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 4701: by [deleted user] (new)

The Blood of Alexander is doing some pretty great stuff, I was expecting your typical adrenaline yarn with a historical background for the treasure, not all the stuff that's been going down so far. And I'm only a third into it.


message 4702: by Carol (new)

Carol (ladygyn) | 304 comments I am reasingThe Last of Days which is about Henry VIII in the voice of his fool Will Somers So far not a bad read


message 4703: by Gretchen (new)

Gretchen (eab2012) I am struggling with Dissolution! I have seen it so highly recommended by people with similar reading interests to mine and I am finding myself struggling to want to read. I am finding the writing to be wonderful. The was in which Sansom describes England and it's landscapes is fantastic. His character depictions are also very well written but I feel like I am crawling through the mud with the plot.


message 4704: by Darcy (new)

Darcy (drokka) | 2675 comments I find that when I have trouble like that, it's best to set the book aside and come back to it. Sometimes I think that some books require more auspicious cosmic alignments, or different states of minds while others fit in at any time.


message 4705: by Kimber (last edited May 19, 2014 03:36PM) (new)

Kimber (kimberlibri) | 785 comments On to Duchess of Aquitaine: A Novel of Eleanor Duchess of Aquitaine A Novel of Eleanor by Margaret Ball now that i'm done with Empress Theodora. Read an interesting Ireland at the turn of the century book based on a true story, The Butterfly Cabinet. Chilling.


message 4706: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) Gretchen wrote: "I am struggling with Dissolution! I have seen it so highly recommended by people with similar reading interests to mine and I am finding myself struggling to want to read. I am findin..."

I wasn't a big fan either. I found it dull and long.


message 4707: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) I'm going for steampunk this time. Starting The Osiris Ritual (Newbury and Hobbes, #2) by George Mann The Osiris Ritual by George Mann


message 4708: by Haydn (last edited May 20, 2014 05:23AM) (new)

Haydn Morris No not crazy just prepared.
A book in the car, a book for when I have a break at work, a book beside the bed. Several under the coffee table, and, a huge pile of TBR books in most corners. I have about six books started and in various stages of being read but only three being seriously followed.
A Burnable Book (John Gower, #1) by Bruce Holsinger
The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman which is a re read.


message 4709: by Victor (last edited May 20, 2014 06:09AM) (new)

Victor Bruneski | 124 comments I just finished The Alienist by Caleb Carr , and it was great! I highly recommend it.

Now i'm starting The Heike Story A Modern Translation of the Classic Tale of Love and War (Tuttle Classics) by Eiji Yoshikawa by one of my favorite authors Eiji Yoshikawa


message 4710: by Mark (new)


message 4711: by Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila (new)

Margaret (margyw) | 3341 comments Carol wrote: "I am reasingThe Last of Days which is about Henry VIII in the voice of his fool Will Somers So far not a bad read"

Read that. It wasn't too bad, but it wasn't the best of Paul Doherty's books by far.


message 4712: by Gretchen (new)

Gretchen (eab2012) Darcy wrote: "I find that when I have trouble like that, it's best to set the book aside and come back to it. Sometimes I think that some books require more auspicious cosmic alignments, or different states of m..."

I put it aside for the time being. I've started Empress of the Night: A Novel of Catherine the Great. It has to be back at the library in a week.


message 4713: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) Alright, I am tired of having so few books on the go! So I am going to start 3 more today.

Moving Pictures (Discworld, #10) by Terry Pratchett Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett
The Serpent and the Rose (War of the Rose, #1) by Kathleen Bryan The Serpent and the Rose by Kathleen Bryan
The Abbot's Gibbet (Knights Templar, #5) by Michael Jecks The Abbot's Gibbet by Michael Jecks


message 4714: by Kimber (new)

Kimber (kimberlibri) | 785 comments Terry!!! I absolutely adore Terry Pratchett. I have all of the Discworld series and most of his others collected. Moving Pictures is an interesting one. I hope you are reading a paperback or hardcover. The footnotes really make the book and they get lost on ereaders.


message 4715: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) I own a paperback. Pratchett is one of those authors that I have to read with a dead tree book. No audio or ereaders.
I don't think this will be one of my favorites based on what I've liked in the others I've read but it should still be good.


message 4716: by Jane (new)

Jane | 3480 comments Dawn wrote: "Gretchen wrote: "I am struggling with Dissolution! I have seen it so highly recommended by people with similar reading interests to mine and I am finding myself struggling to want to ..."

