What book(s) are you reading now? [Archive]

taichiman

08-20-2006, 01:21

For fun, I am re-reading "The Eagle and the Wolves" by Simon Scarrow and "The Afghan Campaign" by Steven Pressfield (both highly recommended for any TW fans who got nothing to do till the release of the Medieval). Also under progress is the "Iron Chef of Folk Dishes in Taiwan" and this really boring report on "SEC's Proposed Rules Relating to Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 Reporting"

Keba

08-20-2006, 10:58

Exams in two weeks, so it's Croatian Legal History in the European Context.

Otherwise, I'm rereading Russia's War by Richard Overy (or WWII, Eastern Front, but starting a bit before that, with the officer purges, and ending later).

Roderic the Emptyhanded

08-20-2006, 11:12

Right now I'm reading "The Honourable Killer", by Jan Guillou, it's a swedish book and I don't think it is translated into other languages.
Otherwise I've read some books in the fantasy-genre (is that right-spelled? Or, well, the right words?) called Eragon.

Wiking.

ShadesWolf

08-20-2006, 11:48

Freakonomics - Levitt & Dubner
Empire "The Death of Kings" - Iggulden
The Third Reich, A new history - Burleigh, This is hard going :book:

iwantmyaccountdeleted

08-20-2006, 12:12

I am reading

A Song Of Ice And Fire G.R.R Martin- just finished. Brilliant series. Anyone fancy making a mod for this? Pm me!

Phantom Terry Goodkind - not too bad. The good characters seem to be invincible. I don't think one has died yet. The militiary tactics in this series are mostly completely unorthodox.

When i acquire some modding skills, I will actually try to make ASOIAF (Song of Ice and Fire) mod.

ShadesWolf

08-20-2006, 12:50

Keba

08-20-2006, 13:00

What is ASOIAF ?
Historic, fantasy, space ?

Fantasy ... I've read them, four books (or is it five?) and it's still not finished. Medievel, but without the more fantasy stuff (I remember there only being a dragon or two, none mature, and not of the fire-breathing WMD type and undead ... or something, oh and a magical sword or two). Also, if you are disgusted by Byzantine court politics, I wouldn't suggest it.

Makes a good reading, but I find it nothing special, a bit on the complicated side.

phred

08-20-2006, 15:33

Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire by Caroline Finkel

kambiz

08-20-2006, 21:27

Hello Ancient Warrios;
I'm reading E-Book version of "IMAGES of KURSK : History's greatest tank battle july 1943".I also read "Sinuhe : Special doctor of Pharaoh" last year summer.I highly recommend you to read this book.

I'm also looking for a book named "Sassanian Elit Cavalry" written by Dr. Kaveh Farrokh.Does Anyone have the E-Book of this book?

Thanks
-Kambiz

Lurker on the Threshold

08-21-2006, 11:41

Saratoga: turning point of the american revolution

On Killing: the Phychological cost in learning to kill in war and society.

Legends II: (Robin Hobb, Gerorge RR Martin etc)

Einsteins monsters-post nuclear age angst fiction

Subedei

08-21-2006, 11:58

Re-reading one of my favourites: "The Heartland" by Stuart Legg...it is an interesting book about Nomad history in -well, pretty much- Eurasia.

ByzantineKnight

08-21-2006, 13:23

Profiles of Courage ~ JFK

Andres

08-21-2006, 13:30

Robin Hobb - The soldier son - book I

Dan Simmons - Illium

PseRamesses

08-21-2006, 18:07

Re-reading Zecharia Sitchin´s "The 12th planet". Great thoughexperiment that via archaeology, sience and some fantasy claims that earth was inhabited by astronauts from a 12th planet in our system and that homo sapiens derrived from them. Absolutely one of the 5 best books I´ve ever read. Being a bookstore owners son that says a lot, he he!:book:

CountMRVHS

08-21-2006, 18:37

unseelie craig

08-21-2006, 21:44

:book:

currently i am reading "The Life of the World to Come", which is book 5 in Kage Baker's sci-fi "Company" series. :2thumbsup:
pretty interesting (and witty and slightly humorous) series involving time travel and cyborgs. the first 3 books were the best. the 6th book in the series just came out this month.

not been in the mood for much non-fiction the last couple months...

highlanddave

08-23-2006, 18:27

all you people sound very intelligent. my book is a little simple.

i am reading "men of iron" by howard pyle. it is an old book and written probable for teenagers so most of you could read it in a couple afternoons. i used to like a movie they made based on this book from the 1950s called "the black shield of falworth". it is also a simplistist kind of movie for teenage audience but try it you may like it.

you can download an ebook from www.gutenberg.net if you want to read it. i frequent the gutenberg project as they have a lot of books that are older. i really do not read very well anymore and i have the computer read to me using microsoft reader.

happy reading.

danfda

08-23-2006, 18:38

Wow, a lot of history and war books. Who'd have thunk it? :laugh4:

George RR Martin's stuff is great, btw. I think he and Steven Erikson are the only readable fantasy writers writing now. Fantasy for thinking adults.

Gods, I absolutely love GRRM. I am waiting rather impatiently for A Dance with Dragons (book five, of a seven or so book series) to be released. Amazing. If you like him, CountMRVHS, I also recommend R. Scott Bakker (http://www.princeofnothing.com/). He's got a three book series with similar complexity to GRRM, and is fairly magick free. If you're at all interested in the Crusades you'll really enjoy his work. :2thumbsup: I myself couldn't get through Steven Erickson's first book, even though I was very intrigued by it...something just turned me off. *shrugs* I haven't finished.

As far as what I am currently reading, it's a combination of GRRM's A Storm of Swords and Jefferey Deaver's The Cold Moon. Deaver is suffereing from John Grisham-itis, in that his early work was good, and his latter work not so much; if you like suspense thriller type novels, however, his earlier books with Lincoln Rhyme are tough to beat.

Scurvy

08-24-2006, 01:37

Nostradamus ate my hamster by Robert Rankin

and

The Luzhin Defense - Nabokov

Lemur

08-24-2006, 04:51

Just finished "The Atrocity Archives" by Charles Stross, really fun stuff. The premise is that eldritch cthuloid horrors are held at bay by ... an in-fighting, dysfunctional bureaucracy. Sort of like Stanislaw Lem's "Memoirs Found in a Bathtub," but not as absurd.

