What are we reading?

Started by Martok, March 05, 2012, 01:13:59 PM

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airboy

Finished Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett.  It was one of the better ones.

About 50% through Monster Hunter Guardian by Larry Correia and Sarah Hoyt.  It has been outstanding.

Just got The Price of Admiralty by Keegan which is a reading accompanying a geezer history class on technology and warfare that I'm taking.

Continuing to slug through Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of WW2.  The degree of ethnic cleansing, starvation, disease, murder, etc..... after the war ended in different parts of Europe is horrifying.

Toonces

^ I'm using a portion of the chapter on the Battle of the Atlantic to teach a class next week on operational art and theater anti-submarine warfare.  I used the Midway portion as a case study for a class I taught at the Naval War College as well.  It's a good book.
"If you had a chance, right now, to go back in time and stop Hitler, wouldn't you do it?  I mean, I personally wouldn't stop him because I think he's awesome." - Eric Cartman

"Does a watch list mean you are being watched or is it a come on to Toonces?" - Biggs

Toonces

I'm still working my way through Virtues of War and Your Money or Your Life.
"If you had a chance, right now, to go back in time and stop Hitler, wouldn't you do it?  I mean, I personally wouldn't stop him because I think he's awesome." - Eric Cartman

"Does a watch list mean you are being watched or is it a come on to Toonces?" - Biggs

Sir Slash

Interesting. What's your thoughts on if the Germans had come-up with the snorkel for their U-Boats early in the war what effect it would've had on the course of the battle?
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

Gusington

300 pages in to the 1000 page tome that is The Witching Hour by Anne Rice.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Staggerwing

Quote from: Sir Slash on October 02, 2019, 10:57:54 AM
Interesting. What's your thoughts on if the Germans had come-up with the snorkel for their U-Boats early in the war what effect it would've had on the course of the battle?

The Snorkel was actually first deployed by the Dutch on several of their Home Waters-based subs, just before WW2. The Germans subsequently had it themselves after they invaded the Netherlands in 1940 and took some of the Dutch naval tech back to Germany.
Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa

Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost...

"Don't you look at me that way..." -the Abyss
 
'When searching for a meaningful embrace, sometimes my self respect took second place' -Iggy Pop, Cry for Love

... this will go down on your permanent record... -the Violent Femmes, 'Kiss Off'-

"I'm not just anyone, I'm not just anyone-
I got my time machine, got my 'electronic dream!"
-Sonic Reducer, -Dead Boys

Sir Slash

Did not know that. Thanks Stagger.
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

besilarius

Well, don't give Doenitz and crew too much credit. 
They were totally hornswoggled by the brits about their Metox radar detector.  It allowed the Uboat to determine if it was being tracked by the british airborne radar.
However, a captured pilot spun a story that Metox was the cause of Uboat losses.  He said it actually had transmissions, and the Coastal Command aircraft homed in on Metox.
This explained everything without accepting that the brits were reading Enigma. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metox_radar_detector

Doenitz and staff were submarine specialists and never really had a great ability to work outside of their specialty.
"Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don't find out until too late that he's been playing with two queens all along".  Terry Pratchett.

During filming of Airplane, Leslie Nielsen used a whoopee cushion to keep the cast off-balance. Hays said that Nielsen "played that thing like a maestro"

Tallulah Bankhead: "I'll come and make love to you at five o'clock. If I'm late, start without me."

"When all other trusts fail, turn to Flashman." — Abraham Lincoln.

"I have enjoyed very warm relations with my two husbands."
"With your eyes closed?"
"That helped."  Lauren Bacall

Master Chiefs are sneaky, dastardly, and snarky miscreants who thrive on the tears of Ensigns and belly dancers.   Admiral Gerry Bogan.

ArizonaTank

Just started Ernst Junger's, Storm of Steel.

I have read several WWI trench memoirs and this is darkest of the lot. However it is also the most visually descriptive. Junger makes me feel the experience of trench warfare like no other memoir I have read.

Anyone interested WWI on the Western Front should definitely give this book some time.
Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.

Gusington

Storm of Steel is perpetually in my Amazon cart. Haven't bought it yet.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

airboy

Quote from: Staggerwing on October 06, 2019, 01:42:39 PM
Quote from: Sir Slash on October 02, 2019, 10:57:54 AM
Interesting. What's your thoughts on if the Germans had come-up with the snorkel for their U-Boats early in the war what effect it would've had on the course of the battle?

The Snorkel was actually first deployed by the Dutch on several of their Home Waters-based subs, just before WW2. The Germans subsequently had it themselves after they invaded the Netherlands in 1940 and took some of the Dutch naval tech back to Germany.

That is really interesting.

airboy

Finished Monster Hunter Guardian and it was enjoyable.

Reading another Terry Pratchett book.

Staggerwing

Quote from: airboy on October 09, 2019, 01:33:52 PM
Quote from: Staggerwing on October 06, 2019, 01:42:39 PM
Quote from: Sir Slash on October 02, 2019, 10:57:54 AM
Interesting. What's your thoughts on if the Germans had come-up with the snorkel for their U-Boats early in the war what effect it would've had on the course of the battle?

The Snorkel was actually first deployed by the Dutch on several of their Home Waters-based subs, just before WW2. The Germans subsequently had it themselves after they invaded the Netherlands in 1940 and took some of the Dutch naval tech back to Germany.

That is really interesting.

It certainly is.
The Dutch were not the first to experiment with it (IIRC, the Italians and the Brits did so before) but the Dutch actually put it into use. The Germans only seemed interested in using it for cabin ventilation and didn't give it much thought until their Uboats were forced to operate underwater for increasingly longer times due to the Allies' advances in detecting surfaced subs.

Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa

Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost...

"Don't you look at me that way..." -the Abyss
 
'When searching for a meaningful embrace, sometimes my self respect took second place' -Iggy Pop, Cry for Love

... this will go down on your permanent record... -the Violent Femmes, 'Kiss Off'-

"I'm not just anyone, I'm not just anyone-
I got my time machine, got my 'electronic dream!"
-Sonic Reducer, -Dead Boys

Gusington

Finished Witching Hour today. Excellent. Picked up the 2nd and final books in the series too.

Rice is still writing too...going to pick up a newer book on Lestat and the first book in her new werewolf series.

She's close to 80 now and still writing!


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Gusington

Started Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, about 100 pages in. Kinda meh so far.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd