useless Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) I'm reading, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, I'm not finding it the greatest read to be honest not exactly addictive, nor interesting in terms of making you think of stuff you'd never thought of before, but still not bad and time to get better.I might read Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz, next. Edited June 26, 2015 by useless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Currently juggling Owen Jones' 'The Establishment' and George RR Martin's 'The World of Ice and Fire' while I wait endlessly for 'Winds of Winter'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightysasquatch Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I'm currently making my way through Brandon Sanderson's work. started with the storm light archive, those two audiobooks totalled 90 hours +, the mistborn trilogy & now I'm not book two of the reckoners. I really enjoy his work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Post Captain is so bloody good. Can't wait to get stuck into the next one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted August 4, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted August 4, 2015 Post Captain is so bloody good. Can't wait to get stuck into the next one. Really glad you like it - about another twenty books to go! Once he gets into it, it's just one long book, and really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 (edited) I think my enjoyment of the books is 100% down to the author. Patrick O'Brian strikes me as a masterful writer, the books seem painstakingly researched but to a land lubber like me that's just a cool aside. It's the sense of world building, the strong characterisation, the way he delicately hides Chekhov's gun, the gentle humour. It's all right up my alley. O'Brian seems like a man at the absolute top of his trade. If he kept the quality up for twenty books then consider me amazed. Edited August 4, 2015 by The_Rev 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikantcpell Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted August 4, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted August 4, 2015 I think my enjoyment of the books is 100% down to the author. Patrick O'Brian strikes me as a masterful writer, the books seem painstakingly researched but to a land lubber like me that's just a cool aside. It's the sense of world building, the strong characterisation, the way he delicately hides Chekhov's gun, the gentle humour. It's all right up my alley. O'Brian seems like a man at the absolute top of his trade. If he kept the quality up for twenty books then consider me amazed. He actually does. And you are dead right about the quality of the writing, he makes other genre writers (Cornwell et al) look piss poor. What impresses me is the dialogue - it reads as authentic late 18th Century - almost a bloke's Jane Austen, rather than the "OK men, let's kick Napoleon's ass" style that lesser writers would use. If he has a weakness it might just be in the female characters that feature later on - but the Aubrey/Maturin double act is peerless, and the supporting cast of the Surprise are superb. I'm tempted to read the series again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Post Captain is so bloody good. Can't wait to get stuck into the next one. Be careful, O'Brian can prove addictive. Not only will you feel compelled to read the twenty and a half books in the Aubrey-Maturin series, you'll also find the need to read the four books O'Brian wrote in the early 1950s, in which many of the themes first emerged. You'll then have to read biographies of Thomas Cochran who the Aubrey character is based upon. Other consequences may include learning the Latin binomial for the common booby, and being seen to inspect old pillar-boxes, to see if they were made by the Carron Company, where carronades were made. Not to mention the insane need to explain the weather gauge to complete strangers, against their will. So be warned! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Recently finished TO END ALL WARS, great WW1 history, not bogged down with tactics and battles, but the stupidity of the generals, the war resistance in Britain, the Pankhurst family, and other fascinating chareacters. Makes Rudyard Kipling look like a complete arsehole. Currently reading PIRATE COAST, the story of the US Navy's engagement against Barbary pirates who captured and enslaved 130 odd sailors, circa 1805. Great read, could be a movie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted August 5, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted August 5, 2015 Post Captain is so bloody good. Can't wait to get stuck into the next one. Be careful, O'Brian can prove addictive. Not only will you feel compelled to read the twenty and a half books in the Aubrey-Maturin series, you'll also find the need to read the four books O'Brian wrote in the early 1950s, in which many of the themes first emerged. You'll then have to read biographies of Thomas Cochran who the Aubrey character is based upon. Other consequences may include learning the Latin binomial for the common booby, and being seen to inspect old pillar-boxes, to see if they were made by the Carron Company, where carronades were made. Not to mention the insane need to explain the weather gauge to complete strangers, against their will. So be warned! Which it had that effect on me, didn't it? Brownie points if you can work the phrase "You have debauched my sloth" into a pub conversation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Finally got around to buying 'Consider Phlebas'. I've been meaning to read the Culture books for yonks. I'll start it once I finish 'The Circle' by Dave Eggers which has proven to be a tortuous read, the kind that one dips in and out of for a month before working up the steely reserve to plough through it. It has interesting ideas but it is incredibly dull