Finished The Rules of the Game and will review in due course. Meantime started Skagerrak and..........
..... let's just hope its a bad start and that it gets better - but I'm not holding my breath.
Not sure what nationality the author is, but he doesn't construct sentences like English is his first language. He also has an awful habit of using German names for things that he hasn't explained. But what is really grating is that he feels he has to write Scheer and Hipper's rank EVERYTIME he mentions them. AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!
What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
Moderator: maddog986
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
been quiet on this thread for a while. Just read the first two volumes of Alistair Reynolds 'Revelation Space' SF books (Revelation Space and Redemption Ark).
Have to say, am deeply impressed. First 50 pages of the first was a bit mheh (there is an interesting plot line that goes nowhere) but its wonderful to read a book about inter-stellar empires held together by sub-light speed travel (he assumes no miraculous solutions to this problem). Gives it all a very different feel. Lots of intelligent musings on issues such as longevity, how humanity splits into factions (some refuse to use artificial body parts, other embrace this, some are born and live in space etc). And has a good (and scary) go at answering the question 'if the universe is so old, why isn't it teaming with intelligent life?').
Since then started 'Century Rain' which has some similar ideas - especially about 'enhanced' humans but mostly based in and around Earth (could put you off nanotechnology though).
Have to say, am deeply impressed. First 50 pages of the first was a bit mheh (there is an interesting plot line that goes nowhere) but its wonderful to read a book about inter-stellar empires held together by sub-light speed travel (he assumes no miraculous solutions to this problem). Gives it all a very different feel. Lots of intelligent musings on issues such as longevity, how humanity splits into factions (some refuse to use artificial body parts, other embrace this, some are born and live in space etc). And has a good (and scary) go at answering the question 'if the universe is so old, why isn't it teaming with intelligent life?').
Since then started 'Century Rain' which has some similar ideas - especially about 'enhanced' humans but mostly based in and around Earth (could put you off nanotechnology though).
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
ORIGINAL: wodin
Have that in my wish list. It looks a real corker!ORIGINAL: parusski
Just started The German War: A Nation Under Arms, 1939-1945; Citizens and Soldiers by Nicholas Stargardt
It is a hell of a corker. I listened to the audio version. My wife heard some before I plugged in the headphones and she said "leave it on the speakers", which I did and she was as mesmerized as I was.
"I hate newspapermen. They come into camp and pick up their camp rumors and print them as facts. I regard them as spies, which, in truth, they are. If I killed them all there would be news from Hell before breakfast."- W.T. Sherman
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
@loki100,
You are so right, very good stuff.
I think I liked "The Precept" best of all. If you have not read it yet you are in for a treat.
I am just about to finish the fourth of Walter H. Hunt's "Dark" books. Hunt does allow his science to have "jumps", but this is not a hard science SF series, but it is fun military SF. I read the whole series a decade or so ago, and enjoyed the rereading.
Chuck
You are so right, very good stuff.
I think I liked "The Precept" best of all. If you have not read it yet you are in for a treat.
I am just about to finish the fourth of Walter H. Hunt's "Dark" books. Hunt does allow his science to have "jumps", but this is not a hard science SF series, but it is fun military SF. I read the whole series a decade or so ago, and enjoyed the rereading.
Chuck
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
I'm reading the Game of Thrones books.
"Venimus, vidimus, Deus vicit" John III Sobieski as he entered Vienna on 9/12/1683. "I came, I saw, God conquered."
He that has a mind to fight, let him fight, for now is the time. - Anacreon
He that has a mind to fight, let him fight, for now is the time. - Anacreon
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
warspite1ORIGINAL: warspite1
Finished The Rules of the Game and will review in due course. Meantime started Skagerrak and..........
..... let's just hope its a bad start and that it gets better - but I'm not holding my breath.
Not sure what nationality the author is, but he doesn't construct sentences like English is his first language. He also has an awful habit of using German names for things that he hasn't explained. But what is really grating is that he feels he has to write Scheer and Hipper's rank EVERYTIME he mentions them. AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!
Nope this is not getting any better. Treacle....wading against the tide in treacle. That is how reading this book feels. There is clearly some useful information in the book - the guy just cannot write in either a manner that is easy to read or that makes the subject interesting.... I'm nowhere near Jutland yet and frankly I am not sure I am going to get there.
