Which Book are you reading

[RescueRanger]

Artemis by Andy Weir

 

[Narad Mian]

1) Hawas ka pujari
2) Pyasi dayan
3) Anara ka katil kaun?
4) chacha chaudhari series

Enough for this week.

 

[jamahir]

1) Hawas ka pujari
2) Pyasi dayan
3) Anara ka katil kaun?
4) chacha chaudhari series

Enough for this week.

Hawas ka pujari?? Is that really a book??

 

[Valar.]

1Q84
by Haruki Murakami

 

[livingdead]

anybody who can suggest a easy primer about philosophy... watched a few videos of 'school of life' .. seems interesting...

 

[Desert Fox]

Book review: Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger

Great book. Starts off a bit slow however gains momentum two chapters in and finally reaches a very intense climax near the ending, including the famous Ludendorf Offensive.

The author, Junger, starts off the war enlisting as a private. As the book progresses you begin to pickup from the authors narration the progression and development of the war from static trench warfare to the early introduction of tanks and mechanized warfare. Poison gas use has been extensively mentioned and this weapon was also used for the first time during this war.

During the initial German preparations for the British offensive at Somme the author makes a keen note of this evolution of warfare and the changes it brought on the equipment of the soldiers when he first encounters a German soldier wearing a Stahlhelm (steel helmet) during the battle of the Somme:

"He was the first German soldier I saw in a steel helmet, and he straightaway struck me as the denizen of a new and far harsher world."

The steel helmet was a new thing at the time. The German army's traditional helmet for quite some time had been made from hardened leather so it is understandable why the sight of the steel helmet in conjunction with the other modern weapons and equipment triggered such sentiment.

Even so it was not uncommon to see modern equipment being used side-by-side with the old.

A German cavalryman wearing a gas mask armed with a lance reminiscent of medieval times. ​

The author makes extensive use of vivid language to tap into the readers imagination. Like in this particular instance when he and his company are awaiting a British attack in their trench under the enemy's intense preliminary artillery bombardment:

"Soon we were completely wrapped in smoke and dust, but most of the shells came down just behind or just in front of our trench... As the storm raged around us, I walked up and down my sector. The men had fixed bayonets. They stood stony and motionless, rifle in hand, on the front edge of the dip, gazing into the field. Now and then, by light of a flare, I saw steel helmet by steel helmet, blade by glinting blade, and I was overcome by a feeling of invulnerability. We might be crushed, but surely we could not be conquered."

I found the highlighted part especially moving. Here were men surrounded by barren wasteland, united in mind and soul for a common purpose, staring down into the abyss of no-man's-land, ready to take on everything the enemy was about to unleash, and determined to give it their all come what may.

Also, the part about "steel helmet by steel helmet, blade by glinting blade" invokes an imagery of medieval armies.

Among the passages about war were also scattered numerous amusing and comicals ones. This one in particular is my personal favorite wherein the author (by now promoted to the rank of lieutenant) and his men, after having been relieved from the frontline after an intense ecounter with the British, are stationed in a nearby French village for temporary recuperation:

"In Flers, I found my designated quarters had been occupied by several staff sergeant-majors, who, claiming they had to guard the room on behalf of a certain Baron von X, refused to make room, but hadn't reckoned on the short temper of an irritated and tired front-line officer. I had my men knock the door down, and, following a short scuffle in front of the peactime occupants of the house, who had hurried along in their nightgowns to see what the matter was, the gentlemen, or gentlemen's gentlemen, were sent flying down the stairs. Knigge (one of his men) was sufficiently gracious to throw their boots out after them."

Also, just as an interesting side note, the author mentions in the above passage "peacetime occupants of the house". This was in reference to the civilians who were the inhabitants and owners of the house but with whom the German troops were quartered. It was not unusual for armies to quarter their troops within the dwellings of local populations.

At one point in the book Jungers company becomes embroiled in an encounter with British Indian troops:

"In the tall grass we discovered a line of dead and three wounded who threw themselves at our feet and begged us for mercy. They seemed to be convinced that we would massacre them. In answer to my question 'Quelle nation?' one replied: 'Pauvre Rajput!'"

"... Their outfit was the First Hariana Lancers, a good regiment, I'm told."

