Books - What are you reading?

[Feathered_IV]

Halfway through the book.  Nothing really about Rabaul yet.  Just a sort of potted history of the Guadalcanal campaign from the US naval perspective.  Will keep plodding through..

 

[DBFlyguy]

I got really lucky on a recent used bookstore trip and picked up these three! Gonna be starting on "Devotion" soon to get ready for the upcoming movie then "Hell Hawks" after that followed by "Top Guns"

 

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by DBFlyguy

[cardboard_killer]

Finally finished Thinking Fast and Slow. Great book! Decided to follow the author with:

 

[Legioneod]

Good book for those interested in the naval battles during the Guadalcanal campaign.

Very few WW2 naval battles were as intense as those fought around Guadalcanal imo. Also one of the few times battleships clashed in the pacific. US only fought two battleship vs battleship battles during the entire war.

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Legioneod

[Props]

Legioneod, I have been considering reading Neptune's Inferno as I have a "fascination" with the Battle for Guadalcanal and the naval surface actions surrounding that period, so I'll be taking your recommendation under consideration. I just finished reading through both First Team books by John B. Lundstrom twice back to back and it was quite the eye opener in regards to the early US Navy air combat in the Pacific going into much detail that just did not seem to be available anywhere else, including details on the IJN flyers that just seems to never be written about in western literature. I especially took note of the excessive claims of aircraft downed by both Japanese and American pilots that proven incorrect once the historical records were studied. So this would be a great companion read as a follow-up. 

 

Could you recommend any good reads on the New Guinea campaigns? Those battles are not covered well and they were most intense as well.

[cardboard_killer]

17 hours ago, Legioneod said:

Good book for those interested in the naval battles during the Guadalcanal campaign.

 

6 minutes ago, Props said:

so I'll be taking your recommendation under consideration.

 

I am not a fan of the book. It is very verbose with American crew members' experiences, but poor on strategy and even tactics and has almost nothing on the Japanese experience.

 

The best book on Guadalcanal is, IMO, still Richard Frank's book Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle . It weaves the story of the land, sea, and air battles together into a great story, and has a fair amount of detail on the Japanese side of the hill, too.

 

 

While dated and lacking Japanese input, Samuel Elliot Morison's book on the battle is also very good. It is volume five of his excellent history of the US Navy in WW2. Struggle for Guadalcanal: August 1942 - February 1943

 

[Props]

Interesting - I was also thinking about Richard B. Franks book as I had heard reference to it in some of Drachinifel's (think I spelled that right;-) videos on Youtube. Whichever I choose it'll be my next read, thanx

[cardboard_killer]

3 hours ago, Props said:

I was also thinking about Richard B. Franks book as I had heard reference to it in some of Drachinifel's

I actually think that it is the best history of a campaign I've ever read, because of its accessibility, it's intertwining of the three services' sides, and the inclusion of so much from the Japanese side.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking of getting into Bridge.

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by cardboard_killer

[Legioneod]

On 8/15/2021 at 8:09 AM, cardboard_killer said:

 

 

I am not a fan of the book. It is very verbose with American crew members' experiences, but poor on strategy and even tactics and has almost nothing on the Japanese experience.

 

The best book on Guadalcanal is, IMO, still Richard Frank's book Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle . It weaves the story of the land, sea, and air battles together into a great story, and has a fair amount of detail on the Japanese side of the hill, too.

 

 

While dated and lacking Japanese input, Samuel Elliot Morison's book on the battle is also very good. It is volume five of his excellent history of the US Navy in WW2. Struggle for Guadalcanal: August 1942 - February 1943

 

I haven't finished the book yet but I think it's pretty good for what it is. It's not meant to go into details of the campaign as a whole and its focus is the US Navy experiences so I can see why it's lacking in the Japanese viewpoint. For a greater detail of the campaign I'm sure the books you've mentioned are better (I'll have to pick them up one day)

 

 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Legioneod

[Monty_Thrud]

[Diggun]

Found this 1st edition(!) in a pile of 2nd hand books in the porch of Fen Ditton church, on offer for a donation. Bit of a bargain for £1, I thought... 