Now I'm bookless. All I've got to read is "Three Men in a Boat ... to Say Nothing of the Dog" which I've started five or six times without getting very far, and the latest Chuck Palahniuk, which is composed entirely of short stories, which gets old fast.

Quickly Amazon, save me from my "to read" list!

Conradus

08-24-2006, 09:10

Swapping through some books atm

Arthur, once and future king Terence H White
The Wheel of Time Robert Jordan
Oddysee Homer
Peloponesian Wars Thucydides

Dutch_guy

08-24-2006, 14:24

Fortune's Favorites - Colleen McCullough.

Enjoying it a lot thus far :2thumbsup:

:balloon2:

L'Impresario

08-24-2006, 14:45

Les Mots by Jean-Paul Sartre
Byzantine Grand Strategy: 6th - 11th century by Charalambos Papasotiriou, highly recommended for anyone interested in a thematic approach to byzantine foreign policy (not sure if it's been translated into English - there are high chances though).
Also browsing the newest addition to my TASCHEN collection, Moorish Architecture in Andalusia.

Ludens

08-24-2006, 15:01

A Song Of Ice And Fire G.R.R Martin- just finished. Brilliant series. Anyone fancy making a mod for this? Pm me!

(...)

When i acquire some modding skills, I will actually try to make ASOIAF (Song of Ice and Fire) mod.
I saw a map sometime ago of a mod called Westeros: Total War, but they hadn't been updated for over a year so I think that mod is dead. Try searching for it in the modding forums here and over at the TWC and you might turn up something.

Monarch

08-25-2006, 21:21

I know you got sole - Jeremy Clarkson :laugh4:

The Spartan (Returns)

08-25-2006, 23:39

Raptor X2000

08-25-2006, 23:55

Hey there! I just joined and wanna get acquainted.

I just finished George Orwell's political masterpiece, 1984, and have started White Fang by Jack London.

1984, for those of you who don't know, is an excellent book about one man's struggle to survive in a futuristic "negative utopia" in which there are no freedoms, and chronicles his vain, meager attempt to overthrow the totalitarian government of the country in which he lives.

I have no idea what White Fang is about, as I just started reading it. All I know is that it is like The Call of the Wild, a great book about a dog sold to gold miners in the Yukon Gold Rush. The story is essentially a metaphor the retrogression of civility in one's personallity upon entering a more primitive environment.

I hope I don't sound like a stupid dork trying to pass for someone intelligent... lol :wall:

The Spartan (Returns)

08-26-2006, 00:23

welcome Raptor to the Org!

Scurvy

08-26-2006, 00:29

Emperor: The Field of Swords. i was reading the second one first and it was good. the book is so good it would get an Oscar if it was a movie. the part when Brutus' legion's were revealed to the Helvetii by a shine of light was amazing. then a scout told Julius that the Helvetii were on the hill mistaken that, that was Brutus' legion. then Julius says: "Arrest that stupid man and hold him for punishment. Thos were our own legions you stupid bas****."

I read that book, if you read on through the series the way the relationship between julius and brutus + the character of julius becomes really interesting (more entertaining than the evnts themseleves)

on Field of Swords i found the book to be just slightly too long overall and it gets a bit drawn out in the middle, although the author rightly wanted to stuff as much of julius's v interesting life into the series as possible...

The Spartan (Returns)

08-26-2006, 00:35

right now im in the part where Julius is going to meet Atrorvius.

CountArach

08-26-2006, 22:25

Wheel of Time - Book 9(!) and The Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy, which I am enjoying immensely. That man is a genius.

Scurvy

08-27-2006, 00:50

right now im in the part where Julius is going to meet Atrorvius.

u havnt got to the good bits yet :)

Celtic_Guardian

08-27-2006, 01:49

I also just started Hardtack And Coffee Good book.

CountMRVHS

08-27-2006, 02:40

CountArach, Goldsworthy wrote The Fall of Carthage, right? I own that and have read parts of it. Didn't know he wrote the Punic Wars too. At any rate Fall of Carthage covers the period of all the Punic Wars. A bit dry, but interesting nonetheless.

Sort of off-topic, but Michael Dando-Collins wrote a couple of fun & informative books: Caesar's Legion and Nero's Killing Machine. Each book follows the history and adventures of a particular Roman legion -- the first one was Caesar's prized 10th; the second book covered I believe the 14th(?). Fun, funny, easy to read, good battle & strategy descriptions; all around I'd recommend it for all you lot if you like fun history/military books the way I do.

CountMRVHS

YAKOBU

08-27-2006, 19:43

Hi everyone ~:wave:

I've just started Emperor, The Gates Of Rome by Conn Iggulden. It is a story about Julius Caesar that covers 4 books and so far I am 245 pages in and he is only in his early teens. It is quite easy reading and I am finding it quite enjoyable.

The Spartan & Scurvy : Glad you are also enjoying the same series. I feel quite confident that I will want to read the other 3 books :book: .

Enjoy the rest of the bank holiday everyone ~:cheers:

:charge:

The Spartan (Returns)

08-27-2006, 20:01

woot! Yakobu! :medievalcheers:
i started with The Death Of Kings because i wanted to start with Julius.

i think The Gates Of Rome start with Marius?

Dutch_guy

08-27-2006, 20:02

I've read them all, I did like them a lot but things like [warning, not something any would be readers 'd like to know] Brutus taking the Glory at Alesia I found disappointing.

Further more, I enjoyed reading Caesar and Fortune's Favorites (by Colleen McCullough) more than the Emperor series. Simply because they contain an astounding amount of detail, and because I find that the author is able to make a fluent story while not taking excessive liberty interpretating History.

That said, by all means I enjoyed the Emperor series and also recommend them to anyone interested in the time frame.

Oh btw, YAKOBU, back already ?

:balloon2:

The Spartan (Returns)

08-27-2006, 20:04

ahh!!!!!!! I read the spoiler!!!
you should have said which book DG!

YAKOBU

08-27-2006, 20:10

The Spartan : Emperor, The Gates Of Rome centres around Julius Caesar in the 245 pages I've read so far. His childhood friend Marcus lives with him and is integral to the story so far.

Dutch_guy: I'm just lurking, check my Farewell thread ~;)

:charge:

Divine Wind

08-27-2006, 20:54

In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire, by Adrian Goldsworthy.