If you want a book about Jutland - don't get this one.
Disappointed [:@]
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
Further to the review of Jellicoe's Jutland An Unfinished Battle, here is a review of another Jutland tome
The Rules of the Game - Jutland and the British Naval Command (Andrew Gordon) Penguin
This book is at times very technical – and on occasion is far from an easy read (unless one has some degree of naval/sailing background). That said, the book is still an enjoyable read and the author does at least provide the occasional diagram to help clarify the points being made. It is interesting to see just how difficult it is to always get accurate information on who did what and when. The author uses track charts from the 5th Battle Squadron to show the movements of each...the results are amazingly different. The German records - supposedly much better - contain many of the same problems.
It is a strange book in that it is, in effect, two books in one. Whether the two books are linked will depend on your point of view, and whether you agree with the central point the author is trying to make. One book (the first and third sections) is about the Battle of Jutland (although the book does not deal with the entirety of the battle in the same level of detail as some). Having said that, it is this book that has been the most helpful to me in fully understanding the various stages of the battle, particularly the events post the arrival of the Grand Fleet. In the first and third sections of the book, when the author is writing about the battle, this book was nothing short of unputdownable (I still don’t know if that is a word!) – absolutely riveting. There are a few brief personal vignettes too that break the heart.
Whilst the author makes clear his belief that there were command failings during the battle, he does not set about to simply rubbish Royal Navy performance at Jutland. He is also very clear about the four major mistakes made by Admiral Scheer during the battle – any of which could have been fatal to the German cause.
The second, book within a book, concentrates on what the author believes to be the reason that the Royal Navy failed to win a decisive victory at Jutland.
This section, in itself is not uninteresting – and the author makes what I believe is a pertinent point around the signals procedure that the RN entered the war with; a procedure that was too complicated, took too long and was too reliant on not having the few specialists able to operate it taken out in battle and/or the masts to fly them from still intact and/or the visibility to see them under battle conditions. To this end there is a large section on the sinking of the HMS Victoria in 1893 and the drowning of Vice-Admiral Tryon (who was trying to pioneer a less complicated signals process – one that more or less died with him).
Like most (all?) books on Jutland, the Jellicoe vs Beatty debate is always there in the background. The author is quite scathing of Beatty post war but appears to believe Jellicoe “and his men” to be the main cause of the problem during the battle. This is where I believe the middle section of the book loses its way somewhat. The author suggests that the RN in 1914 was led by admirals that were not trained to think enough for themselves; that peacetime conditions and unrivalled naval superiority led to a situation whereby the only thing that mattered was to have the shiniest ship. This is not an unbelievable situation – after all its human nature that unrivalled success can lead to complacency. But it’s when the author tries to make a case for why that state of affairs existed that I think he over eggs the pudding and goes too far to try and make his case.
Were there some admirals holding positions that they shouldn’t? Well it would be strange in any large organisation if that were not the case, but essentially the author brings in links to the Royal Family, Polar Exploration, Freemasonry and Jellicoe’s circle and it all goes a bit too far in my opinion, without really proving anything. Does being a friend of the future George V mean one is unsuited for battle? Does being outside that circle mean that one is? As part of this argument I think Rear-Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas (commander of the 5th Battle Squadron) gets a particularly rough ride but he is a useful foil if you want to make Beatty’s case appear better.
But even if you don’t agree with the author’s views in the middle section of the book, it’s interesting to help get a feel for the Royal Navy at that time – and as I said earlier, when the author is writing about the battle, this book is simply brilliant.
Would I recommend this book? One word - YES!
The Rules of the Game - Jutland and the British Naval Command (Andrew Gordon) Penguin
This book is at times very technical – and on occasion is far from an easy read (unless one has some degree of naval/sailing background). That said, the book is still an enjoyable read and the author does at least provide the occasional diagram to help clarify the points being made. It is interesting to see just how difficult it is to always get accurate information on who did what and when. The author uses track charts from the 5th Battle Squadron to show the movements of each...the results are amazingly different. The German records - supposedly much better - contain many of the same problems.