Edited August 18, 2021 by Diggun

[JLean]

[cardboard_killer]

got this for my kindle on sale for $2.99. I am very leery of these books on SS organizations due to the nauseating fetishization of the SS by some, but the time period really interests me. EDIT: I was right to be leery. I got a third of the way into it and stopped. Waste of my $3. Avoid.

 

 

Also, picked up this this morning for the whopping cost of $0.125, twelve and a half cents US, marked down from two bits, $0.25

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by cardboard_killer

[Bremspropeller]

4 hours ago, Diggun said:

Found this 1st edition(!) in a pile of 2nd hand books in the porch of Fen Ditton church, on offer for a donation. Bit of a bargain for £1, I thought... 

 

It certainly is a bargain! It's one of the best flying books ever written!

 

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by Bremspropeller

[Blooddawn1942]

Deep into the 7th novel of Stephen King's Dark Tower Series. I'm loving it. Impressive read! 

[Bremspropeller]

Unfortunately, Lawrence Hickey has passed away a short time ago.

 

This may well be the end of his really awesome work on the 5th AF Bombing Groups books.

Supposedly Vol 1 of "Harvest of the Grim Reapers" is being prepared for printing right now. Hopefully, the rest of the team can fulfill his dream and legacy.

 

https://irandpcorp.com/current-projects-2/

 

If anybody is interested - the books that have been published so far (Warpath through to Ken's Men vol II) are truly awesome and worth every penny.

[sevenless]

Perfect combination to learn what happened from 01/44 to 06/44 pre D-Day.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Blitz-Operation-Steinbock-Luftwaffes/dp/0955473586/ref=sr_1_41?dchild=1&keywords=The+Last+Blitz&qid=1629447814&sr=8-41

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blitz-Then-Now-Battle-Editions/dp/B00CF6DU18/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=after+the+battle+the+blitz&qid=1629447856&sr=8-3

Edited August 20, 2021 by sevenless

[cardboard_killer]

Gave up on my last history (see above), so got this from interlibrary loan. I suspect I will lose patience with it and skip around a bit as I won't have it long enough to plow through all 900 pages.

 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2021 by cardboard_killer

[Heliopause]

Interesting read I stumbled upon in second hand store

[lucky_dan]

Just started Churchill's books on the Second World War. Wonderful perspective. 

[Bremspropeller]

Just recieved the new Ta 154 book by Dietmar Hermann and I can say it's an awesome volume.

I have the original, german version, too. This volume is much improved, with more photos and lots of profile views.

 

https://www.crecy.co.uk/ta-154-moskito

 

 

@busdriver and @DD_Fenrir certainly should very much consider getting a copy. Highly recommended.

 

The book isn't just about ze germen Moskito, but it is a very good study on how RLM dropped the ball in 1942 and never managed to pick it up agin in the years following.

When the airplane eventually got ready for prime-time, it was cancelled, despite being the only nightfighter-design at hand that could reliably pose a threat to intruding Mosquitos.

 

 

 

 

[cardboard_killer]

Science fiction, which I don't care for but had this recommended to me.

 

[Bremspropeller]

Spoiler

https://www.amazon.com/Nemotos-Travels-Illustrated-Japanese-Floatplane/dp/0648926257

 

 

@BlitzPig_EL might that be something for you?

[BlitzPig_EL]

Thanks Brems, order placed.

 

 

[cardboard_killer]

Back to non fiction.

 

[Bremspropeller]

I'm not sure if  @cardboard_killer is a hoarder, or if he just reads at 10x of my reading rate.

And I already do have a royal duckton of a reading-backlog...

 

?

