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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 6/28/2015 7:14:13 PM

TulliusDetritus

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Manias, Panics and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises by Charles P. Kindleberger

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 6/28/2015 8:46:26 PM

loki100

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The Poor had no Lawyers by Andy Wightman, a forensic rather than 'angry' exploration of the massive land grab in Scotland that happened after 1745

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/3/2015 4:42:36 AM

AbwehrX

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I really love this plane-

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/seriously-the-kalinin-k-7-bomber-actually-took-to-the-air.html

quote:

Design and development

Designed by World War I and civil war pilot Konstantin Kalinin at the aviation design bureau he headed in Kharkov, with a wingspan close to that of a B-52 and a much greater wing area, the K-7 was one of the biggest aircraft built before the jet age. It had an unusual arrangement of six tractor engines on the wing leading edge and a single engine in pusher configuration at the rear.

In civil transport configuration, it would have had a capacity for 120 passengers and 7,000 kg (15,000 lb) of mail. As a troop transport it would have had capacity for 112 fully equipped paratroopers. In bomber configuration it would have been armed with 8 x 20mm autocannons, 8 x 7.62mm machine guns and up to 9,600 kg (21,200 lb) of bombs.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/4/2015 9:03:37 AM

warspite1

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The Arctic Convoy book is on hold at the moment. The Winter War (William R Trotter) arrived last weekend and is proving unputdownable

Not a 5-star book by any means (defo a solid 4) as there are a few niggles:

- Not enough maps to identify the areas being fought over.
- No detailed OOB on the units involved as an appendix.

But for anyone who knows little to nothing of this war, then the book is sufficiently detailed to enable the reader to gain a real understanding of what happened, when etc.

Just as importantly I like the writers style of presenting the subject. He is clear in his approach - sometimes there is an element of repetition but that is not the biggest crime in the world - and overall this is a very easy book to read.

If you know nothing of this war, this book is thoroughly recommended. If anyone knows of a more detailed tome I would be interested to hear.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/5/2015 6:43:02 PM

Hotschi

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Finished Churchill's Anchor, Robin Bradhurst's biography of Sir Dudley Pound. Bradhurst, being in contact with Pound's family, of course draws a more positive picture and, in my humble opinion as a reader, one which I'd give more credibility than to the writings of someone who once was serving under Pound (Roskill) and possibly has some unsettled issues... Very good reading.

Next one was yet another book about Singapore, namely, Did Singapore Have to Fall? by Blackburn and Hack. Unlike as the title probably suggests, this is not one of those books written with hindsight where a couple authors know it all better and issue a verdict, no. This book rather lists all (and busts some of) the myths surrounding this grand disaster of the British Empire. Both author repeatedly point out that even if reinforcements and/or more modern equipment would have been sent before outbreak of the war, the Japanese would have reacted the same way. the book doesn't stop with the Fall of Singapore, also included is the time of occupation - although briefly - and, more important, the events after the British retook control of Malaya, how apparently small steps taken further alienated the local population. Most valuable is the Appendix - all War Diaries (except for Johore Battery) of the fixed guns! When did they fire, which targets they chose, it's all there. And finally - a map showing all gun locations. Perfect! To date, this is the best of any of the 4 or so books I have read about this event.

Then I read John Edward's Curtin's Gift, a short book about John Curtin and his Premiership of Australia during WW II. I take this book as introduction to a much larger volume, which I got some time ago, about this interesting politician.

Now started Roskill's The War at Sea series of 4 volumes. Am right into the first one, just finished the story about the sinking of the Bismarck. I got the Kindle e-book version, not the paperbacks. But the e-book version.... is issued without any map and without any of the appendices :((( OTOH, now I know why the e-book is for about Euro 2,50 each, and the printed paperbacks Euro 52 each.... Back to the books, when reading, one should bear in mind WHEN these volumes were written - at a time when many things were still classified. But it good reading so far.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/9/2015 5:05:16 AM

Chijohnaok2

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Currently reading "Marching with Caesar: Fraternitas" by R.W. Peake.

This is (I believe) the 11th book in Peake's Marching with Caesar series.

This is a work of historical fiction, using historical events but focusing in on the day to day world of a Roman Legionary soldier.

Peake is a retired US Marine, so he has written the book from the viewpoint of a "grunt" who rises through the ranks.

The books in the series are all on Kindle (some are at Barnes and Noble Nook and some I think are available in paperback as well). The Kindle books run for roughly between $2.99-$5.99 USD.

