What I Have Been Reading of Late

[Royzee617]

I see we have threads about what we are listening to etc so I wondered if it might be an idea to post a thread about books we are reading relating to WW2 etc.

I have just finished a book I bought about a decade ago entitled 'Battleground: The Corps' by W. E. B. Griffin. One of a series it was my first by this author. Not sure I would buy another if they are all like this one.

The aerial action in it is fairly small but interesting in places. Refers to various USMC a/c and their opponents so you get some inside gen on what it might have been like to fly and fight in F4Fs etc. For instance I didn't know they used to dive the plane to more rapidly lower the undercart. I did know it is a PITA to crank up and down... have seen an F4F take-off with its unique bobbing motion as the pilot handcranks it up while changing hands. Must have been even more fun off a carrier!

This is a book more about the chaps and their ladies than the warfare and Guadalcanal etc. Shame but it has some juicy bits here and there albeit coy.

Check it out on Amazon at:


Next on the review pile is:
'Damned Good Show: The Winged Legend of World War II'
(Cassell Military Paperbacks)
by Derek Robinson
All about bomber crews in the RAF with Hampdens and Wimpies in early WW2.

 

[lesofprimus]

There is a series that WEB Griffin has done called The Brotherhood of War... I have read the series several times over the past 10 years or so, and I think its one of the best series of books next to Lord of The Rings...

He uses the same characters introduced in the first book throughout the series.... Pretty interesting stuff too.... Craig Lowell is the shit....

The Lieutenants
The Captains
The Majors
The Colonels
The Berets
The Generals
The New Breed
The Aviators
Special Ops

W.E.B. Griffin first made his name on the national scene with THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR series, nine novels featuring the lives and exploits of the men of the U.S. Army and the women who love them. It is a saga that quickly became a tremendous critical and popular success.

"An American epic." –Tom Clancy

"Griffin has captured the rhythms of army life and speech, its rewards and deprivations... Captivating." –Publishers Weekly

"Absorbing, salted-peanuts reading, filled with detailed and fascinating descriptions of weapons, tactics, training, army life, and battle. The Brotherhood members themselves are interesting characters, possessed of intelligence and humor." –The New York Times

"Extremely well done... First rate." –The Washington Post

"A major work... magnificent... powerful. If books about warriors and the women who love them were given medals for authenticity, insight and honesty, THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR would be covered with them." –William Bradford Huie

 

[Gnomey]

Just finished reading James Holland's "Fortress Malta - An Island Under Siege 1940 - 1943). I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

I have now started on Andrew Williams's "D-Day to Berlin".

 

[Royzee617]

Oh dear me Les are going to have to disagree again...... plus I don't care for LOTR too much neither...oops.

 

[lesofprimus]

Oh dear me Les are going to have to disagree again......

Disagree on what??? A series of books u havent read yet???? Trust me, this series if better than anything else I've read from WEB.... Atleast we agree that CLUTCH kicks ass....

U dont care for LOTR books or movies???? I take the combination of both and appreciate the body of work more... The 4 books do get quite tedious at times, especially the Gollum parts, but on the whole, it is an experience unmatched by any other book series...

 

[Royzee617]

OK I have watched all of the LOTR movies and they have their moments. I have even tried to read the books... twice... but while they start OK engaging enough, they drag on.
It is just me. I do not care for 'epics' that much. All I meant about WEBG was that I doubt I shall pick up another of his books, well, I might if it is in the library maybe, but unlikely to buy one. They aren't that easy to get over here anyway.

Maybe too it has something to do with me being a Brit and these WEBG books are about Marines and other US soldiers (who I have great respect for) written by an American. I dunno I just could not get into the characters. It seemed like a good style, historically accurate etc. but ultimately not for me....

But since you love em so much Les maybe I will give em another try!

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

my friends keep trying to get me to read harry potter but to be honest i don't see what all the fuss with them books is about..............

 

[cheddar cheese]

I read the first 3 but then the next one was so slow in coming out that I grew out of it. I cant read any novel, I dont have the patience or imagination.

 

[Pisis]

My current reading:

1) Phillip Roth - American Pastoral
2) Alexander Hess - We Were In The Battle Of England
3) M. V. Kratochvíl - The Remarkable Battles Of Our (Czech) History

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

i couldn't read more than one book at a time...........

 

[Royzee617]

I have about 4 or 5 on the go at any one time... maybe a crime novel, Science Fiction, historical romance - opps no, how did that get in there? Plus some non-fiction WW2 usually mostly with planes in them but I like tanks and stuff too. Plus I like listening to audio books. I like magazines too... have too many of them. Thousands.

My kids have liked HP and LOTR but due to their age etc they are moving on to other stuff (I hope). These books are OK but seem derivative and light to me. I used to love Sword Sorcery like Conan etc. Plus hard sci-fi like Asimov and RAH et al. Now I like detective novels like Connolly and Patterson, Corben et al.

 

[lesofprimus]

Im reading 2 books right now....

Retiefs War by Keith Laumer (Sci Fi)
The Mighty Eighth by Gerald Astor

 

[Royzee617]

Just been trawling Airliners,net and found a vid ref:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/irspotlight.html

 

[Pisis]

I like magazines too... have too many of them. Thousands.

Yeah. Plus count in the everday newspaper releases (I read 2 newspaper releases per day and another one, which is a weekly news...). Sometimes I have my night table filled with interesting stuff that piles up to the ceiling (I keep the interesting articles and read them later, if they aren't actual)...

 

[Royzee617]

I have the daft notion of going all-electronic. Scanning in all the old mag clippings but then I think I might as well use the time to read em and then put them in the resyke box! Can't bear to chuck stuff away... bet I am not the only one!

 

[plan_D]

The instruction manual for Hearts of Iron 2.

 

[Pisis]

Speaking of studying, I currently have to read 3 whole school books until Thursday... Some 800 pages... Fortunately not Math but History and Architecture, thus it is at least interesting...

 

[cheddar cheese]

I am reading a book actually...Murray Walker's Formula One Heroes.

 

[trackend]

Im reading 2 books right now....

Retiefs War by Keith Laumer (Sci Fi)
The Mighty Eighth by Gerald Astor

I cant say I have read it but I have been told that The Mighty Eighth is a real classic Les.
At the moment I'm reading how to build Tamiya's Fairey Swordfish
unfortunately there isn't a chapter on how to improve your eyesight enough to be able to build Tamiya's Fairey Swordfish so I'm a bit stymied at the moment.

 

[Pisis]

I am reading a book actually...Murray Walker's Formula One Heroes.

A colorful bbok with big pictures in A4 format for kids 6-10?