What are you reading right now?

[Morts]

just started reading "under dannebrog and swastika"

[Sailor Steve]

Am now starting Burr, Hamilton and Jefferson: a study in character; by Roger G. Kennedy.

[U49]

Submarine stuff again :D

U48 by Karl Almann, it's the story of U-48 as it was the most succesful sub in WW2

[Chock]

Currently reading a technical book on the Curtiss P-40 'Warhawk' as part of my research for reviewing the Shockwave P-40 add-on for FSX.

:D Chock

[Marcantilan]

Right now, I´m reading "Puerto Seguro" by J. Camarasa, about submarine operations and landings on the Argentine coast during WWII.

A fascinating history, still surrounded with mistery

http://www.tematika.com/tapas/sitio/428568c0.jpg

[Camaero]

Currently reading a technical book on the Curtiss P-40 'Warhawk' as part of my research for reviewing the Shockwave P-40 add-on for FSX.

:D Chock

Very nice. That just might be my favorite war bird. It wasn't the best fighter, but it was there when we needed it. Our most successful plane that was built without WWII in mind.

[Chock]

It's very much maligned from what I've been reading. It was always one of my favourites when I was a kid, and before I was clued up about the various performance differences between fighters, I could never understand why it wasn't more popular, as it's one of those aircraft that just 'looks right'. But even so, although it's not one of the glamourous A-Listers of WW2 like the Spitfire and the Mustang, and it always struggled a bit in terms of performance, in the right hands it could clearly do a lot of damage, and unlike a lot of other fighter planes conceived in the mid-thirties, it stayed in production almost until the very end of WW2.

It did feature some advanced stuff when it first appeared too; not many fighters had a retractable tail wheel in 1939, for example. And I don't think there is another aircraft that suits the big 'snarling mouth' paintjob as much as the P-40. Apparently it was the first Army aircraft ever to fly from a US Navy carrier too, so it does have a few claims to fame.

:D Chock

[blue3golf]

Just finished "First Clash" by Kenneth Macksey. It was written in the early '80's as a specific training scenario and published (B-GL-309-006/FT-001) for the Canadian Army fighting the Russians in West Germany had they attacked NATO. Quite interesting to read due to the fact of the now outdated weapons and also to get a mindset of what people were thinking back then as far as how an aggressor would act. One problem is the acute detail it goes into as far as units and their movements. Have to use the maps provided and then still sometimes you can get turned around. All in all good read though. In one word, insightful.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

Just finished "First Clash" by Kenneth Macksey. It was written in the early '80's as a specific training scenario and published (B-GL-309-006/FT-001) for the Canadian Army fighting the Russians in West Germany had they attacked NATO. Quite interesting to read due to the fact of the now outdated weapons and also to get a mindset of what people were thinking back then as far as how an aggressor would act. One problem is the acute detail it goes into as far as units and their movements. Have to use the maps provided and then still sometimes you can get turned around. All in all good read though. In one word, insightful.
Interesting. Did they write it up in such a way that the Russians died like they did in Red Storm Rising?

Anyway, currently I'm drilling through the British Naval Review, 1955-1996. It is interesting, but some things were apparent:
It seems like the Royal Navy can't really let go of their "glory days" up to the end of WWII. Every Naval Review seems to have at least a quarter of its pages dedicated to reminiscing pre-WWII people and events as far as 300 years back...
The gripes: Unlike, for example, the US Military Review (which tends to focus on tactics), there's a significantly higher percentage of articles dedicated to promotions, training and other personnel issues. Most gripes are inevitably followed up by at least one letter-writer telling Griper to suck it up.
Russophobia: OK, this is typical of Cold War pieces, but a disturbing percentage of articles show horribly little sympathy (and thus understanding) of the other side. Discussion of Russian proposals tend to be dismissed on security grounds, while unilateral reductions on the Russian side are brusquely dismissed as "Russians doing what we wanted them to do for eons" without a single attempt to realize that the Russians are compromising their security concept. That's the significance, you moron. Why don't you thinking how loudly you'd balk giving up one of the points you just rated Unconcedable!
Superiority complex: It seems to fade as you get to the later issues, but the ones closer to 1955 can be fairly ... ugh. Other navies (even NATO) are described as "inferior", without describing exactly where their inferiority is. Ostensible quotes from naval officers of other nations are constantly used to "prove" their own superiority (one wonders how many of them were just being polite). A discussion of Soviet Frunze Higher Naval School (in 1955) ends with dismissively evaluating that Soviet Junior Officers that he sees are equivalent to UK Petty Officers. I can buy that a Royal Navy officer averages out somewhat superior (they have prestige and tradition to help them), but this is quite a disgustingly condescending remark, especially without clear justification, no? One wonders how many Russian officers said article writer actually saw to take his measurement. One will again at least think the man can come up with specific inferiorities, but he only makes a vague comparison to the US Naval Academy. Apparently (according to the writer) if only you dress the cadets differently (like officers), they'd come out smarter in the end! The Russians will be well advised to take this idea - it costs next to nothing after all! :lol:

[Grayback]

I just picked up Red Storm Rising for the 1st time since 1987. The most stunning thing is how much better Clancy writes than most of the hacks who use his name on blurbs for their books.

[Iron Budokan]

I just picked up Red Storm Rising for the 1st time since 1987. The most stunning thing is how much better Clancy writes than most of the hacks who use his name on blurbs for their books.

Clancy didn't write that book by himself, Larry Bond wrote quite a bit of it, more than half, actually, so I wish people would stop saying Clancy wrote it by himself; he didn't, and he admits as much. Bond is also responsible for the in-depth characterization and the higher-than-average quality of the writing one usually gets from Clancy.

[Iron Budokan]

Since I last checked in I just finished these books by Nietzsche:

Thus Spake Zarathustra
The Birth of Tragedy
On the Genealogy of Morality
Beyond Good and Evil
Ecce Homo

and these by John Stewart Mill:

On Liberty
Utilitarianism
The Subjection of Women

When I finished that I read U-Boat Combat Missions (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?r=1&ean=9780760789360) by Lawrence Paterson. I highly recommend this book. Good info and superior photographs along with many interviews of real-life U-boat captains.
I'm now reading The Silencers by Donald Hamilton. Rereading it, actually. I'm a big Matt Helm freak. (The novels, not the idiotic movies.)

[Chock]

Currently reading a reprinted translation of the German Department for War Maps and Communications: German Invasion Plans for the British Isles, which is based on a series of documents first circulated in 1939/40 and discovered in 1945 during the Allies trek across Germany. It was originally presented in the form of two or three folders, and was circulated to various German commanders to assist them in planning for Operation Sealion and the (planned) takeover of the British Isles. It's a series of reports on social customs, population traits, demographics, tactical locations, targets, maps, transport, infrastructure, terrain, weather, reconnaissance photos, useful English phrases etc, etc.

It's been reprinted in hardback book format from one of the few original copies, held at the Bodleian Library (University of Oxford). Makes quite interesting reading to see such a study of your own country from another perspective, some of it is quite enlightening and there are some interesting/amusing (incorrect) assumptions in there too.

Just in case you're interested, it cost 6 quid in the UK and the ISBN number is: 1-85124-356-9

:D Chock

[STEED]

Currently reading a reprinted translation of the German Department for War Maps and Communications: German Invasion Plans for the British Isles, which is based on a series of documents first circulated in 1939/40 and discovered in 1945 during the Allies trek across Germany. It was originally presented in the form of two or three folders, and was circulated to various German commanders to assist them in planning for Operation Sealion and the (planned) takeover of the British Isles. It's a series of reports on social customs, population traits, demographics, tactical locations, targets, maps, transport, infrastructure, terrain, weather, reconnaissance photos, useful English phrases etc, etc.

It's been reprinted in hardback book format from one of the few original copies, held at the Bodleian Library (University of Oxford). Makes quite interesting reading to see such a study of your own country from another perspective, some of it is quite enlightening and there are some interesting/amusing (incorrect) assumptions in there too.

Just in case you're interested, it cost 6 quid in the UK and the ISBN number is: 1-85124-356-9

:D Chock

Thanks Chock :up:

Just placed my order for the book with P&P £4.95 :cool:

[odjig292]

Getting back into SH4 has me reading submarine stuff all over again. My last five books have been:


I found an almost mint copy of Roscoe and am wading through it again,
The First Convoy To Die by Davis O'Brian (HX-72)
Crisis Convoy by V-Adm. Peter Gretton (HX231)
Tide Rising by Weir & Bourne
Volume 1 of Clay Blair's Hitler's U-Boat WarThis thread has some great leads for future reading. Happy reading over the next two weeks to everyone.

[Subnuts]

Running Critical: The Silent War, Rickover, and General Dynamics by Patrick Tyler. It's about the controversy surrounding the design and building of the 688-class submarines. 60 pages in and really good so far. A little dated (written during the Mid 80s) but very interesting reading.

[FIREWALL]

U-BOAT ACE The Story of Wolfgang Luth by Jordan Vause

[ChrisG2100]

Iron Coffins. It's fantastic!

[Sockeye]

Currently reading "Winged Victory" by V.M. Yeates :|\\

[iambecomelife]

I just picked up Red Storm Rising for the 1st time since 1987. The most stunning thing is how much better Clancy writes than most of the hacks who use his name on blurbs for their books.

Who cares how well he writes? He murdered the "USS Wainwright" in that book, and I've never forgiven him! :damn: :damn:

Seriously, though, he truly is superior to most writers in the genre, although I can't say exactly why. After reading "Red Storm Rising" I bought several books by other authors, assuming they were his equal - and I was disappointed. RSR spoiled me big time.

[Chock]

Currently reading "Winged Victory" by V.M. Yeates

That's a great read, although my copy was a bit crappily glued, so now the pages fall out of it. If you like that one, you should seek out King of Air Fighters by Ira Jones (a biography of Mick Mannock), and Saggitarrius Rising by Cecil Lewis - both good books on the same sort of subject. If you can find it, Combat Report by Bill Lambert is another good one on WW1 flying.

Currently reading Fighting Techniques of the Medieval World AD500 - AD1500. It's pretty good and fairly comprehensive too, with everything from development of cavarly horse breeding to weapons and sea battle evolution.

:D Chock

[Thermographer]

Just finished "Submarine" by Edward L. Beach.

[Sockeye]

Currently reading "Winged Victory" by V.M. Yeates
That's a great read, although my copy was a bit crappily glued, so now the pages fall out of it. If you like that one, you should seek out King of Air Fighters by Ira Jones (a biography of Mick Mannock), and Saggitarrius Rising by Cecil Lewis - both good books on the same sort of subject. If you can find it, Combat Report by Bill Lambert is another good one on WW1 flying.

Thanks for the recommendations, Chock! Actually picked up "Sagittarius Rising" at the same time but haven't started on it yet. When I picked up a few books, I was looking to expand the WWI library beyond "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "The Blue Max", and I'm happy with the purchases so far.

I'm glad I still have a copy of Red Baron 3D on the machine because I keep getting the itch after a bit of reading to take a Camel over the front!

Just finished "Submarine" by Edward L. Beach.

