What Book Are You Reading at the moment?

[chemkid]

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[Saint Ruth]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: cpdeyoung

Catastrophe - I enjoyed this book. I liked the transition from diplomacy to the opening battles of the war.

Warspite1 - There does seem to be a big change in opinion of the British Army, in both world wars, from the books I read in my youth to today. I remember reading about the Normandy campaign after the landings, with some significant beating up of the British forces by the author. I don't remember the book just off hand.

Chuck

warspite1

Its a real shame because I find Max Hastings to be an excellent story teller. To be clear I do not have a problem with any pointing out of the truth, its the way it is being presented. He finally said something positive about the British performance in the latter stages of the Battle of the Marne, but essentially it boils down to this:

German and, particularly the French fought like lions but their leaders were rubbish,
The British hardly fought at all, and when they did, they were incompetent at all levels.
The German and French fighting is largely at army / corps level, while the tales of the British are at division, regiment or even smaller level - hence the comment earlier about having time to trash the merits of one soldier's Victoria Cross...

Just bought Catastrophe.
He's a great writer. I've read both Armageddon and Nemesis (Japan 44-45) and both were excellent.
He was very critical of the Western Allies in general. His point being that they broke through the German front once after nearly a month in Normandy and then for the next 7 months the only breakthrough was by the Germans (the Bulge).
You don't want to know his opinion about the British in Nemesis, never mind the Australians.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Saint Ruth

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: cpdeyoung

Catastrophe - I enjoyed this book. I liked the transition from diplomacy to the opening battles of the war.

Warspite1 - There does seem to be a big change in opinion of the British Army, in both world wars, from the books I read in my youth to today. I remember reading about the Normandy campaign after the landings, with some significant beating up of the British forces by the author. I don't remember the book just off hand.

Chuck

warspite1

Its a real shame because I find Max Hastings to be an excellent story teller. To be clear I do not have a problem with any pointing out of the truth, its the way it is being presented. He finally said something positive about the British performance in the latter stages of the Battle of the Marne, but essentially it boils down to this:

German and, particularly the French fought like lions but their leaders were rubbish,
The British hardly fought at all, and when they did, they were incompetent at all levels.
The German and French fighting is largely at army / corps level, while the tales of the British are at division, regiment or even smaller level - hence the comment earlier about having time to trash the merits of one soldier's Victoria Cross...

Just bought Catastrophe.
He's a great writer. I've read both Armageddon and Nemesis (Japan 44-45) and both were excellent.
He was very critical of the Western Allies in general. His point being that they broke through the German front once after nearly a month in Normandy and then for the next 7 months the only breakthrough was by the Germans (the Bulge).
You don't want to know his opinion about the British in Nemesis, never mind the Australians.

warspite1

I didn't have a big issue with his criticism of the Western Allies in Armegeddon - because he at least gave some valid mitigants as to why they took so long to win the war. Its the fact that more and more he appears to be overcompensating for something by making his observations one sided to the point it no longer seems he is trying to be objective - rather he just has an axe to grind....

Still a very readable author though.

[Saint Ruth]

ORIGINAL: warspite1
I didn't have a big issue with his criticism of the Western Allies in Armegeddon - because he at least gave some valid mitigants as to why they took so long to win the war. Its the fact that more and more he appears to be overcompensating for something by making his observations one sided to the point it no longer seems he is trying to be objective - rather he just has an axe to grind....

Indeed, he does seem to have an axe to grind. And, considering he writes for the Daily Mail, it's all rather confusing about what the 'axe' is.
Still, he writes well, and as long as Max Hastings isn't the only author one reads, I can't recommend him enough!
Actually, a bit like William Shirar's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. That would appall modern liberals with its descriptions of Nazis but, by Golly, it's a great read all the same.

[KG Erwin]

During the holiday vacation, I plan on revisiting Douglas Southall Freeman's classic "Lee's Lieutenants". I have all three volumes in my collection. These were published in the WWII years, and were read by many American generals during the war. Freeman has some detractors, but he convincingly shows that the decline in Confederate leadership, mainly due to attrition, was a primary cause in the South's loss in the ACW. I'm of the personal opinion that the CSA never had a chance, but the war could've been prolonged with the survival of Jackson, Stuart and several other Confederate combat leaders.

[Jevhaddah]

Still working my way through Bernard Cornwell's 'Sharpe' books and I am currently on Sharpe's Sword.