The books critics accuse it's author of glorifying war however this is not true. In fact Junger recognizes war for it's brutality but he also shows the other side of war; the comradery between men, respect for ones gallant enemy, the patriotic fervor, loyalty to ones blood and soil and the everlasting brotherhood forged in the heat of the battlefield between men who hitherto were strangers to one another, often from different social backgrounds but who nevertheless became one in spirit fighting for the same Fatherland. A brotherhood that would last a lifetime.

As Junger states in the book:

"We had come from lecture halls, school desks and factory workbenches... we had bonded together into one large and enthusiastic group... We shared a yearning for danger, for the experience of the extraordinary. We were enraptured by war. We thought of it as manly, as action..."

Of course, the same critics who accuse Junger of glorifying war are the usual suspects who have no qualms in praising movies like Inglorious Bastards with it's sadistic torture scenes and who refer to WWII as the "good" war.

Junger himself sustains a critical wound from a British rifle bullet during a failed German counteroffensive near the end of the war and spends the last few months of the war in hospital. He would end the war as a captain. For his recognition as a brave soldier and leader he received numerous medals including the highest medal of merit of imperial Germany, the Pour le Mérite

Junger the decorated stormtrooper​

It is during the interwar period that he would write his now reknown memoirs.

But that wasn't the end for Junger. He would resume his military career as a captain in the Wehrmacht during WW2.

Captin Junger in WW2​

Overall I would say this book was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone who is into military history and the personal accounts of those who experienced war.

@Nilgiri @The Sandman @Psychic @Vergennes @Gomig-21 @Hamartia Antidote @vostok @flamer84 @Joe Shearer
@AUSTERLITZ

 

[Nilgiri]

Book review: Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger

View attachment 441951​

Great book. Starts off a bit slow however gains momentum two chapters in and finally reaches a very intense climax near the ending, including the famous Ludendorf Offensive.

The author, Junger, starts off the war enlisting as a private. As the book progresses you begin to pickup from the authors narration the progression and development of the war from static trench warfare to the early introduction of tanks and mechanized warfare. Poison gas use has been extensively mentioned and this weapon was also used for the first time during this war.

During the initial German preparations for the British offensive at Somme the author makes a keen note of this evolution of warfare and the changes it brought on the equipment of the soldiers when he first encounters a German soldier wearing a Stahlhelm (steel helmet) during the battle of the Somme:

"He was the first German soldier I saw in a steel helmet, and he straightaway struck me as the denizen of a new and far harsher world."

The steel helmet was a new thing at the time. The German army's traditional helmet for quite some time had been made from hardened leather so it is understandable why the sight of the steel helmet in conjunction with the other modern weapons and equipment triggered such sentiment.

Even so it was not uncommon to see modern equipment being used side-by-side with the old.

View attachment 441919
A German cavalryman wearing a gas mask armed with a lance reminiscent of medieval times. ​

The author makes extensive use of vivid language to tap into the readers imagination. Like in this particular instance when he and his company are awaiting a British attack in their trench under the enemy's intense preliminary artillery bombardment:

"Soon we were completely wrapped in smoke and dust, but most of the shells came down just behind or just in front of our trench... As the storm raged around us, I walked up and down my sector. The men had fixed bayonets. They stood stony and motionless, rifle in hand, on the front edge of the dip, gazing into the field. Now and then, by light of a flare, I saw steel helmet by steel helmet, blade by glinting blade, and I was overcome by a feeling of invulnerability. We might be crushed, but surely we could not be conquered."

I found the highlighted part especially moving. Here were men surrounded by barren wasteland, united in mind and soul for a common purpose, staring down into the abyss of no-man's-land, ready to take on everything the enemy was about to unleash, and determined to give it their all come what may.

Also, the part about "steel helmet by steel helmet, blade by glinting blade" invokes an imagery of medieval armies.

Among the passages about war were also scattered numerous amusing and comicals ones. This one in particular is my personal favorite wherein the author (by now promoted to the rank of lieutenant) and his men, after having been relieved from the frontline after an intense ecounter with the British, are stationed in a nearby French village for temporary recuperation:

"In Flers, I found my designated quarters had been occupied by several staff sergeant-majors, who, claiming they had to guard the room on behalf of a certain Baron von X, refused to make room, but hadn't reckoned on the short temper of an irritated and tired front-line officer. I had my men knock the door down, and, following a short scuffle in front of the peactime occupants of the house, who had hurried along in their nightgowns to see what the matter was, the gentlemen, or gentlemen's gentlemen, were sent flying down the stairs. Knigge (one of his men) was sufficiently gracious to throw their boots out after them."

