"So...What Are You Reading?" Topic

Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey / Maturin series, on The Fortune of War and have up to Treason's Harbour

Listening actually to Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit by Chris Mathews.

Currently the colonial related books I'm reading are – Beyond The Reach Of Empire by Colonel Mike Snook & The white Nile by Alan Moorhead

A compendium of H.P. Lovecraft stories, but slowly.

Battle for Brooklyn and Sharp's Practice. Brooklyn because an Uncle died there. SP because I'm hosting two games at Enfilade.

Conquest the story of Cortes conquering the Mexica (Aztecs). No doubt it is detailed and well-researched, but sometimes I feel as if I am having to conquer the book. I mean, at one point there is a map of Spain showing the villages/cities that were the birthplaces of each of the Conquistadores!

The Crusades by Asbridge.

The Slaves Who Defeated Napoleon by Girard. It's about the Haitian War of independence against the French expedition in 1802-1804. Reading it because I love to read anything about my favourite country.

I'm currently reading several things, but most notably an awesome book written by a gamer accross the pond.

The book is "The Fox Wife's Tail". A great read thus far. Check out the author's blog:

link

How Can Man Die Better by Snook

Re-reading of my dozen books on the Zulu War of 1879, since I am thinking of updating my Zulu War set-up (which is over 50 years old). I will finish my Jacobite Rising set-up in a couple of months and I am very tempted to update my Zulu War troops as my next project.

My original, and not very historically correct, set-up is here:

link

Rod

"Cleopatra's Needles: The Lost Obelisks of Egypt" by Bob Brier.

Black Powder.

The Return of the Twelves, by Pauline Clarke – my very favorite children's novel and the ultimate spark of my love of toy soldiers and wargaming. It's about the Brontes' toy soldiers which inspired their first writings, set in Africa amongst the Ashanti.

Hell Riders, by Terry Brighton, about the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Crossing the Buffalo : The Zulu War of 1879 by Adrian Greaves

PzJ

The Killer Trail by Bertrand Taithe. About the Voulet-Chanione Mission in West/Central Africa 1898-99. Only the first chapter tells about the mission,the rest of the book tells of the effects of the mission on the politics,culture and colonialism in France.
Mark

Currently re-reading Go strong into the desert by Col. Mike Snook in preparation for my shiney toy soldier style 54mm Sudan project

Penthouse Letters =)

Tippu Tip;African trader/slaver.
Mark

Books I've Read…In March:

The British at the Gates: The New Orleans Campaign in the War of 1812, by Robin Reilly. The first half of this older book (1974), about 150 pages or so, provided a good overview of the causes of the War of 1812 and various campaigns and failed diplomatic efforts to end the war. The second half covered the actual British campaign to take New Orleans, including the frontal assault against Andrew Jackson's mud-wall fortifications stretching from Mississippi River to cypress swamps. More maps would be helpful. Nice OOB buried in the text. Enjoyed it.

The First Crusade, by Steven Runciman. This 1980 book offered an abridged version of the three-volume 1951 work and provided the political and religious intrigue behind the crusade. Battle descriptions were truncated, but at least it noted a full range of actions to choose from if you wanted to do more research for tabletop skirmishes, sieges, and full battles. Well illustrated with b/w drawings and photos throughout with some color (mostly illustrations from illuminated manuscripts -- nice touch). Slow in the beginning but ultimately enjoyed it.

Children of Lovecraft, edited by Ellen Datlow. This collection of 14 short stories (all from 2016) was another compendium of modern-day interpretations of H P Lovecraft's Cthulhu universe. Like most anthologies, you got a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly -- call it a couple interesting stories and the rest fell off sharply. Some were just so poorly constructed and written, I skipped and skimmed. For dedicated Cthulhu buffs only.

Rebel Brass: The Confederate Command System, by Frank E. Vandiver. A small, short, 126-page book from LSU Press in 1952 read like a stream of consciousness than scholarly tome. It offered an overview of the upper echelons of the CSA executive branch, from President Jefferson Davis through the multiple secretaries of Army and Navy, army commanders, and a few other key men, and their often tumultuous interactions with each other. Occasional bright spots of leadership, but it's a wonder anything got done -- and was often done ineptly. Not a detailed look, but enjoyed the broad overview.

