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Ancient History (Old Threads) > 2017: What are you reading?

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Jayme(theghostreader) (jaymetheghostreader) | 3120 comments I finished "Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and starting His Majesty's Dragonby Naomi Novik


message 1152: by Ashley Marie (new)

Ashley Marie  | 670 comments Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I finished "Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and starting His Majesty's Dragonby Naomi Novik"

Have fun with Temeraire, Jayme!


message 1153: by Ashley Marie (new)

Ashley Marie  | 670 comments Two wartime historicals for me right now: The Alice Network and The Nightingale.


Jayme(theghostreader) (jaymetheghostreader) | 3120 comments I loved The Nightingale


message 1155: by Lauren (new)

Lauren (brokenlyliveon) Middlemarch! And adoring it. Middlemarch


message 1156: by Book Concierge (new)

Book Concierge (tessabookconcierge) My Mrs. Brown by William Norwich
My Mrs Brown – William Norwich – 4****
This is a lovely, charming story of one woman’s quest, at once modest and outlandish: to own an Oscar de la Renta sheath dress with jacket. Mrs Brown’s genuine goodness and politeness serve her well. Despite being the target of mean-girl behavior at work, and some serious setbacks, she perseveres quietly and consistently. It’s a wonderful fable, and I just love Mrs Brown.
LINK to my review


message 1157: by Cheryl A (new)

Cheryl A | 1070 comments Book Concierge wrote: "My Mrs. Brown by William Norwich

My Mrs Brown
– William Norwich – 4****
This is a lovely, charming story of one woman’s quest, at once modest and outlandish: to own an Oscar de la Renta sheat..."


Wasn't this just a delight? It was one of my "sleepers" for 2016 - I paired it up for a Best Books program with American Housewife by Helen Ellis. Both sort of flew under the radar, but both are so enjoyable, in a sweet (Mrs. Brown) and snarky way (those American Housewives!).


message 1159: by Jeffrey (new)

Jeffrey Walker (jkwalkerauthor) Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "literary binge watching?"

You get what I mean...


message 1160: by Sara (new)

Sara | 46 comments The Distant Land of My Father, and it has tons of historical facts about Shanghai during Japanese invasion and also during WWII.


Jayme(theghostreader) (jaymetheghostreader) | 3120 comments Jeffrey wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "literary binge watching?"

You get what I mean..."


Is that like reading while watching TV? I do that all the time.


message 1162: by Alice (new)

Alice Poon (alice_poon) Finished Roseblood by Paul Doherty. It reads like a political thriller with pungent descriptions of medieval London. 4 stars.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


message 1164: by Alice (new)

Alice Poon (alice_poon) Carol, I really envy you guys who can read several books at the same time :)


message 1165: by Carol (new)

Carol (carolfromnc) | 9753 comments Alice wrote: "Carol, I really envy you guys who can read several books at the same time :)"

Ah, it's truly an ADD thing. Combination of poor impulse control (what do I feel like reading tonight?) and commitment-phobia. But I always enjoy what I'm reading in the moment. :)

I envy you for being able to stick to one novel start-to-finish. Believe me.


message 1166: by Faith (last edited Aug 18, 2017 07:32AM) (new)

Faith Justice | 163 comments Finished Saint Peter's Fair which was a fun diversion. We'll be traveling soon, so I'll have lots of time stranded in airports and tedious lines to read--one of the best parts of traveling! My ebook is loaded with fifty some TBR titles and battery topped off. In case of lack of charging stations, I'm taking the paperback version of The Song of Troy.


message 1167: by Kathleen (new)

Kathleen Freeman | 219 comments I am about half way through The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal - it is action packed with lots happening.


message 1168: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1302 comments 4.5★ Last Drinks by Aussie Andrew McGahan. Alcohol, politics, alcohol, corruption, alcohol, murder. Mystery based on 20-year reign of an infested Queensland State Government. (Did I mention the alcohol?)
Last Drinks by Andrew McGahan Link to my review


message 1169: by Margaret (new)

Margaret Crampton (cramptonmargaret) | 8159 comments I'm reading the biographical novel about EM Forster.. [book: Arctic


message 1170: by Margaret (new)

Margaret Crampton (cramptonmargaret) | 8159 comments Arctic Summer by [Author:Damon Galgut]


message 1171: by Alice (new)

Alice | 6448 comments Kathleen wrote: "I am about half way through The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal - it is action packed with lots happening."

