What are you reading right now?

[Subnuts]

Just finished reading Haynes' newest "workshop manual" on the Chinook, and gotta say...kinda disappointed. Haynes' books this year have been a serious improvement over last years', but this one read like an overgrown recruiting pamphlet. My review:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1TM47L...SIN=0857334018

After a disappointing 2014, Haynes' "Owners' Workshop Manual" series has shown a marked improvement in quality in 2015. That said, this is probably the first Haynes book to disappoint me this year. As a child, flights of CH-47s used to fly over my house on a weekly basis, often so low they'd rattle every window in the building. I ended up with a sort of sentimental attachment to these helicopters, so when I found that Haynes was going to be publishing a volume on the British version of the Chinook, I was thrilled.

The result is a bit of a mixed bag. There are plenty of beautiful color photographs of the Chinook in action, the accounts from Chinook pilots and crew are frequently fascinating, and there's a pretty substantial chunk of useful technical information contained within. Unfortunately, it's all wrapped in a package that reeks of manufacturer's publicity and RAF recruiting materials. We're reminded again and again about how versatile, maneuverable, and survivable the Chinook is, how brave and well-trained their crews are, and how vital they are to the British military. I'm sure this is true and all, but I buy these books to learn about the inner workings of these vehicles, not to be told how great and wonderful they are. "Warts And All" this ain't! Not surprisingly, this is an officially licensed RAF product. I've purchased three Haynes manuals that were officially licensed Royal Navy products, and they were nowhere near as hamfisted as this one.

Last year's Haynes "manual" on the Westland Sea King was excellent, but the amount of "sweetening" crammed into this manual brings it down a notch or two. It's stunning on a visual level, but the text is so full of fluff I found myself gritting my teeth in places. I'd still recommend buying it if you're a hardcore Chinook fan, but you might want to focus on the photos and diagrams, and just skim over the text.

[TorpX]

I just finished:

THE CRISIS OF ROME

by Gareth C. Sampson


and

MODERN EXTERIOR BALLISTICS

by Robert L. McCoy

The first focuses heavily on Gaius Marius. I am somewhat disappointed by how little is really known for sure about ancient history.


The second has a lot of complicated math, of course. I wish I could follow it completely.



Also, just started:

U.S. DESTROYER OPERATIONS IN WORLD WAR II

by Theodore Roscoe

[Subnuts]

Not naval related in any way (although it has lots of SPACEships in it...) but I've been spending a lot of time with my brand new copy of The Making of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey this last week. The cheap single-volume edition, not the $1,000 collector's edition, since I have to feed, bathe, and clothe myself every now and then. It's an absolutely beautiful book, but I want to smack the guy who thought it was a good idea to have portraits of people falling right through the binding. Seriously, guys?

Anyway, I wrote a pretty lengthy review of the book with photos if anyone's curious: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1ZDIMP...55&store=books

[Antibiotic]

" The temple" by Howard P Lovecraft

The story of a submarine crew that found a strange thing.
Very interesting

[Aktungbby]

Antibiotic!After a four year silent run...a good read brings you to the surface!

[STEED]

Fiction

Not reading but listening to Big Finish Productions audio books and at long last a follow up to the BBC series The Omega Factor. Its been called the British X-Files without the aliens and ufo's, more to do with mind control and the sinister organization lurking in the background Omega. The BBC TV series lasted only ten episodes and ended on a lot of unanswered questions, Louise (Leela of Dr Who fame) Jameson reprises her role as Dr Anne Reynolds 30 years on from the BBC series and now head of Dept 7 and Omega is back!

Four stories this year bit of a wait as the next release is next year.

[tmccarthy]

This is interesting. Available for download for $2.99.

"Current Doctrine: Submarines" by Commander Submarine Force Pacific Fleet

[Subnuts]

I just finished Haynes' new Battle of Britain "RAF Operations Manual." It's actually quite an interesting book, more of a serious military history than a novelty title as you might expect from the cover. It's more about RAF command and control, and some of the ancillary units that participated in the battle, than on individual exploits. However, it commits the cardinal sin of repeatedly referring to the Bf 109 as the "ME 109."

