Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion
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What Are You Reading Right Now? ( Hwæt béon ðu bocrædung?)
Yeah, should've realized that.Thanks for the tip.
I finished The Golden Mean about Aristotle and Alexander. I posted my review on the Alexander thread.
Rafael wrote: "I started today 1356 by Bernard Cornwell. The last (?) book of the Grail Quest series."I read the first two in the series & have been meaning to get to the third. Didn't realize there was a fourth. Be interested to hear your thoughts on it when you finish.
Patricia wrote: "Rafael wrote: "I started today 1356 by Bernard Cornwell. The last (?) book of the Grail Quest series."I read the first two in the series & have been meaning to get t..."
Ok, Patricia. Until now I liked what I read.
I loved the Grail Quest series but as I've said elsewhere, I did think Thomas of Hookton turned into Sharpe in 1356.
I'm still waiting on Fools and Mortals from the library.Just started The Rise of Rome: The Making of the World's Greatest Empire by Anthony Everitt, and SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard.
I just finished
by Yaa gyasi for the historical fiction group. It was okay. Story progressed by different stories in each generation. Started in Ghana
Alice wrote: "I just finished by Yaa gyasi for the historical fiction group. It was okay. Story progressed by different stories in each generation. Started in Ghana"I read it last year. I thought it was okay, as well. Not too thrilled with it.
I finished The Garment Maker's Daughter by H. Stern yesterday. Considering the popularity of the book by other readers, I was let down by the book. I find myself in the minority many times when it comes to rating a book.
Have recently started Dreaming the Eagle. It's a VERY slow burner but I don't mind that as long as the story kicks in eventually - I do like a good ambience established and depth of character etc - however I made the mistake of checking out the GR reviews and there are a lot of reviewers complaining that the story never really takes off at all. I'm too far in to give up on it but I would like some action to start ramping up.
Adrian wrote: "Have recently started Dreaming the Eagle. It's a VERY slow burner but I don't mind that as long as the story kicks in eventually - I do like a good ambience established and depth of ..."Adrian, I read the whole series, and I enjoyed it. I thought Dreaming the Bull (#2) was the weakest and a bit of a drag.
I wonder if the GR reviews have put me off a little. I quite enjoyed the first 100 pp but now it's really plodding. How many pp does it take to describe a sick puppy?
Finished
The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. Very enthralling read. Story of torn loyalties amidst horrors of World War II in Asia. 4.3 stars.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Adrian wrote: "I wonder if the GR reviews have put me off a little. I quite enjoyed the first 100 pp but now it's really plodding. How many pp does it take to describe a sick puppy?"Depends on how sick the puppy is, I guess.
Your ambitious this year :)I'm suitably impressed!
Been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately...Waiting on a copy of
to come in!! I searched every library in Michigan and have three different copies coming so it’s just a waiting game to see what gets here first! Hopefully soon but the queue for this book is from here to China!! :/
Patricia wrote: "Rafael wrote: "I started today 1356 by Bernard Cornwell. The last (?) book of the Grail Quest series."I read the first two in the series & have been meaning to get t..."
I finished it, Patricia. I liked it. I guess that I would rank these 4 books in that way: 2, 4, 3, 1. I liked the plot. I liked the way how Thomas evolved as character. He seemed in this book as a christian Uhtred, well, almost like Uhtred.
I've been meaning to read American Gods for a long time. Bought it on the weekend and read the first ten pp. Very tempted to switch from Boudica over to AG.
You ended up finishing the whole series, Tamara. Well done you. :-)
Rafael wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Rafael wrote: "I started today 1356 by Bernard Cornwell. The last (?) book of the Grail Quest series."I read the first two in the series & have been..."
Thanks, Rafael. I am going to reread the first two before I read the next ones. Some day.
Terri wrote: "You ended up finishing the whole series, Tamara. Well done you. :-)"Yes, indeed I did. Thank you for recommending it.
At some point I need to finish the Robert Low oathsworn series. I've read the first two, so I have 3, 4, and 5 left, i think.
I'm reading a short little look at daily life in England at the turn of the first millennium. It's arranged by the months of the year.
Looks interesting, happy.
I have had that one on my to read list for a long, long time. Never could get my hands on it.
Yes, I've read that - t'was very useful for my own research.
Terri wrote: "I have had that one on my to read list for a long, long time. Never could get my hands on it."I was just perusing the library shelves and there it was - so I checked it out.
It was written 14 years ago I see. I wonder if any of the information is dated now.I checked out Book Depository and it is fairly cheap. I've added it to my wishlist and may look at ordering it in the coming months.