Excellent book, i highly recommend it.

professorspatula

08-27-2006, 21:47

I'm reading Emperor: Death of Kings, or whatever the second one in the Emperor series is called. Can't be bothered to finish it though. The first book was good, and I got the other 2 as well, just I can't be bothered to sit down and read it.

I'm also reading (well, one chapter every 3 months or so) A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with the "Clash". An interesting insight into the legendary punk band The Clash. It really gives you a feel of the British punk scene and the band back in the late seventies.

Prince Cobra

08-27-2006, 22:06

Interesting thread. Now I am reading ' Passions of Mind' by Irving Stone. It is a biography of Sigmund Freud. Really interesting ~:cool:. The other is about Byzantium; plain history.

Orb

08-28-2006, 00:16

Hm... The McCullough 'Master's of Rome' series. I felt the first two were excellent, the third was fairly average. The ones after I couldn't bear to read. Sickening hero worship of Caesar.

IrishArmenian

08-28-2006, 00:57

"How to Write in Perfect English"
"Beowulf"

Matador

08-28-2006, 02:42

I am reading some eassys and articles by Thomas Paine. He wrote some of them right before the American Revolution, some while he was a soldier in the Continental Army, and some about the French Revolution. It is kinda hard stuff to get through, but it really makes you think.

Also I just finished John Grisham's "The Partner". I think it is better than most of his books. If you like his books then you will like that one.

CountArach

08-28-2006, 10:30

CountArach, Goldsworthy wrote The Fall of Carthage, right? I own that and have read parts of it. Didn't know he wrote the Punic Wars too. At any rate Fall of Carthage covers the period of all the Punic Wars. A bit dry, but interesting nonetheless.

Not sure if he wrote that one. He has written many other Roman Army books, like The Complete Roman Army and In the Name of Rome: The Men who eon the Roman Empire.

He is a bit dry, but that is the case with most history texts (At least in my experience)

danfda

08-28-2006, 17:50

Also I just finished John Grisham's "The Partner". I think it is better than most of his books. If you like his books then you will like that one.

His early stuff is quite good. Then he got to be a little...full of himself and all of his subsequent books were terrible. I stopped reading them a while ago, so I guess he may have had some sort of writer's renaissance, but somehow I doubt it.
:book:

sprucemoose

08-29-2006, 08:37

just finnished the fall of byzantium and the forth crusade

hard going but very informative.

ezrider

08-29-2006, 09:47

I'm on the third part of Robert Anton Wilson's "Cosmic Trigger" trilogy, and I also consumed "Slaughterhouse 5" by Kurt Vonnegut, last week.

The only history book I read in the last while was called "Rubicon" and was a narrative history of the Roman Republic through till the reign of Agustus(its brilliant stuff, so much more crazy and dramatic than nowadays)

naut

08-29-2006, 09:59

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock for about the one millionth time.

danfda

08-30-2006, 04:40

Has anyone read China Mieville's Perdido Street Station? I picked it up today; any thoughts?

Syxx_Killer

08-30-2006, 16:33

Currently I'm reading The Sea Hunters II by Clive Cussler. Haven't read much, but what I did read is quite interesting. :book:

macsen rufus

08-30-2006, 17:31

danfda

08-30-2006, 17:46

Good to know. Thanks rufus!

It sounded pretty good, and has gotten good reviews, so I thought I'd give it a shot. He's got several in that universe now, I think (well, 2 or 3).

macsen rufus

08-30-2006, 17:54

He's got several in that universe now, I think (well, 2 or 3).

More? Yippee! :2thumbsup: Must get back to the bookstore....

Craterus

08-31-2006, 00:45

Ahem!

The original (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=58917)

Augustus Lucifer

08-31-2006, 02:40

I'm currently reading, The Black Order by James Rollins, The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan, and of course Sun Tzu's Art of War by just about anyone who can take credit for the translation and not mention the skeptically existing military genius himself as proper.

Lemur

08-31-2006, 03:27

I've decided to read all of this year's Hugo nominees. Finished His Majesty's Dragon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345481283/102-4381136-7445726?ie=UTF8), which was okay, sort of a cross between Patrick O'Brian and Anne McCaffrey, you know, dragons in a Napoleonic setting. Kind of odd, really.

Now I'm reading a much better book, Old Man's War (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765315246/102-4381136-7445726?ie=UTF8). It's hard-core military SF, but light on the cliches. Somewhere between Starship Troopers and The Forever War, but very original, very well-written.

I think there are five nominees, so I'll be needing to track the other three down.

posty

08-31-2006, 15:57

The Sling and The Stone (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760320594/103-7929590-1527025?v=glance&n=283155) , T.X. Hammes, retired USMC Colonel, making the case that the West hasn't yet devised a strategy to combat what he dubs '4th generation war'.

Well-written presentation of his position. Sadly, having read half-way through his 300-page tome, I haven't gleaned what his solution might be. Yet. Hope springs eternal. :)

doc

09-10-2006, 01:54

I am reading the Sword of Truth series, on book 3. I have read some books like what the other posters are reading but am currently only in the mood for something less studious.:book:

Lemur

09-10-2006, 07:23

@ Danfda; YES YES YES !!! I loved it, and also "The Scar" which is set in the same world. Mieville is an incredible writer and gets beyond the usual mainstays of fantasy/scifi. Great characterisations, good plotting and amazing visual imagery to his writing. Highly recommended.
I read Perdido Street Station and, oh, what was the other one? Oh, Iron Council, that's the one.

I agree that he's got imagination and skill to spare, but there's something about his books ... I don't know, they just don't feel like complete meals. There's something missing, some level of engagement that never works out for me. I've sort of given up on him, even though he's extraordinary. Maybe I should go read his first book, King Rat ...

Specialist290

09-13-2006, 19:35

Presently reading, among other things, a translation of Julius Caesar's Commentaries, specifically The Gallic War as translated by Carolyn Hammond.

Also reading Robert O'Connell's Soul of the Sword, which I've had for a while but never really gotten into before now.

