What Are You Reading?

[danfrodo]

Just finished audio version of The Coming of the Third Reich, by Richard Evans.  First book in his trilogy covering the third reich. He shows the big picture then backs that up w lots of individual examples.  Thank goodness violent, racist, fascist ideology has no place in our modern world. 

And just finished Operation Husky by Mark Zuehlke, covering Canadian role in sicily campaign.  Very tough fighting.

[StieliAlpha]

On 8/7/2019 at 8:04 PM, Sgt.Squarehead said:

There's a clue in the names, you'll probably notice more once you've read 'Use Of Weapons'. 

Did you discover lava-rafting & artificial volcanoes yet.....I forget which book they are mentioned in. 

 

Just started to read „Use of Weapons”. What a change again! Another thrilling aspect: Seems to be very different from the first two books..

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Skaffen-Amtiskaw & the Knife Missiles?  

PS - If you are enjoying the general picture I'd strongly recommend reading 'Excession' while you are on a Banks roll.....It's kind of the icing on the cake, where the Culture is concerned and it has the best hostile alien species ever (IMHO), 'The Affront'. 

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Erwin]

Am hoping that people here may be reading other genres as well.  Am starved for something similar to Michael Connolly's books about a detective in LA, or Alan Furst's amazing books about the prewar days, or Lee Child's Jack Reacher books. 

Have read everything these authors have written.  Are there any other authors you guys recommend who have produced similar work?

[Michael Emrys]

50 minutes ago, Erwin said:

Am starved for something similar to Michael Connolly's books about a detective in LA, or Alan Furst's amazing books about the prewar days, or Lee Child's Jack Reacher books.

Have you given a look at Faith Martin's Hillary Greene series of novels? Martin is remarkably good at creating a huge host of interesting, believable characters. No gunplay however.

I read most of the Jack Reacher stories a couple years or so ago; liked most of them, some more than others. Watched both movies. The first one was okay. Thought the second one sucked.

Michael

Edited August 10, 2019 by Michael Emrys

[StieliAlpha]

19 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Skaffen-Amtiskaw & the Knife Missiles?  

PS - If you are enjoying the general picture I'd strongly recommend reading 'Excession' while you are on a Banks roll.....It's kind of the icing on the cake, where the Culture is concerned and it has the best hostile alien species ever (IMHO), 'The Affront'. 

 

Ah, very good. I was wondering what to grab as free audio book. Since you “strongly recommend”, it will be Excession,  of course.

[Erwin]

Thanks Michael.  I'll ask my primary spousal unit (who often reads a book a day!) to look into Faith. 

[Michael Emrys]

On 8/9/2019 at 2:44 PM, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Skaffen-Amtiskaw & the Knife Missiles?  

Sounds rather like a heavy metal band, wouldn't you say?

Michael

[Michael Emrys]

1 hour ago, Erwin said:

 I'll ask my primary spousal unit (who often reads a book a day!) to look into Faith. 

Do you—ahem—also have a secondary spousal unit? "The world wonders..."

Michael

[Sgt.Squarehead]

30 minutes ago, Michael Emrys said:

Sounds rather like a heavy metal band, wouldn't you say?

Yeah.....With a particularly cutting sound! 

 

[Erwin]

14 hours ago, Michael Emrys said:

Do you—ahem—also have a secondary spousal unit? "The world wonders..."

Michael

When dealing with complex systems it's imperative to have a back-up/redundancy.   Learned that from Apollo 13.

[StieliAlpha]

On 8/12/2019 at 8:46 PM, Michael Emrys said:

Sounds rather like a heavy metal band, wouldn't you say?

Michael

Hm, „sounds“ maybe. But I had my first encounter with them a few days ago and can assure you, it‘s more like a splatter movie. The first cut is the deepest, you know?

Edited August 16, 2019 by StieliAlpha

[danfrodo]

It's not WW2 but has anyone read James L Nelson's vikings in Ireland series?   Great fun stuff.  Starts w a book called Fin Gaul.  I just picked up the 7th one.  Somewhat similar to Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction but faster paced.  Good solid writing and storytelling.

