What Are You Currently Reading? 2007

[Culpeper]

I recently read John Stewart's (et al) America.

T. Jefferson, great work on the forward. That was sheer & epic genius. That and the paragraph summarizing the working of Congress were Pullitzer material.

I have a copy of that book. My sister in San Francisco sent it to me for Christmas. She gets all her news from John Stewart. She seems very happy. No joke.

[Stevely]

I just finished Brave New War and recently before that, My Life Among the Deathworks by Philip Rieff, which is long and depressing indictment against modern anti-culture, written by a member of the culture establishment (professor of art and sociology IIRC at UVa, recently deceased). Unfortunately Rieff spent too much time in the belly of the beast, and his writing has much of the stilted, somewhat disjointed, jargon-ridden style found amongst po-mo culture types, but it was a rewarding read nonetheless. I will post something about it when I have the time/ energy. Probably join the BNW discussion at some point, too...

Currently reading Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict.

[Old Eagle]

Just re-read The Ugly American. I still have my 55cent original copy. Lederer & Burdick use irony in the title, of course, because the chapter on the "ugly American" is actually about a true hero, while many of the beautiful people are really the ugly ones. Military comes off pretty well.

Gotta re-read Hofer now that Tom has dredged that out of my memory.

[goesh]

The Little Green Book: Sayings of Ayatollah Khomeini

[Ski]

Mostly focused on Master's degree related reading:

Stonewall in the Valley by Robert Tanner
Maurice's Strategikon translated by George Dennis
Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204 by John Haldon
Storm of Steel by Mary Habeck
The Training of Officers by Martin Van Creveld (have read this many times)
Technology and War by Martin Van Creveld
The Russian Way of War, Operational Art 1904-1940 by Richard Harrison

[Culpeper]

Mostly focused on Master's degree related reading:

Stonewall in the Valley by Robert Tanner
Maurice's Strategikon translated by George Dennis
Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204 by John Haldon
Storm of Steel by Mary Habeck
The Training of Officers by Martin Van Creveld (have read this many times)
Technology and War by Martin Van Creveld
The Russian Way of War, Operational Art 1904-1940 by Richard Harrison

I once read, "I Rode with Stonewall"; by Henry K. Douglas. It is interesting due to the fact that he wrote in basically real time and doesn't describe battles necessarily by the names we are now familiar with.

[LawVol]

I'm ashamed to admit that I'm only just now reading Nagl's book. Next in the queue is Patrolling Shanghai (thanks Slapout) and Patrolling Baghdad. If anyone has read the Baghdad book and has any insight, please pass it along especially if you've done the stuff is discusses.

Thoughts for the future: The Education of Henry Adams and The History of the Peloponnesian War.

[nichols]

My night time reading is currently divided with two books;

The First Salute by Barbara Tuckman
The Burning of Washington by Antony Pitch

My daytime hip pocket book;

What went wrong by Bernard Lewis

My last roadtrip book was Imperial Grunts.

[SteveMetz]

I'm ashamed to admit that I'm only just now reading Nagl's book. Next in the queue is Patrolling Shanghai (thanks Slapout) and Patrolling Baghdad. If anyone has read the Baghdad book and has any insight, please pass it along especially if you've done the stuff is discusses.

Thoughts for the future: The Education of Henry Adams and The History of the Peloponnesian War.

I was ashamed to read Nagl's book as well. At least that's what I keep telling him.

[Stu-6]

Currently working onThe Modern Middle East by Mehran Kamrava, so far it is as solid and very readable work dealing with the political history of the region since WWI. Next on the to read pile The Terrorist of Iraq by Malcolm W. Nance.

[zenpundit]

Martin van Creveld's The Changing Face of War. The last couple of chapters would be of particular interest, despite the harshly critical tone, to SWC members.

Next up will be either Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy and/or Boot's War Made New.