans. None of the "Uber evil Nazi" theme as you call it, just ordinary soldiers doing what they were told to do for their country. I would have thought that back in the 1950/60's or whenever the tv series was made the hostility would have been greater as the memories were fresher, but I think it has got worse with time.