[John Kettler]

Wasn't in the right mental state to resume Mark's Island of Fire, so instead painstakingly read (complex book) Offey's deeply disturbing Scorpion Down, which makes a solid case the Scorpion was torpedoed by the Russians because they thought we sank the K-129, the Diesel-electric ballistic missile sub which blew up and sank while a mere 450 miles from Hawaii and least partially recovered by the Glomar Explorer. Before Scorpion Down (which was based on 25 years of investigative journalism)I read the chilling, intricate and deeply disturbing Red Star Rogue, by Sewell and Richmond. It makes a persuasive argument that the K-129 was not under Russian naval control and was almost certainly taken over by KGB osnaz naval commandos operating under direct instructions of Party Ideologist Suslov and his boy Andropov, head of the KGB. Party Secretary Brezhnev hadn't a clue. The apparent intent was to frame China and deal a crippling blow to the US. Why strategic Pearl Harbor, fully mobilized and jammed with ships, supplies and people in 1968 during the Vietnam War, didn't get nuked (with Honolulu as collateral damage) is quite a story in itself. Crawled through those sub books. Have a couple more to read about raising the K-129 but need a breather before diving back in, so to speak.

Needing a break from all that heavy duty real world stuff, I turned to a Korean War novel about a Marine company commander by a highly informed author named Simmons, a retired Marine BG who fought in WW II, Korea, Inchon and Chosin Reservoir, Vietnam, Northern China and the Dominican Republic. Dog Company Six is so immersive it'll make your skin crawl in places. After that, I whipped through most of Greenberg's excellent and insightful Last Days. Yes, that's a biblical reference, for it is that background which informs the book, in the place where all the pieces must come together, and some aren't prepared to wait. It's a real page turner, chockfull of Middle East history, politics, geopolitics and more, yet easy to read. Truly a can't put it down kind of book. Greenberg is kind of like BFC in anticipating the future, and this is one of a series he wrote. All I can say is "More!"

Regards,

John Kettler

Edited August 25, 2019 by John Kettler

[John Kettler]

On 4/28/2019 at 3:39 PM, sburke said:

I think I'll be adding this to my list

Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II

NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER • “A band of brothers in an American tank . . . Makos drops the reader back into the Pershing’s turret and dials up a battle scene to rival the peak moments of Fury.”—The Wall Street Journal

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D6CGMRN?pf_rd_m=A2R2RITDJNW1Q6&storeType=ebooks&pageType=STOREFRONT&pf_rd_p=ae642e4b-ad2c-4298-8dd0-2f96f1bbdbdd&pf_rd_r=V1AVY5RTDZFGQHS47QC3&pd_rd_wg=XU8pp&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_t=40901&ref_=dbs_f_ebk_rwt_wigo_rtpb1_ms3_kmw_ae642e4b-ad2c-4298-8dd0-2f96f1b&pd_rd_w=TidYx&pf_rd_i=154606011&pd_rd_r=23af2ca5-477d-4a89-bc58-d8f300ce29eb

Might be getting that from one of my brothers. Based on what he said and the praise lavished by him, sounds like a must read. Have you read Irwin's phenomenal Another River, Another Town yet? He had a whole two weeks of gunnery training, winding up practically in the first tank in 3 AD's major offensive. From there he went to Pershings and was gunner on one of only two Super Pershings. Superb book that I wish had been many times longer.

https://www.amazon.com/Another-River-Town-Teenage-Combat-1945/dp/0375759638

Regards,

John Kettler

Edited August 25, 2019 by John Kettler

[danfrodo]

I have Spearhead, it was on kindle sale one day for super cheap.  I first want to finish The Liri Valley and Gustav Line, two more in the Canadian series.