Air Warfare

I should note that I was in the right place and right time to scarf up the following used WWII aircraft books for $1 USD each. Of interest was performing some spot comparisons of specifications in each book for a couple of the same aircraft. Just about everything was identical, but each book added, subtracted, or refined different specs. Just shows it's good to cross reference several sources when you're researching specifications. Most of them offered great painting references.

German War Birds: From World War 1 to NATO Ally, by K Munson. An older book (1986) with 113 aircraft profiles -- 58 WWI, 51 interwar/WWII, and four 1960s-1970s-era NATO -- each with specifications, history/anecdotes, and multiple marvelous sideview and top/bottom color illustrations. Top/Bottom meant that half the airplane is seen from the top down and the other half from the bottom up. The history and anecdotes were interesting; especially for WWI aircraft I never knew existed. Enjoyed it.

The Pocket Encyclopedia of Bombers at War, by Kenneth Munson. Compiled from two Munson books, it contained 150 pages of full color illustrations covering 147 different bombers of WWI and WWII. Short development history plus specs with great color illustrations (side plus top/bottom) plus additional details inserted in the text. Enjoyed it.

World War II Airplanes: Volume 1, (Rand McNally), by Enzo Angelucci and Paolo Matricardi. This 1976 book covers European aircraft. Presumably Volume 2 covers US, USSR, Japan, and other countries. Digest sized, with fantastic full-color 3/4 illustrations and specifications of each major combat aircraft: 45 UK, 44 German, 34 Italian, 19 French, 3 Czech, 4 Netherlands, 3 Polish, 2 Swedish, 2 Yugoslavian, 1 Romanian, 1 Belgian, and 1 Finnish. Included foreign-made aircraft in service to the above countries, short section on camouflage patterns, and short, illustrated sections on engines. Short histories of the aircraft proved interesting enough. Enjoyed it.

British Aircraft of World War II, by David Mondey. This 1994 (originally published in 1982) book provided information and specifications on 113 UK aircraft. Provided 86 diagrams, 204 magnificent color illustrations (side, top, and front), and 126 photos. Short histories of aircraft included anecdotes of note. Enjoyed it.

British Aircraft of World War II, by John Frayn Turner. A 1976 book. No drawings, but plenty of photographs, including a central section with color photos. Covered 49 aircraft, many with variations, and including US models flown by the RAF, with short histories, specifications, and a number of Victoria Cross anecdotes.

Last section contained 13 more extensive write-ups of various missions, including dam busters, sink the Bismarck, and so on. Hit or miss at times, but generally enjoyed it.

Brassey's Air Combat Reader: Historic Feats and Aviation Legends, edited by Walter J. Boyne and Philip Handleman. Offered 28 recaps of fighter, bomber, and rescue missions from WWI through Gulf War. Usual bell curve mix of good, bad, and ugly ranging from great writing to skipping to the next chapter.

30 Years War- Wedgwood

Just finished Victoria's Wars by Saul David and now started The Afghan Wras by Archibald Forbes. Also dipping into FIW Osprey Empires Collide

Working on The Great Anglo-Boer War by Byron Farwell. His Queen Victoria's Little Wars and Eminent Victorian Soldiers were among my first introduction to the period, and I've always enjoyed his writing style. I am looking for Mr. Kipling's Army, too.

Just finished the
"Revenger" by Rory Clements,
"Moon Boots & Dinner Suits" 1st autobiography of Jon Pertwee including his WWII service.
"U333 The Story of a U-boat Ace" by Peter Cremer.

Just started "The Mutiny" by Julian Rathbone
"Prince" by Rory Clements
"Rugby's Strangest Matches" John Griffiths

I normally read 3+ books at a time, one paperback for train journeys, one hardback for bedtime reading, & one other.

Washing of the Spears. I don't know how many times I've enjoyed this book.

D-Day, by Antony Beevor. A cracking good read!

A World Undone by Meyer

The 1929 Sino-Soviet War: The War Nobody Knew (Modern War Studies) by Michael Walker, one of several I am reading at the same time. This is one of the best of the group.

The Khakee Ressalah by Dunlop. Meerut Volunteer Horse in the Indian Mutiny

Books I've Read: June

Frederick the Great, by Nancy Mitford. While I've read a bit here and there about Frederick the Great, it's mostly about his battles. This biography pretty much ignores battles -- the entire Seven Years War is covered in about 16 pages. It concentrates on his childhood and the influences that carried him through the rest of his life and then on the interactions with his family and aristocracy across Europe. It's a nice change of pace. Enjoyed it.

