What are you currently reading ?

[toxicpixie]

Oh man, at sixty quid a pop that's got to smart :S

[kipt]

Finished "Napoleon; A Life" by Andrew Roberts.  Very interesting anecdotes about Napoleon's life and the events and peoples he influenced.  Long book, 810 pages, so it took awhile.  Not heavily military, but enough for this book.  Some military passages I take a little exception to, however.

All in all, very worthwhile, even though I have many others on the Emperor.

[Westmarcher]

Just finished reading another of my cheap purchases on a recent visit to the USA,
"711, Ursneuvil: Bqy the Enilcepu Qwvurcih the 72 and Yqp the Lixqmwvcqpels 680." by Vbqneu F. Emmip.

"What is this gobbledygook" you may ask. For fans of Turn: Washington's Spies (American TV series), it will not surprise you that this is Benjamin Tallmadge's code for "George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War." by Thomas B. Allen.

As the title indicates, this is about the espionage war in that conflict.

Turn fans, do you remember Anna Strong hanging her laundry in certain ways to tell fellow spies the location of the cove where a Culper spy Ring message awaits? This really happened. Does the name Roderigue Hortalez and Company mean anything to you? This is the fake firm set up by the French to supply the colonists with guns and other military supplies before France entered the war.

When I started reading it, the style of writing reminded me of a Ladybird book and sure enough a quick flick to the back revealed that it had received various 'children's' as well as adult book accolades (e.g., American Library Assoc. Best Book for Young Adults 2005). However, do not let that put you off because the book is packed with stories of spy rings, individual spies and their successes and failures, methods of passing on secret messages (including Benjamin Tallmadge's code book) and so on.

Special care has also been taken to give the book a period feel. For starters, the book is set in a digital version of Caslon Antique, a typeface designed in the 1720's and all the rage in Europe and the American Colonies up to (and beyond) the American Revolution. It's also well illustrated with black and white reproductions of archival art and Harness's charming pen and ink sketches. Even the chapter titles are historically appropriate, such as "Franklin's French Friends. IN WHICH a wise man from Philadelphia goes to Paris and outfoxes spies of two nations."

A fascinating read and certainly made me think how much of a game changer the intelligence war was in that conflict. Next time I read about any of the campaigns in that theatre, I can see myself referring to this book if no mention is made of the intelligence aspect by the author of the book I am then reading.

[SV52]

'A Few Acres of Snow' - French and Indian War.  Something I've no particular interest in but someone kindly gifted me the book 

[Techno]

Listening to "The far side of the World".....Patrick O'Brian.
Seems to be the direct follow on of the last one I was listening to.
Very Enjoyable.

Cheers - Phil

[fsn]

I'm re-reading HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean.

Harrowing stuff ... but gripping.

[freddy326]

Just finishing a Kindle freebie about the 30 years war by Peter Wilson and then will be starting a re-read of the 3 volume epic that is The History of the Panzerkorps Grossdeutschland!

[cameronian]

Mike Embree's 'The Campaign in West and South Germany', a cracking read and beautifully produced, really nice.

[Steve J]

stuart Reid's '1745, the Jacobite Rebellion from a Military Perspective'. So far an excellent read and perfect background info for our Honours of War games.

[Leman]

1632 - What happens when a slice of C21st West Virginia mining country suddenly gets transposed with a piece of C17th Germany, and the mining community finds itself dumped into the Thirty Years War. Very entertaining hokum, e.g. the black doctor is accepted as a Moor practising Arab medicine, so he can be trusted. An old man of the time regales the West Virginians with his stories of visiting the Globe in his youth and meeting Shakespeare, but then shocks them by telling them that the Bard may have had a hand in some of the poorer plays, but the great ones were written by the Earl of Oxford, but he could not admit to this owing to his social standing.

[toxicpixie]

I really liked him casually shattering the Uptimers superiority complex when he apologises for only speaking a dozen languages well, and merely being fluent in another half dozen, and only being able to read a few more and not speak them. Sorry, bit useless there... why are you all looking at me funny?! Did I mispronounce something?!

Every time I read them I want to start randomly shouting "VASA!" any time some one asks me a question

[pierre the shy]

"Retreat and Rearguard 1914" by Jerry Murland. This is quite an in-depth account of the BEF's retreat from Mons to the Marne. It covers the lesser encounters with the pursuing Germans as well as the likes of Mons and Le Cateau, and is thus a great source of historical small-action scenarios. It also makes extensive use of first hand accounts which provide a great deal of atmosphere. It is well written and moves at a cracking pace, almost like a novel in places. For me it has been a great find. I got it as a Kindle version.

Thanks for the headsup on this book Leman. Got a copy..fantastic scenario ideas.

[cameronian]

You should also read Walter Blum's 'The Advance to Mons', the early days against the BEF as seen through the eyes of a German Grenadier reservist officer, novelist and playright (his father was killed at Spichern, his son on the eastern front some thirty years later).

[kipt]

Just finished "l'artillerie dans la peninsula Iberique", Souvenirs Militaires du General Hulot (1773 - 1843).

(My French isn't as good as I thought it was). This is more of a travelogue than descriptions of battles. However the General (didn't make general until after the Empire period) has interesting views on people and the terrain he passes through.

He missed most of the big battles. He was on the staff at Austerlitz and in fact did a lot of staff and garrison duty. Constant promotions however, so he was very competent as an artillery officer.

During the 100 Days he was artillery commandant at Anvers, so didn't see Waterloo. He became colonel of the 6th Artillery Regiment.

[Roy]

The Thomas Flashman books by Robert Brightwell

https://www.facebook.com/Thomas-Flashman-books-by-Robert-Brightwell-293334187386490/

[Techno]

Listening to, "The Hypnotist" by Lars Kepler.

Cheers - Phil

[fsn]

Are you feeling sleepy?

[Techno]

Yes, Nobby ! 

The clocks being changed doesn't help, either.

Cheers - Phil

[kipt]

Finished "Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I, The People's War", by Alexander Watson.

More about the trials and sufferings of the German and various Austrian peoples, though there are good overviews of the combat.

Here is a tactic that would be hard to duplicate in our games.

"One ambush on a Habsburg cavalry squadron, for example, was carried out by 300 Russians who approached at night by ringing cow bells, a deception that really could only have worked on the Eastern Front.  When the sun rose, the 'cows' gave a 'wild roar' and attacked from three sides.  Half the Austrians ran, the rest were taken prisoner or killed."

I learned a lot and am astounded that it took so long for Austria-Hungary to collapse.  Would have happened quickly even if there was no war.

[FierceKitty]

Ian Heath's The Armies of the Aztec and Inca Empires. Lots of solid research and juicy pictures, but well below Heath's earlier standard of writing, which makes for rough going at times.