What are we reading?

[endfire79]

This one will take a while:

Stalin: The First In-depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russia's Secret Archives, by Edvard Radzinsky

http://www.amazon.com/Stalin--depth-Biography-Explosive-Documents/dp/0385479549/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395585418&sr=1-2&keywords=stalin


Thoroughly enjoyed this series:
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Lion-Churchill-Defender-1940-1965/dp/0345548639/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395585880&sr=1-1&keywords=the+last+lion

[Gusington]

^I've got the first book of The Last Lion in my queue. Stalin book sounds pretty deep too.

Thanks for the above too Bawb...I am about to pull the trigger on the Embers of War book, and three others. This spring will be all about Asian reading and gaming for me.

[undercovergeek]

Just finished three at once and left with a reading vacuum

Storm birds was brilliant, can't wait for more

Malice was great too

And just coming upto the end of dominion..... a great 1950s alternate history story with Britain been a puppet state of Germany after surrendering at dunkirk..... the US never got involved and adlai Stevenson replaced Roosevelt

Bob has pointed me toward Cornwell books that coincide with my ck2 game so I'll be all over them

[Toonces]

I didn't care for The Last Valley at all.  I tried twice to finish it but it just bogs way down and I hit the wall halfway through.  I prefer Bernhard Shaw's book much better (Hell in a Very Small Place).

I also didn't care for Karnow's Vietnam book (sorry Bob!).  The first half of the book, from what I remember, is pre-U.S. involvement.  Now, if that's what you're looking for then it's a good book.  If you're looking for a Vietnam book that is more U.S.-centric then I recommend John Prados' book Vietnam.  I really enjoyed that a lot.

I've had a lot of trouble finding books on Vietnam that keep me entertained. 

[bob48]

Yeah, I recommended the Karnow book because it does indeed give quite a lot of info about the origins of Vietnam and the French involvement in Indo-China, as I think it was that period that Gussy was looking for.

I have a much-read copy of 'Hell in a Very Small Place' by Bernard Fall, and it is a very informative and harrowing account of the event, and, to my mind, a better book than either that by Jules Roy or Howard.R.Simpson. 'Street without Joy' also gives some good accounts of French operations, including the destruction of Mobile Group 100.

Bernard Fall spent a lot of time in Vietnam during that period, and was actually killed there by a land mine.

Last Valley can be a bit hard going in places, but its an interesting book as its comparatively new and thus includes some material that was not available to earlier authors on the subject.

[Gusington]

Yep I was looking for a pre-US Vietnam book. If anyone has any that go WAY back, like to the 19th century, let me know, as I just finished the Sino French War book.

[Toonces]

Doh, I can't believe I said Bernhard Shaw instead of Fall!  I chalk it up to not enough coffee.

Gus, sounds like Karnow's book might be the call for you then.  The bulk of it concentrates on pre-U.S. involvement.  You can probably pick it up used for a buck or less...yep, you can...: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0670746045/sr=1-2/qid=1395616095/ref=olp_page_next?ie=UTF8&colid=&coliid=&condition=used&me=&qid=1395616095&shipPromoFilter=0&sort=sip&sr=1-2&startIndex=20

[Gusington]

Looking at it right now, thanks.

For what it's worth, Embers of War got a Pulitzer...sounds like an updated version of Karnow.

[Gusington]

Now reading Bismarck's Wars 1860 - 1867 by Bruce Basset Powell.

[Shelldrake]

I am currently reading Genellan - Planetfall by Scott Gier, which is part of the free Baen library. Great space opera and first contact story! There are 3 more books in the series, all available from Smashwords for a very reasonable $5 each. Here is the link  for Planetfall if anyone is interested in checking it out.

http://www.baenebooks.com/p-762-genellan-planetfall.aspx

[BanzaiCat]

I've been staying away from electronic pleasures lately (read: computer, you pervs). I just finished reading Cornelius Ryan's The Last Battle cover-to-cover in a week; hadn't read it in a while. Think I might try to re-read Antony Beevor's The Fall Of Berlin, 1945 here soon. Also want to try reading Sons Of The Reich, The II SS Panzer Corps.

[airboy]

I've reread the Mike Resnik Science Fiction Trilogy:
Soothsayer
Oracle
Prophet
Promised the wife that I would replace musty books with Kindle when I wanted to reread something.  So I'm giving the paperbacks to a fellow reader.

I'm now starting on the Widowmaker Trilogy also by Mike Resnik and replacing those on Kindle.

Allergies really suck.  Those paperbacks range back to 20+ years old and they make me ill to read now.  Kindle does not suffer from paper deterioration.

[Staggerwing]

I've reread the Mike Resnik Science Fiction Trilogy:
Soothsayer
Oracle
Prophet
Promised the wife that I would replace musty books with Kindle when I wanted to reread something.  So I'm giving the paperbacks to a fellow reader.

I'm now starting on the Widowmaker Trilogy also by Mike Resnik and replacing those on Kindle.

Allergies really suck.  Those paperbacks range back to 20+ years old and they make me ill to read now.  Kindle does not suffer from paper deterioration.

Is there a book titled 'Santiago' that fits in with one of those series?

[airboy]

Santiago is one of his best books.  Same universe, but different decade.  None of the characters overlap.

[Gusington]

Just started reading The Military Genius of George Washington by Dave Richard Palmer, got a copy when I visited Mt. Vernon @ Christmas time.