What book are you reading right now?

**Latindancer** · 07-09-2011, 03:52 PM

Can't remember the name of the book, but it was very entertaining. The one I quoted before I altered this post may not be it.The wikipedia page has some links though.
At one stage, they thought that the Germans had not seen their fake tanks, and a German tank column was approaching. So they faked a couple of flashes, as if the sun had accidentally reflected off their armor. The Germans saw and turned around, which was just as well, as the war may have gone quite differently. It was a crucial moment in a particular battle.

**Davis Knowlton** · 07-09-2011, 03:58 PM

Thanks. Looked for it on Amazon, but they don't stock it. They do have sites that have it new and used, but none of them ship overseas. I will have somebody in the US get it for me.

**somtamslap** · 07-09-2011, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^Had major surgery a while ago

Was wondering where you'd buggered off to DK. Hope everything went well.

I'm on a selection of short stories by the mighty John Grisham at the moment. I'd probably go as far as to say the man is magnificent.

**SEA Traveler** · 07-09-2011, 04:04 PM

Just finished "A Falcon Flies" by Wilber Smith and Started reading another by Wilber Smith called "Hungry as the Sea". Both nice reads.

**Latindancer** · 07-09-2011, 04:10 PM

Sorry, Davis Knowlton, I quoted the wrong book. The one I read was "The War Magician" by David Fisher, and Amazon have secondhand copies, shipping internationally, for $7.

"On Malta he developed 'the world's first portable holes': fake bomb craters used to fool the Germans into thinking they had hit their targets. His war culminated in the brilliant deception plan that won the Battle of El Alamein: the creation of an entire dummy army in the middle of the desert".

**Davis Knowlton** · 07-09-2011, 04:21 PM

^^^Hey Slap. Yep, went ok. No cancer. Cut out 20cm of lower intestine due to diverticulitis. Not fun and an operation that takes some time to recover from while your gut adjusts. But, better than a lot of other things it could have been.

**Neo** · 07-09-2011, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by Latindancer

you might like to read about Jasper Maskelyne (1902–1973). He was a British stage magician in the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of an established family of stage magicians.
He worked for British military intelligence during the Second World War, creating large-scale ruses, deception, and camouflage.

Very interesting, thankyou. And also the sociopathic psychology, very deep but very rewarding too no doubt. The kind of book that needs following up with something lighthearted and escapist to bring the nose back up to the horizon. I shall look out for it.

**Davis Knowlton** · 07-09-2011, 04:44 PM

Grisham and Wilbur Smith - always entertaining......

**billy the kid** · 08-09-2011, 02:39 AM

goodbye soldier - spike milligan. a soft read.

**daveboy** · 08-09-2011, 02:47 AM

Worthy of Publishing - The Throne of Doom: Ch 1, Druids and teabags

**nigelandjan** · 08-09-2011, 03:01 AM

Glad to hear your ok now DK after all that surgery ,,,,,, take it wasy mate all the best

**Davis Knowlton** · 08-09-2011, 08:21 AM

^Thanks, coming along, albeit slowly.

**Neo** · 10-09-2011, 08:25 PM

Still reading the Clash book that I mentioned before and it really is good.
But I also found time to read a bit of SF, The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.

First published in '74 this a definitive version published in '97.

Earth is at war in space with beings from another part of the galaxy. By utilising stars at critical mass to slingshot vast distances both sides can travel hundreds of light years in a matter of months. The lead character is involved in pioneering new outposts on distant planets, to be held under attack or until relieved. The consequence for those fighting the war though is that a year in space is equal to several centuries on Earth.

A really good read.

**Satonic** · 11-09-2011, 12:10 AM

The Sacred Art of Stealing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Really enjoyed this.

**English Noodles** · 11-09-2011, 12:46 AM

At the moment I'm reading a book called Eddy-current characterization of materials and structures.

Very boring and not recommended.

**palexxxx** · 22-09-2011, 10:17 AM

I've recently read 'Farang' by Dr Iain Corness, who is a consulting doctor in Pattaya, I think.