[cardboard_killer]

6 minutes ago, Bremspropeller said:

I'm not sure if  @cardboard_killer is a hoarder, or if he just reads at 10x of my reading rate.

 

Actually, I got rid of most of my books over the last few years in an attempt to have less "stuff". Now I almost exclusively use my library for books, or, when I buy, I buy ebooks. I do read a lot as I'm semi-retired at this point, but some things I don't finish. E.g. that Sand and Steel book I posted in August was 900 pages, but I only read about a hundred of them as it didn't grab my attention and my patience for long slogs is wearing thin when there are so many other books to be read.

 

I try to have one non-fiction and one fiction book going at the same time, to keep balance, although I tend to read more non-fiction.

[Bremspropeller]

3 minutes ago, cardboard_killer said:

Actually, I got rid of most of my books over the last few years in an attempt to have less "stuff".

 

I hear you! I'm north of 1000 books and magazines now and moving gets to be an *act* now.

 

[Diggun]

6 minutes ago, cardboard_killer said:

less "stuff"

Books are not 'stuff'! They are excellent carbon capture & insulating material ?

[Feathered_IV]

Couldn't go on with the Rabaul book.  Not recommended.  Much happier with these two. 

Just finished The Decoys, which was excellent.  Very feet wet.  Destroyer Actions is equally well written.  Very glad I bought it.

 

[ZachariasX]

This time, another topic. Travel literature.

 

 

First edition is really hard to come by. AFAIK they keep it at the Louvre under wraps. Then the facsimile will do. Especially since it features the complete translation and annotations.

 

[ROCKET_KNUT]

These two here:

[Bremspropeller]

Are thre any good books on the Mossie (pilot/ alligator stories) that can be recommended?

I have read "Terror..." and I do have "Night Intruder". Anything else that is on the "need to read" list?

[Gambit21]

10 hours ago, Bremspropeller said:

Are thre any good books on the Mossie (pilot/ alligator stories) that can be recommended?

I have read "Terror..." and I do have "Night Intruder". Anything else that is on the "need to read" list?

 

 Both are great books.

Robie @busdriver mentioned another “if I could keep only one” book in the DCS thread I think.

[Diggun]

13 hours ago, Bremspropeller said:

Are thre any good books on the Mossie (pilot/ alligator stories) that can be recommended?

I can't quite believe that this is available for a reasonable price from Amazon - I'd always assumed it was a little self published thing - but I'd recommend...

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Names-Ranks-Numbers-Blue-Mosquitos/dp/0952253704

 

It's an unusual account of low-level & night Photo Recon Mosquito missions, written in an amusing and self effacing manner.

 

When I were a lad, I was fortunate enough to meet the author, who signed my copy (n.b. that's not my signed copy above!). A proper gent.

Edited September 16, 2021 by Diggun

[Feathered_IV]

Not quite Mosquitoes, but snap this one up if ever you find it.  Passmore was a gunner on Blenheims at the time when losses averaged 30% for every mission.  Very well written.

 

[Bremspropeller]

9 hours ago, Gambit21 said:

Robie @busdriver mentioned another “if I could keep only one” book in the DCS thread I think.

 

Yeah - that's been already taken care of. My wallet says "thanks" ?

[Bremspropeller]

Is this any good?

 

 

 

[busdriver]

5 hours ago, Bremspropeller said:

Is this any good?

 

IIRC I flipped through a copy at Barnes & Noble many years ago. Since I already had this...

 

I passed.  I see a couple of very decently priced copies on Amazon for Mosquito Thunder.

[cardboard_killer]

Another fiction. I don't know about this one . . . but it was recommend to me so I'll give it a shot. [EDIT: gave up on it, not my cup of tea]

 

Also, although I bought it awhile ago, I never got past chapter one in Tower of Skulls. I am back to reading it, although it is another whopper of a book so I may set it down again after awhile. So far it is very good, but just not really my area of interest.

 

Edited September 26, 2021 by cardboard_killer