While awaiting the arrival of my latest book orders, I am taking a rare excursion into the world of non-military or sci-fi reading. I am reading a Stephen King book (my first king book in many years) called '11/23/63', a time-travel to change the past work and I am about 130+ pages into this 800+ page tome and I am enjoying it immensely. King can get wordy but he can sure spin a tale. -- Al
What are the Forum members reading (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Deitz
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Whoops. The title is 11/22/63, not the date I listed above. :redface2: -- Al
Terp152
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A great read Al. The book is so long I cheated and listened on audio book during the drive to and from work. One of King'size best. Chris
Cairnbeg
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...what a great read, "With Zeal and with Bayonets Only - The British Army on Campaign in North America, 1775-1783" by Matthew H. Spring.......thoroughly recommended for the insight into the behaviours and methods of the British Army during the AWI....
...now that I've finished the last of the pile of AWI 'general histories'....it's time to move onto books that relate solely with specific events or battles of the AWI....
...starting with "Paul Revere's Ride" by David H. Fischer....a book that covers Revere and General Thomas Gage, and the events of Lexington & Concord...
...I guess the next book, chronologically, will relate to Bunker's Hill....once I decide which one to purchase and read...
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...now that I've finished the last of the pile of AWI 'general histories'....it's time to move onto books that relate solely with specific events or battles of the AWI....
...starting with "Paul Revere's Ride" by David H. Fischer....a book that covers Revere and General Thomas Gage, and the events of Lexington & Concord...
...I guess the next book, chronologically, will relate to Bunker's Hill....once I decide which one to purchase and read...
.
That's a good one. Another good one is Eric Hammel's 'Chosin'. -- Al
Grognard
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Just finished to read Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. This is an excellent book which puts very well in perspective the influence of the Mongol civilization through their conquest on Asia, ME and Eastern Europe. For that time it's amazing how much they accomplished, changed and impacted the entire known world of that era in basically 50 years or so. Some of the changes they implemented are still there as of today. This book completely changes the common perception that they were only barbarians...
bradleyl30
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Funny, on a lark I picked up "How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It" by Arthur Herman. Interesting how how many cultures responsible for making the modern world!
I am not very far into it, but it is very interesting so far. A reviewer did provide a less hyperbolic title, 'The Scottish Enlightenment and its influences on the modern world.' Focuses on changes in the 18th and 19th centuries and their effect on the modern world. Also, sets the context by review the turmoil of the 15th and 16th centuries for those interested in the Pike and Musket series.
Yours sounds pretty interesting, as well.
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Cairnbeg
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...today has been a mixture of books and nature...
...whilst enjoying this morning's coffee....sitting outside reading something non-factual (and for the first time) "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas, translated by Lord Sudley....published back in 1952....can't believe I've never read this before (especially after thoroughly enjoying the Oliver Reed / Michael York film as a child)....I was entertained by my first Robin of the year 'bob, bob, bobbin along'...
...later in the evening, just as the sky was changing colour from day to dusk, back with the same book......I witness the first of the season's 'flying-V' of geese heading away.....the year seems to be going by awfully quickly !
...now going to start something historical, and back with the AWI..."Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill" by Richard M. Ketchum.....following the events chronologically book by book...
...so many books, not enough hours in the day
...whilst enjoying this morning's coffee....sitting outside reading something non-factual (and for the first time) "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas, translated by Lord Sudley....published back in 1952....can't believe I've never read this before (especially after thoroughly enjoying the Oliver Reed / Michael York film as a child)....I was entertained by my first Robin of the year 'bob, bob, bobbin along'...
...later in the evening, just as the sky was changing colour from day to dusk, back with the same book......I witness the first of the season's 'flying-V' of geese heading away.....the year seems to be going by awfully quickly !
...now going to start something historical, and back with the AWI..."Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill" by Richard M. Ketchum.....following the events chronologically book by book...
...so many books, not enough hours in the day
Cairnbeg
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..."Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill" by Richard M. Ketchum....good book, glad to have read it....and sticking with reading AWI books chronologically, I now have:- "Benedict Arnold's Army, The 1775 American Invasion of Canada during the Revolutionary War" by Arthur S. Lefkowitz...
...already got books lined up for the New York campaign and then Trenton & Princeton...all very interesting...
...already got books lined up for the New York campaign and then Trenton & Princeton...all very interesting...