He also writes for the Pattaya Times.

I liked it so I've just bought 'Farang 2' on ebay. Should get it in a week or two.

**BaitongBoy** · 22-09-2011, 10:33 AM

Life of Pi: excellent book (third read!)
A Painted House: John Grisham's best (third read!)
The Quiet American: Graham Greene (third read also!) excellent precursor to America's involvement in Vietnam...USA "intelligence" followed this guy around until he died in Apr./91...

**bsnub** · 22-09-2011, 11:12 AM

Finished this;

My War By Colby Buzzell

A pretty damn honest and darkly entertaining read about a soldiers time in Iraq.

Starting this;

Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power By Robert Kaplan

Third in a series that I have been reading. This guy has been pretty amazing and very accurate in his predictions and projections over the years regarding how the world would change in the post cold war era in his earlier books. This series is another fine example.

**Bangyai** · 22-09-2011, 02:46 PM

This week I'm reading this again because theres fuck all on T.V. as usual and I can't get my arse to an English Language bookshop because the builders are in.

Having said that, this will be my third read so I can just review the bits I like.
For instance, did you know :

1 HOW TO BUILD A UNIVERSE

NO MATTER HOW hard you try you will never be able to grasp just how tiny, how spatially unassuming, is a proton. It is just way too small.

A proton is an infinitesimal part of an atom, which is itself of course an insubstantial thing. Protons are so small that a little dib of ink like the dot on this i can hold something in the region of 500,000,000,000 of them, rather more than the number of seconds contained in half a million years. So protons are exceedingly microscopic, to say the very least.

Now imagine if you can (and of course you can't) shrinking one of those protons down to a billionth of its normal size into a space so small that it would make a proton look enormous. Now pack into that tiny, tiny space about an ounce of matter. Excellent. You are ready to start a universe.

I'm assuming of course that you wish to build an inflationary universe. If you'd prefer instead to build a more old-fashioned, standard Big Bang universe, you'll need additional materials. In fact, you will need to gather up everything there is--every last mote and particle of matter between here and the edge of creation--and squeeze it into a spot so infinitesimally compact that it has no dimensions at all. It is known as a singularity.

**Neo** · 22-09-2011, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

The Quiet American: Graham Greene (third read also!) excellent precursor to America's involvement in Vietnam...USA "intelligence" followed this guy around until he died in Apr./91...

Interesting.. I shall look out for it.

Originally Posted by bsnub

Finished this;

My War By Colby Buzzell

A pretty damn honest and darkly entertaining read about a soldiers time in Iraq.

Interesting.. again I'll look out for it. Fiasco by Ricks is a great book, although more of an overview, but the more you read the clearer the picture becomes.

Originally Posted by Bangyai

This week I'm reading this again because theres fuck all on T.V. as usual and I can't get my arse to an English Language bookshop because the builders are in.

Mind boggling.. I found it too frenetic to keep the facts in. Worth several re-reads though no doubt.

I'm on chapter one of For Whom The Bell Tolls by Hemingway (£2 2nd hand

)
Looks like I will be on that for a while.

**nidhogg** · 22-09-2011, 06:26 PM

Going through this:

Short stories. Frankly they mostly make me want to cut my wrists. Is it just me or is Thai literature generally so depressing.....

**BaitongBoy** · 22-09-2011, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by Neo

I'm on chapter one of For Whom The Bell Tolls by Hemingway

Great book...Hemingway rocks...

**palexxxx** · 22-09-2011, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

The Quiet American: Graham Greene (third read also!) excellent precursor to America's involvement in Vietnam...USA "intelligence" followed this guy around until he died in Apr./91...

This was a good film with Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser (in a serious role).

**BaitongBoy** · 22-09-2011, 06:33 PM

^ Yeah...very well done...

**Bower** · 22-09-2011, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^Thanks, Dancer. I have read a lot about a variety of deception operations in different wars, but don't recall this guy's name. Will see what I can find on him in Amazon.

DK, you may also like 'A Bodyguard of Lies by Anthony Cave Brown.
Outstanding book.

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