Loved that one! Try out "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "Dust on the Sea" if you haven't already :up:

[Donner]

Just finished up Sink the Shigure! by R. Cameron Cooke. This is a follow-up to Cooke's Pride Runs Deep. Both novels are about fictional submarine skipper Jack Tremaine. In PRD, Tremaine is tasked with sinking the Japanese battleship Kurita. In StS!, Tremaine is chasing after the Japanese destroyer that sank his former submarine.

Both are pretty good novels. Before StS!, I finished Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends by 'Wild Bill' Guarnere and Babe Heffron of "Band of Brothers" fame. A highly entertaining memoir from these gentlemen. :up:

Currently, I am bouncing back and forth between Blair's Silent Victory, Roscoe's US Submarine Operations, and US submarine war patrol reports. :know:

[XabbaRus]

Reading "poznat sebya v boiu" by Alexander Pokryshkin, translates to Discover Yourself in Battle. It's only in Russian and is really interesting in how he writes about life on the front and tactics in the air.

[Mackey]

Currently reading SSN by Tom Clancy with Captain Bartholomew Mackey as the skipper of the USS Cheyenne. Just over half way through and a good read. My only criticisms would be lack of dialogue and personality that adds to the suspense and sometimes I feel the USS Cheyenne is indestructible, which takes some of the suspense away when you feel every encounter will be yet another victory before it’s begun. Otherwise great book.

Also read some good books by Patrick Robinson ( Nimitz Class, Kilo Class, HMS Unseen and Seawolf). These I really enjoyed and would recommend without hesitation.

I really wish Tom Clancy would devote equal attention to characters and dialogue as the descriptive and technical content.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

Currently reading SSN by Tom Clancy with Captain Bartholomew Mackey as the skipper of the USS Cheyenne. Just over half way through and a good read. My only criticisms would be lack of dialogue and personality that adds to the suspense and sometimes I feel the USS Cheyenne is indestructible, which takes some of the suspense away when you feel every encounter will be yet another victory before it’s begun. Otherwise great book.
It only took "some" of the suspense away to see that the first Han's performance against Cheyenne will be about as good as any enemy is allowed to perform? Even if the enemy detected first, Clancy will find a way for him not to take advantage (IIRC that was Battle Royale chapter). Any person who played DW, in that situation, will have taken the initiative with a Stallion, finished TMAing him as Mackey is forced to go defensive and take him out with more Stallions, whatever happens to himself.
And the way he portrays the Chinese is INSULTING, no less. Yes, we get the concept that Chinese Captains are not as good as American, but the difference is supposed to be far more subtle than what he actually did. It is a precursor to him revealing his racist colors officially in Bear and the Dragon.
But then, his "Republican" attitudes has always been there in his stories. Most people think it started around Executive Orders. Not really, it started in HFRO. Proof?
Borodin, who was ready for his own command, had once accused a zampolit of homosexuality; the man he had informed on was the son of the chief zampolit of the Northern Fleet. There are many paths to treason.
What is implied was that Borodin's career was destroyed "unfairly" by the chief zampolit, thus it is justified for him to steal billions of dollars worth from his nation. But really, it is Borodin's that is being the monster here (beyond the whole defect crap - far as I'm concerned, if you defect you defect by yourself). Homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment (in the not very nice Soviet prisons) and "therapy" (nothing nice here) in the Soviet Union. Thus, Borodin actually tried to put someone into prison for a matter of involuntary (genetic) sexual orientation. And he's the good guy? If I were the chief zampolit of Northern Fleet, Borodin will be dismissed to the reserves on grounds of political unreliability!

[ReallyDedPoet]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B2sx4NStL._AA240_.jpg

Reading this one right now. Picked it up the other day, and although it is a fiction, it is not a bad read. Here is a brief description:

October 1943: Lt. Commander Jack Tremain is back on duty with a new sub and a new mission. But when he spots the Shigure-the Japanese destroyer that sank his beloved first command, the Seatrout-he declares his own personal war on the dreaded ship known as the "Submarine Killer."


RDP

[Thermographer]

Currently reading "Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War against Japan".
It's an older book I found at the library but very interesting. I didn't realize that that many skippers were relieved of command for stress, lack of performance, or failure to engage the enemy. I'm about 1/3 of the way through.

[Rotary Crewman]

Don't witch hunt me...but i'm reading Das Boot...for the first time :oops:

[Sailor Steve]

Don't witch hunt me...but i'm reading Das Boot...for the first time :oops:
There has to be a first time for everyone. Only discovered it a couple of years ago myself. Enjoy it...I sure did.:sunny:

[1480]

About 150 pages into Hitler's U-Boat War, the hunters; Blair.

Just got my Amazon shipment:
1. U-Boat Commander's Handbook
2. Iron Coffins
3. Another Place, Another Time
4. Silent Hunters

I'll probably read #4 next as a "break" from Blair before I tackle The Hunted. I get to peruse the Commander's Handbook during the game loads, so I should be done in probably 2 games :lol: .

[Marriott]

im hoping to buy some new u-boat related books soon, but theres so many choices i cant get them all at once.

[1480]

im hoping to buy some new u-boat related books soon, but theres so many choices i cant get them all at once.

Blair's books, Silent Victory, The Hunters, The Hunted, give a great overview for both Atlantic and Pacific submarine actions. Somewhat anecdotal, they provide a goldmine into almost (probably every) patrol the Kriegsmarine and the USN participated in. Great for reading while waiting for your game to load, a trip to the head or cooking anything in a crock pot. :smug:

[SS-18rider]

Ahoy Mateys!

I´m reading a Deserter´s Tale by Joshua Key. It´s about an American Soldier which according to himself had a enough of the War on Terror in Iraq and deserted to Canada. Why did Mr Key had enough? According to the book the War on Terror became a war, primary against the Iraqi Civilian People. The soldiers themself became the terrorist in Iraq.

[Syxx_Killer]

I know it's an older book, but I am reading it for the first time. It is Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising. I'm not to far into it, but I like it so far.

[SS-18rider]

Sailor Steve! - I´m looking through this thread, and I´m impressed about the number of books that You´ve read. Gosh!, I have a big bunch of books behind my bed that should have been read to the end - I wish I had your energy :rock:

I´m that kind of guy that buys and lends books, but seldom finished them to the last page. I don´t have the patience and there always seems to be a more interesting book behind the corner :o

[Rotary Crewman]

I know it's an older book, but I am reading it for the first time. It is Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising. I'm not to far into it, but I like it so far.

Excellent read. Did take me some time to get through it but well worth it.

Coming to the last 100 pages of Das Boot now, what a pleasure it has been to read. Going through the tough times with them, the boredom, the joys, simply marvellous.

Not sure about my next read, I have got Iron Coffins but I might have a break from U-boats and read a book I purchased a few weeks back for my fiancée. The Book Thief http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0552773891/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203164043&sr=8-1

[lambda*sqrt(u*x)]

Currently "Terre des hommes" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery...

and next one will be (finally found a copy):

"The last Days of Mankind" by Karl Kraus - a book I've really been looking forward to read for a long time.

[Sailor Steve]

Sailor Steve! - I´m looking through this thread, and I´m impressed about the number of books that You´ve read. Gosh!, I have a big bunch of books behind my bed that should have been read to the end - I wish I had your energy :rock:

I´m that kind of guy that buys and lends books, but seldom finished them to the last page. I don´t have the patience and there always seems to be a more interesting book behind the corner :o
Well, there's a reason for that. A decade ago I was working for a book distributor's warehouse. One of the perks was free books. I still have about forty boxes full of all kinds of books I've never read. I was homeless for a very long time, and when you can't find work and you can't stay in the shelter in the daytime and you can't get online anywhere, you go to the library. So I would go to the library and get online for an hour, and then start reading all the things I promised myself I would long ago, plus new ones.

Now I have a place. I have my computer set up and I work on all the projects I've put off for more than a year. One of my roommates watches television all the time, and I never do. I also haven't picked up a book in the last three weeks. I guess having a place to live has its disadvantages as well.:rotfl:

Oh, and I still have forty boxes of books I've never read.

[FIREWALL]

I just got IRON COFFINS today for my B-DAY from my Bro.:D

[STEED]

I just got IRON COFFINS today for my B-DAY from my Bro.:D

You will not be disappointed with that one, thats for sure. A bloody good read that book. :up:

[Pisces]

''Das Buch", ;) german version. Being a dutchie, german language was my worst subject at school some 15 years ago. Since the movie was so good, the book can only deserve the hardcore attitude. :rock:

[Captain Vlad]

Reading the 'Aleutians, Gilberts, and Marshalls' installment of Samuel Eliot Morison's 'US Naval Operations of WWII'. Just finished the collected edition of Brian Bendis' 'Alias' comics, issues 1 - 9. Rather impressed with both, actually.

[FIREWALL]

I just got IRON COFFINS today for my B-DAY from my Bro.:D

You will not be disappointed with that one, thats for sure. A bloody good read that book. :up:

Hi STEED :)

I've only made it thru the forword part. It seems every time I pick it up the phone rings or someone knocks on the door.:damn: :D

[Rotary Crewman]

Finished Das Boot. What an amazing read. It has succesfully knocked Catch 22 off the top for my favourite book. Simply brilliant. The ending was the only way it could go. :up:

Next book i'm reading is called 'Flashman' and features this fine chap http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashman

Time for some comedy after the very long and serious Das Boot

[Sailor Steve]

Ah, good old Flashy: the man who managed to be everywhere anything was happening during most of the 19th century.

I find Fraser's opinion of the Royal Flash movie interesting, since he wrote the screenplay for Lester's The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers.

[Sailor Steve]

What a bizarre thing!:o

I recently downloaded some spybuster and registry cleaner kind of stuff, and looked at the demos. While I was getting rid of the ones I didn't want, I noticed some downloaded files which had numbers and not names I opened them up to see what they were, and to my amazement apparently sometime in the past I gained access to online copies of the official Radar Navigation and Maneuvering Board Manual, and, even better, The American Practical Navigator! I can't believe I have Bowditch's APN!

I have to go read it now.

[Konovalov]

I just got IRON COFFINS today for my B-DAY from my Bro.:D

You will not be disappointed with that one, thats for sure. A bloody good read that book. :up:

Hi STEED :)

I've only made it thru the forword part. It seems every time I pick it up the phone rings or someone knocks on the door.:damn: :D

Just started reading this myself. :up:

[HunterICX]

Reading a thriller here:
Lee Child - One Shot

HunterICX

[bert8for3]

I just got IRON COFFINS today for my B-DAY from my Bro.:D

You will not be disappointed with that one, thats for sure. A bloody good read that book. :up:

Hi STEED :)

I've only made it thru the forword part. It seems every time I pick it up the phone rings or someone knocks on the door.:damn: :D

Just started reading this myself. :up:

I ran out of reading material and picked up Iron Coffins, which I'd read a while back, to leaf through for a while and now I'm hooked on reading it through a second time. I'm actually enjoying it more the second time. The first time I'd only been playing SH3 for a little while; now I have a bit of an eye to pick up details from watch routines to attack setups etc.