Brother Mark

09-15-2006, 12:36

Robert Harris - Imperium

azraeltheFallen

09-16-2006, 17:05

For the time being i'm reading Sun Tzu the Art of War, and as well Sir Isaac Newtons Principia

Stig

09-16-2006, 18:26

I'm reading Arnhem, by Hibbert C.
It's 16th september so I kinda got in the mood

Orda Khan

09-17-2006, 02:35

Attila trilogy by William Napier. Waiting for the second book, due to be published early October

......Orda

Lemur

09-17-2006, 05:16

Just started The Assasin's Gate (http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Gate-America-Iraq/dp/0374299633), which looks to be a good, well-researched, utterly depressing read.

Napoleon Blownapart

09-17-2006, 16:31

I'm re-reading I, Claudius by Robert Graves. I love that book and reccomend it highly.

Fate

09-20-2006, 12:47

Currently im reading Sharpe's Trafalgar - by Bernard Cornwell.
I also just finished reading sharpes escape and sharpes havoc. All are excellent books set against the backdrop of the british army fighting in India and against france throughout europe. Wonderful reading.

I also have, bought yesterday, but yet to read Stonehenge, by Bernard Cornwell and Op centre by Tom clancey.

ciprianrusu

09-20-2006, 15:12

I'm currently reading 2 books: Baudolino by Umberto Ecco and La collezione di smeraldi by Ioan Petru Culianu. They are both set in the middle ages, and so they compliment well this game.

Lemur

09-20-2006, 19:37

Fate, I think I made the mistake of reading too many Sharpe books in a row. The similarities and formulae became grating by book seven. I think if I had spaced them out more, instead of devouring them like a bag of potato chips, I would have gotten more joy from the series.

Vork

09-21-2006, 12:12

"Good as Gold" by Joseph Heller

Vork

danfda

09-21-2006, 14:05

Am eagerly awaiting the release of Thomas Harris's new Hannibal book, Hannibal Rising. I loved the others, so here's hoping the new one is as good!

bedlam28

09-21-2006, 14:30

I've just finished 'The Master and Margarita' by Mikhail Bulgakov - which was so odd, about the Devil making trouble in Russia.

Absolutely love the George RR Martin Series, Ice & Fire, Love how you never know who will survive - most fantasy books have heroes who couldn't die regardless. Just waiting for book 5 to arrive on my doorstep; god bless Amazon!

Also waiting for Wintersmith to come out by Terry Pratchett. 30 years old and still reading Pratchett, but I've been reading him for about 10years or more !!!

Oh and Raptor - great choice reading 1984; brilliant film too with John Hurt though abit old now, Just watched V for Vendetta too, same vein but by Wachowski Brothers with John Hurt again.

All good stuff !!

highlanddave

09-21-2006, 16:17

i have begun my annual "lord of the rings" reading. i have read through all 3 books annually since 1974 when i did it the first time. i still love the books.

Frodo lives!

King Henry V

09-21-2006, 16:36

For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.
As I have to do the crappy English classes this year because now we're studying books I'm going to read this one in advance so that hopefully I can worm my way out of English class.
That said, it is a good book.

Pindar

09-21-2006, 20:09

Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquests (http://www.amazon.com/Byzantium-Islamic-Conquests-Walter-Kaegi/dp/0521484553/sr=1-1/qid=1158865571/ref=sr_1_1/102-9454094-1488946?ie=UTF8&s=books)

Galagros

09-21-2006, 21:00

None, at the moment. I finished The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove less than a month ago, though.

cutepuppy

09-21-2006, 21:03

"concrete technology", re-reading a course i took at university a couple of years ago. :book: :dizzy2:

matteus the inbred

09-22-2006, 15:47

i have begun my annual "lord of the rings" reading. i have read through all 3 books annually since 1974 when i did it the first time. i still love the books.

Frodo lives!

Word.

I agree with Lemur about Sharpe books too, they got rather formulaic and contrived in the end...

I'm reading Mountains of the Mind, by Robert MacFarlane, a look at humanity's perception of mountains and why people climb them, in my continuing literary quest to find out why these nutters strap on crampons and risk their fingers, toes, reputations and lives messing around at 26,000 feet+ above sea level...

highlanddave

09-22-2006, 19:06

i could have been unconsiously attracted by this time of year to read lord of the rings, but today is frodo and bilbo's birthday under the party tree!

ciprianrusu

09-29-2006, 13:22

I just started Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. It's a masterpiece of japanese literature. All Shogun fans should read it. After this one i'm planing on reading Richellieu's memoirs.(i can't wait :book: )

Lemur

09-29-2006, 16:13

Just finished the Temeraire series (http://www.temeraire.org/) by Naomi Novik -- surprisingly good take on the use of dragons in the Napoleonic wars. And now I read that the series has been optioned by Peter Jackson, which makes me very, very nervous.

Moved on to The Ghost Brigades (http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Brigades-Sci-Essential-Books/dp/0765315025/sr=8-1/qid=1159542585/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8569443-5059102?ie=UTF8&s=books), a follow-up to Old Man's War (http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Brigades-Sci-Essential-Books/dp/0765315025/sr=8-1/qid=1159542585/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8569443-5059102?ie=UTF8&s=books), which was the best homage to Starship Troopers I've ever read.

Then I'll move on to The Looming Tower (http://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Al-Qaeda-Road-11/dp/037541486X/sr=1-1/qid=1159542760/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8569443-5059102?ie=UTF8&s=books), which should be depressing as all get-out. I have to space my depressing non-fiction bouts with happy books in between.

CrossLOPER

09-29-2006, 18:45

The Sword through the Centuries - Alfred Hutton

The book encompasses tales, accounts, stories, and other literature mixed with very technical information including some metallurgy and the art of several types of duels. To me, the book seems to have a lot to offer, but if you are not interested in the subject, you will find it absolutely boring.

doc_bean

09-29-2006, 18:55

George RR Martin - A song of Fire and Ice, book III part II

Avicenna

10-01-2006, 21:35

BUMP! +1

Okay, this isn't spam:

I've finally taken that extra step and gone into Chinese literature, and I'm not regretting it. (of course, I'm reading the work of someone whose books are easily the most popular within the Chinese community, Jin Yong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinyong)) Here's a link for those who might be interested and can't read the Chinese version: http://www.spcnet.tv/jinyong/jyreadingroom.shtml

HEALTH WARNING: not short at all, especially a certain trilogy (though it's more of a series of 2 sagas/stories with one that mentions certain earlier characters). All 3 sagas/stories are 4 books long, each book being roughly 400 pages long. The first installment has over 1500 pages. Also, it's very hard to put down once you get hooked to it.

