What Are You Reading Right Now? ( Hwæt béon ðu bocrædung?) Showing 3,001-3,050 of 10,106

[Bryn]

Finished The Lion Wakes. Decided on Island of Ghosts next along with the group read Strategos - Born in the Borderlands.

[Jane]

Last night I also started Visitation. Through the years from Weimar Republic to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, a summerhouse, a lake, and the people who live in it through the years. Beautiful prose.

[Mark]

I have been a fan of Steven Saylor's series on Rome for some years now, and I just started his latest book on the 7 Wonders last night. Has anyone read it? His style always draws me in from page one and I am already hooked.

The Seven Wonders

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Lots of folk have read that one, Mark. It sure is popular. :)

[Nick]

Mark wrote: "I have been a fan of Steven Saylor's series on Rome for some years now, and I just started his latest book on the 7 Wonders last night. Has anyone read it? His style always draws me in from page on..."

That's the prequel about Gordianus in his youth? I do like those books, even though I'm not a fan of detective novels. I have several on my shelf waiting to be read.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

From what I have seen of Gr friends reviews, the short stories style of that book is offputting for some.

[Jane]

Terri wrote: "Get better soon Jane!"

I feel 75-80% better today, thank you. I slept a good part of the day yesterday and have been scarfing orange juice, tea and miso soup with some fresh spinach and tofu added [it's like a broth].

[[deleted user]]

I hope you're back to 100% soon, Jane. The Flying Dutchmen flu?

[Jane]

Could be! I wish it'd fly out to sea where it belongs!:) My husband was not affected.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Jane wrote: "Terri wrote: "Get better soon Jane!"

I feel 75-80% better today, thank you. I slept a good part of the day yesterday and have been scarfing orange juice, tea and miso soup with some fresh spinach..."

You are taking excellent care of yourself by the sounds of that. Well done.

[Jane]

I'm reading Parthian Shot by David Wishart through again to try to understand the complex Parthian politics Wishart presents. I'm hooked on that Marcus Corvinus series.
Now I know whodunnit, I can trace backwards and see the reasoning.

[Dawn]

I've ordered quite the stack of books from the library in anticipation of a long weekend.

A Conspiracy of Paper, King of Thorns, The Mosaic of Shadows, Treason's Shore, The Tyrant's Law, The Uncertain Hour

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Wow. that is quite the stack. that must have been fun.
:)

[Dawn]

It was, I've been sticking to owned books for a couple months. So it's was fun to pick out different books.

[Linda]

.Re-readGenghis: Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I am about finished with the August Group Read book Blood Eye.

Am now waiting for Strategos - Born in the Borderlands to come in the mail for our September Group Read.

Until it does, I think I shall return to The Lion Rampant

[Linda]

Started THE BORDERLANDS group read today, and it is a good thing I did. The book is over 800 pages and September has only 30 days. Seeing the word BYZANTIUM gives me a mental picture of Bing Crosby crooning about Istanbul and Constantinople.

[Jane]

oh my, I remember that song!! "It's Istanbul, not Constantinople..."

I'm going to start House of Illusions, one of Pauline Gedge's ancient Egyptian novels. I loved her , about Roman Britain and Caratacus [Caradoc in the novel] and family. If the Egyptian one is half as good...

[happy]

Nick wrote: "Mark wrote: "I have been a fan of Steven Saylor's series on Rome for some years now, and I just started his latest book on the 7 Wonders last night. Has anyone read it? His style always draws me in..."

I thought it was ok - not up to his better stuff - as Terri said, it is a series of short stories loosely connected by the trip Gordinius takes to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world. He solves a mystery at each site. There are some homosexual themes - nothing explicit

[C.P.]

River of Dust. Also Beowulf: A New Verse Translation, by Seamus Heaney. I am three chapters into Blood Eye, but I can't continue with it until I get through some of these other reads.

I finished Strategos - Born in the Borderlands a few days ago. It was compelling enough that I finished it but otherwise not really my cup of tea (too much blood and gore, mostly), so I am not quite sure what to say about it.

[Bryn]

Under Heaven which I do like though not as much as I'd hoped possible. Haven't read Guy Gavriel Kay before.
Historical fantasy set in Tang China.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Started the group read. Strategos - Born in the Borderlands

[Linda]

Strategos - Born in the BorderlandsGordon Doherty

[Jane]

Ordered it and am waiting eagerly for my copy.

Am reading Song of the River, prehistoric Alaska, and I Kiss Your Hands Many Times: Hearts, Souls, and Wars in Hungary, a memoir.

[happy]

Starting onP.T. Deutermann's latest World War II novel

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Jane wrote: "Ordered it and am waiting eagerly for my copy.

Am reading Song of the River, prehistoric Alaska, and I Kiss Your Hands Many Times: Hearts, Souls, and Wars in Hungary, a memoir."

I have often wondered about putting that Song of the River in the group read polls, but i could never tell for sure if it was straight hist fic and non romance. Or any good..