[Dowly]

I just got IRON COFFINS today for my B-DAY from my Bro.:D
You will not be disappointed with that one, thats for sure. A bloody good read that book. :up:
Hi STEED :)

I've only made it thru the forword part. It seems every time I pick it up the phone rings or someone knocks on the door.:damn: :D
Just started reading this myself. :up:
I ran out of reading material and picked up Iron Coffins, which I'd read a while back, to leaf through for a while and now I'm hooked on reading it through a second time. I'm actually enjoying it more the second time. The first time I'd only been playing SH3 for a little while; now I have a bit of an eye to pick up details from watch routines to attack setups etc.

I think I read it 3 times in a month. Great book. :yep::up:

[STEED]

I just got IRON COFFINS today for my B-DAY from my Bro.:D
You will not be disappointed with that one, thats for sure. A bloody good read that book. :up:
Hi STEED :)

I've only made it thru the forword part. It seems every time I pick it up the phone rings or someone knocks on the door.:damn: :D
Just started reading this myself. :up:
I ran out of reading material and picked up Iron Coffins, which I'd read a while back, to leaf through for a while and now I'm hooked on reading it through a second time. I'm actually enjoying it more the second time. The first time I'd only been playing SH3 for a little while; now I have a bit of an eye to pick up details from watch routines to attack setups etc.

I think I read it 3 times in a month. Great book. :yep::up:


Three times in one month! :o

When did you have time to visit the toilet? :88)

[Dowly]

I just got IRON COFFINS today for my B-DAY from my Bro.:D
You will not be disappointed with that one, thats for sure. A bloody good read that book. :up:
Hi STEED :)

I've only made it thru the forword part. It seems every time I pick it up the phone rings or someone knocks on the door.:damn: :D
Just started reading this myself. :up:
I ran out of reading material and picked up Iron Coffins, which I'd read a while back, to leaf through for a while and now I'm hooked on reading it through a second time. I'm actually enjoying it more the second time. The first time I'd only been playing SH3 for a little while; now I have a bit of an eye to pick up details from watch routines to attack setups etc.
I think I read it 3 times in a month. Great book. :yep::up:

Three times in one month! :o

When did you have time to visit the toilet? :88)
Lol, actually, toilet was my favorite place to read it. Must be the stink. :hmm: You know, immersion. :yep:

[STEED]

Lol, actually, toilet was my favorite place to read it. Must be the stink. :hmm: You know, immersion. :yep:

Remind me not to borrow any books off you. :roll:

[snakeyez]

I'm reading "Thunder Below!" by Admiral Eugene Fluckey. It's been great thus far, I'm 3/4 done with it.

[FIREWALL]

Well Gang I've gotten to read alittle more of Iron Coffins.

I tried Dowlys trick of useing the rain locker.

But now my wife wants to take me to the doctor because I sit in there to long.:oops:

I'm gonna have to find some other hideout.:yep:

[Skybird]

An eternity it seems, since I posted in this thread.

I just finished re-reading Dino Buzzati's "The Tartar Steppe" (first time since my teenage years) and finally - with delay - finished the triology by Philip Pullman, "His Dark Materials", and I just started to re-read Marc Aurel's "Meditations", and also just embarked on Machiavelli's "Discorsi" a week ago, liking it very much. I so far only read a superb biography on the man, whoch already shed a lot of light on his basic thinking. Easy to misunderstand him (most do), realistic thinking, no pleasure there to be found for emotional dreamers thinking the world hopefully will come to a better day all by itself if only people "mean it well". So, two nice books in the reading here, currently.

[Onkel Neal]

Just finished Post Captain, starting HMS Surprise this morning. And LOVING it :yep:

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n12/n61211.jpg

[Rotary Crewman]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Generals-Revolution-Simon-Scarrow/dp/0755324358/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206133947&sr=8-3

Reading 'The Generals'. Very good fiction/non-fiction on the same vein as Tiberius (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tiberius-Allan-Massie/dp/0340560053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206134072&sr=1-1

Easy read with alot of fact involved, great page turner which is hard to do for something that is over 500 pages.

[bert8for3]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Generals-Revolution-Simon-Scarrow/dp/0755324358/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206133947&sr=8-3

Reading 'The Generals'. Very good fiction/non-fiction on the same vein as Tiberius (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tiberius-Allan-Massie/dp/0340560053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206134072&sr=1-1

Easy read with alot of fact involved, great page turner which is hard to do for something that is over 500 pages.

If you're in to that sort of thing, btw I recommend Simon Scarrow's series of novels on the Roman legions, starts with Under the Eagle IIRC.

[3Jane]

Northern Lights

[Rotary Crewman]

Yeah was thinking of getting some more Scarrow. But I think my next one might be the prequel to Generals. Young bloods

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Bloods-Revolution-1/dp/075532434X/ref=pd_bbs_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206212195&sr=8-11

My fiancée got me Generals and she didn't know there was a prequel. Which to be honest, I didn't until I saw it on Amazon.

[FIREWALL]

Just started reading for the 3rd time. Torpedo Junction.

[Siara]

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/2347/book002lj9.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=book002lj9.jpg)

Should be good. Ill let You all know once i start reading it. / Finishing Iron Coffins /

[Doggtired]

I've just finished "Iron Coffins". What an incredible book, I loved every page and it was a complete fluke how I came across it :D

[Siara]

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/1549/bookum7.th.jpg (http://img384.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bookum7.jpg)

Two more positions for my ever growing shelve.
Heard lot of good opinions about the Sniper book. It is also nicely put together hardback.

[bookworm_020]

I got a couple of books (well around 7!) on my anniversary weekend away last week. Got a book called Salvo! which is about naval gun battles, starting with China V's Japan to the end of WW2, it focuses on many of the battles over looked and has been enjoyable, but they needed to research some of there chapters better as I have found at least a dozen basic faults so far (they're the ones I know of)

I also picked up a book on the history and evolution of the VII Sub from WW2 (haven't read it yet), Two Matthew Riely Novels, a book on the making and behind the scenes of the Lord of The Rings, as well a book for my wife! (Don't worry, she got to look at antiques and have a facial, foot spa and massage!;))

[Sailor Steve]

I've had a copy of Salvo! for years. It's okay, for a book written a long time ago. I agree it could have been a lot better, but then I've read many 'overview'-type books over the years, and there's not one of them that couldn't have been a lot better.

I read around 70 books in the year-and-a-half I was homeless, and now I've been working with SH3 so much I haven't picked up a book in four months! Well, that's changed, but it's not a naval or even real history book that I've started. I was in our big library today, and their used book store had a cheap copy of Barbara Chase-Riboud's Sally Hemmings. First published in 1979, it's a novel, but uses a lot of historical documents to set the tone. I've only just started it, and I've been captivated so far. Great read.

Oh, you want naval stuff? Okay, just recently I've found and downloaded PDF copies of Bowditch's The American Practical Navigator (1802); War-Ships: a Text-Book on the Construction, Protection, Stability, Turning, etc, of War Vessels (1917); United States Navy Watch Officer's Manual (1917); Modern Seamanship (1921); and an 1894 New York Times article on the trials of the first destroyer, Britain's HMS Hornet.

[Greyco]

Just read The Caine Mutiny.
Excellent book, got me interested in other books of Wouk.

Currently reading his epic work of The Winds of War.

[Siara]

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/2347/book002lj9.th.jpg (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=book002lj9.jpg)

Should be good. Ill let You all know once i start reading it. / Finishing Iron Coffins /

Just finished it, and honestly im looking forward to Sniper on the Eastern Front by Albrecht Wacker.
You can give the Black Edelweiss by Johann Voss a miss.
Apart from the brief encounter with the Russians on the finnish soil, and one battle on the western defensive in 1945, the book didnt offer much insite into life of the front soldier. The thing i realy expected from the book.

[bookworm_020]

I'm reading a book of people who made a living on scavaging from wreck around England. With some of the lastest ones listed (2003!) Some people get lucky!:arrgh!:

[Venatore]

I'm reading "Ghost Hunter's Guidebook" by Troy Taylor.

[Sonarman]

I'm reading "Billy Ruffian" (http://www.bloomsbury.com/BookCatalog/productitem.asp?isbn=0747565376)by David Cordingly the story of HMS Bellerophon in the Napoleonic wars. So far, a great book.

[OneToughHerring]

Just finished Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson. Will possibly be made into a movie 2009 according to IMDB. Good book, didn't really sympathize with the main characters but the u-boat parts and the diving parts were good. Not sure why there had to be so much character development in a book about diving and subs.

[Siara]

Finished: "Sniper on the Eastern Front" by Albrecht Wacker.

My opinion?- absolutly superb. I highly recomend it to anyone interested in day to day dealings on the eastern front from the perspective of one of the best snipers of the WWII- Sepp Alerberger.
Hes not holding back describing the cruelty of the war, and the picture he painted in the book makes one cringe. Loved it.

:yep:

[Syxx_Killer]

Well, I just finished Red Storm Rising. I checked my previous post here when I first posted about it and I can't believe it took me that long to read it. :oops: Amidst the interruptions and just generally not feeling like reading at times, I actually feel bad that I finished it. I wish the book was double its actual length. It was so well written. For anyone who has never read it, do it. You won't be sorry! :rock:

Now it's on to my next one - Deep Black: Dark Zone. I read Deep Black: Biowar before RSR. I really like the Deep Black series. The Dreamland series is another one I like, too. I want to get more from them both.

[nikimcbee]

Finished: "Sniper on the Eastern Front" by Albrecht Wacker.

My opinion?- absolutly superb. I highly recomend it to anyone interested in day to day dealings on the eastern front from the perspective of one of the best snipers of the WWII- Sepp Alerberger.
Hes not holding back describing the cruelty of the war, and the picture he painted in the book makes one cringe. Loved it.

:yep:


Great book! I read it a few years ago. I think it is one of the most graphic books that I've read.

[Seeadler]

The Thread X user guide ;)

[iambecomelife]

"The Bloody Shirt: Terror After Appomattox". By Stephen Budiansky. It's about how the United States "lost the peace" after the Civil War by failing to stop violence against the freed slaves. It also describes how Southerners have distorted the truth up to the present day, justifying white supremacy and blaming the blacks for Reconstruction's failure. Required reading IMO for anyone who still insists all that Southerners wanted was to protect "State's Rights".

[kuch]

Recently finished the SPQR series (a nice whodunit set) and several of the Scarrow series. Am reading P.G.Wodehouse (Jeeves & Wooster series) and Scott Adams' dilbert piece: Slapped Together.

Was in a used bookstore and came across this book, Raiders of the Deep, by Lowell Thomas, a STAR Book, through Garden City Publishing, Garden City, NY. It was written in 1928 about the KM U-boats and their RN advesaries.

It consists of personal interviews with Spiess, von Hersing, et al, gathered by the author, including very brief descriptions of them, their homes and post-war professions. Herr von Hersing returns home to raise potatoes!

Of those KLs who were dead, he interviewed crew, many times the officers.

During the Spiess interveiw, he queried about the Lusitania incident. Spiess preambled with a brief description of the crew and life aboard the boat. The author followed this with an interview of a Lusitania survivor.

Haven't finished it yet, but it is a fascinating work so far.

