What are you reading at the moment?
- Thread starter ngatimozart
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- #63
I haven't been reading much but been watching the LOTR: Rings Of Power Series One and the House of the Dragon Series One. Quite impressed with both of them.
Redlands18
Well-Known Member
Loving both here to. Rings of Power has had to whether a virtual declaration of war by the so-called Tolkien super fans who have made it their life's mission to have the show cancelled due to what they perceive as insults to Tolkien. Sites like Rotten Tomatoes are getting nothing but ratings of 1 or 10 and very few other scores as the 2 groups of fans are fighting each other.
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- #67
Ah yes fans and purists. I quite like Tolkien, but I am not an obsessed purist so it's not modular muskets at dawn as far as I am concerned. I do possess a copy of the One Ring with the words in the tongue of Mordor engraved on it and a silver Gimli's axe pendant which I can hang around my neck.
I'm waiting for 3 seasons or the shows to end. I don't have the paitence to wait season by season, nevermind episode by episode. Plus there should be some better feedback available once the white hot flames of rage die down a little.
Fatal Purity (Robespierre and the French Revolutions) by Ruth Scurr. If you want an historical example how a group of Zealots can take over a country and rule by fear (quite often, of each other) and still pursue a war against thier neighbours ..... this is a very good example.
Not a fan of Fitzsimons as he likes to add 'colour' which tends to follow his views. I have a lot of his books but will not buy anymore.
Paul Ham has a brilliant (and well referenced) book on Kokoda (I also recommend his book on Vietnam). Peter Brune's "A bastard of a place" is also a very good history of combat in PNG.
Peter Bradley also has a number of good books on the PNG campaign.
Yes he does have a particular style.
The other recommendations I'll add to the list.
Appreciated
Thanks S
Thought I would put a plug in for some of the books I've been reading recently:
Geoffrey Till has a new book out. How to Grow a Navy (released September 2022). The world's navies should be giving this book away to their respective politicians like candy! Till takes his cue from a book written back in the 1690's by a certain Henry Maydman (which you can read here, should you be so inclined), a 30-year veteran Warrant Officer in the Royal Navy. As Maydman claims, WO's were 'pist upon by everybody' - doubtless many serving WO's would feel the same way.
Paul Kennedy has recently released an excellent one-volume naval history of WWII (or more precisely 1936-1946), Victory At Sea. Again, highly recommended. I don't know if it is better or worse than Craig Symonds effort, but it does have the bonus of some lovely paintings by Ian Marshall. Kennedy's older work, The Rise & Fall of British Naval Mastery, is also a must-read.
I'd also like to recommend some free works on logistics (particularly US naval logistics):
In the to-read pile for me:
Bernard Fall's Hell in a Very Small Place (about Bien Dien Phu).
James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom (single volume military history of the US Civil War)
Hubert Moineville's Naval Warfare Today & Tomorrow (1985)
Geoffrey Till has a new book out. How to Grow a Navy (released September 2022). The world's navies should be giving this book away to their respective politicians like candy! Till takes his cue from a book written back in the 1690's by a certain Henry Maydman (which you can read here, should you be so inclined), a 30-year veteran Warrant Officer in the Royal Navy. As Maydman claims, WO's were 'pist upon by everybody' - doubtless many serving WO's would feel the same way.
Paul Kennedy has recently released an excellent one-volume naval history of WWII (or more precisely 1936-1946), Victory At Sea. Again, highly recommended. I don't know if it is better or worse than Craig Symonds effort, but it does have the bonus of some lovely paintings by Ian Marshall. Kennedy's older work, The Rise & Fall of British Naval Mastery, is also a must-read.
I'd also like to recommend some free works on logistics (particularly US naval logistics):
- Henry Eccles - Logistics in the National Defense (1959, link here at archive.org). Eccles other work, particularly Naval Operational Logistics (1950, republished 2003) is also highly recommended (if you can find a copy).
- George Thorpe - Pure Logistics (1917, again a link at archive.org). Pity the poor US Doughboy - how many cans of tinned prunes can one realistically put up with?
- George Dyer - Naval Logistics (1960) - look for it in Google Books (then hit the 3 dots to download)
- Duncan Ballantine - U.S. Naval Logistics in the Second World War (link at archive.org). A bit more heavy going this one, but still excellent.
- Worall Carter - Beans, Bullets & Black Oil (here), and Ships, Salvage & Sinews of War (only available to borrow, here). Covers the Pacific & European theatres in WWII respectively.
- Dr Sal Mercogliano - Fourth Arm of Defense (link here at Navy History & Heritage Command). US naval & merchant marine logistics in Vietnam. Who knew the Vietnamese actually sank an aircraft carrier (the former USS Card)?
In the to-read pile for me:
Bernard Fall's Hell in a Very Small Place (about Bien Dien Phu).
James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom (single volume military history of the US Civil War)
Hubert Moineville's Naval Warfare Today & Tomorrow (1985)
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- #73
The Geoffrey Till book looks good. I've just ordered it. I have his book "Seapower" It's a third edition copy. I will put Paul Kennedy's book on my to get list. I have his "Rise and Fall of Great Empires". The Maydman tome looks interesting.
Oh yes the revolutionaries were quite fond of shortening people at that stage. Mind you the French are an excitable people, especially their rugby referees.
"Shortening people"The Geoffrey Till book looks good. I've just ordered it. I have his book "Seapower" It's a third edition copy. I will put Paul Kennedy's book on my to get list. I have his "Rise and Fall of Great Empires". The Maydman tome looks interesting.
Oh yes the revolutionaries were quite fond of shortening people at that stage. Mind you the French are an excitable people, especially their rugby referees.
That creative expression did bring a smile.
I must put it my word bank for a suitable occasion.
Mind you there would be no smiles if I was the one being shortened!
Others maybe, but not from myself !!!!!!!
Thanks Ngatimozart
Regards S
Hey, I've just started the Remarque's ''Shadows in Paradise''.
I read mostly Stephen King, but if I want to become more varied I read authors like Remarue and Kurt Vonnegut.
I read mostly Stephen King, but if I want to become more varied I read authors like Remarue and Kurt Vonnegut.
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- #77
I have started on Harry Turtledove's "Days of Infamy". He's a historian by profession and writes a lot of alternate history fiction. I quite enjoy his books because he raises some quite interesting ideas and what ifs in his books. Day's of Infamy is the first book in a two part series on a successful Japanese invasion and occupation of Hawaii after the 7/12/1941 carrier borne attacks on Pearl Harbour.