[John]

just finished Jeff ShaaraA Chain of Thunder: A Novel of the Siege of Vicksburgstarting Cain at Gettysburg

[Lia]

I am trying to fit these books for my September read;
Strategos - Born in the Borderlands, When Christ and His Saints Slept, Troy: Fall of Kings, Enemy of God, Sons of Thunder and Paris.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Lia wrote: "I am trying to fit these books for my September read;
Strategos - Born in the Borderlands, When Christ and His Saints Slept, Troy: Fall of Kings, Enemy of God, Sons of Thunder and Paris."


Wow. I am lost for words.
Good luck.

:)

[Lia]

Terri wrote: "Lia wrote: "I am trying to fit these books for my September read;
Strategos - Born in the Borderlands, When Christ and His Saints Slept, Troy: Fall of Kings, Enemy of God, Sons of Thunder and P..."

Terri, my greedy eyes could not passed over Troy: Fall of Kings and Enemy of God when I saw it at the library... :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

lol. I understand. :)

[Lia]

Marina wrote: "... Hope you like the Penman one. It's a beginning of a wonderful series...."

It better be! I bought the whole series but never have an encouragement to start reading any of them. :D

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I finished Strategos - Born in the Borderlands - 3 stars

Have started Renegade - such good writing.

[happy]

I finished


While I enjoyed it, I don't think it is his best work
I think it is a just under a 4 star, so it is rounded up in my rating

Next read in going back to Medevial Times

[Bryn]

I've declared my When Christ and His Saints Slept lost in the post so that won't be happening, or not this month. Time I tried out Dreaming the Eagle and I also have to get stuck into The Academician, 12thC China.

[C.P.]

A Bride for the Tsar: Bride-Shows and Marriage Politics in Early Modern Russia—not historical romance, despite the title, but a serious historical study of how Russia's grand princes (later tsars) and their aristocratic servitors manipulated a political system based on marriage alliances to their own advantage.

[Paula]

I'm currently reading (as well as the Handfasted Wife) Lionheart by Sharon K. Penman. Its been a slow start but its picking up a bit now.

[Chris]

Paula wrote: "I'm currently reading (as well as the Handfasted Wife) Lionheart by Sharon K. Penman. Its been a slow start but its picking up a bit now."

I've got that in my book case to get round to at some stage. Do keep us posted on how it goes Paula.

[Paula]

I'm a huge Sharon fan, but this one has bothered me a bit. I dont know whether because i am a writer now and I have learned things or whether this one just doesnt meet up to my expectations. there has been a lot of short passages telling rather than showing the events of the time, a lot of head hopping and jolting changes of POV and somewhat disjointed narrative which doesn't flow very well but Sharon does know her stuff and theres a lot of interesting detail but i think she is cramming in too much for one book.

[Chris]

Paula wrote: "I'm a huge Sharon fan, but this one has bothered me a bit. I dont know whether because i am a writer now and I have learned things or whether this one just doesnt meet up to my expectations. there ..."

Does not sound terribly engrossing. I'll have to see what I think when I finally get round to it, which with all the other books I've got lined up probably won't be for a while yet.

[happy]

I personally thought Lionheart was not one of her better efforts. I still enjoyed it though

[Lisa]

Finally started Insurrection

[Eileen]

happy wrote: "I personally thought Lionheart was not one of her better efforts. I still enjoyed it though"

I would agree, it was not one of Sharon Kay Penman's best efforts. My issue was more with the points of view. This was a book about Richard I, who definitely came across as a more nuanced and likable character than either the author (as she has stated either in her notes or blog) or I expected. There have been a lot of scurrilous comments made about the man over the years, most of which seem to have been nasty lies. So that part of the book was good.

The issue with the points of view was that the story was from the POV's of everyone around Richard - sister, mother, wife, cousins, comrades in arms. The planets orbiting the sun. You are never in Richard's head and don't have a sense of what is motivating the man.

I hope that the author's next book on Richard does get into his head so we get a real feel for the man.

[Jane]

I've just started The Iron Lance and am enjoying it so far.

[Bruce]

I'm reading (and teaching) Barry Unsworth's Morality Play, a short, stark, beautiful historical novel. Set in a late-medieval English town, features a troupe of actors who usually put on morality plays (think "Everyman" or "Castle of Perseverance") but decide to risk their own necks by reenacting the recent murder of a boy from the village. My students loved it--great way to begin a semester!

[Mark]

Jane wrote: "I've just started The Iron Lance and am enjoying it so far."

Its very good.

[Paula]

happy wrote: "I personally thought Lionheart was not one of her better efforts. I still enjoyed it though"

I think it seems to be the general consensus

[Paula]

Mark wrote: "Jane wrote: "I've just started The Iron Lance and am enjoying it so far."

Its very good."

do you have a link? I'm intrigues by the title

[Eileen]

Bruce wrote: "I'm reading (and teaching) Barry Unsworth's Morality Play, a short, stark, beautiful historical novel. Set in a late-medieval English town, features a troupe of actors who usually put on morality p..."

I've never read anything by Barry Unsworth, but I have heard good things about him.

The problem is, so many books, so little time.

[Jane]

Paula wrote: "Mark wrote: "Jane wrote: "I've just started The Iron Lance and am enjoying it so far."

Its very good."

do you have a link? I'm intrigues by the title"

The Iron Lance by Stephen R. Lawhead