What Are You Reading Right Now? ( Hwæt béon ðu bocrædung?) Showing 8,301-8,350 of 10,105

[Jane]

Sweet Bean Paste / Durian Sukegawa
The Sign of the Weeping Virgin / Alana White

[Alice]

A couple of weeks ago, a neighbor lent me a non-fiction title The Stolen Village: Baltimore and the Barbary Pirates by Des Ekin with high praise. It's a rarely known piece of 17th century Irish history about pirates and slavery - sounds intriguing! So, without further ado, I am starting this one.

[Bill]

Recently started Golden Hill by Francis Spufford

I may not finish it...I'm 30 pages in and haven't found too much of interest, other than the treatment of specie and currency in 17th century New York. The author's style is ponderous...the opening sentence went on for 3/4 of a page. The plot has yet to develop, and the opening device of the protagonist being pickpocketed doesn't seem very inventive.

That and Craig Johnson 's The Western Star showed up in the mail yesterday.

[Bobby]

[Jane]

The Bottom of Your Heart: Inferno for Commissario Ricciardi / Maurizio de Giovanni.


Enthralling noir set in Mussolini's Italy.

[Sunny]

In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant. Borgias.
The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George.

[happy]

Here a the links to Sunny's reads

In The Name of the Family
The Confessions of Young Nero

[Sunny]

happy wrote: "Here a the links to Sunny's reads

In The Name of the Family
The Confessions of Young Nero"

Thanks, Happy! I didn't know how to do that or put a bookcover up.

[happy]

You are very welcome

either is fine

The rule of thumb for the group is that if a book hasn't been mentioned in the last 4 or 5 posts, add a link

I usually link the book cover the fist time I mention a book and just a link to the title after that - I not totally consistant however :)

[happy]

I finished The Commodore

I really liked it. I read it in two days. It's about a destroyer commander in the battles off of Guadalcanal in 1942/43. (I still have problems thinking of WW II as "Historical")

I would give it 4+ stars

I also finished the first entry in Michael Jecks's new series.



Rather short as about 230 pages. The main character is a cut-purse working Mary Tudor's London. He is found unconsious next to a man who had been knifed to death, with a bloody knife in his hand. He also has the man's purse with a mysterious coded message. The plot is his trying to find who actually killed the victim, what exactly is the message and get out from under the impending death sentence. Not as good as some of Mr. Jecks recent work (esp the Vinteer series) I would rate it a touch under 4 stars (3.75)

I'll post my more complete thoughts on both novels as I get the chance.

I have Ben Kane's first Hannibal book on the night stand waiting for me to finish my current read

[Diego]

Finished The Gods of Gotham. It was just ok. I lost interest on the second half. Gave it 3 stars cos' I've rated worse books as 2.

Going for classics now, I just started reading Nostromo by Joseph Conrad.

[happy]

I finished the NF Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies
fascinating read on MI5 wholesale coopting of Germany's spy operation in Great Britain and how they used it to help the disinformation campaign for D-Day Solid 4 stars

I started the first of Ben Kane's Hannibal trilogy

[happy]

I've had Gordon Doherty's

Legionary

on my Nook for awhile and I was with out a "real" book while travelling this weekend, so I decided it was time to get started on this one :)

I've almost finished Hannibal: Enemy of Rome - He's over the Alps and the Romans senate is fighting trying to decide who will command the army against him.

As usual Dr. Kane does a good job of battle scenes. There a couple in Iberia and than again crossing the Alps.

[Tamara]

I finished The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. I think it started off really well, but then it seemed to lose focus. I was a bit disappointed with it, especially since it won the Pulitzer.

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

[Ace]

Tamara wrote: "I finished The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. I think it started off really well, but then it seemed to lose focus. I was a bit disappointed with it, espec..."

Same with me Tamara. 3 stars for me.

[Maria]

Hard to believe the book won the Pulitzer. It became trite and predictable by the time I was half way through the book. I would rate it 3 stars.

[Maria]

My book club read The North Water on Sept. 19. Most of the group enjoyed the novel (except the brutal parts). All of us agreed it was very well written, held your interest and in addition we learned a lot about the whaling industry. Good and evil, morality play and evolving characters were all discussed last night. It was a good book club discussion.

[Megan]

At the moment, I'm close to finishing up Helen Rappaport's The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra for another group read, but I have Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts by Christopher De Hamel waiting for me to pick up at the library, and I can't wait to start it.

[Alice]

Finished The Stolen Village: Baltimore and the Barbary Pirates. It was just OK - 3 stars. A bit dry, and it seems the author couldn't find enough recorded facts from the particular Baltimore raid to base his book on and had to draw on other similar incidents to make up the story. But I did learn a bit about piracy and slave trade along the North African coast in the 17th century.

[happy]

I finished Hannibal: Enemy of Rome

Enjoyable read - It covers Hannibals campaign in Iberia before his trek through the Alps and end with his fist victories in Cisalpine Gaul (northern Italy).

The story is told through the eyes of two noble families, one Carthagean and one Roman.

I rate it a solid 4 stars.

I'll type up my more complete thoughts later


Currently reading a NF look at the late 70's Dodger baseball teams and the changing society of Post Viet Nam America

[Linda]

I starting rereading Stormbird by one of my favorite authors, Conn Iggulden. I have read all of his serial books to date. From the time I read my first Iggulden book (2013) to the present, I have broken and mangled both my feet, one at a time, and had major, emergency surgery. Perhaps Mr. Iggulden is not good for my health. A person with good sense would stop reading his books if they make one ill. I do not have good sense.