[Sailor Steve]

"The Bloody Shirt: Terror After Appomattox". By Stephen Budiansky. It's about how the United States "lost the peace" after the Civil War by failing to stop violence against the freed slaves. It also describes how Southerners have distorted the truth up to the present day, justifying white supremacy and blaming the blacks for Reconstruction's failure. Required reading IMO for anyone who still insists all that Southerners wanted was to protect "State's Rights".
You mean Birth Of A Nation wasn't historically accurate?

Sounds like my kind of book. I've put it on my 'to-do' list.

[Captain Vlad]

Reading Sicily, Salerno, and Anzio out of Morison's Naval Operations series. Next on the list is The Difference Engine by William Gibson and a co-author who's name escapes me.

[Subnuts]

It's not really a "reading" sort of book, but I recently acquired a copy of DK's Reef, which contains hundreds of pictures taken by the Scubazoo team of coral reefs and the creatures that live on them. Really magnificient photography, if the subject interests you.

Just for the sake of relevency, here's a picture from the book of a wrecked Catalina in Biak harbor:

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/5022/img001ub2.th.jpg (http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img001ub2.jpg)

Creepy, huh? :yep:

[tedhealy]

Retribution: The Battle for Japan 1944-45 (http://www.amazon.com/Retribution-Battle-1944-45-Max-Hastings/dp/0307263517) by Max Hastings. Very good after 100 pages.

[Randomizer]

Just finished Among the Dead Cities by A.C. Greyling a rather polemic assault on the strategic bombing campaigns of WW2. The author pretends to be even-handed but his bias' dominate throughout the book. About what one might expect when a professor of philosphy takes on the subject of this nature.

Good Hunting

[Thunder]

having read a few of the comments i've just ordered "forgotten soldier" and "sniper on the eastern front."

What i am currently reading which i think is absolutly brilliant(so good that after reading it from the library i ordered it and it is quite expensive here getting from overseas), by Anthony Loyd "my war gone by, i miss it so", a heartfelt struggle by a journalist with heroin and adreniline(war) addiction which leads him constantly back to the killing fields of Bosnia. The writing style is excellent and it's a damn good,shocking read.:up:
Get it you won't be dissapointed.

Thunder

[Sailor Steve]

I just picked up Samuel Eliot Morison's The Discovery Of America, volume 1: The Northern Voyages, 800-1600.

Lots of fun so far.

[wireman]

Went into a used bookstore on a layover and found a 2nd edition of "The British Submarine" by Lipscomb. Looks good and has a centerfold too! (T class sectional) Not bad for 7 USD.

[Sailor Steve]

Ah, centerfolds of naked ships! A friend of mine had a laugh long ago when he and his wife were in a magazine shop. She stormed over ready to give him a piece of her mind when she saw him looking at a centerfold...and she didn't know what to say when she realized it was a fold-out of plans for a model airplane!:rotfl:

[Subnuts]

Well, I was trying to read Theodore Mason's Battleship Sailor... but some library patron had torn pages out of it at random.

Jackass. :roll:

[tedhealy]

US Grant's memoirs...on a civil war reading streak while playing AGEOD's ACW and Gary Grigsby's WBTS.

[Frame57]

Joe Buff's "Tidal Rip". A bit futuristic for my blood and too much focus on one character, but I guess I will finish it.

[TheDudTorpedo]

'Das Boot' again....4th time. Has to be the quintessential WWII submarine novel. A real classic in my opinion.

[Schöneboom]

The Golden Reign: The Story of My Friendship with "Lawrence of Arabia" by Clare Sydney Smith, 1940.

[Sockeye]

Been doing quite a bit of reading the passed few months, and thought I'd share a few highlights and quick impressions.

Decided to give Tom Clancy a second shot after being disappointed by one of his more recent novels which I won't name. "The Hunt for Red October" was an excellent read, and I was actually surprised how "small" a role Jack Ryan played for the most part--i.e., I thought it was at a more realistic/believable level in comparison to the movie. I'll probably stick to Clancy's earlier works rather than his newer... stuff.

Read "Apollo 13" by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. I think this is a rewrite of "Lost Moon" with a more recognizable title after the movie came out. Not really any surprises about the events if you're familiar with them, but a good read. I wish this one had been a bit more technical, but I guess there's other books for that.

Probably the most interesting in terms of that "human condition" thing people talk about is "The Hunters" by James Salter. Basically, it's about a flight leader in the Korean War who's having a stream of bad luck in the kill department, with others questioning his courage, etc; the implicit responsibilities of being not only a flight lead, a combat pilot, but a man in general. Surprisingly deep stuff for a combat novel I thought, and well written. Usually I shy away from all this emotional stuff when trying to be entertained, so maybe it's simply the setting, but this one's pulled off well in my opinion.

Just finished "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe about the early American space program, which I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. If you've seen the movie, there are some differences in the book, but they both have the same "gung ho" attitude, and I think that's what counts here. "Averages? Those are for people with the average stuff!" This one is a favourite for me now.

Just started "Cross of Iron" by Willi Heinrich, about a German Wermacht platoon on the Eastern Front in WWII. Have only read about a dozen pages, but I like how the author is setting up the platoon dynamics so far. I haven't seen the movie in years, and can only remember a few things from it, so it'll be interesting to compare the two once the last page is turned.

:up:

[Frame57]

I am with you there Sockeye. I agree, Clancy's earlier stuff was better IMO. I have found the same same with King and Kooztz. I cannot read any of their newer releases, they are just horrible in comparison to their earlier works. Maybe it is like the story of the songwriter, they only have so many songs in them. The same may be true with these Authors.

[wireman]

Well, I was trying to read Theodore Mason's Battleship Sailor... but some library patron had torn pages out of it at random.

Jackass. :roll:


What a shame. I've read all 3 of Mason's memoirs: Battleship Sailor, Rendezvous With Destiny, and "We Will Stand by You": Serving in the Pawnee, 1942-1945. They are all very entertaining.

[TheBrauerHour]

I am reading this book:

"The Depths of Courage: American Submariners at war with Japan, 1941-1945" by Flint Whitlock and Ron Smith.

http://www.amazon.com/Depths-Courage-American-Submariners-1941-1945/dp/0425217434/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216347061&sr=8-1

[AirborneTD]

Bringing the Thunder (The Missions of a WWII B-29 Pilot in the Pacific) by Gordon Bennett Robertson, JR.

[mcf1]

Recently I crashed with my motorcycle and now I'am have 6 weeks off to recover, so I have a lot of time now, so I read the GWX 2.1 manual twice, I read a book called "Luciano" and currently I'm reading "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" (probably for the fifth time) and I'm thinking about reading the Bible.

[TheBrauerHour]

Wow, hope you have a speedy recovery. Enjoy the reading though.

By the way, what is Luciano about?

[DemonTraitor]

Hi peeps

I am reading "The Naked God" By Peter F Hamilton - it is the last book in the "The Night's Dawn" trilogy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night%27s_Dawn_Trilogy

I am also reading: "U-Boat War Patrol - The Hidden Photographic Diary of U-564"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/U-boat-War-Patrol-Hidden-Photographic/dp/185367575X

Also...

I am listening to:

"Thievery Corporation" http://www.thieverycorporation.com/
"Zero 7" http://www.zero7.co.uk/
"Massive Attack" http://www.massiveattack.co.uk/

Also...

I am watching:

"Lost" (currently on series one - I know we are a bit behind but we have not had much time to watch too much TV, and I had to download all the episodes to watch via the PS3)

"Heroes": Which is currently end of season :down:

"Battlestar Galactica": Which is also currently not running due to the writers strike :down: :down: :down:

Demon.

[mcf1]

Wow, hope you have a speedy recovery. Enjoy the reading though.

By the way, what is Luciano about?

Thanks
Luciano is about a mafia boss called "Lucky" Luciano, who helped the allies for the invasion in Italy. I read it in German and it's title is "Luciano", but I think the original
English title is "Luciano's luck"

[trojer]

I am reading The rules of the game :Jutland and British naval command by Andrew Gordon. Excellent book but long at over 600 pages.

[Sailor Steve]

Just finished taking notes an constructing a timeline from Morison's The European Discovery of America. Now starting volume 2: The Southern Voyages - 1492-1616.

[Kaleun]

Hi,

Just finished "Submarine : An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts of the War Under the Sea, 1939-45"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Submarine-Anthology-Firsthand-Accounts-1939-45/dp/1844860469/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216756809&sr=1-4

Very personal, no bias - just stories told by those who were there! whether you be american, german, british, polish, russian, italian or french - there are diary entries from all the major sub nations of ww2.

Bloody excellent and i paid full price, not what the link above is offering.

Kaleun

[Captain Strangelove]

Hi All.

I am currently reading 'Red Scorpion - The War Patrols Of The USS Rasher' by Peter T. Sasgen and published by the Naval Institute Press.
It is written by the son of one serving aboard and is nicely told (despite the slightly silly title).
But those Bluejacket books by the NIP are always a good read.

Cheers

Kai

[LobsterBoy]

I'm currently reading Silent Victory by Blair, which I bought at the Bowfin museum in Hawaii on my honeymoon. Next it will be Thunder Below by Fluckey.

Finally, if someone is looking for a book on the current Iraq war, House to House by Sgt. Bellavia is an excellent memoir.

[IotaSigma]

The Boats of Cherbourg, by Abraham Rabinovich. It tells the story of the development of Israel's missile boat program and the sea battles fought with Egypt and Syria during the Yom Kippur War.

[Smilingfish]

HI All !!

I'am new here,but modeller from many years ago,and I reading for 3 time,Das Boot and Ultramar Sur (2º time) this last book is almost a novel ,because it's a lie too big.
I write from Argentina and I'm glad for stay here. Sorry for my English I know that
I need improve :damn: my English again,

Chau!

[ktrboston]

Though it is not a navy book, I just finished reading "Exploration Fawcett" by Col. P.H. Fawcett. Its about his exploration of the Amazon during the 1920's. He disappeared looking for a lost city. Excellent book!!!!

Next book on the list is I think from the list from the same publishers is either one of the three below. Really havent deceided on which one yet.

The Explorers - first hand accounts of the exploration of Australia

The Art of Travel - 19th century handbook used by explorers of the day
or
Gobi Tracking the Desert

[wireman]

http://www.schifferbooks.com/newschiffer/book_template.php?isbn=9780764329241

Just started it. So far a pretty good twist on a well documented topic.

[Kapt Z]

Found my old tattered paperback of 'The Boat' in a box in the basement. It's been 20+ years since I last read it so I couldn't resist one last look before the donation pile.

Someday I'll get the hardcover for keeps.

[Herr_Pete]

im reading a small book on German Invasion plans of Great Britian! tis good:up:

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk257/HerrPetomer/SP_A0388.jpg

[Sailor Steve]

I just picked up The Vinland Sagas, the original Norse tales of Eric The Red and his son Leif; English translation by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Palsson, 1965 Penguin edition.

[Thomen]

I usually read multiple books at the same time. At the moment the list includes "The Hunt for Red October" (once again) and Rising Tide (by Gary E. Weir and Walter J. Boyne).

