What are you currently reading ?

[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.

[Steve J]

A People's Tragedy by Orlando Figes on the Russian revolution. Quite a tome but eminently readable and helps explain some of background history to the current Ukrainian conflict. We covered this at a very basic level at 'O' level, so nice to re-visit it many moons later and in much greater depth. Well worth getting IMHO.

[fsn]

Greg Baughen's "Rise and Fall of the French Airforce".



Very readable account of French air power from the first aircraft to WWII. The politics and policy changes that led to the aircraft of 1940 is very interesting. 

[fsn]

Waiting for this one to arrive ...


... but it won't be published until June!   

[kipt]

Finished "Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life" by David M. Jordan.

A good read about an interesting soldier, Hancock the Superb as he was called. Good descriptions of his combats, Gettysburg in particular.  After the war he stayed in the Army but was a good Democrat (so liked McClellan) but was dead set against rebellion.  fought the Indians, was in Louisiana for reconstruction where he greatly appealed to the former Confederates as he was not a Radical Republican.

He ran for President twice, nominated by the Democratic party the second time, but lost to Garfield in 1880.  I get the sense the author is more interested in the political campaigns than the military, but it is still a good book.

[Inactive]

Several books on the go at the moment, a few coming to conclusion so I always start off a couple more:

Closing with the Enemy: Michael Doubler - Great book on the development of US infantry tactics in WW2.

A Time for Trumpets: Charles McDonald - One of the best works on the Battle of the Bulge IMO, great for scenarios.

Breaking The Panzers: Kevin Baverstock.  Defence of Rauray, fascinating reading, again, great for scenarios,

Vietnam: Max Hastings - It's fashionable to dis Max Hastings these days, if only some others could write as well though!  At least Hastings' books don't put me to sleep with a wall of text!  Excellent and very readable account of the politics behind the war and the key decision points.

All the Kings Armies: Stuart Reid - Great book on the English Civil War with a focus on the military aspects.  Pity I don't find gaming it as interesting as the history.

Wars of the Roses: Mathew Lewis - A nice concise read that easily understandable and interesting to boot!

The Crusades: Thomas Asbridge - a more modern (but non apologist as seems the fashion these days!) take on the Crusades that draws on a lot of the more recently uncovered Muslim sources as well as more recent evidence from the Christian perspective.  Very well written too.