The first book in the series is: Marching With Caesar� � Birth of the 10th Legion and is currntly on special for $2.99 (81% off).

The authors website with more information for those that might be interested is here:

http://marchingwithcaesarbookseries.com/

Splurge the $2.99 for the first book in the series. You can't go wrong at that price and if you like it, there are another 10 book in the series for you to read through.

< Message edited by chijohnaok -- 7/9/2015 6:06:13 AM >

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/13/2015 9:05:00 PM

warspite1

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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

The Arctic Convoy book is on hold at the moment. The Winter War (William R Trotter) arrived last weekend and is proving unputdownable

Not a 5-star book by any means (defo a solid 4) as there are a few niggles:

- Not enough maps to identify the areas being fought over.
- No detailed OOB on the units involved as an appendix.

But for anyone who knows little to nothing of this war, then the book is sufficiently detailed to enable the reader to gain a real understanding of what happened, when etc.

Just as importantly I like the writers style of presenting the subject. He is clear in his approach - sometimes there is an element of repetition but that is not the biggest crime in the world - and overall this is a very easy book to read.

If you know nothing of this war, this book is thoroughly recommended. If anyone knows of a more detailed tome I would be interested to hear.

warspite1

Finished this at the weekend. Pleased to say it maintained its quality throughout.

Now for a change of scene.

Following on from reading about Vichy France earlier this year I am embarking on England's Last War Against France. Not sure how far I will get with this. The title is absolutely bizarre - I believe its a Briton that has written the book so no idea what that is all about.

Having read the Prologue and Chapter 1, I have found myself laughing out loud a couple of times (embarrassing when on the train). The narrative is soooo one sided. Everything the British do is rubbish and inadequate and generally naff, while the French are all heroes personified.

Mmmmmm......

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/14/2015 4:09:43 AM

Greybriar

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I'm reading This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It by David Wong.

Talk about a change of pace!

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/16/2015 7:41:35 AM

loki100

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moved onto Peter Higgins' Wolfhound Century ... steampunk of the highest order. A sort of Soviet Union reliant on technology derived from stone extracted from dead fallen angels (one of whom is not yet properly dead), no shortage of vampires and werewolves, a mysterious forest with its own agenda and the whole thing so well written it actually hangs together ...

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/16/2015 8:14:51 PM

Aurelian

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Thunder on the Danube Vol 1

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/16/2015 9:30:16 PM

JEB Davis

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Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian
(The 1915 story of Vahan Kenderian and the persecution of the Armenians by the Turks.)
My daughter had to read it for school and it's pretty good, although very sad.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/17/2015 6:22:21 AM

warspite1

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Has anyone got any recommendations for books on:

The Cold War
and
Vietnam

I am looking for a good quality book that gives an overview of the periods concerned.

These are for a teenager and I therefore want nothing "dry" but then not Janet and John either.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/17/2015 1:33:09 PM

wodin

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@Warspite..I know it's really what your asking for but the books below are superb and well worth reading. The last book is definitely worth buying for said teenager as it kind of fits your request.

Steel my soldiers hearts by D Hackworth

"In January 1969, one of the most promising young lieutenant colonels the U.S. Army had ever seen touched down in Vietnam for his second tour of duty, which would turn out to be his most daring and legendary. David H. Hackworth had just completed the writing of a tactical handbook for the Pentagon, and now he had been ordered to put his counterguerilla-fighting theories into action. He was given the morale-drained 4/39th -- a battalion of poorly led draftees suffering the Army's highest casualty rate and considered its worst fighting battalion. Hackworth's hard-nosed, inventive and inspired leadership quickly turned the 4/39th into Vietnam's valiant and ferocious Hardcore Recondos. Drawing on interviews with soldiers from the Hardcore Battalion conducted over the past decade by his partner and coauthor, Eilhys England, Hackworth takes readers along on their sniper missions, ambush actions, helicopter strikes and inside the quagmire of command politics. With "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts, "Hackworth places the brotherhood of the 4/39th into the pantheon of our nation's most heroic warriors."

LINK

Dak To: America's Sky Soldiers in South Vietnam's Central Highlands by Edward Murphy

"Brings together interviews with more than eighty survivors to recount one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War, the 1967 campaign in the mountains of Dak To, during which members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade found themselves caught up in a deadly struggle against overwhelming odds, often cut off from supplies, communications, and reinforcements."

LINK

American Warrior: A Combat Memoir of Vietnam by Doc Bahnsen

LINK

and finally a great book on the Korean War..

