What Book Are You Reading at the moment?

[warspite1]

Three chapters in and I have to say that Margaret Macmillan's book is thoroughly engrossing. She writes in an easy to read style too.

Still scene setting at the moment - let's hope the section on the actual negotiations is as good.

[Chickenboy]

Just finished the audiobook "What it is Like to go to War" by Karl Marlantes.

A deep and thought-provoking introspective on how warfare and the experiences of combat changed him. He spends a good deal of time discussing how we could do a better job for our future warriors of preparing them for the anguish that they will likely face when they kill. Riveting first person descriptions of his moral and ethical journey from his time in Vietnam.

Strongly recommended. Particularly strong recommendation to any young warriors joining the armed forces.

[m10bob]

Currently reading Gary Grigsby's WAR IN THE WEST......Very well organized and thought out!
It is illustrated throughout.

(Comes with the CD version of the game of the same name.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Three chapters in and I have to say that Margaret Macmillan's book is thoroughly engrossing. She writes in an easy to read style too.

Still scene setting at the moment - let's hope the section on the actual negotiations is as good.

warspite1

Yep. This book gets better as it goes along [&o]

Thoroughly recommend this to anyone interested in the whole WWI/WWII period.

[decaro]

"The Last Stand" by Nathaniel Philbrick.

[RodyMetal]

Any recommendation for an audiobook about ww2 eastern front (historical)? I listen to one called Deathride by Josh Mosier but didnt like it much.

[Crossroads]

"Tanks in the Winter War", by Maksim Koloyev just arrived in time for some Xmas weekend reading pleasure:



[:)]

[warspite1]

Fighters over the Fleet (Friedman) turned up today. Nice [:)]

[Hotschi]

My copy arrived 9 days ago... [X(]

Yes, a very nice and informative book - Norman Friedman as usual. On the positive side, there's heaps of information about "designs-which-never-were" - on the negative side, there's absolutely nothing to read about the AD Skyraider... except the AEW Version [:(]. As if this plane never existed, after all, over 3,000 have been built of all versions.

Strange...

[Zorch]

Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy.

[Aurelian]

After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000.

[Zorch]

Found this thread on Page 3!

WWII Plans That Never Happened: 1939-45.

[warspite1]

Finished Margaret MacMillan's Peacemakers.

Having finished it I just want to go back and read it all over again. A wonderful, interesting, well written, thought-provoking book. As all good books should, this tome makes me want to read more on the subject (if anyone knows another good work on the Treaty of Versailles please let me know).

The conclusion chapter could have been a little longer, but that is my only real gripe.

Anyone interested in World War I and II should read this. It is pleasing to see three of the most oft repeated and tired, lazy comments and accusations about the Treaty thoroughly demolished - specifically:

a) the ridiculously simplistic idea that Versailles caused World War II
b) the sweeping statement that the British and particularly the French were the cause of the problems and that if only they had listended to the Americans all would have been right.
c) Versailles created Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Poland.

MacMillan spares no one, French, British, American, Italian, or anyone else. She makes clear that each power had their own needs and requirements, fears and hopes, and that within each power, there was rarely a unified voice - not to mention the court of public opinion which those who dealt with the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars never had to face in the same way - particularly difficult if you are from a democracy....

Not least is the fact that at the end of the day we are talking about human beings, with their individual strengths and weaknesses, and personal prejudices that could affect, to a surprising degree, whether they supported a view point or worked against it.

Superb stuff [&o][&o][&o][&o]

[wings7]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Finished Margaret MacMillan's Peacemakers.

Having finished it I just want to go back and read it all over again. A wonderful, interesting, well written, thought-provoking book. As all good books should, this tome makes me want to read more on the subject (if anyone knows another good work on the Treaty of Versailles please let me know).

The conclusion chapter could have been a little longer, but that is my only real gripe.

Anyone interested in World War I and II should read this. It is pleasing to see three of the most oft repeated and tired, lazy comments and accusations about the Treaty thoroughly demolished - specifically:

a) the ridiculously simplistic idea that Versailles caused World War II
b) the sweeping statement that the British and particularly the French were the cause of the problems and that if only they had listended to the Americans all would have been right.
c) Versailles created Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Poland.

MacMillan spares no one, French, British, American, Italian, or anyone else. She makes clear that each power had their own needs and requirements, fears and hopes, and that within each power, there was rarely a unified voice - not to mention the court of public opinion which those who dealt with the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars never had to face in the same way - particularly difficult if you are from a democracy....

Not least is the fact that at the end of the day we are talking about human beings, with their individual strengths and weaknesses, and personal prejudices that could affect, to a surprising degree, whether they supported a view point or worked against it.

Superb stuff [&o][&o][&o][&o]

Sounds like a winner Robert! [:)]

[Rosseau]

The ESV version of the Bible. Currents on Numbers, so it will take a while.

[Chickenboy]

Just started two:

"Fletcher Class Destroyers" by Alan Raven and "A Distant Challenge" by Infantry Magazine.

The latter is a successor to "Infantry in Vietnam" and is a sort of a field manual review of lessons learned by the American infantryman in the Vietnam war. These sort of 'focus on the military activity only' books are the only ones I can read about Vietnam-so much of the popular press interdigitates the political front at home and detract from the military experience that I wish to read more about.

[warspite1]

Okay so the brilliant Peacemakers finished, I now move on to James Holland's The War in the West. This is the first of three books and covers 1939-1941.

Bad start... he's spent 2 pages on baseball and some guy who had nothing to do with the war.... [&:] Er, okay...

[wings7]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Okay so the brilliant Peacemakers finished, I now move on to James Holland's The War in the West. This is the first of three books and covers 1939-1941.

Bad start... he's spent 2 pages on baseball and some guy who had nothing to do with the war.... [&:] Er, okay...

Bad? Not from an American perspective, Baseball was (and still is with some) called "America's Pastime". [:)]

[Chickenboy]

Geez....some 1500+ pages over three volumes and someone's got their knickers in a twist about 2 pages of literary alliteration? Sounds like someone is impatient and wants to hurry up and get to the "pew pew pew" part of the book. Patience, lad! There'll be time enough for the bangety-bangety pew pew pew later. Why doncha relax and enjoy the ride?

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Geez....some 1500+ pages over three volumes and someone's got their knickers in a twist about 2 pages of literary alliteration? Sounds like someone is impatient and wants to hurry up and get to the "pew pew pew" part of the book. Patience, lad! There'll be time enough for the bangety-bangety pew pew pew later. Why doncha relax and enjoy the ride?

warspite1

Because its b******! [;)]

As he's telling this tale I thought maybe the guy went on to fight in the US Army or his team-mates were all at Pearl or the team owner personally paid for a squadron of B-17's....

No, it was none of the above, and the whole two pages were totally pointless. It rather reminded me of this wonderful saying:

Going to war without France* is like going deer hunting without your euphonium

Well:

Writing a book about the Western Front in WWII without mentioning some baseball dood who had nothing to do with the war is....

*nothing personal my French friends [:)]