What are you reading at the moment?

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Gage, Mar 12, 2006.

  1. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

  2. Tolbooth

    Tolbooth Patron Patron

    Found this recently in a secondhand bookshop
    "The Harbour called Mulberry"

    The Harbour called Mulberry Cover.jpg

    It's the script of a 1945 radio play
    The Harbour called Mulberry Title.jpg

    There were some familiar names among the cast - John Laurie, Deryck Guyler, Valentine Dyall among others
    The Harbour called Mulberry extract.jpg

    Wonder if a copy still survives.....
     
    Chris C likes this.
  3. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I was reading "The Vimy Trap" about WW1 and Canadian remembrance, but I have to return it to the library before I can finish it.

    Now reading "San Demetrio" by Calum Macneil, who was an 18 year old seaman on the tanker in 1940. The detail has to be reconstructed... I just can't believe someone would remember everything they did each day in such detail. However, how he got rumbled of nine months pay by a pretty girl before signing up on the San Demetrio, that I believe!

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2017
  4. TriciaF

    TriciaF Junior Member

    I don't read often at the moment(except for forums) - various reasons - but am in the middle of a fascinating biography of Anton Chekov, from the point of view of the parts of Russia in which he lived.
    Chekhov: Scenes from a Life: Rosamund Bartlett: 9780743230759: Amazon.com: Books
    Nothing to do with the world wars, but helps to understand the Russian mentality, which has always interested me. So different from people in the West.
     
    Chris C likes this.
  5. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I'm reading two books side by side right now:

    Surviving the Sword by Brian McArthur and Stan the Man, an autobiography by Stan Bowles the legendary QPR footballer from the 1970's.

    1945.jpg 1976.jpg
     
    Deacs likes this.
  6. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I'm now about halfway into 3 Troop by C Malcolm Sullivan. He was a Canadian tank officer who joined the Ontarios as a replacement in Italy.

    The text of the book is a mixture of his own commentary at the time of writing, input from fellow vets, notes from when he went back to Europe in 1973 to try to retrace his steps, the official history by Stacey, and the unit war diary. It's also self-published and didn't have a professional editor, so there are oddly italicized phrases and the like.

    On the plus side, a bunch of photos and actual pages in colour (maps and other things) in the middle.
     
  7. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    My main area of interest is the interwar period and the conflicts therein. Heard good things about this recent study and finally found a not too expensive copy.
     
    Harry Ree, stolpi and Chris C like this.
  8. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts: A Who Was Who of Light Entertainment, 1945-60

    [​IMG]
     
  9. hucks216

    hucks216 Member

    I have recently started The Noise of Battle: The British Army and the last breakthrough battle west of the Rhine, February-March 1945 by Tony Colvin.

    It seems to cover the period very well and is well written but one irritant in the narrative is the constant use of abbreviations for British formations, so you get sentences such as 'This identified 3 BID, since neither 8 BAB supporting 53 BID nor 11 BAD or Canadian units operated this equipment'.
    Also at the rear of the book is a notice for a 2ft x 2ft four colour battlefield map that can be bought on Ebay to accompany the book and to help follow the battle. It states that the availability is from May 2016 to December 2017 but there doesn't seem to be any such map listed on Ebay (and this was back in September when I originally bought the book) and the author's email address which he provides in case of problems trying to get the map doesn't seem to be working.

    nob.jpg
     
  10. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    Just showed up in my mailbox! Found it for a decent price at last. :)
     
  11. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I was given a copy of Chinthe Women by a veteran at the Chindit Memorial on Sunday. It recounts through personal stories and anecdotes, the service of the Women's Auxiliary Service (Burma) during WW2. Looking forward to reading through this over the next few days.
     
  12. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Inside The Wire: The Prisoner Of War Camps And Hostels Of Gloucestershire 1939-1948 by Ian M.C. Hollingsbee. Is a very enlightening read, and was not aware for example that there were Austrian POW in a camp at Sudeley, one of whom died in hospital at Chepstow from a Cerebral Tumour and is also buried in Chepstow.. my home town, methink a visit soon to try and see if I can discover where he is buried!
     
    A-58 and Chris C like this.
  13. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Currently reading:

    [​IMG]

    I like that this and Valentine in North Africa and The Churchill focus on action reports rather than technical details which are now available in other books.
     
    Orwell1984 and Warlord like this.
  14. ozzy16

    ozzy16 Well-Known Member

    Recently purchased this book off e-bay £7-95.Ok the dust cover is tired,but the book is in very good condition. Had a surprise when I opened the book,an old lottery ticket fell out dated Sat/2/Sept/1995.Hope it wasn't a winner? probably a page mark.
    Graham. lot1.jpg lot2.jpg
     
    Chris C likes this.
  15. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Re-reading, and enjoying the second time round, forum member Peter Ghiringhelli's cracking book on his life as a boy in wartime Italy: A British boy in Fascist Italy

    I've just come to the part where, in the closing stages of the fighting, Peter was attached, as an interpreter, to the South African Forces (he was later to volunteer for the British Army).

    Super read !

    Ron
     
    ozzy16, Chris C and kopite like this.
  16. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Hi Orwell, I read the Authors book on the SBS many years ago, so would be interested in your view on this book many thanks Jason.
     
  17. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

    Hi Jason
    It's not a big book but it contains a lot of information. The author served in the unit but he doesn't let this cloud his judgement and has no problems indentifying errors as well as successes. He writes in a plain spoken style and delivers his information effectively. Every mission committed under the auspices of Z force or having a Z force member is covered in detail (including the failed Portugese operations in Timor). As well the history behind special ops in the theatre is looked at. He uses a wide range of sources including first person accounts from team members and some Japanese reports that show how they reacted and responded to Z force incursions. Appendices include loss list, awards, a look at the boats used. A selection of pictures follows each chapter, giving faces to names. The only weak spot imo are the maps, which are basic outlines without much detail.
    Overall I'd say this book gives a thorough and very detailed look at Z force operations. A must have for anyone interested in the topic.
    Cheers
    Mark
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2017
    wtid45 likes this.
  18. DianeE

    DianeE Member

    Nothing to do with WW11 but I am reading the President's Keepers-Those keeping Zuma in Power and out of Prison by Jaques Pauw.. Jaques Pauw is a respected former journalist who wrote against the Apartheid regime.

    It is a riveting read of corruption, fraud and Zuma's contempt for the rule of law. He has lost the support of many in the ANC but like Mugabe, whom he says he admires, he doesn't seem to care.
     
  19. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    That must be a good read....a most interesting era of the 20th century with the collapse of Imperial Germany,the fleeing of the Kaiser to Holland,the absconding of the military leadership to avoid the acceptance of defeat,leaving a civilian leadership to face the Armistice and the ultimate fate of Germany imposed by the Versailles Treaty.

    For the Imperial German Army being told by the military leadership that they had not been defeated on the battlefield,the Weimar Republic was was seen by many as the illegitimate child of defeat.There appeared to be no support for the new republic from the Allies, unlike the involvement after WW2 when the Allies ensured that the founding of democracy was to be backed to the hilt.
     
  20. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I have a fantasy novel on the go right now but I also started this.

    I have not found an image of this cover anywhere (1959!) so I had to take a picture of it myself...
    [​IMG]
     

Share This Page