Review, if you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/review/R19WE2H...SIN=0857335081

[Subnuts]

I haven't gotten it yet, but I ordered a copy of the new "Anatomy of the Ship" book on the Mary Rose from the UK a couple days back. It's the first new book in the Anatomy of the Ship series in 10 years, and I've always loved those books. Too bad the books on the Bismarck and Constitution published in 2005 were pretty weak. Here's hoping this one doesn't suck!

[Subnuts]

Got a chance to spend some time with the new "Anatomy of the Ship" book on the Mary Rose. It's, well...fairly good. Not as exceptionally detailed as some of series' classics, but better than some of the weaker ones. Wish it had been published as a hardcover, though. Wrote a review for Amazon.com, if anyone's interested:

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2PVC3...cm_cr_rdp_perm

[Sailor Steve]

KEKs and Fokkerstaffels: The Early German Fighter Units in 1915-1916, by Johan Ryheul, Foothill Media 2014.

Mr. Ryheul initially set out to write an article on KEK Vaux. What he has ended up with is a book chronicling all of the earliest German fighter units. He includes stories of the men and planes involved, including many of the lesser-known pilots from both sides. For every shoot-down he gives the names of the victims and their fates - wounded, killed, captured. Almost every page has at least one photograph, not only the German pilots involved but also the victims and often the wrecks. Also there are maps showing the location of every aerodrome and directions for finding them.

Altogether a great book if you're interested in the subject and curious about the first German fighters. It's a welcome addition to my library.

[STEED]

Just started Vol.3 in David Stahel outstanding series and looking forward to buying Vol.4 in paper back next year.

Operation Typhoon - Hitler's March On Moscow, October 1941

This Volume focuses on the opening stages of Typhoon and the battles of Viaz'ma and Briansk, Oct to early Nov.

[tmccarthy]

Well written and full of first hand accounts of life serving on an S class sub. Written by wife and officer who served on the S-39.

[Sailor Steve]

Just started The Line Of Battle, volume 4 of Conway's History Of The Ship series.

[Subnuts]

I recently finished up the Haynes "Workshop Manual" (did I mention I love this series?) on the Challenger 1 Main Battle Tank. I posted a brief review on Amazon.com if anyone's interested.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3UYYXK...SIN=0857338153

Although I'm not exactly what you'd call a "treadhead," I have a bit of an on-off interest in tanks, and have always been fascinated by their inner workings. This "workshop manual" is written by a former Challenger tank commander, and is sourced heavily from the archives of the Tank Museum in Bovington, England. It delivers a fairly (but not overwhelmingly) detailed look at the tank's development, automotive components, internal layout, weapons and targeting systems, the role of the crew, service history, and modifications.

As a relative tank newbie, I found that this book did a tremendously good job at depicting Challenger I's cramped internal arrangements and how everything fits together in relationship with each other. I'm not a claustrophobic person, but I found myself cringing studying the stowage plans and photographs of the interior. There are dozens of excellent diagrams reproduced from the original crew manuals, along with many color "in action" photographs. As you'd expect from a Haynes title, there's some excellent "how it works" material, including how to start the engine from cold, how to remove a track link, and how to engage an enemy tank.

This book, unfortunately, suffers somewhat from the fact that the Royal Jordanian Army still operates several hundred Challenger 1s, and certain aspects of it's design is still classified. There's plenty of material on the tank's suspension and transmission, but very little about the Rolls Royce CV12 engine. There's an entire chapter devoted to the turret and weapon systems, but again, not much on the L11A5 main armament. Anyone expecting something as detailed on a mechanical level as Haynes' Tiger I and Churchill manuals might be a little disappointed.

Griping aside, this is another very fine, but not outstanding, addition to Haynes' Owners' Workshop Manual series. There's plenty of outstanding material here, including numerous first-hand accounts from Challenger crewmen, and a number of people involved in it's development. I also appreciated some of the dryly humorous "domestic" insights, like the gunner forgoing using his commander's legs as a backrest, or the importance of the Boiling Vessel (basically a portable stove), and the difficulties involved in stowing it. Hardcore tank buffs might be disappointed, but I found this "manual" rather fascinating.