I am a prolific reader, a devourer of words. This page was intended to give an outline of my reading matter, but I find I’m reading far too much to put everything down on here! I can’t be without a book, I go all twitchy and restless if I’ve nothing to read. I’m open to pretty much everything, but presently really enjoying historical fiction, Nelson’s naval era, travel, sci fi, fantasy and biographies.
Check out my Library Thing library for a look at my bookshelves…
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12 Feb 08
Been reading James Clemens – his Wit’ch Fire Series and the Godslayer series – FANTASTIC!
More Alexander Kent
Finally picked up a David Eddings, and swiftly followed that with three more! Read The Redepmtion of Althalus and The Elenium trilogy – moving on with Eddings next month
Discovered Jim Baxter and his Harry Dresden series – the only warlock in Chicago. Also a series on Sky. Quite cool – like a male Anita Blake.
Also on the shelf is Moondust, interviews with the 9 men still alive who have the distinction of being the only people to ever walk on the moon. That one’s scheduled after James Clemens series ends…
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11 Sept 07
Again – ages between updates!
Reading lots lately – lots of Alexander Kent (finished another 5 Bolitho books and one more to go on my shelf – I seem to go through these like water!), and thoroughly enjoyed the new Laurell K Hamilton Anita Blake novel, which is a long overdue return to story-based writing for Hamilton. Finished the hardback in an afternoon. At the moment reading Black Powder War, a continuation of the Naomi Novik Temeraire series, and really enjoying it too.
Finished the 6 books in the Forsythe Witches of Eilennan series – damn good series! Also finished the 3 books in the following series, Rhionnan’s Ride, Shining City and Heart of Stars.
Read a new Kelley Armstrong – another fantasy writer I enjoy – Broken, about Jack the Ripper.
Also still on the ‘to read’ shelf are a biography of Fletcher Christian (most famous mutineer in the world), We of the Never-Never which I’ve still not read, and a biography of the two great men involved in the 1960’s space race – the ex-Nazi chief designer for the USA and the Soviet chief designer. Delved a little into this one, but diverted to Alexander Kent. :)
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1 Aug 07
Been reading a bit lately – the weather’s been so shite that it’s more fun to stay in with a good book & a cup of (peppermint) tea…
Lately read or reading:- (Author, Title)
Forsythe, Heart of the Stars, Pool of Two Moons; You Can Get Arrested for That; Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (finished in 5.5hrs on day of purchase); Taylor, Jesus Weed – the misadventures of a young man in search of the perfect high; Moore, The Knife Man – biography of John Hunter, subtitle is Blood, body-snatching and the birth of modern surgery; a Nelson biography that I can’t remember the name of at the mo; Palin, A Hemmingway Adventure; a book of old tales from the frozen northlands; Salak, The Cruellest Journey – 600 Miles by Canoe to the Legendary City of Timbuktu; Connelly, Attention All Shipping – A journey round the Shipping Forecast
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21 June 07
Oh lordy, I haven’t updated this for ages! Have to update Library Thing too.
Can tell you though that the most amusing thing I’ve read for a while was The Sex Lives of Cannibals, about a couple who abandon the western world to go and live on Kiribati (an atoll in the deepest darkest Pacific) for 2 years. Talk about a culture shock. Made me laugh out loud and get some funny looks, but a great read.
Another one that went far too quickly was Winterdance, about a novice dog-sledder who gets the notion to run the Iditarod… very very amusing. Don’t miss the section where he starts training…
And then there was the tale of honour killings, Burned Alive. Very scary nasty stuff going on with women in the middle eastern region. Brought me back to earth pretty quickly.
But I’m finding myself running out of books too quickly, so I’ve GOT to get up and go join the local library. Although I have usually found libraries to have the bestsellers and reference books, and very little else, Cambridge being a big Uni town might be different. I might do that this weekend…
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6 Mar 07
In the last wee while I’ve read, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Flying Colours by C.S. Forester. Now on Gerald Seymour’s A Traitor’s Kiss about spies and espionage – just for a change
If you haven’t read The Three Musketeers – do! Having only seen various celuloid interpretations, and being a fan of the Disney version with Tim Curry and Keifer Sutherland, I was fairly stunned to see how much the book differed. Dumas has an easy and fluid style that is a joy to read, and the story itself is full of wit, humor and plenty of buckling swashes. :) Highly Recommended.
Flying Colours is another Horatio Hornblower story, and a fairly short one. At the end of Hornblower R.N. we found him in prison, this begins with his being moved to Paris to face a trial and probable execution by ‘Boney’. Quite exciting, if short, adventure on land and sea. Closes a few doors of Hornblower’s life, and opens a few more. Still a highly entertaining series – I haven’t been disappointed yet. But I’m out of Hornblower’s at the moment – have to find some more.
The lady who shares my office also put me on to a new author – Alexander Kent – who writes in a similar vein to Forester, Stockwin, Pope and O’Brian. Bring on the Naval History!
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19 Feb 07
Haven’t updated this for a while, and being very eclectic in my reading at the moment – I’m opening a book, reading the first few chapters, then putting it down. On the go right now: Austen, Emma; Dumas, Three Musketeers; Harrier, Return to Tibet; Somerville-Large, To the Navel of the World; Jonathan Morrell & Mr Strange; Auel, Plains of Passage.
Not quite sure why I’m doing this, I don’t remember ever doing it before, and I’m starting to get frustrated with it. We;ll see what happens.
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5 Feb 07
Finished the Hornblower, exciting! Got the next one, but taking a break for the moment to read To the Navel of The World by Peter Somerville-Large. Subtitle is Yaks and unheroic travels in Nepal and Tibet. Enjoying it so far.
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29 Jan 07
Finished the Keneally book – fantastic! A recommended read to anyone even slightly interested in Australian history. Still going on Hornblower RN, onto the second book of the omnibus now. Still going on This Thing of Darkness too..
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23 Jan 07
OK – haven’t updated this for a while. Been reading my Australia book, almost finished it. Read Temeraire in a day in Morocco (and on the plane). Still reading This Thing Of Darkness – but paused for a while. Also reading Hornblower R.N. – another omnibus edition, 3 books in one. Started yesterday and almost finished the first, Hornblower and the Atropos.
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8 Jan 07
Finished Hornblower – love that series! Love it! Must get the continuing books!
Still going on This thing of Darkness – it’s getting a bit bogged down in religion. but I will persevere.
The other thing I’m reading is a Rough Guide to Morocco in preparation of my trip next week! WhooHoo!
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2 Jan 07 – Got a few on the go at the moment:
And Then We Sailed Away – John, Marie Christine and Rebecca Ridgeway
John runs an adventure school on the west coast of Scotland, and decided to packup his yacht with family and a few friends and travel the world. Ends up sailing from Scotland, through the Panama Canal and on to Samoa before swinging around Cape Horn for return. V. interesting, quite enjoyable.
The Young Hornblower Omnibus – C.S. Forester
I’m a bit obsessed with naval drama at the moment :). I’m really enjoying the language, and the imagery invoking wind in the sails and the smell of the salt air… This collection contains 3 novels – Mr Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower and Hornblower and the ‘Hotspur’, all of which have been made into films that I bought myself for crinbo :) I’m into the last of the 3.
This Thing of Darkness – Harry Thompson
A fictional account of the voyage of The Beagle, Charles Darwin and Catpain (unfortunate, but hilarious, typo there :) FitzRoy, and how FitzRoy went totally off the deep end.. Also V interesting.
Also delving occasionally into Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and a brand new book I got for Xmas: Commonwealth of Thieves: The Story of the Founding of Australia by Thomas Keneally
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