and everyone is a douchebag, intentionally so but I don't think that is a valid enough excuse. There is a good book to be written about the impact of social media and so-called 'transparency' on our culture but this ain't it. Also have 'The Accidental' by Ali Smith which I'm looking forward to reading. She's been on the list for a while and I've heard good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson Easily the best book I have read on the American Civil War. This Pulitzer Prize-winning account provides a wonderfully detailed picture of a divided antebellum America; both North and South with entirely different concepts of freedom for which they were both willing to fight and die for. The details of Lincoln's presidency conflict with the myth and Sherman's vengeful total destruction of South Carolina still shocks. The total defeat and political subjugation of the south and the dominance of the north, which meant that the USA never had a southern-born president for 100 years, explains so much about the country today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norwegianvillain Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) Half way through 2666 (Roberto Bolano). I found part 1,2 and 3 pretty god, but i struggle a bit more with part 4. Might just be too many names and locations in spanish for my taste, don't think I've read any latino literature before. Anyone read it? Edited August 13, 2015 by norwegianvillain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Not I. If you are looking for more Latin fiction, start with the granddaddy of them all- 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norwegianvillain Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Heard about it, might give it a try! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDuck Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I think my enjoyment of the books is 100% down to the author. Patrick O'Brian strikes me as a masterful writer, the books seem painstakingly researched but to a land lubber like me that's just a cool aside. It's the sense of world building, the strong characterisation, the way he delicately hides Chekhov's gun, the gentle humour. It's all right up my alley. O'Brian seems like a man at the absolute top of his trade. If he kept the quality up for twenty books then consider me amazed. He actually does. And you are dead right about the quality of the writing, he makes other genre writers (Cornwell et al) look piss poor. While I wholeheartedly agree with the general sentiment about O'Brian's brilliance, I think Bernard Cornwell is one of a select few who are in the same bracket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted August 14, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted August 14, 2015 I think my enjoyment of the books is 100% down to the author. Patrick O'Brian strikes me as a masterful writer, the books seem painstakingly researched but to a land lubber like me that's just a cool aside. It's the sense of world building, the strong characterisation, the way he delicately hides Chekhov's gun, the gentle humour. It's all right up my alley. O'Brian seems like a man at the absolute top of his trade. If he kept the quality up for twenty books then consider me amazed. He actually does. And you are dead right about the quality of the writing, he makes other genre writers (Cornwell et al) look piss poor. While I wholeheartedly agree with the general sentiment about O'Brian's brilliance, I think Bernard Cornwell is one of a select few who are in the same bracket. Sorry, but no. Cornwell is pretty good on the battle scenes, but for the authentic feel of the dialogue he can't hold a candle to O'Brian. Same goes for Simon Scarrow - I'm currently reading his Napoleon/Wellington quartet, and sure, the plot rolls along and the battle scenes are excellent. But by God, the characters are one dimensional. Like the similarly plodding Ken Follett, he's clearly never heard of the maxim "Show, don't tell". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I prefer Love in the Time of Cholera to Solitude. I need to read more of his stuff. I'd also throw in Jorge Luis Borges if you want a Latin American fix, although his stuff is mind-altering. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDuck Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I think my enjoyment of the books is 100% down to the author. Patrick O'Brian strikes me as a masterful writer, the books seem painstakingly researched but to a land lubber like me that's just a cool aside. It's the sense of world building, the strong characterisation, the way he delicately hides Chekhov's gun, the gentle humour. It's all right up my alley. O'Brian seems like a man at the absolute top of his trade. If he kept the quality up for twenty books then consider me amazed. He actually does. And you are dead right about the quality of the writing, he makes other genre writers (Cornwell et al) look piss poor. While I wholeheartedly agree with the general sentiment about O'Brian's brilliance, I think Bernard Cornwell is one of a select few who are in the same bracket. Sorry, but no. Cornwell is pretty good on the battle scenes, but for the authentic feel of the dialogue he can't hold a candle to O'Brian. Same goes for Simon Scarrow - I'm currently reading his Napoleon/Wellington quartet, and sure, the plot rolls along and the battle scenes are excellent. But by God, the characters are one dimensional. Like the similarly plodding Ken Follett, he's clearly never heard of the maxim "Show, don't tell". We'll have to agree to disagree on that one Cornwell pretty good on battle scenes? I'd say unbeatable. Not a fan of Scarrow, and Iggledun is... ok. Follett I find generally awful! Have you read any of CJ Sansom's Shardlake series? I though they were superb although I did read them on recommendation from Cornwell... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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