Currently reading a very interesting book, "Retreat to Victory?: Confederate Strategy Reconsidered" by Robert Tanner. Want to know why the South fought the war the way they did? Read this one. The crux of the book is the argument between the way the war was actually fought, the very aggressive strategy the South undertook, and the way the current revisionist historians feel it should have been fought, as a multi-front guerrilla type war. It has very clear lines of thought on why certain things were done the way they were done, in terms of tactics and overall strategy. It is something of an eye-opener. -- Al
Just received 2 new titles that I have been looking forward to. The first title is David Powell's final volume of his outstanding 3 volume study of the Chickamauga Campaign, titled "The Chickamauga Campaign - Barren Victory: The Retreat to Chattanooga, the Confederate Pursuit, and the Aftermath of the Battle, September 21 to October 20, 1863". This third and final volume contains the all important analysis, cost, and consequences. There are very detailed chapters on losses, orders of battle, strengths, and an extensive bibliography. It looks to be a fine finale to the superb series. The second title is also, oddly enough, the third volume in another series I have been collecting. This book is by Pat Buttar and is titled "Russia's Last Gasp: The Eastern Front, 1916-17". The other two volumes were titled "Collision of Empires" and "Germany Ascendant", also about the Eastern Front in WW1. I have not had time to do more than scan the previous volumes but even this brief going over tells me that this series, (there is a Vol. 4 in progress, the last of the series), will be the best and most complete such history of this very neglected subject. There have been individual volumes on the East Front that cover battles or campaigns, but I think this is the most detailed and complete study since Norman Stone's single volume history done in 1975. I could have used this massive new study when writing my term paper on the Russian Army in WW1 way back in 1974 at UMd. Oh well, timing is everything and I won't be re-writing or resubmitting that particular labor. :rolleyes2: -- Al
theBaron
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I just finished a re-read of John Lundstrom's "First Team: Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway", and now, I'm reading "Game of Thrones". I have never seen any of HBO's version of the series, but I'm familiar with it. My buddy Scott gave me his copy of the novel to read. I'm skeptical, as I am skeptical of any fiction in this genre except for Tolkien and the original Norse sagas. Anything else just seems too derivative to me. But so far, it's not bad.
Prost!
Brad
Prost!
Brad
Lundstrom's books are simply outstanding, the best work done on the subjects. -- Al
Terp152
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Been tempted to read the PH to Midway book or The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942. Problem is I already have about 20 books in the que. :rolleyes2: Since you've read it twice (and Al's recommendation), I'll take that as a 5 star review and may have to take the plunge. Chris
theBaron
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Yep, they are excellent books for any student of the Pacific War. I found that they provided depth to a time frame about which I had only superficial knowledge. That's pretty much the focus of the more popular or better-known books on the Pacific War. There was Pearl Harbor, then Coral Sea. I'd never read anything that went into more depth about the attempt to relieve Wake, for example, or the "morale raids" in the Central Pacific. They were indeed intended to boost morale and show that the Navy was doing something, but that was really secondary. We needed to probe the Japanese possessions and find out what was there. We had precious little intelligence about their bases in the Marshalls and Gilberts, for example. The raids had strategic value, too, to try to keep the Japanese off-balance while they were poised (we believed) to attack Australia or to move further to the West, into the Indian Ocean.
Lundstrom also takes a good, close look at the Navy's air arm, and to me, he shows that we weren't as bad off as the popular picture makes it. For example, the Zero was an excellent fighter, but we had already taken its measure, and the people in command of the fighter squadrons already knew how to beat it. Actions in the first four months confirmed their ideas. Our biggest problem was quantity. We were just not prepared to take on an enemy that could appear anywhere with little or no warning, across the entire Pacific. Not enough fighters, and not enough carriers.
I'm running on now, so I'll just say that I hope you enjoy the books as much as I have.
Prost!
Brad
Terp152
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Thanks Brad, am definetly getting the First Team Guadalcanal book. Have been reading some books about the SW Pacific air war, "44 Days, 75 Sqdn And The Fight For Australia" by Michael Vetch and "Eagles Of The Southern Skies" and "Pacific Payback" to name a few. One advantage of the early '42 Pacific raids by USN carriers was the combat experience gained not only by the aircrew, but the deck crews for launch and recovery ops. See Alvin Kernan's "Crossing the Line" he went from ordnance crewman for SBDs to aerial gunner (and later a Dean at Princeton). Interesting to note the Hornet did not have the experience gained from the raids (if you don't count the unique Doolittle Raid) which may have contributed to her poor showing at Midway.
Looking fwd to the book.
Chris