Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion

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General Discussions > What Are You Reading Right Now? ( Hwæt béon ðu bocrædung?)

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message 3801: by Jane (new)

Jane | 3480 comments Terri wrote: "Dawn wrote: "Jane wrote: "I started last night The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth -- Norman kingdom of Sicily, 1100s."

I have..."


Done!! Also here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


message 3802: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) I'm always reading too many books Marilee. I've got 6 books on the go right now myself. :)


message 3803: by Allison (new)

Allison | 1704 comments Eek! How can you do that?


message 3804: by Marilee (last edited Dec 15, 2013 08:30PM) (new)

Marilee (hatchling) | 77 comments Dawn wrote: "I'm always reading too many books Marilee. I've got 6 books on the go right now myself. :)"
Oh my, six? That makes my 3 seem a pittance.

Well, as some say, life is all about juggling.

By the way, I read The Silver Pigs a couple of years ago and enjoyed it… light reading, but well done and it seemed pretty accurate to the history and period. It's the first in a series, if I recall. Must get into the others one of these days… so many books, so little time.

I read all 20 of the Patrick O'Brian Jack Aubrey books a few years ago. Master and Commander just takes a little patience getting into it and coming to understand the jargon and getting to know the characters…. Be careful, the series becomes quite addictive, in the best way.


message 3805: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) I've always got somewhere between 4 and 10 books on the go at one time. Mostly for the same reasons as Marilee, to suit my mood or for format.

I'm only three into the Aubrey/Maturin series. But it's just getting better with each book. I like naval fiction anyway so there is no doubt I will finish this series. :)


message 3806: by Jane (new)

Jane | 3480 comments Have just read this evening the Seamus Heaney's The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles' Antigone. You will look at Antigone with new eyes at Haney's version.
Gave it 5*****.


message 3807: by Jane (new)

Jane | 3480 comments Started Three Six Seven by Peter Vansittart Three Six Seven by Peter Vansittart-- AD 367 and its events, influence on the narrator and on Britain. Waning years of Roman Britain.


message 3808: by Linda (new)

Linda (ladylawyer8650) | 1702 comments GRed Runby Rob Cornelius. The book is a murder mystery, easy to read, no errors. After reading a Sharon Kay Penman novel, I needed to read something completely different from historical fiction. Surprisingly, this whodunit could be considered a modern historical thriller. I am learning about a sub- culture involving drugs and over-kill, but no new vulgar language.


message 3809: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) Finished Emperor of Thorns (The Broken Empire, #3) by Mark Lawrence Emperor of Thorns and it was a good finish to the series Mark!!


message 3810: by Mark (new)

Mark | 1885 comments Dawn wrote: "Finished Emperor of Thorns (The Broken Empire, #3) by Mark LawrenceEmperor of Thorns and it was a good finish to the series Mark!!"

Good to hear. :)


message 3812: by [deleted user] (new)

Linda wrote: "GRed Runby Rob Cornelius. The book is a murder mystery, easy to read, no errors. After reading a Sharon Kay Penman novel, I needed to read something completely different from hist..."

No new vulgar language? That's no fun;)


message 3813: by Alicja (last edited Dec 16, 2013 01:56PM) (new)

Alicja (darkwingduckie7) | 657 comments Mark wrote: "Perdido Street Station Perdido Street Station (Bas-Lag, #1) by China Miéville"

I want to read that one. I just finished Embassytown recently and loved it. How are you liking this one?


message 3814: by Mark (new)

Mark | 1885 comments Alicja wrote: "Mark wrote: "Perdido Street Station Perdido Street Station (Bas-Lag, #1) by China Miéville"

I want to read that one. I just finished Embassytown recently and loved it. How are you li..."


Brilliant, mind blowing, and thats the first 50pages.


message 3815: by Alicja (new)

Alicja (darkwingduckie7) | 657 comments Mark wrote: "Alicja wrote: "Mark wrote: "Perdido Street Station Perdido Street Station (Bas-Lag, #1) by China Miéville"

I want to read that one. I just finished Embassytown recently and loved it...."


This will definitely be on my list for 2014 then. Thanks! :)


message 3816: by happy (last edited Dec 16, 2013 10:47PM) (new)

happy (happyone) | 2782 comments finished Jack Whyte's second volume of his Scottish trilogy

Robert the Bruce (Guardians Trilogy) by Jack Whyte

Not bad, but not great I rated it 4 stars, but that is rounding up. No big battle scenes and a touch of romance ( He falls instantly in love with his wife to be who he had never met, but has been espoused to for several yrs ) Mainly a character sketch, plus a look at the politics between England and Scotland.


message 3817: by Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd (last edited Dec 16, 2013 09:35PM) (new)

Terri | 19576 comments Hi Happy,
people checking into the Scottish Wars of Independence thread may be interested in your thoughts. May I paste a copy of your post there? So it doesn't get lost?
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 3818: by happy (last edited Dec 16, 2013 10:47PM) (new)

happy (happyone) | 2782 comments Terri wrote: "Hi Happy,
people checking into the Scottish Wars of Independence thread may be interested in your thoughts. May I paste a copy of your post there? So it doesn't get lost?
https://www.goodreads.com..."