[STEED]

im reading a small book on German Invasion plans of Great Britian! tis good:up:



Cough splutter what rot. :nope:

The title of that book is a very bad idea, its more of a German survey of England taken during the 1930's. I agree its an interesting read but has nothing to do with the planning and preparation of Sealion.

[STEED]

Just finished the first of two bargain books from Osprey Essential Histories

The Suez Crisis 1956
Must pick up a more detailed book on this subject.

Now reading a little further back in History.....
The Arab-Israeli Conflict 1948

[lesrae]

Sepulchre by Kate Mosse.

[seaniam81]

I got 3 on the go, Stranger in a strange land by Robert A. Heinlein, Starship troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (Great Book by the way) and The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.

[Task Force]

Not reading anything now, But once school starts back on the 2nd september il be reading plenty of them.:doh:

[STEED]

Not reading anything now, But once school starts back on the 2nd september il be reading plenty of them.:doh:

Read real history not that bent PC crap that teachers put out these days.

[conus00]

Frederick Forsyth: The Fist of God (for about fifth time :lol:)

[bert8for3]

The Pearl Harbor Myth: Rethinking the Unthinkable (http://www.amazon.ca/Pearl-Harbor-Myth-Rethinking-Unthinkable/dp/1597971618/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220364490&sr=1-1) by George VictorYou may (or may not) disagree with this reinterpretation, but it's an excellent read.

[Rhodes]

A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower by Kenneth G. Henshall. Very good book about Japan!

[Task Force]

Not reading anything now, But once school starts back on the 2nd september il be reading plenty of them.:doh:

Read real history not that bent PC crap that teachers put out these days.

You hit the nail on the head.:up: All the books in history class are edited versions of history. Makes certan contrys look better than other.:yep: What realy dissipionts me about history class is that they only spent a hour on WW2 last year.:huh: Didnt even mention anything about D-day, battle of the atlanic, ect. Just how bad the Nazi`s were, the turning point of the war, and the discovery of the concertration camps,ect. It is all single storyed.:roll: Ive learned more about WW2 through Subsim, Silent hunter with realism mods,internet, than at school. The teachers are made to lie to make certan things seem diffrent. Like in elementry school, They(and dont get me rong any Black subsimmers out there) talk about the civil war like it all was over slaves and say that white people cought them and put them on slave ships, they make white people sound bad, Which makes the black kids start getting angry at the white kids so they start messing with us.:roll: Every thing they said happened but not it the way they always say it does.

[Sailor Steve]

History Rule #1) Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. When you have the time, read a good biography. If the author does his job you'll learn about the person, what made him different from those around him, read some of his own writings and find out what others of his time thought of him. History is about people, and the people who make history are always interesting, even when they're bad people.

If you want a fun start, try to watch the recent John Adams miniseries from HBO. It's history at its best: intense, frightening, funny and entertaining.

[wireman]

I finished "Master of the moving sea: The life of Captain Peter John Mathieson". All I can say is "Wow, what a life".

[XLjedi]

Presently, I'm halfway thru:
The Luck of the Draw - The memoir of a WWII Submariner from Savo Island to the Silent Service - Captain C. Kenneth Ruiz, USN

And on deck:
Shinano! - The sinking of Japan's secret supership - Captain Joseph F. Enright, USN

:know:

[nikimcbee]

I just started "Dog Whisperer" by Ceaser Milan.:up:

[STEED]

I just started "Dog Whisperer" by Ceaser Milan.:up:

WOOF WOOF. :lol:

[nikimcbee]

I just started "Dog Whisperer" by Ceaser Milan.:up:

WOOF WOOF. :lol:

Good Steed. Sit...Roll over. Here's your treat:up:

[Task Force]

I just remember Ive been reading a book called. The Encylopedia of military aircraft, It covers WW1, WW2, korea, Vietnam, modern warplanes, and peace time planes.:D over 500 ilistrated pictures, and black and white/color photos with info on all the planes.:yep:

[STEED]

I just started "Dog Whisperer" by Ceaser Milan.:up:

WOOF WOOF. :lol:

Good Steed. Sit...Roll over. Here's your treat:up:

I wanted a cool cider not a luke warm beer. :stare:

[wireman]

German Flamethrower Pioneers of World War I by Thomas Wictor

[Sailor Steve]

Was at the bookstore today, and found a very cheap remainder copy of a book I've never even heard of: American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia, by Edmund S. Morgan. It won the Society of American Historians' Francis Parkman prize for historic writing when it was published in 1975.

It's basically a history of how slavery came to be in America, and how it came to an end. I like it because it starts with Francis Drake and the English attitude toward Spanish treatment of the natives in America; they considered themselves liberators, while at the same time giving much the same treatment to the Irish. What's fun for me is that its early chapters read almost like a sequel to Morison's European Discovery of America, which I've just finished.

[RealJambo]

I must have 30+ books on U-Boats and submarines, but I'm currently reading this, about the last surviving British soldier from the WW1 trenches. Quite a story, you can't not respect the man.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/antsmith/51OpQeJ576L_SS500_.jpg

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Fighting-Tommy-Surviving-Trenches/dp/0747591156

[davidg]

Just started the Coldest Winter by David Halberstam so far excellent. Could anyone suggest reading for America's view point on Europe during the inter war years and the lead up to ww11 also America's involvement in Vietnam.:o

[KampfSchwimmer]

Currently reading D-Day by Stephen Ambrose. I also just read Citizen Soldiers by Ambrose(highly recommended read.) But I'm sure someone here has mentioned these already.

[Task Force]

Im reading a book called. Undersea Terror. Uboat wolfpacks during WW2, It is pretty good, has some vearygood Info on U boats of the american cost, scapa flow, wolfpacks, Ect ect.:D

[TarJak]

Currently taking a short break from Aubrey, Maturin and Patrick O'Brien and working through The Time of Terror by Seth Hunter.

Not a bad read and set during the beginning of the French Revolution. The fictional protagonist Nathan Peak dissatisfied with being the commander of HM brig/sloop of war Nereid and working largely for HM Customs trying to chase smugglers around the english Channel, gets tangled up in a plot to devalue the french currency with counterfeit notes.

He crosses paths with a number of famous names from the period and overall I reckon it's a pretty good read.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

I've just read C.S. Forester's 1943 work The Ship. How was it? Well, let's just say that if he's born now, he'll be writing Tom Clancy's SSN or Bear and the Dragon or maybe he's just a 1943 version of Patrick Robinson.

I know the WWII Italian Navy was hardly in the running for "Best Navy", but even counting the fact it is a piece of wartime propaganda there's no need to write them as incompetently as he did.

In one go, the author effectively insults both the Italians and the Brits who fought them. The Russians would no doubt be ecstatic to find out that Malta was more important than Moscow. The Germans basically did nothing.

In short, mediocre characterization and wartime propaganda. Sigh...

[Herr_Pete]

Hi there guys. I am just about to start reading Max Hastings Das Reich. Has anyone else read this before?:)

[Frame57]

The Sicilian by Mario Puzo. Coppola should make this one into a movie.

[Sailor Steve]

In short, mediocre characterization and wartime propaganda. Sigh...
The can't all be The African Queen.:sunny:

[HansVonBeehan]

Im reading this page :O!

I'm Reading Shipmates :Dfrom the BBC and was reading Commando on the Front Line both my Chris Terill

[Task Force]

Currently reading a big book simply intitled, WW II. It is a book that overviews the war.(Eastern and Western front.):yep:

[Jeffg]

I am reading All Hands Down about the sinking of the USS Scorpion.The book is great can't put it down.
Jeff

[difool2]

Okay, now I'm on Page 668 of Castles of Steel, just 120 more pages to go. I just read about the Battle of Jutland. It seems like both Beatty and Jellicoe made mistakes that affected the outcome of the battle. Also, I find it kind of funny that the Germans considered it a victory after they ran back to port and their fleet never left again. :doh:

Yeah, that's the one on my radar scope. My WW1 library is woefully meager...

[Skorn]

Just got done reading a Civil War book about the Battle of Pea Ridge (Arkansas). Relatively small battle, but close to home so thought it would be nice to read up on. Don't normally read about the civil war but it was pretty enjoyable to check out some local history.

Before that I read the Hornblower series and had finished the Maritius Command in the Aubrey/Maturin series. Found a neat book on Amazon called 'The Six Frigates' that I just started. Basically talks about the founding of the US Navy, quite enjoyable so far! :up: Will be picking back up on the Aubrey series when I put this book up on the shelf.

[wireman]

Bluejacket: In harm's way from Guadalcanal to Tokyo

by John A. Hutchinson, former Radioman 1st class, USN

[I'm goin' down]

I am reading all of these posts. Heh!

[Frame57]

Riptide by Preston and Child. Best book I have read in a long-long time...:up:

[stew278]

Currently reading:

"Silent Running" by James Calvert

"Memoirs: Ten Years and Twenty Days" by Karl Donitz

"Scorpion Down" by Edward Offley

[Schöneboom]

I just got this rare book from my girlfriend for my 48th birthday -- she found it on her last visit to England. I'm a lucky guy!

"We Captured a U-Boat" by Rear-Admiral Daniel V. Gallery, USN. The 1958 Popular Book Club edition. Another of his U-505 books, richly detailed, & a pleasure to read.

[SandyCaesar]

Currently working my way through the Horatio Hornblower books (decent, but not more than that); looking into other books of the same time period. Anyone know if Patrick O'Brian is any good?

Also revisiting Discworld. You can't not love Terry Pratchett.:sunny:

[Sailor Steve]

Well, I disagree about Hornblower, but that's my opinion. O'Brian's books are loved by many, and he was agruably the better writer. I prefer Hornblower simply because they read more like the career of a real sailor, and the Aubrey/Maturin books are great adventure, but much less plausible to my mind. Neal loves them, anyway, and that counts for something.:sunny:

If you want to read some real-life accounts by people who were there, I recommend this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Every-Man-Will-His-Duty/dp/0805046089/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226091868&sr=1-1

Also at the bottom of that page you'll see links to A Sea Of Words and Harbours And High Seas, both of which fill in information on O'Brian's books, and are handy for general reference as well.

[SandyCaesar]

Hornblower's all right; the books make for excellent reads. It's just that they fall a bit short on characterization and general...believability? It strains credibility a bit to consider that one naval captain, no matter how great a captain, can do all that so effortlessly in the books. Plus, too much plugging for the Royal Navy for my taste. But they're good books, albeit with a few drawbacks.

Thanks for the opinions, Steve.:up:

[Subnuts]

Currently working my way through the Horatio Hornblower books (decent, but not more than that); looking into other books of the same time period. Anyone know if Patrick O'Brian is any good?

Also revisiting Discworld. You can't not love Terry Pratchett.:sunny:

Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men, and Organization, 1793-1815



A single-volume encyclopedia covering an enormous number of subjects related to the Napoleonic-era Royal Navy. Not a novel (if that's what you're looking for) but a great book if you're looking for a "one stop shop" type companion book.

[Sailor Steve]

It strains credibility a bit to consider that one naval captain, no matter how great a captain, can do all that so effortlessly in the books.
In that case you may not like O'Brian so much. My complaint about Aubrey was that Hornblower is much more realistic, at least career-wise. But, they're all good, as novels go.

