Alison Weir’s writing is still better with regards to a bout of historical,hysterical writing. But Ian Mortimer is not too bad.
Was just taken by his description of the plague in The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England:
[quote]As you look around and see ravens flying through deserted streets, and half-wild dogs and pigs eating the corpses abandoned on the edge of a village, you will see something which no historian will ever see. The doors of houses left blackly open, thus to remain as night comes and day dawns, until someone enters and finds the cold body of the owner. The passing bells are banned by the church, the traditional laments thrown away. Even prayers fade into a mere whisper of horror.
Beyond this, although one could say a great deal, there is little which needs to be said. What you will see is just too shocking.[/quote]
The sections that await me are “Leprosy” and “Tuberculosis”. Sweet!
Bismarck - I’ll keep your copy safe.
[quote=“ThreadKiller”]Alison Weir’s writing is still better with regards to a bout of historical,hysterical writing. But Ian Mortimer is not too bad.
Was just taken by his description of the plague in The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England:
[quote]As you look around and see ravens flying through deserted streets, and half-wild dogs and pigs eating the corpses abandoned on the edge of a village, you will see something which no historian will ever see. The doors of houses left blackly open, thus to remain as night comes and day dawns, until someone enters and finds the cold body of the owner. The passing bells are banned by the church, the traditional laments thrown away. Even prayers fade into a mere whisper of horror.
Beyond this, although one could say a great deal, there is little which needs to be said. What you will see is just too shocking.[/quote]
The sections that await me are “Leprosy” and “Tuberculosis”. Sweet!
[color=#FF0000]Bismarck - I’ll keep your copy safe.[/color][/quote]
Please do! I’m looking forward to it!
I finished True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey. It’s not bad, but the narrative style pulls it down a bit. An interesting look at what makes an outlaw, and probably of interest as a less-violent, better-characterized version of the movie Young Guns.
Currently reading Everyman by Philip Roth. So far, I’m surprised it’s not as depressing as I thought it would be, given that it’s dealing with aging, sickness, and death.
Reading A Tale of Two Cities. The first chapter is already so amazing that I can’t even imagine it getting any better. I can’t wait to finish it! I read Pride and Prejudice again last Saturday, and Northanger Abbey today. I’m obsessed with Darcy. I read that book at least once a month! Sometimes I start it again as soon as I finish it.
It does though.
I’ll admit that I haven’t read a lot of Dickens because his plot devices seem too contrived and his heroines are always too sickly-sweet for me.
But I read A Tale of Two Cities many moons ago as part of my studies and I was blown away by his descriptions of the bloody revolution. The man knew how to compose a sentence.
:s You’re making me feel like attempting another of his. I’ve only read your present read, A Christmas Carol, and Dombey and Son. Does anyone else have a favorite Dickens to recommend?
I’m almost finished The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England, but got sidetracked by a comment of Buttercup’s and picked up a copy of Jane Eyre I had left unread on my shelf. I’m enjoying Eyre so much that it has reminded me that I need to temper my reading with the occasional classic.
amazon.com/Eldest-Son-Making … 1568360843
Interesting book outlining Zhou Enlai’s life. I’m especially enjoying reading about the KMT and CCP relationship in the 1920s. Never knew that Zhou was an Executive Director of a KMT organization in Lyon, France in the 20s.
Also interesting to read about the Cultural Revolution years, and how rightists in the Party such as Deng, Zhou, and Liu Shaoqi were purged or really had to tread lightly. What really struck me about Deng was his traditional Chinese virtues.
I have not attempted any Dickens, ever… I look forward to attempting to get into some, thanks for the heads up.
Finished Dan Simmons’ Hyperion. I’m not a big science fiction buff but I loved his descriptions of the people and places - vivid, strange, exotic. I’m also not really a fan of the type of story that tells itself in the telling of other people’s stories, but in this case it was interesting to hear the stories. Kind of like a sci-fi poetic Canterbury Tales. 
[quote=“ThreadKiller”]
I’ll admit that I haven’t read a lot of Dickens because his plot devices seem too contrived and his heroines are always too sickly-sweet for me. [/quote]
I absolutely detest his plotting. Such a shame, 'cause he’s such a good writer otherwise.
[quote=“ThreadKiller”]
But I read A Tale of Two Cities many moons ago as part of my studies and I was blown away by his descriptions of the bloody revolution. The man knew how to compose a sentence.[/quote]
I wholeheartedly agree.
Great Expectations.
[quote=“trubadour”]I have not attempted any Dickens, ever… I look forward to attempting to get into some, thanks for the heads up.
Finished Dan Simmons’ Hyperion. I’m not a big science fiction buff but I loved his descriptions of the people and places - vivid, strange, exotic. I’m also not really a fan of the type of story that tells itself in the telling of other people’s stories, but in this case it was interesting to hear the stories. Kind of like a sci-fi poetic Canterbury Tales. [/quote]
I’ve seen that one at the local Cave’s but never bought it. From what you say it seems worth it. Reckon I’ll pick up a copy.
I loved A Tale of Two Cities when we read it at school. I think I have a copy somewhere, would like to give it another read. I remember we also read On the Black Hill, but I could never find the book again.
I finished Everyman by Philip Roth. It is quite good and not as depressing as the subject matter may make it seem. I actually felt it was a rather positive look at aging, sickness, and death–that it is a natural part of life. It’s even a rather gentle novel…for Roth, that is.
I’m now reading Hollywood by Gore Vidal.
Grierson - welcome to forumosa! 