Kill Ratio, by Janet Morris and David Drake. Terrorists carry out a test run of a DNA-centric virus on the UN's moon base and a customs agent and security chief race to foil the plot before the virus gets released on Earth. It's not a great book. It's not a bad book.

William Shakespeare Without the Boring Bits: A Brief Guide, by Peter Ackroyd. This might have been better written by Dan Ackroyd. If you take out the 'boring bits,' you pretty much have Cliff Notes (i.e. Spark Notes for the younger folks). After a brief biography of the Bard and his times, which was interesting, each play gets the same treatment: Sources Shakespeare used for background, Main Characters, and Plot Summary. Some add excerpts from the play. Tragedies are covered in depth, but historicals not so much. Includes complete texts of all 154 sonnets. To me, those 'boring bits' of Shakespeare make for brilliant theater. This book certainly will not foster any enjoyment of classic literature.

The German Generals Talk: Startling Revelations from Hitler's High Command, by B. H. Liddell Hart. This is a 1975 trade paperback version of the 1948 classic. Provides a good overview, circa 1920s through 1945, of German generals blaming Hitler for everything WWII, but in between the finger pointing are some interesting tactical observations. For example:
General Heinrici, commander of 4th Army, in 1943: Russians usually made about three attacks per day. First at 9am after heavy artillery preparation, second between 10am and 11am, and third between 2pm and 3pm. Losses of German divisions engaged -- reckoned at the equivalent of one battalion per division per day -- were compensated by drawing battalions from divisions not in direct offensive line. I always tried to have one fresh battalion behind each division. Heinrici also noted that the 3:1 maxim of attackers to defenders for a successful attack should be increased to 6:1 or 7:1 against a well-knit defense with a reasonable frontage. [Presumably Soviet attackers] He bragged that at timess his troops held off 12:1 and even 18:1. (p.216) Enjoyed it.

Into the Black: Odyssey One, by Evan Currie. Earth survives World War III, albeit with both sides still in place in some sort of Cold War, with us clever North Americans launching the first faster-than-light exploration ship. The Odyssey, which is also carries fighters, stumbles into an interstellar war featuring more advanced aliens and planetary genocide. A stalwart captain and crew, submarine-style tactics, and lots of lasers, torpedoes, and fighter action make for an interesting read, although I wasn't crazy about the too-neat twist at the end.

Dunkirk: A Patriotic Myth, by Nicholas Harman. This may be the US version of Dunkirk: A Necessary Myth, by the same author and published in the same year (1980). It rambles a bit, recounting events out of chronological sequence (and putting parenthetical references of page numbers in the text to earlier/later events) -- sort of like the 2017 movie Dunkirk. It's almost as if it's a series of separate magazine articles about the fall of France pasted together. Operation Dynamo proper starts on page 127. Lots of interesting anecdotes within, flashes of brilliant writing, and then the author goes off chronology and off goes my attention span.

Old Soldiers, by David Weber. A sci-fi novel about the bolo supertank Lazarus, obsolete but repaired from an earlier battle against the floppy-eared 'puppies' that were slowly grinding Earth's Empire into dust with planetary genocides across the stars. Earth sends out a colony task force in the opposite direction, but gets intercepted in a space battle that leaves all warships destroyed, but most human transport ships, including the ones with the bolos, intact. Alas, a stealth puppy transport shadows them to the new world and enter the ground contest between the last bolo, Lazarus, and a heavy assault brigade. Been a while since I read a bolo story. Enjoyed it.

Genesis Fleet: Ascendant, by James Campbell. The second book in the prequel to the Lost Fleet series continues the efforts of Geary, Darcy, and a variety of other characters to maintain independence from the rest of the autocratic empire builders in the galaxy. Good action in space and on the ground. Lost Fleet fans can already hear the chant "Alliance! Alliance! Alliance!" filtering through the narrative. Enjoyed it.

Just finished Daniel Ford's great history "The Flying Tigers". I just started S.C. Gwynne's "Empire of the Summer Moon". It is a history of the Comanches.

Mike Snook's excellent ‘Go Strong into the Desert'.

Just finished The Red Orchestra by Terrant. For anyone interested in this subject I highly recommend it.