[D'biter]

oh... how i wish i knew who you were talking about...

[Skorn]

I really enjoyed the Hornblower series, they were pretty quick reads with little down time. I'm halfway through the Aubrey series now and there's a bit more development and backstory it seems. I love the time period and enjoy both sets of books very much :up:

[ajrimmer42]

I've also just started reading the Hornblower books, after having seen the TV series numerous times. Enjoying them so far!

[Sailor Steve]

oh... how i wish i knew who you were talking about...
C.S. Forester, author of The African Queen and Sink The Bismarck!, wrote a series of books chronicaling the life and career of a fictional captain of the sailing ship days, whom he named Horation Hornblower. The books, from Mr. Midshipman Hornblower to Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies, follow his whole life, and he's not the nicest person you'd ever want to meet.

Back in the 1950s a movie was made from the first three books written - volumes 6, 7 and 8 in order - and several years ago a series of TV movies were made, based on the first three books in order. While perverting the stories somewhat, they are still excellent shows and should be seen by any sailing-navy fan.

When Forester died, veteran writer Patrick O'Brian was asked to take over the series, and he wisely suggested that he write one of his own from scratch. He created two characters, captain Jack Aubrey and doctor Stephen Maturin, and skillfully guided them through a very long series of novels. Excellent adventure, they are somewhat less accurate historically, at least to my mind.

The recent movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, is based on O'Brian's books.

[wireman]

http://www.amazon.com/F-86-Sabre-Warbird-History-Robert/dp/0879387483/ref=pd_ybh_6?pf_rd_p=280800601&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=ybh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0TA41X8SH968518BPEPA

Found a signed copy in a used bookstore.

[SeaSpectre]

I have read almost all of the Hornblower books and I have read about four of the Aubrey/Maturin books. I love both C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian as authors. I find O'Brian easier to read, but I found Hornblower's career more believable.

I am looking forward to starting the Alexander Kent/Richard Bolitho series, but I was wondering if anyone else has already read them? Are they worth it? How does Kent's writing compare with Forester and O'Brian?

Thanks...

[Schultzy]

I found Hornblower's career more believable.

I have read both and don't disagree but I do remember reading somewhere (i forget where exactly now) that O'Brian said, if he'd known Aubrey/Maturin was going to expand to such a length, he'd have stared Aubrey's career earlier in time.

How does Kent's writing compare with Forester and O'Brian?

Thanks...

I've not started reading Kent yet, but I am 3 books into Pope's Ramage series, he knew Forester, who was the man that encouraged him to start writing about a naval hero. If you like Hornblower, I would recommend Pope to you. :)

[FIREWALL]

I'm not reading a damn thing. I'm gonna watch a new movie. So there. :p :rotfl:

[Sailor Steve]

...I do remember reading somewhere (i forget where exactly now) that O'Brian said, if he'd known Aubrey/Maturin was going to expand to such a length, he'd have stared Aubrey's career earlier in time.
Ain't that always the way? Of course he could have done what Forester did (as well as Bernard Cornwell with the Sharpe series) and just gone back and written books about his hero's early career.

[wireman]

Civil War Guns: The complete story of Federal and Confederate small arms

by William B. Edwards

[sharkbit]

"D-Day"
by Stephen Ambrose

:)

[wireman]

Peter Charlie : the cruise of the PC 477
by Art Bell

[Sockeye]

I've been in a bit of a crime novel mood lately, and after starting on a third reading of "L.A. Confidential", I felt bland, so went to a local bookstore that specializes in crime novels to expand the library a bit.

Currently on "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler, starring private d!ck Phillip Marlowe. A bit of a slow go up to the point I'm at now (100 or so pages), but I really only have time to read a chapter at a time, being interrupted by the crap of the day; overall, it's keeping my interest. It's been years since I've read Chandler, so it's great to be back chasing down leads.

And just finished "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, starring the beloved Miami blood splatter analyst/serial killer Dexter Morgan. As a fan of the show "Dexter", this was an extremely fast read for me; before I knew it, I had already read more than half of the book, and so finished it off before I left for the next day's business. A very brisk read that sated the whims of my dark passenger, albiet briefly.

Next on the list will probably be a couple Agatha Christie whodunits: "4:50 from Paddington" and "A Murder is Announced". Might even re-read "A Carribean Mystery", which I've been borrowing from my hometown library since I was nine-years old (or fifteen years if you prefer).

By the way, "L.A. Confidential" is a damn good jaunt if you're looking for something from the depraved (and I do mean "depraved", hepcats) mind of Jimmy Elroy; amazingly, it's a hair under 500 pages using a massively clipped writing style (i.e., he won't be describing every pebble on the street along with the leaves on the trees like some authors). If you've ever wondered how to use semicolons, this one'll show ya. An excerpt from page numero uno to whet your whistle:

"An abandoned auto court in the San Berdoo foothills; Buzz Meeks checked in with ninety-four thousand dollars, eighteen pounds of high-grade heroin, a 10-gauge pump, a .38 special, a .45 automatic and a switchblade he'd bought off a pachuco at the border--right before he spotted the car parked across the line: Mickey Cohen goons in an LAPD unmarked, Tijuana cops standing by to bookjack a piece of his goodies, dump his body in the San Ysidro River.

"He'd been running a week; he'd spent fifty-six grand staying alive: cars, hideouts at four and five thousand a night--risk rates--the innkeepers knew Mickey C. was after him for heisting his dope summit and his woman, the L.A. Police wanted him for killing one of their own...."

Happy reading, all, whatever you desire :|\\

[wireman]

http://www.amazon.com/Saga-Cnac-Fletcher-Hanks/dp/1418431745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228592881&sr=1-1

[mookiemookie]

I've been in a bit of a crime novel mood lately, and after starting on a third reading of "L.A. Confidential", I felt bland, so went to a local bookstore that specializes in crime novels to expand the library a bit.

Currently on "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler, starring private d!ck Phillip Marlowe. A bit of a slow go up to the point I'm at now (100 or so pages), but I really only have time to read a chapter at a time, being interrupted by the crap of the day; overall, it's keeping my interest. It's been years since I've read Chandler, so it's great to be back chasing down leads.

And just finished "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, starring the beloved Miami blood splatter analyst/serial killer Dexter Morgan. As a fan of the show "Dexter", this was an extremely fast read for me; before I knew it, I had already read more than half of the book, and so finished it off before I left for the next day's business. A very brisk read that sated the whims of my dark passenger, albiet briefly.

Next on the list will probably be a couple Agatha Christie whodunits: "4:50 from Paddington" and "A Murder is Announced". Might even re-read "A Carribean Mystery", which I've been borrowing from my hometown library since I was nine-years old (or fifteen years if you prefer).

By the way, "L.A. Confidential" is a damn good jaunt if you're looking for something from the depraved (and I do mean "depraved", hepcats) mind of Jimmy Elroy; amazingly, it's a hair under 500 pages using a massively clipped writing style (i.e., he won't be describing every pebble on the street along with the leaves on the trees like some authors). If you've ever wondered how to use semicolons, this one'll show ya. An excerpt from page numero uno to whet your whistle:

"An abandoned auto court in the San Berdoo foothills; Buzz Meeks checked in with ninety-four thousand dollars, eighteen pounds of high-grade heroin, a 10-gauge pump, a .38 special, a .45 automatic and a switchblade he'd bought off a pachuco at the border--right before he spotted the car parked across the line: Mickey Cohen goons in an LAPD unmarked, Tijuana cops standing by to bookjack a piece of his goodies, dump his body in the San Ysidro River.

"He'd been running a week; he'd spent fifty-six grand staying alive: cars, hideouts at four and five thousand a night--risk rates--the innkeepers knew Mickey C. was after him for heisting his dope summit and his woman, the L.A. Police wanted him for killing one of their own...."

Happy reading, all, whatever you desire :|\\

You've also read The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere and White Jazz, right?

[Task Force]

Tf has 2 new books...

1 German battleships

2 The two ocean war.
http://books.google.com/books?id=io91AAAACAAJ&dq=the+two+ocean+war

[Sailor Steve]

I reported some months ago that I was reading Morison's The European Discovery Of America. I got all my stuff out of storage last week, and discovered that I actually own a copy!:rotfl:

Purchased it at a library sale several years ago, and forgot I even had it.

@ TF: The Two-Ocean War is a (very) condensed version of Morison's History Of United States Naval Operations In World War Two. If you ever have the money, and the inclination, I highly recommend it.

[Captain Vlad]

Currently on "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler, starring private d!ck Phillip Marlowe. A bit of a slow go up to the point I'm at now (100 or so pages), but I really only have time to read a chapter at a time, being interrupted by the crap of the day; overall, it's keeping my interest. It's been years since I've read Chandler, so it's great to be back chasing down leads.


I remember reading 'Farewell, My Lovely' and coming to the realization that the reason most first person grizzled detective novels fall flat is that they're trying to sound like Chandler...and no one can.

[She-Wolf]

Ha! I am reading long, large and untidy and oft repeated sections of text written on CP/M on 5.25 floppies from a TRS 80, which I have scanned with Anadisk and then dumped on to my hard drive, so I can tidy them up into coherent reading material and present them in Word format to the wife of the author, who wrote them in his early years.

He died and she doesn't want to lose his work (a number of books and loads of other stuff...). I have been doing it on and off for the last two years... only a hundred flops left to work on....(sigh)

no time to read proper books...

does that count?

[Sailor Steve]

I'd say that very much counts. Reading unpublished books that no one else has, or can, and doing good work at the same time.

Good for you!:rock:

[Sockeye]

You've also read The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere and White Jazz, right?

No, not yet, but I figure I'll be getting "The Big Nowhere" and "White Jazz" at some point. Might as well have the trio, right?

"The Black Dahlia" I'm not so sure if I'm really interested; saw the crappy (IMHO) movie, and have seen a few documentaries including an especially creepy Elroy one, and think I have the gist. So I dunno, a maybe/maybe not thing for me.

[LtAirForce]

"Red Storm Rising" By Tom Clancy

I love Clancy books.....Red October is one of my favorites:up:

LTAF

[SandyCaesar]

Best Clancy ones: Hunt, Storm, Danger, Remorse. And Debt to some extent, too.

[LtAirForce]

Best Clancy ones: Hunt, Storm, Danger, Remorse. And Debt to some extent, too.

I've read Hunt, Danger, Patriot Games, and Teeth of the Tiger. My first First person shooter was Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. The origonal, not the new "advanced warfighter". First played it when I was 6:up: . Gave me nightmares:rotfl: . Still play it today (minus said nightmares:yep:).

[Task Force]

I reported some months ago that I was reading Morison's The European Discovery Of America. I got all my stuff out of storage last week, and discovered that I actually own a copy!:rotfl:

Purchased it at a library sale several years ago, and forgot I even had it.

@ TF: The Two-Ocean War is a (very) condensed version of Morison's History Of United States Naval Operations In World War Two. If you ever have the money, and the inclination, I highly recommend it.

