Books do you read them

[Guest]

The Al Deere book is good read Joe. Try also the Tuck biography. Not as good as it may have been if it had been written in the first person.

Tells of how the RAF fighter methods were changed by a handful of imaginative people who seemed to flout the RAF stuffyness.

Sadly when I moved 18 months ago to a smaller place had to ditch over 800 war books. Still got my favourites. Unfortunately no big expectancy of selling them in bulk in Jersey. Gave them to a large Island Charity Organisation and the man in charge said they are now reselling them after buyers re-donated after reading them. So a lot of good all the way around.

Even in the house we left the books were stored in the loft. Love a large library with one of those antique steps which form into a seat. Plus a large stand at desk for reference work. Model set up one end. Surround music with the room soundproofed in order they a may turn up the volume without a visit from she who lives with me.

But dreams are just dreams but with a treble head start on nightmares.

Laurie

[BarryW]

I read a lot, at least an hour a day. Fiction primarily, Lee Child, Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy and Wilbur Smith are among the favourites on my Kindle.

No answer in the survey appropiate to my reading though!!!

[stona]

I'm so glad that reading is alive and well, at least for those who are no longer in the first flush of youth.

I often work with people considerably younger than my own children and it pains me how little, if at all, most of them read. These are good lads and lasses, well educated, hard working and not by ant means stupid, it just seems that reading is not something most think worthwhile which means they are missing out on one of life's great pleasures.

It can lead to a staggering ignorance. One young man, early twenties, recently returned from a job in Berlin, was unaware that the city had ever been divided! That is not exactly ancient history. It was only my description of travelling down the awful and unmaintained road which passed for the corridor into West Berlin back in the eighties that raised the subject.

Cheers

Steve

[PaulTRose]

recently read 'sweating the metal' by alex duncan and 'apache dawn' by damien lewis...........both interesting reads, especially since there is a bit of crossover, both refer to some common operations that involved apaches and wokkas so it was good to read it from two perspectives

just started 'bullet magnet' by mick flynn............cant put it down!!

[Guest]

Hit the nail on the head Steve. One of life's pleasures.

When you come to a very relevant chapter but have to leave it to then return to it is the pleasure of pleasures.

It is very difficult to beat the written word in any of the arts. It can transmit so many emotions which are not found in film and the spoken word. The pleasure of a particular paragraph which you have to read again to enjoy and relish those words the author has written.

Assignment to Catastrophe by Edward Spears. This is beautifully written work and a pleasure to see how he constructs sentences and paragraphs with the superb addition of metaphors.

I remember at the age of about 10 annoying the librarian. The library opposite the school a good strategic position. Borrowing a book at the morning break reading it and going back for another at school finishing time. The librarian had to rummage in the out tickets as they had not been transferred. Told off for reading !

Without reading grammar, vocabulary and the spoken word suffers with inaccuracy together with the lack of skill and ability to place opinion and argument.

Laurie

[Gern]

Without reading grammar, vocabulary and the spoken word suffers with inaccuracy together with the lack of skill and ability to place opinion and argument.

Laurie

Got to agree there Laurie. I found it quite worrying when I was teaching to find how many teenage students couldn't read - and usually boasted about the fact they'd never read a whole book in their lives! Then they wondered why they were at the bottom of the heap when it came to looking for work!

Gern

[Guest]

Seems there are some great readers!!

Anyway, you can add a new question here.

How many time you invert on the computer screen, and then, on the paper sheets...?

Read = books ?

Research = computer ?

[Guest]

Interesting question Polux.

I have always considered that a computer for research is like a reference library and is a fine addition to reading. Like a book it is the written word.

Perhaps a million books in one place or a home massive library.

The only problem is I like to curl up with a book, read in bed before lights out etc. A bit uncomfortable with a computer.

Just think that Kindle may re-kindle (oh blimey sincere apologies) the appetite for reading. One problem I see is that publishers will only put on the market books which make millions of pounds.

Laurie

[Lee W]

just started 'bullet magnet' by mick flynn............cant put it down!!

Brilliant book, his follow up 'Trigger Time' is equally as good.

Got both in my little library

Lee

[aaron]

I have started rereading my Sven Hessel books. Gritty stories about a group of ww2 soldiers.

Most of my model porn is done online at scribd.

[stona]

Seems there are some great readers!!Anyway, you can add a new question here.

How many time you invert on the computer screen, and then, on the paper sheets...?

Read = books ?

Research = computer ?

The computer is a valuable tool for research but can also be a trap for the unwary. Many myths get perpetrated or prolonged by the internet and its unedited pages. I have many books which would be considered references for research (which someone else has done for me!) and these are usually more reliable than many internet sources, that's not to say error free.

The internet does have the advantage of being free and there is a lot of very good information available on it. Some of my books are not what you'd call cheap and can, frankly, be a bit dull. Also, access to our national archives is fairly easy and inexpensive.

You can of course combine a good read with some 'research' as in a good biography (my current read of Coningham's biography falls into this category) or something like Max Hasting's 'Bomber Command' or Anthony Beevor's 'D-Day'. These latter are well researched, packed with information, but still have one hell of a story to tell.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Sometime ago I bought a collection of books, they are from Osprey.... With different military eras.

Which is your opinion about them? Are they fine or just "commercial"?

[Guest]

Look all right to me Polux. Actually I do not think on average publishers get away with a series like this unless they are reasonable books.

I would imagine most buyers will have a reasonable level of military knowledge.

Laurie

[flyjoe180]

You can of course combine a good read with some 'research' as in a good biography (my current read of Coningham's biography falls into this category) or something like Max Hasting's 'Bomber Command' or Anthony Beevor's 'D-Day'. These latter are well researched, packed with information, but still have one hell of a story to tell.Cheers

Steve

I like Antony Beevor's style, I have read 'Stalingrad' and 'Berlin' and thoroughly enjoyed reading them both.

[Guest]

Reading at the moment Martin Middlebrook The Falklands War.

Very well researched the book was written after most of the Falklands War Narratives flowered into print.

Some interesting facts which I have not read in other books on the same subject.

For instance mostly not known that the British Government warned, before the Belgrano sinking, the Argentinians through the Swiss. The warning that if they considered a ship aircraft etc outside the 200 mile exclusion zone presented a threat they would attack.

Another fact the Type22 could not take the Sea King but when forward of the line the Type 22 Frigates fuelled them by pump in the hover.

Laurie