[happy]

I thought it was a pretty good read - I hope you like it as much as I did.

[Ace]

It's on my list of authors I must read soon Linda. I do hope my feet are safe. I'm sorry to hear about yours!

[Alice]

Linda, sorry to hear about your feet injury. I have a library hold on Bloodline and look forward to reading it!

[Sunny]

Just finished The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George. This is only the first half of a two-parter and 500 pages. It ends with Rome burning. He did not exactly fiddle while Rome burned (false news) but was miles away participating in an art festival with his lute. Highly entertaining and insightful.

[Faith]

I finished The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England by Dan Jones. My review:

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

[happy]

Faith,
I agree, it is a excellent book

[happy]

Sunny wrote: "Just finished The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George. This is only the first half of a two-parter and 500 pages. It ends with Rome burnin..."

I've liked Ms. George's other books, so on to the TBR this goes

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

It was a good read, happy. I really enjoyed it.

[Sunny]

Well, I don't know about happy: his uncle nearly kills him and so does his mother. Instead, he kills her. But, I like that Margaret George takes his side and and presents another view of the man. Most of the slander we know comes from his detractors at the time.

I also love The Memoirs of Cleopatra, Helen of Troy and The Autobiography of Henry VIII. This is how I want history told.

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

History, as they say, is written by the winners.

[happy]

Sunny wrote: "Well, I don't know about happy: his uncle nearly kills him and so does his mother. Instead, he kills her. But, I like that Margaret George takes his side and and presents another view of the man. M..."

Welcome to power politics - Roman Style :)

[Alice]

I've started Passionate Minds by David Bodanis - a non-fiction book about Voltaire's love affair with French scientist Emilie du Chatelet and the social change brought on by the Enlightenment.

[Sunny]

Three Sisters, Three Queens I'm reading Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory. I love the fact that the author chose one of the overlooked Tudor women. Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's sister, is a spoiled brat and not a character to charm. It's refreshing to find a girl/woman so fixed on her beauty and outdoing her sister Mary and sister-in-law Katherine of Aragon in the marriage dept. I'm just starting the book so maybe she learns along the way. I'm not betting on it.

[Bobby]

[Ace]

I read this non-fiction about the only child generation in China.
Buy Me the Sky: The remarkable truth of China’s one-child generations by Xinran

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

[Ace]

Now back to Master and Commander :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

[happy]

I finished Nigel Hamilton's second book on FDR and Churchill

Commander in Chief: FDR's Battle with Churchill, 1943

FDR is still a strategic genius and nobody else has a clue on how the war should be fought. That said it is a decent look at how the decisions that affected both the war and the post-war where made. weak 4 stars

Currently reading the 5th book of Ralph Peters's Civil war in the east series



I've really liked the 1st 4 in the series, so I have high hopes. This novel covers appox the last 3 weeks of the ACW

[Sunny]

Just started Cleopatra's Shadows by Emily Holleman. It's about Arsinoe and Beatrice, her older and younger sisters. This is the time when Beatrice took over the throne and her father fled to Rome.
For years I looked for a book about Arsinoe, found one that was just okay. This is much better.

[Bobby]

[Sunny]

Bobby wrote: ""

I still can't figure out how to post bookcovers! Thanks for the help.

[Dawn]

Sunny, at the top of the comment box is a little link 'add book/author'.
If you click on that and then search for your book, you can add a link or a cover by choosing which one at the bottom of the pop up screen and then clicking on 'add' by the book you want.

It defaults to just a link, so if you want a cover instead you'll have to choose it every time.

[happy]

If anyone is interested I finally typed my thoughts on the first volume of Michael Jecks's new historical mystery series



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

also posted in the historical mystery thread

[Renata]

Thank happy. Nicely written review. The Michael Jecks's book is next on my tbr, if Toby Clements' Kingmaker: Broken Faith does not arrive here shortly from the Book Depository. I'm sorry, but Im on my iPhone and I have yet to find the way to post the book link/picture from the Mobile App. Does anyone else know a way to do that yet or is the little link still only available in the Web App? This may be Sunny's issue?

[Andy]

Jus finished very good intro to a series

[Ace]

Renata wrote: "Thank happy. Nicely written review. The Michael Jecks's book is next on my tbr, if Toby Clements' Kingmaker: Broken Faith does not arrive here shortly from the Book Depository. I'm sorry, but Im on..."

I don't use the app, but I'm sure it doesn't allow you to link your book/author. Kingmaker: Broken Faith by Toby Clements.

Michael Jecks is on my list to read. Soon.

[Renata]

Thanks Ace!

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Hi Renata,
My understanding of the App is that you have limited features. Add book/author never used to be on the App. I am not sure it is there now, even all these years of people begging for it.
That's why I don't use it. I just have the website bookmarked on home page screen and go straight to website version.

[Renata]

Agreed Teri. It seems like it should be at the top of their "User Requirements" list". I've been a GR member for what? 6-9 mo? And you say folks have requested this feature longer then that? Surprising...should not be hard to add to an IOS app. I usually use only my iPhone or iPad. Bummer. Maybe I should write a plug-in and submit to GR? It might pay for a few books...lol! Not much inclined to put my programming hat back on, but that feature seems like an obviously needed one? IOS is generally not rocket science. Hello GR IOS Usability/Requirements?!?