There are also some historical references if you're into that. It kind of messes with history though: the current main character's just seen Temujin, and I think he grows up with him or something. Lots of mixing of fact and fiction.

Derfasciti

10-01-2006, 22:55

Re-reading Saddam King of Terror by Con Coughlin because I can't decide on what else to read. man I hate that....

This book's pretty good though. I think it's very informative as well as easy to read. I'd suggest it to anyone who either wants to learn about Modern Iraq...or just likes reading about torture.:shame:

dacdac

10-02-2006, 17:54

I am reading a book called Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5000 Years of Combat by R. G. Grant. It is not really a book, but more of an encyclopedia of battles all the way from the early Mesopotamians and Sumerians to the attacks of 9/11. It goes through 4 eras of war and highlights certain generals such as Julius Ceasar and Napoleon along with weapons such as the chariot and gatling gun. Every war is divided among major battles with a map, statistics such as soldiers, generals, date, and casualties, along with the flow and timeline of the battles. If you name a war fought in the past 5000 years I guarantee it is in this book. Almost 350 pages of every war in history.

CaesarAugustus

10-04-2006, 02:20

Right now im reading a book called THE SWORD OF ATTILA: A Novel of the Last Years of Rome by Michael Curtis Ford. Its very good (a historical fiction), and is a very fast and easy read.

He also has other equally awesome books on Xenophon, Julain the Apostate, and one other that i haven't read yet.

Avicenna

10-04-2006, 08:43

Is the Art of War any good? I've heard that it's pretty simple.

Fulliautomatix

10-04-2006, 18:52

[QUOTE=Lemur]Just finished the Temeraire series (http://www.temeraire.org/) by Naomi Novik -- surprisingly good take on the use of dragons in the Napoleonic wars. And now I read that the series has been optioned by Peter Jackson, which makes me very, very nervous.

Lemur, is the Temeraire series worth reading? I had never heard of it till Peter Jackson optioned it for a film, and I'm a fan of his work, so I reckoned that the books might be worth reading.

I finished about a month ago, "Hannibal" by Ross Leckie. It's historical fiction, although it seems reasonably well researched. Very interesting descriptions of life in Carthage, as well as the practicalities of founding colonies of Carthage in southern Spain (e.g., Carthago Nova) and the building of an army. What I particularly liked about the novel was that the author made an attempt to get into Hannibal's head -- just why did he embark on an invasion of Italy? The Carthaginian nobility was not particularly in favour of it, he might have been able to negotiate for peace with Rome, and the odds were against him that he'd succeed in an invasion, yet he did it anyway.

It looks like Ross Leckie has also written several other books of the RTW-era, including "Scipio" which I have in my pile of books to read.

matteus the inbred

10-05-2006, 09:03

Good choice Fulliautomatix, Hannibal is one of the best books I've ever read. Scipio is a bit different, but just as fascinating. The last one, Carthage, was not so good IMO, contrived and containing no central and interesting character, but it's probably worth reading anyway...

pvt_isaac

10-05-2006, 20:11

Currently I am reading Nineteen Eighty-four by George Orwell. It is one of the most thought-provoking books I have ever read, and if you have not picked up a copy, consider doing so.

I'm also reading The Life of Billy Yank by Bell Wiley. This is another wonderful book, and I would recommend both it and it's counterpart The Life of Johnny Reb to any Civil War enthusiast.

HOLD THE LINE,
Aaron

The_678

10-05-2006, 20:26

I just finished reading The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman by Brnard Cornwell and am waiting for the third and final book of the series Lords of the North. It's a historical fiction about the Danish invasion of England and Alfred The Greats fight back very good.

While I am waiting for the last book I have just started reading Shogun by James Clavelle. I've already read it a couple of times but it is my favourite book so I love to read it again. It is an amazing book about 1600 Japan and an English pilot that got washed ashore on Japan.

Lemur

10-05-2006, 23:04

Lemur, is the Temeraire series worth reading?
Yes it is. Full stop. Novik nails Napoleonic politics, warfare and atmosphere better than any author since Patrick O'Brian. I'm not exactly a fan of dragon lit, so I don't know how these compare, but she does an admirable job of making them believable, especially in their impact on human culture.

I finished about a month ago, "Hannibal" by Ross Leckie.
Hey, I read that a couple of years ago! Good stuff! Not in the same league as I, Claudius, for sure, but still quite good.

satchef1

10-06-2006, 13:32

Just read The Wheel Of Time books 1-11 and reading New Spring now while i wait on my copy of Stephen King's Gunslinger arriving.

Anyone know when the next WoT book is due out?

Galagros

10-06-2006, 17:00

Just read The Wheel Of Time books 1-11 and reading New Spring now while i wait on my copy of Stephen King's Gunslinger arriving.

Anyone know when the next WoT book is due out?

We'll all be extremely lucky if another WoT book every comes out. Robert Jordan found out that he has a rare disease that is basically incurable (from my understanding) and very deadly. At the moment he's on an experimental drug that has just shown it's first sign of helping. ~:(

IrishArmenian

10-10-2006, 02:20

The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

Lemur

10-10-2006, 03:56

Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
Please tell me you're kidding.

CrossLOPER

10-10-2006, 04:05

The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
l0l0rz

IrishArmenian

10-10-2006, 04:12

Nope, that I am not. What is the problem?
And what do you mean, CrossLoper? I don't think that is English or Armenian.

Csargo

10-10-2006, 04:31

The Great War by Jay Winter and Blaine Baggett

Derfasciti

10-10-2006, 06:09

Frederick the Great by David Fraser.

Not bad, pretty readable. Fraser praises him a little too much for a historical account.

Lemur

10-10-2006, 14:16

What is the problem?
Oh, there's no problem, it's just that Finnegans Wake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnegans_Wake) is widely considered one of the most oblique and difficult books ever written. Sample sentence:

O here here how hoth sprowled met the duskt the father of fornicationists but, (O my shining stars and body!) how hath fanespanned most high heaven the skysign of soft advertisement!

I've never tried to tackle it, myself -- I was put off by the notion of trying to puzzle through a book that puns in seven or so languages. I take my lemur hat off to you, IA. You are a braver soul than I.

matteus the inbred

10-10-2006, 15:30

Frederick the Great by David Fraser.