It is a strange book in that it is, in effect, two books in one. Whether the two books are linked will depend on your point of view, and whether you agree with the central point the author is trying to make. One book (the first and third sections) is about the Battle of Jutland (although the book does not deal with the entirety of the battle in the same level of detail as some). Having said that, it is this book that has been the most helpful to me in fully understanding the various stages of the battle, particularly the events post the arrival of the Grand Fleet. In the first and third sections of the book, when the author is writing about the battle, this book was nothing short of unputdownable (I still don’t know if that is a word!) – absolutely riveting. There are a few brief personal vignettes too that break the heart.
Whilst the author makes clear his belief that there were command failings during the battle, he does not set about to simply rubbish Royal Navy performance at Jutland. He is also very clear about the four major mistakes made by Admiral Scheer during the battle – any of which could have been fatal to the German cause.
The second, book within a book, concentrates on what the author believes to be the reason that the Royal Navy failed to win a decisive victory at Jutland.
This section, in itself is not uninteresting – and the author makes what I believe is a pertinent point around the signals procedure that the RN entered the war with; a procedure that was too complicated, took too long and was too reliant on not having the few specialists able to operate it taken out in battle and/or the masts to fly them from still intact and/or the visibility to see them under battle conditions. To this end there is a large section on the sinking of the HMS Victoria in 1893 and the drowning of Vice-Admiral Tryon (who was trying to pioneer a less complicated signals process – one that more or less died with him).
Like most (all?) books on Jutland, the Jellicoe vs Beatty debate is always there in the background. The author is quite scathing of Beatty post war but appears to believe Jellicoe “and his men” to be the main cause of the problem during the battle. This is where I believe the middle section of the book loses its way somewhat. The author suggests that the RN in 1914 was led by admirals that were not trained to think enough for themselves; that peacetime conditions and unrivalled naval superiority led to a situation whereby the only thing that mattered was to have the shiniest ship. This is not an unbelievable situation – after all its human nature that unrivalled success can lead to complacency. But it’s when the author tries to make a case for why that state of affairs existed that I think he over eggs the pudding and goes too far to try and make his case.
Were there some admirals holding positions that they shouldn’t? Well it would be strange in any large organisation if that were not the case, but essentially the author brings in links to the Royal Family, Polar Exploration, Freemasonry and Jellicoe’s circle and it all goes a bit too far in my opinion, without really proving anything. Does being a friend of the future George V mean one is unsuited for battle? Does being outside that circle mean that one is? As part of this argument I think Rear-Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas (commander of the 5th Battle Squadron) gets a particularly rough ride but he is a useful foil if you want to make Beatty’s case appear better.
But even if you don’t agree with the author’s views in the middle section of the book, it’s interesting to help get a feel for the Royal Navy at that time – and as I said earlier, when the author is writing about the battle, this book is simply brilliant.
Would I recommend this book? One word - YES!
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
ORIGINAL: cpdeyoung
@loki100,
You are so right, very good stuff.
I think I liked "The Precept" best of all. If you have not read it yet you are in for a treat.
I am just about to finish the fourth of Walter H. Hunt's "Dark" books. Hunt does allow his science to have "jumps", but this is not a hard science SF series, but it is fun military SF. I read the whole series a decade or so ago, and enjoyed the rereading.
Chuck
you've convinced me - bought, read first chapter, completely hooked [;)]
-
Speedysteve
- Posts: 15974
- Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2001 8:00 am
- Location: Reading, England
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
Thanks for the review Warspite. Food for thought on that book. I recently finished Massie's "Castles of Steel" again which I thoroughly enjoy.
WitE 2 Tester
WitE Tester
BTR/BoB Tester
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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
Bought Friedman's Fighting the Great War at Sea some time back. With all the Jutland stuff going on I thought it would be a good time to read it. Never read a reference book cover to cover before - let's give this one a go.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
Hi guys,
I just finished a book by Kevin Hines. Who is Kevin Hines? He jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in 2000 and lived. The book talks about his struggle with mental illness and his continuous battle with the disease. I recently went to one of his speaking arrangements. Great story and it would provide many people to look for help.
http://www.kevinhinesstory.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Cracked-Not-Broke ... 1442222409
You might have seen him on 20/20 and other shows.
Thanks for looking, I am also reading a book on Peiper and von Bock
I just finished a book by Kevin Hines. Who is Kevin Hines? He jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in 2000 and lived. The book talks about his struggle with mental illness and his continuous battle with the disease. I recently went to one of his speaking arrangements. Great story and it would provide many people to look for help.
http://www.kevinhinesstory.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Cracked-Not-Broke ... 1442222409
You might have seen him on 20/20 and other shows.