So did I. It put me off the rest of the series.


message 4717: by Bobby (new)


message 4719: by [deleted user] (new)


message 4720: by Kimber (new)

Kimber (kimberlibri) | 785 comments Reading the Secrets of the Tudor Court series by Kate Emerson. Finished The Pleasure Palace (Secrets of the Tudor Court, #1) by Kate Emerson and moving on to At the King's Pleasure (Secrets of the Tudor Court, #4 ) by Kate Emerson


message 4721: by happy (new)

happy (happyone) | 2782 comments Finished The War That Ended Peace: The Road To 1914 - excellent look at the two decades leading up to WW I and how Europe drifted into war 4+ stars

Currentl read the second book in Edward Marston's Home front detective series, set in WW I,

An Instrument of Slaughter by Edward Marston


message 4723: by happy (last edited May 25, 2014 02:48AM) (new)

happy (happyone) | 2782 comments From Knight... looks like something right up my alley :)


message 4724: by Scott (new)

Scott | 11 comments Currently reading A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century and enjoying it immensely.

My sister and I are doing a long-distance "book club" and reading The Golem and the Jinni.


message 4725: by happy (last edited May 25, 2014 05:23AM) (new)

happy (happyone) | 2782 comments I think A Distant Mirror is probably the starting point for reading about the 14th centurey. Tuchman is an excellent author


message 4726: by Darcy (new)

Darcy (drokka) | 2675 comments I've got that Barbara W. Tuchman book for a course that I didn't even start (bad Darcy - I know, but I got my degree 11 years later haha) in 1999 and I've yet to read it. It's one of those books that I keep thinking about but others just seem to trump it.


message 4727: by Darcy (new)

Darcy (drokka) | 2675 comments happy wrote: "From Knight... looks like something right up my alley :)"

I'll let you know how it goes. So far, the intro and the historiography need some tending to, but I've not started the body of the thesis yet.


message 4728: by Allison (new)

Allison | 1704 comments Dawn wrote: "I've started Breakfast at Tiffany's And Three Stories by Truman CapoteBreakfast at Tiffany's: And Three Stories by Truman Capote"

I prefer the movie (for once) :)


message 4729: by Allison (new)

Allison | 1704 comments happy wrote: "Finished The War That Ended Peace: The Road To 1914 - excellent look at the two decades leading up to WW I and how Europe drifted into war 4+ stars

Currentl read the second book in..."


Added! Thanks Happy.


message 4730: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) Allie wrote: "Dawn wrote: "I've started Breakfast at Tiffany's And Three Stories by Truman CapoteBreakfast at Tiffany's: And Three Stories by Truman Capote"

I prefer the movie (..."


Agree, I wasn't a big fan of the book but I loved Audrey!


message 4731: by Allison (new)

Allison | 1704 comments We rated it the same :)

Uh... who doesn't love Audrey??? Really, is there anyone??


message 4733: by Gretchen (new)

Gretchen (eab2012) I just finished struggling through Empress of the Night: A Novel of Catherine the Great. I was so disappointed. I am moving on to The Queen's Lady. I am hoping my luck with books changes soon. My five year old has The Very Fairy Princess collection on hold at the library. Dissolution is still waiting for me to come back and attempt to finish.


message 4735: by Kimber (new)

Kimber (kimberlibri) | 785 comments I have Empress of the Night on my TBR. If you don't mind me asking what was the problem with it? Should I try it or not even bother and remove it from my list?


message 4736: by Gretchen (new)

Gretchen (eab2012) Kimberlibri wrote: "I have Empress of the Night on my TBR. If you don't mind me asking what was the problem with it? Should I try it or not even bother and remove it from my list?"