Your own novel looks interesting. Any thoughts, though, on the two you have just read and other two you are reading right now?
Sure. The stark dichotomy of Dyer’s book put me off while I was reading it, but my appreciation for the ploy is growing in hindsight. The Gift of Rain successfully evokes its setting but goes off the rails with 武俠. I am not deep enough into the history textbook to say much about it, but I am (with certain reservations) enjoying Gasoline, a fair review of which appears at Conversational Reading.
I’m on Chapter XI of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and it’s really starting to heat up now! Old Mellors hanging about the mansion at odd hours, the nurse has figured out he’s getting some (and remembering how much she fancied a bit of action with him after her husband died, but was denied).
Once you get past the vapid conversations (the “elite” talking shite) of the first few chapters it’s not half bad. Still, not exactly The Story of O, but O was written by a French bird…
Just finished Return Engagement by Harry Turtledove, probably the best book about WW2 I ever read.
Finished Hollywood by Gore Vidal. I like his others that I’ve read better: Burr, Lincoln, and Empire. This one was a little uneven because of the crossover between politics and movies, and the character he used to bridge the two didn’t work for me. It also lacked a great deal of the wit that I’ve come to expect from Vidal.
Now reading Red Gold by Alan Furst.
About halfway finished with Rainbow Warrior by Francois Pienaar (on loan from the Library of Jimipresley). I have massive respect for the man and what he achieved for South Africa and South African rugby in 1993, 94 and especially 1995 at the RWC, but jimipresley was right. He’s a bit of a whiner. The entire book reads like a whinge fest. In stark contrast to John Smit’s book Captain in the Cauldron – The John Smit Story and Jake White’s book In Black and White: The Jake White Story
Both Jake and John come off as real lovers of rugby in general, and not just participants in the Springbok Saga, but also true supporters of the game and the team. The also come off as decent blokes with an interesting story to tell, whereas Francois just whines about how this should have been this way, and that that way. How badly he was treated by so and so etc etc…
Jake and John also had interesting revelations in their books, but at least they didn’t whine about anything.
I expected more from Francois’ book. Bit disappointed.
“The Museum of Innocence” by Orhan Pamuk.
This is only the 2nd book of his that I have read, and I am only about 60 pages into it (and Pamuk takes sooooo long to set the scene) but it looks promising. I’ve never been to Turkey, but there’s something compelling about the way he drags me into his world within a world within the world. Very much “a man thinks he can think with his little brain” start (the 60 pages I have read), but I know it ain’t going to stay that way … (“Snow” was the first book of his that I read. I still think about it.)
“For Rabbit, With Love and Squalor (An American Read)” by Anne Roiphe.
I happened to pick this up by chance at a used bookstore and I am fascinated and repulsed with it at the same time. The premise of the book is that Roiphe reminisces about the possibility of falling in love with fictional male main characters from Salinger, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Updike, etc. She uses this as a set-up to get into her own ended (youthful) relationships with hard-drinking, hard-thinking and (financially, artistically, personally) failed writers/artists; yet equally problematically, she champions her settling for a prosperous and staid psychoanalyst type that has measured and infrequent bursts of personality - but takes care of her. She’s no dummy and and she’s been around - which makes it worth the read.
She explained some things about (some) women that I never considered. She explains why a young, virginal 20-something girly-woman likes “artists”, then she pays her dues and renounces/denounces her youthful indiscretions/failings, by ultimately writing as an analyzed “mature” woman.
An examined life exposed. Thus, a compelling read if you like this sort of thing.
But it reminds me of the women who(m) I once held in high regard, only to watch them devolve into embracing security, convention and the way things have always been between bring-home-the-bacon-men and the women who encourage them …
Snow was my first Pamuk book as well; the only other one of his that I’ve read is My Name is Red. I liked the latter one better.
Snow didn’t impress me too much, mainly because of the characters mostly being one-dimensional. Pamuk has an anti-Muslim attitude that he just can’t let go of or be objective about. This same attitude is also on display in My Name is Red, but at least it wasn’t the main focus. It’s unfortunate he’s like that as he can be a good writer. However, I’m also sure there was a great deal, especially in Ka’s poetry and the branches of humanity (or something like that) in Snow, that went over my head.
I’m looking forward to The Museum of Innocence, so please post something about it when you’ve finished it.
[quote=“IYouThem”]“For Rabbit, With Love and Squalor (An American Read)” by Anne Roiphe.
I happened to pick this up by chance at a used bookstore and I am fascinated and repulsed with it at the same time. The premise of the book is that Roiphe reminisces about the possibility of falling in love with fictional male main characters from Salinger, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Updike, etc. She uses this as a set-up to get into her own ended (youthful) relationships with hard-drinking, hard-thinking and (financially, artistically, personally) failed writers/artists; yet equally problematically, she champions her settling for a prosperous and staid psychoanalyst type that has measured and infrequent bursts of personality - but takes care of her. She’s no dummy and and she’s been around - which makes it worth the read.
She explained some things about (some) women that I never considered. She explains why a young, virginal 20-something girly-woman likes “artists”, then she pays her dues and renounces/denounces her youthful indiscretions/failings, by ultimately writing as an analyzed “mature” woman.
An examined life exposed. Thus, a compelling read if you like this sort of thing.
But it reminds me of the women who(m) I once held in high regard, only to watch them devolve into embracing security, convention and the way things have always been between bring-home-the-bacon-men and the women who encourage them …[/quote]
I must say, that sounds like a good read to me. It’s a topic I’ve often wondered about, and it would be interesting to read a novel on that theme written by a female writer.