I am reading them in chronological order and so far the library has had to 'buy in' two of the books for me. [8D]

Cheers

Jev

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Saint Ruth

ORIGINAL: warspite1
I didn't have a big issue with his criticism of the Western Allies in Armegeddon - because he at least gave some valid mitigants as to why they took so long to win the war. Its the fact that more and more he appears to be overcompensating for something by making his observations one sided to the point it no longer seems he is trying to be objective - rather he just has an axe to grind....

Indeed, he does seem to have an axe to grind. And, considering he writes for the Daily Mail, it's all rather confusing about what the 'axe' is.
Still, he writes well, and as long as Max Hastings isn't the only author one reads, I can't recommend him enough!
Actually, a bit like William Shirar's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. That would appall modern liberals with its descriptions of Nazis but, by Golly, it's a great read all the same.

warspite1

We seem to have similiar taste Saint Ruth [:)]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Got these two on order [:)] Well its almost Christmas...ish

Seaforth Publishing and Norman Friedman - great combination.

warspite1

Well that's a shame...

Amazon still having trouble with a date for the former and they have just advised me they are cancelling my order for the latter as they have given up trying to get it...[&:]

[Orm]

Just finnished reading Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell.

To bad that this is a stand alone novel since I really liked the setting in the American Revolutionary War.

[Hotschi]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Hotschi, please let me know what you think once you have read it. My take on it is that Churchill was no different to the overwhelming majority
of his contemporaries - its the old problem of trying to judge people of yesteryear by the standards of today.

Finished Churchill's Empire and was very impressed by it. As I understood it, Winston adopted his views on race in his early years and clung to them - whatever they were- until his death. Whether he was "similar" or "worse" in this than his contemporaries; who am I to judge? He was a "children of his time". Many views and convictions acceptable back then are unacceptable today - and vice versa. I learned a lot about him - and as always, checking the notes, I ordered some more interesting books.

Started Churchill and Australia by Graham Freudenberg last night.

[Will_L_OLD]

ORIGINAL: shunwick

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

I love this book.

Didn't expect to like this one when it was passed on to me but enjoyed reading it.

[TulliusDetritus]

A Confederacy of Dunces (John Kennedy Toole) with our friend Ignatius J. Reilly [:D]

This is the second time I read this hilarious book. Only published after the death -suicide- of the author: the book had been refused. Goes to show there are plenty of clowns.

[Queeg]

Re-re-re-reading the Flashman series by the late great George MacDonald Fraser. Probably my all-time favorite series.

ORIGINAL: Orm

Just finnished reading Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell.

To bad that this is a stand alone novel since I really liked the setting in the American Revolutionary War.

Take a look at The Fort, another of his books set in the Revolution. Haven't read it myself but I've read virtually everything else he's written. Great writer.

Here: http://www.amazon.com/Fort-Novel-Revolu ... B008SLBCL4

[Gilmer]

Reading a Stephen Attebrook mystery by Jason Vail. Set in England in the time of Henry the 3rd. I enjoy reading these types of books.

[fodder]

The Last Dogfight by Martin Caidin

[Orm]

Divide and Rule. The Partition of Africa, 1880-1914 by Henk Wesseling.

[Hotschi]

This title sounds very interesting, Orm. Please let me know what you think about it.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

I saw, quite on the off chance, that there is a book by Geirr H Haarr called The Gathering Storm (The Naval War in Northern Europe Sept 30 to April 40).

Having bought, read and loved this author's work on the naval war during the Norwegian Campaign - The German Invasion of Norway and Battle For Norway - I thought I would take a chance and buy it. It arrived today and from a quick glance through I have to say this looks like its going to be another very good read [:)]

warspite1

About a quarter of the way in and yes - despite a couple of annoying errors - I am finding this difficult to put down. I hope this guy writes more books!!

[wodin]

Besieged the Epic Battle for Cholm by J D Marks. Finally got my Xmas pressie from my Mum and Dad!! His books are so expensive..however Island of Fire is prob the best book I've ever read be it fact or fiction. Currently reading his book on Into Oblivion Pioneer Battalion 305 book I got as a gift from the author himself! Now I have this one aswell..love it.

(My Mum and Dad bought me Cholm in the summer as it was on sale at near half price, they've had hold of it until now)

http://www.amazon.com/Besieged-Epic-Battle-For-Cholm/dp/0975107690

Also see his books as an investment..he hasn't really the resources to do reprints and on going by his first book The leaping Horsemen they double or even triple in price.

[Hotschi]

Any recommendations for a good World War I history book?