Love her books can't wait to start reading it


message 1173: by Patrizia (new)

Patrizia (patriziamartinelli) | 9 comments Good evening!
My name is Patrizia Martinelli and I'm a Latin/Italian teacher from Cesena (Italy). I am a passionate reader of historical fiction novels and I would be glad to exchange opinions about writers and books. I beg your pardon for my lack of proficiency in English; is there someone who would like to chat in Italian ?


message 1174: by Patrizia (last edited Aug 20, 2017 06:24AM) (new)

Patrizia (patriziamartinelli) | 9 comments P.S. What a start!
I forgot to say that I wrote and published a book. If I understood the guidelines of this group, I was to specify that I am an author. Pardon, again.


message 1175: by Book Concierge (new)

Book Concierge (tessabookconcierge) Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
Kitchens of the Great Midwest – J Ryan Stradal – 3.5***
A debut novel that shows the writer’s promise. The story is told in roughly chronological order, but each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character. Through them the reader gets to know Eva, “the mysterious chef behind the most sought-after dinner reservation in the country.”
LINK to my review


message 1176: by Sara (new)

Sara | 46 comments I started The Aviator's Wife, and can't wait to finish it & watch the movie.


message 1177: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1302 comments Fun! Wish You Were Here - a Thelma and Louise (no Louise) sorting-herself-out, warts-and-all road trip across America in a bright red, 1989 muscle car!

By Sheridan Jobbins, Aussie journalist, screenwriter, TV presenter.
Wish You Were Here by Sheridan Jobbins 4★ Link to my review


message 1178: by [deleted user] (new)

I am currently reading G.A. Henty's 'Won by the Sword'. It's pretty good, but I wish that the writer was more versed with Turenne. It seems out of character for a man like Turenne to talk about himself in the third person. He would have been more forthright about his identity to a youth that really respected him. So when the character actually found out who this mysterious officer was, it felt really awkward to me.

Another book that I am reading (because Won by the Sword is an archived book online) is 'The Book of Negroes' by Lawrence Hill. This is really the first book that I like a story from the female perspective, and he does an outstanding job with Aminata. She's quite the strong, believable character that a lot of women can look up to, or even relate to for that matter.


message 1180: by Margaret (new)

Margaret Crampton (cramptonmargaret) | 8159 comments I've just completed Arctic Summer by Damon Galgut. It is a biographical novel about the writer EM Forster. I gave it 4 stars. It dwells on his struggle with his homosexuality and his relationships and travels which informed his novels and stories. Not enough on his writing and his books I felt.


message 1181: by Book Concierge (new)

Book Concierge (tessabookconcierge) Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Half Broke Horses – Jeannette Walls – 4****
In what she calls a “true life novel,” Walls turns her attention to her maternal grandmother: Lily Casey Smith. Walls is a wonderful storyteller; she really brings Lily and all the other characters to life. And what a life! The author also does a fine job of putting the reader into this time and place. I could practically smell the horses, and feel the dust on my skin.
LINK to my review


message 1182: by Michele (new)

Michele | 352 comments PattyMacDotComma wrote: "5★ for Helen Garner's searing story of a fascinating Canberra murder trial..."

I read that too fast and thought it said "a Camembert murder trial" and I was like "What, someone murdered a cheese??"


message 1183: by Michele (new)

Michele | 352 comments Finished Osama. Woah. My head feels all weird now, but in a good way :)

Now reading Augustus. It's written in the form of letters, diaries, etc which I love, plus it's got all the backstory to my favorite Masterpiece Theare series, I, Claudius (young Patrick Stewart, mmmmm...)


message 1184: by Earl (new)

Earl DeVere | 14 comments I am reading lots of tidbits here and there from non-fiction sources. History on silk production, The Silk Road, Justinian i of Constantinople, Byzantine culture, Pope Innocent III, Doge Enrico Dandolo of Venice, the beliefs pf the Cathar heresy which I find I am a heretic too, the long history of the relics the True Cross and Lance of Loninus and Crown of Thorns, the religious debate around filioque, the Great Schism, Theodore Laskaris first Emperor of Nicaea, and more.