I remember really wanting to read it all those years ago when I first put it in my TBR list.
It looks really interesting. I've just placed a hold on it in the library.
Blood's GameReading Angus Donald's Blood's Game. Its the first of his I've read. Thought there might be more action than there is, but its coming along nicely.
Goodness gracious, Paula Lofting, where have you been hiding yourself. Good to see you.
I finished The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium - very quick read only about 200 pages. It's arranged by the months of the year and each month covers some of the activities the populous would be doing that month. The author uses the illustrations form a 11th century manuscript called the Julius Work Calendar as a guide to the chapters - 4 starsCurrently reading a newish (cc last year) bio of one of leaders in the Outremer post Second Crusade: Raynald of Châtillon
That is an interesting premise, Happy. Went to add the book into my tbr and discovered it was already there :)
One of the things he brought forward that stuck me was the starvation month was not February or March, but July. When I thought about it makes sense. Grain for bread is not ready for harvest until August/September, so if poor people want bread and bread was literally the staff of life, they are basically SOL. Another thing he brought out is the Ribald sense of humor the monks had. There are a couple of rather risqué/double entendré riddles included that came from the monk's manuscripts.
I've added it to my Book Depository wish list as well. Though it's a worry when you see on here that your favourite fantasy/magical realism author has it on his TBR list. Oh gods, what is Ben Aaronovitch going to do with the information in the book?
Another point he makes is that the church kept a very light hand on people's continuing to practice some of their earlier customs - esp in the hinterland. And the belief in magic was wide spread.
Some historians will tell you that the paganisation of the church (worship of purposive Saints; ecclesiastic magic - prayer as incantation; rites of transubstantiation etc) was a direct appeal to the older mindset which needed specific gods for specific problems. Rather than fight it they allowed the monotheist church to be pluralized and so become something the traditional brain could accommodate.Makes sense.
happy wrote: "I'm reading a short little look at daily life in England at the turn of the first millennium. It's arranged by the months of the year.[bookcover:The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of t..."
Happy, thank you so much for recommending this book. I read it yesterday and loved it. What a delightful little book--full of interesting tidbits about life in Anglo Saxon England.
I posted my review on the Anglo Saxon thread.
And as a small note, I want to say a generic thank you to all of you. Although i don't participate in the group reads very often, I do read all the comments. I particularly appreciate this thread because you have introduced me to so many delightful books. I don't think I would have ever heard of them had it not been for you.
I would take my hat off to you, but since I seldom wear hats any more, a heartfelt thanks will have to suffice.
I'm still reading
Doctor Zhivago. I'm not very familiar with this period in Russian history (or other periods for that matter!) and so am taking it slow. It's fascinating to learn how the Russian people were trying to cope with the seismic social changes, as seen through a poet's/physician's eyes.
Alice wrote: "I'm still reading Doctor Zhivago. I'm not very familiar with this period in Russian history (or other periods for that matter!) and so am taking it s..."I'll have to read this one day too Alice. I'm about to tackle The Karamazov Brothers translated by Ignat Avsey.
Ace wrote: "Alice wrote: "I'm still reading Doctor Zhivago. I'm not very familiar with this period in Russian history (or other periods for that matter!) and so ..."Ace, good luck with The Karamazov Brothers. I tried Crime and Punishment and found it not to my liking. Tolstoy is by far my favorite Russian author!
Alice wrote: "I tried Crime and Punishment and found it not to my liking. Tolstoy is by far my favorite Russian author! ..."I think I was put off by the 6 part TV show of War and Peace, which had always been on my TBR but I'm not so keen any more...
I loved Crime and Punishment as a teen reader. I wonder what I would think if I reread it?
That TV series was quite close to the novel. But I had been fascinated with the much earlier movie version (very romantic) starring Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer. I only read the novel a couple of years ago and loved loved it.
Once I get through my 1048 pages of Dostoyevsky I'll think about a Tolstoy, it may be a few months wait lol.
Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction
Books mentioned in this topic
M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors (other topics)A Court of Betrayal (other topics)
Imperium (other topics)
The Handfasted Wife (other topics)
The Swan-Daughter (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert Harris (other topics)Carol McGrath (other topics)
Carol McGrath (other topics)
Carol McGrath (other topics)
Ken Follett (other topics)
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This is more a 'what are you reading now' thread and nobody will see your post after a week as this thread moves along pretty quick and nobody scrolls back to past posts.
Whereas in the era threads or author threads, your post is there forever and every time someone reads that thread out of interest they will see your review post.