The writing was so disjointed. The author would jumped around on the the timeline so much I had a hard time keeping up. At one point the story jumps seven years in a matter of seven pages. Without giving too much away there is a point in the book where the reader is suppose to be seeing things from Catherine's semi-conscious point of view and it's hard to tell who is coming and going or who is speaking. I have a really hard time telling people whether or not to read books (unless the book is The Host ). I know my personal preference is so much different than others. If it helps, most of the other reviews I read on this site describe almost exactly how I felt.


message 4737: by Scott (last edited May 26, 2014 05:36PM) (new)

Scott | 11 comments happy wrote: "I think A Distant Mirror is probably the starting point for reading about the 14th century. Tuchman is an excellent author"


Having gotten a library copy a long time ago and never finishing it(mostly due to putting down to read something else repeatedly, apparently I just wasn't as interested as I am now), I bought a used but pristine copy to enjoy at leisure.


message 4738: by Tim (new)

Tim Hodkinson (timhodkinson) | 577 comments Reading The Quest for Merlin and loving it so far


message 4739: by Jesse (new)

Jesse Eaters of the Dead The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan, Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in A.D. 922 by Michael Crichton
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Who's in Charge Here? Overcoming Power Struggles with Your Kids by Robert G. Barnes
Little bit of fun mixed in with personal growth


message 4740: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) Decided that Terry Pratchett was a good theme to continue on, so I'm reading Men at Arms (Discworld, #15) by Terry Pratchett Men at Arms


message 4741: by Saul (new)

Saul Witman | 6 comments Vlad by C. C. Humphries
The Road to Kandahar by John Wilcox
The Lark's Lament by Alan Gordon
Eagle in the Snow: General Maximus and Rome's Last Stand by Wallace Breem
The Templar trilogy by Jack Whyte--Knights of the Black & White; Standard of Honour (just finish both and half way through the final book, Order in Chaos.


message 4742: by Jesse (new)

Jesse Saul wrote: "Vlad by C. C. Humphries
The Road to Kandahar by John Wilcox
The Lark's Lament by Alan Gordon
Eagle in the Snow: General Maximus and Rome's Last Stand by Wallace Breem
The Templar trilogy by Jack Wh..."


Can I see your review of Jack Whyte's triogy when you finish? I have them on the shelf but don't know how soon I should move them up in the que. Thanks!


message 4743: by Darcy (new)

Darcy (drokka) | 2675 comments Just a wee reminder to link your books if they haven't been linked in the previous four posts.

Vlad: The Last Confession
The Road to Kandahar
The Lark's Lament
Eagle in the Snow
Jack Whyte


message 4744: by Mark (new)

Mark | 1885 comments Dawn wrote: "Decided that Terry Pratchett was a good theme to continue on, so I'm reading Men at Arms (Discworld, #15) by Terry PratchettMen at Arms"

One of my favourite books.


message 4745: by Kimber (new)

Kimber (kimberlibri) | 785 comments Mark wrote: "Dawn wrote: "Decided that Terry Pratchett was a good theme to continue on, so I'm reading Men at Arms (Discworld, #15) by Terry PratchettMen at Arms"

One of my favourite books."


And mine too. The Guards portion of Discworld is my favorite. I read them all in chronological order the first time but now I reread them by group. Love me some Vimes!


message 4746: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (caveatlector) Yep, I love the Watch too. I am a big fan of Death and his granddaughter as well!


message 4747: by Linda (new)

Linda (ladylawyer8650) | 1702 comments The Other Queen by. Philippa Gregory. I do not remember reading her before. This book is long and not her best by all accounts.


message 4748: by Allison (new)

Allison | 1704 comments Linda wrote: "The Other Queen by. Philippa Gregory. I do not remember reading her before. This book is long and not her best by all accounts."

Drat! I own that one but haven't read that series yet :(


message 4749: by Gretchen (new)

Gretchen (eab2012) I finished The Queen's Lady and look forward to reading more of Kyle's Thornleigh books. I'm moving to Daughters of Rome while I wait for my copy of the June group read to get here. I still have Dissolution staring me in the face. My five year old and I are currently working our way through The Very Fairy Princess books as part of her summer reading program.


message 4750: by Kimber (last edited May 28, 2014 03:31PM) (new)

Kimber (kimberlibri) | 785 comments Linda wrote: "The Other Queen by. Philippa Gregory. I do not remember reading her before. This book is long and not her best by all accounts."

I agree. That said, it's not a bad book at all...it just doesn't quite measure up to the others in the series. It follows the same format that The Virgin's Lover does - switching between three different perspectives - and although interesting, it does tend to drag a bit. Still give it a read Allie - just for the historical aspect. I'm almost done with Secrets of the Tudor Court series by Kate Emerson and am encountering kind of the same thing. Some of the series are factual and interesting while others are almost complete fabrications. Moving onto The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots next.


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