Lots and lots of book reasearch.


message 1185: by Earl (new)

Earl DeVere | 14 comments Oh and funny you mention I, Claudius. I had a screenwriter friend suggest that book a few days ago. I added it to my to read section.


message 1187: by Book Concierge (new)

Book Concierge (tessabookconcierge) Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox
Lucky Man – Michael J Fox – 4****
Michael J Fox was barely thirty years old when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. This is his memoir in which he explains how and why “I consider myself a lucky man.” He is honest and forthright in describing his childhood, early career, missteps, alcohol abuse, successes, and failures. I was interested and engaged in his story. Not your typical celebrity memoir.
LINK to my review


message 1188: by Faith (new)

Faith Justice | 163 comments Eclipse vacation accomplished (AWESOME!) and managed to finish three ebooks in five days:

Claude & Camille A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet Loved it!

Alex & Me How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence—and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Irene M. Pepperberg Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence—and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process Liked it.

The Spy by Paulo Coelho The Spy Still deciding.

Also working on Dictator the last book of Robert Harris's trilogy on Cicero.


message 1189: by Margaret (new)

Margaret Crampton (cramptonmargaret) | 8159 comments I'm reading Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys a harrowing tale of Stalin's Russia told through the eyes of Lina a young girl captured and transported by cattle truck with her Mother and brother to Siberia. Another harrowing tale of the brutality of Europe under Hitler and Stalin. Historical fiction at its best.


Jayme(theghostreader) (jaymetheghostreader) | 3120 comments I finished reading His Majesty's Dragonby Naomi Novik and starting The Essex Serpent


message 1191: by Jackie (new)

Jackie (thenightowl) | 2033 comments Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I finished reading His Majesty's Dragonby Naomi Novik and starting The Essex Serpent"

I loved His Majesty's Dragon. I have to re-read so I can continue on with the series.


message 1192: by ❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ (last edited Aug 26, 2017 11:27AM) (new)

❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ | 350 comments I'm almost finished with Chocolat by Joanne Harris. Chocolat It's excellent, much better than the movie.

"I loved His Majesty's Dragon. I have to re-read so I can continue on with the series."
I loved it too! I think I read through number 5 and then got distracted, I need to go back and finish the series.


Jayme(theghostreader) (jaymetheghostreader) | 3120 comments Jackie wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I finished reading His Majesty's Dragonby Naomi Novik and starting The Essex Serpent"

I loved [book:His Majesty's Dragon|..."


I thought there were only 4 books


message 1194: by Jackie (new)

Jackie (thenightowl) | 2033 comments Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I thought there were only 4 books "


Looks like there are 9 books in the series -
https://www.goodreads.com/series/4327...

The last one came out June 2016- League of Dragons


Jayme(theghostreader) (jaymetheghostreader) | 3120 comments Jackie wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I thought there were only 4 books "


Looks like there are 9 books in the series -
https://www.goodreads.com/series/4327...

The last one came out June 2016..."

cool


message 1196: by Carol (new)

Carol (carolfromnc) | 9753 comments I'm reading The Locust and the Bird: My Mother's Story by Hanan Al-Shaykh, which takes place in Lebanon.


message 1197: by PattyMacDotComma (new)

PattyMacDotComma | 1302 comments Romance, politics, and mystery! Enjoy a trip to Kakadu National Park, the World Heritage site in Australia's wild Northern Territory.
Kakadu Sunset by Aussie author Annie Seaton.
Kakadu Sunset The Porter Sisters 1 by Annie Seaton 3.5★ Link to my review


message 1198: by Patrizia (new)

Patrizia (patriziamartinelli) | 9 comments "Bridge of Sighs and Dream"s by Pamela Allegretto.

Following an allied attack, Angelina Rosini flees to Rome from her bombed-out village and a ruthless Nazi officer bent on revenge. In Rome, the spirited portrait artist channels her creativity into the art of survival for herself and her young daughter. Unwilling to merely endure, and armed with ingenuity, wit, and unyielding optimism, she enters the shadow world of the Resistance where she zigzags through a labyrinth of compassionate allies and cunning spies.

Meanwhile, Lidia Corsini, Angelina's sister-in-law, quenches her lust for power and wealth by turning in Jews to the ruthless Nazi Police attaché with whom she has formed an alliance. Her spiral into immorality accelerates as swiftly as the Jewish population dwindles, and soon neither her husband nor her son is immune to her madness.

Once Angelina discovers the consequences of Lidia’s greed, she conspires to put an end to the treacheries; but in doing so, she becomes the target of Lidia’s most sinister plot.


message 1200: by Margaret (new)

Margaret Crampton (cramptonmargaret) | 8159 comments Dead man's land by Monty J Roodt A South African murder story. 4 stars


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