Also, just as an interesting side note, the author mentions in the above passage "peacetime occupants of the house". This was in reference to the civilians who were the inhabitants and owners of the house but with whom the German troops were quartered. It was not unusual for armies to quarter their troops within the dwellings of local populations.

At one point in the book Jungers company becomes embroiled in an encounter with British Indian troops:

"In the tall grass we discovered a line of dead and three wounded who threw themselves at our feet and begged us for mercy. They seemed to be convinced that we would massacre them. In answer to my question 'Quelle nation?' one replied: 'Pauvre Rajput!'"

"... Their outfit was the First Hariana Lancers, a good regiment, I'm told."

The books critics accuse it's author of glorifying war however this is not true. In fact Junger recognizes war for it's brutality but he also shows the other side of war; the comradery between men, respect for ones gallant enemy, the patriotic fervor, loyalty to ones blood and soil and the everlasting brotherhood forged in the heat of the battlefield between men who hitherto were strangers to one another, often from different social backgrounds but who nevertheless became one in spirit fighting for the same Fatherland. A brotherhood that would last a lifetime.

As Junger states in the book:

"We had come from lecture halls, school desks and factory workbenches... we had bonded together into one large and enthusiastic group... We shared a yearning for danger, for the experience of the extraordinary. We were enraptured by war. We thought of it as manly, as action..."

Of course, the same critics who accuse Junger of glorifying war are the usual suspects who have no qualms in praising movies like Inglorious Bastards with it's sadistic torture scenes and who refer to WWII as the "good" war.

Junger himself sustains a critical wound from a British rifle bullet during a failed German counteroffensive near the end of the war and spends the last few months of the war in hospital. He would end the war as a captain. For his recognition as a brave soldier and leader he received numerous medals including the highest medal of merit of imperial Germany, the Pour le Mérite

View attachment 441950
Junger the decorated stormtrooper​

It is during the interwar period that he would write his now reknown memoirs.

But that wasn't the end for Junger. He would resume his military career as a captain in the Wehrmacht during WW2.

View attachment 441948
Captin Junger in WW2​

Overall I would say this book was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone who is into military history and the personal accounts of those who experienced war.

@Nilgiri @The Sandman @Psychic @Vergennes @Gomig-21 @Hamartia Antidote @vostok @flamer84 @Joe Shearer
@AUSTERLITZ

Thanks bud , definitely gonna look it up and get a hold of it to read. The Somme was probably one of the most brutal engagements in the history of mankind on soldier-soldier terms probably alongside Verdun.

The lucky ones that survived definitely would generally have much steely mettle to harness in WW2 one would think.

 

[Azadkashmir]

Western Technology and the Soviet Economic Development. by prof Antony Sutton.

 

[Arefin007]

ABC murders by Agatha Christie

 

[Valar.]

Imperium
By
Robert Harris

 

[Maxpane]

spirit of islam

 

[Pindi Boy]

do anyone has PDF version of Fire and fury?

ok found it

https://twitter.com/x/status/950172955258032129

 

[Chaosmaster]

I took up goodreads reading challenge last year and set myself a target of 20 books in 2017, and started with war and peace in march. I finished 2017 with 16 books read but couldn't finish war and peace and now I have decided I will take up any other book only after finish this epic by Tolstoy. currently I am on page 850 and there are 1125 in total and another 150 or so of epilogue. Other books that I have lined up are crime and punishment, don Quixote, three musketeers and its 2nd part 20 years later, the book thief and finally the origin of species.

 

[war&peace]

I took up goodreads reading challenge last year and set myself a target of 20 books in 2017, and started with war and peace in march. I finished 2017 with 16 books read but couldn't finish war and peace and now I have decided I will take up any other book only after finish this epic by Tolstoy. currently I am on page 850 and there are 1125 in total and another 150 or so of epilogue. Other books that I have lined up are crime and punishment, don Quixote, three musketeers and its 2nd part 20 years later, the book thief and finally the origin of species.

I finished it when I was in high school ...but I read it again... by the the version I had had >1600 pages in total so it depends on the page & font sizes.

 

[Desert Fox]

Very long, detailed but well worth the read review of one of the most controversial, if not, the most controversial book in history:

https://katana17.wordpress.com/2016/02/29/rethinking-mein-kampf-by-thomas-dalton/

@Nilgiri @Psychic @PAKISTANFOREVER @Śakra