What are you currently reading ?

[kipt]

Finished "Napoleon Recaptures Paris" by Claude Manceron, the author that wrote "Austerlitz", a book I read so long ago.

This book discusses Napoleon's return from Elba, from the 14th of March to the 20th, in day by day narrative.  Many writings from both the Royalist side and the Bonapartist side.  Very well don, Manceron has a very engaging writing style which the translator has captured.

[Steve J]

Battle Tactics of the Civil War by Paddy Griffiths. An interesting read so far with little nuggets of info in there, helped by the fact that I read some very good books on some of the major battles last year, so I can understand most of the context.

[T13A]

Hi

Just finished (for the second time) 'War without Garlands: Operation Barbarrosa 1941-42' by Robert Kershaw. Excellent account (and harrowing) of just why Barbarrosa failed.

Cheers Paul

[kipt]

Finished "The Stonewall Brigade" by James I. Robertson, Jr.  As it indicates a history of the brigade with many inclusions of letters and reports.  Actually not much about the various combats but observations by the soldiers that were there.  It was an "elite" unit because the regiments and soldiers that were part of it considered themselves so.  They did perform.

[Big Insect]

Started re-reading War with Russia - by General Sir Richard Shirreff. (ISBN: 978-1-473-63225-7)
It was very good the first time around, but with what is going on in Ukraine I am now reading it with a more thorough eye for the detail.
Thoroughly recommended & very accessible

[Sean Clark]

Picked up on your recommendation Mark. It's both chilling and eye opening.

[kipt]

Finished "the Attack and Defense of Little Round Top: Gettysburg, July 2, 1863" by Oliver Wilcox Norton.  The author was from the 83rd PA and detached to the third brigade HQ (3/1/V) as brigade bugler and guidon bearer of the HQ flag.  He had enlisted in the 83rd and eventual became a first lieutenant with the 8th USCT.

In this book the author uses information from historians, the Official Records, both from Federals and Confederates, and letters from General Warren and others to establish what had happened at Little Round Top.  Up until he wrote and published (1913) there were several different views of the sequence of the action, particularly regarding Gen. Warren's role.  What he established is what is currently seen as correct.  This is a reprint of 1992 by Stan Clarke Military Books, Gettysburg (evidently still in business).

[Sean Clark]

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, by Laurie Lee.

A beautifully written account of his journey through Spain in the run upto the civil War. Highly recommended.

[T13A]

Hi

Just finished 'The Road to Dunkirk: The British Expeditionary Force and the Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal, 1940' by Charles More. Some excellent material for scenarios for BEF v Germans but not if you want panzers! Good book.

Cheers Paul

[Big Insect]

Just finished reading The Anarchy by William Dalrymple (who I have to admit is one of my most favorite authors about anything to do with India).

It is all about the rise of the East India Company (EIC) and the creation of the worlds first 'too big to fail" joint stock company and the dangers of letting a corporation control the lives of millions of people in an unfettered and unregulated manner (hmmm ... an C18th version of Facebook ... but with an army!).

Some really interesting insights into the declining Mughal Empire, Tipu Sultan and his army and the Maratha and Carnatic Wars. Also, just how quickly the Indians adapted to European warfare and just how close they came, on a number of occasions to destroying the EIC and changing the history of India.
All written in a really engaging style.

I'm now very tempted by the idea of armies of early Sepoys - in their European style jackets, huge turbans and cycling shorts!!! Along with very colourful massed Indian cavalry, elephants and a lot of artillery (including camel mounted rockets and massed camel swivel guns). What is not to like 

A great read. I'd thoroughly recommend it.

Mark

[mmcv]

I've had The Anarchy pop up on my recommendations a few times, tempting!

I'm about halfway through There's A Devil In The Drum by John F Lucy. Very well written account by a ranker in the opening years of the Great War. Very approachable and good sense of humour, particularly in the early stages before the war, though of course takes a darker tone as the war kicks off properly.

[kipt]

Finished "A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century" by Barbara Tuchman.  This is a dense book, both for size (597 close writ pages) and contents. Battles between the French and English, the papal schism, crusades to Palestine, fighting in Spain and 3 episodes of the Black Death.

In this description of the 14th century, she follows a French noble, Sire de Coucy, who lived through most of it.  He was a very accomplished knight; warrior, diplomat, counselor.

Her writing is great; very readable and full of facts.

[kipt]

Finished "War: How Conflict Shaped Us" by Margaret MacMillan.  Very well done.  Discusses the whys and hows (to a certain extent).  The soldiers and the civilians (sometimes victims, sometimes instigators). The writing, the art, the governments preparations and the anti-war groups are all in here.  How rules have been made by governments and how they are ignored when convenient.

It is a high level view of wars in history, specifically 18th and 19th Centuries, but with many views by participants.  At the end of the conclusion she says "It is not time to avert our eyes from something we may find abhorrent.  We must, more than ever, think about war."  Very timely considering Ukraine.  The book was published 2020.

[kipt]

Finished "Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain" by Robert K. Krick.

This is wonderful "Battle Book".  Full of tactical combats with units listed.  Cedar Mountain saw a Confederate victory, but only after a huge repulse of Jackson's left flank.  The Union brigade of General Crawford knocked back parts of 3 Confederate brigades but ran out of steam.  AP Hill's brigades were coming up and chased back the remnants of Crawford and then continued on.

There was also an ill conceived cavalry charge down a road that was gleefully shot up by rebels on the flanks.

Too big for Regimental Fire and Fury, but  I may do this in Brigade Fire and Fury.

[Sean Clark]

My goodness, you get through some books! Do you get time to do any hobbying? 

[kipt]

I'm up early - 4:00 and paint then.  Work at 7:00 (still working at 76 years old).  Always have 2 or 3 books going.  We don't have a TV so read a lot.  About 14,000 books in the house, most of them military (earliest is 1796).  Gaming before the pandemic was about once per month.  Lately some Zoom games (don't like those) but so far only 2 face to face games this year.

[paulr]

       That's an impressive collection of books

[Big Insect]

We don't have a TV so read a lot. 

I have to agree about a lack of a TV - we got rid of ours about 10 years back - it gave us back so much time.
We'll watch films on Amazon or Netflix or C4 or BBC, but we treat that more like going to the cinema - but at a time of our choice.

I also find painting in the early part of the day best - the light seem right to me - up & painting at 06.00 - start work @ 08.30. On a daily basis that gives me my painting 'fix'.

We probably have a similar number of books to you - but I've not counted accurately - they are a mix of military, history, sci-fi, poetry, psychotherapy, art/art history, cooking, travel and gardening.
You cannot beat a good book to send you off to sleep at night 

[DecemDave]

You cannot beat a good book to send you off to sleep at night 

And a boring one is even better 

[kipt]

I bought a book at a Friends of the Library sale, "The Battle: A New History of Waterloo" by Alessandro Barbero, translated by John Cullen. Because it was only $5.00 I said why not another book on Waterloo (I have at least 30 just on Waterloo already).

However, I was pleasantly surprised. Mark Adkin, the author of "The Waterloo Companion" praises it thusly.  "A thoroughly readable, exciting account of a great clash of arms. The Battle gives  gripping insights into what it was like to fight on the Napoleonic battlefield.  Brilliant."

And I agree.  Quite a slog, with the French tirailleurs constantly approaching the Allied lines, even during and between the cavalry actions.  Seems like they, rather than the artillery, may have caused most of the casualties in the battalions.

Good book.