As my life has slowed down to a crawl while I continue my sabbatical Over Here, I’ve rediscovered the joys of reading. (Yes, some of this is because Teh Intarwebz is down a lot of the time, but not all of it.)
Here’s a list of what I’ve read over the past month or so:
- Sniping In France — Maj. H. Hesketh-Pritchard
- Battle Tactics of the American Civil War — Paddy Griffith
- Lost Battlefields Of Wales — Martin Hackett
- Leadership In Conflict 1914-1918 — Matthew Hughes & Matthew Seligmann
- The Secret War: Spies, Codes and Guerrillas 1939-1945 — Max Hastings
- Europe, 1815-1914 — Gordon A. Craig
- Nationalism, Industrialization and Democracy 1815-1914 — Thomas G. Barnes & Gerald D. Feldman
- Ruined City — Nevil Shute
- The Girl Who Wasn’t There — Ferdinand von Schirarch
- Holidays In Heck and How The Hell Did This Happen? — P.J. O’Rourke
- The Savage Empire: Forgotten Wars of the 19th Century — Ian Hernon
- Flashman On The March — George MacDonald Fraser
- James Purdey & Sons: Two Hundred Years Of Excellence — Donald Dallas
…and about half a dozen anthologies, humorous books and such, as well as the Daily Telegraph every day, and The Times On Sunday each week.
I’m currently working on:
- Prisoners Of Geography — Tim Marshall
- The Year 1000: What life was like at the turn of the millennium — Robert Lacey & Danny Danziger
No, I haven’t done any writing other than this blog. That will come back when I feel the urge again. Right now, I’m topping up the batteries.
If Mr Free Market’s library has more books by George MacDonald Fraser, try “The General Danced at Dawn” an exceptionally funny anthology of GMF’s life in a Scottish Regiment post WW2.
George was both an excellent historian and very funny novelist, considered a bit “right wing, old chap” by the Establishment, but I am sure that would not cause you any distress.
Thank goodness you commented, Bluey — I was beginning to think that the post wasn’t appearing for public viewing.
I’ve read both The General Danced At Dawn and its sequel, McAuslan In The Rough, as well as many of the Flashman books. Fraser is one of my favorite novelists of all time.
And you’re quite right: his “right wingness” never bothered me.
“Quartered Safe Out Here” by GMF is also a ripper, one of the best personal memoirs of the mostly mundane, occasionally terrifying, life of a 19 y.o. British squaddie in Burma in WW2.
Any US veteran who served in Vietnam will identify with George and his highly personal war against the Japanese.
Eerily similar country and often incompetent leadership.
When Fraser died, I went out and bought all of the books then available from him that I didn’t already have so as to fill out my collection. A damned good writer, both in history and novels.