Il look for that one. There is a book store around here with good prices. I got the two ocean war for 15$:yep: and the encylopedia of military aircraft for 20$ two years ago.:D

[Sailor Steve]

Be forewarned: The full set is 15 volumes.

Currently on "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler, starring private d!ck Phillip Marlowe. A bit of a slow go up to the point I'm at now (100 or so pages), but I really only have time to read a chapter at a time, being interrupted by the crap of the day; overall, it's keeping my interest. It's been years since I've read Chandler, so it's great to be back chasing down leads.
A couple of years ago I had time to read the collected Raymond Chandler. The version I read had the short stories that he had pulled from publication, as they were later incorporated into his novels. Reading them was fun, because you really can see what he changed and what he didn't. The other shorts are mostly fun too, especially Red Wind.

I also read his predecessor, Dashiell Hammett, author of The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man. His short stories are also quite good.

[Sailor Steve]

I've just started I Love Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not, buy Richard Shenkman. It's a sequel to his Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History, which I have yet to read. Both are examinations of the myths that surround history.

This one has a chapter titled 'Patriotism', which looks closely at the history of the American Flag, and modern Flag worship. He cites the Congressional Record in showing that the only reason Congress approved a National Flag at all was that all naval ships of other countries carried one, and shouldn't ours too? Congress voted on it quickly to clear the table for "more important matters". Benjamin Franklin and John Adams co-wrote a letter in which they described the Flag as "thirteen stripes, alternately red, white and blue." Also, it's now pretty certain that no army unit of any type carried the US Flag during the Revolution. Paintings that show them thus were all made at least forty years later.

There are other great chapters on the history of Religion in America, as well as the Work Ethic (Pretty much all strikes in the 1800s were over shorter work days, and yet we praise the hard work of our ancestors), Business ('Evil War Profiteers' funded the Revolution, and while the more conservative among us insist that it was the Second World War, and not the New Deal, that saved us from the Great Depression, it was still massive government spending during the War that accomplished that), and several more I haven't gotten to yet.

All-in-all a fun little book. I'm going to be looking for the first one.

[mookiemookie]

You've also read The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere and White Jazz, right?
No, not yet, but I figure I'll be getting "The Big Nowhere" and "White Jazz" at some point. Might as well have the trio, right?

"The Black Dahlia" I'm not so sure if I'm really interested; saw the crappy (IMHO) movie, and have seen a few documentaries including an especially creepy Elroy one, and think I have the gist. So I dunno, a maybe/maybe not thing for me.

Yes, the movie was crappy but it was the first in the L.A. Quartet series. The book is much better and the actual crime is more or less a plot device that motivates the characters. I'd recommend it. It's also neat to read it and compare it to his recent stuff like American Tabloid or Cold Six Thousand, or even later works in the L.A. series like L.A. Confidential to see Ellroy develop his style.

[mookiemookie]

I'm currently working my way through Clavell's Shogun. I almost need to read it with a pen and paper next to me to keep all the characters and plots straight. Great book so far though. :up:

[She-Wolf]

I'm currently working my way through Clavell's Shogun. I almost need to read it with a pen and paper next to me to keep all the characters and plots straight. Great book so far though. :up:


isn't that the one where one of the crew gets boiled in oil? Horrible description, poor man, but, yes, as you say, bloomin good book.

[wireman]

Just finished:

A Sailor in Steam by J. Murray Lindsay

Gatchina Days: Reminiscences of a Russian Pilot by Alexander Riaboff

Cuckoo Over Vienna by Claude L. Porter

[HunterICX]

From D-Day to Berlin by Stephen Ambrose

HunterICX

[ENEMY BELOW]

Re-reading Red Storm Rising Because Amidst My Many Underway History,
Biography And Philosophy Books I Needed A Good Old Winter Time Tom Clancy Potboiler.that's The Only Bummer About The Demise Of The Cold War Era,tom Clancy Almost Out Of Work.his Books Since The Cardinal Of The Kremlin Are Just Not As Flippin Riveting.

[FIREWALL]

U-BOAT ACE The Wolfgang Luth Story for the 6th time. I get more out of it everytime I read it.

[RealJambo]

U-BOAT ACE The Wolfgang Luth Story for the 6th time. I get more out of it everytime I read it.

My favourite Kaleun, and also one of my favourite books. I reccommend it to anyone :up:

[Sailor Steve]

Just finished The First Civilisations, by Glyn Daniel, 1968. It's a study of the earliest know civilizations, and the archeologists who explored them, and their differing opinions on who influenced whom and what it all means.

Just started Mary Tudor, by David Loades, a biography of Elizabeth I's older sister (AKA 'Bloody Mary') and her reign as England's first queen.

[Grizzybear]

I just returned from a Milwaukee trip and spent about a week down there. Well in short I was bored and I remembered the library i grew up near had some awesome sub and war books. So off I went...
Read-
Silent Service..an oldie but a goodie. I was astounded in the malfunctions of the torpedos and the number of skippers getting canned..yikes glad SH4 is not as mean as them.
Also picked up and scanned thru these..
Uboats under the swatztika..good refrerence for the uboat side of things.
Also another ..time life book I think..forgot what is was called. Lots of pics and diagram of standard fleet boat.
Overall a good reading week...Now Iam back to my twilight 2000 idea generation and iam reading Slow Dance in the killing ground.
Rich

[Sailor Steve]

Just finished Mary Tudor. A fascinating book, it shows why a woman widely respected and liked during her own lifetime has become regarded as one of England's worst monarchs ever. An honest biography, with a lot of notes referring mainly to contemporary papers and letters, David Loades shows what Mary experienced as the daughter of Henry VIII, including her father putting her mother and her aside, being declared a bastard, having to renounce her faith just to stay alive during the short time her brother was King Edward VI, having her brother's will renounce their father's and name a cousin, Jane Grey, as his heir, being the political pawn in an ongoing series of marriage contracts with princes all over Europe, and finally becoming England's first Queen, in a society that dictated that if she married her husband would rule both her and the nation.

When she did marry, it was Prince Philip, son of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and soon to be Spain's King Philip II. Philip was both liked and disliked in England, but he did his best to win over the people, and Mary's council stipulated as part of the marriage contract that Philip would have no power in England, but any son of the union would become king as soon as possible. Philip was unhappy, being married to a woman who was described as "both not attractive and not frigid." He spent as much time as possible away from England, and Mary suffered through what everyone thought was a pregnancy but now seems to have been a benign tumor, and had to face the shame of preparing the palace for a child that never seemed to come.

Mary was also a devout Catholic in a Protestant country, and her efforts to assuage her people only resulted in the Pope considering her a "quasi-heretic". Her efforts to please the Pope created animosity among the people, and she ended up pleasing no-one, least of all herself. Another part of the problem was her half-sister Elizabeth, whom Mary detested as the daughter of "that protestant whore", Ann Boleyn, whose attraction for Henry resulted in Mary and her mother, Catherine of Aragon, being set aside. Elizabeth for her part disliked her older sister for the same reasons, leaving Mary looking for some way to put her aside and find a more 'suitable' heir.

Mary died at age forty-three, alone and unhappy. Her council had finally convinced her to accept Elizabeth as the only possible choice to succeed her, so Mary had pretty much nothing at all to bring her joy at the end of her short life.

While it's true that there were some three hundred protestant dissenters executed during her reign, her bad reputation seems to come from things written during Elizabeth's reign, when Mary came to be truly hated.

On the whole, Mary Tudor is well worth reading, if you like biographies that get to the root of the real person, and not just the accepted story.

[RealJambo]

'Apache' by Ed Macy.

An astonishing first book, Apache is a story of courage, comradeship, technology and tragedy, during the ongoing war in Afghanistan. 'Apache' is the first book to come from the cockpit of the most sophisticated fighting helicopter the world has ever known. Designed in the mid 1980s to take on the Soviets, these machines have proven themselves as the perfect tool for combat in Afghanistan.

Ed Macy's account of the incredibly hard Apache selection process, tougher than that of the SAS, combined with his description of the sheer difficulty of flying one of these helicopters provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between man and machine fighting in the toughest conditions imaginable.

The climactic build-up to the rescue mission at Jugroom Fort is both dramatic and deeply moving. The rescue of Lance Corporal Mathew Ford has been hailed as one of the most remarkable and daring rescues of modern wartime and Ed's bravery on the ground at Jugroom Fort led to him being awarded the Military Cross - one of the first in the Army Air Corps' history.

So far, I'm inclined to agree!

The Jugroom Fort mission was the one where colleagues flew outside of the aircraft! :o

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/antsmith/jugroom.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/antsmith/edmacy.jpg

[Sailor Steve]

:o :o :o

You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

Good recommendation for a book I normally wouldn't read. I'll check it out.

[SandyCaesar]

It's been a while since I last saw this thread. Your social life tends to be kinda camped when you're werewolf meat.:yep:

New authors for me to discover: the Flashman series by George Fraser, which are hilarious.

Then, I've recently cracked open 2001: a Space Odyssey, and found myself absolutely hooked on Arthur C. Clarke.

Finally, I've at last had the time to read Patrick O'Brien, like Sailor Steve recommended. :salute: to Steve! Personally, I think they're better than the Hornblower books: O'Brien has a much more engaging writing style. To me, the Aubrey/Maturin dynamic is much more interesting than Horatio Hornblower.

[Sailor Steve]

George MacDonald Fraser also wrote the screenplay for the 1974 version of The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers, which is why those movies have the feel they do (that, and Richard Lester's directing).

O'Brien was a great storyteller. I just prefer Forester's feel for history and continuity. It's all good, otherwise there would be only one book in any genre.

[rubenandthejets]

Rereading Anthony Beevor's "The Battle For Spain" about the Spanish Civil War. Chunky book with lots of acryonyms to keep sorted out. It's a great read!

Got a soft spot for the underdogs, especially the Basques and the Bakuninists. Viva la Republica!

[Spike88]

The blade itself by Joe Abercrombie. Good book
And after I finish the last couple pages, Duma Key by Stephen king.

[Kapt Z]

'On the Road', by Jack Kerouac

Heard so much about it over the years and finally picked up a copy to see what all the fuss was about.

Besides, I needed a break from the History/submarine/Military stuff.

[Sailor Steve]

Just started We Hold These Truths, by Mortimer J. Adler. Adler was a philosopher/writer who specialized in education. He wrote many books, but was best known as the editor and compiler of the 60-volume Great Books Of The Western World.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books_of_the_Western_World

We Hold These Truths was written in 1987 for the bicentennial of the US Constitution. It's supposedly written for the layman, but it is a bit strong on the philosophical side, discussing the "ideas and ideals of the Constitution". Still, I'm having fun so far.

[Dowly]

Started reading the Guy Saijer's Forgotten Soldier for the omphteenth time. Just cant get enough of it. :yeah:

[eljeffo41]

I just finished a good one called "The Depths of courage" all about the Pacific submarine war.I don't have the book here at work so I don't remember the authors name,but I think it's pretty new!:up:

[Sailor Steve]

Am just starting The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa, by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack; a book about Africa's history written by Africans.