Thanks for looking, I am also reading a book on Peiper and von Bock
-
Jagdtiger14
- Posts: 1685
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:58 pm
- Location: Miami Beach
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
"Crisis of Character" by Gary J. Byrne (former presidential secret service officer (stationed outside the Oval Office while Bill Clinton was President)). A White House Secret Service Officer discloses his firsthand experience with Hillary, Bill, and how they operate.
"What I saw in the 1990's sickened me," Byrne explains. "I want you to hear my story".
Out June 28.
"What I saw in the 1990's sickened me," Byrne explains. "I want you to hear my story".
Out June 28.
Conflict with the unexpected: two qualities are indispensable; first, an intellect which, even in the midst of this obscurity, is not without some traces of inner light which lead to the truth; second, the courage to follow this faint light. KvC
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
The Jutland Scandal This is infact two versions of the Jutland story brought out between the wars and brought together. I bought this because I had hoped that as one of the authors was Vice-Admiral John Harper, I might get to understand more about his maps.
I have only read Harper's account so far and I have to say that in terms of adding to my knowledge gained from other sources, this has done little. The book seems to be written with a clear 'Jellicoe was right and Beatty was wrong' perspective, and also is written in a style I hate to see; the 'We' and "our" perspective. Harper's account is not designed to be impartial in that regard and so ends up reading as badly as Gary Staff's Skagerrak in places.
I hope Admiral Reginald Bacon's account adds something to the story.....
I have only read Harper's account so far and I have to say that in terms of adding to my knowledge gained from other sources, this has done little. The book seems to be written with a clear 'Jellicoe was right and Beatty was wrong' perspective, and also is written in a style I hate to see; the 'We' and "our" perspective. Harper's account is not designed to be impartial in that regard and so ends up reading as badly as Gary Staff's Skagerrak in places.
I hope Admiral Reginald Bacon's account adds something to the story.....
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
This seems political to me since the book isn't even out yet. [:(]ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14
"Crisis of Character" by Gary J. Byrne (former presidential secret service officer (stationed outside the Oval Office while Bill Clinton was President)). A White House Secret Service Officer discloses his firsthand experience with Hillary, Bill, and how they operate.
"What I saw in the 1990's sickened me," Byrne explains. "I want you to hear my story".
Out June 28.
Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb -- they're often students, for heaven's sake. - Terry Pratchett
A government is a body of people; usually, notably, ungoverned. - Quote from Firefly
A government is a body of people; usually, notably, ungoverned. - Quote from Firefly
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
Never mind.....
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
"Casino Royale" by Ian Fleming. Similar story with the movie. I saw the movie first and feel it is better, but the book is good and we really get to see the "cold hearted"(not in a bad way) soul of James. Enjoyable read.
Happiness is my goal
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plumb Martin. Have heard this work quoted many times in various documentaries so finally decided to read it. Pretty interesting through the first 33%
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
ORIGINAL: Orm
This seems political to me since the book isn't even out yet. [:(]ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14
"Crisis of Character" by Gary J. Byrne (former presidential secret service officer (stationed outside the Oval Office while Bill Clinton was President)). A White House Secret Service Officer discloses his firsthand experience with Hillary, Bill, and how they operate.
"What I saw in the 1990's sickened me," Byrne explains. "I want you to hear my story".
Out June 28.
Yes, I agree...
Please come and join and befriend me at the great Steam portal! There are quite a few Matrix/Slitherine players on Steam! My member page: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197988402427
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
ORIGINAL: lauren
"Casino Royale" by Ian Fleming. Similar story with the movie. I saw the movie first and feel it is better, but the book is good and we really get to see the "cold hearted"(not in a bad way) soul of James. Enjoyable read.
A true Bond classic! [:)]
Please come and join and befriend me at the great Steam portal! There are quite a few Matrix/Slitherine players on Steam! My member page: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197988402427
RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?
If only all the Bond books were as good as "Casino Royale". I really liked "Dr. No", but "Goldfinger" not as much. The early stories were best.
The early movies too. Sean Connery was very fine. I have not seen many of the newer movies, although I know they are popular.
Chuck
The early movies too. Sean Connery was very fine. I have not seen many of the newer movies, although I know they are popular.
Chuck