Not bad, pretty readable. Fraser praises him a little too much for a historical account.

Yeah, read a review of that. I've read the 'other' version of Frederick the Great by Giles Macdonaugh, which presents a rather more complex portrait of the man and concerns itself rather more with his artistic and personal tastes and relationships with people like Voltaire. It was a great disappointment regarding his military and political activities, which MacDonaugh treats fairly sketchily and with an apparent lack of interest.

The best all-round historical biography I've read in ages is Robert Asprey's two volume treatment of Napoleon Bonaparte (The Rise and Fall of...)...I doubt it misses anything significant and yet it manages to remain fairly objective and readable, although the sheer campaign detail is perhaps a bit overwhleming at times, and it probably ought to be read with a large and extremely detailed map of Europe to hand!

IrishArmenian

10-10-2006, 15:37

Oh, there's no problem, it's just that Finnegans Wake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnegans_Wake) is widely considered one of the most oblique and difficult books ever written. Sample sentence:

O here here how hoth sprowled met the duskt the father of fornicationists but, (O my shining stars and body!) how hath fanespanned most high heaven the skysign of soft advertisement!
I've never tried to tackle it, myself -- I was put off by the notion of trying to puzzle through a book that puns in seven or so languages. I take my lemur hat off to you, IA. You are a braver soul than I.
Yes it is. I read it maybe a page a night so I can understand the whole thing. Pretty odd book, but what does Oblique mean?

Lemur

10-10-2006, 16:12

I'm using "oblique" in this way: devious: indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading; "used devious means to achieve success"; "gave oblique answers to direct questions"; "oblique political maneuvers"

In other words, I'm saying that Finnegans Wake is indirect and non-obvious. Which is an obvious thing to say. Oh, the irony!

Geezer57

10-10-2006, 17:42

Hi Lemur, I just finished Old Man's War, and promptly ordered The Ghost Brigades. Thanks for the recomendation! Good stuff.

Lemur

10-10-2006, 19:49

Glad you liked it, Geezer! Isn't it a good update of the Heinlein classic?

I've finished all the books I mentioned, and I've moved on to State of Denial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Denial:_Bush_at_War%2C_Part_III). I really shouldn't read two depressing non-fiction books back-to-back, but I'm currently out of good novels. Waiting for another epic SF novel at the local bookstore.

Besides which, The Looming Tower (http://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Al-Qaeda-Road-11/dp/037541486X/sr=8-1/qid=1160506015/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8569443-5059102?ie=UTF8) was not quite as saddening and frustrating as I had feared. I've still got some reserves of goodwill toward mankind that can now be burned away by another 500+ pages of dense reporting.

Anybody else in here a Lois Bujold (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_McMaster_Bujold) fan?

Avicenna

10-10-2006, 19:58

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Great choice! Puzo's books are great. Though you don't necessarily need to buy the book.

:book: http://ib.fictionbook.ru/
You can read the Godfather on that site.

Big King Sanctaphrax

10-10-2006, 20:14

I just finished reading The Winter Queen, by Boris Akunin. It's the first in a series of detective novels set in late 19th century Russia, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although you have to suspend your disbelief at times, the story rattles along well, and their are lots of very satisfying literary allusions for you to spot. Apparently the series is huge in Russia, but it's only been translated into English recently.

niccolo il discourser

10-12-2006, 23:35

Reminds me of Dupuy and Dupuy's Encyclopedia of Military History. There are 1405 pages and small print.

Would you recommend Battle: Visual Journey and is it more of an overview or an attempt at synthesizing the lessons... that sort of thing?

niccolo il discourser

10-12-2006, 23:37

niccolo il discourser

10-12-2006, 23:47

Are you refering to Sun Tzu's Art of War or Machiavelli's Art of War. Both are classics.

Sun Tzu's is pretty short and may at first appear simple but it has stood the test of time. From little has come much. It is almost a meditation on war.

Great Web site: http://www.sonshi.com/index.html

Machiavelli's Art of War is presented as a discussion among friends; a dialogue between the condotierri captain, Fabrizio Colonna, and each of the others in turn acting as questioner.

It is a technical treatise different from The Prince in that it discusses politics specifically related to warfare. Written in 1521, The Art of War is a first full scale modern attempt to revive classical military thought.

Scurvy

10-12-2006, 23:51

Visions of Cody by Jack Kerouac, one of my favourite authors, always refreshing to read :2thumbsup:

The Marcher Lord

10-12-2006, 23:59

CaesarAugustus

10-13-2006, 01:01

Am I missing something or is there a way to edit your posts once you make them? All I want to do is italicize Dupuy and Dupuy: Encyclopedia of Military History. Seems like a waste to have to do an entirely new posting.

Ya, it does seem like a waste, but for some reason you can't edit your posts until you are a member.

BTW thanks for the recommendation Fulliautomatix, just picked up Hannibal and Carthage today!

Specialist290

10-13-2006, 01:57

Finally finished Caesar's Gallic War and have now started on his Civil War. I'm now starting Book III, and it's shaping up to be an interesting read. Of course, being a bit of a history buff, I already know how the story goes (in general), but I like the way Caesar presents his case, even if he does tend to exaggerate his own achievements a little ~;)

I'm also glad to see that I'm not the only one who's taken a crack at Dupuy and Dupuy's monolith (1990 edition; was my dad's). Have they come out with any new editions of the book lately?

Avicenna

10-13-2006, 07:53

Sun Zi's one, I believe. At least, that's what I took it for.

Motep

10-14-2006, 01:13

Wheel of time book 8: the path of daggers
The Odessy

IrishArmenian

10-17-2006, 00:47

Great choice! Puzo's books are great. Though you don't necessarily need to buy the book.

:book: http://ib.fictionbook.ru/
You can read the Godfather on that site.
I just finished the Godfather. Which of his books did you like the most other than that? I want to get a lot of his books for my next English book order.

darsalon

10-17-2006, 11:50

Tail End Charlies by John Nichol and John Rennell. As you've guessed it's about World War 2 bombers but more specifically it's about the 1944-45 period of the bomber war. I've only read about the subject in general but when you get down to the details you can really appreciate what the people involved had to go through.

Also started on the Temeraire series as well. I tend to read far too many history books for my own good so nice to have a bit of escapism.

