What are you currently reading ?

[Steve J]

Just finished my read through of BKCIV and I must say I'm very impressed. A few queries here and there, but nothing major. As with BKCII, I will tweak things to suit my style of gaming, but then that's the strength of these rules IMHO. Looking forward to giving these a run out soon.

[KTravlos]

 I read the Osprey Book "Latin American Wars 1900-1941". Very good survey of some of the lesser known conflicts of the interwar period. Lots of interesting fodder for small scale war-gaming.

[steve_holmes_11]

Not reading, but since this is the most bookish thread I know of.
Spotted today on Amazon (Looks like a working title).

Bernard Cornwell Untitled Book 2 Hardcover – 3 Oct 2019

The Last Kingdom series goes from strength to strength with Uhtred becoming ever more interesting – in so many ways a modern hero, facing a new world, with changing allegiances, but still held by traditional loyalties.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bernard-Cornwell-Untitled-Book-2/dp/0008183899/ref=pd_lutyp_bmx_6_3/258-0071880-0664038?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0008183899&pd_rd_r=b0941869-a508-49f8-95f0-0dc027c58c61&pd_rd_w=NCxJ0&pd_rd_wg=GhubP&pf_rd_p=344babc4-e692-46e9-93f4-d7902b957540&pf_rd_r=13S1493M1YHGBQ9PV4NE&psc=1&refRID=13S1493M1YHGBQ9PV4NE

[kipt]

Finished "Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection" which is as it says.  Pictures of items in the collection as well as pictures, with a narrative that ties it all together.

Pretty coffee table book.

[sunjester]

"Armed with Stings" by A C Hampshire about the Insect class gunboats. I've only reached the end of the First World war but I'm hoping to get some scenario ideas for Cruel Seas.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

My Dad's rice paper edition of Lord of The Rings, for Nazgul mostly..

[Ben Waterhouse]

John Gills 1809 trilogy, awaiting my Wurttembergers...

[steve_holmes_11]

The Analects of Confucius (by Confucius)    - Love that title.

Translated by James Legge.

[kipt]

Finished Vol 83, No. 2 of "The Journal of Military History" 

Some of the articles are:
Attila's Appetite: The Logistics of Attila the Hun's Invasion of Italy in 452,
"This French artillery is very good and very effective." Hypotheses on the Diffusion of a New Military Technology in Renaissance Italy.
Older German Officers and National Socialist Activism: Evidence from the Volksturm.
Friction in Action: Revisiting the U.S. Army Air Forces' August 1943 Raid on Ploesti.

And many book reviews as always.  Published 4 times a year and I always find new books I want to buy.

[FierceKitty]

Duffy's The Army of Frederick the Great - as ever, reliably researched and well written; but, dear Heavens, the publishers should be forced to run the gauntlet twenty-four times for going to press with such shoddy editing! Every three pages or so one needs to stop and puzzle out what the original sentence was, before careless typing mucked it up. Angry.

[Steve J]

Is this the Helion re-print FK?

[fsn]

Just started re-re-re-reading "The Ship", IMHO the best of CS Forester's output.

The story of a British light cruiser in the Med early in WWII.

[FierceKitty]

Is this the Helion re-print FK?

The Emperor's Press.

[kipt]

Finished "The War in the North Sea: The Royal Navy and the Imperial German Navy 1914-1918" by Quintin Barry.  I bought the book for two reasons; I am painting ships for WWI (although Turkey vs Russia first) and Quintin Barry was the author.  I really like his writing and I was not disappointed.

This is more than Jutland; interaction between and among commanders and politicians on both sides, small actions, the U-Boats, the convoy system and the final scuttling of the German Fleet.  Highly recommended.

[FierceKitty]

The popular English pro-German sentiment after the High Seas fleet went to Davy Jones should be one of the proudest moments in English history.

[kipt]

Finished "Strategy of the Franco-German War" by Brevet-Major W.D. Bird, written in 1909.  This is the FPW up to Sedan.  Pull out maps in the front and back and with many maps in the text. Interesting that the maps on the pages are in two forms.  The first half of the book shows the French actual positions with the assumed Prussian positions on the same map.  Then below that map on the same page are the actual Prussian positions.

The second half of the book reverses that.  Prussian positions with assumed French on the top map and then below the actual French positions.  Large scale maps in the text so not a lot of unit detail - typically corps with some divisions, primarily cavalry.

The pull out maps show the railways used (map 1) and the principal roads (map 2) in the front of the book.  In the back pull out section are the OB's and initial dispositions - seven separate folded items.

Nothing really new except the presentation.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Oh not that sounds like a brilliant find

[lowlylowlycook]

That kind of reminds me of when I'm extremely bored and watching poker on TV.  The whole time I'm criticizing the many obvious mistakes the players are making.   Well, right up until they stop showing what everyone has and, who would have guessed it, but I'm a complete ignoramus and have zero clue about what is even happening.

[fsn]

The Battle of the Narrow Seas: The History of Light Coastal Forces in the Channel and North Sea 1939-1945 by Peter Scott.

First published 1945 (I think) so full of British grit and determined Germans, it's the tale of the MTBs, MGBs and MLs in WWII. Written so close to the end of the war, it's value is more in the large tracts of personal experience rather than as a balanced view of the campaign.

It was the recent thread that had me reaching for this volume which I know I should have read years ago. I am struck by the story of the last boat out of Dunkirk. It was escorting a ship that was to be used as a block ship, but the dashed Germans sank it before it could be properly placed. The ML (or was it an MTB) took off the crew, and saw that a lifeboat from the ship had floated free wth two wounded sailors in it. The captain of the MGB took the lifeboat in tow, but couldn't shift it. Apparently, the lifeboat was still connected to the sunken block ship.

How many rule sets would come up with things like that?    

[FierceKitty]

The Destruction of Lord Raglan - just finished. OK, Raglan was a decent man. He should still never have been entrusted with an army he couldn't provide for!

Read it for the amusing exchange with Gen. Canrobert at Inkermann; not, perhaps, suitable for putting in this forum!