What are you reading right now?

[Sockeye]

Originally Posted by Chock

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!

Originally Posted by Thermographer

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

[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.

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

[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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?

Originally Posted by HFRO

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]

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.