This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History by T Ferhenbach

"This Kind of War is the most comprehensive single-volume history of the Korean-American conflict that began in 1950 and is still affecting United States foreign policy. Fifty years later, not only does this enlightening account give details of the tactics, infantrymen, and equipment, it also chronicles the story of military and political unpreparedness that led to a profligate loss of American lives in Korea.

T. R. Fehrenbach, an officer in the conflict, provides us with accounts of the combat situation that could only have been written by an eyewitness in the thick of the action. But what truly sets this book apart from other military memoirs is the piercing analysis of the global political maneuverings behind the brutal ground warfare that marked this bloody period of history, one that has been all but forgotten.

Hailed as �a must for all soldiers and former soldiers� by an Amazon.com reviewer, This Kind of War restores the Korean War to its rightful place in American history�as a touchstone for US foreign engagement and a lesson for politicians ready to shed American blood on faraway soil."

LINK

< Message edited by wodin -- 7/17/2015 2:46:49 PM >

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/17/2015 1:45:44 PM

loki100

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problem for the cold war is it is such a vast topic.

Two that come to mind, with very different perspectives.

One is Peter Hennessy The Secret State about Britain's nuclear weapons. To do the subject justice it is very good on context and he probably knows Whitehall's thinking better than most recent defense secretaries. Its not dry, there is a gem of how a particularly gripping Ashes match in 1962 (yep Cuba and all that) meant the entire British monitoring effort was watching the end of an innings rather for any incoming Soviet missiles.

The other is Daniele Ganser's NATO's Secret Armies, this time about the secret Gladio network and how it became embroiled in promoting terrorism in Italy and Belgium, the Colonel's Coup in Greece, the attempted overthrow of De Gaulle (which was why he pulled France out the formal alliance) and had links to the fascist regimes in Spain and Portugal.

It is of course classic terrain for zoomers of all political viewpoints and none, but I think he does an excellent job at handling the material and keeping to what really happened. Not least he starts from the argument that as conceived Gladio was valid - it meant that NATO wouldn't have to recreate the WW2 SOE from the ground up in the event of an invasion and that there were NATO countries were it stuck to the remit. Nor does he deny for a moment that the Soviets were up to the same or worse.

The result is actually quite a good survey of the differential impact of the Cold War on different West European countries.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/17/2015 5:24:04 PM

berto

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Nine down, two more to go. Now reading:

The Story of Civilization: Rousseau and Revolution [volume 10], by Will & Ariel Durant

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/17/2015 5:42:28 PM

warspite1

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Thanks wodin and loki for your responses. Sadly I will need to continue the search. The requirement is so specific because these are for preparation for Miss warspite's GCSE study - and I have set her a target of reading both books (once we have found suitable ones) over the summer holidays to get her a solid foundation for this element of the course next year.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/17/2015 5:52:50 PM

Delaware

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Gaddis's The Cold War: A New History is a well written overview of the major themes, issues and players of the time.
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-War-New-History/dp/0143038273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437155477&sr=8-1&keywords=the+cold+war

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/17/2015 7:23:59 PM

warspite1

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Delaware

Gaddis's The Cold War: A New History is a well written overview of the major themes, issues and players of the time.
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-War-New-History/dp/0143038273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437155477&sr=8-1&keywords=the+cold+war

warspite1

Looks promising thanks

.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/17/2015 8:03:45 PM

Aurelian

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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Has anyone got any recommendations for books on:

The Cold War
and
Vietnam

I am looking for a good quality book that gives an overview of the periods concerned.

These are for a teenager and I therefore want nothing "dry" but then not Janet and John either.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Rising Tide: The Untold Story of the Russian Submarines that Fought the Cold War

Stalking the Red Bear: The True Story of a U.S. Cold War Submarine's Covert Operations Against the Soviet Union

< Message edited by Aurelian -- 7/17/2015 9:04:47 PM >

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/18/2015 2:09:13 AM

parusski

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Just started Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, book one of In Search of Lost Time. Read it 28 years ago in college but think I will appreciate it more today.

< Message edited by parusski -- 7/18/2015 3:10:06 AM >

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/19/2015 2:24:03 PM

vebyw

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Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson. I finished Andy Weir's The Martian earlier this year. It's great!

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/20/2015 6:40:00 AM

harry_vdk

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Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog (paperback edition)
http://www.niod.nl/nl/koninkrijk

and some time playing
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/390/details/Decisive.Campaigns:.The.Blitzkrieg.from.Warsaw.to.Paris.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/23/2015 7:02:23 PM

warspite1

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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

The Arctic Convoy book is on hold at the moment. The Winter War (William R Trotter) arrived last weekend and is proving unputdownable

Not a 5-star book by any means (defo a solid 4) as there are a few niggles:

- Not enough maps to identify the areas being fought over.
- No detailed OOB on the units involved as an appendix.