From the Authors' Note:
Once knowledge of these old empires resurfaced, some claimed that Jews, who had rebelled against the Romans in Cyrenaica (Libya) had migrated to the Western Sudan around A.D. 115 and built these civilizations. Another group pushed the theory that Sudanese achievements were the result of Arab invasions and the coming of Islam. Some even suggested that African accomplishments were the result of visitors from outer space. Any wild idea was more acceptable than to admit that Africans had the intellect and ingenuity to develop and control well-ordered empires.

It's a fairly short book, but looks to be informative in an area of history I'm definitely unfamiliar with.

[Sailor Steve]

I finished the African history book, and it was pretty informative about the early empires of West Africa.

Now I'm into To Utopia And Back: The Search For Life In The Solar System, by Norman H. Horowitz. Horowitz was chief of the bioscience department for the Mariner and Viking Mars Missions at the Jet Propulsion Laboaratory in Pasadena, California. Published in 1986, the book starts by explaining how scientists classify life, including how DNA and RNA are constructed, then goes on to a history of research into how life works, follows with a history of speculation and research about Mars, and finishes with the story of the missions themselves and what they mean. All of this in language that an idiot like me can understand.

I barely started it today, but it's looking like a good one.

[Thomen]

Reading "Operation Drumbeat" by Gannon. Interesting read and is a big help in translating KTBs from German into English. :up:

[ajrimmer42]

I've just started reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. I've also recently finished reading the first 3 books in the Hornblower series, and the third and final book of the Brethren saga, Requiem by Robyn Young. All top books!

[rubenandthejets]

Working through "The English Civil War at first hand" by Tristram Hunt-based on primary sources, lots of woodcuts and Dutch masters potraits of the main players.

Also going through "Minna no Nihongo" again...(Japanese for Everyone) :doh:

[Kaye T. Bai]

I am currently reading "Red Storm Rising," by Tom Clancy.

I am about 50 pages into the book right now. So far, it is a very interesting book. The opening scene was perfect.

In the past few weeks, I have developed a certain interest in the Cold War; even though it is 2009.

[Max2147]

Reading "Operation Drumbeat" by Gannon. Interesting read and is a big help in translating KTBs from German into English. :up:
A great book! Along with "Run Silent, Run Deep" it was the one that really got me into WWII subs.

"Sea Assault" is also a great book. It's about the sinking of the Shinano, written by the sub captain who sank it.

[Overkill]

War at Sea: A Naval History of World War II by Nathan Miller.
Briefly covers the major events from '39 - '45 but still very informative and interesting reading.

[kbak303]

one for my graduate class-The Educator's Guide to School Law

one for fun...WolfPack-The Story of the U-Boat in World War 2

[Sailor Steve]

Have just started The Politics Of American Government, a textbook of basic politics and how politics and government shape each other. Loving it so far.

[Subnuts]

I just finished reading Stewart O'Nan's The Circus Fire, which was good, but awfully depressing at the same time. And to think, everything in it too place 15 minutes from where I currently live!

Back to Anthony Tully's new book on the battle of Surigao Strait. Better than most naval history so far, but I don't think it can hold a candle to Shattered Sword. The presence of Jonathan Parshall is sorely lacking in places.

[Armistead]

Two great reads.

Halsey's Typhoon
The Rescue

[Kapt Z]

The Lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Kay

Fantasy based on medieval Spain

[Sockeye]

Been a while since I've read some John le Carre, so I reintroduced a few to my little library: "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold", "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "The Perfect Spy".... I wonder what they're about :hmmm:

I've read the first two before, but it's been long enough that I'll still be kept in suspense. Started on "The Spy..." last night, and I've been reminded about what I really appreciate in le Carre's writing--he keeps physical descriptions neat and concise; gives you the idea, but doesn't waste time counting the cracks on the sidewalk, the leaves on the tree, the clouds in the sky. Always appreciated here!

[Sailor Steve]

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold was made into a cracking movie back in 1965, starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000228EK4/imdb-button/

It's in black and white, and pretty faithful to the book.

[Sockeye]

Aye!

Was reading too that BBC did a mini-series for "Tinker, Tailor,..." back in '79 with Alec Guinness as George Smiley. Another to watch out for :)

[Murr44]

Just started reading Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe by Mark Mazower. Next on the "to read" list is Shattered Sword by Parshall & Tully. I bought the book back in 2005 & it's about time that I got around to reading it.

The Riddle of the Sands by Robert Erskine Childers is a really worthwhile book. I read it years ago & plan to read it again sometime. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Riddle_of_the_Sands for details.

[OneToughHerring]

The Riddle of the Sands by Robert Erskine Childers is a really worthwhile book. I read it years ago & plan to read it again sometime. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Riddle_of_the_Sands for details.

I've read that book. It was also interesting considering Childers's opinions about the future threat of Germany. Sort of prophetic, even.

As for me, right now I'm kind of looking for a good nautical-themed book but can't really decide on a particular one. There's quite a few of the classic and must-read's that I have to get started on.

[zepo]

The Art of War by Sun Tzu....:D

[Onkel Neal]

Guests of the Ayatollah, by Mark "Blackhawk Down" Bowden.

[talesofvalor]

German naval code breakers, by Jak P. Mallmann Showell

[Sailor Steve]

Have just started a new (well, new to me anyway) biography of one of the semi-forgotten American founding fathers: John Marshall: Definer of a Nation, by Jean Edward Smith. Marshall was the fourth Supreme Court Chief Justice, and the man who made the court what it is today. So far it's excellent.

[SandyCaesar]

Finishing up Harry Paget Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser. They are amazing and laugh-out-loud funny. Kinda like Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.

[talesofvalor]

I'm reading right now:
"Der Erste Weltkrieg" von Brigitte Hamann.

Translation: "The first world war", by Brigitte Hamann.

[Torplexed]

Currently finishing up Retribution by Max Hastings. A book about the last year of the Pacific War. A companion piece to Armageddon, his book about the last year of the war in Europe. Hastings tends to be harshly critical of a lot of the Allied leadership and policy makers (especially MacArthur). However, he reserves most of his anger for Japan, especially its leaders, from Hirohito down to individual officers, accusing most of them of combining casual cruelty with moral cowardice. The book also covers a lot of usually neglected territory like the Japanese 1944 Ichigo offensive in China, the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, the British re-taking of Burma.

[FlyingTiger]

Take her deep- submarine story about skipper Pete Galantin and SS- Halibut. This is one good story !

[Platapus]

Reading "Slide rules and submarines: American Scientists and Subsurface warfare in World War II"

About half way through it and not all that impressed. If you just have to have every book written about submarine and anti-submarine warfare in WWII I guess you need this book.
Other wise, give it a pass. :down:

[OneToughHerring]

The Road by Cormac McCarthy, also being made into a movie. Just finished it, it was ok. First fictive book I've read in a long while.

I'm interested in post-apocalyptic stuff, and also survivalism as genres.

[PeriscopeDepth]

After finishing Digital Apollo, The Journals of Lewis and Clark. Guess I'm in an exploration mood.

Interesting stuff....

PD

[Dowly]

Battle of Raate road - The legend of the Winter War :yeah:
http://www.ajatuskirjat.fi/english/english_1530.asp

[Subnuts]

U-Boat War Patrol, War In The Boats, The First Team, and Buchheim's U-Boat War. Occasionally all on the same day.

I'm a busy boy.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

Currently reading Antonov's Heavy Transports.

As an aside, I accidentally punched an order for TWO of this book from Amazon. I am now committed to returning one and receiving arefund, but frankly, after seeing the mail cost back to America, the cut that Amazon decides to take as its own shipping fee, and the low value of the book (only around USD26), I'm already thinking whether trying to SELL it as a new book and making some other person pay for my shipping is the smarter move.

Oh well... maybe I should try surface mail...

[joeljansson]

just read out "hunt for the red oktober" i was starting simply. dont know what to read now any tips? And dont think "naah its maybe too long" i read much and fast and realy small text and books my school mates never know about:D im not like any other kid:up: i dont look at MTV i look at viasat history abd such so any tips on books:06:

[Kapt Z]

"Democracy Matters", by Cornel West

Provocative, but interesting reading whether you agree with his conclusions or not.

[Sledgehammer427]

I'm rereading The Ice Diaries By William R. Anderson.
It's about the Nautilus's attempt at crossing under the north pole.
awesome book, so awesome, I'm reading it twice within 3 days!

[Melonfish]

I'm currently 700 pages through Executive Orders by tom clancy, after reading sum of all fears then debt of honour.
after this i'll be reading SSN which is his little stand alone sub one.

then i might read another Sharpe story ;)

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

I just read Larry Bond's Cold Choices, which is some kind of American catharsis, good-bad tale (with the Russians being bad and dumb and the Americans being saints and bright and omniniscent, of course).

They have a collision, and JUST to make sure there is no moral ambiguity at all Bond has the Russian Captain deliberate do near rams of the American sub... sigh... OK, Nichols, I understand why it sucks now...

But then, he can't lift a candle to Geoffrey Archer's 1989 work Shadow Hunter. It was 317 pages long. Actually, about 316 pages of is was pretty good. It actually had a Brit officer going off the rails, and though the KGB had a role it seemed like more of a "meeting battle" thing and the KGB deciding to get what they could rather than it being some long pre-planned mole affair. OK, eventually Brit officer is stopped after nearly starting a war, and a happy ending is about to come ... then out of nowhere on P.310 for no plot reason Archer has two Russian subs collide at top speed to their deaths... even in a genre that has Russians basically acting as throwaway characters to be destroyed by "brave and good Westerners" (a goodness which this book completely fails to show BTW), this must have been the tip of gratuitous death...

[Schöneboom]

Currently reading Paul Preston's "The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution, and Revenge", the 2006 revised edition. Having read lots of books (in English) on La Guerra Civil, I'm impressed by the depth of the political context that this book provides. As I'm in the process of rewriting one of my screenplays on the SCW, I'm very glad I found Preston.

[mookiemookie]

after this i'll be reading SSN which is his little stand alone sub one.


For the love of all that is good and holy do NOT subject yourself to that. :dead: Just check out the Amazon reviews: http://www.amazon.com/S-N-Tom-Clancy/dp/0425173534/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248542664&sr=8-1

They're all pretty spot on. I tossed the damn book out after about 100 pages.

Next on the "to read" list is Shattered Sword by Parshall & Tully. I bought the book back in 2005 & it's about time that I got around to reading it.

A great book. Very very dense in spots, and full of minute details, but once you finish it, you'll appreciate the level of depth they went into. A first class book.

I'm about to start "In Pursuit of Victory - The Life & Achievement of Horatio Nelson" by Roger Knight.

[PeriscopeDepth]

Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World right now.

PD

[Syxx_Killer]

I've got a bunch of books from the local library's used book sale. I also ordered a couple used ones off Amazon. I recently finished Jurassic Park. That is my favorite movie (favorite franchise really) and I always wanted to read the book. It was awesome and quite different from the movie. I had to order that off Amazon. I am reading the sequel right now, The Lost World, that I got from the library. It is an awesome read so far. The movie is absolutely nothing like the book although it was a good movie. Next, I am going to start Typhoon by Robin White (ordered that off Amazon too), then a few Dale Brown novels, and finally start on some nonfiction books.