Already put something there - thx for keeping me on the straight and narrow. I'll also put a link to my thoughts there when I get them written :)

Also currently reading a non fiction book

Bunker Hill A City, a Siege, a Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick


message 3819: by Andy (last edited Dec 17, 2013 03:00AM) (new)

Andy | 1510 comments The Dark Volume The Dark Volume (Miss Temple, Doctor Svenson, and Cardinal Chang, #2) by Gordon Dahlquist Its kinda Victorian & it's kinda Sherlockholmesness in it's own way


message 3820: by Bryn (new)

Bryn Hammond (brynhammond) | 1505 comments I began Gore Vidal's Creation, although why, when I have two perfectly good books on, I don't know. I think because I didn't understand either of them last night.

Creation has a fun beginning. Our Persian observer has to attend a 6-hour lecture by Herodotus and is bagging him out as an ignorant Greek.


message 3821: by Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd (new)

Terri | 19576 comments happy wrote: "Terri wrote: "Hi Happy,
people checking into the Scottish Wars of Independence thread may be interested in your thoughts. May I paste a copy of your post there? So it doesn't get lost?
https://www..."



Oh. I didn't mean to put you on the straight and narrow. Sorry if it came off that way.

I just see so many thoughts being posted in this thread about historical fiction books that are going to waste because once it gets passed 10 post or so, nobody will see those thoughts.
And it is fellow members thoughts that people look for when checking out book ideas.


message 3822: by happy (last edited Dec 17, 2013 04:05PM) (new)

happy (happyone) | 2782 comments 'sa right :)

if I don't have somebody keeping me pointed in the right direction, I tend to wander :D


message 3823: by Alicja (new)

Alicja (darkwingduckie7) | 657 comments I picked up a nonfiction book The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece from the library but I won't get to it until 2014 because I have to finish a few others by the end of the year first. However, I am really looking forward to it, it is all about infantry battles in ancient Greece, something I'm really interested in.

The Western Way of War Infantry Battle in Classical Greece by Victor Davis Hanson


message 3824: by Mark (new)

Mark | 39 comments Just finished The White Queen, which was far from the soppy romance I thought it would be, and just started reading The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc.


message 3825: by Rick (new)

Rick | 16 comments Just finished Jack Whyte,s “Order in Chaos”. Order in Chaos (Templar Trilogy, #3) by Jack Whyte Great read. I have enjoyed nearly all of his stories, this last in the series of Templar Knight trilogy is no exception.


message 3826: by Tim (new)

Tim Hodkinson (timhodkinson) | 577 comments I'm reading Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever while I wait for my copy of The Winter King to arrive. Its really very good. Historical, though not fiction.


message 3827: by Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd (new)

Terri | 19576 comments You have never read The Winter King, Tim? That's a surprise.
If I knew that I had forgotten.


message 3828: by Tim (new)

Tim Hodkinson (timhodkinson) | 577 comments Terri wrote: "You have never read The Winter King, Tim? That's a surprise.
If I knew that I had forgotten."


I read it 11 years ago on Honeymoon in Thailand. The details escape me now and I am in the mood for some Arthurian reading so I thought I would re-visit Cornwell's trilogy.


message 3829: by Linda (new)

Linda (ladylawyer8650) | 1702 comments Correlli Barnett MARLBOROUGH. I started reading and stopped because I could not fairly review and rate the book. Some readers like straight history, I do not. This book is an account of John Churchill's life and his service to his country in several ways. His star was eclipsed by other more well known men such as Admiral Wellington. He was a good diplomat for the English Crown. Winston Churchill is a descendant of John Churchill. What I have read about Winston suggests that he and John have much in common. I would like to know what others think about this book. As yet, it has not been reviewed on Amazon.


message 3830: by Jane (new)

Jane | 3480 comments Just started Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones. Very good so far.
Blurb calls it a Spanish The Pillars of the Earth. We shall see. Building of a cathedral in Barcelona in the 14th century and the Inquisition...


message 3831: by Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila (new)

Margaret (margyw) | 3341 comments Currently reading Bonk


message 3832: by [deleted user] (new)


message 3833: by happy (new)

happy (happyone) | 2782 comments Derek wrote: "That book sounds quite interesting there, Margaret.