De' Medici

10-17-2006, 18:48

History of Culture and Civilization by Ovidiu Dramba. I'm at the 5th tome out of 11 :book:
A great book about ancient civilizations (Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, Persian Empire from the beginning until the Sassanids, Ancient China, Japan, pre-columbian cultures, India, Celtic and Germanic civilization etc.), Middle Ages in Europe especially and the Renaissance.
I started also The Ottoman Empire - The Classical Age by Halil Inalcik

Herakleios

10-19-2006, 20:28

I haven't read anything of note recently...aside from the mountains of reading for school. I did, however, read two books over the summer that I highly recommend:

Muslims in Spain 1500-1614 by L.P. Harvey

if you've every wondered what happened to the Muslim inhabitants of Spain post 1492, this is the book you need to read.

Also his earlier work, while not quite as interesting or captivating (in my opinion) is still worth taking a look at, especially if you need background information before tackling the first book:

Islamic Spain 1250-1500 by L.P. Harvey

also I've toyed with the idea of purchasing Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals...has anyone read this, and if so, what were your opinions?

Viking

10-20-2006, 15:50

The Eye of the World, the first book I'm reading in the series.

Avicenna

10-20-2006, 18:40

The Last Don.

ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88

10-21-2006, 00:12

White Order, a Eye of a World Book, Black Hawk Down and a History Book..

IrishArmenian

10-22-2006, 02:47

Anything else, Tiberius, or just that one?

ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88

10-22-2006, 04:12

Am I missing something or is there a way to edit your posts once you make them? All I want to do is italicize Dupuy and Dupuy: Encyclopedia of Military History. Seems like a waste to have to do an entirely new posting.

Yea,think I got that book to :-)

and Yes Nicco, I also got the SUn Tzu book you speaking of :-)

Motep

10-22-2006, 16:50

The Hobbit and the path of daggers

Tyranus

10-22-2006, 17:49

I have been reading the series of books by Vince Flynn. I am on, i think it is the third book in the series called,Transfer of Power The main character is Mitch Rapp, he is the top conter-terrorist operative in the world and he pretty much just goes around killing terrorists and saving people, but there are also a lot of clever plot twists. It is also a very well researched book that has a lot of current events in it.

Pomerium

10-24-2006, 13:38

I am reading The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Muad'Dib

10-24-2006, 13:55

Operation Mind Control.

Scurvy

10-24-2006, 23:07

Vanity of Duluoz by Jack Kerouac

Lemur

10-26-2006, 02:55

Finished State of Denial, and now I'm swearing off depressing non-fiction for at least two books. Moved on to Lois Bujold's The Sharing Knife (http://www.amazon.com/Beguilement-Sharing-Knife-Vol-1/dp/0061137588/sr=8-1/qid=1161827546/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-2802427-3560942?ie=UTF8&s=books), which looks pretty good at fifty pages in.

Oh, and if anybody's looking for good horror-comedy, try The Atrocity Archives (http://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Archives-Charles-Stross/dp/0441013651/sr=1-2/qid=1161827608/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-2802427-3560942?ie=UTF8&s=books). Good stuff. Has anybody read World War Z (http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Oral-History-Zombie/dp/0307346609/sr=1-1/qid=1161827634/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-2802427-3560942?ie=UTF8&s=books) yet? I would love to hear an opinion before I go getting it ...

IRONxMortlock

10-27-2006, 06:45

Currently reading Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

Great book and very funny.

Lemur

10-27-2006, 15:34

Finished The Sharing Knife. Good stuff. Seems I spoke too soon when I said I would avoid depressing non-fiction. My shelf is bare, so I'm reading The Conservative Soul (http://www.amazon.com/Conservative-Soul-Lost-Get-Back/dp/0060188774/sr=8-1/qid=1161959546/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-8569443-5059102?ie=UTF8&s=books) by Andrew Sullivan. Not exactly depressing, but not exactly joyful, either.

IrishArmenian

10-31-2006, 03:21

Finished rereading A Clockwork Orange. British (original) version of course which differs from the U.S. one in the end, proving that even the worst of us can change. The book is a great (albeit gruesome) example that humans are incredibly complex and very few of us are either all good or all bad.

GottMitUns

10-31-2006, 07:41

The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer. Memoirs of a German soldier on the Eastern Front. First time I have read anything from the German point of view on the WWII conflict and it is an excellent read. Makes you realise they were all just frightened kids following orders, just like the other side.

An excellent book, something I make a point to readat least once a year. It helps to put things into perspective. Along the same lines you might want to pickup Frontsoldaten (http://www.amazon.com/Frontsoldaten-German-Soldier-World-War/dp/0813109434)
It is a collection and analysis of the combat diaries and letters home of german soldiers in WWII.

GottMitUns

10-31-2006, 07:47

Currently reading The Twelve Caesars (http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Caesars-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140440720) by Suetonius. Some of the most interesting parts of this book are the descriptions of personal appearence and style, given by a near contemporary of the men about which he is writing. Next up is probably "Early Greek Philosophy" (http://www.amazon.com/Early-Greek-Philosophy-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140448152)

The Spartan (Returns)

11-01-2006, 00:44

i still need to read The Gods Of War. (Emperor)

Lemur

11-03-2006, 15:23

I've started S.M. Stirling's The Protector's War (http://www.amazon.com/Protectors-War-S-M-Stirling/dp/0451460774/sr=8-7/qid=1162563693/ref=pd_bbs_sr_7/104-8569443-5059102?ie=UTF8&s=books). First book by this author I've read. So far I think it sucks. Deeply, profoundly, at its core, suckage. But I'll give it at least a hundred pages before I throw it at the wall and sic my hounds on it.

Geezer57

11-04-2006, 01:17

I've started S.M. Stirling's The Protector's War (http://www.amazon.com/Protectors-War-S-M-Stirling/dp/0451460774/sr=8-7/qid=1162563693/ref=pd_bbs_sr_7/104-8569443-5059102?ie=UTF8&s=books). First book by this author I've read.
My friend Lemur, put the book down NOW! You're reading the middle volume in a trilogy (begins with Dies the Fire , ends with A Meeting at Corvallis), and are missing all the character and setting introductions. Run out and get the other two volumes at your local bargain bookstore, then read them in order - it'll be sooooo much better!