And while this is a book thread, I'll thrown in a show: Gallipoli, available on amazon prime.  Made recently in Australia, VERY well done historical fiction. 7 part series, definitely had good budget, it's not cheap anywhere.  some solid small arms WW1 action.  based off this novel:

https://www.amazon.com/Gallipoli-L-Carlyon/dp/0553815067/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HDNLNKGLFYKT&keywords=gallipoli+les+carlyon&qid=1566784288&s=gateway&sprefix=gallipoli+les+ca%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1

[John Kettler]

danfrodo,

Thanks for the heads up! Have Prime, so shall look for this series. Speaking of Gallipoli, have you seen this incredible diorama in pics, videos or live, in 54 mm no less? If not, prepare to lose youyr mind--in a good way!
https://anzacdiorama.blogspot.com/2015/05/first-pics-of-massive-gallipoli-diorama.html

Regards,

John Kettler

[RockinHarry]

just finished reading Robert Kershaw´s "Tank Men - The Human Story of Tanks at War". Quite an intense and touching read which I highly recommend. Focus is more or less on Brit and US tank men experiences and wished there would be more from russian and german POV, but in the end they´d all experienced and suffered fairly alike.

https://www.amazon.com/Tank-Men-Robert-Kershaw-ebook/dp/B00GVG07S2/

[danfrodo]

On 8/25/2019 at 8:32 PM, John Kettler said:

danfrodo,

Thanks for the heads up! Have Prime, so shall look for this series. Speaking of Gallipoli, have you seen this incredible diorama in pics, videos or live, in 54 mm no less? If not, prepare to lose youyr mind--in a good way!
https://anzacdiorama.blogspot.com/2015/05/first-pics-of-massive-gallipoli-diorama.html

Regards,

John Kettler

Hey John, how did I miss this?  Sorry for delayed response.  That is a super cool diorama, thanks for sharing.  I don't know if the show was shot on location but the terrain was like that in the show.  Terrible hills & ravines.  The Brit leaders didn't understand what they were up against, terrain-wise, until it was too late.  

RockinHarry, I read that one also, learned a lot about what it was like to ride in those things for extended periods.  

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Peter Jackson has a model company, mostly focussed on 1/32 WWI aircraft, but there is also a small range of figures:

http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/F3EE29F8B24207228FE0EBC172F19B20

Off topic I know, but possibly of interest. 

[RockinHarry]

6 hours ago, danfrodo said:

RockinHarry, I read that one also, learned a lot about what it was like to ride in those things for extended periods.  

Definitely among the best my buys of recent years. 

Just put an order for Boris Kavalerchik´s "The Tanks of Operation Barbarossa: Soviet versus German Armour on the Eastern Front"

https://www.amazon.com/Tanks-Operation-Barbarossa-Soviet-Eastern/dp/1473886805/

should make for a most interesting new read I think.

[danfrodo]

Thanks RH, I'll check that out 

[John Kettler]

 

Spoiler alert!

Have just about finished Sewell's and Preisler's Scorpion Down. Sewell, principal author (Richmond was the other author) of the excellent Red Star Rogue and a former submariner clearly had excellent sources, which are presented as quotes at the beginnings of some chapters. Some are sourced to named and unnamed Russian Navy flag rank officers. There are others from not named US Naval Intelligence types. It's absolutely clear the Scorpion was sunk by the Soviets as retaliation for the sinking of the K-129, which we didn't do. It's clear both sides knew what happened and that it was mutually agreed never to discuss it. Further the authors were given unattributed info from the Russian end detailing exactly how the Scorpion was located and killed, as well as by what. Walker's sellout of the KW-7 Orestes (Russians got one intact from the captured Pueblo) cryptographic system and regular update of the keycards let the Russians read our radio traffic directly, and they had ESM assets in the area, too. The authors here seem blissfully unaware of the earler secret search that found the Scorpion, and there are some maddening technical errors which I think originate with the co-author. These include a grossly incorrect description of broaching, calling  the Sturgeon (SSN, a fast attack sub) a SSBN (ballistic missile sub), also a major gaffe, and saying the Scorpion had a top submerged speed of 47 knots per hour (redundant considering what "knots" means). Global Security lists the Skipjack class SSN (which Scorpion was part of) top speed underwater as 29 knots!

Don't know what I'm reading next, but there's a strong likelihood it'll be about finding and recovering major parts of the K-129. Have two books addressing that and which I've never read.

Regards,

John Kettler
 

[Erwin]

Quicker to read the summary:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Scorpion_(SSN-589)

[warrenpeace]

Most recent book was Rick Atkinson's "The British our Coming".  It describes the first two years of the Revolutionary War.  Excellent.