Aromantic Ghost
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House Atreides by Brian Herbert. Book one of the prequel to Dune trilogy.
What book is everyone reading at the moment?
- Thread starter Jim Bowen
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RobRoy
Not A Mormon
The only Cornwell I don't recommend is his latest edition to his Saxon Stories, Sword Song. It felt like he was just padding out the series, whereas the others had a sense of direction, drive, and urgency. This one laid there like a bored hooker.
Ok, not that bad, but I like using that metaphor. Sue me.
Ron_Tomkins
Satan's Helper
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- Oct 29, 2007
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- 44,024
Kafka in the Shore
Storm Warning
Graduate Poster
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- Oct 14, 2001
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- 1,510
Last night I finished The Last Kingdom. Tonight I'll start The Pale Horseman. I can't wait - it's been very well written so far.
Oh, and I've always preferred "Laid there like my ex-wife".
RobRoy
Not A Mormon
You won't be disappointed. Also, I can recommend his "Grail Quest" series. The Grail is secondary, and typical of Cornwell, his main character often disparages of religion in general, and there is nothing mystical in that character's experience.
Oh, and I've always preferred "Laid there like my ex-wife".
That works too, although I don't have one, so I prefer to not provoke the Fates.
Which is a nice segue into my current reading fare: New Moon by Stephanie Meyer. A lot of the plot "twists" aren't, but the writing isn't evil. There have been several sections that could have done with some editing. I'm not keen on characters over much, but I am curious as to what will happen, so on that score Meyer has succeeded.
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Dion
Scholar
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2007
- Messages
- 111
Nice intro to philosophy of ethics
Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics by Prof Simon Blackburn
Really nicely written.
Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics by Prof Simon Blackburn
Really nicely written.
tim
Lasiorhinus latifrons, Combat Division
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2003
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- 11,148
Zulu! by Edmund Yorke.
Lousy title, blatantly capitalising on the movie name. It's an account of the battle of Rorke's Drift. 140 British soldiers versus 4,000 seasoned Zulu troops who had just wiped out 1,350 British troops at Isandlwana.
The movie's worth watching, because it's a fairly accurate account of what happened.
Yorke writes well, with enough detail to be interesting, but without the dryness of some history books. He quotes people who were involved (on both sides).
As an example of sheer courage, the fight through the hospital is difficult to beat.
Although it's easy to say that all the fuss made of the battle was an attempt to take the spotlight off the disaster that was Isandlwana, eleven Victoria Crosses, Britains highest award for bravery, were won in those few hours.
For a brief account, try wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorke's_Drift
Lousy title, blatantly capitalising on the movie name. It's an account of the battle of Rorke's Drift. 140 British soldiers versus 4,000 seasoned Zulu troops who had just wiped out 1,350 British troops at Isandlwana.
The movie's worth watching, because it's a fairly accurate account of what happened.
Yorke writes well, with enough detail to be interesting, but without the dryness of some history books. He quotes people who were involved (on both sides).
As an example of sheer courage, the fight through the hospital is difficult to beat.
Although it's easy to say that all the fuss made of the battle was an attempt to take the spotlight off the disaster that was Isandlwana, eleven Victoria Crosses, Britains highest award for bravery, were won in those few hours.
For a brief account, try wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorke's_Drift
I've just finished reading The Man in the Corner, by Baroness Orczy. Interesting.
What's especially interesting is as follows. I bought it because I heard the BBC radio adaptations (just been repeated on BBC7 - will probably come around again in a month or three). I've bought several books on this basis, never regretted it. Yet.
However. In the radio series the titular character (played by Bernard Hepton) is an intelligent, sympathetic, warm hearted man who treats The Lady Journalist (as she is billed in the book - given a name, Polly, in the adaptation) with respect and tries to help her.
In the books, he is an egocentric weirdo who shrieks and insults her. In fact, in Orczy's attempt to do a Reichenback Falls and end the series, in one story he actually IS the murderer and the journalist calls him on it, never to see him again.
I can see why they felt a need to change the character, but it is a minor disappointment that they actually did.
What's especially interesting is as follows. I bought it because I heard the BBC radio adaptations (just been repeated on BBC7 - will probably come around again in a month or three). I've bought several books on this basis, never regretted it. Yet.
However. In the radio series the titular character (played by Bernard Hepton) is an intelligent, sympathetic, warm hearted man who treats The Lady Journalist (as she is billed in the book - given a name, Polly, in the adaptation) with respect and tries to help her.
In the books, he is an egocentric weirdo who shrieks and insults her. In fact, in Orczy's attempt to do a Reichenback Falls and end the series, in one story he actually IS the murderer and the journalist calls him on it, never to see him again.
I can see why they felt a need to change the character, but it is a minor disappointment that they actually did.
borealys
Critical Thinker
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- May 26, 2008
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- 428
Secrets From the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean.
A collection of short stories from the Vinyl Cafe radio show. Surprisingly funny and clever. Even has a story about someone fooling himself into thinking he's psychic.
A collection of short stories from the Vinyl Cafe radio show. Surprisingly funny and clever. Even has a story about someone fooling himself into thinking he's psychic.
RobRoy
Not A Mormon
Breaking Dawn - The last, thank God, the gods, and Cthulu, in the "Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyer. I'll let you know if I would actually denigrate the series or simply not recommend it.
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gdtbiker
Critical Thinker
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2006
- Messages
- 428
A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. An easy, enjoyable read, sometimes cleverly funny, about what understandings science has brought us on topics from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization. Some of his facts are out of date now and a few are just plain wrong, but they tend to be things that don't have much impact on revealing the general gist of things to the average educated layman reader.
Francesca R
Girl
Being on holiday, I am catching up after something of a reading gap. I just finished "The Rise and Decline of Nations--Economic Growth, Stagflation and Social Rigidities" by Mancur Olson, and am half way into "Simplexity" by Jeffrey Kluger and still have "The Evolution of Cooperation" by Robert Axelrod for afters.
CptColumbo
Just One More Question
Farewell Waltz by Milan Kundera
IIRC the last time I read it the title was Farewell Party, it wasn't in print then and a friend lent it to me. Great character story.
IIRC the last time I read it the title was Farewell Party, it wasn't in print then and a friend lent it to me. Great character story.
HawaiiBigSis
List Management
I just barely started Terry Pratchett's "Witches Abroad" last night, but got "The Gun Seller" by Hugh Laurie from the library today, and it needs to be returned before I leave for the mainland in six days, so I'm switching gears.
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