I just finished A Meeting at Corvallis a couple of weeks ago, before moving on to Lois McMaster Bujold's The Hallowed Hunt (third of the Chalion books). I found it slow starting, but accelerating pace in the middle, and with a very moving ending. If you want to appreciate Sterling's best, you should pick up his "Island" trilogy (Island in the Sea of Time, Against the Tide of Years, and On the Oceans of Eternity). They're all available in paperback (cheap!), and well worth looking for. But the "Protector" series is good too.

So we've both been reading the same authors recently! Such coincidence... :laugh4:

Lemur

11-04-2006, 17:38

Geezer57, thanks for the tip. I've been in the mood for some post-apocalypse lit, and it looked like this might be the series to give me pleasure. Middle book in a trilogy doesn't necessarily excuse some of the bad writing I've been stumbling over ...

I'll take your advice though, and start over with Sterling. Every author deserves at least two chances.

It is funny that we've been reading the same authors. Bujold's first Chalion novel rocked the house. The second left me lukewarm. Same for the third. And none of them rocks as hard as her Vorkosigan books ...

Geezer57

11-04-2006, 20:59

It is funny that we've been reading the same authors. Bujold's first Chalion novel rocked the house. The second left me lukewarm. Same for the third. And none of them rocks as hard as her Vorkosigan books ...
Bujold's Vorkosigan novels, and David Weber's Honor Harrington series, are my favorite tomes to read. The two trilogies from Sterling are very good also, but Miles and Honor are just my kind of characters.

If you're interested in something lightweight, but hilarious, have you heard of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series? Highly recommended for a fun time - more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Evanovich
But stay away from the romance novels, unless you're into that kind of thing...:beam:

Julian the apostate

11-07-2006, 19:33

wow um right now i'm reading Slaugher house 5 and Rosseau's social contract

but my biggest suggestion ken folliets pilliars of the earth
"the young boys were the first to the hanging"
:book:

Wishazu

11-08-2006, 03:39

Right now I am reading "Look to Windward" by Ian M. Banks, this is the second time ive read it and it is even more entertaining this time around :)

Pannonian

11-08-2006, 17:52

melvinio

11-09-2006, 23:36

If you would like an insight into early medieval life, particularly lords and their adventures, I'd recommend any of the translations of "The deeds of St. Louis/ Louis the Fat"

Primary source, so not an especially easy read, but it's not too bad. Lots of gratuitous violence as well.:yes:

Motep

11-10-2006, 00:58

The Fellowship of the Ring

Julian the apostate

11-10-2006, 02:59

great little book called identity and violence: the illusion of destiney
covers class struggles and how identity causes this and how identity is both hugely benificial and often destructive. written from an economics perspective which i enjoy
its by amartya sen

Marshal Murat

11-10-2006, 03:41

I'm reading the Siencwiecz trilogy.
With Fire and Sword
The Deluge
and Pan Wolodjwski (???)
I've also read 'False Gods' in the Horus Heresy Trilogy. Awesome DoW 40k series.

Lord Condormanius

11-13-2006, 00:28

I'm reading Self and Society in Medieval France: The Memoirs of Abbot Guibert of Nogent and Erewhon by Samuel Butler.

The first one is pretty cool. It is one of the only examples of a first hand account of everyday life in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. It is a very "human" story. That is, when we learn about history, we tend to look at people in the past as if they are stories in a book. This memior provides a much needed human element to the medieval peiod.

I just started the Butler book. It might be good.

Tony Furze

11-13-2006, 06:00

Macbeth by Shakespeare
To Kill a Mockingbird by H Lee
Poems by John Keats
The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth
Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka
Great Expetations by Dickens

melvinio

11-13-2006, 14:16

Lord Condo,
I've read most of the Guibert; good innit?
See my lasy post for another from exactly the same period, if you're interested.

swell

11-13-2006, 16:55

I have read, I'm reading and I will again :
"Iron coffins : a personal account of the German U-Boat battles of WW2" by Herbert A. Werner. The first book in english I read !
Fascinating, scary...

'Paulssen said, "Start up bilge pump, let's see whether they take that bait."
The impertinent grinding sound tortured us like a dentist's drill. Though it betrayed our position, it produced no response from above. The third enemy had also departed.'

Oh dear :book:

Lord Condormanius

11-13-2006, 19:58

Lord Condo,
I've read most of the Guibert; good innit?
See my lasy post for another from exactly the same period, if you're interested.

Yes. I started reading Guibert for a Medieval Europe course I am taking and I kind of got swept up in it. I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to understand the Middle Ages from a different perspective.

...I didn't see the other one you were talking about.

Cadmus

11-14-2006, 15:04

The Foolish Horseman

11-19-2006, 16:45

What ye all should read... Persian Fire by Tom Holland. Wonderful book, about the Greco-Persian war.
He also wrote Rubicon, about Roman history.

Now I'm reading "Constantinople, the last great siege" :2thumbsup:

I thought that Steven saller (sp) wrote rubicon.

Anyway i am reading Red Rabbit by Tom clancy and Pompeii by robet harris

Lorenzo_H

11-20-2006, 22:19

i am reading "the fallen leaves" by wilkie collins. No its not a beginner's guide to botany

ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88

11-20-2006, 22:46

Fighting Teachinques of the Anicent World
3000 BC - 500 AD

and

US Arm Survivial Manual

by the US Defense Department :_) :-)

Beren Son Of Barahi

11-21-2006, 04:00

books iv read in the last 3 or so months
non-fiction books,
* state of denial. bush stupid? no never.

* Stalingrad by Antony Beevor great book, its almost impossible get your head around the environment and sheer horror of it all... highly recommended.

*Against All Enemies, Richard Clarke. 9/11 & the white house.

* bravo two zero, andy mcnab. 1st gulf war.

* Kokoda by Peter Fitzsimons the turning point of the ground wars in south pac.
* Tobruk by Peter FitzSimons the first time rommel was restrained or defeated.

while on Rommel has anyone read Infantry Attacks? by erwin Rommel?

fiction books...

Jimmy the Hand (Tales of the Riftwar) by Raymond E. Feist - the series is huge... 23 or so books?

andrewmuir

11-21-2006, 15:22

Writing not reading. The Empress and the General. An historical novel about the rise to fame of Theodora and the reconquest of the Roman Empire by the General Belisarius. Based on the writings of Procopius plus some imagination. Published privately here in Chile.

Andrew Muir