I'm reading Lost in Shangri-la A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff[..."


I found it to be a good read.


message 3834: by Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila (new)

Margaret (margyw) | 3341 comments Derek wrote: "That book sounds quite interesting there, Margaret.

I'm reading Lost in Shangri-la A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff[..."


It's strange and extremely creepy on some levels.


message 3835: by Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd (new)

Terri | 19576 comments Finished Exit Wounds - One Australian's War On Terror by Major General John Cantwell - 4 stars

Started The Viking Art of War by Paddy Griffith


message 3836: by Andy (new)

Andy | 1510 comments Margaret wrote: "Currently reading Bonk"

is that MORE fluff reading I see ;)


message 3837: by Jane (new)

Jane | 3480 comments Just finished correlating

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: text in hand, with movie of the same. I plan to read text alone to pick up some dialogue the movie missed. Glad library copy had where different scenes were, from Hamlet by William Shakespeare originally--plus other notes...


message 3838: by C.P. (new)

C.P. Lesley (cplesley) | 564 comments Sultana and The Last Kingdom. And if that's not enough to cause mental whiplash, I don't know what would. ;-)


message 3839: by Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila (new)

Margaret (margyw) | 3341 comments Andy wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Currently reading Bonk"

is that MORE fluff reading I see ;)"


Nope. Mary Roach is a science writer. It was a strange little book, and somewhat creepy, but DEFINITELY no fluff involved in the making of that book.


message 3840: by Bryn (new)

Bryn Hammond (brynhammond) | 1505 comments A memoir. Unusual for me but then it's called Mongol.
Cute cover
Mongol by Uuganaa Ramsay


message 3841: by [deleted user] (new)

Now reading The Crusader by Michael Alexander Eisner The Crusader


message 3842: by Jane (new)

Jane | 3480 comments Now reading Farewell Britannia by Simon Young Farewell Britannia, short stories about generations of a fictional Romano-British family, taking you through the whole of Roman Britannian history.


message 3843: by Andy (new)

Andy | 1510 comments Sounds good that Jane, mind I read his A.D. 500: A Journey Through The Dark Isles Of Britain And Ireland A.D. 500 A Journey Through The Dark Isles Of Britain And Ireland by Simon Young & wasn't overly impressed, will look for your review on this & remain hopefull it's a better read than AD500


message 3844: by Darcy (new)

Darcy (drokka) | 2675 comments Andy wrote: "Sounds good that Jane, mind I read his A.D. 500: A Journey Through The Dark Isles Of Britain And Ireland [bookcover:A.D. 500: A Journey Through The Dark Isles Of Britain And Ireland|..."

I really liked this one. The premise was interesting and I liked how the author gave the book a real sense of how the 'historian' would view the 'natives'. The civilised assessing the 'uncivilised'. It may be exaggerated, but I think if read by students of history, it's a good example of how they should interpret actual history, that it was often written by one group using their own biases to express their dissatisfaction or repulsion of the 'other'


message 3845: by Andy (new)

Andy | 1510 comments Agree Darcy wrt to the premise however imo the delivery wasn't as funny as it claimed to be nor was there any real depth of historical detail (conjecture mostly) - kind of neither here nor there for me - c'est La Vie - but hopeful that Farewell britannia is better in it's delivery as again the premise is promising.


message 3846: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) I've got three books on the go that I'm hoping to finish by the end of the year.


Stormbird (Wars of the Roses, #1) by Conn Iggulden Stormbird by Conn Iggulden
The Blood of Alexandria (Aelric, #3) by Richard Blake The Blood of Alexandria by Richard Blake
and
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner


message 3847: by Carol (new)

Carol (ladygyn) | 304 comments Am readingFive Dead Canaries set in era of WW1 in England when women were employed to pack munitions for the war effort and turned yellow from chemical exposure. Hence the name canaries


message 3848: by Andy (new)

Andy | 1510 comments Dawn wrote: "I've got three books on the go that I'm hoping to finish by the end of the year.


Stormbird (Wars of the Roses, #1) by Conn Iggulden Stormbird by Conn Iggulden
[bookcover:The Blood of ..."


Looks like you & lisa will have to carry on, with me bringing up the rear on Stormbird - its NOW ready to collect at the library :) bless 'em, likely my first book of 2014


message 3849: by Vanessa Eden (new)

Vanessa  Eden Patton (vanessaeden) | 98 comments @mark...Amen! I agree, when I read White Queen, I didn't find it Dippy with romance either. I rather enjoyed it. :)


message 3850: by Mark (new)

Mark | 39 comments Finished The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc this morning, and will be starting An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris later on. Just got this for my birthday recently and excited to read it as I love all of his books. Late 19th century this one though, rather than ancient or medieval.


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