But for anyone who knows little to nothing of this war, then the book is sufficiently detailed to enable the reader to gain a real understanding of what happened, when etc.

Just as importantly I like the writers style of presenting the subject. He is clear in his approach - sometimes there is an element of repetition but that is not the biggest crime in the world - and overall this is a very easy book to read.

If you know nothing of this war, this book is thoroughly recommended. If anyone knows of a more detailed tome I would be interested to hear.

warspite1

Finished this at the weekend. Pleased to say it maintained its quality throughout.

Now for a change of scene.

Following on from reading about Vichy France earlier this year I am embarking on England's Last War Against France. Not sure how far I will get with this. The title is absolutely bizarre - I believe its a Briton that has written the book so no idea what that is all about.

Having read the Prologue and Chapter 1, I have found myself laughing out loud a couple of times (embarrassing when on the train). The narrative is soooo one sided. Everything the British do is rubbish and inadequate and generally naff, while the French are all heroes personified.

Mmmmmm......

warspite1

Well I've got to say my view on this book has changed somewhat!

After a "dodgy" start, the book have settled down and is actually a really readable tome. It is useful that I recently read the book on Vichy France as a lot of the characters - that would otherwise be unknown to me - are clear in my mind as to where they fit into the Vichy set-up.

Which ever way you slice it the whole Vichy thing was just so unfortunate for all concerned.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/24/2015 12:02:59 AM

british exil

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Just finished Bernhard Cornwell's Waterloo. An enjoyable read. Didn't really know much about the battle. the book is easy to read and does bring out the confusion and killing that happened on such a small battlefield.

Bought it last year and wanted to read it then. Real life stopped me. But due to the 200 year anniversary I thought I should do the honours.

Reflecting on what happened there makes me shudder to think how terrible battle was back then. At least most commanders were on the field and experienced the same as the lowly soldier.

Mat

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/24/2015 10:48:56 PM

loki100

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must confess having finished 21C steampunk with fallen angels, nuclear weapons and so on, was inspired to go back to a classic 17C steampunk with falling angels, speaking serpents and so on ... so rereading Milton's work of beauty and lunacy: Paradise Lost

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/25/2015 3:05:39 AM

Jagdtiger14

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A Time for Truth: Reigniting the promise of America. By Ted Cruz

Even though I'm a Scott Walker fan, this book is awesome! I highly recommend it!

< Message edited by Jagdtiger14 -- 7/25/2015 4:07:12 AM >

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/25/2015 4:27:08 AM

warspite1

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I ordered "The Big Short" about the financial crash a few days back, with a view to reading it at some point in the future. Having arrived, I then made the mistake of just checking the first page (to gauge the writing style of the author)..... Big mistake. I cannot now put this down. I am going to have to dovetail this and the book on the war with Vichy now

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 7/25/2015 6:43:02 AM >

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/25/2015 2:04:04 PM

cpdeyoung

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@Warspite

Anything by Michael Lewis is a page turner. "Liar's Poker" was published a while ago, but is a wonderful book. They are all good, including his sports books.

Chuck

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/25/2015 3:21:31 PM

Chickenboy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Has anyone got any recommendations for books on:

The Cold War
and
Vietnam

I am looking for a good quality book that gives an overview of the periods concerned.

These are for a teenager and I therefore want nothing "dry" but then not Janet and John either.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

For Vietnam, I'd recommend a novel (yes, it's a novel, but it's very well written and engrossing) "The 13th Valley" by John M. Del vecchio. I read it as a teenager and it was memorable.

For a counterhistorical account, I still really like "Unheralded Victory" by Mark Woodruff, about how the Americans had eviscerated the VC and related South Vietnamese guerrilla movements post-Tet 1968. It explains how Tet was a massive military disaster for the North and only really a PR gain. It also tries to separate the improving military tide of battle with the deteriorating home front version of events in the late 1960s-early 1970s. It makes one look anew at how "the war really can be lost at home".

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 7/25/2015 4:16:32 PM

wodin

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Chicken Boy..13th Valley is easy my favourite Vietnam novel infact I'd have it in the top 3 War novels I've read. First read it when I was 13..read it a few times since. Egan is hard as nails!

< Message edited by wodin -- 7/25/2015 5:17:21 PM >

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